Grass is SCARY !

"Come little human!  Take me closer to my prey!"  - says Ru, still terrified of grass, being carted about the garden by Miss Bok.

Anyone else have animals that are scared of grass??

The Bok Flock are quite disdainful of little grass-phobic Ru

  

 

If not cart then legs...anything really as long as he doesn't touch the scary grass!

In other news, the tawny frogmouths have returned to our front garden this Spring!  Hooray!

Settling in

Hallo lovelies!

Conchita and Consuela have settled in beautifully, no blood, no squabbles in the flock, it's like they've always been here.  And unlike the other girls who are yet to start laying, they give us a beautiful green and a beautiful blue egg daily (although the sizes vary).

Mr Bok made banofee pie - he rarely cooks let alone bakes so I was a bit impressed at this effort!

 If you live in Melbourne - have you noticed how popular Mexican food has become lately?  I had lunch here and it was so yummmm even if it leaves your wallet a bit lighter...

 

 

I still have no idea when to pick the babacos.  Seems the possums don't know either.

 

The possums are still after my chillies and capsicum but the baskets seem to be working.

My apples are greatly confused - they've started blossoming for goodness sake...at the same time as ripening apples!  On the same tree!!

 

Loads of self seeded tomatoes which I've had to pull out:

Any ideas on how to keep chooks off the verandah?

Conchita & Consuela...and the evil possum

Being a guardian of a flock of boks necessarily entails endless contemplation over the acquisition of more and more hens...who knows why this condition exists in chook keepers but it's always there.

Pumpkin mandarins and flowers from the garden

So when I found 2 araucanas in need of a new home I couldn't resist. I'd been thinking of adding to our flock for a while now anyway but the thought of a massive dustbowl that I thought might ensue always held me back.  5 full grown full size hens roaming the backyard without a care.

Another thing to ponder.  Why is it that araucanas are always named Conchita and Consuela?  Surely not every buxom lass in South America is a Consuela or a Conchita?  No doubt if I ever acquire an araucana rooster he will be named Inigo Montoya.  In fact I think I'll get a rooster just so that I can name him after one of my favourite characters.

I digress.

So in the peak of the crazy storm in Melbourne last night, there I was on a wild hen chase aquaplaning through water past my tyre tops on the freeway making my way to the hens.  Of course the part of the world they were in was quite dry but they endured crazy driving on the way back to my place.  I'm sure they snored in the dark the entire way ignoring the erratic driving and the pelting rain.

Today, their first day, they spent in the coop learning that it is now 'home' whilst the other bok flockers roamed the garden as usual.

Conchita (with tag on her leg) even laid us an egg!  A green egg.

 

The other girls however are still freeloading *FROWN*

Welcome Conchita and Consuela!

The tragedy that is feeding local wildlife unintentionally

Meanwhile can someone confirm that it is a possum (we have LOADS of them on our street) that has eaten ALL of our capsicum and ALL of the red chillies (having left the unripe green ones).  Surely not a chook could be so neat?  Not a scrap of fruit left.  Neatly bitten stalks left behind.  No signs of scratching.  I've never seen the chooks up on the apple crates but I have seen possums sitting on our fence laughing at us.

 

GONE!  ALL GONE OVER NIGHT!

GONE!  All the red chillies - GONE!

Bonnie & Clyde - The Runaway Chooks

Some people think I'm a bit odd.

But honestly, it's circumstance mostly...

We returned from a day at the beach late yesterday...

  

And as we pulled into the driveway, Betty, the lovely old lady who lives next door came running over.
'Have you got 2 brownish hens?' she asked and I nodded mutely as she hurried me up the street to Mavis and Frank's house (another old couple who live a few doors up).  'Mavis found them in her garden!'

Oh dear.  I hurried along to retrieve my two hens who must have gotten loose.  But as I entered Mavis and Frank's garden, I realised the hens who were happily mucking in at the end of their garden were not any hens I knew.  But me being there and with Mavis and Frank panicking, I rescued the hens and them by attempting to catch the chickens.  I asked Frank for a bit of bread to tempt them with but he kept telling me 'Hens don't eat bread!  Mavis, did the young lady say bread?  Bread what do you want that for?'  Sigh...so I set about catching the chooks.  I then asked Frank for a box but all he had was an old supermarket basket, so with much muttering I took the two hens anyway, one huge hen under each arm and toddled back up the street to my place, hens each squawking indignantly the whole way.

Have I mentioned that it was a gorgeous evening and most of the neighbourhood was out and about?

As I got to my place, a visitor was at our door with a bowl of macaroons.  I had no hands free so long story short, I ended up with a bowl of macaroons in my mouth and a big fat hen still stuck under each arm, ringing my own doorbell with my feet.  Of course by now a curious crew had gathered to peer at their odd neighbour and as every neighbour casually walked past our house calling out a cheery hello, I could only waggle a toe in reply.

'I've always known you were a mad woman' said Mr Bok.

Lovely.

Anyway I've called the two runaway hens Bonnie and Clyde, they are currently living in my yard until someone comes to claim them.  I've down a doorknock but no one knows where they've come from.

As for my girls, they don't seem much bothered really.  I still haven't named them.  As I've already named the lost chooks I guess I'd better think about naming our own and maybe bonding.  I'm still scarred from our last experience though.  I hope someone comes to claim Bonnie & Clyde soon as our yard isn't big enough for 5 full grown chooks.  I've always had 5 in the past but never of this size!

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!!!  Wishing you a very blessed and joyful 2012 filled with adventure, laughter, growing happy things  and love

The hens get hemmed in

Now. I'm not sure if you know this about hens. But they can be wicked. And eat all of your carefully tended seedlings, sproutings and vegies.  And lay eggs in your shoes that you squish as you carelessly step out in the dark.

So. The hens are getting hemmed in - for now, by flimsy chicken wire and stakes, in the near future by a sturdier fence or something else. Depending on how the budget goes. I know you laugh and say ha! give them 5 seconds and they'll be over that chicken wire in a flash!  but if that happens I will add another layer of curly chicken wire and may even seriously consider clipping a wing.  I don't think they will flap out and over, they have plenty to occupy themselves with in there (ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo famous last words...).  Anyway for now this makes me feel like we've taken some control!

Thank goodness for the Melbourne Cup holiday. Isn't it wonderful, a public holiday so we can go bet on a horse race  :)   For me it's been a wonderful chance to get into the garden, mulch and hem those darn hens in!!  Well, stand and instruct Mr Bok anyway.

I'm sure the humans are meant to be on the outside 
and the hens are meant to be on the inside?

Tim Tam really wants out to join in the fun...

I've planted pumpkin at the back of their yard near the cape gooseberry

(do you like the stake?) not sure if it'll grow much as it doesn't get much sunlight 

but hey it'll be fun for them to scratch around in.

No point to this pic above really other than wanting to show off my garden stakes! 

Aren't they gorgeous??

So here they are.  Happily ensconced in their bit of the garden.  So far so good...a whole afternoon and escape yet!

p.s. I'm looking forward to meeting some of you folk on Sunday! I'll be on that 11am free Diggers garden tour thingy looking surreptitiously for yellow flowers or yellow birds...click here for details