In the winter garden and a chicken bower

Winter, that's a bit of a joke.  Although there's a cool breeze today, outside it's quite warm enough for a t-shirt.  It's good growing weather, warm days and cool nights.

This is the bed I had prepared last week and is now planted with broad beans, Asian cabbage, spinach, collards, and too hard to see, calendulas and heartsease.  Radish seeds in the middle space.

 

This is a new bed I finished a couple of days ago, after breaking my back removing weeds and hauling soil.  It's now home to snow peas, a couple more broad bean plants, some bok choy and marigolds.  Radish seeds in the "holes" in the mulch.

Homemade climbing trellis for the peas, using long branches picked up on my doggy walks.

 

When the sun gets too hot for the tender seedlings, the trellis supports shade cloth. This area used to be in shade in the afternoon, but is now in full sun since the jacaranda tree fell.

Potatoes doing well, they've been hilled up twice since I took this picture, and I've nearly unrolled all the way to the top of the bags, they quite like being in the sun all day .

***

The chickens have been noticing the absence of the jacaranda as well.......not only had their run become very hot without it, but they had lost their "jungle" overhead, which made them feel safe, and so they wouldn't venture out into the open space.  So I made them a shady jungle bower from the broken branches that had to be trimmed off the mulberry tree. Not pretty but it works.

 

 Spangly Lola, golden Juno and a black blob which is Brenna, happily hidden away....I think they like it.

 

 Today, I need to check on the newest seedlings of bok choy and kale and see if they're ready to plant out, start some more seeds and I know there are tomatoes ready to be potted on.....all that and some sewing to hopefully finish off the Seed Packet quilt will fill the day quite nicely.

...............until next time

It's curtains for you, chicken!

 

Don't worry, it's not as drastic or blood thirsty as the title suggests.  This handsome black chicken is Brenna...she's loud, greedy, a bit bossy but quite a character.  I also suspect she might be an egg eater!  She does all the right things...sits in the nesting box, makes appropriate noises then struts about looking very pleased with herself.  But when I check the box, there's just a soggy mess and bits of shell.  What little is left of the shell is quite hard, so she's not laying soft eggs that fall apart, and anyway, there's no evidence of yolk anywhere.  I did some searching online, and the only suggestion that I thought might work was curtains on the nesting boxes. The idea is that the interior is dark so the naughty hen can't see her egg and the curtains are meant to be on the inside and hanging down a bit, hence restricting the hen's movement....if she gets up and tries to turn around and fossick for the egg, hopefully she'll bump into the fabric and be put off going further.  My nesting boxes are covered cat litter boxes, and where the lid joins the base is too low to hang the fabric on the inside, and being plastic, no easy way to attach the fabric.....so this will have to do.  I don't know if it works yet, as Brenna decided today she was not going to produce ! So I'll have to wait and see if this works, and maybe try to work out a way to have the curtain hang down inside as well.

 

 

Early morning in the hen house.. with Lola photo bombing from the left

 

***

 

 Apart from annoying the chooks in the early morning, I've done some more dyeing in a jar.  This time some red cabbage plus a few red onion skins.  I folded the cloth around a lid as a resist, and I'm hoping I'll end up with a circle on the cloth.  It's only been brewing since the weekend, so I'll give it a few more days.  I hope the rich colour lives up to it's promise and leaves a good colour on my fabric.

I've not checked the blue -with -turmeric- to -get- green  cloth yet, maybe a job for tomorrow.

 

 

I go to a sewing group once a week, where we all just work on our own hand stitching projects, knitting or crochet.  On Monday night I quickly put this little cloth together so I'd have something to do.  I cut a number of patches roughly the same size and basted them onto a background cloth. As most were from thrifted clothing, I decided to make a feature of the hems and seams. I bundled these predominantly whites and creams into a jar of weeds and rainwater and left them overnight, then rinsed and ironed them, all ready for stitching on.  A couple of the pieces were already dyed so took the colour more strongly.  If you're looking closely for that stitching it's not there....I chatted all morning and did no work at all! Never mind, I now have a little cloth all ready to start on next week.

And I finished the prayer flag I posted about last week, and a friend snapped it up right away as a housewarming gift....

It has rained heavily on and off all week and more is predicted.....lovely for the garden, as I've just planted out silver beet, bok choy and cabbage seedlings....I hope they don't drown ....and my water tanks are full and overflowing.  There's been good steady rain out to the west as well, where farmers were suffering badly from drought, so it's good all round.  I have a day home tomorrow, so at the top of my to-do list will be the pink quilt which I haven't had a chance to work on this week.

take care, see you next time......

 

out of the dye pot

Two of these bundles contain lemon scented eucalyptus leaves, and one has morning glory.  I wrapped bark around two of them, and eucalyptus leaves around the other, and they were all steamed in a eucalyptus bath, then left in the cool for about a week to dry.

 eucalyptus leaves with bark - nice markings from where I folded it

 

Morning glory, wrapped with bark....I was hoping for more of a green.  I added alum to the pot for this one, so this might account for the more tan outcome, or the alum really brought out the tans from the bark....not sure though.

 

Other eucalyptus bundle....darker in real life, richer.  I added some crushed eucalyptus dried flower heads to this bundle.

 

I was pleased with the outcome, it's all experimentation.....unfortunately the colours aren't true, they're more tan and ochre in real life.  I need to sit and play with my camera settings I think. 

 

I mentioned in my last post about the tiny scrap dyed with tibouchina flowers.  here are the flowers before I bundled them....a beautiful rich purple.  These gave me some good colour.  The piece the scrap was from I'd added onion skins, but left them out this time.  I bundled these into a jar with water and vinegar, pushed more flowers around them, and steamed the jars for about an hour, then left for a few days before unwrapping them.

 

Darker spots are from loose petals I'd added......on silk

 

on linen

 

***

And an update on little bird........who I'm pleased to say is not an orphan.  I was lucky enough to be in the garden with my camera and catch this parent coming to feed him.  The other parent was in the tree above, keeping watch maybe. So relieved.

 

 

 

This is a little blurred, but I managed to catch him up on his tippy toes, furiously pumping his wings. He looks like he has some of his tail feathers missing, perhaps from one of the birds that was attacking him earlier.  I'm hoping they'll grow back.

 

Practising, exercising

 

 

Juno enjoying the late afternoon sunshine

 

Enjoy your weekend, I'm off to make a quilt.

A chicken and a dog - a look back

This is my little bantam Goodie, who sadly is no longer with us.  She began to stop eating, not get up, and I'd carry her from the henhouse to the back deck, where she'd spend her nights in a dog crate, tucked up safely, being fed sloppy warm porridge and milk.  Each morning I expected her to be gone, but no, she'd pop up bright as a button, ready to chat to Mirrhi and be carried back to the pen and spend the day with the other chickens.

 

In the afternoon, I'd carry her out to sit on the grass while the others free ranged around the garden.  She'd make herself comfortable propped up against Mirrhi and talk away quietly to her, while Mirrhi sat as still as possible and ate her bone, stopping every now and then to give Goodie's face  a good swipe with her tongue. 

Left to right, Brenna, Betty and Juno.....hoping for tidbits from that bone, or a chance to dash in and steal it.

 

 

Goodie would bounce back and be her old self after a few days of intensive care, but then the time came to decide it was kinder to let her go, so it was off to the vet for a little help.  Goodie was around 9 years old, and was my very first chicken, so it was sad to say goodbye to her.  She had a good life I think, and despite her tiny size, was always the boss of the hen house. Mirrhi still checks in all Goodie's favourite spots in the garden, perhaps hoping to find her little feathery friend.

 

and give her a big wet tongue kiss.

 

Mirrhi, nearly grown up now at 18 months and so pretty. 

 

Enjoy your day



Introducing Mirrhi

Mirrhi is an Aboriginal word from Western Queensland meaning little girl.  Today is her first full day here, and her second night.  So far, we're all doing well.  She settled quickly and quietly last night, with no sound from her all night, waking about 6am, and waiting until she was outside to toilet.  She's taken well to her crate after some initial complaints, and now goes to it straight away to nap or play.  I have it in the kitchen, here next to my desk, so she can see me coming and going.  She's only locked in if I need to be away from her for any length of time and overnight; otherwise she can come and go as she pleases, but only in the kitchen or out to the deck so far.

It's been a busy day.......she's met the chickens and watched them for a little while, but made no attempt to chase, and soon went back to chewing her toys, and they soon forgot to be nervous around her and came up close to share an apple with me.  This evening the cats came out of hiding for a wary look-see....Mirrhi was out on the deck and unaware of them to start with, so the growling and hackle raising that went on seemed a bit wasted.  Molly had a sniff at her through the crate, which was very  brave of her, while Mirrhi cringed in the corner.

I'd forgotten how tiring small creatures are....the constant vigilance for signs that the toilet might be  needed, watching to see what's being chewed or eaten, and finding the balance between fun and discipline and being consistent, but I'm enjoying every minute, and she was great company this afternoon as I gardened and made sure the yard was puppy proof....she had quickly shown me where it wasn't!

We will both sleep well tonight I think.

In the garden -exploring, weaving, knitting

The weather's been sublime here, and apart from a few days of heavy rain, there's been warm bright sunshine and blue skies. Although I've had sewing to do,  it's just been too nice to be indoors, so I've been taking my knitting outside, letting the new girls out to explore and enjoyed the sunshine.

Spangly Lola

Busy Brenna ....she loves being out, and aggressively hunts worms and insects, from the ground and her nest mates.  I think she's going to be alpha  chicken.  She makes an amazing noise, somewhere between a honking goose and a mournful water fowl.

Speedy Lola....so much to do and see.

Betty........likes to check it all out first.

They have all settled in well, there's the occasional outraged squark during the day, as the older two continue to attempt to stake their claim to the henhouse, but it's mostly darting and chasing, no vicious attacks.  Sadly, this little one, Hildie,  didn't make it, I found her very listless in the coop one morning when I let them out, and despite bringing her indoors and keeping her warm, and eye droppering food and water into her, she died shortly after.  I think the others might have suffocated her, they haven't quite got the hang of roosting yet, and would get off and huddle together in a pile.  Hildie was probably on the bottom. She was a dear little girl, and was the first one to venture out into the yard, then followed me around peeping happily, sounding like R2D2, all beeps and whistles.

Rest in peace, Hildie

I had this garden loom made a while back, and have been enjoying weaving cuttings and prunings from the garden into it.  I saw one in a Living Crafts magazine a while ago, and was really taken with it. Go here to see the website of the family that make them, they're from northern Maine, and have such a respect and enjoyment of their garden.

I love how I can watch the shadows and light on it, changing and moving, keeping me in touch and mindful of the passing day, and then the seasons.  The structure itself is symbolic of our human experience and is a quiet reminder of the inner qualities of this experience and harmonising the whole.  The top beam represents the creator, or creative power, the vertical posts : 2 states of experience - being and doing; the angled pieces represent balanced communication: listening and talking; and the two horizontal weaving beams are for feeling...the lower one, close to the earth for grounding...and the higher...the head for thinking.

At dusk

Moon rise.

I love too that it's all made from left over timbers from when I had the back of the house renovated.  Those upright posts are the old stair supports, from when the house was built over 90 years ago, and now have a new lease of life watching over my garden. 

As we move into Spring, I'll start weaving wool, roving, and fabric scraps for the birds to take for their nests.  They already like to perch up on it, and there's often little groups sitting happily up there.  For now, I've planted some bulbs under it, and will plant flowers and herbs seasonally under and around it.  It makes me very happy.

....and the knitting? This week is NAIDOC Week , celebrating the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander peoples and I've been knitting beanies in the indigenous colours, of black, red and yellow.  These will be given to the children who attend the local Women's Service Indigenous playgroup and after school activities, a very new venture for the area.  I've made 12, and have one on the needles, nearly finished, and since I didn't decide until midway through June that I'd take on this project, I'm rather pleased and relieved they're all done, and ready to hand out on Wednesday.  They range in size from one for a new baby, up to 12 year olds.   

I'm back out to enjoy the winter sunshine, finish that last beanie and do some stitching for Full Moon Art with Woman with Wings.

Enjoy your week.

Hen house hysterics

My chicken flock has grown from 2 to 6, overnight.  I made the long trek yesterday a couple of hours north of here to Julie Thompson's hatchery, where she sells heirloom breed chickens.  It was well worth the drive, as Julie was so warm and welcoming, and was very helpful and patient as I asked questions, looked, cuddled chickens, and then made my choices.  I live in suburbia, so Council only allows me to have 6 chickens, but this is plenty for me, and it gives each one plenty of space to grow and thrive. They're around 14-16 weeks, and will have to do a little more growing before laying.

Black araucana Betty.....just because it seems to suit her and Silver Spangled Hamburg Lola.  Lola is so fancy with her silver spangles, I thought she's a showgirl for sure.

Pekin Bantam Hildie - she looks like a nun, in her soft grey, so she's named after Hildegard of Bingen.  She already enjoys sitting in the crook of my arm and being carried around.

Australorpe........Brenna, it means raven haired in Gaelic.

I haven't had black chickens before, so this lot is a nice change.  They've settled in well, and getting used to dirt under their feet, wild birds calling raucously around them, and the freedom of a larger space.  It's been great fun watching them, and seeing their personalities emerge already.

Goodie and Juno

And these two, the old flock, have been very unsettled and noisy.  They weren't at all happy to emerge from their night time roost to find intruders in the pen.  I heard their loud protests, and the sun barely up, and had to pull my boots on and a jacket over my jammies, and head out quickly to undertake damage control, before I had neighbours complaining about the much too early Sunday morning racket.  The two flocks are separated for now, can look but not touch!  I'll give them a week or so, then start to integrate them.  It's the part I don't enjoy, someone always seems to end up being hen pecked and it's not always the newcomers.  I let these two out earlier than usual to free range, and have been weeding and turning soil in an area I want to plant up, hoping if they keep busy scratching around, they'll relax .......it's working, kind of...but there's still a lot of loud venting their displeasure, and nervous hysterics at every unusual noise. It will just take time and patience until all is harmonious in the hen house again.

I'm off out to enjoy the rest of this beautiful 23 degree sunshiney day, hope your day is full of cackles, good scratchings and sunshine too.