Chooks make me happy

It's been an exciting week around here as our new chook palace has been completed!

Our friend Tom has done a fantastic job, I couldn't be happier. Although I loved the charm of our old chook pen, it's gaps and worn bits were a calling card to Mr Fox. The new and improved pen is so much safer and has a great yard for the chooks to hang out in when they aren't free ranging.

We tried to re use as much as possible including old bolts. Keep Out Foxy Loxy!

I love that the clothes line is next to the chook pen, now I can chat to the girls (and boy) and watch them going about their chookie business. 

 As you know I'm a big fan of the Hills Hoist, many a pleasant morning is spent underneath it, hanging out the washing, dreaming, listening to the birds and hiding from my family. Ha!

I'm loving the way this project has me seeing the garden in a different way. Now that the massive cyprus tree has gone a whole new world is opening up. The quince tree, above left, that has been in the shade for the last twenty or more years is looking so much happier. The garden is full of so much more light and sky.

In the next couple of weeks we are hoping to move the little cubby/house that is currently attached to our house. It will be craned into position to the right of the shed above. It's front door will face the house and we will make a little path that will lead around it. I also want to plant some creepers or roses against the posts of the chook pen. Lots of fun projects ahead.

Final inspection. Yep, it's ok...!

Today was the best day ever as we finally bought home some beautiful new chickens. Yay!

 This is Smoky, Sunday's chook. She is so pretty, well they both are :) Smoky & Bill's chook, Gelati, have already laid an egg each! Wow, the first day and they are already laying. We have also moved our lone rooster from the front yard into the new chook pen. From a lonely bachelor life to moving in with five ladies...he's looking pretty happy too.

This is Maria, Rosie's little bantam. She is a feisty little number, and seems to be the boss of the chook house already. I love her spots, she's such a gorgeous girl!

I love chooks, can you tell? Our whole family are crazy about them. They just seem to make life complete. There's something kind of comforting about a happy chicken, scratching in the hay, clucking around the yard. Do you have chooks? Have you thought about getting some? You really should, I bet they'll make you smile too.

See you soon lovely ones xo

Changes

Have told you that we are planning to renovate our house? We have been thinking about it for a few years  now and have finally come up with a plan that we hope works. So exciting!! To get things underway we need to do some tweaking in our garden. This has also been an opportunity to make a beautiful new chook/duck house. I'm pretty excited about that too! Our yard has been eerily quiet lately.

So far we have pulled down the small side tool shed that rested up against our garage. It has left such a big space in the yard as we also took down a small chook fence, and the little red cubby where our ducks once lived. I love the exposed wood & the way everything now looks so different. I didn't at first though, it took me a few days to adjust, that's for sure.

The little out house, above, has been here since our house was built, around 1900. It was used as a bedroom by us and the original family. We 'joined' it onto the side of the house with a little alcove but with our new plans it really has to go. It would have been cheaper and easier to demolish it, but I really wanted to find a way to keep it. It's such a charming and sweet little building.



So here's the plan. A nice bloke called Col is going to back his crane down our driveway and lift the little house onto stumps between the tree, above right, next to the shed/garage.  It will sit towards the back with it's door facing the house. I hope to have a little path leading towards it. Lucy tells me it's to be a 'club house', which sounds fun. I can't wait to see it in place.

This is what remains of our chook/duck house and yard. Before Tom began to pull it apart I said a little thank you to it for giving us many years of happy chickens and ducks. Many years of eggs, ducklings, baby chicks and the lovely sound of clucking and quacking. I am such a nostalgic girl, too sentimental for this world at times I think.  Anyway, all good things must come to an end and really, it was time to rebuild after losing all our lovely birds to foxes recently. You can only patch up an old pen so much.

I'm super excited about our new yard and pen which will look quite different and be FOX PROOF!

We are going to orientate it a different way and have the open yard facing the washing line and house. It will be so lovely to see the chooks while I'm hanging out the washing this summer. Of course they will be free ranging most of the time. I can't wait!  I've been thinking about what type of chooks to get. Isa Browns are such good layers but I'd love to get a couple of fancy chooks too. Any suggestions?

 With all this pulling down of sheds and coops comes a lot of rubbish. Luckily we are able to re use quite a bit of material from the shed etc which is great but this lot above is heading for the tip asap.

We have such a beautiful big garden, it's one of the things that I fell in love with when I first saw our house, back in 2004.

While it looks a bit bare and messy right now I'm seeing past that and dreaming of what it will become.

On my wish list is a pond, maybe a creek (!), frogs, veggies, hidden corners, grass to run on, swings and lovely spots to sit and just..be.

Over the next little while I'll be documenting the changes. I haven't even told you what we are planning for the inside! This is the back of our house at the moment, with the little shed and it's green roof. Imagine the day the crane comes to swing it into it's new spot..wow!

How are things in your world? Are you planning anything new, fun or exciting? Are you glad it's almost Spring or are you heading into autumn? Changes happen whether we like it or not, don't they?

I guess it makes life interesting. See you soon, lovely ones xo

Super Chook

About four weeks ago one of our favourite chickens went missing. Known as Henrietta to me, Proud Mary to Mark, Sarah to Rosie, she was a chook with many names. A Plymouth Rock chicken she had a certain elegance & charm and was so pretty & gorgeous. We were all sad when she disappeared one night and I assumed she had died of old age or illness, somewhere in the depths of our garden/jungle.

Then the night before last the strangest thing happened. At about four in the morning the dogs went crazy, barking and barking. Mark went out to see what was happening and who should he see but our dear old missing chook, with feathers missing, distressed and clucking outside the back door.

He tried to catch her to put her in the chook pen but couldn't. In the morning all we could find was a pile of feathers near the back gate. I was so sad to think she had survived the four weeks on her own, goodness knows where!? And then a fox must have hunted her down and killed her. I drove to Ballarat with tears in my eyes thinking of that brave chook and feeling so sad we couldn't help her when she needed us.

But miracles do happen!! Yesterday morning, there she was. The most super chook of all time. Battered, bitten & bruised, under a bush, in shock & extremely hungry! We couldn't believe it. She has been on her own for weeks, survived a fox attack and is now back where she belongs.

Today I have been giving her warm bread & water & spraying her wounds with salty water. I'm so happy she is ok and am inspired and amazed by her courage. Talk about resilient. Yay for Super Chook!

This little story reminds me to never give up hope, to have faith & to keep trying my best, especially when life is challenging. We can learn so much about life from nature, from simple things, and yes, from chickens!

There was much to celebrate today too at our beautiful school's final assembly for the year. Sunday was Mary in the Nativity play, all the children were so lovely to watch. Their singing of Away in a Manger so gorgeous.

She was thrilled too to receive an award for high achievement in her studies this year. I'm so proud of her and all my kids, who all try hard to be the best people they can. As I told one of them, I didn't receive one award in all my schooling but I tried hard, made some good friends and had some amazing experiences.

Before I go I should mention the Sugar & Spice Children's market, unfortunately it was very quiet but we still had a great time. Being there with Charlotte, having a laugh & chatting was the best fun ever.

I fell in love with Spunkee's birds and bunnies, owls and turtles, so much loveliness!!! 

Renee's stall was the highlight of the market for me,I could have bought every one of her gorgeous creatures.  I just love the bunny I came home with, she is so sweet and makes me feel happy.

Well, better go and get ready for tonights Christmas party at Janet's.

Stay tuned for some photo's of her amazing, crazy Christmas display..it's out of this world!

Bye for now lovely friends xo

My Creative Space

Every month or so I head over to Creswick to the woollen mills for a rustle around in their bales of blanket offcuts.  I love the soft shades of fawn & cream & the lovely bunny grey but the best bit is you never know what colours you will find until you get there.

This week I was so excited to across a piece of beautiful deep red, amazingly soft alpaca!! Wow! I'm not sure how red bunnies will go down but you know what, I don't really mind as I'm just loving playing & sewing with this gorgeous, tactile, electric fabric.

Even the fringy bits!

My space this week has been busy & colourful & fun this week. New cute cardigans, baby chickens, brooch making, spring weather, visits to ace mates, brooch making, walking (yep, actual Exercise!), plotting Chrissie presents with a certain woman of the south (big secret) and a special trip to Melbourne to see my Just Finished Her Last Exam daughter! Woo hoo!

As she chatted on her new fancy phone I waited patiently in the glow of her pretty lanterns. Can you see that extremely happy and relieved look on Char's face? Yep, school is almost over.

Back at home I am in full market prep mode. I'm trying to keep my sewing space uncluttered so I have been sorting out, chucking out & re organising. Sunday helped me sort out all my threads today, giving high priority to the 'best' colours, ie: red, pink & purple, of course. My sewing table is nice and tidy now and I'm feeling inspired to finish up my bunnies & bits to take to Sugar & Spice in Ballarat on the 28th of this month.  I can't wait!! Lovely Ali has posted a little interview with moi on the Sugar and Spice blog, if you get a sec have a look!

What's happening in your space today? I'm off to Kirsty's for a sticky beak...see you soon xo