Chicken and Flowers

Photo Copyright: Maggie May

Last week I went for the first two of my 30 sessions of radiotherapy.

I didn't really know what to expect but it seems that I just have to lie very still on my stomach, after being lined up by humans .... then the machine takes over. It moves over my head and turns round and sometimes it seems dark and sometimes not. I have no idea what is going on, and can only hear the different noises that the machine makes as it goes its own way. Nothing hurts and there is no feeling when this beam of radiation is being shot into precise parts of my body. As long as I keep still all is well. If I need them to stop, then I can raise my hand and then they will interrupt the cycle. There is someone watching me all the time and obviously someone must be in control of the machine, behind the glass screen.

Before the first session, I waited half an hour in the waiting room, but last time I was kept waiting a good deal longer than that, so it does take a chunk out of the day and its best to take a book.

The department is 2 stories down in the basement so there is no daylight coming in or fresh air and whatever they use instead of this, makes me very sleepy.

When I came home from the very first session, my husband told me that I'd had flowers delivered by hand while I was away.

I had no idea who they could have been from until I opened the little card. It was from Denise Nesbitt. Some time ago, before I knew about my tumour on the coccyx........ Denise told me that one of her chickens was leaving home and heading for Bristol and could she stay with me?

I had no idea why she'd want to leave the beautiful countryside where she'd been living........ but was very pleased to receive Chicken Nesbit into my home. You can catch up with her arrival, HERE.

Chicken Nesbitt has been looking out of my dining room window since then. Occasionally she falls down onto the netting on the rabbit run and I have to untangle her feet.

Anyway...... she seemed to sense that the flowers were from Denise and her other chickens and she had to go and have a look and sniff them!

They are beautiful flowers, Denise, and I was truly overwhelmed by your kindness.

Thank you so much.

Just proves that blogging friends, however virtual they may seem to be, can be really supportive and kind and break through the ether, occasionally.

I have had another visit from my daughter and grandsons over the weekend, which was really lovely. I don't usually see them as often as this because they live nearly 200 miles away. I must have really scared my daughter when she came two weeks ago and I was in such pain. However, she can see that things have really improved since she was last here and that must have been a relief.

As it was the Balloon Fiesta in Bristol and the weather was not that brilliant, we didn't think that we stood much chance of seeing many hot air balloons over this way. However, on several occasions we looked into the sky from our road and saw great clusters of them floating slowly in the distance and we could hear the burners as they boosted their height. Radio Bristol announced that 62 took off together.

It was naturally on our local television news and we were dismayed to see that one unfortunate lady who was sleeping in her bedroom at the time, heard a noise like an explosion and found that a balloon had crashed into the side of her house. No one was hurt and you can read about it and see the picture here.

I wonder what this week will bring?

Chicken Nesbitt Comes To Stay

Photos Copyright: Maggie May

It all began with a comment that I left on Mrs Nesbitt's Space. I can't even remember exactly what it was, except to say that I enjoyed going over to her place because I live in the city and I haven't room for hens.

In other words, it is good to be able to get in touch with rural life.

Well, next thing I knew, I received a letter from a chicken! Can you imagine the surprise I got, to receive a letter from a chicken!

She had invited herself to stay and was packing her case. The cheeky thing.

After a few days, I was rudely awakened by the postman who apologised for getting me up (because he could see that I was still in my dressing gown.) Silly man, didn't he realise that I had been up for a while because I had rabbits to feed? My granddaughters were here too and were able to join in all the excitement. The parcel was huge and I had thought that Chicken Nesbitt was going to be very small. However, it turned out that she was almost as large as my dwarf rabbits.

She seemed very hungry when she got here after all that travelling and I thought I would give her access to the rabbit hay in their run.

The shock of this sent Lily running for cover in her card board box and you can see her white nose and fur sticking out of the doorway. Both rabbits were a bit unsure of Chicken Nesbitt.

Chicken Nesbitt scared my rabbits. You could say that both rabbits went a bit chicken (Sorry about that.)

It didn't take long for Ash to start to make friends and he gave Chicken N a kiss. Now it was her turn to feel uneasy.

A few moments later, Lily came over to investigate too and Chicken Nesbitt started to cry. I think she realised that she was in definite danger of being eaten.

So being the kind person that I am, I quickly removed the chicken from harm and she felt so much safer looking at the rabbits from the other side of the bars.

All three animals now came and fed together and there was a much happier atmosphere.

However, Chicken N was still a bit frightened of her nose being nibbled, so she climbed up onto the window ledge that looked out onto the garden. She liked that and she is also able to look down onto the rabbits and laugh because they can't get to her through the netting at the top of their run and she is nice and warm and dry and can steal the rabbit food when they aren't looking.

I might add that my husband is very concerned because Mrs Nesbitt sent me a book on keeping chickens! Isn't this sort of how the rabbit ownership got started? An impulsive thing that came out of the blue? Yes, he is very worried.

I am going to read it but.........

Anyway, thank you very much Mrs Nesbitt for sending your chicken. She is happy here and doesn't want to come home. Hope you don't mind.