Two New Girls

Alas: Poor Julia

There are now 5 girls.

Due to a most awful disaster we lost Julia. I do not mean we carelessly misplaced her.  I mean she was murdered by the little dog from next door.
It was somewhat surprising (and of course, terribly upsetting) to me, as Mattie (the murderess) is smaller than the girls and I don't think she really meant to end Julia's life. The whole incident, I suppose, must be called manslaughter or chookslaughter (although that does sound a bit Stegglesque) as a result of a rather over exuberant game of chasey. 
Anyway Mattie's mama was utterly mortified when I told her of the sweet little pookie pie's afternoon entertainment and we have come to an agreement as to the alternate hours of confinement and freedom for respective dog and chookies.
So:
I had decided that I really needed two more girls as I am back 'into' eggs and Shirley will only ever be able to produce eency weency eggs. 

This is Fiona

Once the new girls were home I had to come up with names for them quick smart to cement their places in the family.

I remembered that my very first and very bestest friend in the whole wide world was Fiona or FeeOWna as I apparently called her. I met her at the start of prep and we instantly became friends. Her parents were Scottish and 3/4 way through the year they moved back to Scotland. I was gutted! My mum kept some beautiful artwork that I dedicated to FeeOWna some 54 years ago. I do remember her and have school pictures to help prompt that memory.
Anyway Fiona had dark red hair - so naturally I had to call my Rhode Island Red beauty

Fiona!

This is Rosemary

Then many years later in High School I had another redhead as a friend. Her hair was more strawberry blonde really but still showed through some ginger.
Her name was Rosemary and I thought this too would be a most suitable and dignified name for my lovely Isa Brown chookie.

Rosemary (foreground) and Fiona looking a little bit grotty and disheveled having just arrived from the breeders large and muddy pen full of bossy and self serving brothers and sisters.

Shirley has filled out a lot and looks so pretty with her fluffy feathers.

Bess, Miss Pinches and Shirley

The other three have grown so much in the last 3 weeks. Their feathers are full and lustrous and their bloomers fluffy and plush.
There is just a slight 'establishment of the pecking order' issue going on since the new girls arrived. Bess has become extremely bossy and 'top chookish' and Miss Pinches has been just plain mean! Fancy jumping on Fiona's back and trying to grind her into the ground - REALLY! I mean to say! Such unladylike behaviour - disgraceful. Bess had got the ball rolling though by grabbing Rosemary's leg in her beak and having a red hot go at snapping it in half! Rosemary's protestations were succinct and effective in procuring her release - and Thank Heavens I say - I was imaging this poor one legged chook for the rest of her life. Awful goings on, just awful!
Anyway at bedtime the 3 older girls were on their perch and the newbies were on the floor huddled together in the corner beside the perch. Hopefully they will all be getting on well soon.

Tuesday Treasures

Today I'm joining Melody at The House on the Side of The Hill for Tuesday Treasures.
The Singing Trees

My Treasure for this week is the line of wonderful Casuarinas which are on our western boundary. These trees were planted by the lady who lives next door about 13 years ago and are quite large now. These interesting trees have branchlets instead of leaves and racemes of golden-copper coloured flowers on the tips of all the branchlets. When the long flowers drop they stick to anything they touch and hang in plants underneath and near the trees making my lemon trees look like they have caterpillars all over them.

BUT!

The main reason that I love these trees is - can you guess? .....

...... It is the beautiful song they sing as the wind tosses their massed branchlets
*****

I first heard them at Hillview, a property in NSW that my uncle managed. There was a stand of them on a hill where I would go and sit, waiting for the wind to blow.

As the warm breeze picked up in strength this haunting, soulful song would see me sitting for lengthy periods, eyes closed almost meditative, reluctant to move or go back to the house.
***
Later on I found some seeds under trees which I was stunned to find growing near to where we lived, far from the outback property.
The following poem was written as a result of that serendipitous discovery
*****

Beautiful floppy, droopy casuarinas

Casuarina flowers

*****

The Singing Trees

Growing slowly on my lawn, are three precious trees

One day when out walking I collected their seeds.

A stand of trees I didn't know were growing near the creek

Till one day I noticed them, in utter disbelief.

***

Many years ago, up Balranald way

My uncle managed land, where we would go and stay.

It was a joy to visit there, and listen to the quiet

To rest from the noise, and curse of city life.

The house was surrounded, by red, sandy dust

Most would hope for still days and hated windy gusts.

There was one place I welcomed the wind as it blew

The hill where my special trees waited for their cue.

As I walked there I hoped, the wind was strong enough

To toss and throw the branches and whip them into song.

The noise I can't describe, some would say the howled

But to me it was the music, of a singing crowd.

I sat and closed my eyes, as they caressed my ears 

With the soulful song they had practiced for years.

I remember so well, that very last time

When I listened to their music, their singing sublime.

No more were we to travel there, and visit this place

This solitude, this outback, this vast red, blue space.

The sky too blue to be possible and earth as red as rust

Yet trees still sing and live for years, growing through its crust

***

My little trees can't sing yet, they're still much too small

But how pretty they look there, growing in my lawn.

Like dear little Christmas trees, in the morning light

With webs strung out with dewdrops, from the last cold night.

We'll just have to stay, till their branches are long

And the wind can coax them, to sing their first song.

The space isn't blue and red, but the song will be the same

To take me back in time and space, to where it all began

Bronwyn Barton

26/5/2005

(Allocasuarina verticillata)

We did stay long enough to see those little trees grow big enough to sing. I remember it too. I sat beside those 2 metre high trees and closed my eyes once again as I did that last time at Hillview. 

This time though, I was serenaded by their very first song.

*****

Now I can hear them as I hang out the washing or tend to the chookies thanks to Cheryl next door - Lucky me!

Two Finishes!

Olivia's Quilt - At last!!

It's finally done and will be presented to Olivia tomorrow.

Manoir des Poulets 

Here are the progessive pics of the Manor under construction to completion.

Lolla is helping putting the stumps in - NOT - she is digging the freshly filled holes! Scallywag.

The floor and frame partially complete

Weatherboards on and verandah floor down

Almost complete. Just needs windows wired up and the balustrade

Here are the Girlies ...

First and easiest to name was Shirley. Shirley was a showgirl, a child-star, if you will. She was strutting her stuff whilst still mostly chicky fluff and was spared the axe by the kind lady named Lyn who sold her to me. Lyn knew that Shirley's breeder would only show her once and then murder her so she took her home to raise and sell as a pet. Shirley is a Leghorn x Isa Brown Bantam Frizzle.
Next is Julia. She is a lovely little Isa Brown and is named Julia for obvious reasons!
Thirdly is Bess. Bess is a lovely black Australorp and utterly, completely beautiful.
And last, but not least is Miss Pinches. I'm sure you remember Miss Pinches from an earlier post of mine. Miss Pinches was my piano teacher when I was a wee bairn. She was skinny, tall with long bony legs and she had greying-redish hair (or was that just a terrible rinse). Miss Pinches was very business like and to the point. She would sit beside me as I played my pieces and poke me in the top of my arm with her bony long fingers as she counted 1..2..3..1..2..3...

From left: Julia (of course), Miss Pinches, Shirley and Bess

Beautiful Black Bess - Look at that gorgeous face. She could be a mode! Although she may be a little portly for the runway.

Miss Pinches and Shirley

Miss Pinches

Kanga - thinking of matters culinary.

Wistfully dreaming of Coq au vin, with a side of stuffed Wren and a garnish of Pesky Puppy sausages.

I cant wait until the girls get cracking (so to speak) and start pumping out those yummy, happy chookie eggs. There is just nothing like home grown eggs. Yum-Yum.






Have a super Sunday everyone. We are off to celebrate our youngest grandchild's second birthday. He is such a little dude! I'll post some pics if I remember to take any.

Tuesday Treasures

 Le Manor

Here is a sneak-peek at the project we have been working on for a couple of months. 

 It will be known as the 'Manoir des Poulets'! (Manor house of the chickens)

A distant glimpse of the Manoir des Poulets

This leads me to one of my treasures which is my chickens - which, I hasten to add, I do not have just yet!
Plans were afoot, they were, they were afoot, were the plans, to collect said birdies on the weekend but - BUT - there was drama! He who never gets sick - got sick! Now when he who never gets sick, gets sick, it is usually a real doozie and this time was no exception. So there were raging temperatures, relentless pain hither and yon, anorexia, parasthesia, lassitude etc. All of which made the trip to collect said cute, fluffy, feathered insinkerators / egg machines impossible.
Now, the Manoir is not finished. So this is another slight hiccup in the whole 'fridge overflowing with eggs, cakes, lemon butter, chocolate mousse etc' plan. Sounds messy I know but I'll bet you would accept an invite when my fridge is oozing with it's bounty.

Ohhh - Okay here is a closeup - Like I said it isn't finished. There is balustrade - YES balustrade and windows to go in yet.

When it is finished; which should be any day now, or would be if he who has retired wouldn't insist on *going to work every now and then; I will post pictures of the whole wonderful building process.
Having made *that sound like something I am averse to I feel I must clarify that the times when he who has retired goes to work are simply heavenly. A weeny story -When I was very recently married, a woman, my age now, confided in me that her husband had recently retired and that she had married him - "For better or worse but NOT for lunch!" At the time I didn't really know what she was talking about but I do now!
When the girls (chooks) are finally here I will post their pics and profiles. I will photograph them until they scream for me to stop.

Thanks Melody for your Tuesday Treasures. 

Please take a look at her blog: The House on the Side of the Hill.

Tuesday Treasures

Hi Everyone, I didn't have to think hard today to come up with a Tuesday Treasure hosted by Melody. It's been ages since I posted and since then I have done the last of the unpacking and found this beautiful antique Christening mug.

The inscription reads: 

Presented to 

Joshua Henshaw

XIII AUG: MDCCCLI (13th August 1851)

by his 

Uncle Joshua.

This baby Joshua was my G G Uncle. He had no children so the mug was left to my G Grandfather, John Henshaw who was baby Joshua's brother. The mug was then left to his son Herbert Joshua Henshaw and then my father Herbert William Henshaw. Dad gave it to his firstborn grandson (my son) as his own son (my brother) died at the age of 8 in 1960. 

Phew -- Long story -- Got it all?

As part of this Treasure is the place where it is kept along with all of my beautiful china and glass collection (well, most of it anyway)

This double bookcase was built by my DH, as was the whole house. 

There is still to be a large white mantle around the fireplace.

Here are some of the goodies on my shelves. Some are very old and some are very new. 

Some I bought off ebay(is that corrrect grammar?) and others were handed down to me.

A few books have made it onto the shelves too hehe. They are bookcases after all.

I'm Back!

Today I met with some old friends and made some new ones at The Patchwork Teahouse in Warburton.
It was a fabulous day. I could hardly tear myself away but would have been alone if I had stayed much longer! Haha -
Our 'Blogging lunch' was specifically to welcome Michelle Ridgeway to 'the south'

Marina, Tracie and the gorgeous Melody

It was delightful to have the wonderful ambience and creative inspiration of The Patchwork Teahouse as the backdrop for our wonderful get together.

The guest of honour - Michelle (sorry about the glare)

We lunched sumptuously followed up for some of us with sweet yummies. After lunch the shopping began with all of us (I think) taking home a little treasure or two.

Our beautiful tags, handmade by Michelle and 'birdie' buttons by Tracey Bormann

Michelle had made us all dear little hand stitched tags and also gave us painted wooden 'birdie' buttons. Aren't they just beautiful and so special!

It took me just under 2 hours drive each way but was well worth it. Thank goodness for my Sat-nav!
The drive was actually quite beautiful, through forests of Mountain Ash and spectacular tree fern encrusted valleys - all of which were sparkling in the winter sun as it trickled through the canopy.

Thanks girls for your company .. AND ..
Thank you Melody for organizing our lovely day
Bronwyn xx

Mucky Puppy

Lolla: Nice and wet from a walk in the dewy grass

Add a lot of digging in a dusty patch

"I'm not all THAT mucky mum!"