Carol's Chickens

A few years ago I took up hula hooping as a form of exercise. I graduated from a light beginners hoop to a heavy exercise hoop. After a while I fell by the wayside. I found it tedious to hula hoop for ten minutes at a time. Ten minutes can seem a long time with nothing to occupy the mind.

Also it took up quite a bit of space and once I had put it away in the cupboard I couldn’t be bothered to get it out again. Then when I hadn’t done it for ages and got it out to try again it bruised me around my hips. This was because I went straight back to the heavy hoop and the bruises then put me off once more as it was too uncomfortable.

Recently we haven’t had much time to go for walks like we used to and on the odd weekends when we have had time it has been raining and I was beginning to feel the need for a different kind of exercise.

I thought of the hula hoop again. It needed a different approach. This time I decided to stick with the light hoop (for now anyway). I tried to think of a place that I could store it where it would be easy to pick up at anytime. I hit on the idea of hanging it under the patio umbrella. I used a meat hook, of which we have many, for hanging kitchen utensils in our cabin.

I decided that any time I went into the garden and had a few minutes to spare I would hula hoop. I would just do a few minutes at a time so that it wouldn’t be tedious. As it was easily to hand I could do a few minutes several times a day. Anything must be better than nothing at all. Suddenly it became fun again.

I could grab the hoop each time I went into the garden and just do a few minutes. It’s making me feel better as I am getting exercise without it taking up much time but it’s much more regular. Any exercise must be better than none at all and it is making me feel better about myself.

My hula hoop now hangs here

I hula hoop four or five times a day

To my right

To my left

And right again

Now I am enjoying it again and it seems the easiest and quickest exercise possible. Also it moves the middle, which lets face it, is the bit we all want to target the most.

I am really pleased with the simple idea of hanging my hoop from the patio umbrella which has suddenly made it so accessible and therefore so easy to do. A very small, light bulb moment, has made me feel good and that in itself is a good thing.

Yesterday afternoon the girls were snoozing together in the sun.

The girls are dosing together in the sun

Except for Butterscotch who is trying to get her egg laid

And Peaches who is pecking around on the patio

All is very calm and chilled in the chicken run at the moment. I hope I am not tempting fate!

I was going to update on the rest of the garden roses when they reached their peak but got too busy and now they are just going past their best.

I decided to do this post before they went over completely, starting from the arches and working my way up to the chicken run.

Rose over the arches

We have now trimmed off the long branch on the left of the photo as it was spoiling the shape.

Close up

This was once a standard rose

This rose was a gift for my fiftieth birthday (six years ago) and was originally a standard but we have let it get a bit wilder. I quite like the more natural look but we have actually pruned it already this year as it was getting a bit out of hand. This rose continues to flower until the first frosts usually in October or November.

The rose next to the chicken run

This rose gets huge

A bit closer

Close up

My husband has been tying this rose back today as it takes over but it is really thorny and doing anything with it is a painful job. It was one of the few things already in this garden when we moved in nine years ago and it does make a good screen from the neighbours.

I have never had many roses in previous gardens but roses seem to like this garden. In fact this garden has more roses than any other garden we have ever had so I thought that I should celebrate them.

There has been no time for my usual bog posts this weekend as we catered for a wedding yesterday. It was an afternoon tea on our vintage crockery for a hundred people.

I only managed a couple of photos because it soon became too busy. This was before we had taken the cling wrap off the sandwiches and before we had put the tea pots and coffee pots on the table so it doesn’t give the full effect but gives a bit of an idea.

One of the tables at yesterday’s afternoon tea

Another table

Most of today has been spent washing up and putting away. I matched the trios on our dining table before putting them back in their boxes.

Trios washed up ready to be put away

It’s been a busy weekend but a successful one. We had lots of comments on how much the tea was enjoyed and how pretty the crockery looked.

The veg plot is looking great.

The veg plot yesterday

The potatoes

The courgettes

They are coming on nicely

Today the rain has battered down the potatoes

Potatoes after the rain

Never mind, they would have fallen over eventually as they get ready to harvest so we decided to just leave them be.

The first courgettes of the year

I decided to pick the first courgettes and put them in the fridge for our Sunday dinner. By then there should be a few broad beans ready too.

After torrential rain battering the garden today it is lovely to see the hanging baskets looking good. We have this one at the back.

The hanging basket at the back

The hanging basket at the front

And this one at the front giving a welcome as we pull onto our drive. It would be great to have some sun but at least the garden is getting watered and the veg plot is giving us our first produce. You have to look on the bright side.

I love seeing the girls dust bathing. It is usually a communal thing but one thing that can always be guaranteed is that Peaches and Barley will always dust bath together.

Three girls dust bathing together

Speckles is nearby but never quite as close as these two girls are.

Emerald and Butterscotch join the three girls

Peaches and Barley appear to have their heads together having a bit of a gossip.

Peaches and Barley watch Speckles with interest

They appear to be checking if Speckles is getting the soil just right.

Emerald settles near by

Toffee sits on her own

Toffee is very often sitting on her own and she likes to sit in this sideways position. She can be quite a solitary girl.

Butterscotch’s head and neck feathers are nearly back in

Butterscotch is also very often just doing her own thing.

Another view of Butterscotch’s feathers

Butterscotch’s feathers are so nearly back to normal. I keep hoping they will come fully in and stay put. Whatever, the girls are happy and contented and that is lovely to watch.

I have just noticed that is my thousandth post. That’s amazing!

The chicken run has it’s own rose and the girls love rose petals. This morning when I went into the run first thing I decided to dead head the rose and sprinkle the petals for the girls.

I happened to have left my camera in the chicken store cabinet so took a few photos. They are not great as the rose is behind the gate that is used when separating the run into sections but you can see that the girls love rose petals.

I sprinkle rose petals for the girls

The girls love rose petals

They soon hoover up the petals

This is a simple treat growing in their space that they can enjoy until the rose is finished flowering.

The vegetable plot is looking really good but the pak choi has gone to seed. We have eaten four of them and now they have bolted and gone tough.

I thought I would give one to the girls and see if they liked it.

Pak choi for the girls

They do like it

Butterscotch was having too good a time to move out of her dust bath

She was enjoying this too much

Peaches, Barley and Speckles are enjoying the pak choi

When I checked back later there was just the stalk left. It seems like the girls will be getting the rest of the pak choi. At least it won’t be wasted.

We have big poppies in our garden. Every year just as they flower the weather is unsettled and the wind and rain knocks them down just as they are looking their best.

This year our big poppies have started to flower later than usual. It has helped them as we have had wind and rain while they were still in bud and they remained quite sturdy. They have just begun to flower and I thought I would photograph them before they have time to get battered.

We are having showers but at the moment but it’s not windy so they have a chance to flower for a while.

Big poppies

Delicate pink

Vibrant red

Contrast

They remind me of flowers made from tissue paper. They have only just started flowering but I know from past experience that this could be as good as they get. They are very vulnerable to the changeable weather at this time year.

It’s best to enjoy these short lived blooms while they are here in the moment.

Emerald is moulting the most heavily and is still looking really tatty.

Emerald

This is Emerald’s favourite place to perch while she is moulting and she spends a lot of time preening in this spot. Her white tipped under feathers are on show here.

Preening

Toffee

Toffee is missing some tail feathers creating a gap between her remaining tail feathers. Other than that she is looking pretty good though.

Peaches and Barley

Peaches is in the foreground with Barley close behind her as usual. They are never far apart. They both have the odd loose feather on their sides.

Speckles

Speckles still looks pristine and hasn’t lost a feather yet.

Butterscotch

Butterscotch’s pins are opening once more. I have never known a chicken moult for as long as Butterscotch. She has been moulting at the end of each broody spell since last summer. She seems to almost get her feathers through then she is off again.

I really hope this time her feathers come in and stay in. As usual for her after missing laying an egg yesterday she laid her egg at first light this morning. It is good to have her laying again.