RIP BWB

When I went out to feed the hens first thing Wednesday morning I found Bloody White Bastard lying dead by the garden by the back door. Looked like he was waiting to be fed and had a heart attack. Buried him in the garden with all state honours. Ten years was a good age but I really miss him following me around the place.

The farrier braved the rain Tuesday morning to trim Briar's hooves and came to tell me she was limping quite badly. She had been fine Monday so he felt she'd either been kicked or else had an abscess. He suggested I leave her a few days to see if it burst on its own. By Thursday Briar could barely hobble around so left a message with Bart Thompson the local equine vet. He returned my call in the evening and as luck would have it he was going to be seeing a horse on a farm down my road at lunchtime Friday.

He arrived dead on time and we braved Tobermory goat to get to Briar who was standing near the tack shed with the Kaimanawa horse. She had an abscess deep in her right hind hoof which Bart lanced before giving her a huge injection of penicillin and a shot for tetanus. He says it's the time of year that caused the abscess- we have days of rain and then it becomes hot. He left me four packets of painkillers but I have to say that after only one day Briar is nearly walking normally again. I had only just sent a cheque for the last of Demelza's vet bill so am not happy I'm back in debt again but you can't watch an animal suffer like that and not do anything.

I have been busy upgrading and revamping my menagerie website and now it has all my stock uploaded I'll hopefully get some orders before Christmas. I am also hoping to complete more spinning for the handspun yarn page and have asked my sister for help getting me back knitting so I can make small items from my angora fibre. Haven't knitted since I was about eight or nine and it's true- if you don't use it you lose it. I think I can vaguely remember how to cast on and cast off.

Bye Bye Birdie

The big Plymouth rock that was hanging round the hen house and making overtures towards Cordelia the black Aracauna decided to take on one of the smallest bantam roosters. He lost! That Game Fowl blood way back in the background still comes through when it comes to defending one of their women. Despite this when I put them to bed after their forage the big rooster followed them into the shed. To his horror I picked him up and carried him back outside. Shocked and traumatised he took to his heels (do chickens even have heels?) and ran all the way home. However he was back over here later on when he perched in a tree by the back gate and proceeded to crow loudly all night. The next day he was gone. I assume his vocal exercises had annoyed his owner and she moved him on.

Last week I advertised a few of my small unnamed bantam roosters free to good home. Had a call from a lady wanting three but she never got back to me. This is the third time this has happened and I'm so fed up with it. I hate tyre kickers and time wasters. Perhaps I'm being too tough and she's only lost my phone number. Anyway will readvertise them this week and see how I get on. They've been sprayed for lice etc. so they're ready to go.

Since my eastern shelter belt has been cut down I have been able to see the lovely specimen trees growing near the big homestead including a colourful Kowhai. I remember one in my parent's garden and how it would attract the tuis. This is a lovely time of year apart from the terrible nor westerlies. The other day they got up to 120 kms and I thought the roof was going to lift.

After three weeks my nettle and thistle programme is showing results. I've nearly cleared all the scotch thistles next to the hen run and have removed two thirds of the nettles and thistles near the back boundary. Once I get these under control I can get into the garden out the front which is pretty overgrown. The fact is it's hard to see the weeds as my lawn hasn't been mown since Autumn and is nearly three feet high in places. I asked John if he could keep an eye out for a couple of lambs I could run on the lawn but I don't think he realised I was serious. If he were still alive my Dad would be appalled. He mowed our lawns once a week in the warm weather and perhaps once a month in winter and God help anyone who made a mark on them.

Mills and Boon in the Henhouse

The local electricity company cut off our power all day yesterday to repair lines somewhere down the road. Made a thermos so I could have a couple of hot drinks through the day and tried to cope with the silence. It's weird how acclimatized you become to having noise in the background.

Not that it was too quiet with my landlady's Plymouth Rock roosters are crowing fit to bust. The other afternoon I was getting ready to have a bath when I saw four out the front attacking Bloody White Bastard. By the time I hauled on my clothes again and rushed out they were strutting away leaving a white heap of feathers on the grass. Appalled I picked his limp little body up in my arms and cuddled him to my chest as I came back up the drive. Halfway along he lifted up his head and looked around as if to say "Are they gone yet?". Little bloke was playing dead! I frightened him even further by giving him a huge hug before feeding him some grain as a reward for being so clever. I guess you don't reach ten years of age without learning a trick or two!

One of the roosters has taken up residence in my backyard however. I have chased him out repeatedly but he just keeps returning. I was so worried when I let the chickens out yesterday but he ignored my roosters and zoomed in on Cordelia the black Aracauna. Doing the broken wing dance around her he tried to round her up only to be attacked by Widget, a bantam rooster about one sixth his size. Surprisingly the small bird intimidated him and he backed off. However half an hour later he was following Cordy around clucking at her, even following her when she walked into the hen house. He acts like a rooster in love whereas she has no interest in him whatsoever. That's my girl- treat 'em mean keep 'em keen.

After our cold snap last week a strong norwester has brought temperatures of 28oC (82.4oF). I knew the hot weather was coming as Angel disappeared two days ago...........

Cold Snaps Blows In Visitor

Freezing weather has blown this way from the South Island bringing rain and a bitter southerly wind. Put paid to my "five-a-day" programme that I began on the weekend- digging out five thistles and five nettles every morning to try and get the jungle under control.

My sister was up from Dunedin this week and came out to see me Monday. Naturally Angel (her cat) was still away on one of her expeditions. I always joke how that cat leaves with the warm weather and returns with the cold. Sure enough last night there was a noise at the window and Angel had come home. Starving hungry and pretty grumpy but strangely pleased to see everybody (except the dog). I assume she'll stay as long as the weather is rotten. She's better than any barometer!

Bloodbath!

Last Saturday night was definitely made for fighting. Firstly there was a crash in the kitchen and found Peaches had "played" with one of my hen salt and pepper set and smashed it onto the floor. Then Demelza chased Gypsy up into my bedroom and by the time I got there Gyps was behind the curtain and there was a pool of blood on the sill. There were spatters of gore up the curtains and about thirty drops of blood all over the carpet. Gyps then followed me into the bathroom, smeared more on the walls and then got in the bath which was soon covered with blood. Checked and she was bleeding from under her tail. Was up till 10pm trying to get the blood out of the curtains and carpet and me as she sat on me at one point and bled over my night attire.

Haven't seen anything as gory since the great Three Blind Mice Massacre of 1999!