I know that really I should be scaling my expectations down to fit in with my tiny 'plot' of garden, so that my kilos of loganberries, handfuls of beans and a few courgettes seem more like a harvest! I did manage a yummy stir fry the other day with vegetables entirely from the garden at least. One day ......
We had another fox attack last Friday. Jet had just gone out for a walk and I had just popped upstairs for a shower. The minute I stepped out of the shower, I heard my ladies screaming and flapping. I legged it downstairs grabbing a towel as I went and shot down the garden, barefoot and dripping! I didn't see the fox, but I heard him scrabbling back over the fence as I ran across the lawn. He had bitten Prim and there were feathers everywhere, but she was still alive. Of course, I was then naked (fortunately holding a towel around myself for the sake of the neighbours) and faced with 4 panic stricken chickens and one wounded and shocked chuck. I had to climb in with them to calm them all down. I have to say, I didn't expect her to survive, but I made a judgement call that we would clean up her wounds and just leave her in peace to let nature take its course. I kept applying antiseptic for a few days and gradually, she has regained strength and is still with us. I wasn't really sure what to do, but went on instinct, keeping my fingers crossed. The touching part was that once they had all calmed down, the other four formed a protective shield around her. I had half expected them to pick on her because she was weaker.
Jet after a swim in the lake!
Jet is an absolute treasure. He has now lost 2 kilos and about 2 inches from his waistline and is looking in very good health. He is often complimented in the park about his lovely shiny coat. Everyone loves him and people can hardly believe how calm he is. The cats still hate him and haven't ventured downstairs in three weeks! Fortunately, they have always used my bedroom window as their 'cat flap' and I have moved their food upstairs, so it's no hardship for them really - they spend most of the day asleep on a bed anyway!
I am making VERY slow progress with clearing the clutter and other jobs around the house. I find that the summer holidays make it hard to get anything done - too many people in the house! I've also started the latest craft project, but it may take me a while!
So as you can see, compared to some other bloggers, not much of interest or import to report on really, but just pootling along slowly nibbling away at my 'to-do' list. Meanwhile, I will get my dose of excitement vicariously through reading other people's blogs :)
I think running around the garden naked and dripping constitutes a huge amount of excitement!! Wonder what the neighbours thought (if any saw you).....mine already think i'm bonkers without me reinforcing that, tee hee. Glad the hen survived.....as well as you!
ReplyDeleteHaha just what I was going to say Sooze!
DeleteI do hope no one saw me. Not a pretty sight these days. I even have some of my students as neighbours so that would never do! There was a fair amount of adrenaline on the go in my veins, so I was almost sick too!
DeleteIf you worry too much about what others are up too you might sink under the expectation. Our garden is nowhere near large enough to feed us, not even in summer. We garden for pleasure and fresh, organic, straight from the garden freshness. I doubt even the rich non-gardeners can eat that freshly!
ReplyDeleteYou're quite right, I do love pottering in my garden and gain huge pleasure from picking anything, even if it's just herbs! I would love a greenhouse, or polytunnel too mind!!
DeleteWell you certainly can't be talking about my blog, half of my veg have gone a weird colour and died and I have a very large and very boring to do list I am working on. As for clutter my son told me that if I don't clear the clutter from the attic the ceiling will fall in, so I think you are doing very well :) xxx
ReplyDeleteIf my daughter wouldn't kill me, I'd take a photo of her room and post it. She is in the attic and has enough belongings in there for several rooms. Of course there are also storage cupboards all round the edges crammed full with our stuff too. The one redeeming factor is that I don't see it most days!!
DeleteYour blog has lovely photos on, which make me long for the sea :) x
My garden is just big enough to give me a good supply of salady things, I have the promise of lots more tomatoes and cucumbers, depending on the weather of course. I used to grow 75% of my fruit and veg but the work became too much. Now I am happy to grow small amounts, I have 6 kale plants of 2 varieties, 6 ESP plants, all purple, a few cabbage plants of various types, 2 short rows of parsnips and so on. I could grow more if I put in more beds and next year I will have 3 raised beds but will be putting fruit bushes in so my growing space will stay roughly the same. I spend more time sewing than gardening and that suits me.
ReplyDeleteI don't seem to have done as well with the salad stuff as I thought - too many slugs. Other things have done OK and I'm still learning too, so next year will have different successes and failures I guess. I'm going to teach myself some basic sewing skills when the weather turns.
DeleteI get depressed seeing how tidy and clean and uncluttered other bloggers houses are! I am sure that I am no busier than them, but our place always looks as though we've been burgled. I keep saying that I will do a video of our place but there are too many corners of shame (not just the odd one behind a shed)
ReplyDeleteMy experience is that animals time excitement to coincide with showers, baths, posh visitors and the last installment of a serial you have been watching for weeks.
Glad the hen is okay. I hate foxes.
Gill
I'm really glad I hadn't gone out for the dog walk or I would have come back to carnage and 5 dead hens. I'd happily trap/poison the fox, but I don't think it's allowed. My neighbours hate the foxes too - vermin!
DeleteI guess we all have our 'guilty secrets' in terms of aspects of our lives we'd prefer not to share!! I find other people's clutter fascinating, but can't cope with my own!
Glad you hen made it through, you need some kind of fox trap that won't catch your dog.
ReplyDeleteI was kind of hoping that the dog would help deter the fox, but these urban foxes aren't frightened of anything much!
DeleteNever have an inferior complex, and don't compare yourself to others, if we each do our best and know it to be our best we have achieved something pretty special in this life .... even with veggies ;-)
ReplyDeleteAnd you did just the right thing for your hen, nature will heal her and if she has come this far she will probably be okay.
I am amazed she hasn't keeled over, but the wounds seem to have healed nicely and she's eating and drinking well. You wouldn't know except for a slight limp and a bald patch on her back!
DeleteI am often guilty of being too harsh and judgemental on myself. It normally gets worse when I'm frustrated by an actual, or perceived, lack of progress!
I have very much enjoyed growing my own veggies though even if th harvest is small :)
I did a post about this once " Failure in Suffolk" and said before I started blogging I thought I was fairly good a a few things but after reading everyones blogs I felt totally useless.
ReplyDeleteB**** foxes, electric fencing is the only thing that deters them I think. Thank goodness you were there to rush out but I shall look out for you appearing in one of those 'caught on video' Tv programmes!!
Fox attacks are terrible, I am all for trapping and shooting foxes, Your veggies are doing great, when I first started I only grew small amounts over time you will find new ways of increasing your harvest in small spaces, and dont worry about clutter your home is for living in, there are some blogs I read and they love to show off there minmal living space to me they are not living a fulfilled life as they are always worried about things being out of place and constantly de-cluttering, life is for living make every day count :-)
ReplyDelete