Battle for the Post Box, year 4

For the last two years we have succeeded in preventing starlings grabbing our Post Box for their nest. Year one was a disaster, three months of dirt, twigs and dead progeny, not to mention a very smelly box afterwards. They nest in our trees, our eves, our verandah, but I draw the line at the Post Box.

This year, we may have cracked it, due to the innovation of our next door neighbours. Their eldest boy made a scarecrow and parked it next to their letter box. We are hoping its effect will carry over to ours.

Later in the afternoon, number two scarecrow arrived.

Sadly, it won't deter Egna the Hen who has now decided to take her progeny on a tour of our garden, which includes the newly dug over veggie patch!

Learning to perch and something to perch food atop

The pom poms are growing bigger and louder. Today they were practicing roosting on some of the old flax stems. They tried it out tentatively, one at a time, like kids hopping on stepping stones in a stream.

They happily slithered off when mother hen called them.

And in other news - home made digestive biscuits. Although quite why I decided to bake when we are already baking in 24 degrees in the shade inside the house, I'm not sure.

So tomorrow, friends for lunch and lots of toppings for the biscuits (of which there are several dozen!)

Pom poms at large

It's not that I don't trust our cats. Two out of three are capable of taking out rats, mice, rabbits and possibly chickens, it's just that the mother chuck KNOWS there are cats on this side of the hedges, but she still insists on teaching them to peck and forage here. I guess that's where the expression "Chicken run" comes from!

They look as if they all take after Reginald from a distance (i.e. they are white) but when you get close to their peeping cheeping, you realise it is baby fluff and they are changing to browns and blacks. 12 out of the original 13. I hope it stays a dozen, or I will be looking at guilty whiskers VERY closely.

Momma and the pom poms

Our neighbours chickens have hatched 13 very active pom poms. We saw them being taught how to scratch in our borders. Momma Chuck appears to have a second sense about my camera. The minute I lifted it to take a photo she shooed them off into the undergrowth.

Now to keep them away from les chats....

The owl with the winceyette feathers

A work in progress.

But a rather nice thought, a wise owl to keep warm with winceyette feathers!

Single spelling, double meaning

I recently acquired this postcard. I thought it was romantic and the boat colour reminded me of the nursery rhyme:

"The owl and the pussycat went to sea in a beautiful pea green boat"

But then I realised it could also mean "Let's fight all of our lives". Funny how the romantic gloss was suddenly lost!

And speaking of romance, I have been corresponding recently with family in Canada and reflecting on events that took my Great Aunt there to find her fortune. Encouraged by her older half brother, she ended up emigrating, going to work for Sam McLaughlin (of General Motor's fame) and eventually marrying another immigrant who was originally from the East End of London.

Here is my great aunt in her uniform working at the Parkwood Estate in Oshawa Ontario. She is on the far left.

and here is her brother dressed as a cowboy. In fact I am told he loved to hunt, so holding a gun wasn't just for show.

and here in his WW1 uniform and later as best man at his sister's wedding