R.I.P. Sylvie

Sylvie 

November 2006 – 9th September 2012

Today one of our 'old lady' hens peacefully passed away. She was nearly 6 years old, she came to live in our garden just after I started this blog and she soon settled in. She was an enthusiastic gardener and always set about the task of turning over a pile of leaf mould with characteristic vigour!

 But, above all else,
we remember Sylvie for
her love of grapes!

We'll miss you Sylvie – a very fine hen.

Celia

x

Lunchtime in The Wild Wood

It's mild and a tiny bit sunny today – no excuses – I could spend my lunchtime in the garden. Of course the under-gardeners came along to help.

For those new to my blog I'll explain . . . the under-gardeners were originally four Marans hybrid hens, sadly Dawn is no longer alive and they were eventually joined by three Araucana x Legbar hens – The Spice Girls. Just after Christmas we gave a home to Tarragon, a young Lavender Araucana cockerel. So these are my seven 'under-gardeners' – they help (specialising in compost turning and pest control) and get under my feet when I'm gardening – I say 'seven' but in fact Tarragon's role is usually supervisory.

My gardening project today was to relocate some Snowdrops I'd put into pots last autumn when I dug out a very congested border. Some of the little clumps of snowdrops are in bud, so I thought I'd plant them in The Wild Wood where there are already some Snowdrops and Winter Aconites appearing among the rubble of what was probably an old furnace.

Of course Tarragon and his team of lady-gardeners found lots to do . . .

. . . and because he's a boy he had to shout about it!

Look what's in Country Living!

Do you read Country Living? I have to admit that I haven't bought a copy for over a year, but a few weeks ago I received an exciting email from Vanessa of Verandah in Norwich and I've been eagerly waiting for the December issue to be published. Yesterday one of my neighbours called in with her copy which had arrived by post - hurrah!

Because in the Emporium on page 18 is . . . one of my linocuts "The Hazel Arch" . . . there it is in the top right corner!

The caption says . . .

Ooops! they've relocated me to Norfolk, a near miss - Suffolk's not far away and Verandah is in Norwich which is in Norfolk, so I'll forgive them.

And here's the Hazel arch in real life, the leaves have yet to fall, and Nutmeg who posed for the original design is recreating the image - it's every Spice Girl's dream to appear in a glossy magazine ;-)

Dancing in the snow

Tango

Keep practising girls!

NEWS FLASH . . .

SPICE GIRL LAYS EGG

and being a style-conscious chick
she's matched the shape and colour
with a certain luscious cook's
ceramic kitchenware

Here come the girls!

It's been a cold month, so I have a little routine with the under-gardeners – when I make myself a mid-morning cup of tea I also make some warm 'porridge' for them. Grains and seeds soaked in hot water with oat-meal and Poultry Spice (it smells lovely and Christmassy).

'Here come the girls' . . .
(sing along, you know you want to)
they come running across the grass :-)


. . . they peck from my hand as I make sure they all get their share :-)


. . . the Spices (Nutmeg, Ginger and Saffron) are growing fast and learning to join in :-)



BUT . . . WHAT THE ****!!!!!! :-O



This is a UGP too far girls! I had always thought the large patch of Bergenia was bomb proof; the hens occasionally searched under the leaves for snails and the cats often lose mice among the dense foliage, but it always looks good . . . well it did.

OK girls, it's no use blaming the squirrels or the studio assistants or the blackbirds!
I saw you from the kitchen door and have photographic evidence . . .


. . . the little monkeys heard me and moved away as I pressed the shutter!

Corn circles

A performance art event by the under-gardeners
inspired by Andy Goldsworthy . . .



Featuring Phoebe, Ruby, Sylvie, Saffron and Ginger
(Nutmeg was too shy to take part)

Winter sun

We haven't had snow, just icy sleet and freezing grey fog. So today's sunshine felt like a surprise gift. There's nothing like winter sun to lift the spirits; the temperature may still be 3C but the world is transformed, the subtle colours of winter sing out against the clean blue of the sky. I marched out across the fields at lunchtime with the grasses crackling under my boots to take some photos. This was my favourite – the spiky dry Teasel heads among the pale ochre dry grasses and the purpley, greeny, browny hedges and woods on the horizon.


Working in the studio late this afternoon I noticed that the setting sun was illuminating the giant Miscanthus grass just outside the studio window, I grabbed the camera and dashed outside to try to capture the burnished colours . . .


Also glowing in the fading sunset were the Dogwood 'Midwinter Fire' and the skeletal framework of the Hazel archway.



The under-gardeners had eaten their fill of mixed corn and were promenading around the icy pond before retiring for the night. That's Ginger camouflaged behind the iris leaves, safely out of pecking reach from the senior hens!

Peck! . . . you've been tagged

Phoebe used to be bottom of the pecking order among the under-gardeners, she is now revelling in the fact that there are three young, naive pullets for her to put into line – and she can peck all three of them! She supervises meal times like a strict governess and makes sure 'The Spices' don't eat until the second sitting. She chaperones their walks around the garden and watches them with her beady eye. Sometimes she becomes 'missile-hen' and in a blur of beak and feathers homes in on one of 'The Spices' to give her a sharp peck. Things are calming down a little each day, but who can blame Phoebe, she's had life-time of being bullied and knowing her place. She has endured Bumblefoot and had the misfortune to have a thin-shelled egg break inside her (something she was lucky to survive).
Then she moulted – two months ago she looked like this . . .

. . . now she's a girl with a brand new frock and a new job, you go girl!

Peck! – you're it!

I've been tagged by not one but two bloggers! Thank you Nan (and furry friends) and Karen. And not only that, Brenda has presented me with an award – Brilliante Weblog Premio 2008. Thank you! I accept the award, it's a huge thrill that PPPs inspires you!

Now I'm supposed to list 7 random things about me in no particular order:
1) I like mushy peas
2) I like to walk across the fields humming The Lark Ascending to myself
3) I think Jools Holland is a national treasure
4) I can happily listen to Test Match Special on my little personal radio while I'm gardening without knowing the score
5) I love the smell of Angelica
6) I love Autumn – my favourite hedgerow colours are Field Maple leaves and Spindle berries
7) I listen to The Archers

I tag and award anyone who is listed on my 'blogs I love to read list'

I'm supposed to post the rules and let you all know and stuff, but I'm doing some illustration corrections this morning and then printing the designs for new Christmas cards – so if you find you've been pecked, I mean tagged, then play along if you fancy – no obligation.

Celia
x

Introductions . . .

Saffron

Ginger

Nutmeg


(The Spice Girls)

Well . . . hello! (200th post)

Three days after starting this blog we collected our four new hens from Kirsty of Hens4Homes, the under-gardeners (Ruby, Sylvie, Phoebe and the much missed Dawn), have delighted us and their many admirers ever since. Our garden, and the deluxe hen-house they live in, is big enough to accommodate more than just three birds, so I've been looking around for junior under-gardeners to join the team.

On Saturday we returned to Hens4Homes to select three birds from Kirsty's beautiful 17 week old 'Heritage Skylines' – that's a very naff name for a hybrid based on the Crested Cream Legbar. A melange of Brown Leghorn (Italian), Barred Rock (North American) and Araucana (South American). With that mix they can definitely strut their stuff!


It's been rainy and dull all day so it's been tricky taking decent pictures – but you can see their smart hair-dos!


And their super-model posture!


Over the next week or so I'll gradually introduce them to the senior under-gardeners and they'll move into the hen-house. There will be feather pulling and girlie fights before the 'pecking-order becomes re-established. Phoebe is so looking forward to not being bottom of the pile – she's already had first peck of a junior under-gardener!

To celebrate my 200th post on Purple Podded Peas I'm inviting suggestions for names for our junior under-gardeners . . .
Come one all those lurking – say hello!

Situations vacant

Brrrr! a frosty start to the day but the under-gardeners are already busy. There's so much to do in the garden this autumn. The mild yet excessively wet summer has resulted in rampant borders and overgrown shrubs. There are plans to redesign parts of the garden so more help is needed . . .

JUNIOR UNDER-GARDENERS WANTED

To assist three senior under-gardeners
working in a walled garden in Suffolk.
Duties will include raking leaves, pest control,
trimming grass and compost turning.
No previous experience necessary –
a training programme and shared chalet-style
accommodation will be provided.
Applicants should be enthusiastic
and hard working.

Apply to Magic Cochin before Saturday 25th October.

I spy grapes!

PPP-lite . . .

Sylvie loves grapes and she knows where to find them!

Despite the sunless summer the 'Rondo' vine has produced
a fine crop of juicy, sweet, black grapes.

Sylvie can eat a grape in the blink of an eye!

Remembering Dawn

Some sad news today . . .

One of our under-gardeners died this morning, Dawn had been unwell for a few weeks after a sudden 'funny turn', to use a very English term, when she spent a day swaying her head like a metronome. From that day she stopped laying and had a different posture. My hunch is that she had a stroke of some kind, since then she found it increasingly difficult to process food in her crop, so rapidly lost weight and strength.

I'll remember her happier days – Dawn was the perkiest little hen I've ever met, her party trick was to fly up onto my hand and perch there, falcon-like, as we inspected the garden.

I'm pleased to report her fellow under-gardeners are all fit and well, they love strawberries even more that me (well, maybe not quite as much!); we lob the slug-nibbled fruits over the garden wall from the vegetable garden to the lawn where the under-gardeners await, poised like fielders at Lords to catch the flying fruit.

Birds of a feather . . .

. . . lay eggs together!

The sit-in!

Growing 'The Three Sisters' - part 1

We grow squash, sweetcorn and climbing beans together in a circular bed. These three vegetables are The Three Sisters – the basic food crops grown by the native American tribes. Traditionally they are grown together – the squash leaves shade and protect the soil; the bean roots fix nitrogen in the soil; the corn stalks provide support for the climbing beans; and after harvest the corn cobs, squash and dried beans provide food for the winter months.

The sweetcorn that we grow isn't strong enough to support vigorous climbing beans, so a teepee of sticks is needed – but this ancient crop trio makes a dramatic display in our garden each year. And there's a bonus – we grow The Three Sisters on a mound of part rotted garden compost, after the crops are harvested (or the next spring) we dig out the contents of the mound and spread it onto the vegetable beds. The two year old compost, enriched with nitrogen from the beans, is dark and crumbly – perfect for conditioning the soil.

Here's part 1 of Magic Cochin's method of growing The Three Sisters . . .

i)
Create a pit (it doesn't have to be circular, but this does have
advantages later).
If you're starting from scratch this will be hard work but worth it! In
the second year this will mean digging out the beautiful well rotted
compost, and the sense of achievement will out-weigh the hard graft!


ii)
Fill the pit with the contents of your garden compost bin, including grass cuttings, hen muck, straw and wood shavings. Mix it well – hens are very good at this – do you know the Scottish reel 'Hens March on the Midden' ? I came across it when my hero was the fiddler Aly Bain (rather than Donny Osmond like my peers) – I never mastered the fiddle but could just about play it up to speed on the tin whistle. Here's another great fiddle player Dave Swarbrick playing Hens March on the Midden with Simon Nicol on Guitar – a wonderful musical description of the under-gardeners compost turning technique.
(It's best if you can listen to the music and watch the under-gardeners 'on the midden' at the same time!!!)




iii)
Pile up the contents of the pit to make a low mound and cover with a layer of soil. Place a glass cloche (or a plastic sheet) on the top to help to get the mound to heat up.

iv)
Meanwhile, plant seeds of squash, sweetcorn and climbing beans so they are ready to plant out, I usually aim to do this at the end of May.

Part 2 to follow soon . . .
Planting out The Three Sisters

UGPs and tolerance

FAQ: Do your hens damage your garden?

The short answer is 'YES'

The longer answer is 'You have to adjust your tolerance level and balance the joy of allowing the hens to roam free over the lawn and among the flower beds with your standards of garden neatness'

About a month ago the under-gardeners' unauthorised gardening project (UGP) had exceeded our tolerance level. We had to do something to stop a quarter of our lawn being totally stripped of grass and we had to do it fast and without spending loads of money. At the local builders' merchant we found the answer – a 50 metre roll of orange netting suitable for road works and detering determined hens. This has had the desired affect (although the under-gardeners have demonstrated their ability to cross over, under and around the barrier), but does make the garden look like the inside lane of the A14. And the studio assistants think it's a squirrel enclosure constructed for their entertainment.


Meanwhile the under-gardeners have started a number of small scale UGPs . . .

UGP No:1 Scattering paved areas with stones raked from the borders . . .


UGP No:2 Digging out the gravel surrounding the pond . . .


and last but not least

UGP No:3 Shredding the large patch of white bluebells . . .


Do they look guilty?

Broody cat?

Five reasons why the brindled studio assistant is being very sensible . . .

1/ it's overcast and there's a cold easterly blowing off the North Sea

2/ the hen-house is dry and clean and quiet

3/ straw mattresses are soft and smell lovely

4/ the ginger studio assistant is occupying the cosy chair in the house

5/ the studio door was closed


She has decided to stay there for the afternoon – I have let her keep the eggs to cuddle. I wonder what will happen if an under-gardener wants to lay an egg!

The Guinea-hen flower

"The checkered Daffodill or Ginny hen flower . . . checkered most strangely : wherein nature or rather the Creator of all things hath kept a very woonderfull order, surpassing (as in all other things) the curiest painting that Art can set down . . . in so much that euery leafe seemeth to be the feather of a Ginnie hen.
. . . Of the faculties of these pleasant flowers there is nothing set downe in ancient or later writers, but are greatly esteemed for the beautifieng of our gardens, and the bosomes of the beautifull."

John Gerard, gardener and surgeon
in his Generall Historie of Plantes (1597)

A few years ago we made a shallow gravel-lined extension to our garden pond and surrounded it with a bog garden border where we could grow plants that like damp conditions. This is a wildlife pond and is a haven for newts, toads, frogs and dragonflies. We decided to introduce Snake's Head Fritillaries (fritillaria meleagris) to the grass around the pond and encourage them to seed and spread. All was going to plan until the under-gardeners decided that their 'project' was to redevelop the shallow gravel pond. I wasn't consulted and I wasn't impressed by the result!!!!! After I cleared up the mess I constructed a fence around the wildlife pond and garden, just high enough to discourage the under-gardeners from further un-authorised gardening projects. Needless to say they have worked out how to sneak into the forbidden zone to sip water from the pond, and I have found one or two fritillary stems snapped off and raked into the gravel! It's a compromise – but the fritillaries with their guinea-hen-feather petals are flourishing.



As we have learnt, a hen's foot can be a destructive tool, but unfortunately sometimes hens are so enthusiastic about digging in stony ground that they fail to notice their feet are getting sore! We noticed Phoebe was not herself, then we noticed she was limping. A quick check revealed a suspicious dark spot on the underside of each foot-pad – Bumblefoot! No, not a character from Harry Potter, but a nasty ulcer caused by bruising of the foot pad which then gets infected – ow! Luckily Phoebe is a very docile hen and model patient, she lay very still as we cleaned and distinfected her feet, removed the dark scabs, washed out the wounds and applied micro-pore bandages. She then spent four days in 'hospital' (a rabbit hutch with deep wood shavings on the floor).

Happily, Phoebe is now back with her fellow under-gardeners and doing what hens do . . . including scratching in the garden! Please, look after your feet!!!