Well this new add image thingy is just charming...i can not work out how to use it infact its a fluck i got this far.

Ive been away from the computer for a while. There is so much going on here with spring making its appearance and the most gorgeous days  that are unbelievably summer like. We have also had winds so severe they ripped up trees and snow in the deep south. But good old Hawkes bay always gives us these early summer days. Soon it will be October and windy again..it is ALWAYS windy in October..but Im one these weirdos that like the wind!!

School holidays are here for two weeks.

And Ive had a extremely unwelcome visit from Mrs OCD. Which is the bain of my life and can cut me off at the knees for a while. hence the lack of blogging.But I know Ill get thru it as always However im not really up to blogging so Ill just post these few pictures of our Springtime Urban farm..

 The first pea of the season......

 Right outside Alexs bedroom and our bedroom is this lilac tree..at night it smells divine!

 I got adventurous and planted out these young corn seedlings..Hope they survive!

 Finally we began to get full egg production as henrietta returned to health once more..GHIU celebrated by making Choux pastry...

And sponge cake...man can he cook!!!!  Unfortunately Christmas has appeared to have recieved a leg injury (probably from jumping the fence all the time) and is really hopping along, I think now she has gone off the lay. I desparately hope her leg come right soon. She is eating and being somewhat her bossy self ut is quite sore.
Happy Spring
Cherry

Easy Urban permiculture..

Chooks peck the insects and scratch around the compost at the front of the garden.

Chooks by scratching up compost then aerate and turn it for us.

They also manure the heap that then acts as an activator for even better/ faster compost.

The insects give them protein that then goes into their beautiful eggs for us.

I am very happy watching my happy chickens at work.

With much chooky love

Cherry

The shaky Isles

Sisters Choice

Ongoing scrap hexagon quilt

Scrap cushions

As promised my latest crafting exploits... The top is the Sister Choice quilt. I decided it wasnt wide enough and so I added flying geese. I am OVER this quilt..Officially.

So thats leaves five quilts to actually quilt I think..and half a quilted Christmas stocking, and two unfinished patchwork scrap quilts...SIGH..

So The GHIU is away with the navy this week patrolling the outer reaches of NZ from the poaching foreigners and after the big (and ongoing) Quakes in Christchurch I said that if the big Quake came to Hawkes Bay (we live on a fault line) while he was gone I wouldnt forgive him (Im a woose). Sure enough yesterday as I was home with my two coughing spluttering sniffing girls The room started to sway quite decently. My first thought (after here we go) was that at least the girls and I were together during the long awaited Big one. Thankfully althouigh it lasted a little while nothing major happened. it was a 5.1 on the scale though.

The last two days and nights have been mild and then there has been a bit of gentle rain at night..perfect for my young crops a growing . I am definately running out of room!!!  My new plants, the grapes, the boysenberry, the raspberry and the thornless blackberry are all budding up nicely. And there are flowers on a few of the strawberries.

In the henhouse there has been a downturn in the economy.. three eggs per day. Henrietta is still off. She is just not herself and on Monday I found a ruber like eggshell with yolk embedding the straw. At first I thought this was henriettas return to laying (if she is infact off) but the next two days have not proven this. Otherwise they are happy and today had a breakfast of susuages, just to cheer them up. On the weekend I have been free ranging them out in the front of the garden. Imagine if you will five chooks scratching through our mound of compost, sunning themselves in the  dust. People gawping from their cars as they drive past and me out in the sun in my lounger reading the latest edition of Urban farmer magazine. Complete. Bliss!!

 Ill leave yoiu now to watch Nanny Mcphee and the Big bang with the girls,

Happy days

Love Cherry

Lesbian hens and other news from the urban homestead..

Its been a cold few days here in the backyard homestead. Spring arrived in a flurry of freezing cold temperatures and rain. This was after many days of balmy springlike weather. Thankfully we have just enough firewood to keep us warm.

With all the warm weather I had been getting a bit over excited and planting everywhere i can. I have hardly any space left for the seedlings growing inside. Some of the tomatoes are growing quite big and will have to go outside soon. Below is a shot of my basket by the bedroom back door with mesculin salad growing in it. I copied this from a Burkes Backyard article. I think Ill do this when I can find some more baskets.

I

Things have been a it off in the henhouse. First of all henrietta the sweetest kindest of the flock has been unwell. Fluffed up and we think not laying. This has been for the better part of seven days. She eats a little but just fluffs herself up and stands in the corner. Weve massaged her crop and she seemed to come right the next day but then by the end of the day she was back to square one. We dont think shes egg bound but who knows. Poor thing, She nots suffering that i can tell as such just off somewhat. The thought of finding a dead chook in the morning is countered by the brighter thought of repacement with a couple of Aracaunas. Every cloud does have a silver lining..

This afternoon taking snaps i was joined as always by the cat who thinks he is infact a chook and always joins the girls in their day. He bought his first pigeon in today..feathers everywhere and a big bird to get rid of. At least Sara used to eat them all up..

And here she is Henrietta the sad..

Peas are popping up in the raised bed

Everything seems to be doing great in the raised bed..

A new area I have enlarged and fenced off for more veges. There is also some citrus and a eatable grape here.

Spring has sprung. Blossoms on our neighouring Apricot tree that overhangs onto us.

Ive even stolen flower space for peas.. Should have lots for Christmas lunch this year!! (Just like my dear old Late Dad)

And here she is..Christmas. Christmas plays by her own rules ..she flys out of the coop, has the dog doing amorous things through the fence with her and is the Queen of the pack.  If you watch "The Good Life" as I do (Often on DVD) You will know that Tom Good thought he had a queer cockeral. Well I have to say that we have a lesian hen. Shes Queer and out there. At first I tried to deny it. She was "fighting " with Sad Chook because Sad chook was in her sunbathing spot, but then "it" happened again and again, it even happened today when I was taking photos, if I hadnt turned the camera off then franticaly turned it back on but it is so slow then you could have seen it for yourself. Although we have only ever seen her "liason" with sad chook (who she also bullies), Sad Chook is a bit confused and lovestruck and follows her around everywhere. When Christmas flied over the coop (as in the above photo) Sad Chook paces up and down the fence line. Christmas is very vocal too, we have taken to calling her the rooster. She could be undergoing a sex change (It has happened before to chickens) and begin crowing any day..either that or charging around the yard with gay pride banners..

Next post will include crafty things. I have been pottering away at many things.
Till
Then Love Cherry