Lola post! (image heavy)

Hi all, sorry for the lack of updates, but I have had a very poorly Lola :( Not only did she have a wonky leg but then she suddenly went downhill. She was so miserable and mopey all the time, constantly (pretty much) sleeping, went off her food totally, and I didn't know how to help her. I took her to the vets and we decided to try antibiotics first as she couldn't find anything outwardly wrong with her. Now, I am not one for using antibiotics as a general give-it-a-go remedy but was at a loss, and didn't want to have to give her anaesthetic for xrays, diagnostics, blood work etc if I could help it just yet.
She had a weeks worth to take, and joy of joys they were huge TABLETS! Argh! Getting tablets into a chicken on your own is no fun I can tell you! I couldn't even add it to food as she wouldn't eat anything (other than a few live mealworms I managed to get down her but then she wouldn't take those either).
She finished the course on Thursday, and was still much the same (although in that time her wonkyness is pretty much gone...makes me wonder if it is connected).
Anyway, I let them all out on Saturday morning, cue three girls falling out of the door in desperation to get out (very funny) and I commented that Lola looked a little brighter and more awake.
Well, we totally turned a corner with her on Saturday, I lost five hours in the garden with them as they were all having such a wonderful time! They completely and utterly trashed the garden big time! But, they enjoyed it so much I left them to it ;)
The real turning point was when I saw Lola keeping up with the other girls, not stopping and sleeping, and when she went into the house and ate some food I was over the moon (and shed a tear).
The following pics made me sob, to see her so happy and well was just amazing, these girls have been through absolute hell, and then with Lola being so poorly, to see her acting this way was the most amazing feeling :) She found an empty seed tray and set to work...









Going...


Going...


almost there...


Gone...


totally gone!


*GRINS*

It made me realise just how much these little girls have stolen my heart :) *wub*

Yesterday I set to work on sorting the garden after Saturday's devestation, I am shattered today! The girls 'helped' by digging, and finding woodlice (yum yum). Jess 'helped' by finding a doormouse for me, which I duly rescued (for a cat she is very good and never hurts them) then I found this little mite, just chilling...





as the girls were out, I decided to try and help this one back to the pond (chooks are a bit partial to a snack of frog) which was all well and good until it jumped down my cleavage! LOL!


Final note, ATF went live last Saturday with the theme of 'your pet as a work of art'
I used a photocopy filter in photoshop, then played with the hue and saturation
Sorry for wonky pic!



I haven't yet found the cable to upload the pics from the other weekend, shall keep hunting!

ttfn x

chook update

Just a lil update as it is late! Chooks are settling in well bless their lil fluffy bums. They are in their new house (more on that in my next post!) and enjoying the life of freedom.

Lola, who has a wonky leg love her...

Tilly learning to take a dust bath...

and a beautiful pic of Ruby enjoying the sunshine...

I shall also update on my weekend in my next post...here is a lil peekypie of the main event, it was wonderful!

back soon, ttfn x

may I introduce...

Tilly (the turkey neck cos she is rather bald love her)



Ruby Roo



and Lola the showgirl



naughty lil tinker in my tomato plants lol



This mornings offering, one was very soft shelled and broken (only to be expected) but this one is perfect bless them



They are a bit unsure of things this morning, so they are still in the shed (permanent home is coming on Tuesday) I ordered a house and attached run but the shop didn't bother to let me know it was out of stock until Thursday when I rang them to see where it was (it should have been here Wednesday) so I have another on order with someone else, they will have a bigger run on the grass, and then free range when I am out with them. So in the midst of all of this I had to sort a house out, so I have converted half the shed for now. They have the door open at the mo, with a piece of board against the doorway to keep them in, let a bit of sunshine in, and some fresh air. Lola is asleep with her bum in the sun bless her!

Many many thanks to Amanda, who went in and rescued this batch of chooks yesterday. She brought them all back to her house and had them set up under a gazebo in her garden. It was so beautiful to see all the girls with grass under their feet as it should be, and making the cutest lil chirruping noises! The journey was obviously too much for my three beauties, who were all snoozing in the boxes when we got home! They soon sprang to life when they were brave enough to come out of the boxes and onto the grass in my garden (and stones, borders, tomato plants, strawberry plants...lol) they all had a good drink, ate some woodlice, carried some stones, headbutted the metal rotary line pole, tapped on concrete...it was all totally alien to them but they loved it!

I may not be able to offer these girls acres of fields to range on all day, but what I can offer them is more love than they have ever known, and hopefully a long and happy stress free retirement.
If anyone thinks they can help, please contact Little Hen Rescue

On a final note, ATF went live again last night. 'Parent's' was the theme. As Simba has never had a baby, mine was about him being a Mummy's boy!

ttfn, off to check on my chooks x

chick chick chick chick chickeeeeen...

May I bring this website and their fabulous work to your attention...
Little Hen Rescue
10000 chickens need to be rescued within the next few weeks to avoid being slaughtered. It absolutely breaks my heart, so we have decided to take some on and give them a new loving home. My girls come home next Saturday, and thought I could add the addy here incase anyone else fancies trying out keeping a few hens. LHR does fantastic work for these poor neglected little critters who have lived a shockingly awful life, and I really hope I can build these poor little, often bald, beauties back to the level of health they deserve.
I have absolutely nothing, no house, run, food, no anything! Beware credit card, you are going to work very hard over the next couple of days!
Thanks for looking x

Oh. My. Goodness

This just arrived in the post ...

From this wonderful lady here BAGLADEE'S ETSY SHOP EMMA'S BLOG

The attention to detail is superb, the little embossed metal dog tag makes it feel like it has come from an exclusive boutique (which of course it has), it is superbly made, is utterly comfy on my shoulder, and came wrapped in tissue paper (always a fab bonus).

It has a wonderful pouch inside, which shall be used to house my most used things, ranked in order of importance, my mac lipgloss, and my mobile phone!

I promise you, if you purchase one of Emma's bags you will not be disappointed!

Thank you SO much Emma, I will treasure this bag forever x

lotsa pics not many words

cos that is the kinda mood I am in today!

Been doing lots of hand stitching due to my lack of a working sewing 'chine!

Kitchen is nearly there...

and a cute lil bag I bought yesterday for £2 at Sudeley Castle's grand spring sale (along with some other pretties and some mac and toofaced make up!)

ATF is up, and this theme was 'Friends' here is mine; Simba and Jess playing together on the floor. They are a funny pair, sometimes they are lovely together and sometimes Simba will shout at Jess, and Jess will 'smack' Simba (never any claws involved though!)

where to begin?!

...well Easter is as good a place as any I spose! Hope you all had a lovely Easter weekend!
My mantelpiece


The girls egg cosy bunnies that I knitted for them (do you know how hard it is to find plain egg cups anywhere?)





and getting into the season I wore my bluebird socks...and decided to try and break in my new pretty shoes...ohhhhh the pain...don't I look attractive? No?



And of course we have had lots of this;


beautiful blue skies and sunshine...this pic went a bit wrong, I was trying to snap a lovely little robin sat in the tree, and as the shutter clicked, so he buggered off lol! He had kept me so entertained while I was in the garden sowing some seeds, the most beautiful singing, then I upset him by trying to get a photo *sigh*

Of course the weather has brought out lots of these...

I HATE it when they buzz right by my ear, and even worse, I hate wasps getting stuck in my hair like one did yesterday *shudder*

Then the babies made their grand entrance into the big wide world of the pond! They had overwintered in there and as it was a hard winter I wasn't sure if any would have made it.

Unfortunately I have had some problems with the pond over the last week or so, some of the babies haven't made it, along with one of my older goldies :(

Spring has a lot to answer for, the fish all start getting active but their immune systems are still trying to build back up from overwintering, along with the general bacteria levels of the pond, of course the babies still don't have much of an immune system yet so they suffered the most :(

My latest layout for ATF I chose to do Simba's first time in the garden ever, all the way back in 2002. Maybe we will get enough warmer weather for him to venture out there this year!


Been doing lots of hand sewing, mostly because my beloved vintage singer that I use for everything is broked *sobs*

I am really hankering after an embroidery machine at the moment, they are so expensive, but I really want one! Any experience/advice most welcome :)

surreal day...

that's what yesterday was!
I buried my Grandma (well not me personally!) yesterday afternoon, then yesterday evening was THE big night!
AMAZING
OUTSTANDING
SPECTACULAR...
just a select few of my faves, I took about 150! More here
'nuff said...

ATF

New post is up at ATF on the theme of Dr Seuss (in honour of his birthday) set by the lovely Shelly, using one of his many fabulous book titles. I chose 'Oh say can you say' for my layout, it would have been silly not to with a talking parrot!



I am struggling a bit with not being able to get into my scraproom properly (still) so having to grab what bits n bobs I can reach and make do!
Oh and there is a prize up for grabs this week too courtesy of the lovely folks at Helmar, all you have to do is create a layout following the same theme used for this challenge and link us up in the comments :)

Workmen have all finished in the kitchen now, it ended up being a tad pricier than first anticipated what with one thing or another, but tis done! Just in the process of sorting out all the kitchen stuff and finding homes for it all (and washing everything before it goes back in) plus finishing the decorating. Will add pics once it is done :)

Off for a very exciting evening out on Tuesday, as a special (very) early birthday treat for my wonderful Mum...cannot wait, and will share info after the event!

hugs x