This is our version of homemade peckablocks. As yesterday was Lola's henniversary when she celebrated two years of freedom from the battery cages we needed to do something a bit special. I have seen various recipes for peckablocks, so I took bits and tweaked it to suit us.

You will need:

A fresh egg

Water

Honey

Pellets/mash/or in our case Allen and Page ex-battery crumbs

Silicone cupcake cases

Some willing volunteers

Some yummy bits- we used

Garvo poultry treats

Gardman husk-free wild bird feed (this has oats, bits of seed etc)

Dried mealworms

Sunflower hearts

Garvo mixed corn special

Poultry spice (I made some with and some without spice- my girls preferred it without)

Crack the egg into a large bowl and whisk it. Add a bit of water, a large spoonful of honey, then add your pellets/mash/crumb. Let it soak in a bit, you still need a slightly watery/paste-like mix.

Add your 'yummy bits' and stir well.

You are wanting the mixture to hold together, it will be a bit crumbly- but as long as it sticks together when you press it, it is perfect.

At this point, take your willing volunteers and ask them if they mind trying the mixture out.

If they are satisfied that it tastes good at this point, you can move on to the next stage.

Press the mixture into your silicone cases, pack it in well, and keep firming it down.

Pop it into the oven at 120 degreesC, for about an hour. This will dry the mixture out and harden it.

Et voila!

If you are careful, you can also spear them onto a treat hanger after they have cooked, like so...

I ended up making quite a few, so I am going to freeze some of them, I can't see any reason why they shouldn't freeze well.

Of course, then there was the eating of them!

2 years of freedom

for this gorgeous little lady- my precious Lola *grin*

Two whole years of eating grass and bugs, dustbathing, sunbathing and being absolutely adored.

Also remembering my beautiful Ruby who didn't quite make two years, she was pts on the 6th of this month and we all miss her so very much.

It's all a bit much...

...life that is.
I'm sure we all feel like that at times, but it is my turn right now.
So much crap going on and I'm struggling to be able to deal with it all to be honest.

Anyhoodle, a few pics...

Cards for the vet practise we use for the chookens
one for the staff





















one for our fabulous vet (can you tell I don't do man cards very often)

and some gorgeous kittens, five days old today, took these pics this morning, light's not great as Mama cat decided to move them this morning so they are in a dark little corner.

God I miss this little girl so much, even now, a year on from losing her.

Tilly was an absolute sweetheart... she totally flourished in her time with me, Ruby and Lola; going from a nervous, naked-necked, scrawny little girl to a beautiful, confident, fully-feathered cuddly lady
Tilly was the chookle who invented 'the cuddle routine' and every girl I have had learned this because of Tilly, it has been passed on from hen to hen- even the ones who never met Tilly, and for that I will always hold a special place in my heart for my little lost girl.

Love you Tilly

Night night Maisie Moo

Sweet dreams my special little Princess, I loved you more than you could ever know xxxx

Back again...

Hectic? You bet!
A rundown since my last update a gazillion moons ago...
Poor little Ruby chook went downhill in September, it absolutely broke my heart. We had an ultrasound scan done on her, and that showed up fluid in her abdomen, fibrous lesions between her organs (making her unsuitable for surgery), and a coating over her liver. Lots of meds and injections, and much much love, along with some reiki really helped her out. Thankfully she is still with us (I really didn't think she would be) has had an almighty moult and looks absolutely marvellous, bless her! *wubs* She is a picture of beauty and wellness for now, and I am so so glad we didn't consider having her put to sleep, I shudder at the thought of that.
Which brings me on to the next thing... I am now a fully qualified animal therapy practioner. I am now qualified in reiki, crystal therapy, meridian therapy, animal massage and animal communication. I can do it for humans too, it's just that I chose to take a course which focused more on the animal side of things, the basics are all the same though :)
If there is anyone in the Cheltenham area who wishes to use my services, I will be offering free sessions for rescue animals, not sure how long for, and bear in mind I have no transport so we will have to work around that. I make absolutely no guarantee that the treatment will actually take place, I will never ever force an animal to be treated, it is their choice to accept it and that is my core principal. That said; when I did my training I was working on two chihuahuas, one of which has never accepted reiki and usually hides when anyone attempts it. Well guess what? I won! He came and led himself in front of me on the floor and had a full session of reiki, crystal healing, meridian therapy and massage! My cat will not accept reiki at all, and I respect that. This is how I work and if you don't like it then don't ask!
I didn't really know a lot about reiki when I signed up for the course, just that it was something I wanted to try to add to the arsenal of therapies I intended to do. It has had a really deep and profound effect on me, and it is something I intend to train further in when I have the funds. It really is incredible and I really adore passing that on.

Halloween was fabulous as always *grin*

So, onto other things...
I spent two days at the nec, one for the hobbycrafts show, and one for Cake International...WOW! It was amazing! Some of the creations simply took my breath away, just incredible. I have loads more pics, but I'll have to upload a few at a time! Poor lighting, unedited, but still beautiful!
Need I add any words?
ok...blogger is not playing (neither is photobucket, I love windows 7 but this is really piddling me off! I'll edit and add them as I can)

For Lemon x

Here you go hunny (click for full size)

And for everyone else, I am fairly AWOL at the mo, got a poorly Ruby chook again (more injections, groan), she has a large mass in her abdomen, we think (and pray) it is an abcess so fingers crossed we can get it sorted asap. She has put a lot of weight on since the last vet visit: about 450gm, so we think the mass is fairly large.
Next week I go off on my training course, lots more study to follow, and then I will be a fully qualified animal healing practioner *grin* I can't wait. Plus I am off on a lecture with Margrit Coates which should be fabulous and I am hugely lucky to get this amazing chance as she lectures all over the world!
TTFN xxxx

I spoke too soon...

Cos poor lil Ruby-Roo has been poorly this weekend :( On Saturday morning (and again yesterday morning) I popped her off to the vets to see Mike, who duly sorted the problem...4 injections a day (deep joy) which I have the pleasure of giving her, plus a tablet too. But the good news is she is sooo much better bless her, great to see her up to her usual antics. We are now looking into the possibility of having a hormone implant for her to try and stop her laying altogether, as this is what started the problems on Saturday.

I have managed to trap another nerve or two in my back yet again, so I am off to see my 'God' Mark Lester in two hours to get my spine cracked back into place, and hopefully a spot of accupuncture too (I LOVE accupuncture), it is the most relaxing thing next to a proper massage and facial at Espa (and it is cheaper to get the needles stuck in too!)

Last but not least before I go and let the chookaloos out in the garden, the last part of Flash your freebies for Pollycraft. We had to think 'green' for this one, so I did the obvious and used the colour green for the supplied image, and also used a piece of cardboard box which is also green in the recycling kinda way ;)
Pollycraft digi image, SEI and Reminisce papers, a die cut flower (no idea who it is from), paper cellar trim, tulip pearl paints, a flat backed pearl from stash, some cardboard box and a good smoosh of white chalk ink.

The time thief

has been on the prowl again. I swear I do not know where it vanishes to!
Quick post,
Chooks are beautiful as ever, after some real hiccups with their health, having to learn how to inject them *eek*, and a bit of time we are somewhere near sorted! I hope *crosses everything*
I have had so much going on it is has been a total whirlwind! Sean's 50th, and the cake I made to surprise him with when he came back off his hols with Mum

Amy's birthday (this one and Nan's was a recipe I made up! Chocolate and almond madeira, filled and coated with white chocolate ganache, then sugarpasted - it was delish)

Nan's birthday
 (I really should have taken pics before I transported it ina taxi!)

and Mum's birthday, but she didn't want an iced creation...oh no, she wanted my lemon drizzle cake. I tweaked the recipe a bit and OMG it was the best cake I have ever tasted, let alone made *polishes halo*

This month sees a gajillion birthdays too, but I don't have to make the cakes! Just as well as I am really hectic at the mo!

Poor Amelia has chicken pox, it is even inside her eyelids poor little mite. She has only just got over her op, she had her adenoids and tonsils removed in the hopes that is will cure her obstructive sleep apnea.
I had to come off my steroid spray as it supresses your immune system, as I had been in contact with her at the most infectious time, it made me appreciate how much of a difference they make to me!

Last but not least a pollycrafts creation for Flash your Freebies

I used some glossy accents on his eyes which you can't see in the pic, and on the centre of the flowers. Promarkers, prima flowers, little clear dewdrop thingamies, a studio g stamp, ikea paper string, and I made the pin by taking off the original tip, and adding glass pearls and a crystal bead to match in with the basic grey paper.

lotsa pics!

Introducing my new rescue girlies, they are absolutely peaches, total sweethearts :)
We've had a few problems, Ellie is a little bit poorly love her, and we are off to the vets again later with her and Lola :(

This is Ellie (who has the hugest tail I have ever seen!)

And this is Maisie 

Integrating them with Ruby and Lola has been tough going but we have pretty much sorted it now, not bad for two weeks and one day here :) It has been stressy though, and I am longing for a full nights sleep lol! I do love them to bits already <3

Yesterday saw my lovely Olivia being Christened, so I was off to church first thing, a few of my fave snaps (I have loads more to get off other people yet)

 The cake that the lovely Gail made :) Containing 14 of Ruby and Lola's eggs! The sponge was the most amazing colour. That stork was on her Nana's Christening cake, and her two sisters cake as well :)

There is nothing quite like chubby ankles and naked feet in pretty bright white shoes *grin*

 

 

 

just a quickie ;)

I might have accidentally (ok, ok it wasn't an accident at all) ordered my chooks an eglu cube last night!
Then we can look at getting some new chookaloolaas for them to buddy up with. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any rescues going on near me in the near future, I am waiting for one more reply, and if not it will have to be posh girls. I would love more ex-battery hens, but at the moment the priority is getting some more company for Lola and Ruby...leaving it to fate :)

Anyhoodle, I made this card with a squiggle stamps image, too cute!
Scenic route and MME papers (I think, I can't remember!), promarkers, prima and punched flowers, k&co letters  etc

Back again :)

After a tough few weeks, it has been really hard going, I miss Tilly terribly, and so do Ruby and Lola :(
I opted to have her individually cremated, and collected her ashes last week, she is residing in a beautiful beech box with her name engraved on top on a little brass plaque, it is a very fitting tribute for my beautiful girl.
We will at some point be getting a couple more girls, for Ruby and Lola's benefit really as if Ruby is in the nestbox laying, Lola goes bonkers and shouts until Ruby comes back, she hates being on her own for any length of time now, it really stresses her out.
On a slightly lighter note, I splashed out a bit and had this run built for them...I just need to paint it, and finish saving for their new house, then we should be all set!

and had this made to go on the run, which I love

Of course the girls had to *help*...chicken in a bucket anyone?

Onto other things, a recent card, I needed something that I could be doing to try and get me back into crafting, as that was the thing that had to go with being so busy, and after losing Tilly.

Image from Meljen's Designs
MME papers

Nestabilites dies

Promarkers

Flowersoft (bout time I used that stuff again!)

dewdrop type stone thingamees from Kirsty

random stuff from stash

Sweet dreams Little Tilly

My beautiful, precious little Tilly, you have no idea what a huge impact you have had on my life.
You were the sweetest little hen I have ever come across. You would frequently hop up onto the bench and clamber onto my lap for a cuddle, I have never known anything like it. You were such a gentle little girl, you would give me kisses all the time.
You have no idea what a massive hole you are leaving in our lives. You were with us for nearly ten months, and I hope I managed to give you a very happy life. I am grateful that you got to experience fresh air, grass under your toes, every season and every weather. You were loved, something you had never had before.

Rest in peace my precious little angel, Mummy loved you so very much xxxx
 

I'll be back...

...when I'm back!
Life is all a bit hectic at the moment, so unfortunately blogging has had to take a back seat for a while, as it is last on my list of priorities ;)

yoohoo!

sorry, bad bad blogger. But I have been incredibly busy, shan't bore you with the details!

Lots of images from Mum's birthday at Dumbleton Hall, as promised (sorry it took so long Drew!) In completely random order...

The (purposely) wonky cake I ordered for Mum


Dessert at the Hall


yet another cake (made by the chef)


Just for Drew lol! ;)


The Hall


I swear it was smiling at me...


then laughing at me!




There were squillions of these






a random squiggly tree I found on our walk round the grounds


lots of these too


our private patio, complete with stripy grass


our private dining hall (which was lovely cos we could come and go between courses all afternoon!)


yummy scrummy

lots of these too, and an outing with me is never complete without a rescue lol, one of the sheep had got over the cattle grid, by the road, so I had to jump out of the car and herd it back in to safety!







I also have a new little lady in my life, Amy gave birth on the 23rd of July, this is Olivia, and she is just gorgeousness!