The New Additions

Hello all, and thank you so much, as always, for the lovely comments you left on my previous post - much appreciated! I do feel more relaxed about putting our house up for sale this time, i'm finding easier to distance myself from other potential houses, and to enjoy where we are for the time being.

Anyway, moving on, last week we had 5 new additions to the family of the feathered variety – “Pumpkin”, “Dumpling”, “Petal”, “Hazel” and “Penny” our ex-chicken farm hens, rescued from slaughter and enjoying life with us, and producing around 35 eggs per week! Omelette anyone?!

Mia is thrilled with them, her favourite being “Pumpkin”. She named them all, even before we had them, although we were originally going to have just 3. How we came to end up with two more is all down to Mia being able to get around her grandparents so easily! How she manages that, whereas I, as their only daughter, would not have had so much luck at that age, still baffles me! We’d arranged with Nan & Grandpa that we would keep our hens in their large enclosure surrounded by electric fencing. They only have 3 old bantam hens left, and hence there would be plenty of room. So 3 were agreed upon, names chosen, and an evening picked for Mia to go with Grandpa to choose and collect them. Then, 2 days before this, Mia wangles one more, simply by stating that if she were to have 4 instead, then if two were to die, she would still have 2 left – whereas if she only had 3, that would leave 1 lonely hen on her own – plus she’s already thought of a most perfect hen-name “Hazel”!. Grandpa relented.

So, two days later, off they go to the chicken farm, Mia waving goodbye to Baby Boy & I from the back of their 4x4 with a HUGE box beside her, pricked with breathing holes and tried with string ready for her 4 lucky hens, which unbeknown to them, were about to be saved from becoming chicken pies!

I was very excited too, but sadly couldn’t go as it was Baby Boy’s bedtime, and Mia was planning to stay with Nan and Grandpa to help settle her hens in. However, I did phone her when they got back later on that evening, and Mia was VERY excited;

“Mum I’ve got FIVE!!!”

“FIVE?????” I repeat though somehow not too surprised (I know Mia)

I then reply “How have you got five?”

“The lady GAVE me the 5th one for free! She said I could have her Mum and I’ve called her Penny” came the answer.

“What did Nanny and Grandpa say??” I ask, knowing they probably didn’t have much choice;

“Oh they didn’t mind!!!” came the confident answer - my poor parents!

So that's the story of how we ended up with two more hens that I bargained for! Still, we were very pleased when Mia came home the next morning with a freshly laid egg;

Which we made in to lovely strawberry cupcakes;

We've also this week acquired another Guinea Pig! A local lady didn't want him as his mate had died, and she wasn't wanting to get another piggie. Guinea pigs shouldn't be kept alone, so she asked if we would take him. At the moment we are "fostering" him for the local Guinea Pig Rescue, run by a friend in a nearby town, from whom we had Dexter and Bracken. His best chance is to be bonded with a baby boar from the Rescue, so at the moment he is being kept on foster and in "quaranteen" by ourselves. I'm trying not to get too attached...it's very hard. Just look at that cute face;

I'll leave you with a picture of Baby Boy looking "oh so serious" whilst observing the new piggie in his run. Hope you're all having a lovely week xx