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Richard T

Escaped to the Country!

By Richard T, in The Nesting Box

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Richard T All Knowing Superchicken

Richard T

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Due to popular demand (well Kate A was asking because I've not been around much recently) here’s an update about the move that HennyPenny (The Wife) and I made last October from Sarf East Lundun to a picture-skew cottage in the wilds of Kent.

 

Briefly, it’s great! We love it!

 

The story so far ... there’s us two, the two chickens (Rita and Mavis) and the cat. HP and I are coping with the commuting, even though it’s a bit of a drag and involves spending far too much time on the M20, which is a very scary motorway, especially in the morning.

 

The chickens are fine. When we moved, Mavis was coming to the end of her moult and feathers were growing back. Then it seemed like Rita had started pulling out Mavis’s feathers (again). But now Mavis is all feathered up and is at the most feathery that I think we’ve ever seen her. She’s not returned to regular egg laying though. And now Rita has a bare bottom, but otherwise seems in fine fettle. We’re expecting that things will get better when there’s some light in the mornings and evenings so that they can have a bit more time in the garden.

 

The cat seems to be taking longest to adjust to life in the country. She sometimes seems scared about going outside and there have been a couple of “accidents” on the carpet. Also, she’s brought us a couple of presents, so I’ve had to give her a good talking to. But we’re still friends. Tho’ things between her and HP are a bit frosty.

 

We were hoping to be able to rent the field next door for HP to keep a couple of sheep, but the farmer wasn’t keen on us keeping sheep there. As it’s turned out, we wouldn’t have had the time anyway, so we’ve put that plan on hold. There are enough sheep in the area to keep HP happy for the time being. (And there are other farmers who might be more agreeable when the time comes.)

 

This is a bit of a long message so I'll finish there for now. More later ...

 

 

 

 

Richard T

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Richard T All Knowing Superchicken

Richard T

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HP will have to get used to 'the presents' from the cat - it will only get worse :shock::lol:

 

When HP discovered the first "present", she shrieked, screamed and shouted until I told her it wasn't a mouse, it was a vole, and her mood changed immediately to one of sympathy for the poor, ickle, fing. :roll:

 

She has a point though. Voles are cute.

 

 

Richard T

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Thanks for the reminder Louise. A bell for the cat is on the to do list.

 

Thankfully, she's not caught any birds yet - she never got any practice in London because there were so few birds in the garden there - and I think the birds are laughing at her incompetence. I think that's why she often seems reluctant to go out during the day. :roll:

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Richard T All Knowing Superchicken

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Hey, anyone else think that Richard and HP's new place would make a fantastic venue for an Omlet gathering?????

 

:wink:

:anxious:

 

No one? Phew! Thank goodness for that! The thought of all those Crocs in one place ...

 

:wink:

 

Akshully, when all this started I did promise to organise a small local gathering. I haven't forgotten. Once the weather is better and the ground has dried out a bit ...

 

As for the cat, I don't know about her becoming a champion mouser. Last night she seemed to be having a senior moment. She came into the kitchen. Stopped. And stood there for a good few minutes staring in the direction of HP's wellies with a look about her of not quite remembering what she'd come into the kitchen for. She's daft that cat.

 

And the commuting will get better eventually. At the moment we drive into HP's school in Charlton (she's a teacher, not my child-bride) and I get a train from there into central London. (We have to drive because there isn't a train early enough to get HP to school on time - and it would involve going in to London and out again!). In the school holidays I'll be able to get a train from the local station (Lenham) into London and it'll be much quicker for me. HP of course will never change schools to one nearer home ( :wink: ) (I have to say that in case her headmaster is reading this.) And once the sale of the old house has gone through I might be able to afford to change jobs and work nearer to home.

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Richard, we had a visit to the vets at the weekend, and there we discovered a dinky little contraption that's attached the collar. As the cat prepares to pounce on a bird (and I assume they would pounce the same for a vole, or any other kind of gift they are considering catching for you, or do you think that that would require a whole new routine?), it emits some kind of noise that alerts the 'present' to the fact that it's going to become dinner if it doesn;t move its bum.

 

It's very effective apparantly, and may be worth a scout arund the local pet shop, or vets to find one, if nothing else but for the sake of HP's sanity...

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Look on the bright side Richard, she could be teaching in Lewisham, then you'd come back from work to find it minus the tyres :lol:

 

Or just the tyres. :D

 

 

Shona - Thanks for the info about the Liberator Cat Collar. I did a google and it has mixed reviews and apparently it doesn't work with small mammals. I'll pop into the pet shop to have a look. Thinking about it, she probably catches the small mammals when it's dark so a light might be more effective than a bell or beeper.

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Thinking about it, she probably catches the small mammals when it's dark so a light might be more effective than a bell or beeper.

 

 

that's a fantastic idea - get her a mini pit-helmet...

 

Phil

 

miner-helmer.jpg

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We come off the M20 at the Leeds Castle junction and then it's a few miles on from there (I'm being a bit secretive for security reasons. You never know who might be reading this. I'm sure you all understand. Not that we have anything worth nicking.).

 

We haven't been to the castle yet. Our next door neighbour - John Next Door - tells us that there are public footpaths through the castle grounds so you can see the grounds for free, but the staff keep a close watch and if you stray off the public footpath they're on you in a flash demanding the entrance fee!

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Richard - I wasn't encouraging you to post your address on here! :) It's just that I see a signpost for Lenham when I go the Leeds Castle.

 

It is quite expensive for a visit, but just the best place ever. We used to buy a family season ticket, costing the price of just over 2 visits. Then we could go any time we wanted, and did, all year round. You also get guest tickets for free, so we used to take friends there too.

 

Now we have National Trust instead, but I don't think we use it as much. :cry:

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