All the news, hot off the press!

Well its been all go here lately.  Some news in brief before the juicy bits.  

Snowdrop is sleeping with everyone else EVERY night now.  It may have helped that I kept the door locked on her rabbit hutch since she had that one sleepover!  The rabbit hutch annex has now been removed so things are permanent!

Blossom (aka Crazy Chook) is laying at last.  She only lays tiny eggs so far but they are eggs and things can only get better!

Hairy Hubby discovered that chopping down blackberry bushes is not a good idea if they have a wasp nest in them.  I have never seen him move so fast.  Much Piriton and antihistamine cream later he attacked the wasps in his own unique way using a can of fly spray with a nail banged in it.  He threw it like a grenade and ran like hell.  It worked though!

The big news is that my doves are free flying at last.  I took the net off on Sunday and hoped for the best.  It had been on for six weeks which is what the experts recommend but that didn't help me last time did it?  They sat for a while looking bemused until suddenly WHOOSH they all took off together and few about.  Pinky and Jed landed on my roof and stayed there all afternoon but typically Daisy, May and their new best friend Harry went and sat on the roof of the house opposite.  Is this sounding familiar yet?  They liked it so much they slept there for the night.  And the next night.  The little rotters only come home for something to eat!  They treat this place like a hotel!!  Admittedly the house opposite is worth half a million plus and has views of the Broad but thats not the point, the ungrateful little things!  Seriously though, although they roost over there they seem to spend the afternoons chilling out in the big Sycamore behind the dovecote and have played on my lawn a few times too.  And been chased off by Crazy Chook who seems to object to any bird being on HER grass especially if they are white like her.  I am hoping that they will soon realise the roof over the road is not as warm and comfy as their nice dovecote and come home at nights.  The dirty stopouts!

Snowdrop was poorly yesterday.  She wouldn't get out of bed and when she did she hid behind a flowerpot.  I had a feeling she was trying to lay one of her soft shelled eggs and looked up the treatment for eggbound hens.  This gave me a happy afternoon of bathing, steaming and rubbing olive oil into a chickens bum.  I found the latter a bit odd because I have rubbed olive oil into so many chickens bums but always eaten them afterwards.  But let's not go there...  Anyway this morning she wouldn't get up again till Rosie booted her out because she likes to have the whole place to herself when she lays her egg.  I think Rosie is the only one who lays every day actually.  I thought Snowdrop looked a bit more lively but she still went right back in the coop when Rosie came out so I popped her in a recycling box and took her off to The Haven with me.  Conveniently it was my regular day there anyway.  It makes a change for one of my birds to do something at a convenient time.  

Owlmomma gave her some oral Calcium and an antibiotic jab just incase.  She seemed a bit brighter after that and enjoyed ten minutes or so wandering round the hospital trying to terrorise Acorn the Little Owl who is so unbelievably cute that he has never had anyone be mean to him before in his life.  He actually spend half the day sitting on my foot playing with my shoes while I was working.  I kept expecting him to nip my toes but luckily for me he didn't, unlike Sid the Parakeet who tried to take a chunk out of my finger!  Anyway, I am waffling, I must get back to the point.  Now Snowdrop is home she seems pretty much back to normal.  She is walking round the garden with the others and feeding happily.  I have to say I am relieved.  I still have to give her Calcium drops once a day and (oh lucky me) an antibiotic jab for the next five days.  I can't say I am looking forward to that but after all my years or ear piercing and electrolysis I think I will cope.  Snowdrop was also lucky that an animal healer sent her lots of Reiki.  I am positive this helped her loads too.  How lucky am I to know kind people who will help my baby girl?

Crazy Chook, the poser

Snowdrop, aww bless!