Chicken Nibbles...

 

Although my girls get to free range most of the day and can come and go from their run whenever they please, I wanted to put something in there that would amuse them as well as providing treats. 

 

I read something awhile ago about hanging a cabbage somewhere so they can nibble on it so I thought I would try making a couple of nibble hangers and see how the girls like them, if they work then I might improve the design but for now I have used two lengths of chain and two old tent pegs. Excuse the bite marks on the carrot (I didn’t get peckish while making them) I turned my back for a minute and Diesel helped himself...yes my dog likes carrot.

Beach Graffiti...

 

My two nieces came to stay the weekend just gone and seeing as the weather was so nice we decided to take a stroll down to the beach. As we walked down the track to the beach we checked on Daddy’s plants to make sure they were doing alright (My brother grows and replants natives to help restore the beach reserve so whenever any of us go walking we always have a look to make sure they are growing happily) then over the dunes to check on Liv’s beach wood hut before we scrambled up the beach to find treasures. 

 

After we collected more driftwood for Liv to finish her architectural masterpiece, Ava and I toddled off to find stones and shells and anything else that caught our eye. I had taken my small backpack so any nice stones I found could be stashed away and brought home to scatter on the new path when I finished it. 

 

Whether you are young or old no one can resist grabbing a stick and having a squiggle in the sand, it is just a huge blank canvas waiting to be painted on. The best part of beach graffiti is that while it may entertain anyone passing by, it is short lived and soon returned to the blank canvas it was before.

Above: Ava's picture of me...

Left:  Olivia's sand cat...

Below: My funny face...

More Of Our Wild West Coast Beach...

As promised, some more pics of our wild west coast beach as requested by a reader of this blog...hope you enjoy seeing them T.

I do have some more I will post but between visits to the beach (where I get completely distracted by beach combing) writing, editing and keeping up with all the everyday stuff, I get a little swamped now and then.






Have some very cool pics from this weekend I will try to edit and share in the next few days but you wouldnt want to distract me from finishing my path now would you?

Much Ado About Nesting...

Petunia has been laying for nearly two weeks now and what a fuss she makes! She sounds like someone is trying to throttle her, both before and after “the great lay” and she makes sure to tell the whole neighbourhood how pleased with herself she is. She is definitely a talker and is quite willing to have a little chat with me when I am outside doing something. I am hoping the others will start nesting soon, it’s going to be fantastic having plenty of fresh free range eggs. The dynamics of group have changed slightly but they all seem to stick together now and explore much more than they used to. 

I can always tell where they have been because of the evidence they leave behind, which is how I knew they found the back door. Petunia stood on the deck yesterday chattering away until I went outside and gave her a snack, this time a spoonful of the cat’s jellimeat which she scoffed without any hesitation. They haven’t found their way up the stairs to the bedroom yet but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time. Tomorrow I think I will make a nice Omelette with all the eggs I have been collecting, Diesel has had a couple on his dinner but I have been saving mine to make something delicious. Seeing as my nieces are here tomorrow I am thinking fresh spinach, cheese and a few other bits in a big shared Omelette for lunch might be quite nice, Mexican beans for dinner  and I have the perfect ramekins to bake our rhubarb/apple and ginger crumbles for later.

Garden Dreams...

The path is not quite finished yet, I still have to put the sides in place and put the rest of the fill and some flat stone down but the grass plot I want to turn into a garden has started to die off which will make it alot easier to dig into and turn over when I get to it. While it will be alot of work getting it ready, once I can start doing all the fun things like making nooks and using large bamboo/manuka poles for climbing frames and fencing (which will give support and shelter while adding a natural element to the garden) I’m sure it will all be worth it. I have lots of large bamboo that will look great around the edge of the garden with climbers sprawling over it. Hopefully by then I will have some nice compost to dig into the soil once it is cleared and plenty of good mulch from the girls. I am determined to have a more extensive garden than at the last house including all those sunflowers I saved seed for and a big patch of corn this summer.

The mulching has worked a treat on the vegetable garden which is looking so healthy and lush at the moment. Everything has grown in size and I have enough now to be able to have a daily pick for dinner as well as nibbles for Lipstick. I must be doing something right because this is the first time my garden has looked so damn good! Very few weeds or bugs or crawlies nibbling on the plants, the soil has good structure...all signs of everything living happily together. I have just been out and chopped the Rhubarb so tonight is crumble night. Unfortunately I forgot to grab some apples while in town so it will have to be tinned apple for this one *gasp* Oh the shame of it! Hehehee. From the bits I planted last year have come about six separate plants so once they are more established I will divide them up and plant some in the garden as well.

Catching A Wave...

I have been a little distracted the last week or so, sooo I thought I better update on some of the goings on around here. Earlier in the week I took a walk with my camera down to the beach to play around and see what I could capture. It was such a beautiful day and a paddle in the surf was a much welcomed refresh. Here are some of the better ones I was able to snap of our local treasure before I got drenched to the waist...

 One of my favourites!

Beach feet, nothing like feeling the sand between your toes and the waves rolling in to cool them down. Its when you drag half the beach into your car it becomes an issue! Luckily my car is in dire need of a clean out so I didn't worry too much about it ...
                                                                                          



Love seeing the green, blues and greys of the water, it might not be the prettiest beach in the world but it has a beautiful feeling of peacefulness and healing. You can walk either way up the beach for miles. This picture is looking up from the surf club towards the mole, great place to throw your rod in just watch out for the rocks!

My friend Andy showed me some fun photos he had taken last time he was up visiting. While rummaging around on the beach he snapped some cool pics of his shadows. This is one of my ones though I did a whole heap of weird ones by turning my body into strange positions...It was so much fun I didn't even notice all the people that had parked up and were possibly wondering what on earth the funny woman was doing on the beach. I havent edited the others yet but I promise to post the best ones at a later date so you can see what I mean. Would be so much easier having someone to hold the camera though...