In which we have visitors from Boston, USA

Our friends from Boston, USA

Dear friends... yes  know its been a week or so but my Mum has been away at something called Folk Festivals and left us all here with some friends of hers who have been looking after us and the cats and the house.  More of that another day, but while she was gone the photos came of us in the garden with the friends who had come all the way from Boston in the USA to see us.  

Our Mum and her friends outside the Museum of Witchcraft
in Boscastle

They stayed for the weekend and our Mum took them to visit the  Museum  of Witchcraft which is owned by a friend of hers in Boscastle and also to Tintagel so they could see where King Arthur came from.  All very exciting but not as exciting as the Sunday morning in the garden.  It was such a lovely day that they all sat outside in the garden wearing the same yellow T shirts and singing.  They sang songs about chicken on rafts especially for us.  You can be sure that we have no intention  of going on a raft, even though Olwen did mange to fall in the pond this week!  She was after the pond weed and tried to stand on the waters edge and slipped in.  Our mum was there like a shot but she got herself out all right with just her dignity a bit damp.  Anyway we have all been back in our run today so we don't do it again.  

I join my Friends on the Bench

Lynn and Philip with Rhiannon

But getting back to my friends from Boston...  It was such a lovely morning and we sat in the garden beside the honeysuckle and the grapevine. Rhiannon and I went straight over to them and loved what they were doing.  They were all singing! We walked in between their legs and even went up on the bench to join in with them.  I think we all should have yellow Middle Bar t shirts now as we were on the Bench!  I think I have to ask Uncle Mike and Aunty Lizzy about getting ones to fit us.  They held us and gave us such loving stroking and cuddles and we snuggled down in their arms.

Rhiannon nearly went to sleep but was tempted away by the soft grass to run in.   My Friend Lynn, that's her holding me in the photo, was really very good and looked after me really well. Her husband, Philip, made sure I was all OK and talked to me alot as you can see in the picture.  They all thought we were wonderful, which of course we are.

Rhiannon joins the Boston Singers on the Bench. 

You will be pleased to know that Rhiannon's quills have started to grow tiny feathers and that Olwen is now nearly covered across her back with soft downy feathers.  Brigid is still bald but our Mum is hoping she will start to get feathers soon or she will have to ask people to knit woolly jumpers for her ready for the winter.  If you look carefully at the photo you can see that I am now nearly covered on feathers so will be nice and warm for the Autumn mornings and evenings that are just creeping up on us.  

My Mum has been putting extra straw in our bed to make sure we are quite warm enough and as soon as Linnet gets over being broody, we are talking about all 6 of us going into the same hen house to sleep in the winter so we can keep snuggled up together.  But for now its still summer and I have songs buzzing around my head,, Hi O chicken on a bench...

Olwen gets feathers and Rhiannon takes a dust bath!

Hello again,

 This has been such an exciting weekend.  I have had so many people come to visit me this weekend and some of them came all the way from America!  My mum is sorting out the photos and when they are all done I will do a very special blog about Sunday morning when they all sat in the garden and sang to us, gave us cuddles and thought we were wonderful.  It was sooooo exciting. 

Rhiannon takes a dust bath

Anyway, down to some wonderful news. 

 Today has been quite warm and 5 of us have been in the garden all morning. Linnet is sitting in a run all on her own as she has gone broody and all she wants to cluck about is having babies but none of us are interested.  Worms and grubs are far more interesting than baby chicks.  She'll get over it in a few days.  So, that means 5 of us are in the garden.  

But I said good news and here it is.... [drum roll]... Rhiannon has found out what it is like to have a dust bath.  Not that she has got any feathers yet to clean but she has been sitting in the middle of the rockery and has made herself a deep hollow and is chucking compost all over her where her new feathers are just starting to show through.  She is having such a lovely time that she didn't even want to join us on the patio for our morning treat of lettuce and cucumber from Auntie Sue and Uncle Geoff.  I think you can see from her photos that she is just starting to get little quills appearing on her chest and breast so we all hope that they will turn in to feathers very soon. She has one or two new feathers come through on the top of her wings and I think if you look carefully you might just be able to see them. She has become so much less timid lately and now runs up to our Mum every time she sees her and wants to be picked up and cuddled. She is still the very smallest of us and this weekend one of our visitors said there wasn't any meat on her at all... whatever that means.. but I think it means she is still very skinny.  she is so very loving though and lays the biggest eggs of all of us!

Olwen's new feathers

And now some more news.  Olwen has got feathers!   If you remember a little while ago I told you that she was starting to get black dots on her back well they have now come out as beautiful feathers.. They are very soft and fluffy and are a dappled colour with a light pattern in the middle and a darker edge to them.  When they all come she is going to be stunning.  Good job my Mum hasn't got any cockerels or they would be running after her! This is a picture of the new feathers on her back. If you look carefully you can also see the feathers coming through on the top of her wings.  Her bottom is still very bald but that will come in time.  

Olwen and Me on the patio

I thought you would like to compare the two of us. Do you remember when I was almost totally bald too?  Just look at me now.  That haunted look in my eyes has gone and I have lovely soft dark brown feathers on me and even my wings are starting to grow back.  My tummy is still a bit bald but it is getting better and one day I will have feathers all over me.  We are all so very lucky and we are so very spoiled.  every time my Mum comes out I rum up to her and snuggle down at her feet asking to be picked up and smoothed.  It is just so good to be living in a lovely garden here up on Bodmin Moor. We have a granite chippings patio, a big soft lawn to run around in, flower beds to take dust baths in and last weekend I found the greenhouse has got tomatoes growing in it.  We love tomatoes but our Mum wasn't too happy when she realised that we had found out how to get in and could jump up and reach the baby tomatoes that were hanging on the plants.  We are very good at jumping.  Our Mum said something about Olympic Champions but i don't know what she means by that.. something else to find out.  Life is never dull here.  

So, all is well here in our Forever Home.  The sun is shining, Rhiannon is taking a dust bath, I have discovered tomatoes and Olwen has feathers.  Brigid has quills so will soon get feathered up and as soon as Linnet stops going on about having chicks life will be perfect.  Bye for now. 

Hello again.  I am so sorry that I have not talked to you all for a few days but my Mum has had visitors and has been gallivanting all over the place so I have not been able to get to the computer.  We don't have electricity in the hen house either so I can't put one in there.

Rhiannon on her first day with a floppy comb

Rhiannon's comb now,

 I have some wonderful news for you all.  

Do you remember how poorly Rhiannon was when she came to live here in her Forever Home?  Well she now has a few feathers and lots of black dots on her back where her feathers are starting to come through but... what is even more exciting is that her comb has gone from pale pink and floppy to red and starting to stand up!  That really does show how well she is coming on.  I am so very pleased.  She still likes to have early nights but she now runs around the garden with us and joins in all the fun.  That really is very good. 

All of us now have feathers starting to show, some more than others and if you could see mine you would say how soft and beautiful they re compared with when I came here.  

Olwen has discovered something new as well.  Toes.  This morning our friend Hellyn was sitting in the garden and she had open toed sandals on.  well there were these wiggly white things so Olwen decided they might be worth investigating.  Hellyn got the surprise of her life when she started pecking them!!!! We ran away and hid under the table but as soon as Hellyn wasn't looking, Olwen ran out again and gave them another peck.  I think Hellyn might stay in wellies all day!  She is helping our Mum with the garden today so we are going to help them.  We will be very good at catching worms and getting in to investigate every time a weed is pulled up or the earth turned over.  If we are really lucky they might take the duck weed from the pond and throw it on to the garden and we will be able to run after it and eat it.  That is fun.  

 I heard from some of my friends that Little Hen Rescue have girls looking for homes  www.freshstartforhens.co.uk They are based in the North West so if anyone knows of a lovely person who could give a hen or two a Forever Home then please get in touch.  We love being alive.. so much nicer than being in a pie.   If you are in Essex in September I heard of a wonderful event   that you might like to go to.  I have asked my Mum to put the poster for it below so you can all have a look.  I love the idea of  a Hen fest!  Re-homing coupled with a village fete sounds brilliant.  I wish I could get there.  I haven't ever had ice cream or beer and they will both be on sale.... 

Well I am off now to help a bit more in the garden.  Talk again soon.  Love Little Maeve. xx