A lot has happened since my last post. Not posting anywhere near as much as I would like to due to the picture facility on the blog not working for a long while now, so I get frustrated and disheartened and don't bother. We take so many pictures as a family, a lot of my blogging is based on imagery, so for the uploader to be a pain is very annoying for me. The rigmarole I have to go through to get the pictures on is a real pain.
Anyway, I have now had my 3rd operation on my left knee. It was a lot worse than the previous 2, the anaesthetic really hit me hard and the wound split open on the day following the operation and became infected. Cue huge amounts of tablets and sleepless nights. They can't have helped me either as they really put my system in a spin.
We also got 6 chickens from a local battery farm. They were due to be culled and we went up and bought 6 of them for $3 each. They were a sorry looking bunch of girls, all bedraggled, scared of their own shadow and not looking like the classic farmhouse hen that we all know. We settled them down in their new surroundings, which was very sad as they had fresh straw and sawdust for them, and they looked at it as it was a whole new experience for them to be walking on soft stuff instead of bare iron cagework. The first day saw them sitting in the evening sunshine, warming themselves and just looking at the light, they had been kept in a dark shed for their whole existence. Now they were able to walk free as nature intended. Their feathers have grown, and the majority of them now are beautiful looking birds. One still looks a bit stubbly, but the other 5 are virtually fully feathered now.
They are incredibly funny little things and keep us entertained, they even provide us with a good little supply of eggs, and they are the richest, tastiest eggs I have ever tasted. The kids are enraptured with them and it is a great education for them to see and interact with these animals. Paddy, our dog, is fascinated by them, we have slowly introduced him to them and he is a bit jumpy for their liking. He even got a big peck on the nose today and he didn't like it one bit!!
5 comments:
Beautiful story about the chicks there. Many thanks for giving them a better life. That is what life is all about. You have my respect.
I check your blog for new stuff and sometimes leave comments too. Hope your knee gets all better now. All the best to you and yours. Cheers, Stu
Thanks Stu, the mysterious Stu, wonder how you found out about this blog?
Yes, it is nice having the "girls". We all appreciate having them, not just for the eggs they provide, but for the sense of having saved them from a premature end to their life. They are hilariously funny little things, have great character, and never stop entertaining us in their own little way. It is very therapeutic just sitting in the sun with them around your feet, pecking at microscopic bugs and cleaning up with their new feathers now almost grown. Considering some of them came out of the battery cages looking like little bundles of stick just enforces that we did the right thing in giving these girls a home.
Actually no mystery there, I used to be part of the ENZ forum until they just locked the account one fine day for no apparent reason. I don't mind, really. Its just that I always felt fascinated by NZ and so used to visit that site to learn about the country. I saw your posts on that board and followed your journey from UK to NZ :-). It is funny how you read posts and get involved in them.
I still plan to visit NZ with my family someday, but for now I get vicarious pleasure reading others' blogs. And much like what you do there with these beautiful animals, my wife and I take in dogs and cats that are homeless here in Canada. We are all big animal fans and learn a lot from them.
So keep up the great work and enjoy the summer as we get ready for the winter here :-). All the best. Stu
Hey Stu, at least some of the mystery has cleared now!! Thanks for the heads up. And there are plenty of Canucks here, our kids teacher is a young Canuck by coincidence.
Just got back after going to the mountain (Ruapehu) with the wife and kids and her students from work. There were 3 vans of us, passed some stunning sights today as it was foggy this morning, amazing effects on the terrain. The snow wasn't as deep as it has been in the past but the kids all had a great time. They did the usual sledding, but had treasure hunts and games to keep them occupied. It was a very pleasant 16 degrees up there and sunny, got a big red face to prove it, even with sunblock. Got loads of pictures, will sort them as soon as I can get them on.
All the best from down here :)
wow,16 degrees and on the snow! That would make me sign up for that 'tour of duty' any day :). Good to hear there are fellow Canadians with good taste (to be living in NZ) :)
Usually when it is a beautiful snowy day here we also get the cold wind blowing from the north and that kinda puts the damper on my ability to stay out and soak it all in. I still love snow mind you; you have to if you live here. But yeah, saw your pictures from this trip and boy they are great. I bet the kids didn't want to leave eh? Have a great day! Stu
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