My rouge hen that free rangers herself joining me Sunday morning on the terrace
This little grey hen, who I hatched myself from my current group of chickens, is a good flyer. She is a cross between my bantam cochin rooster and my porcelain d'uccle hens. She is skittish compared to the other hens and for some reason, she is sleek and aerodynamic enough to fly. So, she flies up out of the very tall sides of the chicken run and lets herself have free reign of the yard.
I've considered a top for the run, but it would be a lot of wire and there are trees etc, so I am just hoping she is safe from foxes. She does put herself to bed each night, so that is good. And although she is skittish when I give the 'chick chick' call, she'll come running.
That is why yesterday, on or very warm sunny Sunday, I was sitting on the new terrace and I thought I saw her way down on by the boat house. I gave out my 'chick chick' call and she flew with lightening speed to me and I gave her some grain. Here she is doing her thing. (The striped leg is me being lazy and lounging in my night gown like a lay about, it is Sunday though, so I am allowed)
I had meant to post yesterday for my usual #sublimesunday, but I just needed a break.
I had to spend the afternoon going to my little cottage I rent out for Summer and get ready for my next guests. It can be a bit trafficy on a Sunday on Cape Cod, so by the time I returned home, I was not up for posting. Instead, I made a hot pot of tea, sat under my new pergola and planted up some succulents
I love succulents both for themselves as well as they are the perfect plant for this particular part of our house. This side of our house faces the sea and gets hot baking sun in the summer and drying winds. As many succulents are from either high mountians with dry hot wind or vast hot windy desserts, they seem to love it here.
As succulents are having a real popularity of late, I am amazed at the variety I am now able to find. I went a little crazy the other day that garden center and really loaded up and added a few little cacti as well.
I prefer to mainly use terra cotta for this part of my garden. I think the uniformity of colour is good as it allows me to have a variety of design and size and it not look too jumbled.
Here is just one of many that I planted up. I like to use gravel and sometimes shells from our beach. This should fill in nicely. I sort of like to plant succulents three ways, this way with much gravel showing, really the open space leaves me room to add cute shells and beach treasures as I choose.
This collection has some close clustering, but with a bit of open gravel area (future treasure place holder)
And some I like to plant very tight, like this terra cotta rectangular window box design.
You can see from the top it's fairly cloesly planted, but it really shows off the variety of colour and arrangement you get with succulents from just their wonderful foliage, though they do sometimes flower.
After playing with my succulents and getting about 7 containers out of my collection I just bought, I was adding more lavender to my new planters at the front of the terrace. These were brand new and I shared them in this post awhile back showing off my Spring project. As these are very new planters I was happily surprised to find this little fellow was as happy as a pig in mud, or should I say a toad in loose soil, burrowing down amongst the soil and the terra cotta pot I have in the center of the bed.
I mean this is Toad Hall, so I suppose he figures he should move right in straight away.
As this is technically a day late, this post, I suppose I shall end here, but as I started this post with chickens, I shall end with them.
My lovely mother hen is still caring for her three darling babies.
I really want every new chicken I rear here to be as tame as can be. And with my most tame mother hen rearing these offspring it is rather easy. She simply tells her babies that I am a great provider of food and you can see her here, telling the chicks to go ahead and eat from my finger. My favourite little chick, however, never needed permission, she charged straight ahead first time I did it, another reason she is my favourite.
I hope you all had a sublime sunday and are having a happy and productive Monday.
If you like my work by all means upvote and share and do leave comments, I Love comments.
Check out my other posts:
- A third hint of my current painting.
- Today's sketch inspired by my mother hen.
- Another hint at my current painting, What could it be?
- Sharing a hint of a new painting
