My Sunday Photo... Peepo

Peepo...

This is cheeky Winnie, hiding in the flower border. 

She was just checking if I had any treats before blowing her cover! 

I never knew that chickens had such different characteristics and personalities.

There's never a dull moment.

I also couldn't resist showing you this gorgeous bumble bee.

I saw him on the ground (I've read that if you see a bee on the ground, it's probably in need of help) 

I put some water near him and then lifted him only my strawberry flowers. 

At first, he didn't do well... and virtually fell off the flower, but slowly as I transferred him from flower to flower he improved.

Finally, he flew off... hopefully home.

I've also taken 11 (what I think are drones) out of our house over the last few days.

That's what happens when you leave the door to the garden open.

I just hope that they haven't settled in here somewhere.

My hubby wants to start beekeeping at some stage... but I think I'm already doing my bit!

Have fun this Sunday.

Apologies if I never visited you last week. 

I'll try to do better this coming week.

I'm linking up with Photalife with My Sunday Photo as usual.

My Sunday Photo... Look out!

It's pretty nippy here just now with another forecast of snow to arrive overnight.

The birds are all feeling the urgency of a good meal to see them through.

Here's one of our resident buzzards perched up high on his lookout tower.

He doesn't get much peace as the local jackdaws and crows become very nervous if he's spotted in their territory. They dive bomb him constantly and give quite an aerial display.

I'll leave you with a more peaceful photo of our girls... keep your heads down ladies!

I'm linking up as usual with Photalife.com

Thanks for popping by my place and I hope you'll be back soon

Chief Chook and a Sprout Loving Bambi... PPF

Happy New Year Everyone.

I hope all your wishes come true in 2018.

I didn't realise that I was going to have a blog break, but that appears to have happened.

So my apologies for not making any announcement before my disappearance.

I hope you'll forgive me.

As I type here this morning, I can't help but feel grateful that I can touch type. 

It is so dark, as the heavy clouds burst and send copious amounts of rain down upon us, but that doesn't stop my happy mood. 

Yes it's January and some say the most depressing time of year, but 

I thought I'd tell you about my enrolment into an online art course. 

It starts on Monday and is a Bootcamp with Lilla Rogers from Make Art That Sells

I thought as I'm nipping into the Paint Party Friday link today, fellow PPF's might be interested in hearing or reading all about it. Lilla is fantastic and such an inspiration... so friendly and encouraging too. There are live video links and discussions every week and assignments every Monday, plus access to a special Facebook meeting place for all fellow classmates.

I seriously lost my mojo last year and just couldn't find it... but Lilla has a way of making you think anything is possible.

So with that in mind here's my first piece of artwork for 2018.

I hope to improve and fly with my art as the year progresses.

Obviously, this first one had to include a chook (chicken).

Just a fun piece to hopefully give me a kick start!

Now that I'm back to blogging, I'd also like to share my sprout loving visitors.

I personally don't mind having them eat all the sprouts from our veg plot, as I've never eaten them nor do I intend to. But I do fear that our new seedlings and plants this coming spring might be on their menu!

But seriously how cute are these Roe Deer?

 The numbers have expanded this year from the odd one or two to five.

 Is that a guilty face or what???

So there's plenty for my first post of the year.

I hope to keep the momentum going.

Wish me luck!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you soon.

My Sunday Photo... Flummoxed Flo and the Finale

It's offical...we've waved goodbye to autumn and winter has arrived.

Well, it certainly did this past week with the arrival of our first snow flurry of the year.

As many of your know I've been away and so haven't really caught up with everything yet... but I hope to soon. I've got lots I'd like to share.

Today 'My Sunday Photo' is a finale tribute to autumn.

Mushrooms

I have to admit I'm not an expert when it comes to wild mushrooms.

I'm far too timid to venture into tasting them, but feel I'm probably missing out on amazing foraging and possible culinary delights.

Maybe one day?

 I took these photos whilst staying at my sister's house.

These little beauties appeared on her patio.

It seems appropriate really as she is mushroom mad!

She has many dotted about her house too... the beautiful wooden carved ornamental kind.

She even has some that her talented son handmade for her. 

His latest project that he's currently on is making pens out of wood!

I'll have to write a post about his work sometime because they are beautiful pens.

But for now if you missed the snow pictures from my Instagram this week, (there's a link in my sidebar) I'll add this one.

Flo looking completely flummoxed by all that white stuff.

The other three girls are tucked in behind her.

They did eventually emerge once their breakfast caught their attention, but it took a lot longer than normal. Thankfully the snow has disappeared and the temperature has risen. 

It was nice to see, but I don't like it to hang around for too long.

It can come back for Christmas Day of course... but then that's it thank you very much!

If you'd like to link up with Photalife.com where you can find lots more great My Sunday photographs.

Have fun and don't get too stressed working up to the Christmas holidays.

Happy Sunday everyone and thanks for popping by my place.

My Sunday Photo...Hen Night

Our girls have everything they could possibly need...(and more) and they are certainly happy chooks, but I still wouldn't want to be one. 

This week we've had Mr Fox come snooping around the garden...in daylight!!! 

So hubby has had to add a few armaments to their accommodation.

The old ruined barn that houses their coup now has barbed wire above the high walls. 

It also has a cobbled floor so no fox could possibly dig under to get in.

The barn is not quite the 'Folly' as we used to call it... it's now more 'Fort Knox'!

(Annie does not look happy at someone switching the light on does she?)

The girls move out of the folly into the garden during the day. 

They have a large secure pen that we move around under the trees, so no worries there about Mr Fox paying a visit.

We also set up the night vision camera last night, to see if the fox returned under the cover of darkness...but all was clear. Phew!

I've just been out now to check that the girls are okay...and here's the photograph. 

They'd all put themselves to bed and I just couldn't resist snapping them all sitting on one perch. 

They actually have three to choose from, but obviously they like to snuggle up at night. 

How they sleep balanced up there is beyond me. 

I have trouble in a 6ft x 6.6ft bed! 

Thanks for stopping by my place.

I'm linking up with My Sunday Photo as usual. 

Thanks Darren for hosting once again.

Please feel free to pop across to see lots more photographs by clicking here

My Menagerie... PPF

No surprises today in guessing what I might have drawn for this weeks Paint Party Friday link up.

Of course it had to be chook related at some stage.

We have two breeds of chicken living here with us... Maran and Bluebell.

My painting is a little mix of both of them.

Definitely free range with my painting...haha! 

(Sorry I couldn't resist that)

This painting could be 'Flo' the soft sister of 'Big Bertha' (Maran) and 'Canny Annie' (Bluebell) 

(nee Anxious Annie... I've changed her name, because I think she's actually really switched on. 

She works the system and gets just what she wants/needs!)

The bowl of eggs show our morning collection of fresh eggs. 

All four girls are firing on all cylinders and we have four beautiful eggs daily.

Happy Chooks indeed.

I couldn't resist popping them into this bowl with the rooster on it.

It's a really old cereal bowl, that we got when my children were very small and we lived in Brunei.

As you can probably guess...it came with a famous cereal.

So this portrait is called AnnieFlo' 

Now who remembers 'Hetty'?

NO! Before you mention it...we haven't got a Highland Cow now!

I draw the line there...although with my hubby and his hobbies...ie hot tub he may well decide to try and persuade me to have one!

I met up with an old friend last week and she mentioned how much she liked my Highland Cow painting, so I thought I'd revisit it and have a go at painting another. 

I find it fascinating how my painting is progressing and it's not until I look back that I see and realise that I'm evolving as an artist. 

Do you find the same with your art?

Hopefully, I'm moving in the right direction! 

I have also had the pleasure of receiving photographs of my Giraffe painting in their new homes.

I have two in Australia, two in USA and a few in the UK.

That seriously makes me smile :D

So on that happy note I shall love and leave you this week.

Thanks Eva and Kristin for hosting PPF once more.

Have a brilliant weekend everyone 

Not cat amongst the pigeons...more dog amongst the chooks!

The arrival of chickens has certainly given Muffin a new mission.

We decided only to get four girls...2 Bluebells and 2 Marans, but they're numbers don't count in Muffin's mind...they are flighty, strange smelling and well worth thorough investigations)

Yesterday, as the girls were in their day care centre (the old ruined barn - or folly as we call it) 

Muffin went missing. 

After three of us running around like headless chickens (sorry I couldn't resist that) calling her name and doing all the usual familiar noises... but not a peep. 

Complete vanishing act! 

Hubby even went walking down the lane, just in case Muffin had decided to take a flight of fancy (sorry there's another pun) but no sign of her.

I thought she had been so transfixed with the girls that she probably wouldn't be far from them. 

So after searching around the folly I found nothing... so I went back to the coop. 

As I called her name, I suddenly saw that cute little white mischievous face peeking out of inside the coop!

As hubby was cleaning out the coop and generally going about his chores... he hadn't noticed Muffin sneak into the coop. 

You would think with three people shouting her name and generally causing a commotion,  that she might have given us some indication where she was...but not her. 

She was on a mission. 

Where had those girls disappeared to?

No Mr Foxy or any stray eggs left behind.

A complete mystery!

Muffin is extremely sick at the moment so these cute photos are precious to us. 

The arrival of the chickens has given her a distraction and she's showing her character...basically a mischievous minx.

She will be going into a specialist vet surgery for a major operations on Wednesday, so could I please ask that you keep us in your thoughts and send as much positive, healing energy our way.

She isn't in pain, just discomfort but basically wasting away if we don't have this surgery. 

Her mannerisms over these last few days have made it easy to decide that she's still full of life if this intestinal problem can be fixed. So we're willing to give it a go.

She'll be in hospital for a few days, so understandably I may be quite for this coming week or so.

Thank you for all the lovely messages and kind words.

We really appreciate them.

As usual for a Sunday I'm linking up to Photalife and Image-in-ing.blogspot.co.uk

Take care and I hope you have a wonderful Sunday