19 May 2012

Autumn rustic & feathery goodness

Greetings all,
What a busy wrap up to the week . . . with handsome soldier coming home (flight delayed) so when i saw the lights of his plane coming in, i sat back in the arrivals lounge, closed my eyes, let my head flop back & thought "i've done it, another deployment is over."  I thanked the children, then let them run down the gangway (the QANTAS gate attendant smiled awkwardly at the massive security breech) & i said "he has come from Afghanistan" & she said "oh you're going to me cry" as my husband appeared with 4 children clinging to him.  It solved the questions she must have had with our 8 year old son asking his sisters "is that Dad, is that Daddy??" as he craned his neck to see each man walk off the plane in the dark, like i was meeting a mail-order-father-for-hire!!  
Thank you all for your excitement about my soldier coming home & the i-love-you grocery shop, you are all so sweet.  He appreciated the goodies & will enjoy them for ages + you know he reads every single comment while he's away, this blog & your comments are a happy distraction for both of us.  
Earlier in the week, i had taken receipt of 6 hens (from my now-farmless-friend in the school car park, as you do in our 'bush capital city') & the words 'no more chickens' in my husband's voice ran through my head.  I'm not keeping all of these, some are just being babysat . . . meet the flock.  
 I took time out to photograph & soak up the beauty of the new hens. 
 These chickens all came from the same farm, yet the Hamburgs arrived first & certainly have more confidence - with me, the camera & their new surroundings.  They're sharing the coop, nesting box & living area at night very happily, the Hamburgs tend to stay outside on the perches, like watchful security!!
 This combination Silky is so pretty when the light catches her patterned feathers.
 I encourage anyone with a side passage to consider fencing off one end & creating a chicken run.  Ours is enormous, finally put to wonderful use.  Yes we rent people, anything is possible, even in Army housing!!
 One afternoon we stopped & filled 4 garbage bags with leaves to spread in the chicken run.  In just a couple of days, they were mulching them naturally.  This will be one beautifully fertile strip come Summer, compared to the hard compacted dirt it once was.  We'll do that again, collecting leaves is so much fun & free mulch, yay!!
  Look at the plumage, just stunning in the glorious Autumn sunshine.  I'll get all the breed details from my friend shortly, i find it all so fascinating - learning about their origins, behaviour & broodiness.   
My very patient husband met them all this morning while nursing a heart melting 6 day old chick & said "didn't i say 'no more chickens'??" but smiled, he knows these chickens are making us all very happy, our farm dream is a tiny step closer, a young boy running free & catching his favourite-chicken-of-the-day with our girls stroking the hens gently.  Sure, he's delirious & exhausted from war, just happy to be home . . . talk of which-one-to-eat-first will happen soon enough (these hens are for egg laying thank you.)  I love everything about keeping chickens, from watching them eat our salad scraps & munch away all the weeds, raking up the poo & spreading it over other parts of the garden.  Dare i say i take such good care of the coop, it doesn't even smell bad, just country fresh!!  
Totally loving Autumn, the colours, crunchy leaves, chickens gabbling, frosty mornings, wearing scarves & pristine sunshiny days ending with soul warming dinners, it's a beautiful time of year.  My husband brought home an amazing large Persian rug, in stunning golds, creams & browns - i just mentioned to him how fantastic the chickens would look on it, that was not met with laughter.  Tee hee.  Enjoy & have beautiful weekends folks, love Posie

27 comments:

Leonie said...

Oh I am so excited to hear your husband is home! I can't imagine the excitement for all of you!
Enjoy!

And love your chickens. I really want chickens too.. they are totally cool pets!

seabreezequilts said...

OH they are very pretty chickens. I had better not show my daughter she would love some chickens. Coco the dog has pet pigeons that she allows to roam around the back yard so I am sure she would be fine with chooks but as we already have a rat problem I don't think the chooks are on the cards just yet.

SportyMummy said...

I can just imagine the scene at the airport...just fantastic!! I bet you'll enjoy everyone being back under the same roof again :)

Lisa - Sweet Little Pretties said...

So happy he is finally home and glad he loves the new additions xx

Jan Maree said...

So So SOOO pleased that he is home safe and sound! So delighted to talk to him too - you lucky girl Posie! He is a keeper but I am in agreement about the chicken and the carpet! Sounds like a gorgeous combination. Give him a hug from me and hide his passport!

One pair of Hands said...

Like the Qantas attendant you've made me cry too. Your post is very moving.
We save all our kitchen refuse for our daughter's chooks. I love that satisfied little sound they make as they rummage through it. Peaceful little creatures.

Mum on the Run said...

Um, you sound positively giddy young lady - and with great reason!!!
Delighted for you two and your beautiful four (+ chickens!!).
xxx

Anonymous said...

How wonderful to read about your husband being home safe and sound, we are now wishing a safe return for our son in law and the children had enough and my daughter too with worry for him..... Not long now

Enjoy every minute

Lois said...

I'm so glad you're family is now all together. My daughter's partner is just about to go back to Afghanistan for his 2nd tour.

I loved the 'security breach' your kids created. Such a lovely scene to imagine!!

Nancy said...

Jenn,
Enjoy being together - I loved the shopping expedition. Such a loving thing to do. Your children remind me of mine - when Ian would be away they always looked hopefully at guys in "green relish suits" trying to figure out if one of them was daddy. Glad the Quantas lady understood. Enjoy being together - and the hens. My grandmother used to make "hen manure tea" - water and manure and spread it on her vegies - it was great fertilizer.

Sam said...

Hi there, those chooks are very impressive indeed, we've been thinking about getting some for a while now, such interesting characters, and free range eggs, what a bonus! Enjoy your precious family time together :)

Unknown said...

Wonderful wonderful wonderful!!!! Don't really like chickens but love that your man is home. Welcome back soldier!

TexWisGirl said...

you are spilling over with happiness. and that makes me glad. :)

Bron said...

So excited to here of your reunion....enjoy every moment of it planning, sharing , cuddling and just knowing you are blessed to have him home. xx

Michelle {Jarrah Jungle} said...

I can picture that airport scene in my head how beautiful and special for the kids, the flight attendant is lucky to let them through, imagine the tears and tantrums if she didn't! Have a wonderful time with your family all together x

Hot Fudge said...

I'm with the Qantas gate attendant - you're going to make me cry too. Welcome home to the handsome soldier.

Anonymous said...

The long wait is finally over! Yay for your handsome soldier being home. I hope you gave him a long list of chores to do now that he is home so he feels loved and needed.

Nat - Muddy Farmwife said...

Oh wow, this post just warmed my heart and bought a tear to my eye. So glad he's home safe and sound.
Love the chicken run idea, our chooks haven't been let out of the chook yard for a few days and are starting to peck my feet demanding a day out running around the house paddock. How will you pick which lovely ones to keep?

The Provincial Homemaker said...

glad your husband is safely home. you can't rest easy until they are actually off the plane, can you?

enjoy your carpet, that is my husband's biggest gripe about his unit not deploying next year as was originally planned;0 - no more persian rugs;)

They chicken run idea is fantastic too. much better than the weed patches we generally foster.

CHD said...

I'm so excited for you to have your husband home and that you are all safely together as your family of 6. Delighted for you. Cx

Tania McCartney said...

Welcome home, Handsome Soldier!!

♥●• Ä°zdihër •●♥ said...

Glad for you :).

fee @ chipper nelly said...

SOoooo glad your boy is home safe and sound. Liking how you snook in the chickens beforehand!
we LOVE our ladies - a mixture of scraggy rescue girls and the posh Orpington ladies. Their lacy feathers are really beautiful in the sunshine.
Enjoy your magical days together as a family...I can feel the excitement fizzing out your post...fee x

Marian Hazel said...

Oh how sweet the reunion sounds. You must be happy! Can't wait to see the new rug.

Tiff said...

I am so glad I visited today! Such a happy vibe over here!!! I am just delighted your family is whole and together in the same place! No need to say 'enjoy your week' .... That is a given! X

Polly said...

Im so glad your soldier is home safely. Enjoy your time together.

ally said...

Just. So. Happy. for you all
xx