Monday 3 February 2014

Working Through the Weather


Somehow on Saturday in gale force winds and heavy, heavy rain we managed to get the floor and walls of the shed in place.  I say we, but it was obviously Lovely Hubby that did the majority of the lifting and shifting with me standing like a soggy wet wall support, holding valiantly on to the sections while the wind tried to whip them away from me as LH was busy screwing things together.
 
The top picture shows the fault with the shed, the floor was too big for the walls!  The walls should sit on the edge of the floor all the way round as you can see the side wall doing with a lip of wood hiding the floor, but we had to modify the front panel to sit on top instead or there would have been a large gap. This is just the last of a line of problems we have had with this shed.
 
 
On Sunday in drier and much milder weather and with the sun shining on lots of occasions, we managed to get the roof in place, amazing what you can do with a man's muscles and a girl with a big broom to hoick things up!!  It all looks quiet at the shed ....

 
... but a whistle and 'Hey in there' brings the worker with the power tool out for a photo :-)

 
Later I got him again as he stood pondering the little paved area he's putting in at the front, I joked I wanted a front porch so I could sit like Granny Clampett on my rocking chair, it's not quite that big, but I could perch on the edge of the step with a cup of coffee, and while away time watching the chickens.


Talking of chickens we had to do the hardest task of all last night, well LH did the deed while I gritted my teeth and skulked indoors. 
 
The three Silkie chicks have all grown up and turned into the biggest bullies, they were completely upsetting the flock and doing serious damage to their Mum of all birds!!  So we took the sad decision that it couldn't go on.  So after a day of them playing in the sunshine (when they weren't plucking other birds that is) LH calmly went out to the henhouse at closing up time and managed to remove Grey Boy and then five minutes later Tabby and despatch them swiftly and surely.  Snowy lives to squawk and peck another day as it would have been too traumatic for the birds to have LH go into the house again to get him (he was sat out of reach).   Already this morning things are a little more sedate in Chicken World but Snowy is sealing his own fate if he continues to be a bully. 
 
This has taught us a valuable lesson, we had no need to buy Ebony and her four cute little chicks, we had gone to the sale for some Hylines, but it was an 'aww...look at those moment' (yet again) and unfortunately for us ALL her chicks turned out to be boys.  The good thing though is that Ebony is a lovely little bird, a well loved and important member of the flock and her fourth 'son' Flash is a little star, a young pretender and aid to Caldwell the master of the flock, so I guess it's not all bad.
 
And now I almost have my Chicken Shed ...  I'm leaving totally empty for a few days to dry out after lying in the rain for the last couple of weeks and then I can start filling it up and hanging those nets :-)
 
Sue xx

13 comments:

  1. good for you on the shed , it looks wonderful.
    hard dealing with that other though, hugs!

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  2. It feels so good to be getting things despite the weather doesn't it :)
    We have a silkie hen and several rescue hens. The rescue ones seem to have gotten fed up with the Silkie cockerel defending the silkie hen constantly and murdered him. Sad to find him all beaten up. Normally when we have to dispatch a hen for whatever reason hubby would then give them to the birds of prey we have but Romeo was more of a pet and we just couldn't bring ourselves to let them eat him. A funeral was more fitting!

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  3. Saturday was awful, luckily we had a dry hour in the garden before the wind & rain set in. Can't wait to see your book post.

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  4. You're hubby and you are very motivated to work outside in the horrible weather we've had. I just about perked out the back door as I let the dogs out and hastily shut it again!

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  5. A difficult weekend for you both, well done for working outside in that weather, but I guess at present you have no choice. I bet LH cannot wait to be with you full-time. The shed issue must be a real nightmare, there is no way you can stretch or shrink the wood to fit - I definitely would have given up and gone inside for a sulk!! Every time I see the photos of your house I think how difficult it must be with the sloping grounds. Really hoping for a drier February. X

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    Replies
    1. What a lovely blog. I shall sit down with a cup of tea and read through your previous posts.

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  7. I love both of your blogs and look forward to them everyday.
    Well done to both of you on all of your hard work this weekend.
    Pam in TX.xx

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  8. The reality of keeping any sort of stock is the duty to cull them as necessary I suppose, none of us like killing things but sadly it's sometimes inevitable. At least hubby is prepared to do it and despatch them quickly.

    A couple of nice Sunday dinners?

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  9. Grannie Clampett ... now there's a warm memory! x

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  10. Lots of progress, you have been busy. It's all looking lovely. I'm glad things are going so well for you.

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  11. Well done on the shed, I cleaned out the chicken run and houses in simliar weather on sat! Horrible :(

    The two chicks lovely Ginger reared so bravely ar both Cockerels :( So far they are well behaved but the crowing from Blondin is really OTT - so even though he is a handsome fellow and attentive he may well be rehomed, one way or another!

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  12. Your sheds are looking great !

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