The General Chat Thread (2016-2022)

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number 5 has hatched successfully and will be with its kin last thing tonight or first thing tomorrow - depending on how distress it is at remaining in the incubator.

I am not meant to have removed the others from the incubator until all have hatched (drop in humidity levels can cause problems apparently) but the others were distressed at times at being in the incubator (standing putting their beaks through the top of the grill that seperates them from the heater) and gulping air which I thought odd, so I have moved them to the brooder once they were dry.
 
creative said:
I have a peony bush that has never flowered. I feel it is poignant that this month, this year it did so (following the demise of my mother last November - it brings me comfort).

Today I am grateful to be blessed with the blossoming of a deep red peony bush - for the first time.
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My mothers peony bush has travelled with us all over the north east [UK] and is now over 50 years old. The flowers are beautiful but sadly they don't last long
 
sidevalve said:
My mothers peony bush has travelled with us all over the north east [UK] and is now over 50 years old. The flowers are beautiful but sadly they don't last long
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Yes they bloom for a short while but nonetheless very pleasureable. They are one of my favourite flowers - especially the deep red ones that I have in my garden...planted by my mother.
 
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
number 5 has hatched successfully and will be with its kin last thing tonight or first thing tomorrow - depending on how distress it is at remaining in the incubator.

I am not meant to have removed the others from the incubator until all have hatched (drop in humidity levels can cause problems apparently) but the others were distressed at times at being in the incubator (standing putting their beaks through the top of the grill that seperates them from the heater) and gulping air which I thought odd, so I have moved them to the brooder once they were dry.
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"Number Five is alive!"

That'll have to be Johnny Five.
 
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
Sadly no. Is difficult to even contain the chooks. All I can do is ensure the opposite. That they can scatter in 3 dimensions making it harder for him to catch any. I suspect the cockerel who was caught was out alone and off guard.


Sadly I think it is.
I have no idea how good they taste because the cockerel he took had been to go back that they with my friend. It was one of hers originally and having been positively identified as a male had a limited life. I would just preferred a different death for him. Sadly foxes like rabbits are not native to this land and have no home here. Mind you rabbits are not native to the British isles either but it was the Romans (as I understand) that introduced them to the UK and they are now accepted as part of the landscape. Here they are trying an eradication again which started a few weeks before we started having fox issues...
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Talking of rabbits, my daughter has just moved into a house down the road from us and the lawn has little scooped out spots that look like the work of rabbits.
 
creative said:
I have a peony bush that has never flowered. I feel it is poignant that this month, this year it did so (following the demise of my mother last November - it brings me comfort).

Today I am grateful to be blessed with the blossoming of a deep red peony bush - for the first time.
15910.gif
Click to expand...

I've also one that has never flowered. I believe it's an indication that it's planted to deep, so it's been 'raised' a couple of times. It might be for the chop this year.
 
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
On a brighter note, these little critters arrived a day a head of schedule. Typically in winter or colder months, they should be late, not early, so we were a little surprised to wake up to them this morning.

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There are more eggs moving and chirping as well!
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Lovely little babies! It's a long time since I've seen live chicks. We used to keep various birds of prey and owls, so all our chicks arrived ready-frozen.....
 
No 7 arrived whilst I was out sitting with the chooks on fox watch. A rather cold occupation at the moment. No 8 had pipped and Pipper is currently wrapped up inside my blanket on my knee. She's the injured survivor from the first attack. She's lacking quite a few feathers still but I thought had enough to be put with us this morning. Noises unheard of from her before soon confirmed this wasn't the case and because I still need to be outside, she was scooped up and put inside the blanket around my legs. noises stopped and she's currently asleep!
 
Yesterday we visited a carob processor on the way to a herb convention in th Troodos mountains. The convention was about the health and wellbeing benefits of Cypriot herbs. Forefront was a trade show where mainly artisan producers were selling their wares, from growing plants to oils, essences, balms etc. Within minutes we were proud owners of a whole new medicine chest of life changing elixirs and potions, and my wallet was €50 lighter. A kindly old fellow (who looked to be around 105 years old) deftly extracted €12 for a small bottle of oregano oil that would certainly cure the pain in my knee within 6, or worst case 8 minutes. Mrs. E. was relieved of a similar sum by a sweet, angelic girl in exchange for a small pot of balm made from the petals of wild roses, which she was assured is guaranteed to cure everything from a bee sting to haemorrhoids. Not that she is currently afflicted by either. After a couple of other similar purchases we fled, skipping the lectures in fear for our rapidly depleting holiday spending money.

Today we head for Paphos, European City of culture for 2017, to visit a wine festival. The Cypriot wine industry has had its ups and downs over the years, but they've been at it since 3000BC so hopefully it will come right soon. Over recent years they've focused on promoting small independent producers who operate their own wineries as opposed to shipping the grapes for miles to big industrial plants. They have also started growing some mainstream grape varieties to blend with the local varietals, with some good results that I have been trying hard to like. I mean trying really hard. Some would say too hard.
 
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
No 7 arrived whilst I was out sitting with the chooks on fox watch. A rather cold occupation at the moment. No 8 had pipped and Pipper is currently wrapped up inside my blanket on my knee. She's the injured survivor from the first attack. She's lacking quite a few feathers still but I thought had enough to be put with us this morning. Noises unheard of from her before soon confirmed this wasn't the case and because I still need to be outside, she was scooped up and put inside the blanket around my legs. noises stopped and she's currently asleep!
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If you get that many beware seven of nine [you have to be a star trek fan]
 
mybike said:
I've also one that has never flowered. I believe it's an indication that it's planted to deep, so it's been 'raised' a couple of times. It might be for the chop this year.
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Peonies need a fair bit of sun, i.e. be in a sunny spot. They also require feeding with potash - do you do this?

If moved, they take years to recover from the shock.
 
My grandmother passed away in 1998, she left us 3 kids some money. I bought a beautiful pink azalea and planted it as per the instructions on the label, it did nothing so I asked my dad who used to be a gardener and has always had stunning gardens wherever he and mum lived, he asked where we had planted it then told me it was in the wrong place, plant it in the exact opposite place, we did and since then it has had a mass of beautiful flowers every year and it is still growing :D

We have since planted an orange one so fingers crossed it will be just as successful.
 
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