Despite all our running around at the weekend, and George’s near naked efforts in the steamy days we have been sweltering through, the chook run wasn’t ready by the time the girls came on Monday. We had to convert one of the old tin toilet blocks into the temporary hen house and although it isn’t the salubrious 5 star accommodation I had planned for them, they seemed more nervous and unsettled than any hens I had ever had before. They hid in the scrub on the first day while George and I stretched the wire around and then as the rain fell consistently all week, they seemed to feel safest in their budget backpacker accommodation. They seemed reluctant to explore or wander which I found very strange. On Sunday we worked out why! Ged tracked me down inside having a brief respite from the heat ‘do you want to see a python?’, so we grabbed the camera and he led the way into the chicken run where Fred was fully extended (1.5 metres) and on track for feathered friend for tea. Ged trapped him by the head so he could pick him up (CRIKEY!!) and we agreed to put him in the big shed to eat all the ratties and mice.
As soon as we moved the snake, the chooks relaxed. he had obviously been up in a tree watching their every move and that’s why they were so nervous and shy. They love to go under the house and so we hear them clucking under there during the day.
We had a busy weekend – Ged replaced the Flying Fox platform with left over tallowood so it feels rock solid and looks lovely and I was weeding, planting and digging again. I’ve also scrubbed down the outside boards of three sides of the house ready for painting. The weather has been either blazing sun or steamy, sultry and jungly and the rain is never far away. The river is up and down like a yo yo so we are still flying across most of the time and even I can pull myself all the way across both ways now.
Fred obviously didn’t like living in the garage. When we got up on Monday morning his tail was poking out of one of the powerpoint holes in the kitchen. His head soon followed. Ged tried to force him out by dragging but I screamed at him to stop because he was damaging the fragile scales on Fred’s back. So we left him to fend for himself, took Phee flying over the river with us and up to the office. When we got home I was gingerly opening doors and cupboards, on the lookout for Fred . . . when Ged came in from locking up the chooks I indicated a strange looking stain on the floor and he investigated . . . and found Fred snoozing happily in his sock basket! A bit too close to my bed for comfort so Ged grabbed him again and Fred wrapped his whole length around his wrist and hand and we raced to the car and then I floored it down to Angle Creek while Ged had his circulation crushed. Ged peeled him off and released him in the grass, but Fred had obviously taken a fancy to us and headed straight back to us so we leapt in the car before he slithered into its workings and came home again! What would I have done without Ged??? Ugh . . . it doesn’t bear thinking about . . . Fred in my bed with me and Phee . . . !!
Ged and Fred
saga pin up boy!