Beaks Breakouts & Broody Behaviour!

Lulu & Priscilla

I was going to start by saying that things are getting back to normal in the garden following our super successful Open Gardens Weekend.  However, things have been anything but normal for these two!  First off all, Priscilla became extremely broody and spending all her time in the nest box refusing to eat properly. Her days were spent continuously 'growling' at everything with feathers all fluffed up.  A possible diagnosis of being egg bound had been mooted but we won't make mention of that.  Suffice to say; a very careful medical examination revealed no presence of eggs - bound or otherwise!  After a couple of days in Ollie's dog crate (with no nesting facilities), she's now back to her usual happy self.  

Lulu had other ideas about her absent friend and decided that things weren't right.  A search party was needed and an escape plan was hatched (ahem!) .  First of all she flew between the upper bars on the gate.  After this escape route was obstructed with a panel of weld mesh and with much determination, she then flew right over the top and was found happily scratching around in the raspberry patch completely oblivious to all dangers that lurk nearby.  That left only one course of action.  Out came the kitchen scissors. We reluctantly but very carefully clipped her flight feathers.  The risk of her flying out and straight into the jaws of Monsieur Le Reynard is far too great - especially as he was seen again yesterday afternoon in the orchard - in broad daylight!

So far - so good.  No further escapes.  Of course, now she is reunited with her friend and access to the Hennery is restored, it could be that she no longer has reason to escape.  We'll probably never know why she did it having shown no previous inclinations whatsoever (sigh!)

Wichenford Open Gardens 2011

Visitors come to Pear Tree Cottage 

(Photos by Dave Evans!)

PTC's TAKINGS

Gate:        £108.50

Teas:        £279.60

TOTAL     £388.10




OVERALL TOTAL: £9,700.00 
Congratulations to our amazing organiser:  
Alan Green


A "BIG" thank you to all those helpers at PTC
Colin, Val, Paul, Dave, Di, Eve & Iris who served teas and washed up for 2 whole days
and all those who so kindly found time in their very busy lives to make amazingly delicious cakes and goodies for us to sell!
Frankie deserves a separate thank you for providing a really expert waiter in the form of Davy!  We all wished he could have stayed much longer! We missed Lindy & hope she's better SOON!

More photos can be found at:

 https://picasaweb.google.com/peartree.pam/WOGWeekendJune2011

Setting Up in Strong Winds!

Colin, Val, Dave & Al erect the gazebo.

Cash box & visitors' book

Ian delivers Chris's furniture on his roof!

Luckily, the wind dropped!

Worcester News Excerpt

A WAITER from Hong Kong will be helping serve the masses at a charity open garden event in rural Worcestershire.

Davy Ling – usually the manager at the new Four Seasons restaurant at Powick, near Worcester – is stepping in to help serve up teas and coffees at one of the many venues opening for the Wichenford open gardens event today and tomorrow.

Mr Ling, who moved here from Hong Kong five years ago, was put forward for the job by his boss Frankie Tsang, who owns the restaurant.

Pam Thompson, who owns Pear Tree Cottage, has known Mr Tsang for many years and suggested she might need help with the customers after a busy year in 2010.

“Frankie is generously supplying us with a waiter – a far cry from his work in Hong Kong,” she said. Mr Tsang said he was happy to help: “I always like to support a good cause, and Pam said she might need some help so I stepped in.”

• 
• By Richard Vernalls »@rvernallsWN #worcsnewsBuy this photo »

Open Gardens looms closer!

I

Chris has brought a few classical and elegant additions for the event.  Elsie has come to stay and she now looks down into the culvert. A further horological surprise awaits in the sofa border!

The weekend was spent tidying edges and hedges as well as dressing Phillipa's old table and chairs - tho' I down we'll be serving teas there!  Fantastic Mr. Fox looks well in the woodland border.








I'm trying not to panic as I can't find all the spare cups and saucers since the kitchen re-fit and I think Al must have taken them to the charity shop.  Whoops!

Must get back to those borders - still 2 to go and some furniture to move!

Zach's Book makes it over the pond to California

Zach seems to like his story about the chickens who live at Pear Tree Cottage!

I know this is really a garden blog but, after all, this book is a true story of our garden's inhabitants!

Other news .......we didn't win the shed of the year competition but we enjoyed the participation. Many thanks to all who voted for Pear Tree Cottage's garden studio!

We also decided on Chop not Flop! In the nick (ahem) of time it took 2 afternoons to give the perennials their Chelsea Chop. As usual, I hadn't got around to doing all the necessary supporting and, to be fair, the late delivery of pea sticks was a major contributory factor.  Let's hope they lose their somewhat shaven appearance in time for the Open Gardens!

Comments from Coopville:

We're all so settled that we've laid 5 eggs on 2 consecutive days! Of course 2 of the five eggs are quite a bit smaller and, as if to prove a point; Lulu left a small brown feather of identification on hers! I think the new egg sales point on the gate post is going to prove useful.  Let's hope there are enough customers.

All Quiet on the Western Front

Five settle down to a life together 

After all the running battles and skirmishes, it's a relief to find little Lulu sharing a perch with two of her attackers! The lives of Lulu & Priscilla were made an absolute misery - so much so, they had to be separated until things settled down.  Yesterday, we had the first egg from one of the new girls - Priscilla, we think.  What's more - there was another one today.  Looks like 'Zach's Story' really will come true after all.  You can also read his book on-line at http://www.photobox.co.uk/my/creation?creation_id=15652740  (It's worth reading full screen)

Napping

Amelia, Bluebelle, Lulu & Priscilla. 

Lulu

I don't think we're far away from the ending in Zach's book!!

In case you're wondering, Black Betty skulked around behind the Bamboos when these shots were taken.  My mission is to get a decent shot of all five but, it's a tall order.