The Famous Five

What were they most famous for?  Lashings of ginger beer of course!  Which is what I enjoyed last night along with some superb ribs and sweetcorn, courtesy of Steve and Victoria.  Fabulous food; fabulous friends.

I have posted this picture of Steve just to annoy him.  It's not his favourite ... Fried says that she thinks he looks very suave and that there's nothing wrong with it ...

Holes

We have become known in our holiday location as the 'hole makers'.  Sarah told Mum (and Dad via Facebook) that we were very good at creating holes.  It only took us about two hours to create a new one when she moved our run.  She told Mum that other chickens didn't make holes as big as ours and thought that we were funny!

As soon as we got home, that was the first thing we did.  We made some nice holes in our dustbath and then made some more in our run.  One of them was so deep that Mum couldn't see Egg when she stood in it!

We thought you might like to see a picture of where we have been staying, courtesy of the website.  We had a nice Cube at the back under the trees.

When Fried and Baked stayed at Christmas they had one of the Eglus at the front.  Except it was covered in snow at the time.

Fried, Egg and Spoon xxx

Toothless

I feel that I should take this opportunity to give credit to the most adorable little dragon, who inspired the name for this blog.

Well, obviously the blog is not called 'Toothless'.

It's from the title of the film just in case you are getting confused ...

How can you not love him?

Did you miss us?

You may have realised that we have not posted anything for a while.  That is because we have been on holiday.  Proof of this is the state of the garden, which is incredibly clean and must therefore have no chickens in it.

The place at which we holiday has a website:

http://www.newlandgrange.com/index.htm

We would recommend you checking it out; Sarah is lovely and checked us over when we first arrived by holding us upside down to check our bottoms.  Luckily they were all fine, and so were we.

More on our holiday in another post.  We wanted to show you the garden in this one.

Fried, Egg and Spoon xxx

Coffee and Pain au Chocolat

What a fabulous start to the holiday!  My best friend plus

makes for a good day.

Congratulations

1. To Mum, because she has finished work for the year and now has school holidays :)
2. To Fried, because she laid her first egg in ages today.
3. To Egg, because she thinks that she is a mummy (again) and is spending time screeching and plumping herself up to twice her size and doesn't want to get out of the nest box (Mum has sorted that out for the night, and will let them back in to lay eggs tomorrow).
4. To Spoon, because she is a goose.

There are happy sounds coming from the human house

At first we thought that the water cylinder was fixed, but since Mum still smells we know that can't be true.

However, she tells us that it is her last day at work tomorrow for six weeks and that is why she is happy.  She loves her job but also likes her holidays!

That makes us happy too because it means that she will be there to spend more time with us!

Fried, Egg and Spoon xxx

Why we like being chickens 2

Because we have a great Mum and Dad.

Fried, Egg and Spoon xxx

Why we like being chickens

There are lots of reasons.  To start with, we get up bright and early and then go to bed when it gets dark so we get the most that we can out of the day.  We free range all day, get normal food and treats and can root around for grubs as well.  Most importantly, there is nothing in our house that can go wrong.  Like a water cylinder for example.  The news from the human house of doom is that while someone can come and fix it soon, the people who make the water cylinder can't deliver it for another two weeks and that means that Mum is going to smell for a while longer.  Luckily she has showers at work and nice friends so it's not as bad as it seems.  But it does make us realise that it is nice being a chicken.

Fried, Egg and Spoon xxx

The Dining Room

Mum would like to announce that the dining room was almost back to normal this week.  For a number of weeks it had been full of a variety of exam packets as she was checking them all.  Just at the point that it was returning to its normal state, she had to put the contents of the cupboard under the stairs in there, so it is now a bit messy again.  She can't put them back until the water cylinder is repaired which is supposed to be next week.  Then it will be tidy again.

We plan on sneaking in and making it messy when she is not looking.

Fried, Egg and Spoon xxx

The chickens' comments on The Apprentice final

We're on tenterhooks here thinking about which person is going to go through.

It makes sense that Jim and Susan went.  Jim's idea was interesting, but he failed to consider the idea that schools have limited budgets these days and while would support the idea in principle would not be able to afford it.  Susan's idea was also good; she has succeeded already and I think that she will succeed on her own.

Helen or Tom?  Helen has been a bit sneaky with her alternative plan, Tom looked really worried when she started talking about it.  But Tom is so sweet and he needs the guidance; he's got the ideas.

My decision is that ... come on with it!

Yeay!  Tom wins it, we liked Tom from the start, especially his yellow socks.  We know that Helen will be successful, she's very organised.

Now that's made our day.  Well, Mum's at least.  Tom winning AND Michael McIntyre on the after programme.  Fabulous!

Fried's comments on The Apprentice - How to get hired

1. Sell yourself - tbh I think I would struggle on the escalator.  I think that my feet might get stuck in the grooves and that's even before I have to handle a wheelie suitcase.  Now if I came up the escalator on the suitcase that would work and I am sure that no-one has done that before.
2. Get on with your colleagues - where is the fun in that?  You must fight a little, especially over the little treats that you might be given like grapes and real worms.
3. Leadership - be careful what you wish for - well, there is no point in even discussing that one.  I am the head chicken so I am always the leader and whatever I wish for I always get.
4. Know your market - our market is Mum and Dad, who like our eggs.  We know them very well :)
5. Never let on you're an amateur - well, Leon and the chicken comment showed how that one works ... we still haven't quite forgiven him.
6. Carefully decide who you want to do your pitch - obviously me, although Spoon is known to be louder and Egg is cuter.
7. Shopping is easy when you know how - not something that worries us particularly.  Mum and Dad do our shopping.
8. Right - Sell Something - I would be very good at selling.  I am sure if I gave someone a beady enough stare I would scare them into buying something.  If not, I would just peck them.
9. Wait - OK I know for a fact that I would find this very difficult.  If I had to wait too long for treats then I might go loopy.
10. I must have missed one along the way.  It would have been helpful if he would have numbered them!

Egg's comment on the one that was fired

Before I comment on Natasha, shouldn't those that were put through to the final have said 'thank you'?  At least Natasha was polite about her dismissal - a new comment this time - 'much appreciated'.

Why did they not realise that the reason that Natasha and Susan were together was because Natasha said she didn't cook so Jim had to take that task on and that meant that they were left together?  Well, I suppose that he could have let Susan do it, but he was the PM and thought that he was doing the right thing.

It was the right choice.  Sorry Natasha.  But you'll be alright, 'yeh'?

Egg's comment on The Apprentice

Sorry this is a bit late but we are only just sitting down to watch it today.  It's nice to come inside because it has been raining a bit today.

Well right at the start they are back on clothes again.  "Do I need to wear anything in particular?"  For us of course, we don't need to worry about things like that, but I would suggest to Jim that at least a pair of pants would be appropriate, whatever the task.

I like this task.  I am disappointed that they have not thought about mealworm pies.  Or perhaps grape pies. Or maybe cabbids pie.  In the Mexican Restaurant why don't they cook some sweetcorn and wrap it in a burrito?

Mexican or British ... difficult choice.  Should be loyal of course, but like the idea of Mexican and it seems to be quite popular.  Maybe too popular judging by the rather long queue.  And this was only the test run - they really need to get it sorted by the time they serve tomorrow.

Interesting pitches.  I think that MyPy was stronger ... Natasha didn't really answer the question that they asked her properly, just took it in the direction that she wanted it to go - she'd make a good politician!

Yes, the pies win.  A good choice of finalists but I am guessing that he is going to drop one from the losing team to make up the other two finalists.  I'm going to throw my cards on the table now and say that Jim is definitely not going to go.  Out of the remaining two, it's a tough call (yet again).  Both of them have seemed very negative in the past and sometimes sulky.  If it's based on this task alone then I think that Susan will go through and it is time to say goodbye to Natasha.

I really should become Lord Sugar's advisor.  I think that I would find sitting on a chair next to him most comfortable.

Tomatoes

This morning, Mum gave us tomatoes as a treat.  We very much liked them and would like more another time.  We don't think that these will be coming from the tomato plant that Mum is trying to grow, because from what we can make out, it is on death's door at the moment.  If Mum is to make it better she will have to have the healing powers of Alan Titchmarsh.

Fried, Egg and Spoon xxx

The Apprentice

You may have noticed that there was no post regarding The Apprentice last night.  This is because when we came to the kitchen door to come in as usual, there was a note on the door from Mum saying that she had gone to a cooking party.  After we had picked ourselves up off the floor from laughing so much we had a think about this.  Obviously we were laughing because we didn't realise that Mum cooked.  We know that she can do stuff with the eggs that we lay, but we thought that Dad did most of the cooking (including monkfish) (but then that's another story).  Then we wondered about the whole party thing.  For a start it was a school night and we didn't think that you were allowed to go out on a school night, especially to a party.  However, Mum has since explained to us that it was more of a gathering rather than a full blown party.

We would like to advise you that there will also be no posting tonight about The Apprentice.  We thought that we might be able to watch it this evening on Sky Plus but Mum informs us that she will be out again since some people from work are retiring and they are having a ... party ... to say goodbye.  She says that this is in the gathering sense again.  Apparently between them they have worked at the school for over a century.  Which is a long time.

Therefore you will have to wait until Friday for any comments regarding The Apprentice.  Sorry about that.

Fried, Egg and Spoon xxx

Should I change jobs?

I have been thinking about becoming an opera singer.  This is something new for me, but I think I would be quite good at it.  The last two mornings in particular have produced some stunning arias, and I have been able to hit the high notes quite well.

I am not sure how well I can reproduce these performances out of the cold shower though.

Perhaps I should stick to my current job after all.

This morning

It was very refreshing though!

This morning

0615

Shower on

Me in

My face

Cold Showers

... is what I will be mainly having for a while.  The water tank is dead.  So no hot water until it is replaced ... at quite a cost, I have to say.  I might go and stay in the chicken house instead!

Little Miss Loud

French: faire du tintamarre = to make a racket

English: Spoon

My Favourite Places 5

With my girls and my man, of course!

To goose or not to goose 2

Yes I have been nice to Mum by not making so much noise in the morning.  However, I have been making up for it by making LOTS of noise during the day.  After all, if I am a goose I need to live up to my reputation at some point and today it was at regular intervals throughout the day.  I even did a goose jump onto the windowsill so that I could make a goose noise through the kitchen window while Mum was marking some exam papers.

Spoon x

Rain

Earlier on it seemed to be raining inside.  There was a relaxing dripping noise whenever I walked past the water tank.

On closer inspection, I found that the tank was in fact leaking and making a nice mess on the floor.

Three towels and a phone call to British Gas later, I have turned the water and the boiler off and the nice boiler repair person will be coming to fix it tomorrow.

Please excuse me rushing off, but I need to check the towel situation again ...

The things I do for love

It's been raining today.  No, I mean really raining.  At one point it was like a monsoon and reminded me of the rains of 2007 when I was stuck in school because of the floods (but that's another story).  With rain comes slugs, which have been discussed in a previous post.  As you know, I really don't like slugs.  But I know that the girls do.  Hence, when I went into the shed to refill the mash container, and saw that there were some slugs eating some of the mash that had dropped on the ground I thought that they might like them.  So I picked them up and put them through the bars of the pen so that they could have an evening supper.

Next time I do that, someone needs to tell me to wear rubber gloves.  The slugs stuck to my fingers and left slime all over them which continued to stick like glue even after washing my hands three times.  If I was of a squeamish disposition it is more than likely that I would have barfed.  It was one of the most disgusting experiences that I have encountered and I have had a few ...

Alternatively, I'll just get Dad to do it ... :)

Why humans don't understand chickens

What you take as us being ungrateful is not the case at all.  We absolutely adore the playhouse and the canopy and the effort that Mum and Dad have put into getting them and making them.  We don't use them much because we are keeping them for best.  Isn't that what you are supposed to do with nice things?

Fried, Egg and Spoon xxx

Why it might seem that chickens are ungrateful

Because:

1. They have a playhouse to shelter in from the rain which I bought specially for them, drove quite a long way to get, put it into the car and put it up in the rain, which their Dad moved to a new spot, which they have not used ... at all ... except for the photo which I set up by throwing worms into the playhouse.
2. They have a very nice canopy that Dad constructed for them with the old summer shade that had been on the Cube run, but was replaced with a new winter shade, so he put hooks in the wall and everything so that they had a canopy to shelter under, which they have not used ... at all.
3. They have a 2m run on their Cube, with winter shades on both parts, and the bit under the Cube, under which to shelter, which they only use if they are actually shut into the run, otherwise they do not use it ... at all.

Instead, they continue to shelter under the bbq.

That said, they are related to dinosaurs and I don't suppose that dinosaurs had things like playhouses and canopies so they might not understand these concepts.  But then I'm pretty sure that they also did not have bbqs either ....

You can't help but love chickens!

To goose or not to goose?

Today I decided that I would not be a goose at 0500 like I normally am.  This is for two reasons:

1. I am getting used to running out in the pen at that time in the morning now.  It's nice because we all get to have a natter over early morning mash.
2. It was raining this morning.  Lots.  And it was easier for me to sit under the Cube with the others than to go out and make lots of noise.

Perhaps I will be a goose later.

Spoon x

Where I sometimes like to sit 2

It is not only Egg that likes to sit on the windowsill.  I thought that I would also pay it a little visit today since I know that Baked is there and I wanted to say hello.  I like the box; it's got nice carvings on it and Mum is going to get a little plaque to put on it with Baked's name on it.

I think that she likes it there; there is another chicken right next to her and she can look over the garden.  If you look closely you can see the door to the playhouse behind me.  We all think it looks nice on the corner of the decking.

Spoon x

Spoon's comment on the one that was fired

Well she was brought up properly.  Not only did she thank Lord Sugar, but also Karren and Nick.

I like the fact that Ruby Wax is on the panel.  She'll give Melody a hard time, but in a nice way of course.  And she just has .... I think she might well have voiced the feelings of the nation.

Why is Melody worried about badgers?  Does she have them as pets?  They are quite dangerous!

Ohhhhhh, badges ... sorry!

Spoon's comment on The Apprentice

Nodding dogs?!  OK so they are bulldogs and they are wearing a Union Flag, but since statistics show that there are more chickens than people in the world, surely we should become the national animal of the UK. I am sure that a pecking chicken would sell really well.

I like the clear umbrellas.  Dad could buy us lots of them and put them round the garden so that we could stay dry when it is raining like it has been today.  Mind you, there is already the playhouse and the special cover by the bbq so I suppose that might be a bit greedy.  And we actually tend to stand around in the rain anyway ... and I suppose that they might blow away if it was a bit windy.

Jim is off with the treacle up the hill thing.  Is this perhaps a custom that I am unaware of that he indulges in on a regular basis?

No treats for the winners ... that was a nice prize too!  It's fair to say though that you shouldn't reward rubbish.  And despite the fact that they won, 'yeh' lady is not really taking it too well.  I don't think I would like to be in a team with her.

As for the losing team, they are in a bit of a hole now.  I don't really think that Lord Sugar should fire Tom because he has nice yellow socks on today and he did work really hard at selling.  Of the other two, like last week, it's a hard one to call.  I like Karren's comment about the board meetings lol!  On that comment I would say that Melody should go, but I am worried that he might fire Tom because he is starting to look at the 'bigger picture' and Tom has been in the firing line before.

Good choice, Lord Sugar!  She and he would not have got along at all.  I'm not sure how much longer Tom can last, but it's good that he has another chance!

When is egg time?

Or perhaps that should be Egg time.  Normally, as far as I am aware, chickens lay eggs sometime in the morning and then go through their normal routine of eat, poo, snooze, make a mess of the garden, repeated several times.  However, today, for some strange reason, Egg decided that around 1830 was a reasonable time to lay an egg.  I thought that she was going broody again, but apparently not.

Fried seems to have gone off the boil again for now.  Excuse the pun....

How I can get Mum to give me more worms

I have discovered a way of getting Mum to give me more worms.  I tried it last night and I think I might try it again this evening.  What you have to do is this: wait for the others to go to bed and wonder round the garden (this is normal for me anyway).  After about five minutes come down to the patio and make noises that sound like, 'I'm not going to bed but maybe I'll roost down here'.  This will make Mum come out of the kitchen because she thinks you are going to settle where you shouldn't and she will try to persuade you to go back to the run.  To do this she needs worms.  This means that I get more worms.  The downside to this is that the others can also get them because Mum puts them in the run.  And then she shuts the door.   But to be fair, it was bedtime anyway so it wasn't all that bad.

Spoon x

My Favourite Places 4

Petra, Jordan

That first glimpse of the Treasury after you have walked through the siq is the most incredible thing that you will see.  Indiana Jones does not really do it justice.

Broody Chicken

You will be pleased to hear that I am no longer broody because I laid an egg today.  However, for most of last week I went through a broody phase and gave Dad lots of grief.  I have shown him and Mum that I am capable of puffing myself up to twice my size in the nest box, can growl, and like running from one end of the garden to the other.  This is apparently what chickens do when they get broody.  I wouldn't really know, it's my first time, but I found it quite fun, especially the growling.

Egg x

Where I sometimes like to sit

... is on the windowsill.  Not all the time, you understand; in fact I have not done it much recently, but thought it might be nice to do it again this morning at around 0615 while Mum was having breakfast.  It means that I can look in through the window and give her a shock, and say 'hello' to Baked at the same time because she is on the inside windowsill looking out over the garden.

Egg x

My Favourite Places 3

Machu Picchu, Peru

Technically this shouldn't be a favourite place since I have never been there.  But I would really, really like to, and intend to one day.  Walking along the Inca Trail and coming to this view must be amazing.

Oblivion

... seems to me to be a little mad.

So I let my friends go on it while I read a book.  On a positive note, I started and finished the book in the day I was at Alton Towers.  On a negative note, it was a rubbish book.

When I told the girls, they said that I was a chicken.  I am not sure whether this is a compliment or not, coming from them.

My Favourite Places 2

Glastonbury Abbey

A place of real spirituality; I always feel calm and relaxed when I am here.  It's a place of happy memories from my childhood.

Having a Happy Inner Kitty Cat

This is my new phrase of the moment.  I learned it on America's Got Talent, from Sally Cohn, the hand-whistler.  It means being really really happy; therefore your inner kitty cat purrs.

There are lots of things that can make this happen.  Seeing something that you have worked hard at come to fruition; the smile on the faces of those that you love; seeing something amazing like a beautiful sunset or being in a beautiful place.

Of course, I do need to be careful here.  I suppose technically for me, I should really have an inner chicken.  But then they tend not to purr very much.  They make lots of other noises, but not purring so much.  So for now, I will stick with the kitty cat.  Sorry girls.

My Favourite Places 1

The Empire State Building and The Chrysler Building in New York

Now if they made chicken houses like these, it would be awesome!  How can you not love them?