A Jubilee Rose

It is coming up to nearly a year ago that we were at Hampton Court for the Royal Horticultural Show 2012, displaying our coveted Gypsy Hen house, the much loved Maggie Six in a vegetable garden and our Granary hen house in a wild meadow garden. So I was delighted to see, when on one of my many perambulations, that the Jubilee Roses that so beautifully ringed the Gypsy Hen house, have come back into bloom at their new home here at FSF HQ.

 Seeing these gorgeous burgundy roses as they climb their way up the side of the summer house reminded me what a great time we had at the show last year. However, if possible, seeing these roses from last year got me more excited about this coming year's show. The clocks seem to have stopped since we sent the six long legged hobby hen houses to the celebrity designers and Anne has been wearing a hole in the carpet as she marches back and forth waiting for July 9th to roll around. So dizzy was she making me with her endless walking in circles that I was relived, when on Thursday morning, Kate Humble phoned Flyte so Fancy to run an idea past us for her Long Legged Hobby. With a mini project to focus on for a couple of days, Anne soon settled down and I was no longer being made dizzy. While I can't tell you what Anne and Kate discussed on the phone (nor show you the hastily sketched drawing of the idea done by Phill) I will say that it is a brilliant one and now we are as keen as ever, if not more so, to see the six finished Long Legged Hobby's in all their painted and decorated glory at the Royal Hampton Court Show and then at Tatton Park.

Turning this bloggers attention to our flock here at Flyte so Fancy HQ, it has been an important week for our feathered friends in both the poultry paddock and the wild birds that call our little corner of Dorset home.

While we out on the lawn taking photos of a mating panel in the brief moment of sunshine on Wednesday; the swallows that have been making a home in both the FSF barn (and everywhere else for that matter) flew the nest. As we stood there, these miniature aerial acrobats, soared, loop-de-looped and performed high speed dives around us. Standing very still for fear of getting a clip around the ear from a swallow going at a hundred miles an hour, we waited for newly flown birds to settle down before continuing with our photos. Next up for flying lessons, will be the House Martins that have diligently been building a nest in the apex of the barn roof. Having finished that essential task this week, we expect to see some baby House Martin's soon.

Down in the chicken field, our mother hens have been busy too. Our goose, that so carefully sat on her clutch of eggs come rain or shine, has disappeared into the long grass and I don't think we shall be seeing her again until we have more goslings to join our ever increasing gaggle.

The Silver Spangled Hamburg chicks are now big enough to have been released from their broody coop into the field and they have taken great fun in making sure that they are known to all and sundry, but always with mother hen close at hand. But with these chicks grown up enough to be out and about, we have some newly hatched arrivals at FSF HQ, in the form of Gold Laced Hamburg Chicks. Getting these chicks through an egg exchange with one of our local customers, and incubated by the Workshop Foreman Mark at his home, now that they have been taken off heat, they travelled the short journey to live in a Ranger Six at Flyte so Fancy while they finish off growing, and we cannot wait to see their golden laced feathers when they grow up.

It is with sad news that I end the blog this week. The Tufted Ducks that were living in the reeds of our pond, have had their nest attacked by a malevolent moorhen and the eggs have been eaten. We have not seen the parent Tufted Ducks in a few days but we hope that they will be back soon to try again for another batch of ducklings.