Find the SecondStar and soar, and then straight on till the morning…

KajiKita

Smiling at the idea of your coop companion today! 😉
Heres hoping you can extract it from the car later today! Well done for finding it 😊👏
Sounds like things are really coming together. 

KK

SecondStar

Rabbit run is now occupied!

The weather is just vile today, but after I promised my partner we would both take a much-needed day off tomorrow, I had no choice but to power ahead through the rain.

I got the playhouse rebuilt on its new base, the new roof secured in place, and all fully felted and made watertight. Added a new digging box and a few bits and pieces in the run, along with my bun’s usual litter tray and bed box for it to feel familiar, and then moved him in. He was out and exploring soon enough, and seems to have settled in. Seeing him from the kitchen is lovely, though I am still resolved to find him a friend.

Once he was comfortable, I started cleaning out and dismantling the old run. Not all of the old bedding fit in the brown bin, so it’ll need to be bagged and taken to the dump during the week, but by that point I was tired, cold, hungry, and soaked through with rain, so it’ll keep.

I did a lot of contemplating whilst I was building the playhouse, and stripping down the old run.



I bought the old run back in autumn of 2016. I had separated from my ex-husband that spring, had just started my first year of university, and had just moved into my old rented house - my first time ever living alone - and was still settling in. This was back when fb still allowed the sale of live animals, and the sight of these 2 scruffy, sad looking rabbits in a tiny, dirty hutch just broke my heart. I arranged to collect them that evening, and spent my lectures that day researching the most up to date practices of keeping rabbits.

Their large new hutch and attached run cost me a small fortune at the time, but it was one of the first things I’d resolved to do myself, and I was so proud to put it all together to make a nice, safe home for them.

Over the years, the run’s occupants, and location, have changed; and I thought about all of them today. Of first putting it up in my rented house, all shiny and new, and choosing the paint colours for it - how my dog kept brushing up against the wood whilst he was ‘helping’ me outside, and getting a dusting of paint on the tips of his long fur. Expanding it when my rabbit family grew. Replacing the hutch with the playhouse, and building and felting it all by myself; becoming skilled with the drill that I chose and bought for myself, because my mum had always told me to have my own tools, and know how to use them.

Taking it down to move house with my ex, and rebuilding it, thinking it was its final home. Taking it down again, by myself this time, and rebuilding it here; noticing how shabby it had become, but that it was still strong and safe. The last 2 years of repairs and upkeep, the struggle to keep it sound and waterproof, the full-body release of having someone I love care about it, because I care about it.

The run that my partner and I have built is everything I’ve dreamt of and wanted, for each and every one of my rabbits, but whilst it was waiting for its time to appear, my old run has been doing an excellent job. Perhaps it’s silly to anthropomorphise a rabbit run, but whilst I was taking it down for the final time, I was thanking it. Thanking it for being the start of me realising I could make my own choices, and that I was intelligent and capable and able to do things on my own. Thanking it for being an outward expression of my creativity and my love. Thanking it for keeping all of its past occupants safe, dry, and comfortable.

Its panels are piled neatly to be taken to the dump during the week, unfortunately there are no parts which are salvageable, and while I’m sad to finally say goodbye it has more than done it’s job.

KajiKita

That sounds like a really important piece of ‘processing’ you’ve done today. It’s no bad thing to honour the things that have given you succour and helped you as you pass through hard times. It allows you to see how far you have come and let those times go, ready to move into your new future. 

Delighted that Bun is happy with his new abode 😊 🐇 

KK

SecondStar

Thank you @kajikita , you’re just right. I did some reflective and remembrance journaling, which I haven’t done in ages, and felt sad but better for having done it. It was fun to dig out all my journaling supplies again, it’s something I used to do a lot of but it fell by the wayside after I moved house.

Sunday was a balm, and just what we both needed. A lovely chill day in the sunshine, with nothing to do and nowhere to be, just hanging out with dogs, horses, and chickens.

Yesterday after work I got the Eglu run assembled, and tried on the huge bag of Indian casual wear which a lovely co-worker gave me, after she heard about my trip to Delhi. Her husband and his family are from there, and they’ve done many trips over the years. The kurtas she gave me are beautiful - I had planned to shop once we got there, but had wanted to bring a few suitable outfits with me as well. These are appropriately modest, and are lightweight and loose fitting for the heat. It was very kind of her! She included a gorgeous, heavy beaded saree as well, to potentially wear to one of the wedding functions, but I’ll need some practice draping it correctly between now and then.

This morning I took the old run panels to the dump, and loaded the hedge clippings and the excess straw into bags for another dump run after work. I’ve also laid out the weed membrane for the new shed position - I’ll either wait till Saturday and move the shed with my partner, or I’ll get impatient and do it myself over today & tomorrow after work. Watch this space!

If I’m not moving the shed, then I suppose I have to paint the outside of the fence… Not an enticing job, but we’ve a week of sky-splitting sunshine ahead, so it would be silly not to really.

I’ve also put out wanted ads for some Pekin hens, but no replies yet. I don’t want to be raising chicks, I’d rather have pullets or hens for the sake of ease. Will have to wait and see. In the meantime, I’ve sourced a local chicken feed and sundries supplier, an online retailer for bedding, and potentially a local source of hard wood chips for the ground in the run.



Our first overnight reenactment event is on Easter weekend - my partner is making us a rope-tensioned bed today, so we won’t be sleeping in the ground this season. I need to alter my apron dresses to accommodate my beautiful new tortoise brooches which I got for Christmas. I’m also altering a small tent of my partner’s so that it folds up and out - this will be a secondary tent alongside our large tent, and means I can use it for setting up a little living history and textile demonstration area when we’re out together; or I can have it as my own stall for events which my partner can’t attend, as it’s small enough to fit into my car. Very excited about all of that!

SecondStar

Well, partner and I had said we would move the shed together on Saturday…but now we’ll be going to get hens instead! I found a show breeder about 2 hours away who has the breed I want, and the colours I want, so we’ll be having a road trip instead. I’ve bought a copy of the Haynes chicken manual, on top of devouring anything I can find about care and maintenance. I’m confident that this will be the right choice for us.

I started painting the outside of the fence over Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. It’s going much faster, but is still exhausting. 3/4s has 1 coat on (ran out of paint), but it’ll need at least 2 if not 3 coats. I’m using a roller this time rather than the brush, and it doesn’t pack the paint on quite as well.

After cleaning up the old run and straw, I’ve also been able to lay out rough positioning from my paper garden plans that I made over the winter. I’ve used scrap bits of wood to mark out the seating area (deck, eventually, probably wood chips for now), the new shed and utility area, secondary seating, and some fencing. Being able to walk through the layout it is very exciting, after having to just imagine it for so long.

We’re looking at another 7 days of brilliant sunshine. I had taken the 4 days after Easter Monday off work, but I’m seriously considering switching those to next week instead. Knowing my luck, the weather will blow out, and it’ll be torrential rain that week!

I can’t bring myself to do any more fence painting today, so I’m going to put up some more bulbs and another Poundland shrub, and then work on altering my little tent.

SecondStar

Decided to switch my annual leave days, so now I’m off this coming Monday to Thursday instead, and the forecast is looking lovely!

I plan to use the days to settle in the new chooks, and get a nice routine started with them. Possibly start on building their run opposite the rabbit run, depending on my partner’s availability. Poor man has barely had chance to breathe since finishing the first run, but in my defence this one will be smaller and easier (I hope!)!

I had originally earmarked my April week off to paint the exterior of the house. However, with the new feathered arrivals, I don’t have the cash to both build their run and get paint for the house this month. If the run build has to wait till next month, then I may go ahead with the painting. We shall see.

In typical me fashion, where there is good, happy news, there is also trial - one of the paint cans I got yesterday fell off my backseat into the rear footwell, and the lid popped off. There is now 5l of grey paint pooled on the floor of my car… My partner is coming round with his new wet & dry vac to give me a hand cleaning it up. I’m strangely not all that freaked out over it? I know that we can figure things out between the two of us, and it’s not so terrible in the grand scheme of things. I had planned to buy him a wet & dry vac for his birthday next month though, so I’ll need to go back to the drawing board for that!

SecondStar

Chickens are home! It was a 6 hour round trip yesterday, but they’re in and settled, and have graced us with 4 tiny, perfect eggs today!

Theyre each a different colour - buff, blue, splash, and millfleur - the buff and blue and tentatively named Marigold and Violet, respectively, but the splash and millefleur still need names. None of them want anything to do with me right now, but I’m hoping to make friends with some treats from tomorrow.

Yesterday was so exhausting, we ended up taking a 3 hour afternoon nap and then an early bedtime. I also made a start on altering my little tent, and my partner’s new wet & dry vac worked an absolute wonder in cleaning the paint out of my car! That patch of carpet is now sooo much cleaner than the rest of my interior, you’d never know it was under 5l of paint.

Today my partner was away home to work in the forge ahead of our big events in May, and I used my day to relocate the shed. It would’ve gone quicker and easier with a second pair of hands, but it’s mostly done. I couldn’t get the roof sheets on straight, so my partner will help with that on Wednesday, but I can finish the roof felting on my own. It’s very pleasant to see the ‘bones’ of the garden coming together.

I’ve recently found that my well meaning but nosy neighbour is able to put his whole head and neck over the majority of my 5’5 fence, which is very much not to my liking. I’ll be adding a trellis to the top of it as my next project.

I drew out and costed the chicken run, if I was to build a simpler version of the rabbit run, out of wood, mesh, and plastic roofing. £250 - and that’s being conservative. Alternatively, I can buy a metal frame from Amazon or the like, for £160 and cover it in better mesh. Oooor we can go up a size for £200, and have a bigger enclosure for them. They’re happy enough in the eglu run for now, but they will need somewhere bigger and more permanent.

Tomorrow I’m using my first annual leave day to take some things to the dump, go around the pet and farm shops, and then reseed some patchy bits of the lawn. Very grown up and over-30, but I’m looking forward to it!

SecondStar

Chickens still want nothing to do with me, but got 2 lovely eggs today. They’re so tiny, it takes 2 bantam eggs for 1 chicken egg - I used some to make pancakes with yesterday, and they were wonderful.

I spent a fair amount of money today - some planned, some not.

I got a 20kg bag of layer’s mash for the chooks to move on to, when their current feed runs out; a scoop for their feed; a sturdy plastic feed tub with a clip lid to keep the vermin out; grit, and oyster shell. I also picked up more summer bulbs from Lidl and some cheap and cheerful pots, 3 bags of compost from B&M, and a couple of bird feeders.

The crowning glory of the day though was a 3-person swing seat from Lidl, for £80. I absolutely adore a swing seat, and had to leave mine behind when I moved - I spend so much more time in the garden when I have one, they’re so peaceful and relaxing. It will definitely be worth the spend, and it’s the best price for that size that I’ve seen anywhere. I just finished building it as the afternoon sun crept up the garden, and hung out on it for 2 hours until the shade came over.

I *think* I’ve decided to go with the pre-fab run, possibly the larger size but need to look at the measurements again. It will be cheaper, and will enable the hens to have a larger space, faster. If I’m able to sit in with them, I’m hopeful that we’ll make friends! I went by a local landscaping retailer, and a ton bag of hard wood chips to be delivered will be around £100. Not cheap, but necessary. I can’t afford it right now, but it’ll be next month’s garden spend.

What I can afford though, is the trellis for the top of the fence - after another non-consensual head-and-shoulders visit from my neighbour this afternoon. If I want my garden to be a useable space, it needs more of a degree of privacy! I don’t want to sunbathe topless, but I do want to go about my business without interruption. I’ll go by the builder’s yard in the morning to get what I need, do a day of painting the fence & trellis-to-be, and ask my partner to bring his electric saw so I can do the installation on Wednesday.

weenancyinAmerica

Have you considered just naming them Splash and Millefleur. Sound like good names to me. Are you also planting something on the trellis? 

SecondStar

weenancyinAmerica said:

Have you considered just naming them Splash and Millefleur. Sound like good names to me. Are you also planting something on the trellis? 

All pets in my house need proper, ‘people’ names, so will keep having a think! Nothing purposeful to grow on the trellising, mostly just for more privacy.

I picked up what I hope will be all the wood I need for it - £100 for wood, screws, and another can of paint. It was in the DIY pot, and so therefore budgeted, but my goodness. I am resolved to put a firm hand on spending for the rest of the month, and am hoping to spend my next 2 days off work firmly planted at home. The weather is lovely when you’re pottering, it’s not so lovely when you’re driving about.

Lunch has been had, dinner is planned, my partner is bringing his mitre saw over this evening and will help me get the shed roof on straight. I am going to change into painting clothes, slap lots of sun cream on, and make a start on painting 4 sides of 84m of trellis…