The following video is of one of my hens doing what I like to call the exploding chicken routine.

Please note: No actual chickens were harmed in the making of this film.

The chicken doing the'exploding' is my ISA brown hen, Nosie Rosie. She looks a bit bedraggled in this film due to the fact she is moulting at the moment.

A couple of days ago, I was chatting with a friend about my chooks (Aussie slang for chickens) and she asked me if I am glad that I have got them. I thought about that for just a moment, and then I said. "Yes, I am." I was surprised to feel my throat tighten up, and the slight sting of tears in the corner of my eyes as I added: "This might sound odd but, I have to say that having chickens has changed my life completely."

As cliched and crazy as that may sound, it is actually very true.

Before the rainbow flock came into my life, I had very little to do, apart from mope around the house, wondering what to do with myself. I was forced to quit work in 2004 due to a disability, and whilst I liked to think that I was adjusted to that, and coping well, the truth is, I wasn't doing so great.

A few months ago, my doctor prescribed anti-depressants to address some fairly major problems I was having with anxiety. I was agoraphobic, afraid to go out, afraid to drive my car any distance, and just plain...afraid of life. So I was sitting here in my house never going anywhere, not doing a whole lot to occupy myself and probably suffering with depression, along with the anxiety.

Then my chooks came along.

Most people would have some awareness of 'pets as therapy' programs which are run in hospitals and nursing homes, where people bring in animals to visit with the ill, the infirm and shutins. Animals, yes, even humble chickens, just have a knack of raising spirits, prompting smiles and renewing interest in life. I am almost certain my daughter (she's a nurse) had that kind of thing in mind when she decided that chickens would make a great mother's day gift for me. She was right! From the moment I got the chooks, I had something to think about outside of myself and my limitations. I started thinking about nesting boxes, comfortable perches, what to feed them on, and if something needed to be done, I found a way to do it. Usually with help from my longsuffering partner, but sometimes I'd just go and do it myself. I do things a lot slower than most people would, because I have to stop and rest frequently, but I get it done eventually.

I've noticed that I smile more often, and I laugh a lot, watching the hens in the garden, and in their coops brings many a smile or chuckle as they sort out their gallus gallus domesticus politics--better known as the pecking order. I smile just thinking about them, and if you get me started, I can talk about them for hours. *rolls eyes*

I guess what I am trying to say with this post is--if you're blue, get a chicken, get two, or three or more! I'm living proof. Chooks are great therapy!

I've had such a busy week this week and I am feeling tired, but satisfied. It's only Wednesday but it seems later in the week because so much has been crammed into it.

Starting with Monday, when my eldest daughter, Hannah graduated from her nursing degree. It was a full on day as we had to leave here before lunchtime in order to grab some lunch on the way to Hannah's place, and then we spent the afternoon being all girly, doing each other's hair and makeup and putting final touches to outfits for the night. Hannah looked lovely in a new black and white dress with tulle underskirt that she'd bought for the occasion. I went with an all black skirt and top and black tights and black shoes. I wore a green dragonfly around my neck to break up the solid black. I felt slinky and slim in all black and even though it is not usually my colour, I managed to carry it off. The girls joked that I looked like I was going to a funeral rather than a graduation, but I was still happy with my look.

Hannah and me

The above photo is not the best one for lighting, but I am waiting on some more from the night, and will post them once I have them.

It was a very proud moment, watching Hannah receive her long awaited and hard earned bachelor of Health Studies (nursing) degree and I could hardly believe this is the same little sickly child I gave birth to 22 years ago. She has grown into a beautiful, confident young woman with a great career ahead of her!

When we arrived at the Convention Centre, Sandra,  Kaylah (my youngest daughter) and I were waiting for Hannah's partner and a family friend to arrive, when two people came up to us and began to talk to Kaylah. I didn't recognize either of them, and was a little puzzled, trying to work out who they could be and then, about ten seconds later it dawned on me...

My ex-husband and his new wife! I was astonished to realize that I had simply not recognized the man I spent 23 years of my life with. Could this mean that my inner work on releasing and forgiving him has taken effect? I hope so. I think so. I have no ill feelings towards him anymore and only wish that he might be happy. That's a big change from even a year or two ago. It's nice to be free of that awful, gut churning resentment and anger I used to carry around for him.

After such a long day, (we got home after 10pm that night) we both just collapsed into bed and I found it difficult to get up the next morning. Going into the city takes a toll on me. The smoggy air, and the crowded convention centre left me feeling hungover, even though I had only drunk water and soda all day. I stayed in bed until 11am and then dragged myself up to take care of the chickens. I spent most of the day lamenting my late lie-in as it had made me sore, and also feeling queasy and off colour because of the previous day's excitement.

Today, I had a fairly long to-do list as several chores were neglected yesterday. I wanted to lay down new bedding in the hen house, so that was the first order of the day. I had my coffee and toast and saw Sandra off to Uni and then I got out the rake and gathered up some leaf litter which I took up to the hen house and after shaking up the bedding in the roosts, I put the new leaf litter down, revelling in the lovely scent of the autumn leaves in the small roost area. They have a very mild scent which is hard to describe, but I really like how it makes the hen house smell. Then I got some long grass which I have had lying out in the sun to dry into straw and spread that over the floor of the chicken run. The whole hen house smelled lovely and 'farmy' redolent of sweet hay and leaf litter. After that, I changed out the water buckets and tipped the old water over the compost heap before washing the waterers and refilling them. A dash of apple cider vinegar in each and then they went back into the coops and that was my first chore done.

Next on the list was my intention to rescue one of our poor neglected citrus trees from an overgrowth of weeds.

Believe it or not, there is a Mandarin tree in there, somewhere!

I grabbed my gardening gloves and secateurs and set to work on the above mass of greenery, performing delicate surgery to cut away saw grass, creeping vines and wild oats that had sprung up all through this poor little tree. I worked steadily for about an hour, to the accompaniment of a dog incessantly barking at me from the other side of the fence. I don't think he could believe I had any right to be there, no matter what I did. It's been so long since anyone has really tended to our gardens, I suppose I could forgive him for thinking this house and yard is supposed to be abandoned! Still it did get a little bit grating, and next time I think I'll take my iPod out with me, and wear my earphones!

My efforts paid off!

I think that I made quite a difference to this little tree by the time I ran out of energy. There is still more to do, but at least you can see it really is a Mandarin tree. Next door's shed is clearly visible on the other side, whereas in the first picture it was obscured by weeds! The tree's rootstock has sprouted and that will need to be pruned off as it will weaken the tree. That's a job for another day, though. After this was done, I came inside to eat some lunch and watch an episode of Being Human which I missed due to the graduation on Monday night.

The afternoon was spent cooking baked pumpkin for my chickens and a lasagne for our dinner. Tomorrow, I think I will take a break and just read a book, or something. I'm tired, but satisfied with what I got done today, but to try and push for more tomorrow would be asking for trouble.

Is this week's theme for the Winning Photo Competition. I have an entry in it. Please take a look, and vote for your favourite photo.

http://mywinningphoto.xanga.com/753440738/relaxation-photos---come-vote/

It has been very cold and windy today. July is starting to live up to its old nickname of "Windy July" for us at present. I didn't let my chickens out of their coop today, a fact which disappointed them a lot, but they were soon consoled when I tossed some baked pumpkin into the coop to warm them up!

Sandra and I spent some time out in the chilly westerly wind, digging over our new potato bed and trying to get it all turned over and ready for potatoes to go into it in a couple of weeks. We have the seed potatoes in a box on the back patio hoping they will go to seed soon so that we can plant them. The chickens benefitted from that as well when I captured a few tasty, fat worms to toss to them in their cage, resulting in a comical round of chasing and squabbling. Boss chased Wynona around in circles until they were both worn out, trying to snatch a fat, sleepy winter worm from Wynona's beak. She was unsuccessful though, Wynona can sure sprint when she has to. LOL!

Yesterday, Sandra and I went to Sandra's mum's house to meet with a couple of relatives, I think the younger of them was Sandra's 3rd cousin, from South Africa. We went out for lunch, and then took a short stroll along the Maroochy river after lunch and I managed to snap a few photos of early young magpies.

A kite eating tree...

And some boats for hire on the Maroochy River

It was really lovely on the river, but we ran out of time as we had lingered over lunch, and we had to hurry back home so that our visitors could catch their train back to the city.

I enjoyed the day, though and loved listening to Paula and her grandmother talk. They are from Johannesburg and have such lovely South African accents!

These days, blogging is taking up less of my time and thoughts than it used to. I feel somewhat troubled by that, because it used to form such a major part of my daily life not so very long ago. Thinking back on that, though, I have to admit that the times when blogging was a large part of my life were also times when I was least happy with the state of my life.

In fact, I actually commenced blogging during one of the darkest times -- when I was first diagnosed with clinical depression back in 1998. At that point I was in an unhappy marriage, my mother had passed away a few months earlier, I was struggling to live a life that was a complete lie, and... well, I guess I needed the outlet, then.

These days I am in a different place. I am happier, dare I say it, I am content with where I am, with who I am and with what I am doing, but at the same time, I recognise that I have made wonderful connections with some fantastic people via these pages where I have expressed my deepest and also my shallowest thoughts. It's something I don't wish to lose, but it's also something that requires time, thought, and effort, and I am putting most of those three things into other pursuits just now.

There are my chickens... the beloved rainbow flock...

There is my garden...

And yet, I still find that I want to write blogs, and stay connected with the friends I have made through this medium. I don't have as much time as I would like, but I still feel that this is an important outlet for me, even if I just post a photograph that I snap during my day in the garden, or a snippet (with photos) of some activity I have taken part in during the week, it is better than nothing. It might not be as indepth as I might have written, even a year ago, but it's still a blog, I guess.

I just need to try and remember to do it so that I don't wind up with so much to tell about that it feels overwhelming so I never start.

I hope my readers will forgive me for not writing the long, and (sometimes) thoughtful posts I used to write, but perhaps, it will help you to know that the reason I no longer write them so often is that I am happy. My wandering heart has found a home and that is a very good thing!

Bertha: The most beautiful Light Sussex Hen in Australia. (I may be biased)

I got this idea from @seedsower

fast food:
KFC Piri Piri Zinger Burger!!

cuss word:
I don't cuss much, but I like to say "Crab-maggot" sometimes. I make sure no one is listening, though. But if I do cuss, it's usually the F word.

greeting:
Hi Hi!

soup:
Chicken and Sweet Corn, or Wonton Noodle Soup

place to be( besides home):
By the ocean

color:
Purple

tv show:
Supernatural
Being Human

ice cream flavor:
Vanilla, but with things smooshed into it, like M&M's or Chocolate Maltesers. I also like Peppermint Chocolate Chip

ride at the park:
Pony Ride! (I'm too big for ponies now, though)

smell:
Menthol or Eucalyptus

thing to listen to:
My hens clucking and cooing as they scratch around in the yard
Birds singing in the trees around my house
Waves on the shore at the beach

song to hear on the radio:
Anything that I know well and can sing along with

movie you can see over and over
Four Weddings and a Funeral
City of Angels
The Notebook
Happy Feet
Finding Nemo
Love Actually
Kate & Leopold

sweet:
Chocolate
Chocolate
Anything coated in chocolate!

Favorite Beatle:
Ringo Starr

Favorite Animal
I love all animals, but horses and cats are my real favorites.

@seedsower : Painter or Artist
Vincent Van Gogh

@opticalnoise Favorite Emotion
Joy! Although I am unsure if Joy is really an emotion or more of a state of being...

@AdamsWomanFell: Favourite Fruit?
Mango

Ask me one and I will add it to the list.
What are your favorites?

Today, we actually got out and away from home for a few hours, shopping and also made a stop at the USC so Sandra could collect a marked essay that she had been waiting on. Of course, I took my camera with me and was happy that I did as I snapped a couple of photos while I waited in the car for Sandra. I love going to USC because it is such a wildlife friendly campus and there is nearly always something interesting to take photos of. Today was no exception.

I snapped this "Noisy Minah" bird who was feeding on the seeds of one of the trees near where our car was parked.

USC has a lot of native trees planted to attract birds and offer them a place to find food and shelter and they all take full advantage. Even this crow who made getting a photo of him challenging by keeping himself in line with the sun so it was difficult to focus on him without getting over exposed snaps. This one was the best I could do...

The camera lens didn't quite capture it, but to the naked eye, the bird seemed to be outlined in silver from the sun behind him. It looked lovely! I wish I could have captured it better.

Finally, I took a photo of the Banksia trees which are in bloom at the moment. There are a series of books that I grew up with. They were written and illustrated by May Gibbs, and recounted The Adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, the Gumnut Babies. In those books, the villains are the "Big Bad Banksia Men" and they are based on these trees. I can't see the Banksia flowers without recalling snugglepot and cuddlepie with a smile.

This second photo shows the Banksia flowers in various stages of their lifecycle, including the die-off phase which is the phase used to depict the big bad banksia men in the books.

A Banksia Man running off with a poor little gumnut baby!

My life has become a lot busier now that I have got my chickens. I spend a lot of time outdoors now, compared with what I used to be like before I got 'the girls' to look after. My mind is always active, thinking of the chickens, working out how to deal with such things as quarantine (for new birds), mite and lice prevention, feeding, housing, cooling in summer, warming in winter and a host of other things that can crop up unexpectedly.

One thing I hadn't bargained for, when I went last week and bought two standard sized hens which are quite a bit larger than my two 'commercial laying hens' was that these birds can have difficulty getting up and down from a high roost. It was quite comical going out to the coop the first morning and having to lift these two big girls down from their perches, because getting up there was one thing, but coming down again from such a hight, was quite something else entirely. The roost in their temporary pen is quite high, and on a fairly steep angle and these birds are just too bulky to jump down from the top of it and risk leg injuries.

So, I needed to come up with an idea to help them get up and down without needing me to lift them off the perch in the mornings. I did some research online, and asked a question or two in the poultry forums that I frequent, and managed to work out that we needed a ramp for the hens to use. Sandra came up with a solution the second day when she was standing at the living room door, looking out on our patio. There's a very old, broken down cupboard on the back wall of the house, which we keep meaning to remove, but which up til now, we havent done so. One of the doors had fallen off this cupboard some time ago, and looking at it, Sandra thought that it might just fit the bill for our hens.

That afternoon, we got the door and pulled all the nails and screws and hinges off it and used a part of the hinge attachment to cut some battens which we then nailed to the back of the door. This whole thing was then fixed to the roost using nails.

It's been on there a few days now, and I took this photo this morning when I went to check on the hens. They've been down from the roost, and happily pecking around their run each morning since we put the ramp up so they're obviously using it. It has got some dirt and dust on it from their feet going up and down, so we're calling this a success. I'm quite pleased with it, actually. We also put a stool into the coop with them and sometimes see one or the other hen sitting on it in the afternoon. They seem quite happy and settled in their cage, now and the other hens are getting used to seeing them. The next step will be trying to integrate the two separate 'flocks' into one in a week's time. Hopefully that will proceed without too much difficulty.

I am spending so much time with them or just generally pottering around outdoors, Sandra has taken to calling me Farmer Jill. LOL.

It beats sitting around moping and feeling useless though, so I don't mind.