Kiep's first egg!

Kiep, my little pet hen, comes from Bantam stock, though clearly mixed with a variety of other chicken breeds, and she actually looks like a miniature Leghorn.

Here she is in her nest box in my studio (Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa), laying her very first egg! Scratching around in her nest box, trying to settle in, all her feather’s erect and a glassy-eyed expression until the egg finally appeared! Kiep was reared in my studio, straight out of the egg, and to this day, 9 years later, she still wanders into my studio too spend some time with me.

Bantam chickens have been domesticated for centuries. In fact, they are one of the oldest known domestic animals. Marco Polo wrote about banties in his journal. While all bantams are chickens, not all chickens are banties.

All bantams are smaller than regular chickens and they share some unique personality traits. I personally think they have more personality than chickens do, are more able to care for themselves, and find more of their own food. They seem to keep the grasshopper population down better than other types of poultry! I haven’t seen a bug in my garden for ages since introducing chickens to my garden (Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa) again early this year.

Healthy bantams are curious. They will check out anything that seems unusual and loudly announce the arrival of visitors. I do not keep them locked in the pen, they roam as much as possible (a chicken’s raison de etre!) and have access to fresh, green grass, insects, and whatever else they find in addition to the feed I give them.

Camera : Kodak EasyShare C195
Taken in my previous garden, Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa.

Chi-Chi in the Leopard lilies

We’ve been having extremely hot weather and even my chooks have been gasping in the heat. My chickens have no problem with winter, but every summer you can find them listless in the shade, trying to cool off. Unfortunately chickens don’t bath in water (they have sand baths) otherwise that would be a quick solution to cooling off! But they do find shady spots for a bath in the cool sand leaving my garden looking like a volcanic eruption has taken place!

Here Chi-Chi, the youngest of my pet hens, takes a break amongst the Leopard Lilies and ferns.

Camera : Canon EOS 550D
Taken in my garden (Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa)

My garden is turning into a jungle!

Dedicated to all garden-lovers!

A path in my garden slowly getting taken over by all the plants after the good rains we had this last summer (winter here now in South Africa) and if I don’t do something about it, I’ll soon be crawling around in a jungle!

Taken in my previous garden in Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa
Camera : Canon EOS 550D

Early-morning along the garden path

There is nothing more exhilarating than checking up on your garden plants just as the sun is rising. Everything is smiling in anticipation of another glorious day!
 
And two Aloe ferox eagerly await their turn in the sunshine!

Taken in my previous garden in Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa
Camera : Canon EOS 550D

Memories of Tarlton - Gettin' caught in the rain!

After months of drought, few experiences can match the sound and smell of falling rain – unless it is the exhilaration of being caught in it while working in the garden!

Camera : Canon EOS 550D
Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa

I come out at dusk

Camera : Canon EOS 550D
Taken in my garden (Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa)

I sit and drink tea in the mornings, and come out at dusk to listen as the world tucks itself in for the night…

Winding down for the day, birds in the peach tree in my garden. Dusk is when Nature is most at rest with herself.

For the love of English Ivy

The rugged trees are mingling

Their flowery sprays in love;

The ivy climbs the laurel

To clasp the boughs above.

Author: William Cullen Bryant

Hedera helix 'Hibernica', common ivy

I've always loved having Ivy in my garden, there's nothing like Hedera helix to quickly fill an empty spot or cover a fallen-down tree. I had a couple of patches of English Ivy in my previous garden (just 1.6km from where I live now) and, as this species is very invasive and if not kept in check, can take over the whole garden, I do not have any in my current garden.

Hedera helix Ivy climbing up a wall with no support except its own suckers

I had a gorgeous hedera helix climbing up my wall between my two kitchen windows and which was home to a pair of Wagtails. Opposite this was a dead tree totally covered in ivy and which was home to a pair of Robins. The close proximity of these two nests caused endless war between the Robins and the Wagtails, with the robins always coming out tops as the Wagtails are timid and shy birds. I used to hear the noise and screeching as the Robins terrorised the Wagtails from the kitchen, and rushing out to break up the raucous.

The dead tree covered in the ivy eventually toppled under the weight, leaving the Robins homeless, after which they, thankfully, moved to another part of the garden, leaving the Wagtails in peace.

A snippet of Ivy I planted in a pot

FOLKLORE AND FACTS
It is said that Ivy is the goddess who carries life through the winter. Holly was her god. Ivy was in high esteem among the ancients and its leaves formed the poet's crown. It was dedicated to the Roman god Bacchus, the God of Intoxication who is often depicted wearing a wreath of ivy and grapevines. He is also depicted holding a chalice and carrying a wand which was entwined with ivy and vine leaves. Wearing a wreath of ivy leaves around the brow is supposed to prevent intoxication.

Ivy has been regarded as the emblem of fidelity and Greek priests would present a wreath of ivy to newly married persons. Women carried ivy to aid fertility and bring good luck. They also carried it to ensure fidelity and from this came the custom of brides carrying ivy.

The custom of decorating houses and churches with ivy at Christmas is sometimes seen as the Christian Church adopting pagan associations.

A sketch of the Ivy shortly after I planted it.

Common names
Common English Ivy

Botanical name
Hedera helix

Poisonous parts
Leaves

Poisonous component
didehydrofalcarinol, falcarinol, hederasaponins

This vine is grown both as an indoor and outdoor ornamental and it has caused poisoning in cattle, dogs, sheep, and humans. Symptoms of ingestion are difficulty in breathing, convulsions, vomiting, paralysis and coma.

Some Ivy in my previous garden

Dermatitis is rare but can be severe with weeping blisters which respond slowly to treatment. The berries are bitter so it's unlikely children will consume them in large quantities.

Hedera helix originates from Europe and in it's native habitat it is an important food source for a large number of insects and birds. English ivy is very popular as ornamental plant but this ivy is extremely invasive and is considered noxious in parts of the world where it has escaped into the wild. Ivy can become so dense as to exclude other native species creating ivy "deserts", even becoming so heavy as to topple trees - something which does not occur in its native habitat.

Storm clouds heralding no good

An ominous sign – storm clouds building up over my garden this past week, but from the west, which never heralds any good. Our rain here in Tarlton (Gauteng, South Africa) comes more or less from the south to south-west (from the Randfontein side) and anything else, especially from the west, normally spells trouble, like hail and heavy lightning.

While I was holding thumbs for rain but not the fury of nature, it didn't help much. Within seconds of the first lightning strike and roll of thunder, the heavens opened up and heavy rain poured down. And within minutes it took a turn for the worst and the hail came. LOTS of it, furiously, pounding the garden mercilessly, leaving destruction in its wake.

I watched helplessly as the storm got worse and worse, pounding the trees, the plants and wreaking havoc. Luckily my chooks were already in their coop as I had suspected some foul play earlier in the morning and had left them inside.

Mr. Brown, a stray rooster, was in the aviary (at the back of the pic), hiding in the shelter provided and the sound of the hail on the tin roof must have been deafening, it certainly was in my house, we couldn't even hear one another talking.

The hailstorm lasted for about 20 minutes, more heavy rain followed and then, suddenly all went quiet. Within seconds the sun was shining, producing the most gorgeous rainbow I have seen for a long time. Isn't nature just wonderful?!