Tag Archives: mckenzie cottage blog

🏡DEVON COTTAGE 19🏡Last week of April 2017

Posted on by
1

Blog 19 🏡 Started stripping the porch ready for new thatch….

How can the porch have so much thatch on it, amazing !

Some of the wood needs replacing on roof, must also paint woodwork on door & frame, taking away the black colour.  

Painting done, black colour nearly all gone. 

These two pheasants will have pride of place on top of roof BUT a big discussion is where do they go….together or apart ?!

Decision decided, one on each ridge, so cute ! 

Look at that porch now, love it ! Notice the painted chimney and what’s that on the roof !

The cows in the field wondering what’s going on or maybe they’re not bothered!

Big job next are the outside walls to be painted a nice cream colour, what a job that will be !!  Made a start, primer first….

This side of house is high so making use of scaffold for an extra week so must get as much painted as possible this weekend !  *So managed to get top half of wall painted with primer & one coat of parchment colour, the weather wasn’t the best for one of the days !*  So must give it final coat next weekend, hopefully finish bottom half of wall too !

‘Wobbly floor’ bedroom will be sorted soon by local carpenter…..

Well it’s 1st May soon, here’s to all the May jobs on next Blog ! 🏡 Enjoy….x

🏡Devon Cottage 23🏡 Chickens are here🐔🐔 21st July 2017

Posted on by
Reply

🐔Blog 23🏡 

🐔🐔 Chickens now in the family (Egg laying family members only) !!🐔 Pouring with rain we visited Manor Farm, only 15 mins away,  luckily for us & them they were indoors. He had quite a few, different ages, we picked 4 aged 12 weeks, trying to catch them was fun, oh no not by us but the expert farmer ! Should hopefully start laying in around 6 weeks 🐔, so looking forward to first egg, who’s gonna have that, me ?!  Abbie held the box tight on the car journey home, little tweets coming out of the box, but they were fine, got home & straight into coop & run, not sure to come out at first but lovin’ it now 🐔. 

Abbie has spent many hours in with them, even in the pouring rain under a cover, feeding from her hand, stroking them, handling them, they’re used to her already ! 🐔

Their first morning was the perfect picture & they climbed up there themselves ! 

Introducing Gwen….

Introducing Nessa……

Introducing Pam & Dawn…….

Where did those names come from…name the TV Show ?! 🐥

Oh dear Smudge, have to keep away ! Toby is playing up too, fingers crossed they calm down eventually ! 🐔

Brilliant photos taken by Abbie sitting in with them x 🐔🐔🐔

Next move is to corner off the garden with fencing, put the coop & run behind it so the dogs realise they cannot reach the chickens & let the chickens have a good run around.  So while they’re young they seem fine but planning soon to expand the area….🐔 and that will be another job sorted ! 🐔

August…..Expanded the area for them, have lots to explore now ! 

                  🐔Just chillin’ out ! 🐔

                       🐔🐓🐔🐓🐔🐓

🏡Devon Cottage 24🏡 September 2017

Posted on by
2

 Blog 24🏡 What a wet August that was ! Eventually we were able to finish painting outside house wall and also painted front wall, looking so much better, fresh & clean. 

Previously was a white/grey colour I suppose to go with original black window frames so now having oak frames we liked the cream colour (parchment) for the walls. Just leaves two more walls to finish, hopefully before Winter !!  

The garden patio area looking good, sleepers in to support the upper area, then shingled and more shingle on lower area, should be enough shingle !! That was fun (!) moving all that in buckets !   

We have lots of pots we are filling for patio area so buying a plant each time we’re out ! 🌻🌹🌱

Chickens are much bigger now, hopefully first eggs soon 🐔🤔🐔?

                   🐔🏡🐔🏡🐔🏡🐔🏡🐔

🏡Devon Cottage 26 🏡November 2017 ( 2 yrs ago Completion on house )

Posted on by
Reply

Blog 26🐔…. YES, an egg has arrived ! The chickens are around 26 weeks old, overdue for laying, we were advised to stop the treats & see what happens & Yes 2 days later an egg has appeared, actually on 5th Nov Bonfire Day, did they get the frights last night from fireworks & that helped to get things going ??! As I write today no. 2 has been laid too ! Well done chicks ! Big Question: which one/two are laying ? No problems with it as happy it’s happening ! 🐔🐔🐓🐓 Poor things getting wet in their run today so sorting the roof for water to drain away & laid down woodchippings to soak up the water !!

🍳Know what’s for tea tonight !🍳

🐔Lots & lots of eggs now by end Nov, stopped counting now !🐔

🐓🐔Look at this tiny tiny egg ! Can only think it may be Gwen who laid that one, she’s the tiniest chick of them all 🐔🐓

This month of course included Bonfire Night, we sat on the beach for our first display……Abbie, katherine & Alex joined us for the weekend.🎉🆒

🐔🎉🐔🎉🐔🎉🐔🎉🐔🎉

🏡Devon Cottage 27🏡December 2017

Posted on by
Reply

Blog 27🏡 Walks along beautiful Lyme Regis Beach, brilliant sunshine & the views !🌞

🎄Axminster Lantern Parade & Christmas Lights Switch On & lots of market stalls to browse🎄

🎄Lyme Regis switched on their Christmas Lights after a Lantern Parade & Display, what a beautiful glowing Christmas tree🎄

Work carries on in the house, finishing adjusting the height of the bedroom door, if you were not as short as me you had to watch your head entering the room ! A good project, almost finished…

Finished….

Not a straight forward door frame !

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

🏡Devon Cottage 28🏡January 2018

Posted on by
Reply

Blog 28 🏡A New Year starts….🏡 Seaton Beach looking good🐾🐕 Chickens are still laying, all the books say they take a break during Winter, but reckon as they were late starters –November– then maybe that’s the reason they haven’t stopped ? Grateful to the chickens still for all these eggs🐔🐓🐔 🐓Look at this tiny, tiny egg 🆒🐔 What do you reckon on the weird egg ? Didn’t use it ! 🐓Porridge for breakfast🐔 🐊 🐏🐑Can I say hello 🐏🐑 Lovely Lyme Regis on a calm day..🏖 ☔BUT the difference on a very WET day !!🐾🐕🐶☔ oh dear ! 🏡🌊🐾🐕🏖🏡🐾🌊

🏡Devon Cottage 29🏡 February 2018

Posted on by
Reply

Blog 29🏡… Bird Flu has hit a few areas of the UK so the whole country has to take precautions. So bought a disinfectant sachet to wash boots each time entering chicken run…. let’s see how long it lasts 🐔

See this huge egg….look what was inside, first double yolk 👍🍳

Decided to plan a vegetable plot & compost heap, think the plot is big enough ! Lots of homemade compost, great start.

🎃Already have saved pumpkin seeds so we’ll see if they grow nice & big for Halloween !🎃 A future blog, hopefully if they grow. So the Vegetable Diary & books have come out, started to keep a record about our last plot a while ago, of vegetables & fruit that grew well & the disasters too ! Choosing things to grow that you enjoy eating they say is best & not too many ‘fancy things’ so will decide soon & get planting…🍎🍓🍅🌶🌱 but when the weather improves !

This was before their dog walk at Lyme Regis Beach, not too happy with those towels !! 🐾🐕🐾🐶

🏡Devon Cottage 30🏡March 2018

Posted on by
Reply

❄⛄Blog 30 ⛄❄

SO what can be said about the 1st day of March ! ❄⛄ VERY heavy snow blizzards hit the UK with huge snowdrifts, hitting our area where normally it NEVER snows (not for last 5/6 years!) ⛄❄

Views from the house….here it comes !

Lyme Regis….. (photo on News) If only the Christmas tree was still standing, that would look so pretty.

The chickens seem ok with the snow, their drinking water freezing over so checking it regularly. Decided to cover the coop with a sleeping bag, an old blanket & waterproof cover & this was hopefully helping to keep them warm 🐓🐔

How much the weather can change in less than a week !! We were walking on beach at Burton Bradstock last weekend, just along from West Bay in brilliant sunshine ! 🌞 Think this snow is here to stay for a while, but hopefully not ! 🐓⛄❄🐔❄⛄🐓

🏡Devon Cottage 31🏡 April 2018

Posted on by
Reply

Blog 31 🏡 Decorating time ! Once we start it’s ok but it’s the starting that’s hard ! But we did start on the bedroom, deciding to match in the colours from the curtains including a feature wall colour. After clearing the room, made a start using Dove Grey, Taupe and Classic Red…..but would the Red look right and we were happy with it, but it took 3 coats to look right ! Finished off with Camel colour carpet & oak colour furniture matching the walls. Good job !

Next bedroom using Dove Grey, Victorian Lace & Princess again using colours in curtains. Also happy with this feature wall colour Princess. Having white furniture in this room, make a decision on having same colour carpet in all the bedrooms or different colours ?

Very different bedside tables, cute ! 📚

Moving on to next bedroom, lots of paint left, maybe use in other rooms ?

🐔New plastic roof going on for the chicks to hopefully help keep them dry. 🐔🐓

Cleared out Summer House, what a mess made by mice deciding to pull apart the sun lounger & use the foam for nesting !! Also eaten the grass seed & box, the bird food & box, they were lovin’ life in there !

And now a big TREAT of fish & chips at the seaside ! #lymeRegis #TheCobb 🌊🏖

🏡Devon Cottage 32🏡May 2018

Posted on by
Reply

Blog 32🏡 Thinking about the colours for next bedroom, this bedroom is bigger and all the walls have artex so guess this will be fun ! Also will be a challenge as it has a very high ceiling with black beams, they will be painted to blend in, (if we can reach !),

not one wall is straight up & down so choosing colours is fun !

This end of the room has different levels and a “lovely stained” ceiling from the original leak through the thatch.

Would still like a feature wall which will have to be a lime based clay paint as it is the original part of the house before the extension, the other two bedrooms are part of the extension so traditional paint was used. Trying “Riding Hood” as colour choice for this wall. A project still to start, weather has been so good so been in garden so will be taking a while I reckon. Did start in September so all about it in Blog 37.

It’s the chicks ‘brooding’ time, started with Dawn, Pam soon joined her ! When we eventually gather the eggs they are so lovely and warm 🐔🐓🐔this ‘brooding’ could happen for days or weeks I’ve just read, I hope all four of the chicks are not going to be broody all together, not sure where they’d all fit !

🐔Nessa and Gwen….you next ? 🐔

🐔Help needed to drink 😉🐔

Managed to collect the eggs when Dawn moved out the Coop ! 🐔🐓🐔

Lovely Lyme Regis 🏖🌞🐾

Lovely Seaton Beach…..chill out time, sitting on a blanket with a Latte with just the sound of the sea, Wonderful x 🌊🌞🏖🐕🐾