Painting in the Dark

Today was a day of two halves. This morning, I ambled down with good intentions of cleaning out the Nest House. I stopped to say hello to Geoff and Cliff and ended up chatting to them for a while despite the cold. When Derek joined us, we all put our heads together to work out a plan for moving the greenhouse on Plot 8 back a foot to ensure the path from the gate is a consistent width. As it narrows by the greenhouse, it is difficult for anyone on a mobility scooter or pushing a wheelbarrow to get through without risking smashing the glass.

Between us, we decided to get a working party to move it on Thursday. Hopefully we can rope in a few others to make it easier to shift! Now thoroughly frozen, I dashed home without feeding the chickens to warm up.

After lunch, I came back and fed the chickens. Needless to say they were not impressed at my tardiness! I mollified them with some cucumber and made a start on the Nest House. Each time I clean it out, I marvel at how much easier it is to clean than the old nest box. This is mainly due to being able to work undisturbed as long as I effectively block the entrance. With the entrance blocked, I cleared out the old bedding and put it in one of the compost bins by the coop. As I removed the bottom boards, I discovered a small mouse nest.

As I worked, I noticed that the inside of the Nest House was getting rather grubby. I bushed it out but it still looked quite dirty. Then an idea hit me – I could repaint the inside! Dashing up to the shed, I rummaged around to find a paintbrush and the cream paint. After a few minutes, I have everything I needed and went back down the plot. There is something quite therapeutic about painting although it probably wasn’t the best temperature for it!

On a roll, I grabbed the remaining seagrass paint from two years ago and made a start on the outside. By the time it was almost dark, the job was done. I put in the fresh bedding into the nest box, hoping that this will encourage the girls to lay eggs. Tommy was the first to come in and inspect. Much to my amusement, his tail feathers brushed an area of wet paint. Sniggering at his confusion, I locked up the shed and headed home.

The plan for tomorrow is to help Cliff take some rubbish from the site to the recycling centre. Oh and see what the newly painted Nest House looks like in daylight. Part of me thinks painting it all the same colour is rather dull and uninspiring. Especially as the shed is so colourful…