Satima's Blogspot: Another animal post

Sunday, 24 August 2008

Another animal post

Sunday, August 24, 2008 |

Posted by Satima Flavell

This house-sit, as I mentioned before, involves chooks. There are five of them; all young and just coming into full lay. They are very tame and will even let me stroke them, which I've never before known chooks to do. Their "mum", (aka Ellen) tells me it's because they have been bred not just for their excellent laying (they turn out lovely brown eggs in profusion) but also for their docility.

They are Isa Browns; not a true breed but a cross between a Rhode Island Red and Rhode Island White and originating from France, where they were deliberately developed in the 1970s by the Institut de Sélection Animale, hence the ISA. I tried to photograph the five of them this week but in the end I had to take a video to get them all in. Even now they are not all in view at once so you'll have to believe me when I say there are five. Not that it matters; I suspect that if you've seen one Isa brown you've seen 'em all!

In other animal news, I just received a photo of my latest "grandchild". My son Kurt and his partner Erinn bought a cute little five-week-old puppy three months ago. They called

him Fenris. Now, Fenris was the hellhound in Norse mythology, and at five weeks the pup didn't look anything like a hell hound, did he? However, he is now four months old and just look at him! He is looking more and more like a real one as the weeks go by. Kurt thinks he'll be waist high by Christmas, and I wouldn't be surprised if his prediction comes true. How can one teensy weensy pup grow so much in such a short time? Well, he is of Irish Wolfhound stock, which just might account for it!:-)

Update 16 July 2011: Over the last month, this post has, for some reason I don't understand, become the most popular post on the blog! If you are reading this, will you please take time to leave a comment and tell me why you landed on this page? It's a mystery to me!

Labels: chooks, Fenris the Furred, house-sitting

16 comments:

Anonymous said...: It would seem you make a delicious mash!; Monday, August 25, 2008
hrugaar said...: Cute chooks. :)

I love Irish Wolfhounds. And Fenris is a cool name (he'll be chief of the household secret police in no time, heh).; Monday, August 25, 2008
Satima Flavell said...: Yes, the chooks do love their mash but it's not down to me - more like they are cold in the morning and just love getting their beaks around something hot! (Me too - porridge, mmm)

I wonder if you've read Joe Abercrombie's recent trilogy, Ru? Juliet and I both loved it and were quite delighted when Kurt called the puppy Fenris. In Abercrombie's books, Fenris the Feared is a psychopathic gladiator type with magic that makes him able to repair his injuries instantly. Not your average secret police chief - or I hope not, anyway!; Monday, August 25, 2008
Anonymous said...: We must have got our wires crossed somewhere Mum, Fenris is Great Dane/Bull Mastiff. Still cute though :); Monday, August 25, 2008
Jo said...: I thought he didn't look like he had any Irish Wolfhound in him. Great name for a dog. Difficult to call though.; Monday, August 25, 2008
Satima Flavell said...: Oh, apologies to Fenris! Your mother, Kurt, is obviously losing it in her old age. Or perhaps she never had it in the first place...

But I do remember now that you told me he was a GD / BF cross. I somehow decided that this was just the same an Irish Wolfhound. Well, just as big, anyway!; Tuesday, August 26, 2008
hrugaar said...: So now you can call the adoptive grandson Fenris the Furred. :)

No, haven't read Abercrombie, though I had at least heard of the books, which makes a nice change!; Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Satima Flavell said...: ROTFL! I'll take that on board, Ru.

For anyone who likes darkish fantasy with realistic charcaters - give Abercrombie a go.; Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Marilyn Z. Tomlins said...: Satima --

I suppose puppies and kittens grow up as fast as babies.

Marilyn; Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Satima Flavell said...: They must grow faster, Marilyn. Even doing the one year for seven conversion, Fenris is only three and a half. I've never met a three and a half year old human who came up to my hip - thank heavens!

But, yeah, they all grow too fast, whether human bubs or kittens or puppies or whatever. They aren't babies for long - and then, lord help us, they suddenly turn into teenagers!; Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Anonymous said...: thanks for the refreshing and nice 'pou-poules' video (in french :poule = Hen); Sunday, September 07, 2008
Satima Flavell said...: Et les ISA sont vraiment poules francaises - et comme toutes les francaises, elles sont belles, n'est-ce pas?

I'm tempted to make an inter-lingual pun about how elles ont chic but as their eggs never become chicks it wouldn't be right!:-); Sunday, September 07, 2008
hrugaar said...: Then that'd be sans chic ... but at least they're not hors d'oeufs. :)

Um, what do you do with their eggs, Satima, as you've said you don't eat them yourself?; Sunday, September 07, 2008
Satima Flavell said...: Or camp followers (hors de combat) Me, I prefer to follow straight guys anyway:-) (Gee, how punny can we get here?)

I am foisting lovely fresh eggs onto all my friends, and lemons and silver beet too. Pity you guys aren't here to share the spoils.; Sunday, September 07, 2008
Anonymous said...: Hi Satima...I enjoyed meeting the sweet chookies and spending time with you last weekend. Enjoy your stay in Perth...stay warm....and when the sun starts to blare and burn, think of me on the other side of the world shivering my noogies off! xxx; Saturday, September 13, 2008
Satima Flavell said...: Oh, great to hear from you, Cam! You must get a blog when you go back to the States as it's a really fun way to stay in touch and to disseminate info. Kinder than email, too, because friends don't feel obliged to reply when they have nothing to say! Just a word to say, "Yes, I'm still alive and thinking of you" is enough to keep the link alive.; Saturday, September 13, 2008

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