The boring thread.....

[CHF]

I had some really good news for a change.

Some may recall when last September some idiot backed out his parking space and hit my car's front wing.
The insurance people have been sending me emails all this time,  telling me I might have to go to court miles away,  because the other party was apparently not fully comprehensive insured, so no one would pay for the damage.

I have been worried, as well as fed up with this dragging on and on,  but finally I have just heard my Insurers have managed to reco up their money for my car's repairs at long last.
So its all done and over with at last,  and that is finally that. Hooray.   

That's great news! 

[muddy]

That is good news Mups ! 

[GrannyMac]

Happy belated birthday Alex.  You've had lovely weather for it 🎂 

[Mups]

Thanks very much for your kind replies re  the car accident, folks.   
As you can imagine,  I am very relieved its all over. 

[Mups]

Well I had an exciting night last night.    Sit yourself down with a cuppa and I'll explain.

I was in my kitchen last night,  with the back door open, when I heard some kerfuffle and distress sounds from next door's chickens.  I wondered if a fox had got in,  as something killed his last birds too.
I phoned my neighbour's mobile to tell him he'd best go and check everything, but no answer, so tried his landline  - again no answer, so left a message.
In the end I got my steps out of the shed and had a look over the fence, and saw what the problem was.   One bird seemed to be locked out of it's pen and as it was dusk, she was in a flap trying to get in to roost with the others.
I couldn't get into his garden to help,  as my neighbour had locked up and gone out,  so there was nothing I could do.

Then about midnight I thought I'd best get off to bed, so let the dogs down the garden for their last wee,  and suddenly they went mad and dived in the shrubs barking like mad.   I shot down there to shut them up quick as it was very late at night,  but then heard all this squawking and fluttering,  so grabbed my torch,  and found it was next door's chicken in my garden!

I shut the dogs indoors quick, and sought a way to catch the darn thing as it had already panicked and knocked over some of my pretty plant pots and, I daren't let the dogs down the garden either.

In the end I managed to get the chicken along the side entrance where there is a gate at each end so it couldn't escape or do any damage,  then I got an old towel and eventually managed to throw this over the bird and catch it.   It was squawking and swearing at me but I held on to it and finally popped it into an old cat transport cage I have always kept.  Then what to do with it?

I remembered neighbour had a big problem last summer with a thing that chickens get called 'Red Mite',  and I didn't want to chance keeping it in my shed incase this bird had the mite and it would get into my woodwork,  so in the end I took it round to his house.   
By then it was about 12.40 a.m.  this morning!   His front room light was still on, but I daren't disturb him that time of night  (he's over 80),  but I found he hadn't locked his outside porch door,  so stuck the cage in his porch and came away.   That's all I could do. 

This morning he came round and brought my cage back and thanked me,  but then he said all the chicken wire on the pen  was falling apart and rusty and the bird had been out running around all day!
I was not amused.   If he knew the run was damaged why not mend it before now!   And he knew the bird couldn't get to bed,  yet just went out and left it to fend for itself!

I also told him about all the Rats which are coming in to get his chicken food.  He denied this,  so I told him to look properly, because there are tunnels all along our diving fence coming from his garden and what's more,  I have been baiting and they have taken NINE  lots of rat bait overnight in just the last two nights  - so don't tell me there is not a problem!!   
It's not easy me trying to bait safely where I can be sure  my own dogs can't get anywhere near it too.

I wish if people wanted animals they were more committed to caring for them properly,  its not fair on the animals and not fair to neighbours either.

Moan over.   

[Michael Rolls]

but well deserved!

[Scrumpy]

Interesting story Mups.. You did the right thing.. I would have done exactly the same.. The loose chicken must have been worried.. Imagine a fox on the prowl. !! It wouldn't have stood a chance..
So, the old boy is eighty.. !! Whatever age he needs putting right.. If we have pets.. indoors or out we need to protect them..

Bloody hot here.. Family day here tomorrow.. temps set to drop.. I do hope so.. My feet and legs don't like it too hot..