Hen House

How cool is this hen house come kitchen garden? By Studio Segers it has a really simple but beautiful aesthetic and being modular the parts are interchangable so you could swap a seat for a rabbit hutch or add a chicken coop next to the compost bin. Ma and Pa don't have chickens anymore but for a while we've been conjuring up an idea to design and build our own. I've been collecting some more ideas here.

Images from Studio Segers 

Dog House

Last night there was an incredible programme on The Secret Life of Dogs. For a dog lover like me the moral of the story was that dogs are amazing, from their ability to guide the blind, to lowering blood pressure with a stroke and a cuddle and even having the capability of sniffing out cancer. Even if Puck hasn't shown any of these skills, he's still my favourite!

At work this website Architecture for Dogs was sent around. Well known architects have design play pieces for dogs of different shapes and sizes and anyone can download the blueprint and make it - what a great idea! From top: MVRDV, atelier bowwow and Toyo Ito. Like the pallet furniture of Studiomama, it's design for sharing. Maybe our plan for designing a chicken coop to take the same ethos...

Images from Architecture for Dogs

HIlarious Chickens

How easy is it to be entertained by a couple of hen? Very!

Dirt Bath

The sun has been out this week; it's felt more like summer than spring. Puck has been able to have a good ol' run around in the garden, whilst the chickens have rediscovered their bathing spot and have been rolling around in the dirt!

Farm Yard

Architecture is back in full swing. CAD, modelling, reading, research, teaching even... there's no rest for the wicked. I'm collecting together sources for my dissertation and I think this video might just be useful. I think I'm going to look at urban agriculture and food production in the city, so I've been saving videos on Vimeo to get started.

Video from chow.com

Chicken Coop

I am a big fan of chickens and innovative design, so I am in awe of the outcomes of these chicken coops, designed and made by high school students. Arranged by Project H, the organisation "uses the power of design and hands-on building to catalyze communities and public education. I makes me so keen to get back into the studio designing again! See more of their videos here.

Video: Studio H: Design. Build. Transform. (Promo #2) from Project H Design on Vimeo.

Cake Tower

During a quiet and relaxing weekend, I often get the urge to bake something. Today I felt like a bit of experimentation, so I made up this recipe for chocolate nutty cupcakes. They're very basically:

4oz sugar creamed into 4 oz marg, pop in two eggs (from the chicks) and then mix in 4oz self raising flour. For the flavour stir in 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder, 2 tblsp of shredded coconut and a small handful of chopped mixed nuts (I used almonds, pine nuts and hazelnuts). Spoon into cake cases and pop in the oven for 15-20mins. Easy!

The pictures are taken with the cake stand which Steph and Lou gave me for my birthday!

Wowee Weather

Raining, scorching... the British summer has gone mad! The veg are liking it in the garden though and the chickens are as boisterous as ever.

Easter Eggs

I love Easter as a time for a big meal with the family, sitting chatting, doing crosswords, having elbow nudges from the dog, playing with the chickens and enjoying the sun. I love long weekends, and especially having two (thanks Wills and Kate!)

Funky Chickens

Spring had sprung it seems! Yesterday we spent the afternoon in the sun at Lou's for our first BBQ of the year with the first glasses of Pimms and playing volleyball. Today the chickens had their house move in the garden, now complete with grass-less patch which we have discovered they love to roll in. Cleans their feathers apparently. They look mad when they do it though!

Hen Hotel

So we have chickens, but you can't take them on holiday with you. Yesterday I read about The Chicken Hotel which pampers your chickens and gives them a break while you're away!

Hen Weekend

As their winter wedding approaches, tomorrow hails that start of my cousin's fiancee's hen weekend - which is a first for me. We're going clay pigeon shooting on Saturday which should be highly entertaining, but hopefully it's in the blood as my brother is an accomplished rifle shooter. So mentioning our feathered friends, above is a snap of Mrs Thatcher looking just as proper and aloof as her namesake! They're laying one or two eggs a day between them, so we're never short!

Jazzy Jumper

One of my favourite blogs to frequent once in a while is Copenhagen Street Style, so it was interesting this morning to see this girl wearing a jumper similar to the one I am hoping to create!

We've had big news in the hen house- our first egg!! It was found lying in the run yesterday (they obviously haven't quite caught on to the idea of the "nesting box" - we'll give them time) but we didn't expect to get one after just a week! They've all got such characters: Polly (the featherless one, which I named) is the most confident and will come up and say hello, and peck Puck when he threatens to bark. The other two are still unsure and shy, but we can easily tell the difference as Henrietta's crown flops to the left and Mrs Thatcher's to the right! (geddit?!)

Today I'm going to a mini-festival in Surrey called MATTfest started by a uni friend - called Matt - and raising money for charity, should be fun!

Introducing...

Polly, Henrietta and Mrs Thatcher!

Yesterday evening we were finally graced with the presence of the newest members of our clan - the hens! A very adaptable species are settling in to their new home very well. Polly is the least feathered, she's yet to be 'normal' pre-battery self but she's a little spirit. Henrietta and Mrs T are basically fully feathered and the latter I can imagine will live up to her name, she's a big lady! Henny stands her ground too! So I will be updating on the progress of the girls and wondering when the first egg might be laid...

Come Dine

Following the TV phenomenon that is Come Dine With Me, a bunch of my friends invited me to be part of our very own cooking competition. The other week we decended on Ree's house where he cooked us a Jamie Oliver dish of chicken on a bed of roasted sweet potato with a summer salad (which wasn't the exact title but will do for now!) and a lemon tart for dessert. That was delish! Steph's camera recorded us giving our scores (which everyone shared apart from me so we can't actually work out who's won before the last night!) and there'll be some prize money!

This morning I watched Saturday Kitchen, which I love, and I think I have gained some inspiration for my dish when it comes around to being my turn. Here it is! I've only recently got into fish and I reckon this could be a good way of me getting into cooking it. As for dessert, I'm not sure still but Ma picked about 120 plums from the garden the other day, so maybe something plum-y? Here has lots of ideas.

Also, the hens are arriving today!!!

Image from Jamie Oliver - grilled butterflied monkfish with a sweet runnerbean stew - another possibility?!

Hen House

To add to our seasoned vegetable patch at the bottom of the garden, in a few weeks we'll have a few battery rescue hens. I'm so excited for them to arrive; I've already got some great ideas for names. I've watched The Private Life of Chickens on BBC iPlayer which was so interesting, and really showed the character, adaptability and intelligence of the birds. No doubt I'll be posting our progress when they arrive
Image from The Telegraph Magazine

Buzzing Bees

Today I popped down into the village with Ma and Pa to visit the Epsom Apiary. I've lived here all my 21 years but even now I'm discovering these little places. Mum's been interested in starting a bee keeping course for a while, which alongside our chickens (which will be arriving in a few weeks) will make us right ol' suburban hippies!
We even tried some honey mead, an ancient alcoholic beverage which was drunk at weddings before grapes were brought over to the UK. It's where the word "honeymoon" comes from. You learn a new thing every day!

Cluck Cluck

I want chickens! Last year on holiday the gite that we stayed at had some (above) and then watching The Edible Garden, Alys Fowler had a couple. And a family down the road do! For the last year or so I've been really getting into the idea of urban agriculture and my vegetable cultivation has started slowly. So why not add hens into the equation.

We've been researching getting some former battery hens, who would otherwise be slaughtered. The British Hen Welfare Trust has lots of info and local co-ordinators - even one in our town! So I reckon it won't be long til we have our own cluckers in the garden...

Snaps

My films have been developed from our holiday in France, here are some of the best bits! I'm especially happy how the knitting needles came out!