Hodgekin prototype #2!

The hedgehog fur arrived today :’O it is wonderful stuff. It’s gelled Schultz mohair, so the tips are spikey but not sharp or hard, just stiff. Perfect for hedgehogs!

These guys will have little feet maybe, I’m not sure, but they probably will.

What do you think?

Alpackins!

Alpackins are curly furred balls with resin, handpainted alpaca faces and little felt ears. They are about 4” diameter, weigh 100g each and are filled with dried split peas and fluff. 

They are handsewn and the original alpaca face was sculpted in polymer clay, then moulded and cast in resin. They have been painted with acrylics and then varnished several times, so they can be dropped and shouldn’t scratch, although they are not indestructible. They are a limited run with a maximum of 20 being made, this is the first batch of ten!

Alpackins are a perfect and thoughtful gift for anyone you know with alpacas, or for the aspiring smallholder in your life. Real alpacas are expensive and need things like food and space, but alpackins are happy with a shelf or desk to loiter on. You could even hide one in a mug and surprise guests. Hours of fun to be had and no cleaning up afterwards!

Alpackins are now up for sale on my Etsy! £16.50 + P&P (£4.50 to US) (That’s roughly $32!)

We were adventuring in abandoned houses yesterday and found this cool swallows nest in the hall.

Bombur the pint sized bantam taking on Rouko. Don’t think you’ll win this one Bombur.. 

Buddies in the garden - Dino, Golly and Bombur. 

Dino is a maran, Golly is a goose (don’t know which type) and Bombur is a millefleur barbu d’uccles bantam. SMALLEST CHICKEN EVER

Glamour (?) shot of my turkey, Tinsel

Yesterday evening I was working on a commission and Tinsel came in looking for mealworms. Then Dino (the black one), then Baba (the beigeish one) and then Guillemot (the stripey one). They all wandered around cherping and looking for mealworm crumbs, then Tinsel settled down and they all had a nap on my doormat! It was the sweetest things, those chickens are so dorky.

Guillemot stood on Tinsel at one point and Tinsel squawked and got up then started displaying to him! It was amazing! He’s only started doing it in the past couple of days but he’s so impressive when he does. I can’t WAIT for him to get bigger!

Milo and I went down to the beach.

Recipe for Luxury Fat Balls

• 2 cups dried mixed fruit
• 1 cup shelled sunflower seeds
• 1 cup “cockatiel mix” (white millet, red millet, sunflower seeds etc)
• 1 cup parmesan rind (chopped)
• 1/2 cup dried meal worms
• 1/2 cup stale bread
• 500g lard 

1. In a bowl mix all the dry ingredients.
2. Melt the lard in pan over a low heat. 
3. Once the lard has melted, pour into dry ingredients and mix well.
4. Leave to soak and cool for about fifteen minutes.
5. Pour into containers (polystyrene cups, old yoghurt pots etc).
6. Place in fridge to cool.
7. Once cool, turn out of pot onto bird table. 

I made these for my birds (japanese and texan A&M quails, french partridges, fischer’s lovebirds, chickens & a turkey) to help them stay warm in the winter. I’ve made them before but never with so many ingredients! I really do spoil these birds.

The newest addition to my menagerie, two Fischer’s Lovebirds! An early birthday present for Rob, who is visiting this weekend and so I thought I’d show him now…

They’re only 12 weeks old so I have high hopes for taming them. They are the sweetest most beautiful birds ever! (Poor quails/partridges/turkey/chickens)