Yesterday we had planned to visit the Yungaburra markets and
buy four chooks, Isa Browns. Tony has been doing some fowl research and
apparently, Isa Browns are the latest in backyard chooks. And we reckon no back yard is complete without 'happy' chooks.
However, Pepper inadvertently took us on a different path all because, being exceptionally clever and curious, she went investigating in the yard behind ours. She has been
going walkabout to the neighbours on one side, but Tony patched up that broken part of the fence and we thought that was the end of her wandering.
On Friday, Lucky was quacking in an ominous, warning
tone. The kids and I rushed down. Pepper had ‘disappeared.’
‘Pepper. Pepper,’ I
screamed. ‘Pepper Zen, come here.’
Pepper always honks if I call her, but there was nothing. I feared the worst;
she’d got into the diagonal neighbour’s yard to the other side and the massive,
growling mutt that patrols the back fence had eaten her.
‘Pepper, Pepper.’ I
became frantic.
A female's voice, old and acerbic, broke the silence. ‘Are you looking for the duck?’
‘Oh, yes. Where is she?’
‘In MY garden …. AS USUAL.’ I apologised and apologised. ‘Is it a drake or a duck?’
I assured her Pepper was a duck and a very friendly one. ‘I’ll hand her over.’
And she very kindly dropped Pepper over the fence. I just managed to catch her.
I thanked and thanked her, promised her I’d find where Pepper was getting through the fence and fix it.
Then I admonished Pepper before penning her in a tiny area with left over hay bales
till I could buy some security-style fencing for Tony to erect.
‘Tonyyy,’ I always call out when there is a bloke job
confronting me. Fixing up a dodgy fence was one such job.
Tony appeared and I related the dilemma.
He sighed. ‘Go to
the hardware store and get something. I’ll fix it up.’
And that’s how I ended up at the hardware store, not going to Yungaburra markets and rescuing six battery hens.
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