The mysterious Mrs Mac....

Well, well, well!     readers may recall that in September my three gorgeous chickens (Mrs Mac, Val and Mick) started behaving strangely - refusing to go to bed, roosting up in the trees and running amok with the cows in the field.... then they disappeared and were never seen again.     I wept a bit as I scoured the local forest and bushes and eventually accepted they were gone and had probably made a fine dinner for Mr and Mrs Fox and their family - survival of the fittest?

Then about two days ago I spotted Jeff lurking down by the chicken shed.  I thought he was measuring up to extend the run in readiness for new chickens planned for next spring.... then today he led me down the garden to 'see something' and there was Mrs Mac in her coup!!

It seems in the last few days Jeff had seen fleeting glimpses of a sleek, black Mrs Mack zooming in and out of the garden near the coup.   Unbeknown to me he had gone down and opened the gate a little to allow her access to the coup.   Then today in she went and..... slam Jeff shut the gate!

So that is the end of free range and Mrs Mac is now safely ensconced in her coup.   We have sent pleas to the farmer nearby to ask for another chicken to come and live through the winter with Mrs Mac..
Of course this all has a very poignant feel as Val and Mick have not reappeared and Val was named after my good friend Val Midgley who died just a few weeks ago   
So here is the heroic Mrs Mac our intrepid bush dweller... after all these weeks when I have been out weeding and mowing and tidying I always had a feeling I was being watched - aha!

The return of Mrs Mack!  after 3 months exploring....

When we got the chickens in the summer we asked the kids to suggest names and Ella has suggested 'Lucky' for Mrs Mac - so maybe we now call her Lucky Mrs Mac.