Comings and Goings at The Hideaway in Le Marche

Wedding Bells at The Hideaway

2010-06-13T21:17:00.002+02:00

This week we have our first wedding party at The Hideaway. We had a wonderful day yesterday with a beautiful service at Penna followed by the amazing reception at Calderola Castle before returning to The Hideaway for the evening BBQ. Congratulations to Naomi and Lewis. We wish you all the best for a very happy life together.

What Time Is It?

2010-05-03T09:08:00.000+02:00

The Crocus Have Arrived ....

2010-02-27T12:39:00.003+01:00

And so with them.... a beautiful Spring Day in Le Marche.

Time to dust down and clean up. Busy getting the garden ready as it won't be long now till the Summer is here.

It feel so fresh and Springy. The birds are singing and Mr and Mrs Blue Tit have been to visit the nesting box. Hope they like it and move in soon.

We even had 3 eggs from our 4 hens this morning. Amazing as we have only been having 1 a day for the last 3 months. Even the hens must be feeling Springy!

I've Heard of Chicken in a Basket.....

2010-01-27T17:55:00.008+01:00

But have you every heard of chicken in a black bin bag?

Well admittedly it has gone very cold these last few days, but Thelma has been taking straw into an old black bin liner in the chicken pen, then snuggling down, with the plastic wrapped round her neck, to lay her eggs.

Bet you don't get chickens in carrier bags like this in Sainsbury's or eggs for that matter?

We have found though, that since the cold snap, only one of the hens seem to be laying. We have tried getting up really early, so they get as much light as possible, but even so, we don't seem to be getting more than one egg a day. Looking forward to the spring, when hopefully we will be laying to full capacity once again.

Weather!

2010-01-27T17:12:00.007+01:00

Well it has been a funny old winter so far.

Christmas saw the amazing highs of 25oC and whilst we were freezing back in the UK, friends at home in Italy were dining outside in the sunshine on Christmas Eve. Who would have ever thought this would be possible!

So now as we approach the end of January, it is our turn for the snow and the ice and white stuff has arrived. It's been snowing since last night and the forecast for the next week is looking very white indeed. A welcome relief for those chaps who run the local ski resort up at Sassotetto, who's season so far this year can only be described as 'very short'!

Looking forward to getting out and about over the weekend with the dogs, taking lots of wintery shots with the new camera and maybe getting in a spot of skiing? So watch this space.

Not Sure Who He Is?

2009-10-28T20:16:00.003+01:00

Anyone any idea who this beautiful beetle is - we found him on the top of the dog kennel and he is very shiny!

Autumns Finally Here

2009-10-11T13:39:00.004+02:00

Well it's that time of year again and Autumn is finally here (although you would never know it - it was 32oC yesterday!).

Really love this time of year - beautiful shades as the trees change colour, chestnuts roasting and pumpkins all around, smoky fires and mist in the valley.

But our one of our favourites must be all the chestnut festivals around the area. Delicious cakes filled with rich chestnut puree, grilled meats and of course vino cotto.

Visited the festa at Montefalcone last night and it's Smerillo next week so lots more wonderful photo opportunities around every corner.

Rusty's Not Too Happy

2009-09-09T21:56:00.001+02:00

Somethings gone a bit wrong and Rusty isn't very happy. First of all we find Jessie eating the chicken food and now the chickens have moved into the dog kennel.

Why do we seem to attract all the strange animals at The Hideaway?

My First Fungus Foto Sale

2009-07-24T17:33:00.010+02:00

Well imagine my surprise when I received an email this morning - my very first digital photo has been sold on-line!

A woodland mushroom we spotted whilst walking near the amazing Lama Rosa pinacles at Lago di Fiastra.

We could have missed them so easily, disguised amongst the leaves, but they were in fact quite huge - about 9" in diameter.

Love the way the light shines through the patterned underside and the way it nestles on the various autumunal leaves.

Purple Eggs....Purple Eggs

2009-07-18T20:23:00.004+02:00

Well its that time of year again and the hens (well Alice in particular) have been eating the elderberries.

Amazingly enough the first egg laid today was covered in purple speckles! Wonder if it tastes of elderberries too!

We have been told by a reliable source that the elderberrry has the highest levels of vitamins of any fruit/ tree.

Just hope Alice, Gerry, Thelma and Louise apperciate all the good nutrients they are getting!

The Sunflowers Have Arrived

2009-07-18T17:20:00.004+02:00

Summer is truely here - the sunflowers have arrived and they seem to be everywhere.

Loads more than last year and so much prettier than that boring corn which often graces our fields.

They are so beautiful and the bees love them too.

Here's to a 'happy summer',

Haystack Hound

2009-07-17T22:37:00.003+02:00

Well Jessie this evening has found a new sport. And one that she could win the Olympic gold medal in...... Haystack Jumping.

If it wasn't an official sport before, it is now and she just loves it.

She can jump onto a huge haystack in a spilt second and from all sides too!

Must see if we can enter her into the 2012 Olympics.

Rusty meanwhile just stands there yapping and wondering what all the fuss is about.

Fireflies and Flowers

2009-07-07T14:25:00.005+02:00

Just spotted an amazing sight - hundreds of fireflies on the onion flowers.

Really not sure why they like them so much, but it did give us some fantastic photo opportunities.

(and we needed a use for the onions as they were no good for eating this year!)

Our First Home Grown Garlic Is Here to Blow Your Head Off!

2009-07-07T14:04:00.006+02:00

Well we have just harvested our first consignment of garlic and WOW it certainly does blow your head off.

Guaranteed to keep any vampires away forever!

Now we just need to work out the best way to store it. Any tips welcome.

This Is What You Call An Egg

2009-05-18T15:12:00.004+02:00

Its over 3 inches long - as Alice is our smallest hen. Bet that made her eyes water.

Egg on left, a normal chicken size egg.

Egg on right, an extra special, Alice eggstravaganza!

Meet Flop

2009-05-07T20:03:00.003+02:00

Meet Flop. He arrived at The Hideaway after our visit on Monday to the Canine Defence League in L'Aquila. We had been collecting donations for dog food all week and decided that Monday was delivery day. Nearly a ton of dog food was safely taken and we had to pass through some of the more devastated areas.

It was very distressing, especially as torrential rain fell on the tendapoli - over 12000 people forced to live in rows and rows of blue tents, some unable to return as their homes destroyed, some too frightened to return home.

We knew that it was going to be a difficult day. There are over 420 dogs needing to be rehomed - the forgotten victims of the earthquake.

As we had a look round the immaculatly kept kennels, ran by only 4 full time dedicated staff and unpaid helpers. All the dogs were watererd, fed and cleaned, despite there being row after row of outdoor kennels for them to look after. These animals in a way are so lucky to be alive and living here - so many other kennels in Italy are dreadful, indoors, smelly, hot and the dogs housed in tiny crates stacked high on top of wach other.

Towards the end of our tour (we were taking as many pictures of the dogs as possible so that we can build a website to sponser and hopefully rehome some of them), we spotted 'Flop', hiding at the back of his kennel, running backwards and forwards. As the other visitors passed by and left us alone, I put my hand out through the bars and he came up and licked my fingers then sat in front of me and just 'posed' for the photo above! How could I resist him - he was just so beautiful.

Mark came along 'no.....no.....NO' - 'oh but pleeeeeeaaaasee' I pleaded and guess who won in the end - Flop and me!

He was taked to be de-ticked and as the documentation was compleated, I though 'now only 419 more to find homes for' but as I turned around, one of the helpers stood behind me clutching a tiny puppy, just found in the rubble of a nearby house. Oh damn, back up to 420 again!

Flop came home with us to The Hideaway, covered in scabs and sores and settled in immediatly. He is just the most loving, friendly dog who is the perfect pet even though he has been traumatised by the eathquake, lost his owners and been carted away to the kennels.

Whatever stories lie untold behind those beautiful brown eyes, will stay with Flop forever but at least hopefully we can say we have helped ease the pain.

Jesse's Beautiful Brother

2009-04-30T21:18:00.004+02:00

Well we were lucky enough to meet Jesse's beautiful brother on their 7 month birthday on Saturday. We had great fun watching them as it was the first time they had been together since they were a month old. At first there was the usual sniffing, jumping around and mayhem, but very quickly they were off - running along the beach together as if they had never been apart.

We threw sticks into the sea and Jesse was off - her webbed feet making her an excellent swimmer and so fast. Harry was a little more cautious and preferred to paddle in the shallows.

Even when we threw a huge long sticks, Harry would rather watch than help - never mind Jesse - next time you can teach him how to swim! It was a lovely afternoon and we were happy to meet Harry's parents for the first time too. Here's to the next family outing!

Eggs, Eggs, Eggs, Eggs

2009-04-30T20:57:00.008+02:00

At last we have eggs...... and lots of them!

First there was the egg laying lesson two days ago, where Gerry very kindly took the new hens to show them where and how to egg.

Then there was a lot of noise going on for about 20 minutes and the next thing you know....... 4 eggs in the nest. Amazing - we were just trying to decide wether to eat Thelma or Louise first, they must have heard us.

Looks like there is no chicken tonight!

Comings and Goings in the Bird Box

2009-04-30T20:42:00.005+02:00

Really not sure what is going on in the bird box this week - one minute the golden oriole is moving in and the next minute a nuthatch. The blue tits were resident last year, so maybe they are trying to find the best tenants! If they both stay will we get golden nuts or oriole hatches? Who can tell?

Will keep you posted!

The Hens - Good News and Bad News

2009-04-01T21:43:00.002+02:00

Well would you like the good news or the bad news first. The Good news is that all four of our feathered friends seem to be getting on much better (see photo of all four within one step of each other) and there is much less feather pulling or scratching this week.

The bad news is that Thelma and Louise don't seem to know how to lay an egg between them, despite Alice and Gerry bucking up their ideas and providing us with an egg each every morning!

So where do we start trying to teach the youngsters - they have had their 30 days that we were told would take for them to settle in - do we have to act out egg laying ever morning or show them my casserole dish. Either way they will have to start earning their keep soon - chicken food doesn't grow on trees you know!

Meet The Rest Of The Puppies

2009-03-21T21:21:00.006+01:00

Well this week it is the puppies 1/2 year birthday and to celebrate we're off to the beach - so stay posted as its bound to be eventful.

Hopefully we may be meeting up with Harry - Jesse's brother, but in the meantime meet the other 3 : Alfie (aka Little Bear) Bertie (aka Scruffy) and Maya (aka Big Bear).

They certainly have grown a bit since the photo's and despite needing constant attention, feeding every couple of hours, clearing up the mess afterwards and lack of sleep, it was worth every minute of the hard work to see them all health and full of life!

Will They or Won't They?

2009-03-21T15:11:00.011+01:00

After sucessfully raising (not personally I may add), a flock of 7 blue tits last year in our fig tree and watching them grow, tweet, poke their heads out, be fed constantly by their parents, attempt to fly and eventually leave the nest, we have been watching the comings and goings of 2 adult blue tits, trying to decide whether to nest in our box this year.

Hopefully they are our babies who have returned as we really spoilt them last year with seeds and nuts, a water bath and lots of moss for the nest building process.

Really wish they would make their minds up as there are not many nesting boxes in this neck of the woods - Italians would rather shoot and eat them than provide homes for them!

Bet the blue tits wished they had decided earlier to - it's a blizzard out there and already 8" of snow has fallen today! Well the box is still vacant as I type - there have been several inspection visits from both potential parents but the 'for sale' sign is still up, so it looks like they haven't made their minds up just yet.

It was one of the highlights of last year, watching day by day, the babies growing, then being about 3 feet away from the nesting box as one by one their mother decided she had had enough of their constant tweeting and it was time for them to leave! She pushed the first one out - he really didn't want to leave the comfort of the box and eventually he flew to the nearest branch of the fig tree. Tweet, tweet, tweet he went (always 3 tweets).

The next one was even more hesitant but 20 mins later, braved it at last and stretched his wings, flying right up to the roof of the house. Eventually all had been evicted but we could still hear tweeting from the box as the mother flew away for the last time. We waited a couple of hours to see if she would return, but alas she never came back and the tweeting seemed to be getting weaker. Eventually we decided to have a look into the box and on the bottom of the box nestled a tiny little baby, much smaller than the rest.

We hoped their mother would return overnight but sadly, when we went to check in the morning the little one had died. In the corner of the box was another very tiny baby, only maybe a day or two old - there must have been a reason for him to perish - maybe so that all the othe's could survive.

The other 7 were high in the tree-tops as they dared to fly further afield and throughout the summer they would return, flitting from acaccia to acaccia, tweet, tweet, tweet!

Now we wait to see if once again they nest in our box- just hurry up please and build that nest before you freeze out there!

Oriole's In The Old Oak Tree

2009-03-17T19:43:00.005+01:00

Spring is definitely on its way in Le Marche and to prove it we have just got the Oriole's (and it isn't a disease). Golden ones to be precise, in the old oak tree and they wake you up really early in the morning! If it wasn't enough with Jesse waking us to the sound of bin rummaging at 6.30am because we have forgotten to put it outside the night before, now we have the Golden Orioles too.

Their sound is beautiful and it is lovely to wake up to - really - would rather listen to them any day than rush hour traffic, lorries or other suburban rubbish and now we have just one problem - spotting them! Its impossible - they love to be high in the tree tops and our old oak tree is HUGE. Looks like we are never going to set eyes on the little chaps at this rate.

Binoculars - no way - Marks giant telescope - maybe. Will let you know as soon as one is sighted!
P.S Above picture is not ours - courtesy of the R.S.P.B thanks

Creatures

2009-03-16T16:39:00.004+01:00

Is it only us that attracts 'strange' animals? - our dogs insist on breaking into the chicken pen and rapidly scoffing down the strange yellow chicken food - we know they do it because it sticks to their chins so its no good them denying it. Now we have just found the chickens in the house eating the dog food!

Its bad enough having to race Jesse to the dog kennel to retrieve the newly laid eggs from Alice and Gerry as they refuse to lay their eggs in their chicken house but every day make the journey across the car park to the dog kennel, where 2 eggs are promptly delivered.

After the last few weeks of trying to persuade Jesse to go into the kennel, now we are trying to keep her out!

Maybe our new chickens (Black Rocks a friend recently pointed out), will bring a little normality to The Hideaway. We have had them 3 weeks this week so they should start laying any day (hopefully in the right place). Thelma and Louise are so friendly and love human company but have just started to make noises just like a car horn, so we keep thinking we have someone coming down the driveway - things are going weird already!

Just wondering now what our next pet will be to add to the collection - any suggestions more than welcome.

The Arrival of the Puppies!

2009-02-03T13:24:00.003+01:00

Well little did we know in on a sunny day in Autumn 2008, that our lives were going to change once again.

We came to hear a dreadful story about sack of six two day old puppies found abandonned in a ditch near Gualdo. The couple who found them had been working 24 hours a day to keep them alive and were doing a wonderful job as they were all so healthy even the little black runt of the family.

They were in a desparate situation as, unwillingly, they had to return to live in the UK and couldn't bear to leave the puppies. So being a soft touch, as soon as we saw them we knew we had to take over - these little fighters really deserved a chance at life! So on a September morning we journeyed out and retuned home with a box of 4 week old puppes. Luckily our new found friends had managed to find homes for two of the little beauties, so the remainding four landed at The Hideaway. Things were never to be the same again......

Somehow we decided that the little black pup was the one we were going to keep - so tiny and cute and full of life. We named her Jesse. Soon we found out that the vet thought they were Maremanna cross Spaniel so they would grow up to be huge dogs - will be some time yet though (or so we thought!).

Our daily routine soon revolved around the new arrivals - feeding time was messy, fun and chaotic, but somehow we managed to get them all fed six times a day! After weeks of very little sleep we eventually we have found homes for every one and one by one they went to live with their new Mum's and Dad's.

Big Bear, Little Bear and Scruffy - they now have loving families and we have some lovely new human friends too. We will miss having them all, but we see them regularly to keep up with their progress and the puppies love getting together and charging round the garden at 100 km's an hour! Now they are 5 months old - all very different from each other, but all beautiful and so healthy - a happy ending to the sad sad story!

Introducing the Family

2009-02-03T12:36:00.001+01:00

Well let's introduce you to our family at The Hideaway. We seem to have a knack of unwanted animals

'finding' us and have come to realise that this is probably just the start!

A year ago a friend said 'have you heard about the little dog found near Amandola.......' He had 'lost' himself and friends of friends had found him outside their house, refusing to move from the front door step. As soon as we saw him with his little wobbly leg (presumably he had been in an accident many years ago and he had not been fixed at the time), we fell in love ith him. Within a week, our little Rusty had arrived. He was such a quiet little chap - not a sound from his lips and was so well behaved.

He soon settled in and enjoyed walks out and tearing round the garden. He had to have some tests at the vets as one day we noticed he was loosing blood and these revealed a multitude of problems. But €300 later we had a new dog - barking non stop as his tonsillitis had been cured! Some rare worms which had been living inside him were all evacuated after lots of huge injections. The vet was fascinated by these as they are caused by living rough and eating raw chicken and they are normally only found in wild dogs.

Now Rusty really has his feet (even the wonky one) under the table and is spoilt rotten!