The Chook Who Won't Be Pinned Down

I was actually thinking of posting about how it might be time to rename the Vagabond Chook and call her something like the Clockwork Chook instead when, sure enough, she's suddenly gone all weird and flighty on me. After seven months of staying on the mat, sticking to the backyard, and being extremely calm and regular and orderly in her habits, things are topsy-turvy again.

She no longer turns up loudly demanding her breakfast in the morning as soon as she hears me moving in the kitchen, but is instead doing mysterious whatevers up on the roof (looking at fields afar?) and loudly cackling about them. She's also off patrolling the neighbourhood during the daytime hours again, and when she deigns to stay home, she's very persistent about getting into the house and investigating stuff. Today I walked into my writing room and found her up on my desk intently studying the noticeboard which keeps track of rejected stories that need to be reworked /go out again. Perhaps she's a reincarnated writer trapped in a chicken's body? If so, given her stroppy character, I wonder which one...

Anyway, when I shooed her away, she crankily refused to leave the room, and when I stopped chasing her, she promptly fluttered up onto the spare bed and settled down there, much to Gus's disgust. It was very wet day outside, so I finally let her be just so I could get some work done. Plus, it was pretty cute (and for those who worry / wonder about such matters, she's wonderfully house trained. Not that I trained her. As a chook of independent mind, she trains herself.)

So, whilst the rain hammered down on the roof overhead and the Querulous Chook contentedly snuggled amongst my annoyed cats, I edited 3 stories, subbed two of them, and worked on a piece that an editor rejected but said that she would, based on my past work, look at again if I slowed down and fleshed the story out, which was a nice of her to say in so many ways and I felt quite chuffed when I read the email. Someone out there in the big wide world knows my work! And my usual standards. Imagine that. I have to admit that in so enthusiastically stripping down this particular piece to what I thought was an easier-to-sell length, or rather shortness, I probably went too far, so I appreciate the chance to plump it up again.