Beesfield Hen Sanctuary

31/03/2025

It’s time for...
MONDAY MORNING MINDFULNESS 🙏❤️🐓!!
Here we are again, another new week and it’s Monday morning. But this isn’t just any old Monday morning, this is the first one of British Summer Time. If you’re anything like me you’ll be feeling a bit disorientated, especially if you haven’t changed every clock 😵‍💫.
As always we can learn so much from hens. They don’t wear a watch or set an alarm, they rely on nature’s time. If it’s light they’ll get up and if it’s getting dark they’ll make their way to bed and if they’re feeling tired they’ll find a safe place to take a little power nap.
So…. for today’s mindful moment see if you can fit in a little nap. It doesn’t have to be long, but it will help your body rest and get back in line with our ‘new time’.
Have a good week everyone and look after yourselves and others 🥰🧡🐓xx

25/03/2025

Who is this cool dude you may ask ?🤣
Well it’s 2 weeks since my last eye op so im back on light duties! Everywhere seems so bright and clear!

We had a lovely surprise yesterday when Kelly Brittin, one of our hen fosterers, arrived with £116.50 that she had raised for the sanctuary 🥰🥰🥰. We are so grateful Kelly! We will update you on what we have bought for our hens shortly xx

24/03/2025

It’s time for….
MONDAY MORNING MINDFULNESS !!🥰🙏

Well here we are again on a brand new Monday morning - ready for the week ahead 😳.
If, like me, you’re not feeling ready then you might like to start the day with a meditation to set the tone for the week. It doesn’t even matter if you’re in a rush because mindfulness meditation can be done while you’re on the move. It’s a good way of getting in touch with your mind and body and checking in with yourself to see how you feel physically and emotionally.
Mindful walking is a great way to bring yourself back to the present moment and reconnect with your body and mind and can be done anywhere.

So….for today’s mindfulness let’s have a go at using any opportunity we have to walk - maybe from the station to work, around your home or office or anywhere else you find yourself on the move. All you need to do is to notice when each foot connects with the ground, the earth beneath you, and when your foot leaves the ground and steps forward once more. Bring in noticing your breath and how it feels entering and leaving your body. Any time you find yourself lost in thoughts just gently move your attention back to the movement of the breath and body. Notice how you are feeling,both physically and emotionally. Maybe you are holding some tension in your body or mind? Bringing awareness to the sensations in the body is a good way of staying in the present moment. As you finish your walk try to move a little more slowly as you ease yourself into the rest of your day.

Have a good week everyone and be kind to yourselves and others 🙏🥰🐓

17/03/2025

It’s time for…..
MONDAY MORNING MINDFULNESS!! 🧡🐓🙏

Here we are again, the last week has flown by and it’s a new Monday so soon 😳.
We’ve had some lovely weather here at Beesfield but today looks a bit grey… or maybe that’s just the Monday Morning feeling creeping in..

Monday morning is renowned for making us feel negative, but did you know that humans are hardwired to focus much more on negative feelings and situations than positive ones? We’ve inherited this ‘negativity bias’ from our cave men ancestors where being alert for danger was a very good way of keeping alive . Nowadays we rarely have the threat of an animal attacking us but our brains are still designed to stay alert in the same way.

If you are a hen you can leave the worry about predators to your cockerel who will be on the look out for you and will let you know if there’s any problems while you go about your business. So unless you have a cockerel in your life….
The good news is that we, as humans, can use mindfulness to train our brain to turn towards the positive by noticing small things that make us smile. Maybe the sound of a Robin in the morning, the sight of new blossom on a tree or the taste of a cake. So….. for today’s mindfulness let’s be on the look out for the little things that help to lift our spirits. When we come across them then savour them for a while before carrying on with the day 🙂.
Have a good week everyone and be kind to yourselves and others 🥰🧡🐓xx

10/03/2025

Nick and I have been blown away by the kind offers of help while I’m recovering from eye surgery 🥰.

At the weekend we had Nathalie Genevieve Aldridge and Tina from The Shrubbery Veterinary Centre blitzing the coop cleaning. Then this morning the cavalry arrived when Mandy Taylor and Dawn Laws did the rounds with two huge builders’ bags of woodchip, while I sat with little Hedge hen who is a bit off colour.
Thank you so much to everyone who has helped, we are so grateful xx

10/03/2025

It’s time for…….
MONDAY MORNING MINDFULNESS!! 🙏
Hello everyone, here we are again at the start of a new week.
If you are in the same part of the world as us you will have had a lovely, sunny weekend. Now it’s back to work for a lot of us 😳. Even if, like me, you are ‘retired’ or enjoy what you do for work, there can be that old Monday morning feeling.
Mindfulness teachings can sometimes give the impression that it is all about being positive. While positivity has its place, we know that life just isn’t like that all the time. All mindfulness asks of us is to bring awareness to our experience in the moment, whatever that may be. All emotions are valid and how we approach them is the key. Rather than trying to push negative emotions away we are encouraged to notice them with kindness and curiosity. Whatever we are experiencing - joy, anxiety, boredom or peace - will pass.
So.. as you go about your day take time to stop and check in with yourself and see what your emotional weather is like, knowing that it is temporary.

Have a good week everyone and be kind to yourselves and others 🙏🥰🐓

05/03/2025

Today my job is to keep an eye on Maureen as she explores the garden. I will be doing that with my super new eye now I’ve had cataract surgery! The other eye will be done in the next few weeks.

Maureen came to us last year after escaping from the slaughter men. As well as seeing some horrible sights she sustained a neck injury. When she first came here she was the most traumatised hen I have ever seen. She literally screamed every time I went near her 😞. She’s on pain relief, which works well, and now trusts us - but can still be hyper vigilant.
It’s good to see she feels safe enough to snooze in the sun today

03/03/2025

It’s time for…..
MONDAY MORNING MINDFULNESS!! 🙏🧡

Here we are again, the start of a new week and a new month ☀️.
It’s been a very strange time for me here at Beesfield as I’ve had my first of two cataract operations and am not allowed to do anything 😳. However, myself and the hens are being well looked after and it got me thinking about friendship….
Here in the West, mindfulness can sometimes be seen as something that we do for self care alone, whereas in the East, where it originated, it is done to benefit all beings. In fact research has shown that including others in our mindfulness practice has a greater effect on our wellbeing than if we just concentrate on ourself. So how can we do this? There are so many ways of being mindful of others - we can make sure we are listening fully when they are speaking, we can offer help, we can give the gift of time to someone in need or tell a friend why you appreciate them.
So…… for today’s mindfulness let’s spread a little love around and make time to be fully there for others. I’m going to thank Ros O'Donnell and Rachael Taylor for blitzing the coop cleaning on Saturday - we couldn’t manage without you ❤️.

Have a good week everyone and be kind to yourself and others 🙏🥰🐓xx

24/02/2025

Time to have your bathroom redecorated?!

Had to share this article about chicken toilet designs. Great imagination but hell to clean!

https://viralnewsflare.com/viralnews/quirky-chicken-themed-toilets-a-unique-bathroom-trend/

24/02/2025

It’s time for…..
MONDAY MORNING MINDFULNESS!!🙏🥰

Hello again! Another Monday morning so soon 😳. Here at Beesfield we have had a muddy week - as Peggy is modelling on her face 😳. Always the first to appear when a photo is needed! We’ve also been on the receiving end of a lot of kindness this week, with lots of help from our mud-hardy volunteer Ros O'Donnell, offers of help for the next few weeks from lots of people when I’ll be out of action, as well as the donation of a lovely big shade canopy for the hens from Mandy Taylor’s Aunt 🥰
Kindness is also an important component of mindfulness - and one that is often forgotten. We are taught that mindfulness is about moment to moment awareness of what is happening inside us and around us. It’s also important to do this with kind awareness. We may not like the emotion we are feeling, but it is there nonetheless. If we bring kindness to our awareness it helps us to accept what is happening in this moment, whether it is something we like or something we’d rather wasn’t here.
So… as you go about your day remember to add kindness to your moment to moment living.
Have a good week everybody and look after yourselves and others 🥰🐓🧡xx

17/02/2025

A MASSIVE thank you to our lovely friend Nathalie Genevieve Aldridge for getting busy with her sewing machine and making a pile of cosy heated pad covers for the hen hospital 🥰. Her favourite hen is Vivienne, in the picture.
And an extra thank you to her for helping me get out of an awkward situation with a dentist. Long story, nothing sordid, but not hen related 😳🤣
We ❤️Nathalie.

17/02/2025

Maureen and Camilla are ‘helping’ me to de-bug the greenhouse ready for seed sowing 🥰.

17/02/2025

It’s time for….
MONDAY MORNING MINDFULNESS !!🧡🙏

Well here we are again, a new week and another Monday morning…..
We’ve haven’t hosted any large rescues here at Beesfield for a while as I’m waiting to have a couple of eye operations and will be out of action for a bit. I have missed doing them.
It’s so good to see the rescued girls going on to start another chapter in their lives.
I’m always amazed at the resilience of these birds who, despite spending 18 months of their life as commercial egg machines, transition into their next home so quickly.

We humans are often uncomfortable with change, we resist it where possible and become anxious when we are in times of change. However, we can learn to increase our own resilience to change by accepting the idea of impermanence - that everything is changing, around us and within us.

So….. for today’s mindfulness let’s see if we can notice when we are resisting or worrying about change and take a deeper breath to ground ourselves, remembering that change is a natural part of life. Remember the resilience of hens, who live from moment to moment.
Have a good week everyone and be kind to yourselves and others 🐓🙏🧡xx

10/02/2025

It’s time FOR ……
MONDAY MORNING MINDFULNESS!! 🙏🧡

Here we are again, another Monday morning already. Where does the time go?!
Last week was a busy week here at Beesfield as we are still battling the frost, rain, mud and piles of cleaning. I must train the hens to wipe their feet before they go into the coop!
It’s times like this that it’s important to take breaks here and there to rest. But how often do we take a break and REALLY rest? As usual we can learn so much from hens. When hens stop they just sit and watch the world go by, whereas we so often get caught up by distractions, scrolling through social media, reading the news etc.
So… for today’s mindful moment let’s take a proper break. When there’s a gap in your day find somewhere to sit, maybe with a cuppa, and just watch the world go by. When you find yourself getting caught up in thoughts about the past, or what you’re going to do next, just notice this and return to sitting while watching what’s going on around you.
Have a good week everyone and be kind to yourselves and others 🥰🐓xx

06/02/2025

It was a frosty morning here at Beesfield. As always, ice tastes far nicer than water 🥰🐓

03/02/2025

It’s time for…..
MONDAY MORNING MINDFULNESS!!🙏🥰

Hello again! Another Monday morning so soon 😳. Here at Beesfield we have been on the receiving end of a lot of kindness last week, with lots of help from our mud-hardy friends Mandy Taylor and Dawn, and our lovely volunteer, Ros O'Donnell, who has been here for ages and is now part of the furniture 🥰

Kindness is also an important component of mindfulness - and one that is often forgotten. We are taught that mindfulness is about moment to moment awareness of what is happening inside us and around us. It’s also important to do this with kind awareness. We may not like the emotion we are feeling, but it is there nonetheless. If we bring kindness to our awareness it helps us to accept what is happening in this moment, whether it is something we like or something we’d rather wasn’t here.
So… as you go about your day remember to add kindness to your moment to moment living.
Have a good week everybody and be kind to yourselves and others 🥰🐓🧡xx