Lulu Carter

Rhubarb and Alice

The girls are in.

Poor Harriet is stunned and thinking that whilst they are simply TOO big to contemplate chewing on-they do make interesting viewing.Rhubarb and Alice return the gawking.They are also hysterically funny when a plane goes over head-necks extended and heads bobbing in all directions.And they make this sweet gentle chirping sound as they go about their business.

We picked them up yesterday,driving for over an hour to choose them,hold teeny chicks and watch some hatch and get the pep talk on how to get the girls settled.They have never had a slab of watermelon or a peanut butter sandwich(I am told that chooks LOVE these!) or a lettuce leaf.Slowly does it with introducing our food when they have been used to the nasty looking crumble mix.They are very curious about us and getting used to the boys "perkurk perkurk"ing their way around the garden.

We also reinstated the worm farm ( we lost them to very ecstatic birds after heavy rain last year as they all wiggled free of the farm and became easy pickings on the lawn).The veges are going back in next weekend after the containers arrive.We are thinking of getting a couple of small fruit trees.

We have a tiny garden but so much can be grown in it and it is the loveliest feeling walking outside to see whats ripe.We missed it.Eggs and hen chatter will be a lovely extra.

The chicken man asked the boys yesterday where eggs come from. He was pleasantly surprised when they answered "chickens".He then asked them where milk comes from."Cows and goats" they replied.Apparently, when he does the school rounds with the hatchlings and asks the children these questions,the answers are usually " the supermarket" and "out of a bottle in the fridge".How sad.Are we missing something vital here?

We are a long way off from egg collecting as Alice is 16 weeks and Rhubarb is 18 weeks.Poor little Rhubarb has plucked her tail feathers out as had all the 18 weekers.They were bored.Pottering around our garden in a few weeks and munching on kitchen scraps should hopefully cure that : )

Ok,back to the weekend.There are a couple of sweet young ladies who are begging to be checked on!!

xxxx

scenes from a gingerbread house

Tinkering away here.I hope you are too.

Have a happy weekend xxxx

I LOVE THIS SOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!

Try as I might I don't have the right eyebrows.......xxxx

wings and toadstools

A little treat for a birthday girl.Fairys and creatures from the garden was the request.I do hope this little one delivers!

xxxx

my spice of life

This is heaven.

The book is the most regularly used and has been since the moment it arrived.Thats a better run than any other book on my shelf.About 18 months worth I think.Thanks Hugh.You rock!!

Never baked this though.I asked the small people what we should bake for afternoon tea (thankfully I asked them about lunchtime because there is some rising to be done here!) and they stroked the page with the sugar syrup glazed bun.Well you'd be nuts not to right?!?

Even a teensy bit ,shall we say......over cooked on the top?,once that glaze is on there OH MY OH MY!! And I don't even like raisin bread.Warm with butter straight from the oven.Gasp.Dribble.Fight over how many slices you all want.Eat the ends before anyone sees you.Who the hell needs dinner anyway.........

*I replaced the milk with buttermilk(soured milk) as I have a habit of doing this whenever baking and milk is required-it just seems to fluff things up a bit.

My enthusiastic helper-he just about took the dots off the plates!

We are also getting ready to welcome some girls.The excitement!!This is my pep talk to me-" You cannot wait for what you think will happen one day.Go with what you have now".

We have a small SMALL garden but a garden it is and we can get two feathered females in there along with the worms and the veges so why not!

The research on the breeds though......WOW. If we lived in the UK(when we live in the UK) I will get my dream chook mobile and they supply some lovely girls aswell.Until then though, we are building our own and I am trying to track down either Orpington buffs,WIndacottes,Rhode Island Reds,or Welsummers.They are just gorgeous birds and we simply don't eat eggs ever day or even every second day so we don't need to get the egg machines known as Isa Browns.Supporting the old breeds seems a much better idea and I have read more than once that the Isa girls tend to die after a year of daily egg laying.A rough life perhaps?

The boys have already named them in their excitement and the coup is not even completed nor the girls found!!!

And some pretty teasers.I can't show you everything as the recipient visits me!

 

Oh tidbit -How do you pronounce Kaffe Fasset? I've heard Kaffer and I've hear Kaff.Apparently it is 'Kafe' rhymes with 'safe'.Thats on the good authority of quiltland/blogland.Thankfully some who have met him so I believe them!!And he began by dying yarn.How perfect for a colour passion.

And speaking of yarn ,has anyone crocheted with Cascade 220 100% wool from Peru? I know its handwash only but the colours are the best I've seen and given the rainbow colours that have been requested in the form of ripple and hexagon blankets around here,I am going to need ALOT so want to get it right.

Thanks ladies!!

xxxx

server shmerver

Hello!! I'm sorry-its been very blah here with hit and miss internet which ,for a blogland/flickr freak such as myself, was like going cold turkey.Not a pretty site!!Our server has never really liked my computer and this week we have had words.Harsh words.....

Anyway I have  been doing something.And I have discovered husbands limit.I often mention on here how he is so easy about all the prettiness I need and never seems to have issues with it to the point that when I have offered to pull back a bit he has been so sweet as to even look horrified.Bless his cotton socks!

But this people is where he draws the line!

"Its Nanna!!" he squawked."Smelly old peoples homes!!" he cried.I refrained from pointing out that he is not 17 and he will undoubtedly become a 'smelly old person' as he so pleasantly put it.

Its winter.I made it myself.I like it.This ever so soft 'lean on it and you will be eaten by the crochet cushion police' square of happiness is going no-where.Certainly not on husbands side of the bed anyway.

I used lovely Lucys pattern for the summer garden granny square.

And I made myself a lightshade 

Inspired by these from the fabulous Rie Elise Larsen

I have tried in vain to get one or lots (Ha!) online and had no luck so in the end I used seven squares of scrapbooking stiff paper and made one.Very happy I think.It is sitting on the wrong shaped shade though and I will probably paint the base apple green.I'd like to hang some above the kitchen table too.

Happiness is : )

I hope you are having a great week!

xxxx