Two New Flighty Little Girls!

No sooner had I hinted on the last post that maybe we could do with some 'new blood' amongst our 'raggle tag' of chickens, than Hubby P suggested we went to 'go see' if the Feed Merchant has any for sale.

And look what we came home with!

Apparently, or so Barry - the Feed Merchant says, there is a real shortage of chickens across the country - must be the 'Green' effect, all this Hugh Fernley Ate-it-all, Jamie and whatnot! -Everyone wants chickens!

Barry usually has a few breeds to choose from, but at the moment all he could get hold of were fairly ordinary Warrens - but I don't mind - we can't all be gorgeously glamorous! the world would be a dull place!

They are fitting in quite nicely - its always a bit hard to watch them being bullied at first, by the older Matrons of the flock, but eventually they all settle down together.

And look what they produced on the second day!

How clever is that - laying their little legs off straight away!

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And how's Your garden growing? I found this heart warming sight this morning!




Pretty little daffs pushing their way through the cold dark earth - surely Spring must be on its way!

This is the last of the leeks - looking very battered ans sorry for themselves!

I must pull them this week and perhaps make some nice warming soup! Although its nice and mild here today - a bit damp but nice. Its so mild I am sat with the windows and door open - no fire lit yet, thought I would air the house - get some nice fresh air in!

Yesterday I spent potting on this years leeks - can you see them? Just like tiny wisps of grass - isn't nature wonderful - to think this Autumn they will be nice fat juicy leeks all ready for a nice cheese sauce!

As you can see there are also tomatoes and peppers there too. I have tried to get an early start with them - just hope they do ok.

Having a wander outside I see the few little cloves of garlic I just pushed into the soil have done really well.

I have put some shallots in the other half of the tin bath, but no signs of life there yet.

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Not a great deal of crafting being done - I am trying to do some decorating, as and when my arms are up to it - its a slow process!

I have been doing a bit of crochet at night, watching the TV or listening to our gramophone - Hubby P is gathering together a great collection of old vinyl. Last night we listened to 'That'll Be The Day' lots of great Rock'n Roll! -Everly Brothers, Little Richard, The Platters,Billy Fury etc. Hubby P had a nostalgic evening, regaling me of tales of the days when he was a Teddy Boy!

Just getting back into crochet - so the little squares - made from scraps of wool , I have put together to make a nice warm blanket for our bed.

Its very colourful - I am using all the tiny bits of wool, the one's that we keep - too much to throw away, but really not enough to make anything! So Thrift, Thrift!!!

I embroidered and made the knitting bag when I was expecting my eldest - I spent some time in hospital - I remember sitting in the hospital bed sewing away, kept the boredom at bay! I gave the completed bag to my Mum as a Christmas present, Mum is no longer with us, so its back with me. Isn't it funny how everyday utility items can have a story all of their own!


Bye for now! xxxxx

Jolly Well Done!!

Celebration!! Spring has arrived!!

Well at least 'Our Girls' seem to think so! One of them has a spring in her step this morning, and produced this! Our first egg this year.

Of course they were all too modest to let on who had produced the first 'Herald' of Spring.

Whichever brave soul, did very well - they are all in their dotage really, I think we may add a couple of youngsters to their merry band this year.

Anyway the little egg is very welcome, just the thing for Hubby P's tea, with a rasher of bacon!

Tis' his'One Weakness' !

~~x~~

Whats New! Lots of Pic's today!

Well! Whats New!

This is in disgrace! Dryer Thou is't Bad!!!

As you can see I have banished it to the naughty corner and covered it with a cloth.

We have to take drastic action - we are on power cutting/cost cutting exercise. Hubby P - Bless him, likes to know what he is spending and thus we have always had a pre-pay meter for the electricity. It works well - no big quarterly bills etc. But just recently - I'm sure I can see steam coming out of his ears when he looks at the meter - it just has such an enormous appetite, it eats money!

So the Big Clampdown - the dryer ( a real lazy option - we have a wood burner with hanging space for washing to dry!) - well the dryer was just too handy - next to the washer, to just throw wet washing into. So now it has been banished to the conservatory - to be used only in emergencies!

I'm keeping an eagle eye on the switching off of lights and 'standbys', and I even managed to cook a whole dinner in the oven last night, cooked potatoes in their jackets, braised veg in a covered dish - they filled the oven alongside the chicken and stuffing!

What a job this Thrifting is! - I suppose its just a case of a lot more planning. I have put my big freezer on Freecycle, I will manage with the smaller one - and make sure I use the food in there in rotation (as you should, rather than being lazy and grabbing the first thing that comes to hand!). Looking in the larger one earlier in the week, it was running away ( with Hubby P's precious electricity!) and not even half full.

'Needs Must' as they say, and I can't see the cost of fuel coming down very much in the near future - so there we have it. I haven't got the candles out just yet!

Emptying the larger freezer left me with lot of apples to use, so I made a batch of Apple Chilly Jelly - well I eat it by the bucket full! It is rather scrummy!

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Car Boot Sale finds!
Had a nice day yesterday at the Car Boot Sale, the sun was out, so there were a few more stalls browse.






A new little hat for summer! only 50p!

This little picture of a pretty lady - rather battered and without a frame, but she's too pretty to end up in the landfill.

I might kind of scrap book her -sort of, find some nice decoupage flowers and things to frame her.

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A nice little parcel came earlier in the week.

I had bought some little badges from a Etsy shop - Deb, who came to visit a while ago, is a illustrator, she has such a wonderful imagination! Check out her Blog - theimaginationofladysnail.blogspot.com/ (The imagination of lady snail)

She sent me a darling little notelet.

And the cute little badges!

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Hubby P - on one of his Lunchtime ramblings found me this little display shelf - thingy!

He tours all the Charity shops (I say all - I think there are two in the small town in which he works!). He is such a regular the old Ladies look for him coming - and its a case of - 'could you just fix the pricing gun, toaster, reach something down off the high shelf, carry these heavy boxes out side' etc!

I have used it to display all my vintage perfume bottles and what not.

They are things I use everyday - I wear the old perfume, well it will only gradually evaporate over time, I have it to enjoy it!

So I put the little shelf thing just under my makeup mirror, just where its handy.

I have a collection of vintage lipsticks too - I don't wear them - the colours are a bit too outrageous - even for me. And they taste awful, what was it they use to make them from - whale blubber - Yuk!

Ta Ta for now xx Take care xx

Snowdrops! So Pretty!!

The hedge across from our little cottage has produced the most wonderful show of snowdrops, turning the brown dull barren looking hedge into a feast of fresh green, their little nodding white heads stirring in the breeze!

Such a cheery little sight! Hopefully the hedge will start showing some leaf and blossom buds soon.

Have I mentioned - I just love snowdrops!
I think it partly stems from my childhood, when my favorite book was this little book of Poems. I think it came from school - we had a wonderful Headmaster - very forward thinking for his day, and he encouraged all the Arts, introduced us to all sorts of music, poetry and drama. We went Youth Hosteling, and made a hot air balloon! Mr Nutter - that was his name (Yes! I know - but Honestly - that was his name!)

The book is very battered now, but still I like to look at it - nice memories!

This is the little poem - The Snowdrops

Look how muddy it is in the field - just over the hedge from the snowdrops. Still at least we are not experiencing Flooding like some people in the South of the country.

These little Guys came over to say Hello and have a nosey at what I was doing.

And a little fresh greenness in the house. I treated myself to a couple of Hyacinths at the weekend. I always think its a nice surprise when they bloom - I wonder what colour they will be. I just potted them in some old jugs, gives a bit of colour to brighten the place.

Roll on Spring - I have had enough of this cold damp weather!

Ta Ta for now xx

Just a Big Thankyou for cheering a Girl up!

Just feeling a bit bored and fed up at the moment, its cold and grey - we haven't even any pretty snow!

Muffled up this morning and went outside to feed the chickens and rabbits, and look for some little sign of Spring! Not a lot out there - the Rosemary was bravely putting out a few flowers, and it was trying to snow - the odd flurry.

Soooo, what a nice surprise - the Postman brought me a parcel. Lynn - Gigibird kindly sent me

some nice soft leather gloves to go with my new hat!

They will look so well with my hat, and fit a treat - must think of an excursion, as they say in Larkrise 'Hats -and gloves now! My one weakness!'



Thank you again Lynn - you cheered my day.

xxxxxxx

WHAT ELSE CAN A GIRL DO - ITS FREEZING COLD!

What else' can a girl do when its a so finger numming-ly cold, but Sew, Shop and Lunch!!

Just back form the Car Boot Sale - yes! some hardy souls were still selling their wares - it was so cold! We didn't really hang about there long, I just had a good old nosy in their boxes, then we went for Lunch ( a 'Recession Special' - a choice of five different main meals for £2.95 - my kinda lunch!).

A saved these lovelies from a tatty old box - I thought they were so pretty!

I especially like this one with the white doves.

And wouldn't we all like a garden like this!

I have suddenly got my crafting mojo back - but wanting to be thrifty, I am trying to use up all those odd bits of fabric that we all keep, just in case - they are too pretty to throw away, but a bit small to make anything substantial!

So I hit on the idea of covering old wooden coat hangers with pretty vintage fabric. I have some and find they are so much better than the thin wire ones, or wooden for that matter, they don't leave pokey-out bits in your clothes especially woollen tops and jackets ( bit of a hate/thing with me - iron something, then come to put it on and have 'pokey' shoulders!).

As you can see my little table at the side of my chair is now a total mess of sewing stuff, just handy for when I sit down to watch Larkrise, Victorian Farm etc. I sew them all by hand - I find it very soothing/therapeutic, I have always done a lot of hand stitching, embroidery and the like.

This pretty blue fabric is a bit Cath Kidston-ish, It may be I am not sure, just a lump of fabric I picked up somewhere! Still - its pretty! I made the little padded hearts so that they could be scented with oils - Lavender, Rose or whatever, every one has a favorite. Mine is Patchouli - not everyone's cup of tea.

I used some pretty vintage buttons to finish them off.

I thought I might try some in my Etsy shop, I am a bit disappointed in Etsy, but I suppose it is world wide, and there are so many lovely things on there - I am just a little fish!

Then again, nothing ventured, nothing gained!

Ta Ta for now xx