January is nearly gone.....

Goodness me doesn't time fly... Its been a hectic month here... Many changes and fresh starts and battles and butting of heads... oh to be the mother of a 13 going on 14 year old girl.... I know I was a pain in arse when I was that age (in a moody melodramatic way!) I didn't try smoking till I was 15ish and it was very overrated and a complete waste of money... lol

Where to start....


Daniel was Joseph in a church nativity play....

lots of fun was had by me,





building backdrops and painting scenery and making the odd costume and props... had to paint it while it was slung over the kitchen door.... that was a late night of arty creativity... up to 4am painting the 2 backdrops...


Daniel enjoyed bringing his own certain something to the role of Joseph, but it was very well attended, apparently its the first time in a long time that the church pews have been filled... I'm not a church goer so I can't really comment...


Since this production were dabbling with the idea of putting on a village panto... and they were impressed with my painting ... in fact they looked quite surprised that I had done it at all! ;D


Roller blinds work surprisingly well as back drops... just got to keep your wits about you when your changing scenery! lol

I've been persuaded by a couple ladies in the village to start a craft club at the village hall. Its now meeting every other week and attendees bring along whatever craft they fancy and we sit and share ideas, chat about every day news and drink tea and coffee and perhaps eat a little cake! naughty but very nice ... on average we have 18 ladies popping along ...


Ive started selling a little yarn, patterns and associated bits and bobs at the village cafe, I'm not really making any money at it and to be honest that wasn't my plan... its just so difficult to purchase good quality yarn at affordable prices in this area and its more like I'm selling the excess of my own craft with a few extras that I've ordered in on request... its fun though and I'm learning so much through it...


Jamie has gone back to school, she had given up with the home schooling, was becoming impossible to get up in the mornings and with all my relatives and parents on both sides constantly being negative about it we decided that it would be easier all around if she went back to school. I felt very disappointed and a failure for a while, I think we could have accomplished as much if not more if she had been more open minded and less inclined to listening to family, that at the end of the day see her rarely and feel they know her so well... but hey ho... its her decision... She's still not getting up in the mornings and is still driving me insane but perhaps its retribution for all the moods I threw at my mum.

Les is still waiting to hear if he's staying on at his place of work or whether the impending redundancies will mean him leaving too... Unions like the contractors to be off site when these things are being sorted... so he's constantly on edge and searching the web for jobs that might be suitable or within a commutable distance.


Daniel is doing really well at school (yay! good news at last!) he makes me laugh way more than he makes me shout... he is the sunshine in my life most days...

My car finally became so unreliable that I plonked it on eBay as a spares or repair vehicle and it sold for £1300... I was so chuffed... and I have purchased a beast of a car...


I'm not convinced its the best idea I've ever had, however, as I'm now taking 2 other kids from the village to school with Jamie the 7 seats come in very handy.. lol
and it is so very easy to drive and the most comfortable car I have ever driven... hopefully I can afford to run it ... its a bit of a drinker! ;D

Oh and Christmas happened somewhere in amongst all this!

Next is Daniel's Birthday... then Jamie's birthday... both on school days... better get good at making cakes ... lol


I managed it last year! I'm sure I can do it again! ;D

Thats it for now... sorry for the mammoth catch up... I'll be posting weekly from now on...

take care and thanks for popping by
xx Alex


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New Year.... New blogger....

I have been awful at this blogging lark... but as well as wishing you all a wonderful new year I promise to blog again on a regular basis... so much has changed and I hope that this year will be a good one...

I will be back soon and normal service shall resume! xxx

October.... oh how I love thee!

This has to be one of my favourite months... the orange pumpkins and darkening evenings ... leaves turning to warm shades of golden red.... stunning....



Archie is growing into a stunning lad... can't believe how much he's changed in 19 weeks...


He's turning out to be quite the the crower... as I don't let them out till 7:30am he doesn't usually crow till about quarter to eight... so hopefully the neighbours won't get too agitated... however I wouldn't bet my life on it... I'm resigning myself to the fact that he's probably going to have to go... but I don't think I could wring his neck... he's so beautiful and not aggressive (at the moment!) towards me or Daniel... Les and Jamie very rarely visit the that part of the garden...


I regret never getting around ot planting my pumpkin seeds... I would love some growing in my garden now... however I do have plenty of bright orange nasturtiums to cheer myself up... plus some ripening strawberries... Ive seen crocuses shooting and heard about magnolia trees flowering... the seasons seem to be getting a little confused...


this is one of the 19 week old chicks... their not laying yet... not really expecting them too this year... Black rocks don't usually lay till 24 ish weeks... and thats getting pretty close to cooling down and stopping laying time... however the white sussex laid eggs right through last years snowy cold winter.... so we'll just wait and see... I've got no name for her yet...


I've cleared up the garden... trimmed back the unruly hedge... it could do with a buzz over with the hedge trimmer ... I mowed the lawn and the chickens were not phased at all... the compost heap is fit to bust... fruit trees have been tidied up... they sustained some damage this year with too heavy a crop and the windy weather during the summer holidays... I'm still learning how to care for fruit trees and how to use their fruits...


the school harvest festival was really good this year... lots of donations which the year 6 children take around the the bungalows and they sing some harvest songs to the older villagers in the day centre...


I still have a few apples to harvest... I really want to get some pie filling ready to freeze down... but as with most things I am really struggling to find the energy... and the umpf to get me started... I just cant jump start my enthusiasm... its all inside me but I feel like I'm ticking over ... going through the motions to get through each day... I could sit in the garden and just "be" all day if the nagging thought of all the other things I should be doing didn't rattle my brain...


The sky this morning was wonderful... a promise of warmth with the underlying threat of rain... thats exactly as my iphone took it ... looking from my back door... I am not keen on digitally enhancing pictures... I prefer the sheer joy of actually being in the right place at the right time and snapping that lucky shot...

I welly walked with the reception class this morning from 9 till 10... then whipped home got jamie started on English and took in a delivery from Tesco's and packed it away... then I had a bite to eat... kept jamie focused on her English and then as the sun came out took the chance to fill the chickens water feeders and cleaned out the coop...


I just managed to get it all done before 3pm then I shot off to school to pick up Daniel... put the coop back together, Daniel helped me by adding the bedding to the nesting area... and then it was indoors to wash up a few dishes and cook tea..

Looking back on today I suppose it was quite busy... I hadn't realised... however because its stuff that you know needs to be done its almost like it doesn't register as being stuff you actually want to do... does that make sense? probably not! lol

I think I shall pop off now, Les has returned from playing squash followed by a drink at the pub with his mate... we have major decisions to make about his current works contract... he's been told that he'll "probably" be let go at Christmas... the other 11 contractors will be gone by then... so we have to decide if we take a gamble and see if they find the funds to extend his contract in January or do we look for another job that will require commuting of about an hour of so or even him staying away all week... its tough times for everyone at the moment... but I am not a gambler... I feel we should make plans and be proactive about the situation rather than reactive when it actually happens...

its tricky though...

well ... night night..
may tomorrow morning bring you joy and love and take care

xx

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A little bit of this ....

....and a little bit of that....
I've been busy doing some DIY, household bits and bobs, a crochet demonstration (which went real well!) and trying to get the garden, chickens and home ready for the onset of winter.... on the crochet front I've been having lots of fun...

My floppy dog eventually got some arms and his ears, body and tail were teazed out with a small wire pet brush till they were nice and fluffy...


I bought a new book... but I do find that crocheted toys are much sturdier and firmer than a knitted toy...


this was a very large flannel that I added a border too... its made with cotton dishcloth yarn...


the border was from my new border book...


and this creation was a quick "make it up" as you go along idea for a wash mitt, I have so many odds and ends of yarn that I really must use them up and as our bathroom is practically finished... I'll need a new flannel!



this was our bathroom at the end of July.... its been a huge project in a tiny room... dirty, dusty and at times soul destroying.... however the thought of having a bathroom that would look clean and tidy after you've cleared it with enough storage to actually not have to have the gubbings of 2 adults, a teenage girl and a 5 year old boy was soooo appealing...


and voila....


I am so pleased with the end result, last nights shower was such a pleasure... and all I have left to do is some painting .... Im such a happy girl right now!


This guy has found his voice... :( however ... he's not too noisy and only crows a few times in the morning and perhaps in the afternoon... however ... I am waiting to see if he will induce complaints from the neighbours... he's also found his purpose in life and he's targeting one of the older girls to hone his skills... if you get my drift... however ... she's not overly impressed with being the focus of his affections..

I have such a long list of things that I aught to be doing and a whole heap of things I'd rather be doing... lol ... so many creative ideas bouncing around in my head smothering the thoughts of the mundane and tedious chores that I know I should be accomplishing... sigh!

Les's Dad is unwell and currently in a ward at the local village hospital to convalesce ... he had been yo yo ing his way between home and the hospital in Dorchester however he was not getting any better and fluid was building up around his lungs as well as his heart... so thats another worry constantly preying on your mind... Les's is taking his mum to visit tonight...

A 2 bed bungalow has come up for sale in the village where we live... it would be perfect if Les's parents could move there, however we don't have the funds to put down a deposit although we'd be willing to take on the second mortgage... they currently rent a housing association property in Dorset so theres no home to sell to enable them to move closer...

its one of those tricky situations that needs sorting out... but needs the collaboration of family members... and to be honest is best left to Les and his sisters...

well I had better go... Jamie has gone for a hair cut and is having some high lights or low lights... lol ... who knows what shes having done.... needless to say i'll probably have to go and pay the extra... lol

take care
Alex
x

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Make, do and blend

Some of my eggs and some small pullet eggs from the farm down the road and some spices and vinegar make for yummy pickled treats...


Just a shame I'm not suppose to be eating crisps... Nothing like a pickled egg in a bag of chipped potatoes....


Better buy a BIG bag of crisps... Lol


Mustard seeds soaking in Bombardier beer.... After a night in the drink they be mixed with spices and vinegar and blended....


Mixing....


Blending....


Jarred and waiting a couple of weeks till they can be tasted...


Recipe for any mustard lovers out there...


Tried using these for a crumble... They were okay... But not quite right... Think I might try again with a different method...


Crocheting a dog...


The head is from a pattern online... But the body I have invented...


I'm loving the yarn.... It's king cole riot chunky... 30% wool and 70% acrylic... It teases out really nicely with the use of the wire brush....


I've given him a fluffy tail and fluffy ears....


This fella has sat gathering dust since last year... Needs a clean before he can go on my table at a crochet demonstration I am doing on Tuesday... I had better dig out some yarn and spare hooks in case anyone wants to learn and they keep their hook and yarn.... I might have to charge them for them though... That would be okay ... Wouldn't it?


FB friends will have seen these photos so apologies to you guys....
Better get on and finish the dogs arms...

Take care
Xx

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Family Day....

Ashamedly I have to admit we rarely go out as a family... which is so wrong.... but so easy to not do.... it takes effort and organisation to go out... and when the dad in the house is all focused on "I only get 2 days off and this needs doing or that needs doing!" .... well lets just say we never actually go anywhere


When I decided last week that we were going out as a family on Sunday I could see Mr P physically struggling with the prospect of not getting 2 days on the completeion of the bathroom... however .... even when Sunday morning was drizzly with rain I rebuffed all the comments he made.... adamant that we were going out


after checking the chickens... and making sure they had water and food... and telling Sir Archibald (Archie to his friends!) the 16 week old, hopefully non crowing cockerel, to keep an eye on the girls!


I walked the dog while Mr P went off and got fuel.... and then we I loaded the dog, children and Mr P into the car.... we were off to Moors Valley which was about an hours drive away....


We decided to go on the play trail as that was the most exciting for an energetic 5 year old... First was the ants nest... the woods had plenty of giant ant benches...


so many structures hidden amongst the trees...


Daniel ... and Jamie had plenty of fun exploring and racing around...









Trees throughout the woods were carved to add interest ....


and the weather was kind... the sound of the wind blowing through the pine trees was wonderful.... it sounded like the ocean...



the woodland floor was littered with amazing sculptures....



and Jamie was amazing at helping her little brother...


a simple bench was was never "just" a simple bench...


the maze was good for the adults.... the kids didn't quite get it though... they just squeezed through the gaps and left adults stranded.... perhaps that was the plan! lol


tunnels.....


Climbing....


and lots and lots of fun!



The dog wasn't overly impressed with being on a controlled lead length all the day... he used to having the whole length of the lead... however as we were with other people with children, bikes and dogs I kept him close.... just a shame other dog owners aren't quite as considerate... but he learnt a lot... and next time he'll be better... its our own fault... he's rarely been taken out on family outings as we have usually had a buggy in the boot .. thats going to change!


there was a huge lake...


with more wonderful sculptures....


and natural areas that was only missing some cattle or sheep or something! lol


a team of volunteers maintain and run a steam train ride... the kids caught the train back to the play areas ... only £3 for the both of them and Les and I walked with the dog....


and the trip home was much quieter than the trip there! ;D


it only cost us £8 for 4 and a half hours parking and as we didn't take a picnic we bought snacks and drinks there.... oh and some baskets... I LOVE basketry! ;D well they were only £1.50 each! lol

We will definitely be going back again...


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