The Good Life!!

We decorated the kids rooms in the summer hols and I forgot totally to add some piccys post makeover.

Katie has had a total revamp, decorated and new bed and furniture. Josh has had his decorated and had a nice new blind which looks so much better that his curtains. Hard work but well worth it as Katie now had places for all her stuff instead of it being all over the place. No excuse now to not keep it tidy.

I have an Allotment!!! well nearly....For the past 12 months or so someone who lives in the village has been trying to sort out an allotment site within the village. All his hard work has paid off and the site has been found and it just up the road. We have had our names on the list for ages so we have been allocated one. I'm really exited about it. Hopefully we will be able to bag our plot sometime in November. Ill keep you posted.

Been out today to sort out my greenhouse. I have removed all the cucumber plants and sorted out my chilli plants. They are covered in chillis and Im hoping they will start to go red soon so I can use them for chilli sauce to add to my Christmas hampers.

I'm off work today and the house smells lovely and orangey as I am making Marmalade.

Bought the new River Cottage Preserves book a couple of weeks ago and have been busy making jars of jams and chutneys to inflict on my nearest and dearest at Christmas. You have been warned.

Todays batch of Marmalade is going to be half ordinary Marmalade and half Whiskey Marmalade. So far I have already made Seasonal Chutney, Onion Marmalade, Hedgerow Jam, Strawberry Jam and Plum and Walnut Conserve. Its called a conserve as it is a little bit runny and it sounds so much posher!! Plan to do some Chilli sauce then I think I'm about done. Hopefully we will be able to add some eggs and honey to the bags of goodies too.

I also have a nice Blackberry and Apple Gin on the go and some Cranberry and Cinnamon Vodka. Nearer the time I will do a few other bits like Fudge.

JAM

The kids are doing well at their new schools. Katie is doing lots of sports clubs in her lunch hour like Netball, Trampolining and Hockey and she has started Saxophone lessons again. Josh has started Drama Club and is in the Rugby Team. Both seem to have settled in nicely. Josh has struck lucky and has been asked to be a 'Steam Apprentice' for a friend of ours who owns a Steam Engine called 'Little Audrey'.

He had his first assignment on Sunday at Foxfield Railway. Had the time of his life riding on the engines and had a ride on the footplate of a Steam Locomotive.

 He has also been given a small counter top steam engine to restore by our neighbour at work. We think it comes from a Mill in Congleton that made shirts. It would have provided the power to run sewing machines. Here is a picture of it as it came and a couple of pictures of Josh having his first go of driving our tractor.

Josh and Kate have started their new schools this week. Both are happy and settled in nicely. They look very smart in their new uniforms.

Here I am again!!Took a few snaps of my little baby chicks today. Not so little now. We think we have one boy and two girls.

Oxo, Paxo and Bisto.

Paxo has different tail feathers to Oxo and Bisto. He is also the last one to bed at night as he has to do a night patrol as he already thinks he is very important!

Having a holiday at home this week. Spent the day at Erdigg near Wrexham. We have got National Trust membership and intend to use it as much as possible. Off to Llandudno tomorrow.

I haven't been on here for ages. Thank you for the reminder! ;0)

James party was a success. It hit just the right pitch for him as he really didn't want a party or fuss. We just had some family over and a few close friends. Fortunately the weather was kind to us. A small oasis in a sea of rubbish rainy weather. Some of James Musician friends did a bit of an impromptu concert, my Sister sang us a couple of show tunes and some of the kids bravely got up and entertained us playing their instruments.

James Birthday

We have been to the RHS flower show, something I have always wanted to do but have never quite got round to. It was a great day out. Some lovley gardens and I was very impressed with the jumbo sized veg!

We also have been to the Nantwich Show. We were brave and entered in some of the Honey classes and James won a third for a frame of honey and I won a third for my honey cake and got highly commended for my honey fudge and honey biscuits. Boy, did it rain. Mud as far as the eye could see.

We are off this week and are holidaying at home. We have joined the National Trust and are going to take in some culture! I really must take some pictures of the chicks this week as they are now fully fledged mini hens. But for now here is a few pictures of my green house. Its gone a bit mad in there and the cucumbers are making an escape bid through the roof window.

The chicks are doing really well. They will be two weeks old this weekend. Marge is proving to be an exemplary step mum to her little ones and is doing a fabulous job of taking care of her charges. They are changing every day and have got lovely wing feathers and a few coming on their tails

Out and about

We have been offered a bit of land next to our beehives on the market garden. We have got a very large veg bed and a spot to put up a chicken run. The plan is to erect a large hen run and James has got a new hen house from Norman at the woodyard to go inside the run. We are hoping to make a start on it this weekend. Betty, Marge and the chicks will be moving up there first then we may add to the flock.  

James has been offered a job relief milking for someone we know who has a dairy farm. He is doing early shift on Saturday and then in the afternoon just to give it a go and see what its like. Not sure if its worth doing or not but I think he is keen to give it a go.

The elderflower cordial is ready and its yummy. I have a batch of Champagne on the go now to be used for James birthday party which we have been planning this week. He is 50 on 11 th July so we thought we ought to mark the occasion in some way. We are having a family party on the Sunday afternoon and inviting a few of his closest friends along. I have bought him this for his birthday. The shop are saving it for me until his birthday

http://www.comitti.com/trade/TradeProductDetails.aspx?prodid=C3049S&catid=108

Been doing a bit of sewing as I saw this

http://www.lauraashley.com/Novelty/DOROTHY-CUSHION/invt/3391580s

in Laura Ashley and thought it would make a nice present for my Mother in Law but would be a nicer present if I made it myself. I have never done machine applique before so I thought I would have a go and made this

Chicken Cushion

Feeling brave now so the sky's the limit :0)

Out of the 4 remaining eggs we have got 3 that have hatched. We saw one yesterday and then another this morning. She abandoned one of the eggs overnight and this afternoon number 3 popped out. She is looking after them well, keeping them warm under her wings.

All seem to healthy and happy. So far so good. We will have to think up some names for them.

Been making Elderflower cordial this weekend. Made a large batch and its brewing in the garage. Takes about 5 days then its ready to bottle. Think I might make Elderflower Champagne next week.

Had a great couple of weeks of for the school hols. Katie has 2 weeks off and we have had a nice week together so far. She is out at the moment doing her Tap dancing exam. Hope she does OK. The weather so far has been fantastic. Its a bit overcast today and I think we may get some rain. Been doing lots of gardening. Katie and I have done some baking and have made 'old fashioned' Pink Lemonade. Nearly ready to make Elderflower cordial too. Just need a few more Elderflowers.  

Betty is still sitting tight. We now only have four eggs. Marge is starting to go broody and has taken to trying to sit on the eggs with her. This has resulted in a cracked egg. We have removed her from the run and put her in a separate run on her own. She's not too happy but it seems to have changed her mind about being broody. The eggs should hatch on the weekend hopefully. We havent candled them so we will have to see what we get, if anything at all.

Sitting tight on her eggs

I haven't had any time to do any blogging for the past few weeks.

We returned safely from Florida and had a fantastic time away. So much fun! We were all exhausted for a week when we got home.

All's well here at the moment. We have just had a big school shuffle. Katie has decided she wanted to go to a different high school in September than her place already allocated. She is now going to one close to where we work. We gave Josh the option to change schools too and he has decided to move as well.

Katie is now going to go here http://www.sandhigh.cheshire.sch.uk/

and Josh is now going here http://www.sandbachschool.cheshire.sch.uk/

All a right old fuss but everyone is now happy.

Busy growing veggies at the moment and we have a broody hen. We have given her some fertile eggs to hatch and if they hatch they should be Rhode Island Reds. Any girls will be for laying and any boys will be dinner. We will see what happens.

We have been doing some adding up over the last few weeks and have had all our property valued. All things considered, including the school situation, we have decided not to move on at the moment. If we buy what we want, we would have to move away and its not really the best time to do that for the kids at the moment. So, moving is postponed for the forseeable. Im just relieved we have had a decision finally.

I have not been feeling very inspired or had much time to add to this over the last few weeks. Work is very busy and demanding. The thing about running your own business is that if you want to take 2 weeks off, you need to do 2 weeks work of work in the two weeks before you go but you can be sure there will be two weeks worth of work waiting for you when you get back. Work that one out??! How lovley it must to be able to go away and have someone do all your work for you and come back to an empty desk. Humph.

So its full on with the holiday plans and packing. James will just turn up on the morning and say 'where are we going then??' I think. Im going to make him sit down and look at the travel stuff before we go as I am paraniod I have forgotten something. Hopefully everything is in order. He's so busy its all been left to me and I havent a clue to be honest.

We lost our lovley guniea pig Speedy a couple of weeks ago. I found her dead on the floor of the hutch. We had to get another as Rosie was lonley. Guniea 's dont like being on their own. We went to see a trio of guniea's to buy one and when we got there one had been sold so we ended up with two. Yes, I am a big softie! Katie has named them Summer and Poppy. They are cute and quite friendly. Rosie seems very pleased with her two new playmates.

There is very little difference in them. Poppy has a few more white patches than Summer. I think they might be quite big when they are grown. They cant half eat. When we get back we are going to look into extending the hutch or getting a new one to give them more room.

I have been getting the garden sorted ready for the spring. The green house has been treated with wood preserver and I have sorted and washed all the pots. I have done a bit of seed planting outside with some early stuff like spring onions, beetroots, radishes, rocket, spinach and some herbs. I have put my first lot of pea seeds in today too. The chickens have been doing a bit of feather pulling so they are all sporting purple bums now after a spraying with purple genetian violet spray which is supposed to deter them from doing it. They have had a clear out today and a new wood chip floor and dustbath so Im hoping this will keep them busy.