smallholderwannabe

This blog is mainly a rambling kind of diary of the transition from smallholderwannabe to smallholder.

Saturday, April 21, 2007

My clever husband didn't approve of my makeshift ways of henproofing the garden so he has spent the day making small fence panels out of stuff we had lying around - like converting a side panel from our old shed and some small bits of this and that. There is a an old (very old - that's why there are holes...) fence still there with honeysuckle growing up it. The "new" panels are fixed to the bottom of the fence and are camouflaged by the honeysuckle. It looks very smart and will give the hens (and cats) no end of trouble to get into next door's garden now.

He still hasn't quite finished it so I'm just going to make a cup of tea and take it out to him now.

Friday, April 20, 2007

It is Friday! And that means the weekend is here. I'm going to have a peaceful day tomorrow with a bit of washing and the ever-present ironing, plug the little holes in the fence which the hens are using as public thoroughfares to next door's garden and a bit of music practice. Last night, I let the hens out for half an hour in the garden and half of them sprinted straight in next door. The other man's garden grubs are always tastier. :) Anyway, I enticed them all back except one. And it took another half an hour to get hold of her. So they didn't have their runaround today. Maybe tomorrow AFTER the fence is blockaded...

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

We've been away for most of this last week at Spring Harvest at Skegness. It was a great time. We went with three friends and I think we spent the whole time laughing. The east coast was not as bracing as usual. We had lots of sea mist and lots of sunshine but it was not really very windy as I had expected. We came back on Sunday and were straight back to work on Monday. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly a few days away sink into ancient history. Two days back at work and it feels almost like I haven't been away.

Sunday, April 08, 2007

Happy Easter!

It has been a busy weekend for us. On Maundy Thursday we had a joint service between six churches in the neighbourhood. On Good Friday we had another joint service preceding a march of witness to the next church up the road. Then we had another service in the afternoon and a Passover Meal in the evening. And today we had the early service followed by breakfast (boiled eggs - but not nearly so good as our own...) followed by the main service. Since I am in the music group, that also meant rehearsals for four of those services. My husband was preaching at two of those services and taking part in two of the others. As I said - busy! But it is Easter and the most important time of the year for us.

My husband has been spending lots of time down on the allotment this week and it is looking great. I've been trying to get through the huge mountain of washing and ironing ready for the new term. With one thing and another, I'm a bit behind and I think just about everything we possess must have been in that ironing mountain. Mountain? I think that it was more like an entire mountain range, not just one mountain.

My hens are producing lots of eggs for Easter and some of them are enormous - 70+ grams seems to be the average this week. The Warrens are not huge hens - ouch!

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

I'm still tired! I could sleep for England at the moment. It is a good job school is out for Easter or you would probably find me snoring over my desk.

It was a really good wedding and a really worship-full service. The church was nearly full and the singing was great. My son does not attend the same church as us. He decided several years ago that he did not want to be in the same church as his parents - I assume so there would not be anybody assuming he would be a chip off the old block or anything else for that matter. So he imported the worship band from his church. I love drums! And the flowers looked great. They were arranged by two friends of mine and there were big bows of ribbon round the pew ends with flowers tucked in and big stands of flowers. On Sunday morning, at the service, I had more time to look at them and they were really a picture - white roses, red carnations and gold freesias with palm leaves for Palm Sunday. At the reception, each table had a "bucket" of daffodils too.

The weather was great. The sun shone beforehand and then we had rain, hail and fierce gusts of wind during the service and by the time we got to the photographs in the local park (with background of lots of spring flowers in among the trees) the sun was shining brightly again and all was calm. Then it was back to the church hall for coffee and cakes with the assembled multitudes and then the select 200 (!) went on to the reception. It was a buffet as you might expect from the numbers involved. We danced the night away after the speeches and then we (my husband and I) had to clear up and usher everybody out before midnight. Thankfully, the few guests that were left by then joined in and helped clear up, bless them, because it was so much easier and quicker with their help.

But it really was a great day. Digital cameras are a wonderful invention because you can click away to your heart's content and then just delete the ones that are rubbish, or you've chopped somebody's head off because your hand shook at the wrong moment. I'm looking forward to the real photographer's pics.

And that cake which I worried so over - it had a little arrangement of flowers on the top with bits of that spiky bear grass in so the icing was camouflaged and the whole thing looked great. And best of all, when it was cut, it tasted great too. There were two cakes because there was a chocolate one as well because the bride can't have nuts and loves chocolate. So everybody had their choice of cake.

But it was a looooong day and I still keep falling asleep for little naps - something I just don't normally do. I've had a text from my son to say they've reached their honeymoon destination safely so I'm happy about that.

ZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzz