Tick tock.......

I stumbled across a writer's blog this evening and wondered if it would be something that I could do? Could I write? I know that I do, by updating my little on line diary here, but could i do it properly? I have had many comments from (deluded *wink*) people saying how much their enjoy reading my random mutterings, but could I make a living out of it?

I often sit in my armchair in the winter with the fire roaring, always late at night, typing away. I seem to think more clearly at night. In the summer I spend my time in the kitchen, stable door open, listening to the sounds of nature that work their way through the open door.

I have a mental block towards grammar sometimes, my use of apostrophes has been regularly attacked by the punctuation police and don't get me started on spelling! I always thought my spelling was good until I started this blog, now I second guess every other word! But (can I start with a but)? I enjoy writing!! I always read my entries out loud to see if the reader will understand what I am getting at. My sense of humour worries me. It is definitely strange and I am frequently called barking mad. I am, however, honest. I hope that comes across?

Back to the little house in Hampshire!

The clocks change this evening and summer is on it's way. The seedlings are coming on well.

Spinach (for the chickens)!












Sweetpeas for cutting all summer long.





A thyme plant in a recycled olive oil tin, that I 'liberated' from a dustbin outside a restaurant in Scotland (much to OH's disgust). I was egged on by his Mum! Honest!



After spending 20 minutes this evening, trying to reset the time on my mobile phone, I am not even going to attempt the cooker! It is now 1am (midnight really) and I should go to bed. 2 more days off and back to the wonderful world of Customer Service. Lovely. Not.

I will leave you with a picture of my little pear tree springing into life.





Night night everyone.

C x

Busy with Veggies

Evening! After a few days of glorious sunshine, I headed out to the veggie garden. It was so warm that I tidied up the plot and planted out a few more seeds. After rearranging the area and finally deciding where to put everything, I now have a dedicated strawberry bed. The blackbirds that nested in our log store last year, have taken up residence in next door's hedge, so will be planning raids on the ripe berries again, I'm sure. I have outsmarted them though! ;0) Quite fine netting all the way 'round.




A new chard bed, with room for beetroot!




and spinach for the Girls -



Dug over the bed near the chicken area, and planted some peas. Decided to go for 'Blauschokker' with very dark blue/black pods. I have covered the area with chicken wire to try and stop the mice. Haven't seen them around for weeks, so hopefully the neighbouring fields are providing enough pickings for them.


The mini daffs in the herb planter outside the kitchen window are doing well. They are tiny, but look great.



The broad beans that I planted in paper pots are now in their bed.




I watched a great programme on telly this evening - 'Grow your own drugs'. He uses plants and herbs to make home made remedies.
I like the idea of lip balm, so have been researching!! There is a fab shop in Glasgow that sells all the raw ingredients. I could order via the internet, but I have a Glasgow nightstop in a couple of weeks, so will pop in and see what they have. Plan to get a few jars and bottles to make pressies - another string to my bow.

Found out from the Lady that I get my chicken supplies from, that the local school holds a Christmas Fair every year. £10 entrance for sellers and you can sell anything. I plan to do lots of jams, jellies, oils, Christmas puds, cakes and biscuits. I might add some creams and lip balms to the list? Will see how I get on with the starter kits and take it from there.

Jase is back to work tomorrow for 3 days. Will give me a chance to catch up with the whole series of Grow your own drugs on iplayer! Can't believe I have missed it, as It is very much my thing.

The fire is dying down and the temperature is dropping. The wind was wild today, really cold. I did manage to go to the garden centre though and get a few hanging baskets and trailing geraniums.


The plum tree at the end of the garden is starting to blossom, Spring is on it's way!!


Time to go, so speak to you again soon.

C x x x

Stone Age Man?

Here I am in Nice and have a little time to blog away!

Spent last week being creative and made my Nephew and Niece an Easter bag each. Not the best picture, but you get the idea. An 'E' and a 'G' if you can't make it out.

Each one is filled with chocolate treats and I am quite pleased with the results.

I did another chicken course last weekend, which went well and have another planned for Saturday. Have just sold the last 2 places so a full house of 6! I have added a couple more for April so we will see if they fill up.

Been a good week so far, most of my flights are empty and have had nice crews. Off out for dinner later this evening and one flight home tomorrow. I then have 10 days off! Really need to do some more work in the garden as it has been neglected slightly. The compost bins still need turning and I plan to get some summer bedding in the ground next week.

Fine looking compost!



My broad beans are doing well and need planting out soon. Planted my onions and carrots in a dedicated bed this time round. I never do very well with carrots usually, so I am hoping them will come up this year. I have edged the bed with onion sets to ward off the dreaded carrot root fly :0) The sweet peas are in, so I am happy. I always do well with them and have some seeds from Hampton Court flower show from last year. 3 different varieties and way too many seeds planted, but you can never have too many.

For some reason Cornelia has decided to make her dust bath in the 'old' girls' eglu! Every time I am not looking, she is in there throwing aubiose all over the place. She loves it! Excuse the state of the nest box - pre cleaning out.


They have all been laying well and we regularly get 4 and 5 egg days now. Mum and Dad came over on Sunday and went away with 5 boxes of eggs. It is lovely to have eggs everywhere and I will never tire of the sight of them all lined up in boxes ready for sale. It is like having a full log store or fridge, which I have mentioned before. I am convinced I was a hunter/gatherer in a past life! ;0)

I managed to pick up some material in a second hand shop. Very 'Laura Ashley' floral print, which I am not usually into, but this is nice stuff. 2 square metres for £2. Have already made some small bags with it and some natural calico and they look very summery. Nice to pop little presents in.

Off to have a quick nap before dinner as I was up at 4 this morning *shock horror*


Enjoy the sunny weather!

C x x

Rustic crafting?

After a few days off sick with, erm, lets just say tummy trouble to be polite, I am now on days off. 2 days of dry toast and ryvitas, the new pumpkin ones - lovely, my tummy is nearly back to normal!!

Jase joined the local gym earlier and came back aching. He had his induction today and came home a little shaky! I'm sure he will get used to it after a few visits. I am lucky, in that I am blessed with a perfect figure and don't need to exercise. *cough* Some would say the physique of a badger.

I have had a really nice day today. Spent most of it in the garden. :0) Decided to cut back the privet hedge in the chicken area, as it was getting a little wild. The girls had great fun, stripping the leaves and jumping on piles of branches.

Agnes and Cornelia having a root around -










There were so many branches that I made a few plant supports for the lupins and foxgloves.




They were a bit fiddly to make, but I am rather impressed with the rustic look of them. Need to make several more, as all the lupins are starting to come up.


I went to Lidl yesterday (dark glasses and headscarf as always) and bought these little seeds trays. 4 for £4.88, bargain!




Quite a few seeds still to plant and am itching to get them in. I usually start too early and end up with a house full of leggy seedlings.











The buttons for wedding favours arrived in the post today, so I can get cracking with those soon. 40 to make, but have a bit of time still. I will take the buttons and wire with me on trips and make them whilst away. Need to get hold of some lilac raffia to tie a bow to each one and then I am done. As the meerkat says 'simples'!

We have had 2 x 5 egg days this week!! Poor little Laverne has retired as she hasn't laid for over a year now. I think it is unlikely that she will lay again. She seems happy enough, apart from a slightly dodgy tummy. I gave her some bokashi bran with her porridge (what do you mean spoilt)? this afternoon. Hopefully it will clear up soon.

I will leave you with a picture of Winifred!


The fire is dying down now and I am exhausted. Really should go to bed soon as have been writing this on and off since 8pm.
It is now 11pm, so night night all.


C x x

Snowdrops and roses

Hello Everyone. Long time no hear, but I am back!
Work is over for a little while and I am due in on the 1st March, so a bit of time to do some blogging. :0)

Jase's sister and fiance came down from Scotland for the weekend, to finalise wedding plans. We have sorted out the favours I am making for the wedding. Button hearts with lilac raffia (to match a colour in the kilt) for the girls and small whiskey bottles for the guys. I am now trying to source 800 small white buttons to make the hearts *rolls eyes*

This is the kind of thing I will be making -




I have emailed a guy on ebay and he is looking into it for me. Fingers crossed I get them soon, so I can start work. Each one takes about 30 minutes to make and she needs 40. Many a night will be spent threading wire I think!

The garden is coming out for spring!

I took a couple of pictures of the snowdrops that are popping up everywhere.



There is even signs of life on the rambling rose over the archway. A couple of buds on the fruit bushes too. Hope it will be a warm summer this year.

Not much news really. The girls are fine, scratching around their corner of the garden as usual. Pru is still moulting but has finally taken some 'me' time and stopped laying for a while. Winifred and Elsbeth are laying every now and then, but Cornelia and Agnes are laying daily. Laverne is still acting like a prison warder and putting the new girls in their place. They are generally getting on ok though. We even got 4 eggs yesterday!!

Agnes and Cornelia have finally discovered the ready made dust bath in the corner of their garden! Up until lately, they have been rolling about in the aubiose in their run, flinging it everywhere!! Hopefully, they will keep their 'room' tidier from now on. Time will tell.




I can't wait for it to warm up a bit. We are going through the oil at a rate of knots, even though we try and have the heating on as little as possible. The fire in the lounge is lit every night to keep us warm, but during the day it is a tad chilly. I refuse to put the heating on when it is just me at home.

I am itching to get things planted, but don't want to end up with leggy seedlings all over the house. Will wait a while and concentrate on the more urgent jobs, like weeding the garden and turning the compost bins that I have been putting off for ages. A couple of my raised beds need some repair work and I might give them all a coat of green water based stain to brighten the place up a bit.

I still haven't drawn up my planting plan for this year. It is so difficult deciding where to put things and trying to tie it all in with Companion planting. Some things just end up dotted around the place, but I quite like the random, wild look of that. The flower border is starting to grow. No sign of the crocuses I planted (mice had them all I think), but the tulips and daffs are coming up well. I must start off a few new plants for that border, to keep it producing new flowers for most of the summer. *Makes mental note*

Jase is on his way back from Vienna now, so better dash. Cornelia is announcing another egg has been laid and they could do with a clean out. I have to wait until they are off the nest boxes or else I get a filthy look!

Bye for now.....

C x x

Anyone got a snow plough?

Good evening everyone! Sorry I haven't been around much this month! The snow hit and caused chaos at work (and home) and haven't been here to update you all.

Lets start at the very beginning (..the very best place to start)*wink* On Sunday I went to work for a Paris and back, the aircraft had a technical fault when we got there and the flight home was cancelled. I had to spend the night in Paris, with no spare pants!! On Monday morning the snow hit Britain and everything went up the creek without a paddle. Britain is not known for coping with any adverse weather, even though there was plenty of warning. The sheer volume was amazing. I received a couple of photo messages from Jase and couldn't believe how bad it was!

I do love the snow and always seem to miss it. The snow was going nowhere in a hurry. The heaviest snow fall in 18 years according to the BBC.

I was stuck in Paris for 4 days, so had to go and buy some clothes/underwear and toiletries. I didn't want to, as it breaks my 'nothing new' rule, but this was an exceptional circumstance!!

When we finally arrived back in the UK on Wednesday, the motorways and A roads were fine and I headed down the A303 for home. Everywhere looked stunning. Miles of fields covered in powdery snow. Enchanting! Took me a couple of attempts to get Mortimer the Mini up the drive, but we got there eventually!! So glad I managed to get home on Wednesday, as it was our 5th anniversary!!

I raced in, put my wellies on and grabbed my camera. Here are a few of my pictures -


Our front garden






The driveway




The veggie garden






I decided to take a walk along the lane and up the hill, to take a picture of the village. A breath taking view (and breath taking effort, trudging up the hill in a foot of snow)!!











I thought that Cornelia laid her first egg the other day, but it turns out Elsbeth was sneaking into the blue eglu to lay her eggs. The only reason I know, is that Agnes and Cornelia were locked in the blue eglu and run yesterday and today, as Jase and I were at work. I came home to 7 eggs. Winifred, Prudence and Elsbeth has produced 4 between them in the orange eglu, with 1 from Agnes and 2 Chestnut brown eggs from Cornelia!!


Really rich, dark brown eggs.







Next to Pru's paler egg for comparison




The weather forecast is bad for tonight. Heavy snow expected, so I will not be going to Milan tomorrow if I can't get down the drive. Not worth risking my neck! Only two more days at work and then a few days off.

Sat here in front of the roaring fire, listening to the wind outside. This month's copy of Country Living was delivered today, so will sit and read that this evening. No TV or other distractions. Me, the fire and a good read. Heaven.

Will speak to you all soon. Wrap up warm and stay safe.

C x x

Magic beans.

Good evening everyone! A very smiley Christian here tonight. Had a much better week and am feeling good about 'stuff'. Things just get on top of you sometimes don't they?

Anyway, what news do I have? Not much, just plodding on as usual.

I think Cornelia might start laying soon, as she squatted in front of me a couple of days ago. Her comb is getting nice and red and she is following Winifred whenever she goes into the eglu to lay an egg. Bless her. She is a real character. She never misses a chance to jump on the eglu run and survey 'her' domain. The trouble is, she has problems getting down again!





We finally got round to putting guttering on the shed. We had enough left over to do the log store too. I decided to make down pipes out of old diet coke bottles! A way of recycling and saving a pound or two. Each one only took a few minutes and is cobbled together with wire loops to keep the bottles in place. The veggie garden might look like Steptoe's yard, but I am really impressed with myself.

I have asked my Mum and Dad for a water butt for my birthday. Seeing as I am trying to buy nothing new this year.










...and the log store....







We don't get much water from the log store roof, but it will give us some water when the long hot summer(!) arrives.

We have snow forecast for Sunday night/Monday. Shame as I am back to work on Sunday. Wouldn't it be awful if I got snowed in on Monday and couldn't go to Paris?? *wink*

It is colder again here. Convinced that Salisbury Plain is like a wind tunnel, channeling the Arctic air to this house. It was baltic today. I had to pop into Town to get some fabric for some wedding favours I am making. More of that later.
When I got home, I decided to brave the cold, sow some seeds and do some forward planning for this year's crops. I made perfect little paper pots with newspaper and my 'paper potter'.



24 pots of broad bean! 2 different varieties to see which I like best. Will pick them small and tender, rather than the usual huge beans that taste of nothing.





3 types of potatoes 'chitting' in the shed. 2 main crop and a second early. I have one raised bed and a few potato bags for them. Running out of space unfortunately!









I need to sit down and plan the veggie plot for this year, colouring pencils at the ready. I am planning on planting in the flower borders too, this year. Try a mix and match approach for a change. A real country cottage garden should be planted up like this anyway. A few sweetcorn plants nestled amongst foxgloves and swiss chard with snap dragons, should look lovely. The back garden still needs attention. The lawn is awful, very uneven and poor. Thinking about getting a lawn care company in to have a look and see what needs doing. I would gladly gravel the lot, but Jase likes the grass.

Right, time I sat and chilled out a bit before the fire dies down.

Night night,

C x x x

Spuds......

You ever have one of those days when you feel like crying? I have had a week like it. No idea what is wrong, probably just the strain of the past few weeks. What with 3 days in a classroom, Jase not being well and Mum too. It takes it's toll sometimes. Selfish aren't i? Am going to a friends for dinner. Fish and chips. A healthy option!! Hee hee

I spent 3 days at work training. Once a year we have to go in and practice how to open aircraft doors in an emergency, aviation medicine recap and a 'quiz'. I say quiz, but it is an exam. A pass/fail exam, that you have to pass. No pressure then.

Day 2 was aviation medicine which I usually enjoy. Trouble is, you have to do scenarios on an aircraft with the defib, oxygen etc etc and the noise that the defib makes brought back some horrible memories of that day in August. I was a bit of a state but the trainers were excellent and talked me through it. I hate the way that something that happened 2 years ago, can still feel so recent and bring back the same thoughts.

I am off now until the 1st February, so will busy myself with the house and garden. Lots to do as always. The back garden is in serious need of some attention. Weeding to be done and compost needs spreading. One of the compost bins is ready and the other two need turning. Not my favourite job, but important. It hurts my back doing too much, so think I will do little and often this time round.

Went into Andover today and resisted the urge to go to Waterstones. I am doing very well on my buying nothing new. I don't really need anything at the moment, although I was tempted with a solar powered lantern in the Millets sale. Reduced from £35 to £12.99, but no!! I was good.

Got some veg from the market and food in Waitrose. Managed to pick up a couple of bags of seed potatoes; Kind Edwards as usual and a new variety called Rocket, which is eelworm resistant. The lady in the shop said it was a lovely spud, so I thought I would give it a go!

We got 3 eggs the other day!! Pru decided to lay as did Winifred and Agnes! 2 eggs today, so we are slowly picking up the pace, compared to the one egg a day we have been getting. Elsbeth is now fully feathered and looks like a different chicken. No more brown feathers only a few lovely shades of grey and white. No sign of Cornelia laying yet, she still have a tiny comb, but she will I'm sure. Can't wait until we can start selling eggs again. The chicken money box is decidedly low on funds.

I found several jars of jam in the utility room the other day, plus a large jar of rhubarb vodka that I have 'made'.


Better dash out now. Country lanes to get to Susie's and the temperature is dropping fast. The gritters don't seem to be out this evening, so will take it easy. Edit - I now know why the gritters weren't out. It poured down with rain all night!!

Have a lovely evening everyone!

C x x

Courses starting up again....

Well, as it turned out, the snow was so bad in Milan, they cancelled the flight! To say I was upset, would be a lie!!! I came home instead, always the best place to spend the night!

Had 2 more days of work, but wasn't needed, so had a lovely 4 day weekend. It was so cold, that I didn't get much done outside. The chickens were allowed into the veggie garden for a rummage, whilst I did a spot of weeding, but not much else done really.

Am back now from a 3 day trip, nice crew and a lovely dinner - anchovy pizza. Didn't sleep very well, as the pillows are like ryvitas covered in fabric. I'm sure I have mentioned them before? Top it off with a thread bare sheet and a quilt that has seen better days and you get a night of cold feet and restlessness. At least I will be in my own bed tonight.

The fog was horrific in London this morning. We arrived 2 hours late back from Rome. I hadn't realised how thick the fog was, until we hit the runway. It was so dense you couldn't see the ground. *shock*. Anyway, home now and Jase is on stand by at the airport as they cancelled his Barcelona flight. Wonder if he will be home tonight?

Came home to 2 eggs. One from Agnes and the other from Pru who has decided to lay again. Even though her feathers are still tatty and being halfway through her moult. No sign of the others laying yet. They are eating more, but that is probably down to the cold weather.

Big news! Jase's sister is getting married this year! The wedding will be in Scotland, probably in July! *smiles* She has asked me to make the wedding favours for 40! Starting to wonder what on earth I am going to make. Something along the lines of organza bag with a 'filling' I think.

My 'buying nothing new' is going well so far, but it is only day 14! It is easy if you avoid the shops/ebay/amazon and Waterstones on line!!

The Idea Behind It

To go a bit further than just Reduce Reuse Recycle; to help prove you are able to resist the relentless tide of corporate advertising and promotions that are engineered to make you part with your money; to make you examine in close detail what you actually spend your disposable income on in the first place; to further support local shops, food producers and small businesses.


What CAN I buy then?

You can buy anything you like, provided it is second-hand. Better still, borrow it or find it somewhere like Freecycle or a skip!

Are there any exceptions?

There are ALWAYS exceptions.

* Food and drink
* Utility/work clothing
* Medicines and other medical supplies
* Stuff for cleaning (but do try making your own)
* School supplies for children
* Certain essential services like vets, plumbers, mechanics etc
* Things that are essential for your work
* Renewing subscriptions (no new ones)
* Giving money to charity
* Emergency birthday presents


Looks easy doesn't it? No!!! But am really going to try!

I added a couple of chicken courses to the Omlet site this week and have sold 8 places already! 5 booked for this Saturday and another 3 for the week after. I hope it stays dry, don't mind the cold, but a hen course in the rain is miserable! Looking forward to doing the courses again. A chance to meet some nice people and spread the chicken word! People already think I'm nuts, so it's nice to get paid for my obsession!

Couldn't resist a quick picture of Winifred's fluffy bottom!


Cold again tonight, but still above freezing. The fog is rolling in so will have to be up extra early for work in the morning. I find out what they have in store for me at 6pm. 2 more days at work, then the weekend off!

Better go and out my dinner in the oven.

Speak soon

C x x

Too cold for waffles

The day started out at 4.50 this morning when my alarm went off. I haven't been up that early since Father Christmas left me some presents! So glad I covered the windscreen last night. The rest of the car was covered in thick frost. Luckily the gritters had been out in force, so the drive to work was ok. Shame they didn't do the driveway or our road - that was lethal.

By the time I got to work, I had a bad case of jogger's nipple. Strange, as I never jog. It takes a fast moving bus heading my way for me to pick up any kind of pace. Anyway, some things are not best discussed on a blog. Hee hee.

We arrived, here in Brussels, 2 hours late. It is minus 12 degrees C. I am frozen. Luckily I packed my travel hot water bottle and have refilled it 3 times. My legs are slowly thawing out. I couldn't face leaving the hotel, as the roads and pavements were covered in ice and snow and the walk to the waffle stand would have been awful.

I meant to post a picture of one of our Christmas pressies from a friend. It is a cross stitch picture for our house. I love it. It has pride of place in the kitchen.


Thank you Yvonski, it must have taken you ages!!

I am back from Brussels tomorrow and off to Milan, aka the Armpit of Europe, for the night. Weather permitting. Heavy snow is forecast tomorrow, so I might not make it. Shame. Would happily go home and light the fire. Cuddle up on the sofa. Jase says it is minus 9 at home. That's a worry. He has text me already to say the girls are safely tucked up in bed for the night. I do worry about them. I am sure they will be snug as a bug in a rug in the eglus.

The hyacinths I planted for Christmas presents are finally flowering! I couldn't really give them away as when it was time to wrap them, they looked like old onions in a pot!



The house smells lovely! Shame they don't last that long. *Must remember to plant them earlier this year*

Right, up at 3.55 tomorrow morning. Better get some sleep. Hope you are all safe and warm?

C x x