Yarn Along - Bubble Rap

I swore I'd never buy one, but I have!   

I don't even know why I was so 'anti' in the first place?

I think I perceived it as an imminent threat to the printed word!  It's not really.  It doesn't have the touchy-feely-odeur appeal of a 'real' book.  

But I must admit, this Kindle thing is pretty cool - but a wee bit fragile.  Hence the need for 'bubble rap'.
We recently discovered that Rémi probably has a mild form Dyslexia, which makes reading a bit of an ordeal.  A friend of mine who is in international development and who specializes in education and technology, told me that new, unpublished studies, are revealing that dyslexic children read more efficiently from a screen than a printed page!  And another mum, who's son is also experiencing some difficulties, pointed out that, to a dyslexic child the mere volume of pages of even the smallest of books presents a big challenge.  But when reading from screen they only perceive one page at a time - thus the task of reading a whole book seems instantly more manageable.  He seems to like it, but it's new and has novelty value at the moment...

As I bought the Kindle from Amazon, at the same time I ordered myself  The Homemade Pantry - 101 Foods you can stop buying and start making.  This is a cookery book you can really read, filled with funny anecdotes from Alana's gastronomic journey through life, oh, and great recipes too.

Veggi burgers - W. I. P

See the three eggs, they're from my girls!  They finally started laying the morning after the summer solstice!! How bizarre is that?  I'm so proud of them, they're such a pair of cuties!

Veggi burgers - F.O

Usually I'm quite immune to marketing, I have my shopping list and I don't deviate, but these bottles of belgian beer got me hook, line and sinker.  Just look at the 'papa smurf' label!  The beer itself was pretty tasty but a tad strong for a monday evening!

{Joining in with Ginny for this weeks Yarn Along}

The heat is on...

Finally!!!!

early evening knitting and and chilled wine sipping spot.

After a 7 month winter, a cold wet spring, which according to Sarah Raven (The great vegetable Plot)  -'is ideal for garlic, as water during the leafy grow period produces plump cloves', summer has sent a calling card announcing her imminent arrival.  Lets hope she plans on staying a while.
For the past week we've been getting hot days and rainy nights, just what the Dr ordered for gardens and humans alike.

Summer in general is pretty short around these parts so we been eating 'al fresco' as much as possible

breakfast brothers

Picnic lunches with little friends

BBQ's with big cousins

Birthday's with CAKE

I've gone from trying to remember where I planted the spinach to frantically picking the leaves before Mr Fussy (Tino) calibrates them and deems them too big for his consumption.  The mint and oregano are battling it out for superiority in the herb patch and my hanging basket strawberries are ripening nicely way out of reach of Tricoti and Tricota.  We've had them over a month now and only three eggs - one of which they ate.   I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt as I think they are just a bit young.  Richard on the other hand thinks they are duds and wants to eat them.  I called his bluff, telling him I'll be more than happy to roast them just as soon as he's 'butched' them - he'll never do it.

The girls cooling off with a bit of juicy watermelon - although it's not as if they ever work up a sweat!

Sandbox science

Make a mini sand volcano and bury a glass jar in the middle.  Half fill with clear vinegar.  Add several drops of food dye - or failing this try paint (which doesn't work as well), sprinkle in a little glitter (then hide the box from 4 yr olds other wise your house, car, chickens, etc will finish up all spangly).  Add a good squirt of washing-up liquid and gently stir with a metal spoon.  Add a heaped teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda and watch........

'The foam that pours out of the jar is formed by a simple chemical reaction.  When the vinegar and bicarbonate of soda mix, they make lots of tiny bubbles of gas.  The bubbles churn up the washing-up liquid, making lots of foam' (The Usborne Big Book of Science things to make and do)

This is also how we clean our loo.  1/4 cup vinegar, let sit for a few minutes, 1/4 cup bicarbonate of soda and a wee squirt of washing-up liquid (optional).  The food color and glitter are also optional but if you want the kids to clean the toilet for you, ya gotta make it fun!  

After all this heavy scientific learning, jump up onto the sandbox roof and pretend to shoot people!
I wish they wouldn't play with guns (It wasn't me that bought them) but even when they don't have any they use finger guns or find sticks in just the right shape!  They will grow out of this, right?

Strange Brew

Who on earth gave it to him, he can't remember.  How long ago it was given, he can't recall.  And what's more,  he's not too sure what the alcohol is either!  The snake is a Viper (Adder) if that makes it anymore palatable to you. Wait - the worst is still to come....
Tuesday afternoon, he pulled this 'monstrosity' aka 'Vipperine' out of the cellar and actually convinced three people sample it.  One of them said it tasted faintly like pear - well I don't know where he buys his fruit!

Creative Friday - In The Dog House...

before

after

After a chicken keeping hiatus of 5 years we have now resumed egg production.  'Fortunately' the old coop got requisitioned as a tool shed and a new one (much nicer) has been built - or should I say recycled.
When my brother in law and his family moved house a few years ago they decided that their dog should also have a abode, and it's old kennel has been slowly decaying in my parents in law's wood pile ever since.
Richard was none to enthusiastic about having chickens again.  Some how, last time around, we ended up with too many or too many in too small a space.  We started off with four chickens, then got given a rooster and three of his off-spring - one of which turned out also to be a rooster.  This was a father/son relationship with issues!! After the usual dog and fox attacks we were then forced to kill all our birds, out of precaution, due the 'bird flu' epidemic in europe.
So when I suggested to Richard that it would be a fun project for him and the boys to turn the kennel into a wee chicken coop, for two chickens only, he reluctantly agreed.

working together they get the job done

a nesting box was added, new roof covering and a front door

I had intended to paint it dark red with a few details in white, but after pricing the paint, which came to approximately 60€, I decided otherwise.  And as Richi rightly pointed out, he used only old bits of wood and wire that we had lying around and so to waste spend money on new paint would be a shame.  Turns out I rather like it in it's present state, blends in nicely with the surroundings, so with a bit of luck, fantastic Mr Fox might not notice it!

This morning, MORE SNOW, when will it end?

The girls needed a little coaxing to get out of bed today!

Tricoti & Tricota

Rémi chose the names.  Tricot is the french word for knitting.  Do you name your chickens?

Joining in with Linda for Creative Friday 

Have a great weekend.

Yarn Along - KAL Sunny Days Shawlette

Do you ever knit something and know instantly that it's going to be a personal classic, that you'll make again and again?  I feel this way about the Milo vest, the Taproot family mitts, and now the Sunny Days Shawlette!

This one is going to be gifted to a friends middle daughter who will be 8 on friday.  It is the smaller of the two sizes and a perfect size for her.  I'm planning on making the larger one for myself as my holiday knit in July so I mustn't buy the yarn too soon or we all know what will happen don't we!

I was thinking of a autumn orange as my main color and a steely blue for the contrast, in a lovely pure merino  'made in france'.

My neighbor recently lent me these books, exactly at a time when I need them, especially The Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency (John Seymour).   A few months ago I read and enjoyed, Barbara Kingslover's - 'Animal, Vegetable, Miracle',  that followed her family's journey to self sufficiency.  I've always had this romantic notion of a family farm.  My grandparents were self-sufficient (not really through choice, more necessity) and I have fond memories of collecting eggs, feeding chickens and toasting bread on an open fire at their farm.
My father has many times told me that things were not always so idilic.  But never-the-less,  I have of recent been lamenting that 'it's not fair' - how am I meant to be self-sufficient with 160m² veggi plot and two chickens!
Seymours book is very 'complete' but it's not just about being 'completely' self-sufficient.  It's about doing what you can with what you have!   Good advice Mr Seymour.
So what do I have at the moment?  Lots of dandelions - add a little sugar, well a lot of sugar actually, some lemon and pectin - and voila Dandelion Jelly.   And if it ever stops raining and we get some sunshine I'll will have: potatoes, carrots, leeks, beets, broccoli, lettuce, corn, squash, spinach, peas, beans...

... and most importantly I still have lots of time to spend with my children.

Linking up with Ginny for Yarn Along.

{this moment} - Caught red handed!

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{this moment} - A Friday ritual.  A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment.  A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.