Valkyrie

I remember him years ago making bargello (spell check wants me to type Barbarella!!!!) tapestry cushions. Not really a fan of his fabric, but will say I do like seeing some of the quilts that use it to a much better effect. A little too psychedelic for me! Am working on Arkansas Crossroads for DD's wedding present. I think I have 290+ days to get it done! My lovely tidy sewing space looks like a tornado has struck and I'm sitting at Jezebel Janome in the doorway - not much space otherwise as I need to get to the cutting space and arghhhh! I want my son's old room back in our old house! Heaven knows how I'm going to stretch it and quilt it too! Sassin' rassin' faffle!!!!

Plum, when you said you'd been making houses, I thought you were doing a quilt with houses. I realise you were making a miniature village! That's so clever! Soapy, hope all goes smoothly tomorrow. Up and racing round in no time. If it makes you feel better, my friend's mum had a fall and as a result had her hip replaced. Having some sort of galloping dementia (not the normal sort - playing tennis and the ball hit her in the back of the head and blood supply stopped to the brain and cause the problem) she didn't do well in hospital, she refused to get out of bed and exercise and when they tried to help she just screamed. So they discharged her for being uncooperative! Now my friend has found a really nice care home, the physio has had her up and about and she's racing around with her frame - and is so delighted! In a matter of days - not weeks! Soooo the point of that story is that you have your marbles (well do any of us chicken peeps ever have marbles in the first place?) and so you will be racing around. Go Soapy, go Soapy! I have my pompoms for you - but don't expect gymnastics and splits!!!!

When they turn round and say "I'll be back!" I think I may head for the mountains!

She's very pretty! Oh gosh, yes those horns - Princess Leia . . . not! LOL! Nice wool from her.

Oh how cool! Not so sure about the snoring - one snorer in the family is more than enough! But I'm dying to see that annoyed expression. As long as they don't say "Exterminate Judy" then that's a good thing!

Fab Minion and I just love the Postman Pat and Jess. Oh dear Soapy - Murphy's Law (plus another which would likely be censored! LOL) that you need to scratch. It's like being in an audience when it's quiet - and you have a sneeze or a cough that needs to burst forth! Then when you do cough, then the little ripple of coughing goes round the rest of the audience as if they were waiting for the first one to start.

😍 Oh she's gorgeous! Is she a D&C longwool?

Wild boar! Glad we don't have to deal with those . . . yet! Goodness knows though, but while I know there are escapees somewhere around I gather they prefer wooded areas. I think the local game bods would have had any if they dared set trotters on their land! I have some turmeric that I'm going to try and coax into growing. I did have some and put some compost in the tray to start them off but I'll be blowed where they ended up. Can't even find the tray! Maybe OH threw it all in the compost! I know we have some ginger in the fridge, I did use some the other week when I had the coughy lurgy. I may need to ninja the rest of it! I forgot I've put some Aquadulce in the greenhouse - seeds were fine, plants died off after sowing and flowering last year - so this year hope a different part of the plot will help. I need to get that compost down - I have strawberry and raspberry plants arriving in February! Nothing like a little bit of pressure!

That's a lovely description! Me wants sheepsies!❤️

Yup, Sturon. I grew those and a few different ones - names escape me! We cut some branches away from overhanging the propane tank and some apple tree branches set to mess up the electricity cables! OH cut a few of the larger branches and added them to the wood pile - and we didn't have to go to A&E either! Both had our hard hats, ear muffs and visors while Mr Chainsawmassacremyself was kitted up in full chain mail and boots! I stood back out of the way and just looked up or dragged the lighter branches away. Shredding will happen in a couple of days! It's now foggy as anything - blooming clouds! So not much going on outside apart from intrepid explorer ducks. Yes! Purple - or a nice lavender/lilac hue. In Hartley Wintney there's a blue/grey/lavender house that I always thought looked like a misty smokey thing through the trees - and then I saw oooh pretty colour house! Our house being battleship grey needs a facelift - and I so want lavender! Definitely be careful with those butts! You did a lot of work yesterday! Hope your arms feel like they still belong to you after all those wheely trips!

I have spare roosting bars - one on, one off and one in the wash, so that they can be rotated if they get really mucky. Sometimes I let the rain soften any dirt prior to hot soapy water and a scrubbing brush - then I can pick a warmer day to do it. You'll need a paint scraper from a DIY store! In winter they need cleaning out more often as they are inside longer. I have the cubes (the old style) so that I don't have to bend down to clean. The new cubes are smaller in my opinion to the old ones and my brahmas would have had great difficulty in getting in those doors - the rooster found it a bit of a struggle to get in the old cube door, but he learnt to duck! My classic eglu has been used for introductions and has been super. Although I will say that my little bantam faverolle seems to have issues with the roosting bars and is always at right angles to the other birds. Might be down to the extra toe - but then, in days of yore, a silkie managed perfectly well with her extra toes. I just have a daft faverolle. Have fun with your chickens!

Anyone sick to death of these storms and gloom? A few fine frosty days (oh weren't they the most welcome sight) were just not enough. Quite depressing really. On the other hand the drake seems to think spring is here and pounces on his ladies . . . the wrong way round! The pheasants are dancing to their ladies - who are having none of that malarky! I almost feel sorry for the males!

Slow and steady Christian! I went down the plot to pick some sprouts the other day. It was nice and frosty - but everything is still squelchy, so can't really get cracking. I did see a field vole who has happily been chomping on the celeriac. Amazing really - like little goblets sunk into the ground. The furry brat! I need a live-in veg plot farm cat! Buzzards, owls, foxes can't seem to cope with these furry sausages and I guess rabbits are more substantial for the bigger beasts. Tawny owls are overflowing with mice, voles (bank and field - and maybe even shrews although I haven't seen them yet) so the veggie plot is the last place for them to hunt. Maybe I need a model of a bird to make the voles think "eeeeek" or rather "squeeeeak!" and stay hidden. The plot may be rabbit proof but the voles get through easily. And something is chomping my comfrey as it shoots up! Whinge whinge whinge! On the plus side garlic is coming up and so are the winter onions - in the greenhouse, because I figured they'd either be pulled up or chomped in the ground. So same as last year and we weren't disappointed. Have also just planted shallots in cells in the greenhouse too. Not sown the tomatoes or peppers yet, but will be doing so in February. Was too eager last year and the tomatoes romped away too fast. Had a reshuffle in the greenhouse so tomatoes will be reduced to keep better control - they were sending side shoots out all over the place and it was hard to keep on top. They also shut the light from the peppers - which did better in the ground than in the pots. Seemed to get a lot of damp/condensation issues even with the vents open. Roof vents had to stay closed because of the high winds, but sunny days they open automatically anyway. A big learning curve. Last year I purchased from several seed companies - the "heritage" seed from Dobies didn't perform, the beans from all sources didn't do well either. The Real Seed company I bought Lazy Housewife beans from and they were definitely not the same beans as my original Lazy Housewife beans from the proper Heritage Seed collection, but membership costs are crazy nowadays so I no longer belong to the organic gardening organisation. Two companies had top marks, one was Franchi Seeds of Italy and the other was Tamar Organics. Fothergill's was reasonable. Dobies wasn't too good, although Dobies onion sets were better than Fothergill's that developed white onion rot in some. Then again that could have been partly due to the weather. Ailsa Craig seed onions were by far the best from Fothergill's. Dwarf beans did much better - Purple Teepee stands out as the best perfomer. Even did an encore as we are eating them from the freezer. For seed potatoes I bought from Carroll's Heritage potatoes - they were super. The potatoes I bought from potato day weren't brilliant, but this year cutting down on the amount of seed potatoes, I just had them from Tamar. Seems potatoes will be a thing of the past and if only I'd known earlier, I wouldn't have ordered the amount that I did this year! OH has been diagnosed borderline diabetic so has now cut spuds from his diet. That leaves me with a potato mountain and we haven't even started on the main crop spuds! I had a slight hissy fit the other day and said I want to eat some of my own potatoes! But you are eating your own potatoes! I'm still eating Charlottes and I want to try the others before the start sprouting! I can't eat them all!!!!! I have to say the mice in the garage are valiant little helpers in getting through the stored spuds. Not amused, but our children have been piled high with produce and am about to take a fair few round to the neighbours! So fingers crossed that this awful weather stops so that we can get cracking outside.

Hope Alis is feeling better. Lovely client but sad circumstances - you left an impression Lewis! Geoid - I well remember my dad having the same thing. He was to be seen dabbing his hankie a lot. We made him laugh which made dribbling worse! Scary when you see it though. He then added shingles to his session, but it is strange noticing the change when the dribbles are no longer dabbed, smiles turn up at the corners equally and whoosh (well slow whoosh, more gentle breeze whoosh) you are back to normal again. Such a relief to know it is not a stroke though, so fingers crossed that it isn't a 3 month session. I had a lady walking up the field asking if I minded her walking over - no worries - I said ooh you caught me mucking the ducks out! Turns out she is our elderly neighbour's daughter (or one of them and she announced that she was the eldest of 3) and is over from Canada. I initially thought oh dear - hope it isn't bad news! But it wasn't, it was to apologise for not popping round sooner! Dafties! So we had a nice chat! Considering the previous occupant lived here 10 years and didn't know anyone, not only do we see our neighbours, but their families pop over too! This is such a nice place to live! LOL! And our daughter is getting married in November! I need to get my Nordic poles out and get that botty two sizes smaller!

DD's other half's parents live in Bicester - not Bicester Village which her future MIL venomously likes to point out - she hates the place so much too! Nice lady though. New decade = wedding for us. DD got engaged last summer and currently planning their wedding either November or December. FSIL's mum (aforementioned) and OH are going with them on Sunday to look at their chosen venue. I'm staying here to look after the birds as the appointment is late in the afternoon - plus it's a good 3 hour journey from here!