Watervole 2012

May 20th

Cold, it's cold, it has been cold for 4 weeks.  But the weather forecast says next week we will warm up.  The garden isn't coming to life as it ought.  Today we went to lunch with Noel and Barbara and saw their garden and allotment which are teeming with colour, weed free and full of burgeoning life.  Ours is weedy, very green and the emerging life has been burned by frost or eaten by bugs.  Where are we going wrong?

I came home and dug and raked and mowed and watered.  The chickens followed and pecked and dug as well.  Next week I shall buy things and pretend I have grown them from seed. I am building a fence to enclose the veg, soon we will also have an enclosure for the birds themselves .  Did I say that we are breeding again?   They are due  in time to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee , how patriotic.  (which we're not, of course)

May 15th

Have organised a bridge drive for the Wiltsire Wildlife Trust this afternoon in Malmesburg, with others of course.  It is Chicago bridge and tea- egg sandwiches, cucumber sandwiches, scones with cream and strawberry jam and strawberries, and two kinds of cake and chocolate fingers.  Hope they all enjoy it

 

May 13th

It's Sarah's birthday.   I can't find a suitable photo of her but here is one she must  love 

It's the boys-- trying on jackets on John Lewis I believe.  Happy Birthday Sarah, it's a lovely day and I know you will be being treated in a birthdaily way by Piers and Hec and Toby.  We have something for you and will maybe see you later.

 

May 8th

Happy Birthday Gabriel

10 years ago today Gabriel was born, on time in New York

If you were here Gabe we'd go for a walk in the woods, track rabbits and monkjack , watch the buzzards and listen to the blackbirds, chiff chaff and pigeons.  Maybe in the summer ?

Your present is in our suitcase

May 7th

Yesterday I walked 15 miles of the Sarsen trail  (ending at Stonehenge) with two friends frm Sherston (not too late to support us www.justgiving.com/sherluck  )  Managed to drive home but was unable to put any weight on my feet owing to acute blisters and Sharon had to cook for us all (Marylin was visiting too).  It's good to have friends. 

Had a very busy week last week driving every day across Wiltshire to almost Dorset.  Very much into rivers, explaining drought and low flows  but  all the while getting drenched in non stop unremitting rain which has made all of us in Southern England very damp and miserable.  Must be good for Piers' trees though.

Yesterday on the walk Ginger was an heroic real dog.  She ran along happily and energetically, ate her dog sandwich when I ate my people sandwich,  didn't chase bicycles, people, cars or even dogs, and managed the whole 15 miles with energy to spare.  Last time she flaked out after 10 miles.

Busy with Draw Something app reacting to Hec and Toby and Piers and Ben and Cara.    Anyone else want to play?   Hec is studymonkey, I'm studydog, Toby is studydragon, P is Piers222 nd Ben is B Bennett ot something like that.  Cara is LadyLavan, same as on You Tube.  Tomorrow is Gabe's birthday but I want him to defer part of it until May 28th or 29th when D and I will be in NY to see him (and everyone else, especially Jagger).

 

Aptil 21st, I think but I'm not wearing glasses

Have just planted french beansand  beetroot, have also moved  courgettes outside to acclimatise before planting.  Is it too early?  I hope not.  Seems ideal to me, this sunshine and showere alternating and though windy, not cold.

The chickens are under sentence of exile.  When the For Sale sign goes the chickens must too.  Unless I can negotiate incarceration?  I'm working on it.

I've been trying out occasional contact lenses.  I think I've failed.  Yesterday I but them in but one had a small tear,  After 6 hours I removed it but can;t, I think, remove the other one.  It is probably still in but I'm not sure.  I've learnt to be rough and really touch my eyeballs and squeese to get it, but I keep thinking of that bloke who gouged out his gorlfriends eyes and don;t want to try too hand.  So now I'm in a half haze of no glasses and maybe or maybe not one lens in.  I can function fairly well., but proof reading is beyond my powets.  I'll have to ask Hector for help 

 

 

April 17th (updated)

11 years ago today the lovely Hector was born.  He changed from this

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

to this in that time.

 

Who knows what comes next.   He gets georgouser and smarter everyday, will be at secondary school soon and is endless good fun to be with,  We joined them for the traditional Chinese celebration Feast and cake in their splendid new kitchen. 

 

April 15th

Easter was good, of course.   Unfortunately our visitors only ate a small fraction of the eggs we bought so D and I have had to spend the whole week since eating eggs and chocolate for breakfast, with mid morning coffee, after lunch, with tea, and then all through the evenings.  It's been a real strain.

Cara and Jake and Yessie and Karim and Barbara stayed with us and PSHT visited.  Our chickens joined in the fun and hid their 8 eggs in an unfindable new nest.  (Discovered only by observation,  I let them out late and then watched as they rushed, to a bush by the wall queueing up outside with their legs crossed waiting their turn.)

P&H and their 2 frends came for two  days. We set them various challenges including walking on their own 3 miles to Westonbirt. 

and catching fish in a net behind Sherston.  They caught loads.  We bought them a mile back home and released them in the Luckington Brrook.  I hope they're not considered to be invasive species 

April 9th....

was  Rachael's birthday. Know she had a good day and we love all the pictures of the children which  keep arrving via Facebook or email. 

 

April 1st

Spotty has come to stay for a week.  She's a delightful dog of course and we're always happy to have her come for a visit. 

However she has a reputation as a chicken killer and we wondered how we were going to manage the dog-chicken interaction.   It seemed rather unkind to condemn keep the chickens cooped up when they're used to wandering free all day.

Then we had a brainwave.  Instead of keeping the  chickens indoors  up we could have the dogs cooped up instead.

It's working a treat

Here they are in the dog coop while the chickens enjoy breakfast.

Now of course we have to domesticate the chickens.  We are teaching them to sit properly at the table.

  Dudley is working with s on this one

They will soon learn good manners.

 

This evening  we will have to encourage them to roost overnight in the kitchen, better put newspaper down until they are fully house trained.

We reckon Hector and Toby have achieved almost all of these 50 things you're supposed to do before you're 12.  The problematic one is lighting a fire without matches, will a lighter do?

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