Realising the Dream

Chicken.. Licked?

noreply@blogger.com (Rosie) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 21:55:00 +0000

It was a hard year last year on our hens. We entered the New Year with only 6 hens, from 11 hens and a cockerel. Sad times. Some we found what remained, others simply never came back to the coop. All of our French Wheatens Marans have gone, such is the fate of the free range hen. We discovered, quite early that the Marans were hopeless at going back to the coop. If darkness struck before they got back they simply announced that 'the end was nigh' and sat down where they were, all our time was taken with ensuring that they were all back in the coop, this includes the cockerel! But slowly, despite our best efforts they disappeared, two on one night!

I have to admit this left me more angry at myself than anything, I feel personally responsible for each one, I could have done more. Gone out earlier, checked more often. But I know that in the real world I cannot be on chicken watch 24 hours a day. There are foxes, dogs, cats and all sorts out there. Even a ferret which took 7 of the neighbours ducks in one night from out of their locked house! A plan was needed. Something to contain the hens, deter the predators and try and encourage an early retiral to the coop by all hens involved.

We call it Chicken-Knox...

(Sorry for the bendy look, it's one of my homemade panoramas!)

The chicken house always had its own small pen around it, but the chickens were free to roam anywhere on the farmyard, but the land surrounding lends itself well to being fenced in giving the hens a nice area of land that is entirely their own. It is also butted up against our top paddock, so should we ever decide more land is needed we can make adjustments. It is a bit bare for hens at the moment but I am working on that. My mum is a collector of shrubs - when she finds them growing in her gravel they are dug up, put in a carrier bag with some compost and sent to us. She has been doing this since we moved in and I have quite a collection. Planting them has always been a 'I really should get around to that' job - some of these things are huge now! So, a decision was made and they have been planted at Chicken-Knox. And what with the summer growth that is usually down here I think the chooks will have a whale of a time!

With that in mind we added to the flock, all was safe and we wanted to top up the numbers. It happened slightly sooner than we originally planned we said "we should get a few more hens. Check when the next sale is." *rustle* *rustle* "Oh its tomorrow! Right-o!"

So off to the sale we went with specifics in mind, a checklist:

1 cockerel

Some hens

Something likely to go broody

There was a lot we were interested in as no one could possibly want it unless they were us: 1 Welsummer cockerel with 2 silkie cross hens. Who'd want that! What a mix match bunch. They were in a tiny cage which was dark, so most casual observers just saw 6 little eyes peering out of the blackness. But we hung around and soon saw a handsome cockerel and two black hens emerge. Bidding was non-existent, only a few people who seemed to be 'maybe he doesn't mean it' but we did and they came home with us for only a few pennies.

I am not a huge fan of silkies, they aren't the prettiest birds in the world, cute, but not pretty. But I think that these girls aren't too bad in the looks department. The photos aren't great, they are still a little shy.

Here they are with their guy....

We also wanted something we were sure would lay and we are certain of age and breed and all that jazz. So we got 3 Welsummer pullets as well. They are lovely girls and are so funny to watch! Its like they aren't too sure how to be chickens! They walk up to the others and stare hard at them before starting to copy whatever they are doing!

They all seem to be getting on fine and the eggs seem to be a sign of that, we are now getting 5 - 6 eggs a day, which is a great number! I need to find some eggy recipes, and fast!!

The Going's Slow

noreply@blogger.com (Rosie) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:38:00 +0000

As you know we have built the stables but they still require a bit of work before they are ready for allowing people in. Namely, electrics, water, internal wall in the tack room and various fittings.

We have spoken to an electrician and the quote is acceptable so we are in the process of getting a date set for him to arrive and get started. Lights, sockets and, while he's at it, putting lights into the garage without the door!

I have however been having fun with my catalogues and have got the first of the fittings for the tack room. I am trying to be sparing, getting the basics and then seeing what needs to be added as the tack room is in use. So today my saddle and bridle racks arrived. Isn't that the most exciting picture you have ever seen?

We are also progressing with the extension to the house. The new plans are in, which are essentially a request to change the existing planning permission for a second house into just an extension to the existing one; with a few layout changes, obviously. The extension will consist of a new open plan kitchen / dining area which will lead through to a large family room. Beyond that, two new bedrooms, a bathroom and a cinema room.

I cannot wait for the extension. The new kitchen means I will be able to cook in winter (not that I physically can't at the moment but the current kitchen has no heating and a draft, so whatever the temperature outside is, that's what it is in the kitchen. Doesn't help when you need room temperature butter! But does help if you forget to put the milk back in the fridge!)

It will also mean that we can eat at a table, not off our knees in the lounge! We do have a dining room but it is also my sewing room, the computer room/office and general dumping ground. It is also a long walk from the kitchen!

And the new bedrooms will finally mean we can have guests staying over without the currently compulsory 'would you like the floor or the caravan?'

Its a big job however, and we are only just starting on the journey, the next big step in realising our dream!

The Stables - Finally Done... Almost!

noreply@blogger.com (Rosie) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:33:00 +0000

Finally got the stables in last Friday! The workmen did well even through the gale force winds and the driving rain, and snow! It took them two days, well one and a half I guess! They look great. All my life I have dreamed of owning stables! I used to play 'stables' when I was little, drawing designs and layouts and desiding which of my multitude of imaginery horse would go where!

So now they are done, although we do have to get water to a more suitable location and get some lights in there, but ... details, details! We have STABLES!!!

It is amazing to stand in front of our six doors and think, finally, 'This is mine. And this time its real!'

Before

End of Day One

Finished!!

The finished changing bag...

noreply@blogger.com (Rosie) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 11:34:00 +0000

I have finally finished the changing bag. And I am very pleased, although Farm Guy has said it isn't the most manly bag for him to carry when he is out on his own with Farm Baby! :O)

I incorporated all of the aspects that I have learned with my practices.

Double pocket on the front, one the perfect size for my pocket diary!

Not the best inside pocket but a double inside pocket and a nice pink zippered pocket.

I also made a little tiny version to keep her dummies together and handy, it attaches to the strap of the bag - or anywhere I suppose!

Getting in about the crafting...

noreply@blogger.com (Rosie) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 11:25:00 +0000

As the garden is so cold and sad at the moment and there is very little to chat about, I have been busy in the craft room. My main aims have been improving my techniques in various things but my main project this last couple of weeks has been making a new Changing Bag for farm baby.

I researched and researched all the different designs out there and all the different pockets, positions of pockets and tied it all together with what I liked and disliked about the current changing bag I have - a free one from Boots!

A trip into town saw me spending a fortune on some lovely fabric, but then chickened out of using it without some practice attempts. I wasn't sure what I was going to use for my practice material but an impromptu trip to the local car boot sale resulted in a £3 purchase of some old blinds and curtain material I had what I needed for some practicing.

My first attempt was with some curtain fabric. I gave it a flap closure as I liked the idea of hiding all the pockets and things within.

Easy to access pockets on the front.

I wanted an internal zippered pocket and as I had never done this before I was glad of the chance to practice.

I also tried out some fancy edges to hide the internal raw edges of my pockets.

Although i liked my bag I wasn't happy with the proportions and I also wanted to try a bit of elasticated pocketing inside and out as this was something that I wanted on my final bag. So, after unpicking all the stitching on a roman blind from my car boot buy. I set out on bag number two. It was more square and I think I like this one better, shape wise.

Again the front pockets.

An elasticated pocket on the edge on the outside for holding a drinking bottle.

Internal stretchy pocket.

Had fun with the sewing machine's fancy stitching to give this bag a bit of excitement on the flap.

All in all I am happy with my practices. I have now bitten the bullet and started with the expensive fabric.

I made these two bags relatively quickly and without much difficulty. Of course, as soon as I got the 'real' fabric out it has all started to go wrong!!

I shall update you once the official bag is ready.

Bad Weather, Bad for Gardening, Great Excuse for Other Crafts!!

noreply@blogger.com (Rosie) — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 12:16:00 +0000

I had been holding off and holding off, waiting for there to be a chance to share some news about what has been happening in the garden, with the chickens, with the stables.. anything! But the weather here has been so bad for the past month or so that there has been nothing but staring dankly out of the window. A time for chilling out and kicking back inside! Something the animals have had no problem in doing!

It has left plenty time for other things however, particularly in the arts and crafts and cooking departments. Another attempt at Cherry Cake - still the cherries all sank. If anyone has any hints on how to make them stay put then I would be pleased to give it a go. I have tried: doing nothing to them, covering them in flour first, washing, drying and then covering in flour. Nothing, always a nice layer of cherries at the bottom of the cake!

Farm Guy's birthday meant time for more cake, Red Velvet with Chocolate Ganache filling with Raspberry Jam. Chocolate ganache filled chocolate cups for decoration!

Neighbours gave us a big box of windfall apples, so they were made into a quick apple crumble and then several jars of Apple Jam!

The garden is still able to produce even through all the howling wind and driving rain. I got up the last of the potatoes. As well as a few parsnips and a beetroot just to see how it was! I also discovered two courgettes on the plants that I had forgotten all about! How do you forget about a courgette plant? Stick it somewhere you never go then find other things to worry about! But well done to them both for soldiering on!

In the arts and crafts section of the home, with Halloween fast approaching a costume was needed for Farm Baby (who will soon need to be called Farm Toddler!). So, Red Riding Hood was the name of the game and very pleased I am too - ahh modesty!

Autumn hats for mum and baby - apple anyone.... this was a great pattern that I found here - www.fleecefun.com

And the next project, a Tea Cosy. Just a kit that came with a magazine that I bought but I am looking forward to trying it anyway!

I Know a Bargain... I think!?

noreply@blogger.com (Rosie) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 15:21:00 +0000

This Saturday we hit the auction house again. We were really only there for a look and a browse but where is the fun in that! We secured ourselves a spot at the ring side and they brought on the vintage jumble, that's the kind of sale it was by the way. They had everything from glass-less oil lamps, to old milk churns to cafe signs and tractor seats. Boxes just called "Spares" and "Old Tools". As well as enough bits and bobs to build your own tractor! Farm Guy was after a pair of bolt cutters which he secured against little opposition. I had a nose around the ring as the bidding went on to see what I liked the look of. There was a giant glass jar hidden away behind a large kist (wooden chest) but I couldn't see a number. "I'll just wait to see them hold it up and make my decision then" I thought.

In amongst the jumble was a large number of old horse harnesses, bridles, collars, shoes and bits. All split into various small lots. I was interested to see what the interest was on them. Answer - none at all. Not really surprising as they were listed as 'Harness' with no indication of size, condition or even if all the parts were there! The auctioneer was dropping as low as he could with still no interest and was combining lots left and right to get them to sell. People were walking away with 3 or four lots for a couple of pounds. The second from last lot was a saddle and two bridles. He dropped his price from £60 starting to £1! Nobody was interested. The last lot of horse artifacts was a driving harness, all squished into a box.

"Combine the last two then" he called down to the guys in the ring.

He tried starting a £30 for the two lots but came down and down and down to a sea of blank faces.

"£1?" he repeated again and again, looking around. I nudged Farm Guy, "Go on. For a laugh"

"£1" he said waving his book.

Off went the auctioneer "£1. I got £1. £1. £1. £1 bid" No point.

"Sold!"

"Hurray" I said, "What did we win?" I had been so interested in the saddle I hadn't really taken in what the second lot was.

The saddle isn't that bad condition although I don't think you'd want to use it and the harness and bridle leather is very warn, again, not sure you'd trust it, but it might polish up nice for some kind of decoration somewhere! And it was just a £1! There is a kind of nice feeling to be living on a farm and to have reminders of the past around you. Something very secure in that feeling.

We were interested in the kist so we hung around, however so were many others and we were quickly out bid. Ah well, farm baby was getting restless and so we decided to head away. As we were leaving I saw the glass jar being held up from the corner of my eye. I'd forgotten all about it. I heard bidding was £1. I quickly waved what I had..

"£2"

"Sold!"

Hurray, my glass jar. They called it a churn.

"It must be the jar from an old butter churn" I thought. One had sold earlier, the kind that is a glass jar with a rotary blade hanging inside - turn the handle, churn the butter.

What I thought I had bought was this: (that's what they held up, and quite happy I'd have been with it too!)

What I actually bought was this:

The full kit of an electric butter churn. It is pretty old and has a cable but no plug. I don't think I will trust the electrics on it till I have asked Farm Dad to bring his tools down and take a look. Part of me hopes it does work but even if it doesn't, I still have my nice storage jar!

It was a lot of fun and there was so much to look at. Outside it was all about the farm implements and that included stone troughs, mangles, carts, potato sorters, tractors, bits of engines and tyres.

£3 spend and a great day out was had by all!

First Year

noreply@blogger.com (Rosie) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 20:54:00 +0000

It is Farm Baby's First Birthday tomorrow!! I cannot believe it has been a whole year already! It honestly doesn't feel like it. We have no plans so far as the weather is ghastly at the moment, we'll just have to wait and see, but I have spent the evening baking.

I am very pleased with this cake. Its only a Victoria Sponge but it is the first time I have successfully covered a cake in fondant icing!! I also attempted colouring my own icing to make two shades of pink for the hearts and I think it came out pretty well.

In keeping with my theme I made little jam filled and iced cupcakes to go along with the cake. Her ladyship is having a week long celebration as the two sets of grandparents cannot make it on her birthday, nor can the make it on the same day this week. But that in itself is good, she has a three day birthday and we can spend her 1st birthday as just the three of us.

The Start of an Empire...

noreply@blogger.com (Rosie) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 10:57:00 +0000

Sorry for many missing posts... but I have an excuse....

For those of you who have bee following a while you will know that we have several acres of field (around 13) and various outhouses and barns. The original plan was that we had this set up so that I could get a horse - a lifelong dream of mine. This has been put on hold somewhat with the arrival of Farm Baby, but the dream still lives on. So preparation is key! We have however decided to take that dream just one step further.

We decided that there was enough room and we had enough land to, in some small way, have a few liveries. Not many, just enough to help with a few bills and to make good use of the land we have. The idea was born and we began planning. The large green hay shed was chosen (pretty much as soon as we saw it on the first viewing of the property) as a likely candidate for stables. This was even before we had thought of liveries, this was just for me!!

A few months ago we had a company round to check the shed and to draw plans up for stabling. We liked them, they liked the shed and we liked the plans, so it was full steam ahead. The shed however needed a lot of work. The photo above shows how it was when we moved in, as you can see it was full of hay and straw and there was no solid bottom to the walls on two sides. The rabbits had also spent many years digging away and the floor level in the back right corner was somewhat lower than the rest of the barn. Before the stable fitters could get in we needed to get working.

After a whole weekend of manually clearing the hay and straw from the barn and having a succession of bonfires the shed was ready for some professional work! Our neighbour is a brickie and very kindly offered his services to put in a retaining wall all the way around the base. He did this in his spare time, just popping over when he had an hour or two! And very grateful we are too! Here is his work as of several weeks ago. He had done his bit as far as he could, the next step was ours.

We needed the heavy machinery...

We dug a trench out for a central drain and dug a large soak away at the back.

We then needed a whole lot of this....

This was to cover the whole floor of the barn to allow a concrete top to be added. This was as close to the barn that the delivery truck could get, so it took two full days of three person labour to get all this in to the barn. I am a mean digger driver, except when I think about it then it all went everywhere and I couldn't do anything! They definitely went out of there way to make it as complicated as possible. For those who haven't driven one it has two levers in front of you which are forward and backwards for each of the tracks beneath, then there is a joystick for each hand that controls buck scoop and empty, arm in and out, arm up and down and cab left and right! There were also two foot pedals which did something but I just left them alone! I got the hang of it though and it was quite a relaxing thing to do. As I chugged along at a slower than walking pace however I couldn't shake the idea of how funny it would be to race these little diggers, they go so ridiculously slowly!

But then it ended up like this, sorry for the bad photo, we finally have sunshine and it plays havoc with the camera, I also had a puppy pulling his lead at the same time!

This is were we are at the moment. We are hoping to have the concrete base on by the end of next weekend, so please keep your fingers crossed for us!!

While we were at it, we also re fenced our top paddock and 'claimed' a small section of it as BBQ area. We will be able to sit in here, watching our animals, eating our burgers and enjoying the fresh air. It will have a small gate here leading into the field, for person access. The bigger gate for animals and machinery is up the other end (and isn't actually there). I will do more on the paddocks at a later date but thought you may enjoy the sneak preview!

Field - Pot - Freezer!

noreply@blogger.com (Rosie) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 08:52:00 +0000

ONE

TWO

THREE

Meet My Malamute

noreply@blogger.com (Rosie) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 20:03:00 +0000

There was one family member missing. We had always had a plan to fill that gap but only when we were ready.

Now we are ready.

After much research we had settled on exactly what we wanted - the Alaskan Malamute. The only problem was, trying to find a breeder that wasn't hundreds of miles away. We knew that when they did become available in the area we would have to be ready. Well, last Sunday the time came, and it turned out that the breeder was only 5 minutes down the road! We had seen her ad before and had let it pass as her price was a little too high for us, then we noticed that she had re posted so we tried our luck and asked if she could reduce her price at all. She did. It was on!

We went along, hoping that the puppy viewing would be successful but preparing to ask all the questions needed. If anything wasn't right we would have to walk away. When we arrived there was only one pup remaining. We peaked over the door into the stall and there was a, pretty huge, wiggly puppy. He was very cute and friendly. Farm Baby loved him and announced "cat!" Not quite, but not a bad guess! We asked about him, particularly why he was left when the others had gone. Apparently she had taken a deposit on him at the same time as the other pups went. The new owners were to pick him up when they returned from holiday last week. When they did return they contacted her and said they no longer wanted him. This was why she had re listed her ad (and also probably why she was more willing to lower her price). All his papers were in order and he was healthy and active so we made the decision and he came home with us that night.

And so we know have a Farm Dog, please let me introduce... Apache, the Red and White Alaskan Malamute! He is 11 weeks old and already weighs in at around 10 kg (that's 1 st 8 lbs for people who think like me!). It is reckoned he'll reach around the 40 kg (6 st 4 lbs) mark. He is settling in well and has already pretty much mastered Come and Sit, although the Malamute stubbornness is showing its head occasionally! The cats and chickens are teaching him a few manners too. He will go to puppy classes to help his socialisation, but as he was late to be brought to a new home, he was behind on his injections, so we have to wait another three weeks before he can really venture out safely.

Elasticated Ribbon Headband Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Rosie) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 07:00:00 +0000

After the inspiration from The Cottage Home tutorial for making a party dress I decided to make a matching head band for the party dress I made and one for the dress and panties set I made from a recycled onesie that Farm Baby had grown to tall for!

I decided that it was time for another tutorial and this lended itself to the task perfectly. So here we go!

Elasticated Bow Headband

Supplies:

Elastic - 1/2 inch width

Material

The sizes a re relative to the size of your little ones head. I will explain how to measure as I go.

Step One:

First measure around your little ladies head and cut a piece of elastic to that length. I make mine fit her as they are with barely any stretch at all - this caters for her head growing! More usage!

Step Two:

Cut a piece of your fabric that is 1.5 times longer than your piece of elastic and 2 1/2 inches wide. I was using left over pieces of fabric and didn't have the length in a single piece. I just cut two pieces and joined them together. For this simple place the two pieces right side together and sew down one short side. Press the seam open.

Step Three:

Fold your long strip in half, right sides together, and sew down the long side. Use 1/4 inch seams, this will create a headband 1 inch wide.

Step Four:

Next turn your fabric tube to it's right side and press flat. Make sure the seam is centred when you do this to keep it hidden when being worn.

Step Five:

Next, attach a safety pin to the end of your elastic and thread it through the fabric tube. You will need to keep hold of the other end as the tube is longer than the elastic. I found that pinning the end in place was the easiest way.

Step Six:

Once the elastic is all the way through simply place one end over the other and sew flat.

Step Seven:

This bit is slightly complicated but I will explain as best I can, if you need clarification please let me know.

You need to decide two things:

The width of your bow.
The length of the tails.

Decide the width of your finished bow and double that length. Decide the length of one of your tails and double that length. Then add those tow together. Add one more inch for seams.

For example, if you want a bow 5" wide with 7" tails then your measurements would be 5x2 = 10, 7 x2 = 14 added together 24. Plus seam allowance = 25 inches.

Cut a piece of material that length and 2 1/2" wide.

Step 8:

Fold your strip in half length ways, right sides together and pin. Cut the short ends at a angle. Next sew around all open edges but leave a small gap halfway down the long side to allow you to turn the tube to its right side.

Once it is turned hand stitch the hole closed and press the tube flat.

Step Nine:

Next fold your tube in half length ways. Measure from the folded end the width of your bow and place a marker pin. So, from our example, for a 5" inch bow measure down 5" and put in pin.

Step Ten:

Next push the folded end in until it meets the pin, creating a 'V' shape.

Step Eleven:

Push the tops of the 'V' away from each other until they are horizontal and bring the free ends up, one to each side.

Step Twelve:

Place the bow onto your headband, across your seam, and sew into place with two lines of stitches. These lines should be positioned to catch all the layers of fabric.

Step Thirteen:

Using a strip of fabric wrap it around the centre of your bow and hand sew at the back.

You're all done!

These little bow headbands can be made from pretty much any fabric so can be co-ordinated to any outfit. Play around with the angle of the tails and the tightness of the middle band. As you can see, on the brown band I pulled the centre band tighter which gave a less square look to the bow. I also, its harder to see in the photo, angled the tails downwards slightly before stitching so they sit slightly lower than the band itself.

Give it a go and add a finsihing touch to your little one's outfit!

In a Trug

noreply@blogger.com (Rosie) — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 00:27:00 +0000

Its been a while since a garden-y related post so I thought I would get you all up to speed. It has been a busy time. As you can see the hens have been laying like crazy. I love just looking at the eggs, SO MANY different colours! 'Aint it purdy!? You can really see the difference of the Wheaten Marans' chocolatey coloured eggs when they are all together like this.

The garden has continued to produce. The summer raspberries are, I think, beginning to give up but just behind them the autumn fruiters are taking their place. The strawberries too have done their thing, this is the last that the patch had to offer.

The broad beans have had the perfect weather, some days of heavy rain and then warm sun, they went crazy. Great big fat pods. The peas are catching up fast too. The runner beans have started to flower, better late than never and just this afternoon I planted out some french beans! Taa Da! This is the third batch I am trying and it has taken this long to encourage them not to die!

Garlic has been pulled and is hanging to dry. I did have photos but it looked like what it was, a bunch of mud covered garlic hanging in a dark shed, I saved you the boredom.

It has certainly been a busy place, the veggie patch, these last few weeks. I shall keep you updated as things progress further! I am hoping to try more winter growings this year so I shall be getting to grips with those soon!

Farmyard Designs!

noreply@blogger.com (Rosie) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 21:10:00 +0000

I decided to have another go at clothing making. I am still going to stick with making things for the Farm Baby as it is quicker and what is better than making my little girl look cute! I decided to go with making her a party dress for her birthday next month (I can't believe that it has been a whole year!) so I set out to find the perfect pattern. It was then that I happened upon this blog - http://thecottagehome.blogspot.com/ - and it has become a favourite. I found a great pattern here and decided to go for it!

I had picked up the spotty material when we were in town a couple of days ago, I discovered it in the fabric shops remenants bin for £3. It was perfect for the job.

I really enjoyed myself, so much so that I had to post my creation before it was quite finished - I haven't got the buttons for the back yet. But I am very pleased with it and am already looking at material to make a second one, more of a sundress style for everyday, with some nice bright flowery fabric!

So, take a look at the finished (ish) product. Apologies for the photos, I don't know how people make photos of clothes look so professional, mine just come out looking, well... flat! But you can get the idea!

There was some left over fabric so I sat and played around for a while and eventually came up with a Bow Headband to go with it! She's all set for her birthday now!!

If you are loving this and want to give it a go then check out the pattern HERE.

Hey! Who Are You!?

noreply@blogger.com (Rosie) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 07:00:00 +0000

About a month ago, possibly more, we started hearing a plaintive meowing around the house late at night. We assumed it was one of our boys. Then we began seeing a flash of white and tabby scooting around at the edges of our vision. Then, one evening I called the cat boys in for dinner and round the corner came one (Monty), two (Rocco) and... three?! All in a little row. Their new friend was reluctant to come to close but stood and cried in the yard for a while.

After a couple of return visits I felt sorry for it and gave it a handful of the boys cat biscuits, it ate them gingerly and wandered away. We didn't see it again for a few days - yes the biscuit impressed it that much.

About a week ago I was casually watching TV one evening when through the door marched the new friend, parked his butt in the middle of the floor, said "Meow", fell over, rolled about and started purring! He then took a good long look around the whole house, like he owned the place - meowing the WHOLE time I might add. He went back out.

He know appears every-so-often and goes through the same routine. We are not sure whose he is, there are three possibilities, a neighbours', lost or dumped. We are currently siding with the latter two. We are keeping our eyes and ears open for people missing a cat in the area. We aren't sure if he plans to stay or not, he can go several days without appearing and I figure he has moved on but then back he comes!

So if anyone recognises this cat, he is a full male and has A LOT to say from himself, as you can see from the photo!.... LOL

Making Jam - The Easy Way!

noreply@blogger.com (Rosie) — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 15:07:00 +0000

So, I decided that jam was the way to go with the first kilo of raspberries (they have already given me nearly another kilo since I made this lot of jam!) As I haven't done a how to in a long while I thought that I might do one with this, and hopefully show those who don't already know exactly how easy jam is to make! I'll have people jamming everything!

Ingredients.
For this jam I used
1.1 kg of raspberries (as this is what I had)
1.1kg of sugar
juice of half a lemon

The basic ruling is equal quantity of sugar to fruit. Use around half a lemon for each kilo of fruit you use.

Step one

Heat the fruit in a large pan. The bigger the better, even if you are thinking that it looks daft, trust me jam is a messy business.
Heat until the juices start flowing from the fruit. This takes around 5 minutes for raspberries.
You don't want the mixture to boil so keep the heat medium.

Step Two

Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice.

Step Three

Stir in the sugar and place the pot back onto the heat. Make sure it is low. Stir the mixture gently but continuously until the sugar has completely dissolved.

Step Four

Turn up the heat and bring the mixture to the boil. Cook at boiling for 4 minutes. If foam appears either add a knob of butter to disperse it or scoop it out - I am a scooper!

After the four minutes check for setting. If you have a jam thermometre this makes life easier if you don't then follow my guide below for the saucer test.

Step Five

Using sterilized bottles or jars fill to the top and put the lid on while the jam is still hot. Allow to cool.

Label your jam. This jam should keep for around 9 months if unopened.

Enjoy your jam!

*The saucer test: place a saucer into the freezer for about 5 minutes. When ready for the test, remove from the freezer. Drop a spoonful of the jam onto the saucer. Leave for about 5 minutes. Run your finger through the mixture, if it wrinkles then the jam is ready.

Today's Harvest

noreply@blogger.com (Rosie) — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 20:27:00 +0000

Off down the veggie garden today and it proved to be a fruitful visit. The strawberries have been mainly one here, one there, one in the mouth so I resisted the urge to go down to the patch for two days to let them ripen and it has paid off! The little wonders produced 500g (about 1lb) of tasty fruit. One of which immediately went to Farm Baby! This happens for two reasons: firstly, she loves strawberries and woe betide you if you don't just make with the strawberry once it is in her sights. And secondly, because seeing her clasping a strawberry as big as her hand, with juice running down her chin and a big beamy smile on her face is just too cute to miss!

The raspberries also have produced a bumper crop today, also 500g. The raspberries have now produced over a kilo (2 lbs ish) and, apart from the ones that ended up as Raspberry Curd (see below), they have been being saved to make jam. I think I should have enough. I am looking forward to using the jam set that I was bought as a Christmas present by my parents. It was a everything-you-need-and-more set from wooden spoon to big ol' pan to jars and fabric for lids! Up until now I have been making jam in tiny batches in my unsuitable saucepan and then taking the next two days to scrape solid lumps of jam off the hob and wondering why every time I cook anything it smells like burning fruit!

The chickens are doing well. We did have a random two egg day but it is all back to normal now averaging four a day. I am going to try putting up some "curtains" across the nest boxes, or at least one or two as I feel that the hens are finding them quite exposed. They won't use one if another hen is already in another - perhaps this is normal behaviour? But with 11 hens using essentially one nest box because of their politeness there is some queueing at peak hours! I decided I would try it, see if they preferred it, hated it or it made no difference.

The 7 remaining bean plants are doing their best to make up for lost time but seem to be doing so by forgoing the growth of leaves and going for height. I am assuming they no what they are doing and am leaving them to it. The peas have some huge, but flat, pods on them so I am looking forward to that. And as you can see I managed around 8 Broad Bean pods, but future stocks look healthy.

There may have been a miraculous return by the carrots. There are currently about 7 decent carrot plants in a bed which I'll admit is turning into a nursery for dock leaves. However, today I spotted some little grass like growth in vague lines appearing through to weeds so some emergency weeding was done - carefully - and we will have to see what comes of it.

The cabbages have been attacked but what I assume to be cabbage white caterpillars. However, there is good news there too. The cabbages were one of the plants that succumbed to the mysterious death in the patch this year. A new sowing was required. So beyond around 4 (now munched) big ones the rest are way behind. This has been a slight blessing as this means that they were of no interest to mummy butterfly and she has avoided them, hopefully by the time they get bigger the caterpillar season will have passed. Just hope they don't take too long. Same goes for the Brussels.

Garlic is nearing completion and onions and beetroot are looking plump. No one in the house eats beetroot, it is being grown for two reasons. I had about three packs of seeds and also I have red that Red Velvet Cake is traditionally made with beetroot to give it that colour and I would love to try it. I also want to try making a cake with mashed potato which apparently makes them very moist. I should be able to make a load of cakes from the veggies in the patch which would be great fun!

And breathe. So I think I have got you all up to speed. The weather here is awful, rain again, but it does mean - no need to water! Hurray!

Raspberry Curd

Ingredients

1 cup pureed raspberry juice, seeds strained out (from 12 oz raspberries, either frozen or fresh). To get the last little bit of juice from the seeds and pulp, I heat the seeds in a bowl in the microwave for 30-60 seconds. When they are warm they release a little more of the juice.
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs, beaten
3 egg yolks, beaten

Add all of the ingredients except for the butter to a large saucepan or double boiler (I just used a large saucepan).

Whisk ingredients constantly over low to medium low heat- you don’t want it to boil!

When mixture has thickened somewhat (after 6-8 minutes), add butter 1 Tblsp at a time, whisking constantly.

1 stick (8 Tblsp) unsalted butter, cut into 8 slices

After butter has all been added, continue whisking for another 2-3 minutes.

The whisk should leave marks on the surface of the curd when it is done.

Remove from heat and pour through a strainer and into a bowl. Let cool for about 15 minutes then cover with a layer of plastic wrap right on the curd so a skin does not form. Refrigerate for at least a couple of hours to allow the curd to finish setting up.

noreply@blogger.com (Rosie) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 19:31:00 +0000

This first harvests from the garden are always the best. The tell of things to come. The reason why I have put so much effort (and this year tears) into growing-my-own! We so far have managed about 700g of raspberries, across three pickings. The first batch went to make Raspberry Curd, the second went into Raspberry Muffins and the third I am starting my saving to get enough to make jam, they are freezing as we speak!

The Raspberry Curd is not bad. I am going to admit it isn't the kind of thing that has you clamouring at the fridge door for just another taste but it is nice. It is sweet and very raspberry-y. It was also another use for the eggs we have been slowly gathering. As you can see today we broke the 100 barrier for this year - WooHoo! We are getting around 4 or 5 a day now and just two days ago the three new Maran chickens, well one of them at least, started laying too. We also sold our first eggs, 5 half dozens are now being enjoyed throughout the area. I will admit that I had a pretty big smile on my face when we sold our first box!

We have also managed four potatoes, very nice they were too, if a little small. I am not sure we are going to be getting many potatoes this year, not compared to last year anyway. As I hadn't been covering them with earth as often as I should so they are not very far underground. But having said that we aught to get a decent amount.

As you can see my computer is now up and running again, but we had to wipe everything so it will take me a while to get fully operational again. I did manage to save most stuff before we wiped the drive so its just a case of finding time to sort through and re install. As soon as that happens you will get a lovely chicken meets chicken video, as promised in the last post!

Chicken Meet... Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Rosie) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 10:51:00 +0000

No pictures or anything exciting today. Having MAJOR computer problems so this comes from my laptop! Computer suddenly started running slow, then stopped altogether. We replaced a part and it look fine for about 2 days then everything went wrong again. Farm Guy is a computer dude so is trying to fix it, our dining room is full of various parts of computers, but we are awaiting the arrival of replacement parts so until then it is laptop all the way!

We decided to introduce the chickens with our new quartet. They were only separated with a fence of stock wire and there had been no signs of any major aggression, even when they were all pecking around the fence at feeding times. McNugget was also getting a little irritated that 'his' new ladies kept wandering off and he couldn't keep track of them. So we took the plunge and opened the proverbial gate. We stood back, not quite sure what to expecting but hoping it wouldn't have been a huge mistake and Chicken War wouldn't break out!

It was quite sad in a way, releasing the two into one. Not for them, I am very glad they were getting out of their enclosure and getting to experience a proper free range life but for a while, having two runs took me back to my animal keeping life. Working at the safari park we had over 120 odd animals in our little team's care. Different feeds for all and a lot of fence climbing. Two little pens of chickens, two pots of feed, climbing over the fence in mud covered wellies - gave me a sudden sense of deja vu - it was a nice and a sad moment, I really enjoyed that job. I have to buy more animals! It'd be therapeutic!

Anyway, back to the chickens. There was no firework displays and beyond a couple of 'get out of my face' pecks no real aggression. McNugget couldn't care less, he just marched around looking very pleased with himself. Since the introduction some of our ladies have taken him under their wing and have been showing him around the farm. For the others, the novelty of a cockerel seems to have now worn off a few of the girls and they no longer hang to close around him, but he doesn't seem to mind at all, he just sticks with the few who do love him!

We have had a few doodling moments from him but nothing that will drive any neighbours mad, and we are in a farming area anyway, and often hear the doodling of a nearby cockerel wafting in on the breeze. We can now just return fire!

Our girls are still laying well, 4 a day, but no sign of the new three laying. However, after the near two weeks it took the browns to start laying I am not in any hurry for these girls, they can lay when they lay.

Just a short update today. Hopefully normal service will be resumed in a few days and I can post Realising the Dream's second ever video - the Chicken's Meet!!

You Can Never Have Too Many!

noreply@blogger.com (Rosie) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 19:08:00 +0000

Well, perhaps you can but I refuse to believe it. As you know we have chickens (I may have mentioned them!) What I may not have mentioned was that we also wanted a cockeral. Our primary reason is that we want to be able to perpetuate our flock and not have to buy chickens again. But a secondary reason, added on after my enjoyment of the auction is too explore the world of hen selling. Not in a big way, more in a 'if we have some spares' way. With this in mind we decided that sooner was better than later in getting a cockeral. The ladies would benefit from his protection and guidance and if you are going to dive into something you may as well go both feet first!!

So off to the chicken sale we went (yes there was already another one) and this one was packed with cockerels. Not many on their own, but as I said above, you can never have too many hens!! We spotted a Rhode Island Red that we were quite keen on. Our eight ladies are a hybrid of RIR so a pure male was definitely an idea, it would mean his size was about right for our girls, don't want any squashing! We aren't after pure bred chicks, just chickens, so the breed of male didn't really matter. We were going to get crosses anyway because Lohmann Brown Cockerels seem exceptionally elusive. There was however a couple of other groups that interested us and they came up before the RIR group. The first was a quartet of Buff Sussexs. We were interested until we saw them. Two of the females had been quite thoroughly plucked by the third. It could just have been stress of the situation but when all you have to go on is the look of the hens we decided against it. We watched them though to see what they went for, give us some idea of the price people were going to for groups.

The next up on our interested was another quartet. I had spotted them shortly after we arrived. I wanted a 'proper' cockerel, as I call it, like the RIR's are. A cockerel with plenty colour and a decent size without looking like a small turkey. This was a Maran Quartet. The cockerels are described as not exactly friendly but not aggressive, more aloof. They are slightly smaller than RIR cockerels which we thought was almost a perfect size for us. These guys were French Wheaten Marans.

The auctioneer built them up -

"Lovely group. Rare breed. Great example. If you don't want the cockerel the owner will happily take him home again"

Not us, we want the cockerel. On and on he went about these birds before the auction began, so different than the usual "Here's some chickens who'll give me a fiver".

"These are something special" I thought, "The ones in these big cages always are, the cockerel is a handsome boy though". It was fun to dream.

We had already decided our top money, no going over, just like before. We awaited the auctioneers start price. He started the bidding. Opening price was almost double our pre-decided top. My heart sank until I saw that Farm Guy had bid!

I looked at him.

He looked back at me with a "What?" expression.

I mouthed the bid amount with a questioning look.

Farm Guy looked shocked, he had misheard. He quickly asked to retract his bid, saying he had thought the auctioneer had said something much lower (less than a quarter what he had in fact said). It was the old "-teen" & "-ty" ending mix up. Farm Guy heard -teen and it was -ty! The auctioneer laughed and gave a "These birds? For that low price? You'd be lucky!" snort.

The auction started again. No one bid his high price. He lowered it. And lowered it. And lowered it. When he had lowered it to what Farm Guy thought he said in the first place, we bid. A couple of people made a couple of half hearted bids against us and even though the auctioneer kept the auction going as long as he could (another "Drop The Damn Hammer!!!!" moment) no one was interested. We had won!

With the final bid being less than half Mr Never-Get-Em-For-That-Auctioneer had originally tried to command, I couldn't help feeling a little bit smug as we gave over our number!

So, we are now the proud owners of three French Wheaten Maran hens and a rather attractive cockerel. This does put out hen count up to eleven (gulp - so many eggs) but Maran hens don't lay anywhere near the number of eggs our girls do - less than half per year. And we are not against the prospect of selling our excess eggs at the farm door. When it comes to chicks we should be able to tell the breeding of the chicks based on the colour of the eggs. Marans lay much more chocolatey coloured eggs than our Lohmann ladies. A breed with differing coloured eggs was also on our list of wants for just this reason, and fun at the egg collecting!

Introductions look to be a relatively smooth ride but time will tell. We have sectioned the chicken run and provided a makeshift coop for the newcomers. With only some stock wire between them Lohmanns and Marans are close enough to see the whites of the eyes! Mr McNugget strutted his stuff as soon as he saw our girls, he seems perfectly happy to gain a few more lady friends. All but one of our hens immediately rushed to the wire to get a good eyeball of the stud-muffin in the run. The Maran hens act as all French ladies do, with elegant decorum. Our seven now spend most of the time hanging around, even with wire between them he has control! LOL The eighth Lohmann lady kind of rolled her eyes at his posturing and went looking for worms!

McNugget and his girls

Well Manicured Smallholder

noreply@blogger.com (Rosie) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 21:52:00 +0000

Y'all may have noticed a gap in the reporting on the farm. The Farm family have been on holiday. I shall give you a quick update before bed, hopefully I can elaborate on all points separately later!

This was Farm Baby's first trip away. We had decided that 9 months was a reasonable age to start galavanting around the countryside. We chose to visit the Lake District for a weeks break. It rained most mornings but the afternoons were much warmer and more pleasant. We did the usual holiday doings, relaxing, walking around the holiday centre, which was in the middle of a red squirrel nature reserve. However, we also did some trips that were very 'us'. The best of which was to a couple of Car Boot Sales. We made some good purchases. I have been trying to perfect that cluttered look that farmhouses have. Somehow farmhouses manage to have rooms full of stuff, stuff on every surface and it just works! So far all I can manage is looking like I have too much stuff! It is definitely a learned knack, or perhaps I am trying too hard. LOL.

Anyway, we managed a few good buys but my favourite by far is a beautiful wicker trug. I have been looking for one for ages. But modern ones are expensive, not ridiculously I know but trying to live cheaply and efficiently and self sufficiently means that I am always on the look out for the most economical choice. New wicker trugs are even more expensive, presumably due to the work required. So when I saw this sitting lonesome on a rug by one of the stalls, that was it. I was having it! I also got a quirky copper jelly mould shaped like a hen - for the wall in the kitchen - farmhouse clutter people!!

Regular readers will know that we recently purchased eight Lohmann Brown hens with whom we have been having a laying problem. While we were away they were being cared for by Farm Dad and then Farm Mum. As you know their egg production had fallen away to practically zero before we left. We had started them on a good solid diet and regime and were just crossing our fingers. As you can see from our 'What's The S-Coop?' module egg production has increased. The last two days we have been up to four!! Much better. I had been expecting 4-5 a day so this is a much more cheerful number! Big smiles on our return to the farm, a nice welcome home present.

The vegetable patch had tried its best to give us a welcome home that we would enjoy and in some places it did. The cabbage and brussels are doing well. Broad Beans and peas are growing like crazy. Farm Mum is jealous of what look like are going to be HUGE onions and the garlic is stonking along. There was a couple of raspberries ripe and farm baby enjoyed the first taste of produce from the garden - flappy arms and kicking legs of approval there!

The garden on our return. Potatoes in the front, onions in one tyre, rocket, celery and beetroot in the other. Raspberries behind and the bean patch in the top left corner.

Here are the beans. Of all the Runner Beans planted (approx 40 ish?) only 8 are clinging to life. All the French Beans died again! We have heard that our neighbours on the hill have also given up on their Runner Beans as they have succumbed to the same strange fate. We are blaming the odd weather we have been having.

Onions to make your mum jealous!

Potatoes and cabbages are fighting back on the side of self sufficiency growers everywhere!

I said I was growing celery, and I am! Here it is! All the other 19 plants went the way of the Runner Beans but this guy soldiered on. Spare a thought for his fallen friends!

Sweet Smell of Success

noreply@blogger.com (Rosie) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 21:07:00 +0000

What's been going on round the farm? Let me give you a sneaky peek!

Outside our backdoor I have been growing a climbing rose and it is doing amazingly well. It isn't very tall yet but I am hoping to get it climbing across the whole entrance. The scent is amazing and it is great to walk past every time I go out.

Broad Beans are doing well, as are the Strawberries. As you can see they needed a good weeding, which they got! I don't know what it is about Strawberries but they seem to attract weeds! Beans have died AGAIN, I have started some more. This is their last chance. I have never had problems with beans EVER but I have no idea what is wrong this year, I have tried different methods and different spots. I think my bean harvest is going to be limited this year!

What a great box... hmm... what can I do with it...

Time to make the downstairs bathroom girly. On the day of many mishaps I decided that I would just spend the rest of the day being girly with the contents of my scrap material bag, so I made a set of curtains for our little downstairs toilet/shower room! Added the little placemat thing the next morning!

Last thing that I set about doing was making further inroads to Farm Baby's nursery. I finsihed off her horse and added some clouds to the somewhat over powering sky! Just a couple of chickens and a beehive to go. Well, that's what's planned, who knows if I'll be able to stop there!!

Good to Have a Bad Day, But I Wouldn't Recommend....

noreply@blogger.com (Rosie) — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 22:15:00 +0000

It was good to have a bad day, makes the rest of the time seem that much better! Thanks for allowing the little private rant, sometimes its good to go ARGGHHHH! LOL!!

Even though I haven't felt 100% today (headache, sore throat. Maybe that's why I found the cats in the nest boxes unfunny: coming down with something! Find it funnier today! Silly boys!) I have been much more upbeat, the dogged chicken is looking good, although still a little sore and the drain is unblocked, it was just a case of elbow grease with a plunger. My laundry made it out the washing machine alive! And nothing cleans a kitchen floor like washing machine water!

To top it off my little chickens managed two eggs today. I am starting to think they may be younger than we first thought. I know little about such matters but the egg at the bottom of the picture is white, as you can see, and the shell is rough and very fragile. Now, we have had some like this before and eventually they starting becoming more like the one at the top of the photo. Could it be young chickens just 'learning' to lay that causes this? Or is it just because they've been off lay for a while, they need to get back into it again? Either way I hope this is a sign. Cross what you got people!!

A check of the perimeter showed only one place that the dog could get in, or indeed the chickens out, it was by our yard gate. So a makeshift defence has been built and looks to do the trick. We are getting a new gate hopefully, so when that is in it'll be even better. Bizarrely, after all the 'stressers' to these chickens they have actually laid better today, although I wouldn't recommend the last few days as the way to go if your chickens aren't laying!!! We shall see what tomorrow shall bring and see if omelette can be back on the menu!

Not A Great Day...

noreply@blogger.com (Rosie) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 19:38:00 +0000

Bum, Bum and a double dose of double BUM!

Not a good day, this was yesterday not today. I was up to my eyeballs yesterday with the thought of blogging far from my mind.

Let me elaborate and to do so I must take you back further, to the day before. There had been no sign of one chicken. At any feed time, both feed and treat!, there was only ever 7 hens. I was mildly worried but not overly so, they do wander around and perhaps we were just missing each other. My worry was that the farmers dog had got them, she has form! Our neighbour caught her with two of their three hens in her mouth. Both were rescued but one suffered a limp for several days. That evening however all 8 were tucked up in their coop at doors closed time.

Next morning I saw that my fears had been realised, chicken 8 was sitting in the grass, most of her back feathers missing and when she tried to walk it was a hop! I checked her over, beyond a raw back there was no physical damage and she was feisty enough. She ate well and drank but she decided to stay tucked up in the long grass by the coop all day. If they were laying badly before a meeting with Dog isn't going to improve things.

I have to admit at this juncture that I don't KNOW it was Dog. But she has form and was seen lingering around our farm gate most of the day with a suspicious look in her eye, I thought she was after the cat. She is under also suspicion for possible involvement in the incident which created Cut 'n' Shut cat.

I retreated to the house to begin my chores.

The kitchen sink is blocked. No problem, its done this before, I'll get the plunger on it. No cigar. Made no difference. Must be blocked solid, I'll leave it to Farm Guy, as I am not geting involved in taking pipework apart. I got on with my other chores, which included laundry... can you guess whats coming next? I didn't. I go back to the kitchen. The pipe blockage is apparently some distance down the pipe as it has also stopped the washing machine from emptying. (They both go into the same pipe to leave the house) So the washing machine has emptied into the sink, and across the work surface, and into the cupboards below, and across the floor, and under the cabinets on the other side, and into the door mat, and under the bin. I get some towels and a mop.

I didn't do any more chores. I don't like today.

I sat in the living room with Farm Baby and made girly curtains for the downstairs bathroom. I also made Chicken Earrings to celebrate my (non-laying) hens! I couldn't find any earrings I liked but I did find some cute charms, so decided to make my own. I also got some Strawberries charms too, so I have a pair of Strawberry earrings now too! I had to buy loads of charms so I made many pairs, if you're interested I am selling them on eBay - shameless advertising!

To top off my delightful day I would like to add in this day as well. I thought we may have been getting over the chicken not laying hump as we have had an egg a day for the last three days (no zero egg days inbetween), even with Suspect Dog Attack Day. But today scuppered that, zero eggs. To make matters even worse on the egg laying front I found the farm cats asleep in the nesting boxes!!!! Come on!!? If this isn't a sign that the world is conspiring against making these chickens lay I don't know what is!

A Great Big Pooh

noreply@blogger.com (Rosie) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 07:00:00 +0000

Farm Baby loves yellow. It is without a doubt her favourite colour. As a result there is nothing that brings a smile to her face than Winnie the Pooh. So when Farm Guy saw on Freecycle that someone was giving away a 2 foot high Winnie the Pooh, he knew he had to get it for her. So last Monday he drove half an hour beyond our house on the way home from his work, into the middle of nowhere to claim said ted. He loves his little girl!

This is Pooh after a trip through the washer and dryer. He is a definite hit and is now a permanent fixture during playtimes. Thanks again Freecycle!