Trying out the good life

Victoria Peckham has a stretch

2009-08-18T13:08:00.003-07:00

Victoria Peckham
Originally uploaded by Kate Gardiner

The divas have arrived!

2009-08-18T13:08:00.001-07:00

Pearl takes an interest
Originally uploaded by Kate Gardiner

We gave up waiting for the ex-batts. It was going to be another 6 weeks before we got a date for them, so we went off and bought 3 hybrids instead.
Victoria Peckham is the white one (sussex star), Felicity Hendal is the completely red one (warren) and Martine McCluckins is the other red one with the black tail (anyone know what breed that is?)

Pearly is very in to the new members of the family. However they are more in to the corn and the grapes that I've used to coax them in to cuddles this afternoon.

We're rehoming some tropical fish tomorrow, I suspect Pearl will not know what to do with herself!

Well, blow me down. I'm in!

2009-07-07T02:11:00.000-07:00

I'm in I've got my offer to start a degree in Horticulture in September. I'm beside myself with excitment.

From my garden

2009-07-03T09:20:00.001-07:00

From my garden
Originally uploaded by Kate Gardiner

A nice feast of home grown veg tonight. All grown in pots, mostly set by my children and tended to by me and Ade. A real family affair.

Nothing quite as satisfying as eating your own home grown grub, is there?

The paving slabs and eglu...

2009-06-26T08:31:00.001-07:00

The paving slabs and eglu...
Originally uploaded by Kate Gardiner

guess what my job is tomorrow? Yip, you guessed it, laying those slabs in to the grass. I really do not like doing that. At all.

The runners, leeks and sprouting brocoli

2009-06-26T08:30:00.001-07:00

The runners, leeks and sprouting brocoli
Originally uploaded by Kate Gardiner

Looking lush in the veggie patch.
I'm going to paint those shed doors and make up some better defences so I don't lose the mud from the bed in weather like this...I'm sure making a few simple raised beds can't be THAT hard (or expensive), can it?

Cucumber!

2009-06-26T08:29:00.003-07:00

Cucumber!
Originally uploaded by Kate Gardiner

woowhoo!

Aubergine flower

2009-06-26T08:29:00.001-07:00

Aubergine flower
Originally uploaded by Kate Gardiner

Pretty little things, aren't they?

Keith the kiwi

2009-06-26T08:28:00.003-07:00

Keith the kiwi
Originally uploaded by Kate Gardiner

Nicotiana

2009-06-26T08:28:00.001-07:00

Nicotiana
Originally uploaded by Kate Gardiner

One of the many that the lovely Diane gave to me when I visited her last.

Pearl

2009-06-26T08:27:00.001-07:00

Pearl
Originally uploaded by Kate Gardiner

Our newest arrival, Pearl. She's got sunburnt ears which I think are now damaged. But they aren't weeping and dont' seem to be causing her bother at the minute.
She's settling in well, though I think she'd prefer to be outside, despite the rain.

Back to normality

2009-06-23T02:21:00.001-07:00

Newquay is our new favourite place, ever. Ade wants to be a surf 'dude', Will and Ruby want to live in a tent forever and I loved the landscape. If you know anyone who needs a web developer in the area, let me know - we want to move down there asap!!

We had glorious weather, great company (our friends stayed in the tent opposite) and saw some lovely places (Lanhydrock house was my favourite, Crantock beach was the favourite of the others). We've already booked to go back next year. We highly recommend www.trevornick.co.uk if you fancy camping/euro camping in Cornwall too.

Well, the holiday is done and dusted and we're back to sunny old Kettering. Joy. Why is that the week after a holiday is such hard work that you need another holiday to recoup? Still, the sunshine means I can get the washing on the line and the kids in the garden.

I came back to a very full and lush looking garden and greenhouse. The first thing I did after our 5 hour drive was make a cuppa to take in to the garden. I came back to my sweet peas flowering, several flowers on my aubergines, courgettes and tomato plants and a little cucumber growing on one plant. Everything seemed so full of life...it was a real joy to come home to. As was the tidy house - Mother had been in and done her stuff, I was so grateful I can tell you. I could bore you all with more photos of my garden, but I won't. Not yet at least.

The chicken run is nearly done. We're having the paving slabs and upvc roof delievered tomorrow. I can't wait now- bring on the chickens!

We're also expecting another new member to the family at the end of the week - a white cat called Pearl. She's in need of a new home because her current Dad has other commitments that mean he's away a lot. We're having her for a few weeks to make sure she likes the children. I've missed having a cat so I'm looking forward to her arrival.

That is the last of the news for now. Oh apart from my new hobby of soap making..actually, it isn't a hobby yet, I've just got a few books and a shopping list...but come pay day, I'll definatley give it a whirl..watch this space...

Eglu and tyre

2009-06-10T11:46:00.001-07:00

Eglu and tyre
Originally uploaded by Kate Gardiner

Waiting patiently for the walk in run and then the hens.

Aubergine flower

2009-06-10T11:45:00.001-07:00

Aubergine flower
Originally uploaded by Kate Gardiner

I'm so excited with every slight change in the garden. Seeing this flower emerge today has cheered me up no end. Scarlet schmarlet. Who cares about a fever when you've got a flower?

My greenhouse

2009-06-10T11:44:00.001-07:00

My greenhouse
Originally uploaded by Kate Gardiner

The greenhouse is full of life at the minute. So much so, I can barely get in there to water. I love it though, I just wish I'd spent a little bit more and bought a slightly bigger house...

A rainy day

2009-06-10T09:12:00.001-07:00

Today was spent mostly telling the children to ssshh. And to stop bouncing. I think the scarlet fever is pretty much over as far as they are concerned. I, however, feel as rough as anything.

The rain has prevented us playing outside so instead I packed for the holiday. I've packed for rain - torrental rain. Fingers crossed the law of sod comes in to play and I end up going out to buy shorts for us all.

Garden has been most grateful for the down pour today though. My flowers are dancing in the evening light now, sticking out their little petals and soaking up the marginal warmth that we've got. Oh and I've got a flower on my aubergine plant. I'm very excited about that. I hope everything copes with the relative neglect it will suffer next week while I'm away. Mother will do a little watering at the start of the week but they will need to fend for themselves for about 5 days. I've prep-ed them all though. Given them all a good talking to about the virtues of saving water.

William has informed me that his bedroom is DESPERATE for a lick of paint. (Yeah, that'll be because you and your darling sister painted my very nice makeup all over the walls a few weeks ago, ruining both the make up and the paintwork). He's obviously given it some thought - I've had exact orders as to which colour (the exact swatch I hasten to add) he wants the walls, what he wants on the walls and where he wants his furniture. That boy has far too much time on his hands.

My mum ordered some books from Amazon that arrived today ('Clean house, Clean planet' K Logan, 'The handmade soap book' Melinda Cross and 'Making herbal hand creams and salves' Norma Pasekoff Weinberg). So I've been reading up on green cleaning and hand made stuff. I've got a lovely long shopping list now for when I get back from holiday.

Anyone for home made toilet cleaner or hand cream?

The beginning...

2009-06-09T11:25:00.000-07:00

I've written this page twice now. Twice it has been eaten. I do hope this is third time lucky, my fingers hurt.

So I find myself writing this blog amidst enforced quarantine. Ruby has scarlet fever. Will has a rash. I have a sore throat and Ade has nothing wrong with him. But we've all been told to go home and stay home until we're defiantely not contagious. It's been less than 12 hours and we're climbing the walls already.

I spent the afternoon in the garden, weeding, tidying and sweeping. The garden has never looked so good. The children spent the afternoon annoying Ade who was trying to spend the afternoon working. It'll be a long week, I can tell.

I could be packing for our holiday next week. Packing is boring though, so I find myself here, re-writing this blog (in the hopes that the internet won't eat it again) and boring you all instead.

The holiday is a week long excursion to Cornwall. We're Euro-camping but with out the Euro bit. It sounds like bliss to me though -out in the great outdoors but with a microwave and power points. And I can zip the kids in to their bedrooms when they get too much. Our good friends are going too. They'll be in the tent next door. Probably also zipping their kids in to their bedrooms too. It'll be fun. Except the weather forecast is promising a night of rain at the start of the week. Actually 43mm of rain in one night. What is that all about? I'm going to make sure I sleep up hill of Ade-just in case.

When we get back from our little holiday we'll be in full 'chicken prep' mode. 4 beautiful ex-battery hens are coming to live with us at the start of July sometime. Dad has nearly finished the walk in run and we're all very excited about the new members of the family. Well, the veg isn't quite as excited as we are, but I've promised I'll do all I can to protect it from the girls.

That is all there is to report at the moment. The garden is in full swing so I will take some photos when it stops raining to post up. My green house looks full to bursting, just the way I like it. Though I still have an itch to set more seeds, just a shame I have no where to put them. Though I could dig just a little bit more grass up for them I suppose. I'm sure Ade and the kids won't mind.....