Free Range Family

For shame

2011-07-21T12:51:00.000+01:00

I have been a very bad blogger. Life just ridiculously busy and I lost the plot with most things online - hey, I suppose that I'm lucky that the kids got fed, quite frankly.

And to that end, let me introduce you to Sebastian, whose arrival into this world five weeks early, contributed to some of that whirlwind:

In fact, becoming pregnant with Sebastian in the first place was a huge surprise to me. He's my lovely surprise in many different ways!

I shall update you shortly with the other elements of life, including scrapbooking, the children, the rabbits, the chickens and my photography. In the meantime, Second Son Milo is calling. It's his birthday today (two years old!) and he has been sleeping off the amount of chocolate he has consumed by having a nap. Looks like my peace time is over and we are once more unto the breach....

Finally October

2010-10-06T11:56:00.002+01:00

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns." ~ George Eliot

Completely Quackers

2010-08-22T07:53:00.000+01:00

We had some new family members join us in the last week. The Husband is less than impressed that I took 22 chickens to sell at Salisbury Poultry Auction and then returned home with a pair of butterscoth call ducks. Which, of course, swiftly became three when they we joined by another duck, apricot this time, the next day. Shame on me! Although, to be fair, I did give The Husband ample warning that a duck or two may be coming home with me. And I gave him every chance to make divorce threats. But it didn't happen, so the little quackers came home with me, snug in a box in the boot of the car. Hooray!

They now have a snuggly bug house ( a spotlessley clean chicken coop), a nice muddy run and a deep addling pool to float aroun in. They're as happy as can be :) We feed them on corn and poultry layers pellets at the moment, although we may well get some waterfowl pellets for them becuase these float in the water and allow the ducks to naturally dabble as they would in the wild.

Milo and Tabitha are still at an age where I can (gently) direct them in what to call their animals. So Milo's girl is Daisy Duck and Tabitha's girl in Maisie Duck. Innovative and unique, n'est pas? IN the picture above they are Maisy at the top and Daisy at the bottom. They are friendly girls, both under six months, I think, and probably a way off laying.

My headstrong four-year-old has more sway in naming his animals. Tragically for them. I csertainly hope never to have to take the drake in the trio to the vet and explain on the registration form that his name is Super Duck. Elliott was firm that this was what he should be called, even though I pointed out his lack of superhero qualities. He has, Elliott explained, tucked his cape up under his wings and only needs to use it when flying. OK, then.

I'm surprised by how little mess they make really, having read the horror stories about how mucky ducks are. And although they're not particuarly noisy, I love it when the girls set off into peals of quack-like laughter. I love it!

This is how we ride in the Fielding family...

2010-07-11T16:41:00.003+01:00

About three weeks ago, out of the blue, Elliott asked for the stabilisers to be taken off of his bike. We must admit to being a bit dubious - he still preferred his wooden balance bike and had hardly ridden the 'grown up' metal one.

Anyway, the stabilisers duly came off. And Elliott was off like a greyhound out of a trap. We were amazed! We cleared the patio for him and he practiced up and down, up and down. His confidence grew with every successful length. We bandied around the idea of taking him out to get more freedom and he grasped that idea and nagged and nagged and nagged.

So we popped to the bicycle shop to get him a more fitted helmet, got Tabitha and Milo gussied up with theirs and went for a bike ride. Kelvin rode alongside Elliott, with Milo in the baby seat behind him. I dragged the trailer with Lady Tabitha in it.

That week we built up to five mile round trips. After three in a row, I was shattered but Elliott still had more energy. He loves his bike with a passion. I can see that we'll be doing a lot more cycling in the future.

Midnight Rooster

2010-06-04T15:12:00.003+01:00

I signed up for the brand spanking new Midnight Rooster scrapping kit. DO NOT tell the husband. But it looks fabby :)

Check them out here.

Ain't That The Truth

2010-05-12T11:43:00.003+01:00

After a morning of trying to do everything, my to-do list hasn't got any smaller. In fact, I haven't actually crossed anything off of it yet. This is because all the things I've been doing didn't make it to the to-do list in the first place. Gah. All that work for no visible achievement and no satisfaction of putting black lines through items!

So, with perfect timing, the following cartoon from Cathy Thorne popped into my Inbox.

The woman is a genius!

If You Go Down To The Woods

2010-05-05T11:19:00.004+01:00

Today we went on down to the Forest of Bere at Hundred Acres. It's the same place that the Easter Egg hunt took place and the children love it there. They have a new, all-natural play area with wigwams, a huge sandpit, swings, a bridge and a wooden castle built around a tree. What's not to like!

We went with dear friends and the children all had fun playing together. The swings were a huge hit, especially the two-seater boat. Even Milo had a goo on the swings, although Tabitha did push him a bit energetically. He preferred to sit on the ground and eat the bark chips around the swing area. They're obviously useful for teething!

We also went on a route march around the forest, which is OK to start with because it's all downhill. But the way back is all uphill and when you're pushing a buggy, loaded with three increasingly heavy children. Some good exercise that, you know!

My Get Up And Go...

2010-04-29T06:56:00.004+01:00

.. has got up and gone.

With the first sign of the spring weather I was raring to go. To spring clean, to tidy, to do outings, to create, to play. But a kid of lethargy has set in. One that involves me being up with a teething 9 month old several times during the night. I'm pretty sure that he is tired too.

The difference, of course, is that he can fall asleep whenever he pleases. In fact, it's positively encouraged! Meanwhile, I have to plod on, dragging myself through the custard-like, energy-sucking half-life of the mother of small children. Even now, as I write this, I should be putting wahsing away, putting another load on, emptying the dishwasher, blah blah. I'd be more than happy to curl up on the floor and go to sleep. Last time I felt like this was just before Tabitha's birth and I still feel the after-effects of that imbalance now.

The last couple of years have been hard. The couple of years before that were difficult. Maybe I'm coming to the conclusion that it's the whole "being a grown-up with responsibilities" that's the tough bit.

I'd just like to be able to sit back and coast for a while instead of manically pedalling as fast as I can.

Look what the Easter Bunny brought!

2010-04-12T15:35:00.003+01:00

Given that the children had an absurd amount of chocolate for Easter (so much in fact that we caught Elliott throwing some in the bin - sacrilege!), we decided to buy them something a bit different. So we welcomed two mini Rex baby rabbits into the family :)

Tabitha's is gingered coloured (of course) and she has called it, with a bit of prompting, Bramble. Well, "Bunny" was never really going to make it individual now, was it? :)

Elliott's is a beautiful lilac and, again, with prompting, his is called Lavender. He actually wanted to call it Ben 10, but we managed to steer him away from that one. Especially considering we have a handsome cockerel already called Ben 10 (and his missus is called Gwen). He's super pleased with his bunny.
I think that this photo shows how happy they are.

Having the rabbits will be a good way to teach them about caring for other animals, over and above the chickens, which don't tend to be handled so much nowadays, mainly due to time contraints. And the rabbits are a bit more cuddly than the chickens :) Now, just to find one for Milo....... ;)

Good Friday Fun

2010-04-06T21:54:00.001+01:00

So, on Good Friday we had an Easter Egg hunt and my Mum and Dad's house. They have a huuuge garden in which to run around and wear the children out. My twin brother, Terry, and his other half, Sarah, were down for a visit and said that they'd lay on an egg hunt. The children were very egg-cited :) at the thought of the Easter bunny coming a bit early and also visiting Nanny and Grandad.

Terry and Sarah puts Elliott's eggs down one side of the garden and Tabitha's down the other side. With their baskets clutched tightly, the children set off with us adults in tow just to give a bit of a pointer if need be. Mum, Sarah and Milo helped Tabitha. And trust me, she needed a lot of help, mainly because she seemed clueless as to what was actually going on. She weebled about picking up the eggs as they were pointed out to her. She seemed completely unpeturbed that eggs were appearing in the garden.

Elliott, meanwhile, was turning egg-hunting into an Olympic sport. Terry and I were 'supervising' in his side of the garden, but he didn't really need much help. Although the egg attached to the side of the tree was a bit tricky for him to find! He frequently stopped to assess his spoils and count up his eggs.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Tabitha was needed a bit more help to find the eggs. Like Sarah actually pointing to where they were whilst Tabitha wondered around, slightly bemused, with her fingers shoved in her mouth.

Getting photographs of Elliott as he found the eggs was tricky. I have two dozen photos of him holding an egg at arms length directly in front of his face, towards me, to show me what he has found. Brings a whole new meaning to the word egg-head :) Occasionally though, I did manage to get a snap of him as he was searching for an egg.....

Good fun was had by all and Terry and Sarah were kind enough to buy the children a larger egg each. They were thrilled with the Ben 10 and Peppa Pig buckets that the eggs came in. And Milo got a little egg with a Bob the Builder egg cup and spoon. We spent some time in the sun lounge, having cups of tea and cheese and biscuits, whilst the children counted up their eggs and compared relative sizes.

It was all great fun, but the children were totally chocolated out by the evening.

Am I a "Helicopter Mom"?

2010-04-03T19:42:00.002+01:00

Milo is starting to move into that clingy phase. I remember it well with the other two. If I put him down and walk away, he wails. If I carry him, he's fine. It's just a stage that babies go through when the realise that Mummy isn't a permanent feature. And whilst it can be a frustarying as Hell, it's also kind of nice to know that they need you, even at a time when they're becoming more independent. Or maybe because it's a time when they're becoming more independent.

After his bath tonight I dressed Milo and popped him into his cot, whilst I nipped dowstairs to find him a soother. The wailing commenced. As I returned and picked him up I whispered "Shhh, Sweetie, don't worry, I'll never leave you. Mummy won't ever leave you."

Is this true? Will I stalk the boy for the rest of my natural life? I imagined lurking behind him whilst he held his first girlfriend's hand, popping his packed lunch into him when he took exams, jumping up in the middle of his wedding ceremony to straighten his tie and smooth down his hair. It put me in mind of a "Helicopter Mom". This is a phrase that's not so well-known in this country but comes from the States. Wikipedia says:

"Helicopter parents are so named because, like helicopters, they hover closely overhead, rarely out of reach, whether their children need them or not."

You may have already read parts of my blog and you may know what heathens the children are. They go to a Montessori nursery, since I am a Montessori Directress by trade. I fully advocate freedom within boundries. They rarely wear a full set of clothes whilst at home. Shoes are almost unheard of. They build bridges from old bits of timber in the garden and they bounce up on down on the old tractor tire. They make rivers and lakes in the sandpit and in the mud in the garden. And am I there to watch them? You bet I am.

I don't want to miss out on any of their lives. I never want to be an absent parent, to be out of touch, to be the last to know. But that doesn't mean that I'll be hovering behind them all the way. Heaven forbid! I have my own life to live, my own interests to follow. But I'll always be there for them. When they look for me, I'll be there.

So, Helicopter Mum? No. Mother who loves her children more than the earth, sun and skies? Yes, your Honour. Guilty as charged.

My Gorgeous Baby Boy

2010-04-01T17:50:00.004+01:00

Look at Milo. Isn't he just the picture of health now? He is eight months old and has the all-clear from the hospital. The nasty e.Coli bug that he suffered from when he was six weeks old has not left any lasting damage. His kidneys are absolutely fine.

He's a real love. I feel so blessed to have him here.

A Lovely Mess

2010-04-01T15:49:00.007+01:00

In recent weeks we have had the odd day of good weather (like today, for example). In fact we had two or three days of positively balmy weather a couple of weeks ago. Last week, between rain storms the children decided it would be a good idea to get the sandpit christened for 2010.

And, of course, the first thing that they wanted to do was to tip two tonnes of water into it to make a lake and a river. I remember doing similar things at the beach on holiday when I was their age or a little bit older. I don't remember getting quite so wet and sandy though! And I pity my poor parents if they ever had the level of sand in their bed and I seem to have now. It just seems to migrate from the sandpit into the house into clothes and into beds. And it's the most uncomfortable thing ever to sleep on. The tiny grains turn into huge lumps.

My children really are muck magnets. Not a day passes when I don't pick Tabitha up from preschool to have them apologise for the state of her along with a variety of excuses, such as "She just followed the boys down the slide" or "She fell over in a puddle." They have given up now telling me why she is so dirty and just tell me that I have more washing to do!

I don't mind really. I quite enjoy having children who give life their all and experience all there is going. What a boring sterile life it would be if they never got dirty and never played in the mud and the water and the sand. My children are true heathens and I wouldn't have it any other way.

The Usual Suspects

2010-03-30T21:07:00.007+01:00

This line-up features the two gorgeous Marsh Daisy pairs that I'll be taking along to Salisbury Poultry auction on 10th April.

I'm a bit sad that they're going but they don't fit into my breeding plans and we need the space. They are really growing to be handsome birds though, especially the cockerels. Very glossy and shiny. They do seem a bit fragile though and others have said that the Marsh Daisy is apt to drop dead at the most inopportune moments, so it's better that they go to a home where someone will use the to breed with and know how to look after them properly (ie. keep them alive!)

So eventually what we'll be left with four pens of breeding Pekins, three pens of breeding bantam Orpingtons and two of large fowl Orpingtons. Plus a lot of chicks and growers at various stages which will get sold on as we go through the year.

I have a horrible fear that I will have to cut down even further though, now that our horrible neighbours have got a bee in their bonnets. I say 'Live and let live', they say "You don't fit into this neighbourhood and we want you out." How nice to have a neighbour feud on top of everything else.

This Morning I Am Mostly....

2010-03-16T08:10:00.003Z

getting up at 5.15am
loading 21 chickens into travelling boxes
chasing a Red Sussex pullet around the garden in the dark
fending off children at 6am
finding "Bolt" on the Sky Plus
changing two stinky nappies
putting a nappy on Timmy the snoring sheep and wrestling him into a Baby Annabel christening outfit
loading 10 chicken carriers into a Vauxhall Zafira
putting clean clothes away
making a cup of tea and letting it go cold
letting the dogs into the garden
stressing about the noise of the chickens and the propensity of the neighbours to complain
mopping baby sick off my trousers
finding "Shrek The Third" on DVD
boiling the kettle three times
bopping the the kitchen to The Feeling
ranting about how the children have eaten all of Milo's rusks
making plans for tidying the rest of the house

That's the colour of my Tuesday. How is yours going?

Something From Almost Nothing

2010-03-07T09:45:00.007Z

From Wednesday this week I shall be taking part in Shimelle's new scrapbooking class "Something From Almost Nothing." I'm super-dupery looking forward to it. I loved Journal Your Christmas and felt a sense of accomplishment at the finished album.

It's about using up the scrapbooking stash that you have already accumulated. And, trust me, I seem to have accumulated a lot in a relatively short space of time. So, even though the class costs £10 to take part in, you're actually saving money in a super recession-busting move. What a genius idea!

In Shimelle's words:

"Throughout this class we’ll be focusing on getting more from the stash we have already acquired, no matter what your personal product of choice may be. We’ll go through a range of products you already have on hand and put them to use in new ways. We’ll step away from just gluing or stitching on a button and build something new. Plus it’s not just buttons we’ll be moving from stash to completed pages; we’ll also put stickers, ribbons, transparencies, papers, page protectors, chipboard and other supplies to work too. You won’t need to have specific supplies to follow along: we’ll focus on what you do have and offer plenty of alternatives along the way.

During the three weeks of class prompts, you’re invited to follow along and build an album entitled Celebrate Life. You can create this book in any page size you like with supplies you have on hand, and each prompt includes a page sketch and technique to help build the page as well as photography and journaling pointers to help with the complete album. But the class doesn’t end with just this album: each prompt includes a range of other techniques to try and projects to make. You can take inspiration from these at any time, just like a book or magazine."

I'm rather hoping that I can collect the prompts for Wednesdays so that Lisa-Jane and I can have a crafty night at hers - her craft space is much more advanced than mine! She has less children (and no chickens) and therefore more room :) And since we've both gone a bit Tim Holtz crazy, the new class begs for some grunging element to it. Here's Lisa-Jane hard at work crafting. I'm sure that she won't mind me showing this :) She's my bestest crafty friend :)

Off to dig out the couple of albums that I have spare and have never known what to do with :)

Brooder/Breeder Barn

2010-03-01T15:37:00.002Z

Just thought that I'd show you what The Husband has been working on in recent weeks. As well as building the shed - well, strictly speaking, repairing it since it had three sides when it came to us - he has been building these top class run dividers.

At the moment we have the Salmon Pekin quartet in one, the Birchin Marans in the middle and the Serama group at the end. Keeping them seperate like this means that the hatching eggs are pure. That being said, the Seramas aren't laying yet and the Salmons only restarted today. We'll probably have a shift around when the GoldLaced Orpington trio arrive and pop them in one. Or not. Who knows?

In the shed we'll be keeping the older chicks. So they'll get a ouple of weeks in the nursery brooder in the utility room and then move up to 'Big School' in the brooder in the shed. This means thatw e'll be getting a good flow through of hardy chicks. Once they come off of heat at 8 weeks or so (depending on this changeable weather) then they'll probably go to a run in Chickenopolis. Although we've got to sort all that out and make decisions on that yet.

Still, it was nice to have some good weather today and not see any rain. The sun meant that we could get some lovely photos of the chickens to go onto the website for when we go officially live. And hopefully it dried up the boig in the back garden just a little bit!

March

2010-03-01T10:10:00.000Z

Pinch, punch, first day of the month!

No returns!

xx

Little and Large

2010-02-28T11:01:00.003Z

As you know, earlier this week we had out second hatch of the year. Over a period of two days we had three Buff Orpingtons and two Malaysian Seramas hatch out. The Orps went in the wire brooder with the hacth that arrived last week, meaning that we have 5 Gold Laced Orp bantams, thee Buff Orps, 2 Red Pyle Pekins and one Black split Orp in there now. And a very happy little band they are too!

The Seramas, given the difficult nature of their rearing, needed to go into an enslosed small brooder on their own to keep them safe and warm. The first Serama to hatch fluffed up well and looks very healthy. Its wings are already feathering up.

It's a gorgeous pale sandy colouring and looks like it will be B or C class in size, probably B. The other Serama... well, what can I say. It needed help from the egg. It would never have made it on its own. and it is quite feasibly the tiniest chicken I have ever seen! Here it is next to one of the chunky Buff Orps that hatched on the same day.

It is the first A class that I have managed to hatch and I'm terrified that it will die at any moment. That being said, it's feeding and the wings are starting to feather so all is looking good. And the nicer weather will be here before it goes out so that should help too. We have christened it Tiddler. I think that you can see why!

A Chicken Chortle

2010-02-26T20:32:00.004Z

Given that we dispatched Henny Penny last week to the big chicken coop in the sky (she was bullying the other hybrids far to much, to the point of drawing blood) I thought that The Husband might appreciate having this pie for dinner over the weekend.

Oh, it made me smile :)

ARGGHH!

2010-02-26T20:06:00.004Z

Are children put here just to drive you round the bend? I certainly have my suspicions about mine. It's a very rare day that I haven't developed one of those eyeball piercing headaches by about 9.45am. The children take it in turns to wind me up to the point of exploding at which point The Husband usually strolls by and says something helpful like "You've really got to take them in hand, y'know. They're walking all over you." I KNOW!

I am starting to think that Elliott and Tabitha may well be deaf. Elliott I could have passed off as typical male deafness. But Tabitha too? I whisper so that they have to whisper too - that's what the books say. Do they whsiper? Do they hell? Do they pay any attention? You're damn right they don't. And the same goes for the next four or five voice volume levels.

Around the foghorn/screaming fishwife stage they tend to cock an ear, but only if the shouting contains the words 'naughty step', 'smack', 'punishment' or 'orphanage.' They may well even stop what they're doing for a minte or two just to make sure that I retreat into my headachy world of misery before continuing with whatever unacceptable behaviour they have been practicing.

Is it only me with deaf children that have perfect hearing?

Another Surprise

2010-02-23T10:00:00.003Z

The next incubator hatch to happen is the second-hand Brinsea. Turning stopped on Sunday so hatching is imminent. We have three Alan Buff Orpington eggs and three Serama eggs in there.

I fully expected to get nothing from the Seramas - I have found them so tricky to hatch and have only had one success so far (although we lost her in the cold weather - not happy with that). So I had written the Serama eggs off and was looking forward to having some large chunky fluffy buff Orps come out.

Imagine my surprise when The Husband pointed out that two of the Serama eggs had pipped this morning! I shall keep you updated...

Coronation Sussex

2010-02-11T14:46:00.005Z

So 12 eggs from these beauties have just gone into the incubator. They're Coronation Sussex and have proved a real pain to get hold. Sourcing the eggs was hard enough but finding birds themselves was next to impossible.
There were two Coronation Sussex bantam pullets that came up at Salisbury poultry market at the weekend but I missed out. I stopped bidding at £92 and they finished with the next bid at £95. But I have a sense that it may well have run and run if I hadn't have stopped bidding.

I'm waiting our first hatch with baited breath. We are 2 days away from hatch day and we have ten fertile eggs in there. Can't wait to see what hatches.

So Cute!

2010-02-09T20:16:00.004Z

I love, love, LOVE this Boy and Girl Kissing Necklace that I found on the Folksy shop, Culture Closet.

And at £3.99 it's an absolute bargain, making you the most stylish and the most frugal on Valentine's Day :)

Check out their postcard pendant too - it's sooo darling!

Family Values

2010-01-30T08:51:00.004Z

Here is a very rare photograph of my father with all three of my children in the same place at the same time. Elliott was playing on his V Smile, Tabitha was beating Milo with her naked dolly and Milo was bouncing maniacally in Grandad's lap. What a happy family scene :)

My father is not in the best of health and he's old. He'll be 85 this year. We're trying to appreciate having him here whilst we can but the children are so boisterous and our way of life is so manic and unorganised and noisy that I think that it all sometimes confuses him. He copes much better by closing his eyes to it all.
And so does Milo.

Egg Set Number Two

2010-01-29T12:31:00.004Z

Look at this handsome chappy...

He's a gorgeously lovely Red Pyle Pekin bantam from Lin and Justin at LJ Poultry. And the parent bird of five of the eggs currently nestled in our incubator. We were down there on Sunday picking up a couple of other bantams and Lin mentioned that she had five eggs that were 'spare' (their incubators were already full). Well, I couldn't resist. The hens are particualrly pretty:

I need to find an unrelated source to hatch out another batch to make up some pairs and trios now. Know of anyone?

Egg Set Number one

2010-01-28T17:39:00.004Z

So first up in the incubator today were six Gold Laced Orpington Bantam eggs. Very egg-citing (pun intended!). Allegedly these are even rarely than the chocolate Orpington and I predict that they, along with the Silver Laced Orpington bantam (still looking - if you have any, let me know) will be the next big thing. Maybe not as popular as the Chocolate - I mean, who could resist a *chocolate* hen - but just as worthwhile in their own right.

The beautiful example below is one of Leon Haylock's birds. Utterly gorgeous. I'm hoping to get some eggs from his hens when they start to lay in a month or so.

So, chicken lovers, tune in tomorrow when I shall reveal what the second lot of eggs we have nestled in our incubator are!!

So True

2010-01-28T16:32:00.004Z

Thought that you'd appreciate this cartoon by the fabby Cathy Thorne. It's just so spot on!

That's exactly how I feel. Like a sun with a number of small satellite orbitting me. They never seem to move too far away.

Hello All!

2010-01-28T14:45:00.002Z

I have been an appalling blog-hostess. I apologise.

On the plus side I have today loaded up the incubator for the first run of the new season. Hooray, hoorah! It's very exciting. And we have some very rare and same very expensive eggs in there. D-Day is in 21 days time, so I shall let you know how we do at candling.

Lots more news to tell you but no time. Milo is screaming, Tabitha just threw a bowl of cereal on the floor and Elliott needs picking up from nursery ten minutes ago. Isn't life grand? And also slightly overwhelming.

Much love, peeps xx

UKS Wicked Cyber Crop

2009-11-26T13:27:00.005Z

Last weekend but one I took part in the UK Scrappers cyber crop and had great fun. I think that I managed remarkably well considering the presence of three little ones around the house.

I was in Team ToTo and we were a lot less than winning, coming third out of four. But it was fast, furious and frenetic andprobably lots of other F words too.

Here are the layouts that I produced over the weekend.

More scrapping than I've done in the year, I think :)

Baby Signs UK

2009-11-05T12:21:00.005Z

Around this time last year I trained and became the first baby signing practitioner in the UK to offer the Baby Signs programme.
I love baby signing. I started when Elliott was eight months and we haven't looked back. Soon after he turned one, his signs took off and made communication much easier.

We had moved by the time Tabitha came around and the baby signing classes that I started her in were too prescriptive and too authoritarian. So we only went to two and then bunked the rest. I signed with her at home, but her language was so good that she never seemed to be bothered.

Then I started Baby Signs and Tabitha picked up a lot of signs at the classes that I taught. She went along with me to all but one. And when you're teaching three classes a week for six week, that's a lot of signing!

Since Milo was born, I haven't taught any classes. It wouldn't have fitted in with his frequent hodpital visits. But I'm hoping to resume after Chritsmas in three places - Colden Common, Waltham Chase and either Wickham or West Meon. Check out my website and sign your baby up for a place before they're all gone!

A Yummy Mummy

2009-11-04T10:05:00.002Z

Last Spring The Husband's son got married to his Beloved, giving me a perfect excuse.... er, chance to buy myself a rather posh changing bag. In recent years changing bags have had rather an overhaul and are no longer the utilitarian holdalls that they once were. Online stores such as Happy Bags have opened up a whole new world and there's so much more choice available now.

For the wedding, my bag of choice was from Petunia Pickle Bottom. How cute is that name :) The smallish size was perhaps a bit ambitious for having two children in nappies and the tote itself was stuffed to the gills. But, boy, was it gorgeous! But possibly slightly more suitable for a Yummy Mummy of one, as opposed to this Slummy Mummy of two.

I love the Petunia Pickle Bottom website and I have long since coveted one of their Cake bags in the Society Satchel model. Below is the French Gooseberry cake design. It also comes in Red Velvet cake, Chocolate Decadence cake and Apple Tart cake. Yum. It makes my mouth water just to think about them.

Petunia Pickle Bottom also make yummy items for children and babies. The items are very exclusive and designer. The pattern on the 'stroller blanket' below is entitled Morning in Machu Picchu. In soft organic cotton, it's just the most perfect thing to wrap around your little darling. And don't even look at the layette if you want to keep your credit card in your purse!

Petunia Pickle Bottom is still in short supply here in the UK. So come on suppliers! Pull your fingers out!

Just like Christmas

2009-11-03T21:37:00.003Z

As a chicken keeper and breeder, when you've got a hatch due it#s better than Christmas. Well, it certainly is for me at my age anyway! It's like a little bit of the Christmas magic once a month or so.

Going to bed in the evening brings that great sense of anticipation: "What might hatch overnight? How many will there be in the morning?" Getting up brings the sense of excitement followed by being thrilled at the new additions. It's just such a perfect feeling for a spit second.

Hatching eggs on a small scale like we do is nothing short of miraculous. Taking an egg that you may otherwise have made an omelette from, popping in the incubator, nurturing it for three weeks and effectively 'making' a baby chicken. It's wonderful! I don't think that I'll ever grow tired of it. Much to The Husband's disappointment!

The Tiniest Chicken in the World

2009-11-02T19:36:00.001Z

Today I managed to hatch out my first Malaysain Serama Bantam. I'm so chuffed. They are the smallest breed of chicken in the world and therefore the smallest chicks and ours is no exception. It's a gorgeous chocolate colour but that's no indicator of its colour later on. We have three more Serama eggs waiting to hactch so I'm hopeful that this one will not be on it's own. That being said, it does that three newborn white Pekins in the incubator keeping it company.

After the large fowl started to get too big for the wire brooer, I have seperated them. In the sparkly shiny new Simon-Made brooder I have put three Salmon Faverolles and two Salmon Pekins. Another Salmon Faverolle (the big chunky cockerel) willl join them when he's out of isolation after his shot of antibiotics today.

The other half of the new brooder is currently reserved for the large fowl that we have due to hatch shortly: Marsh Daisies and a couple of top quality Buff Orpingtons to bring new blood to our line. The electric hen is in there all ready and waiting.

Simon made a terrific job of the brooder. It's really good quality. If you're local to me and you'd like him to make you one then he can turn them around for £100 which is a super deal :) I do get a hefty family discount though!

Shh.

2009-10-28T14:40:00.003Z

If you breathe a word of this to anyone, I may have to come round and beat you with a 1970s Ladybird copy of The Story of Railways.

So, strictly between you and me, in deepest, darkest Hampshire (Ok, not that deep and dark, in the very posh Winchester, to be precise) there resides a shop of such magnitude that people speak of it in hushed tone. The Hambledon. They call themselves a ‘department store’ which completely negates the vintage, unique chic-ery that sits behind its doors. Where wallpaper costs £55 a roll (but there are chickens on it! Yay!) and kitchen bowls are the weight that they should be, there are bargains to be had too, to complete the idyllic lifestyle that they are selling.

Hands up who would feel better if they had a pastel enamel milkpan stack, like the ones below. They may encourage you to actually stop admiring them, take the initiative and make some yummy homemade hot chocolate. I can smell it now! Pass the marshmallows and the chocolate shaker…
If you’re feeling generous (and why not indeed, with Christmas coming up!) you could transform your chap into a chic geek with these postcards of computer parts and circuitboard cities all close-up. Combine them with the vintage Fotoclips and your man could make a funky art installation right there in his office.

And my personal fave is the children’s section. Oh, my Heaven, it’s glorious! Snakes and Ladders? I think not. Try Polar Bears and Penguins for size. And it comes in its own little suitcase! With clothes, books, furniture and cosmetics too, what’s not to love about The Hambledon! It’s my ‘happy place,’ no expensive therapy needed. Visit it in The Square, Winchester or online at http://www.thehambledon.com/

Sneak Peak

2009-10-24T20:25:00.013+01:00

Looky here.... I just bought this for Tabitha for her birthday. I love love love it!

Isn't it just the cutest teaset ever? And as a bonus, it's made of tin, therefore we shouldn't get the same amount of glue-necessitating accidents that Elliott's china teaset has produced. And, to be quite frank, it's not much cop with just a sugar bowl and a teapot lid being the only surviving pieces. A teddybears' picnic would be left sorely wanting.

Just Lovverly

2009-10-24T09:30:00.007+01:00

As a mother of three, wearing a necklace is tantamount to suicide. Or murder. Headlines would read: "Child garrottes mother by swinging on stylishly gorgeous silver pendant."

However, sometimes you just have to make an exception to the rule and give in to the female magpie within. As a woman, shiny pretties are your right! So feast your eyes on these two lovverlies.

This Cow Parsley and Dandelion necklace is by the undeniably talented Jemima Lumley and can be found by wandering over to Folksy. It's so simple and clean, it's absolute genius. Her lovebird designs are also very "now." This Birdie necklace is also on Folksy and is by Frilldesign, which is, as yet, virtually undiscovered. Get in on the ground floor and visit her Folksy shop and her blog. The bird pendant below will be hitting my Christmas list for sure and the cost is not going to break the bank - yippee!!

Given the murky weather outside and my lack of initiative to put on my spotty wellies to go and check for eggs, I thought that a sparkly happy post might lift the old spirits. Enjoy!

Not Going As Planned

2009-10-23T12:41:00.006+01:00

Salisbury Poultry Auction didn't happen. Well, it didn't happen for me. I assume that it took place in my absence. On Wednesday Milo developed a temperature that we couldn't control with paracetamol. So he was, once again, whisked into hospital. AFter three more days on IV antibiotics for a blood infection we came home. The super good news is that he's putting on weight at a rate of knots. This is in great part due to the growth spurt and feeding frenzy that he has just gone through. I managed to keep up with him by the skin of my teeth.

He's a much more content baby now. And because of the amount of time I've spent with him I know him by heart. I can read his cries and I know what he wants and when much better than I ever did with the other two. So there are defintely some silver linings to having a poorly baby.

It was also our Wedding Anniversary this week: eight years. We managed a grand total of 4 cards :) I don't think people bother too much nowadays, which is a shame really because marriage should still be celebrated, not just at the beginning but all the way through. Without wanting to sound preachy about 'today's world' especially in the week that we've had with the furore over Question Time and Jan Moir's column, I do wonder what direction this country is taking and whether it went the right way at the cross roads.

I'm So Excited!

2009-10-11T07:57:00.006+01:00

On Saturday it's the Salisbury Poultry Auction. I have never been before but I'm very excited about it. The Husband has sent me a link to the catalogue and I have printed it off and am working through it, thinking which ones that I might have a bid on if I'm quick enough. I'm tempted by the Pekins and also by the Marsh Daisys. We have a Salmon cockerel but he's quite young and a bit sickly, so I was thinking maybe a pair to go with our existing female. Tabitha's Mr Fluffy Feet also really needs a Lavender hen or two to have in his harem.In addition to the excitement of the auction, is the fact that I have spoken to Priscilla Middleton on the phone and she's going to let us have one of her Lemon Cuckoo Orpington cockerels. Wow! Priscilla Middleton is the Orpington God. She developed the Lavender line and the Lemon Cuckoo line and her birds are still the best in the business (in my humble opinion, of course!). Below are a couple of her birds and a photograph of the lady herself. I'm going to meet her at the auction to pick up Fred, our new cockerel.

Lemon Cuckoo Cockerel, much like ours will be. Move over, Alan!

Gorgeous Lavender Orpingon hen. Maybe next year!

My chicken obsession is growing so quickly that The Husband has started to look at smallholdings and plots of land. I wish we could do it soon but it's likely to be a couple of years yet. What a wonderful life for our children!

OK, So I Can't Count

2009-10-09T18:17:00.006+01:00

It turns out that I got the numbers of the chicks that we hatched last week a bit wrong :( In my defence Milo was back in hospital and I obviously had to be with him so I wasn't here for the hatch and was a touch on the confused and tired side when I got home. Anyway, the chicks that we currently have in the brooder are:

- 5 x Salmon Faverolles
- 4 x Marsh Daisies
- 3 x Cuckoo Marans
- 2 x Salmon Pekin Bantams
- 1 x Lavender Pekin Bantam

I'm really quite pleased with the result. Here are some photographs of the chicks for all you poultry lovers (No? Just me then!).

(5) Salmon Faverolle (check out the cheek featherage already!)

(4) Marsh Daisy (so excited about these!). We have such a variety of colouring that I'll put two photos of different chicks up.
(3) Cuckoo Marans (These will lay us gorgeous dark brown eggs for our omelettes!)

(2) Salmon Pekin bantams (we have a breeding unrelated pair already so I'm hoping that one of these at least will be a hen)

(1) Lavender Pekin bantam (poor hatch from 6 eggs, but we're hoping for a hen to make a pair with Tabitha's boy, Mr Fluffy Feet).

So there you have it. They're already a week old. When we get some nice weather we'll start putting them our for short periods, ready for a move out in five or six weeks time, depending on their size.

In the meantime, Simon is going to build me a new brooder - hooray!

Too Funny and So Accurate!

2009-10-07T19:58:00.003+01:00

This cartoon by the fabulous Cathy Thorne is very funny and oh, so accurate. In recent weeks when I have worn a top that shows even a hint of cleavage then Milo almost always manages to fill up my bra with baby sick. It's like he practices!

I used to find chicken feed pellets in my cleavage, now it's baby sick. What an absolutely fab life I live and I wouldn't change it for the world.

Oh Dear

2009-10-05T15:35:00.004+01:00

So, our hatch didn't go too well :( I suspect that less than 50% hatched which is not a good rate, especially for us. None of the six Wheaten Pekins hatched and only one of the Lavenders. Below is a Salmon pekin hatching. I *think* that our last count is:

- 3 Marsh Daisies
- 3 Cuckoo Marans
- 3 Salmon Favorelles
- 1 Lavender Pekin
- 1 Buff Orpington

Not great and certainly not ehough stock for us to bring in over the winter ready for spring hatching or selling.

So tomorrow I am pottering off to Wimborne to see the lovely L J Poultry to increase our stock and maybe buy in a couple of POL/breeding pairs of Pekins. I need to seriously raid the piggy bank though. I wonder how much is in the chicken money box where we store our pennies from selling the eggs?...

Jumping Jack Tabitha

2009-10-05T09:46:00.002+01:00

Milo and I are very glad to be back home from the hospital. I have missed my other babies so very much!

The Winner Takes It All

2009-09-30T20:20:00.003+01:00

We have two Serama bantam cockerels: Benny and Bjorn. Benny is by far the most impressive, with large sickle feathers and a growingly loud crow. He struts around the garden as if he owns it and the girls follow in his wake and are contsantly at his beck and call.

This has all left Bjorn feeling rather sad and today his tail feathers (not very impressive at all) were decidedly droopy. Having lost a Serama bantam in the last few days, I was worried about him and popped him into isolation with some water with coccidiosis mix in it and food with wormer in it.

What can't have helped much is the close pairing of Benny and our new laying Serama, Annifrid. As soon as she arrived yesterday, Benny was over to her like a cat on a ghot tin roof, hopping around and circling like mad. Today they have been inseparable.

So we have put Bjorn back in with the flock tonight and we'll keep a close eye on him. Ultimately though, it just seems like a case of sour grapes and performance anxiety. Poor chap. Many a man can sympathise, I'm sure.

We Are Family, da da da da da!

2009-09-27T13:01:00.002+01:00

This weekend we have seen quite a few members of our family. Several unexpected picked this weekend to be the best to visit us. As a result we're all pretty worn out now, especially the children who went off to bed without a squeak (apart from the useful grump from Tabitha).

On Saturday morning my twin brother, Terry, with his partner, Sarah, came for a visit. Elliott was thrlled to see them but it took a while for Tabitha to warm up. The production of two pairs of spotty winter tights certinaly helped and Tabitha was happy after that. They were also kind enough to bring Elliott two long-sleeved t-shirts and a good chunky duffle coat. He should certainly be set for the winter now (assuming that we don't have a deep freeze!).

It was also the first time that they had met Milo who obviously behaved impeccably for them, aside from the fact that he didn't let Sarah sit down. Every time she tried to lower herself onto a chair, he'd sense it and start to whimper and up she'd shoot again!

Next to arrive was The Husband's aunt Suzette. She brought his Granf up for a visit, which was lovely. They had just phoned us mid-morning and asked if we were in and would we like a visit. Elliott practically exploded with excitement. Again, this was the first time that they had met Milo so he got lots of attention.

And then last to arrive was Tracy and Adrian who were coming up to stay overnight. The poor things were only here for five minutes before we had them making tea and emptying the dishwasher!

We had a lovely barbecue and enjoyed the good weather. The evenings are getting quite chilly and autumnal now so it's nice to enjoy the sun whilst you can.

I think that the children are going to be disappointed when they wake up tomorrow and find no one here and no prospect of anyone coming to visit them during the day. But they do have a visit from Simon and Emma to look forward to at the weekend. The children are very spoilt with their social lives :)

Our Next Hatching

2009-09-27T09:40:00.003+01:00

In the next few days we have a bumper incubator hatch due. I anticipate that it will probably be the last of the year and that we'll concentrate on bringing on what we have to POL in order to sell them in the new year.

Currently in the incubator we have eggs of the following variety:
- Salmon Favorelles
- Marsh Daisies
- Cuckoo Marans
- Buff Orpingtons (a couple of random homegrown ones)
- Pekin bantams in three colours (lavender, wheaten and salmon)

On candling I think that we only had to remove four eggs (two lavender Pekins, one salmon Pekin and one Marsh Daisy) so, as you can imagine the incubaotr is stacked to the gills. Not all of the Cuckoo Marans may be fertile but the eggs are so dark brown that we didn't have a hope of confirming feritilisation at candling so we thought that the best thing to do would be just to leave them all in and hope for the best.

I'm very excited about the Marsh Daisies, which I intend to keep, assuming that we've got room. I may have to pass on some of the cockerels (assuming that we get any!) and then buy some more eggs from a different source so that I can breed with the hens that we'll hopefully get.

We're still waiting for our flock of six Serama bantams to start laying. The two cockerels, Benny and Bjorn, are now both crowing, albeit rather pathetically, but we're still waiting for the four hens, Annifrid, Agnetha, Ulrika and Bjork, to start laying. The intention ultimately will be to sell the hatching eggs but I suppose before that point we'll have to test fertility by putting a lot through the incubator.

So having started this post by saying that this incubator batch will be the last of the year, I seem to have managed to talk myself into one more, with Serama eggs (assuming that they start laying soon) and Marsh Daisy eggs from a different source to our last lot.

Ho hum.

Top Ten Innane Things Said To Me Today

2009-09-24T11:35:00.008+01:00

1. "Isn't her hair red?" Er, yes. 2. "You've got your hands full!" Er, yes. I hear this on a daily basis.

3. "Isn't he tiny!" Er, yes. But he's growing so bog off.
4. "They must keep you busy!" Er, yes. But then I have no life so it doesnt matter.

5. "You must like children." No, I hate them.

6. "Do you get much sleep?" No, I bloody don't.

7. "You look tired." See above.

8. "You're brave." No, I'm stupid.

9. "My God, how many have you got." Not sure, lost count after two.

10. "You're very lucky." Yes, I am.

I'm thinking of starting a pointless comment bingo. You get a chocolate button and a punch if you get all ten :)

Packing Dreams

2009-09-22T22:17:00.004+01:00

When I'm worried or stressed I get no peace, even during my sleep. If I say to The Husband in the morning "Urgh, I had another packing dream last night" He knows that I have been worrying. These stress-making dreams takes a variety of different disguises with one central theme: packing.

So the dreams could be any of the following:

- On a family holiday and knowing that the flight home is leaving in an hour's time and that nothing's packed and I can't find any suitcases so I'm trying to cram everything in cardboard boxes. Or...

- Being at university and trying to clear my room at the end of the semester but finding out that I have to take all the furniture with me. Or...

- Moving house where I have to pack an entire household and the garden toys into the back of the car.

And so on. I think that you get the point. I wake up feeling absoutely frazzled and often with a headache where I have been frowning or clenching my teeth all night.

I've noticed that as the children get older they don't have such peacefull nights either. Elliott talks in his sleep and, we think, sleepwalks. Tabitha has started to have nightmares that have her screaming. It could be that they are picking up on the tension here at home, with the pressure that The Husband and I are under, but I think that it's just a natural thing.

It hardly seems fair though, does it? Often sleep is the only escape that we get. To have stress and anxiety follow us there just seems downright mean.

When Milo was born...

2009-09-14T03:44:00.006+01:00

... I was terrified that I wouldn't 'bond' with him. I felt ashamed about telling people this, not least because of the horrible cliche of 'bonding.' He was smaller than my other babies, so delicate and almost bird-like. He was dark-haired and felt so fragile.

Almost immediately after he was born he had difficulty regulating his temperature, so had to be popped into an incubator whilst I madly tried to express colostrum to get him going. Why wouldn't he feed? He just wouldn't latch on, wouldn't suck.

Milo was not my first baby, nor was he my first boy. He didn't have a name for several days because we couldn't agree. He cried at night, a lot. On our third night in hospital, I asked the nurses to take him away for a few minutes to see if he'd settle with someone different. Then I fell asleep.

When I awoke a couple of hours later, my baby wasn't there. I had assumed that the nurse would bring him back, but his cot was empty. And I felt devastated. I padded along the corridors to try and find my boy but I couldn't. I went back to my room and rang the nurses bell. When a nurse came she said that she 'try and find him.' I felt the first stirrings of 'bonding' then.

Milo has had his fair share of setbacks in his nine weeks. He is a colicky baby, who can often cry all day or all night with almost no let up. He is constanly sick after a feed - the doctor has diagmosed relux and we're haping that infant gaviscon will help to settle him. Neither of these has enamoured him to The Husband. Then three weeks ago he was admitted to hospital with an E.coli infection. I was terrified and obviously stayed with him day and night as his temperature bounced around and the doctors carried out tests, including a lumbar puncture.

He's now home and on the up and up. He looks to be putting on weight now. And he has started to smile which makes him the most gorgeous baby in the entire world. He is often most settled whilst being in a baby carrier, attached to me, so we can easily spend five or six hours a day strapped together. I'm finding that my patience grows longer with each day, despite the lack of sleep , the headaches and the frustrations.

When you have another baby, your love is not divided, it's multiplied and your heart becomes that much bigger to fit all your children into it. I love Milo with all my heart.

Our Weekend Has Been Mostly Full of...

2009-09-06T20:05:00.004+01:00

Chickens grazing.....Woody snoozing...

Tillie watching....

Kelvin reading Haynes manuals.....

Elliott riding his bike.... Tabitha being cheeky....

Another New Arrival??

2009-09-03T19:38:00.001+01:00

This is Woody.

He was born a few days before Milo but has only just joined the family, rather unexpectedly.

He's a sweetie :)

A Bit of Whimsy Swap

2009-08-25T12:28:00.004+01:00

OK, here's the deal. I floated the idea of a Bit of Whimsy Dolls swap with my friend Aimee and she was enthusiastic and yet slightly confused about how we were to go about it. I don't have very many friends (that I know of) who sew. For fun, that is, as oppposed to buttons on the OH's shirts. I have made dolls from patterns purchased at Bit of Whimsy Dolls before and I suggested to Aimee that she peruse the site, choose a pattern and I'll choose one , then we'll make up a doll from the patterns and I'll send mine her her and she'll send hers to me. Instant doll swap and exciting post, instead of bills, invoices, threats and debts!

Aimee teaches a sewing class and these dolls are easy enough for a near beginner to do, for sure. So maybe some of her friends would like to join in. If so, Aimee, send them over this way to my blog and we'll make a list. I'll see if I can drum up some more crafters here who might want to swap too.

Sounds like a good idea, n'est pas?

The Fruits of my Labours

2009-08-17T18:03:00.003+01:00

A couple of more up-to-date photographs for you all. Milo is now five weeks old. I can't believe that it has gone so fast, albeit in a sleep-deprived haze!

Here's Tabitha, at 21 months playing on the mini trampoline in the back garden.

And here's Elliott, at 3 years 8 months, giving his grumpy face.

Silver Stacking Sweeties

2009-08-10T17:30:00.006+01:00

As you may well know, Folksy is effectively the UK version of Etsy. It's a veritable goody bag of yummy crft and handmade items - I love it. In fact, I have a shop there :)

I find it incredibly difficult to browse Folksy without loading up My Favourite Shops and My Favourite Items. I thought that I'd share one with you. Have a lookie below...

Aren't they just the most gorgsous stacking rings that you have ever seen? I'd get a set of three and have the names of my babies engraved on them. How cool would that be?

They're by a very talented chap called Chris Parry. Have a look at them HERE and then go and view the other items in his shop. I promise that you won't be disappointed :)

Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner!

2009-08-06T14:50:00.005+01:00

I won something! Hooray! OK, so it's not the lottery, which would have been most helpful right now (you have no idea *how* helpful, trust me!), but it was a Bit of Whimsy Dolls pattern of my choice in a draw on the Girl Indie Blog. I'm so excited :)

I have chosen to receive the pattern for the Jane doll - how could I resist! It's distinctly more grown up than some of the other dolls and is nothing like I have made before.

I can't wait for it to appear in my email Inbox :)

I'm a Bad Mummy

2009-08-06T11:58:00.003+01:00

Whilst I have been preoccupied with looking after my growing human brood, I have shamefully neglected my poultry brood. Don't get me wrong - the chickens haven't actually been neglected. They have been fed and watered and cleaned out regularly. It's just that it hasn't been me doing it and I haven't been pottering around the garden and chatting to them as I would usually do.

So, last night before the children had their bath, I had a perambulation around the garden with Milo. I noticed that something wasn't quite right with one of the two blue/black splash Orpington growers. Apparently it had been huddled in a corner of the run all day and hadn't moved. When I felt it, it was freezing! A mercy dash to place it under the heater in the brooder and feed it a mix of warm water, honey and chick crumb followed. But to no avail. Soon after 9pm last night, it gave up the ghost and died.

I feel terribly guilty. It only had ten weeks worth of life and I should have been more on my toes in the last few days so that I was aware that it was struggling. But it's too late now and I feel like I have been a bad mummy to my chicks. If only there was more of me to go around.

Whilst On a Lavender Theme...

2009-08-04T12:57:00.007+01:00

Butch and Sundance are our two Lavender Pekin Bantam Cockerels. They are ten weeks old and are going to be absolutely gorgeous colouring. The fact that they are both handled every day has added to their lovely nature. And as a bonus, they're not crowing yet and it should be a good few months before they do! However, the fact is that they can't stay with us :( We have Alan the cockerel for breeding purposes and will quite possibly have another one arriving soon, again, for breeding purposes. We can't breed from Butch and Sundance because our other Lavender Pekin bantam hen has the same lineage and, as you can imagine, inbreeding is not good!

We're asking £5 each for Butch and Sundance, but the most important thing for us is to find a good home for them. It's obviously better for them to go separately so that they can have some lady bantams of their own each. If you're interested in giving Butch or Sundance a new home then do drop me an email. Unfortunately if they stay with us then their time will be limited :(

A Birthday Butterbean

2009-08-04T11:19:00.007+01:00

My dear friend, Laura, recently turned 35. Being a touch cash-strapped, I undertook to make her a Butterbean doll from Bit of Whimsy Dolls. as her present. My genius idea was to stuff the doll with a mix of fibre and dried lavender to make it a more grown up version that could sit on a bed and be propped up on a dressing table.

I made it from some funky Dick and Jane material by Michael Millar, that I had been saving for just such a special occasion. Elliott helped me to name him: he became Lavender Louie the Butterbean Baby. The lavender was really strong but, stuffed inside the doll, it wasn't too overpowering (I hope).

Foolishly, I didn't take a photo of Louie before I wrapped him up and gave him to Laura. However, here are some more of the Butterbean Dolls that are available from Sarah's website, Bit of Whimsy Dolls. Buy the ready-made dolls or just the pattern - it's up to you. But I urge you to pay her a visit :)

Milo Oscar Fielding

2009-07-28T11:48:00.004+01:00

On Tuesday 21st July at 9.55am, our family grew by two feet :) Milo Oscar Fielding came shouting into this world, weighing 7lbs 11oz and with a head of dark hair. He is absolutely perfect in every way and a very welcome addition to the "free range" Fielding family. He is already showing distinct signs of not liking to wear shoes and socks - perhaps Huckleberry might have been a better name for him ;)

The fact that the baby was a boy was absolutely no surprise - we'd had strong suspicions all the way through the pregnancy. His size was a surprise, however. With Elliott at 8lbs 12oz and Tabitha at 9lb, no one expected him to be smaller. Don't let his size fool you though - he has enough personality and lungs to put him up there with the best of them.

A Grand Entrance

2009-07-21T06:37:00.003+01:00

So, I won't be blogging for the rest of the week. Maybe you wouldn't actually have noticed if I hadn't of said anything, but the baby is due today so I shall have more important things on my hands for a few days. I shall be able to Twitter so you'll be able to keep up with proceedings via my Twitter link at the bottom of the page on the right.

With good time, we have the hatch in the incubator due today too and I'm sad that I'm going to miss their entrance into the world, but my hatch is a touch more important!

Talk soon all x

Mummy Envy

2009-07-15T10:17:00.008+01:00

You know how you can be totally in awe and admire someone but also be incredibly envious of their skill and ingenuity? That is exactly how I feel about Sarah, the "stay at home mummy" behind Bit of Whimsy Dolls. In a couple of years she has built up a veritable doll empire and a huge fan following, starting off by selling on Etsy and then progressing to her own website.

I must admit to being biased here. I own 13 of Sarah's patterns, despite the fact that I have only got around to making half a dozen Nutmeg Gnomes and a similar number of Butterbean dolls. Mae is next on my hitlist. Here's an example of a Mae Doll that Sarah has made: Now I very much doubt that mine will be that polished but I'll be putting lots of love and attention into mine so what more do you need! :)

Here are a couple more of Sarah's dolls. This is John:
And Lilly Lamb:

For those of you who are sewingly challenged, Sarah does make some of the dolls up herself which are available to buy. But for those of you up for it (but let's face it, it's not terrbily challenging in terms of time and effort!) you can purchase the PDF patterns which have all the information that you'll ever need! And they download immediately so you can get started straight away - hooray!

Click here to visit Bit of Whimsy Dolls website! and take your pick. Will you prefer Finnegan Fox or Parker Pig? Riley Reindeer or Gertie Goat? Or why not take advantage of Sarah's 'bundle pack' discounts where you can save money if you buy three or more patterns?

Now, where did I put my B-Movie Monster pattern? I know a little boy who would love it :)

More New Additions

2009-07-14T07:45:00.002+01:00

But these ones are extra special! On Saturday posy successfully hatched out four Buff Orpington chicks. These are Alan and Pickle's first batch of offspring and we're very excited. We've given then a good look over and they are perfect in every way. They're really good, strong and healthy chicks - hooray! We took the photo below last night. You can see that the chick still has its little egg tooth. That'll disappear in a few days time. Meanwhile, the other chicks are getting big. We lost the smallest Lemon Cuckoo Pekin Bantam, which was a shame but not really a surprise. It never seemed to be very healthy and we'd had doubts over whether we could sell it even if it survived. But the others are going from strength to strentgh. We now know that we have two Lavender Pekin Bantam cockerels, so we have to decide their fate: whether one stays with us for breeding purposes or whether we try to rehome both of them.

In fact, we have to make that decision about most of the chicks now. We have to really have a think about which direction our breeding programme is going in and on what scale. Especially when you consider that we have two children, another one due imminantly and there are other things that need to be done.

Ho hum.

Where's the Magical Fabric Stash Fairy?

2009-07-07T18:20:00.013+01:00

Ignoring those people who say that I am nesting (on account of my due date being two weeks away!) I am feeling the need to increase my dwindling fabric stash. In my opinion, a girl can never have enough fabric. There are so many projects that I want to do: I have enough doll patterns from A Bit of Whimsy to last me for years, a beautuful top and dress pattern from that*darn*kat which would look lovely on Babs, and literally dozens of soft shoe patterns for the new baby, the bulk of which have come from Homespun Threads.

To increase the torture I typed "fabric" into the search box on Etsy and spent a few happy moments goggling at the variety available. In America there seems to be a far bigger range of fabric available and at a much more reasonable price. What you'll pay for a yard over there is very similar to what you pay for a fat quarter in the UK. And that's even with the shipping taken into account. Shocking!

One of the shops I found was offering bundles of fabric that the shopkeeper had already bundled together for you. What a great idea! I sometimes find it tricky to know what fabrics accents what and also what others in the rnage are. So "A Fabric Outlet" on Etsy has done it for you. Look at some of the gorgeous combinations below...

Of course, my desire to increase my fabric stash has come at an appalling time for us. Not only is the "Credit Crunch" live and kicking in our house, but I'm thinking of offering it the spare room to squat in because it seems like it may well be here for a while yet to come.

So I'm hoping that some kind soul will take pity on me and think "Gosh, it's Jane's birthday on 26th. Wouldn't it be lovely to surprise her with a dozen yards of different fabric that she can craft with to her heart's content!" I know that's highly unlikely, but I still believe in the Fabric Fairy and hope that she might feel charitable enough to pay me a visit. Fingers crossed x

Potty Party!

2009-07-07T08:47:00.005+01:00

This is a new direction for me, but still tied in with my Baby Signs classes. I'm not one for pushing babies into potty training before time but the Potty Train initiative is infinitely sensible and it always helps to teach parents what to expect.

So with this in mind, I'm running a Potty Party for those with babies over 6 months on Saturday 22nd August. You are most welcome to come - just drop me an email first and let me know.
Tickets please!!

Ho Ho Hose

2009-07-04T09:12:00.002+01:00

In recent days the weather has been so hot that I have been letting my feral children run lose in the garden with the hosepipe. They have been having such fun and Tabitha has discovered that wielding a live hose brings her a certain amount of power. She is constantly thrilled by the jet of water and how people run away from her. Whilst most of the photographs that I got included naked children, here's one that is decent enough to post up here for you...

Shortly after this photo was taken Elliott took control of the hose and sprayed Tabitha. She was not best pleased and had a full on Tabitha Tantrum, although whether it was because she has lost control of the hose or because she had got wet, I'm not sure. Anyway, a pared down Tabitha took control back right after kicking off her nappy and got revenge on Elliott.

We were having such fun until my haridan of a neighbour started squawking that one (yes, one!) jet of water had gone over into her garden and had got the washing on her line wet. She started hollering at the children, for heaven's sake, and when I went out she carried on at me. I apologised for any wet washing (but quietly thought "Well, it will dry") but she wouldn't let it go. She finished her rant with a "Stop your children from playing with water or I will report you." Erm, to who? The Fun Police? The Hosepipe Protection Committee? The Dry Washing Fanciers Club? Who knows? But I rather feel that her appalling attitude and rudeness may take a while to forget. When did people stop being reasonable in this life?

Oh, and PS...

2009-07-02T20:30:00.003+01:00

Did I tell you that the incubator is currently chugging quietly away with a cargo of six Lavender Orpington eggs and nine of Pickle and Alan's super eggs? :)

Must stop at that point because I'll be ready to drop the hatch of my own and will be slightly more preoccupied for a few weeks at least!

The Promised Chick Update

2009-07-02T19:47:00.002+01:00

Yesterday we took photographs of all the current stock of chicks that we have. I can't believe how much they have grown and are thriving. We're obviously doing something right. They are, by all accounts, happy and healthy little chickabins.

Photos come in order of hatch. The Lemon Cuckoo Orpingtons are nearly five weeks old now and are by far and away our biggest. The photo below is of Hopalong, who has fully recovered from her Tabitha Trauma and is glowing with health now. The cuckoo banding is just coming on their wings.

Next up are the Lavender Pekin Bantams who are the same age as the Orpingtons above. They are really feathering up nicely and their legs are almost completely covered now. They have recovered well from their removal from their mother. We suspect that we have two hens and two cockerels in this bunch.
Then we move to the incubaotr hatch. First up are the four Buff Orpingtons. They'll be two weeks on Saturday but are already growing quick and are outpacing the Lavender Pekins above.Hatching the next day were the two Splash Orpingtons who are going to be spectacularly pretty. Their markings are gorgeous. I'm hoping that we have two hens from the batch but we'll see.

And last but not least there are our teeny Lemon Cuckoo Pekin Bantams who are now ten days old. They are really adorable but very small. It's hard to believe that, looking at them, they'll be the same size as the Lavender Pekins in four weeks time.
Oh, and our other news is that we candled Alan and Pickle's eggs under Posy Pekin and we have 100% fertility rate, even on those early eggs. Hooray! Fingers crossed for the hatch now.

Enquiries

2009-06-30T09:36:00.007+01:00

Wow, we're staring to get inquiries about our chicks already, so I thought that for everyone's benefit I would post up a stock and price list. Since Blogger won't allow me to post a table I'll have to go the long and convoluted route of printing to PDF and then converting to JPG. Does that make sense? No matter.

Bear with me........

I'm hoping that's vaguely readable. I always lose so much of the quality when I play around with the formats.

The chicks are starting to look monstrous in size now so I'll post some updated pictures soon.

Head Count

2009-06-24T08:55:00.005+01:00

I cleaned out and sterilised the incubator last night. Our total haul from this load of hatching is:

- Four Buff Orpington chicks
- Two Splash Orpington chicks
- Four Lemon cuckoo Pekin bantam chicks

This is out of 18 eggs bought in, of which 15 candled fertile. Obviously a bit disappointed with the Splash Orpingtons - there were three dead in shell at trhe end, one of which was full term. Having watched the others hatch we were a bit concerned about the strength of the membrane on the eggs, which seemed particualrly thick. This could have contributed to the chicks inability to pip.
We have started to advertise on a local basis for selling the chicks and an advert will also go into that chicken keepers Bible, Practical Poultry, from next month. We'll be selling from a day old to point of lay and also (hopefully) supplying hatching Buff Orpington eggs. This is all, of course, dependent on Alan's manliness!

With that in mind we currently have a broody bantam, Posy, sitting on five Pickle x Alan eggs to see what the fertility is like. They are not due to be candled until 1st July which seems an age away but is actually next week! We are also due to candle the six Lemon Cuckoo Orpington eggs under Poppet either tonight or tomorrow night. We need to be able to remove any infertile ones because the poor dear is struggling to get all of them under her!

And given the current size of my bump, I can completely empathise with the poor dear.

Pipping has Commenced

2009-06-19T22:58:00.003+01:00

We have fifteen eggs currently in the incubator which we believe are fertile. Today is day 21 for the Orpington eggs and day 19 for the bantam eggs - so basically D-Day all round. However, things have been very slow to start happening and I have been getting jolly impatient.

But tonight at around 7pm, I noticed that one of the eggs had started to pip. I was so excited! No progress has been made since then but considering I was starting to doubt that we'd get any hatchers at all, I am very pleased at this first showing. You can see the crack in the photo below.

Now, of course, tomorrow seems like Christmas for me. I can't wait to get up and see what might have progressed overnight.

Will keep you updated... I know that you're as keen as I am ;)

Folksy Shop Updates

2009-06-19T10:37:00.002+01:00

I've added six new pendants to the Folksy shop this morning. Here's a sneak peak of a couple of them....

Visit the shop at http://www.folksy.com/shops/freerangefamily. Or if you're in the vicinity of Wickham next weekend you can come and visit us at their table top craft sale, where I'll have the glass tile pendants and dozens of super duper scrabble tile pendants too. Woot woot!

Quick Chick Update

2009-06-11T17:11:00.003+01:00

On Wednesday evening the weather was fine so we put a cople of runs onto the lush new grass in the garden and put the chicks and their mums out for some fresh air and a change of scenery. The mums certainly enjoyed scoffing the grass - it won't need mowing in those patches this weekend, that's for sure. It also allowed the chicks some time away from their mothers' manic dustbathing which tends to cover everything in sight, them included.

Here are the Orpington chicks in all their fluffy, yellow glory. Hopalong Cassie is in the first picture - the chick with the slightly darker wings. The cuckoo banding on her is going to be lovely. And touch wood, her leg seems to be healing well.

The Pekin chicks were a bit more difficult to photo because Pootle was being more than slightly obssessive about letting the chicks, not only out of her sight but also out from underneath her skirts. She kept pecking them to keep them under her. Perhaps she felt threatened by being out in the open a bit more. Either way, it's something that we need to try to keep an eye on.
The chicks all seem to be thriving. Next batch due in ten days....

Candling

2009-06-09T21:57:00.003+01:00

We candled the eggs in the incubator tonight and we *think* that we have five from each batch that are fertile. So that's a pretty good rate really.

If they all go term and hatch then in ten days time we'll have 15 chicks jostling for place under the heater in the brooder :)

And since the brooder is in the utility room where the dogs sleep we'll also have a very grumpy Charlie who is fed up with the 'cheep, cheep'cheep' all night long :)

Eggs, Over Easy

2009-06-06T11:17:00.004+01:00

So, let me clarify what's going on in the Fielding Family Egg Empire at the moment, for my sanity as much as yours:

- Pootle is proving to be a very attentive mummy to her family of four Lavender Pekin Bantams.

- Feather is ensconced in a broody coop and run with her family of three Lemon Cuckoo Orpingtons, Hopalong Cassie included.

- In the incubator, we have 1) six Buff Orpington eggs 2) six Splash Orpington eggs (could be blue or black) and 3) six Lemon Cuckoo Pekin Bantam eggs. They are due to be candled early next week so I shall keep you updated as to the fertility.

- And Poppet, the sister of Pootle, is currently broody and is awaiting her clutch of six Lemoin Cuckoo Orpington eggs to arrive on Tuesday. These ones are from super top breeding lines so we have high hopes for them.

I think that pretty much sums things up at the moment.

Mummys and Daddys

2009-06-05T20:18:00.006+01:00

Thought that you might be interested to see the parentage of the three Lemon Cuckoo Orpington chicks that Feather is rearing as her own.

Gorgeous chunky looking chickens, aren't they? I know how popular Buff Orpingtons are (although I didn't until I tried to source my two last year), but I just think that the cuckoo banding makes them look so pretty so I'm hoping that they prove popular too.

Unfortunately one of the chicks has been injured :( From what I can surmise, Feather had one of her vigorous dustbaths and made a hole under the run. Then either one of the chicks got out or a small hand went in - either way it ended up in Tabitha's clutches. I came down from changing the bedding and saw her down there and ran straight down. The poor chick was lifeless. Tabitha didn't know what she'd done so I couldn't be mad. I think that she was just loving the chick a bit too much.

Anyway, a dash with it to the kitchen where I wrapped it in a muslin cloth to keep it warm (it was very cold by this point). Then I scrambled around getting the heat lamp set up. Five minutes later I popped it under the heat lamp and watched for a while. I really thought that it was a goner. But then it made a couple of pathetic cheeping noises. A few minutes later it was trying to lift its' head.

I came back after an hour to find that it was on it's feet and had moved to a corner of the brooder. It still looked sad but it was a miraculous recovery. I gave it some food and water and left it for another hour or so before trying to put it back in with Feather. I was worried that she wouldn't accept it, but she was fine. I popped the chick under her wing and that was it.

However, a little while later it became apparent that the chick wasn't bearing weight on it's left foot at all. It's coping though. It uses its' tiny wings for extra balance and is keeping up with its' siblings. I can't help worrying about it though. I am hoping that the leg will mend, but I'm really not sure.

Either way now I have become attached to it. It has been named Cassie (Hopalong Cassidy) and I have all my fingers crossed that it makes it.

Poultry Progress Update

2009-06-03T13:58:00.003+01:00

So Pootle has now led her chicks outside to get some fresh air and sun, and so that she can get some much needed food and water. Not to mention, "powder her nose." The chicks hurled themselves off the little ramp with no fear and seemed quite at home. I can't believe how loud their cheeping can get and they seem to be very robust little things, despite their size.Talking of size, Feather's first two chicks are already twice the size of the bantam chicks. Who on earth knew that these fellows could fit into those tiny little Orpington eggs?!

In the early evening, those two were joined by a third, slightly smaller chick. We were a bit worried about it for a while because it seemed quite week. But it has picked up well and is fending for itself. We had to remove the fourth egg because it wasn't viable. We must have missed it at candling.I'm going to try hard not to name the chicks because I fear that would mean that I'll get attached to them. And in my hormonal state of maternity at the moment, I can't afford to do that. When we sell them (or, in the case of the cockerels, they get culled) I don't want to be upset for weeks! When we hatch out some Buff Orpingtons we may well keep one or two of those to work into our bloodline but that's a few months away yet.

So tonight's task is cleaning out Feather's nesting box and coop and making it nice and clean for her brood :)

Fabulous Folksy

2009-06-02T13:42:00.003+01:00

Hello, peeps!

I have spent a good part of this morning updating my shop at http://www.folksy.com/shops/freerangefamily. Why is it that a task like listing items for selling seems to just take forever? Maybe I'm missing a trick about batch listing them or something.

Anyways, here are some of the newly listed lovelies that you can now find in the shop. Come and have a look...

I have to get some more rolled leather cord and some more suede cord and then I should be able to list some brand new super designs over the weekend. How exciting! :)

Clever Mummy!

2009-06-01T11:24:00.003+01:00

This is Pootle, our broody mummy of the moment. She has had four fertile eggs under her for the last 22 days.

As you saw from my last blog, two hatched yesterday. And this morning, the last two hatched safely. I'm so relieved. The chicks are a gorgeous buttery lavender colour but will be all lavender when they are full grown. One is a little bit smaller than the other three but I'm hoping that she picks up a bit and catches them up quickly.

Tonight we have to add a ramp to their coop to enable the babies to get in and out. And we have to make sure that the run is securely screwed to the coop so that the two can't be pulled apart and the littlies can't find corners to squeeze out of.

Just out of interest, here are the trio of Pekin bantams that provided Pootle with her fertile eggs.

Good looking birds, I'm sure that you'll agree :) I am hoping that we have an abnormally large percentage of hens because I don't think that I'll be very good with the whole culling thing. I'll probably be firmly attached by then and the entire garden wil have cockerel coops all over it!

And then there were two....

2009-05-31T21:38:00.004+01:00

Pootle, our partridge Pekin bantam has spent the last 21 days sitting on a brood of eggs. Today was D Day but after our last hatching disaster (trial and error and mistakes all round resulting in no hatch and lessons learnt) we didn't want to 'count our chickens before the hatched.' Around lunchtime today we shifted Pootle off her nest and popped her in the run to get some food and water. We made super sure that we didn't touch the eggs at all. We peered at the eggs and noticed two of them were 'pipping' - cue extreme excitement! :) We let Pootle get back on her nest and left her to do her job.

After the children had gone off to bed, we had another check and look what we found...

I was just so excited and Kelvin had a huge grin on his face. These are two gorgeous lavender Pekin bantams. What a clever mummy Pootle is. Again we let her settle on the remaining eggs and cover the newborn chicks with her wings to keep them nice and toasty. After another hour or so we cleared away the broken shells to keep things clean. No sign of the other two eggs hatching yet but one looked like it might be pipping. We made sure not to touch them though.

And so we await the morning to see what happens overnight. In the meantime, "Happy birthday, little chicks."

PS. Feather, our Buff Orpington is due to hatch her five eggs tomorrow so it will be a doubly exciting day :)

Chicken-fied

2009-05-28T13:02:00.004+01:00

The free weekends that we currently have (and there aren't really many of them, trust me) are now mainly taken up with feeding, tending, maintaining and building chickens and their homes. We have expanded somewhat faster than we had anticipated, quite feasibly due to my inability to go to a farm and not come home with any poultry. Add to that the fact, that we currently have two broody hens sitting on clutches of eggs and you get rather a lots of chickens. In the last week or two we have been re-ordering the coops around and sorting things out. Tabitha and Elliott helped to convert a rabbit hutch into a coop for the two 12 week old Serama bantams.

The plan for the two Serama bantams is to bring them on to point of lay and then sell them. They make lovely little house birds with the added bonus that they're chickens, albeit bantams, and lay lovely edible eggs.

Then we had to clean and sterilise all the coops against lice and mites. That was an all day job which culminated in having to spray up all the chickens against nasties. As you can see the children were very helpful and supportive throughout thiese tasks.

By the end of the day we had two areas for the chickens. Chicken-Opolis (or Chicken Alcatraz) and then what we're calling The Village in front of it. There are four coops here: The two broody coops on the right with their runs, the Pekin bantam coop against the wire and then the Serama bantam coop in front of it. In the photo below you can see the oversized rodent house that the Serama bantams lived in for a week or so before we converted the hutch above.

Alan's batchelor pad is off the the left and has now been smartly treated with chicken-safe wood preservative and he is more ready every day to invite the girls in to see his etchings. I ssuepct that he may be out of luck.

Baby Fielding Number Three

2009-05-11T10:33:00.009+01:00

On Friday we had a 3D/4D scan with Professor Campbell up in London. He has done the same scan for both Elliott and Tabitha previously and we didn't want to miss this baby out, despite our dwindling fortunes. It's not a 'bonding scan' as such, but a full health check, along with an estimated birth weight.

Here are some photos for you:

Getting decent pictures was a bit tricky as the baby consistently hid behind the cord, despite the fact that I tried laying in lots of different positions. He or she is a little monkey already. And, frighteningly enough, the spitting image of Elliott at the same stage. However, all the measurements were almost identical to Tabitha's.

Boy or girl? We shall see.

A Study in Concentration

2009-05-10T22:26:00.006+01:00

Tabitha is very keen on shoes. They don't have to be hers and they don't have to fit, but if she sees a pair of shoes they've usually vanished before you've even noticed.

I could say that she gets this from me and to be truthful, she probably does. I do love my shoes. I rather believe that everything can be fixed if you can buy a lovely pair of shoes. If you can get a bag too - well, all's right with the world!

Tabitha is very independent and likes to put the shoes on herself. Sometimes it can take forever but she hates anyone to helps. She shrieks like a banshee until you leave her be. The only time that you're allowed to help is if she approaches you. Or if she throws a shoe across the room in temper. Which does happen.

Heathens

2009-04-22T09:37:00.003+01:00

The children have a new favourite game. It involves taking all the cushions and pillows from the entire house, building a huge tower and stamping around the tower in a big circle, whilst chanting "Whee Wah, Whee Wah, Whee Wah!" More often than not, the children aren't wearing a stitch and usually ends with dizziness overtaking them and two small tinies collapsing onto the cushion pile. It's all very ritualistic and Lord of the Flies like. In fact, it reminds me of the Wild Thing rumpus in Where the Wild Things Are.

I do wonder contantly if other people's children are like mine. Maybe every other parent on Earth is wondering the same thing, I don't know.

A Post of Misery and Woe

2009-04-17T10:10:00.002+01:00

OK, I thought that I'd get it all out in the way in one go as opposed to driving everyone crazy with dribs and drabs throughout the day on Twitter. That way you're not forced to read, you can just hit delete or unsubscribe or the like.

So where shall I start?

1. The washing machine has packed up again. Today is day three and the washing piles are stacking up all over the house. I'm even thinking about going to a laundrette this afternoon, but not sure if I could even find one.

2. My hairdryer is resolutely refusing to blow out hot air at anything other than a pleasant breeze. I can't understand why it had suddenly broken.

3. I have run out of what a luaghingly call my 'signature scent' but what is really my favourite perfume: Vikor and Rolf's Flowerbomb. Oh, the misery.

4. My Internet Exploorer window keeps crashing for no apparent reason. Very frustrating.

5. Delia the mad chicken pecked my (bare) foot as I let the ladies out of the coop this morning. And it hurt. A lot.

6. Despite sending out 150 fliers in the neighbourhood, I haven't had one enquiry about Baby Signs. This is a desperate situation because on one of the courses starting next week, I have only one (out of six) places filled. I can't run it with one.

7. The mortgage company have started to phone threateningly again.

8. I need to get more of the finished necklaces up onto Folksy but can't seem to find the time or the impetus.

9. Elliott squired out an entire tube of toothpaste on the bathroom floor this morning. I *thought* that he was too quiet.

10. The floor in the playroom sticks to your feet as you walk. And our carpet cleaner is broken. Quelle surprise! Anyone have a Bissell that hey want to lend us/give us? :)

11. I want to take the kids for a route march but I forgot to take the double buggy out of the back of The Husband's car. I am *so* not trying it with the buggy board.

12. There are the remains of chocolate egg detritus all over the house on every surface. Just when I think it's all cleared away, up pops another couple of Smarties or a chunk of Easter Egg shell. Usually squashed into the aforemnetioned playroom carpet.

13. The ensuite bathroom is still not decorating itself, darn it. Anyone have some spare white bathrrom paint for the ceiling and some spare paint for the walls? And anyone want to slap it on for me? :)

I think that unlucky number 13 is a good place to stop, don't you? On a plus point, I have sold three dozen eggs this week. Of course, the chickens are laying 10 a day, but there you go.

Ho hum.

Race for Life - in more ways than one!

2009-03-31T15:26:00.004+01:00

So, I have had the OK from my midwife to take part in the Race for Life on 7th June. This will be six weeks away from my delivery date and I have to admit to being nervous that I may go into labour whilst huffing and puffing my way around the 5km course. Mind you, it would liven things up a lot, wouldn't it? And I wonder if anyone would spot the labour breathing from the heavy breathing that would normally be going on during an event like this! I had thought about dragging my own canister of entenox behind me. Even if I didn't need it I bet there are some women who would pay good money for a snort of gas and air to see them round!

On a (slightly) more serious note, I am concerned about the Braxton Hicks pains that I tend to get as I go further into pregnancies. They have already started and, whilst not painful right now, they can get uncomfortable. I know that my Darling Mother will be there with me, but short of pushing me around in a wheelchair, there's not generally a lot that she can do, other than kick my a*se if I get too slow and start holding her up.

Anyways, I would very much appreciate any sponsorship that I can get. If for nothing else than on the promise of some cringeworthy photographs being published after the event. My sponsorship page is here http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/jfielding so do feel free to pop on over and have a cup of tea and donate your hard earned cash (or I'll take credit!) on me.

x

A Mother's Day Portrait

2009-03-27T14:17:00.001Z

Chicken or Gannet?

2009-03-21T11:40:00.002Z

It strikes me that Ruby will never go hungry. My money is on her *everytime* when large chunks of fruit or vegetables at thrown into Chicken Alcatraz. For example, I just pottered down the garden with a pile of peelings and nearly a whole apple (left by Elliott who is very particular!). I hurled the lot over and amidst much undignified squawking and flapping, Ruby emerged from the pile of hens triumphant and te the whole apple firmly encased in her greedy beak. She took off like an Olympic sprinter and, with the exception of Henny Penny, who hates to be beaten, the other chickens satisfied themselves with the remaining peelings. I see this time after time after time.

What I can't understand then, is why Ruby is one of our smallest chickens. It may just be her breed or it may be a hangover from the earlier crop problems that she had, but either way she manages to eat a tonne of food a day and remain lythe and slim. I'm so jealous!

A Blast from the Past

2009-03-14T09:08:00.003Z

There is something unnerving about unexpectedly meeting old school friends for the first time in nearly twenty years. Apart from the obvious pleasantries and the quick recap on life as it is at the moment, there are the obvious and underlying comparisons of life's path and where it has taken the individual.

I had such one such experience last week, that has led me to examine my own life and where I expected to be at this point. Well, the latter part of that is easy to answer: I genunely had no plans. I remember one careers advisor as saying that I was part of "Generation X", which I'm still not sure that I understand. Does it mean that I'm indecisive or that I have no idea of the path that I should follow? Does it mean that I will end up at the age of 90 in the old people's home, looking back at discontent with the life I have had and filled with regrets about the things that I should have done and, indeed, wanted to do?

I love my children, I love my husband and I love my family. I enjoy the life that we have made for ourselves, despite the stress that it has brought me in recent months. I enjoy keeping the chickens, love my dogs and am enjoying setting up my own business, although I admit to being nervous about the commencement after Easter. I am very excited about the new baby and impatient to meet him or her.

However, I have itchy feet. I know that. I see different places in the newspapers and magazines and I want to experience that. I want my children to experience that. It doesn't mean that I am discontent. I just realise how huge this world is and how filled with possibilities it is and I feel like selling everything and just going.

I don't want to look back with any regrets.

Hello, Baby!

2009-03-11T14:36:00.002Z

After an incredibly long wait this morning, and three seperate scans ("Baby's not in a good position to check the legs/backbone/skull/blah blah blah"), Baby Fielding Mark III finally obliged us with a good scan. Sitting firmly on the fence, the sonographer said that of course she can't guarantee that there are no problems, just that she could tick off everything on the checklist. How jolly helpful.

The first picture below shows the baby's head on the left and provides a good shot of the heart (Me: "Are all four chambers fine?" Sonographer: "I'll do the scan if you don't mind, Mrs Fielding.")

This picture shows baby's head on the right, with little fists up to his/her face. Obviously a boxer in the making :) And, trust me, it took a lot of Lucazade Sport to get the little minx to turn into some better positions. That, and the long wait, was nearly the end for me and my bladder.

Baby's legs are in 90th centile, as were Tabitha's. However, that doesn't seem to make a darn bit of difference to us actually having heifer-like Smurfs in the long run. I'm betting that this one will top Tabitha's 9lb, but if we decide on the elective it will be a week earlier than naturally so that might make a difference.

15 Randam Facts to Bring You Up To Date

2009-03-10T09:28:00.005Z

Obviously I have been virtually disabled, computer-wise, in the last couple of weeks so there are a few things that you've missed out on and that I should fill you in on. So here are 15 random facts in no particular order to bring you up to speed with the Fielding Family.

1. Elliott has hit the WHY? stage. With a vengeance. It has been coming on over the last few weeks but is now at it's height. In an effort to not say "Because I said so" I found myself having a debate with him about Capitalism and Communism. See how far these things can go when you let them have free rein!

2. One of the Buff Orpingtons, Feather, is defintely a hen and not a cock. How do we know? Because she is laying - hooray! OK, the eggs are pathetically small for such a big chicken, but then it takes a bit of time to ramp up the size and the production. I am very pleased for her that she is not going to end up as Sunday lunch. Part of me is slightly disappointed that we don't have a cockeral so far. I was rather happy entertaining the thought of raising a few chicks.

3. I have a cold sore which makes me resemble the Elephant Woman. Not a happy bunny at all. Suspect that I might be a bit run down.

4. Husband Kelvin is well and truly back at work now. But it's a looong stretch to his first pay day and this is our most critical time. Tensions are runnings high, as are emotions. It feels like trying to feed the five thousand without even five loaves and two fishes.

5. My scrapping mojo has gone and deserted me after the UKS Cybercrop. And I'm ashamed to say that I haven't done one layout since then.

6. We have learnt that our family are very kind and generous in many different ways.

7. My computer has had a complete rebuild thanks to Husband Kelvin. The nasty person who infected it with a virus won the day and Kelvin reinstalled the operating system. I feel so mad towards the people who write viruses - have they nothing better to do with their time??

8. We have all, bar Husband Kelvin, had a horrible cold over the last week or two. It astounds me how children can (pretty much) just carry on regardless. Whilst the children now have the remnants of a runny and sniffy nose, I look like I've been hit by a heavy goods vehicle.

9. We attended another craft/table top sale last weekend and this one was our most successful to date. We made £100 - whoop whoop! Of course, just as we're getting going they're not going to run any more at that venue until September. Maybe we'll try a carboot sale or two in the next couple of months.

10. Elliott has developed a love of all things Sportacus. In fact, I rather suspect that he thinks that he *is* Sportacus. Whilst this is not a bad thing in itself - he keeps asking for Sports Candy (fruit and veg) to eat - it is rather disconcerting to see your little one growing up so fast. That, and the fact that I can only play the same game of "Mummy's in trouble!" so many times before going stark raving bonkers!

11. I have organised my desk and made good use of the six paper trays that we acquired at the weekend. Husband Kelvin is going to be so astonished about this. You would not believe some of the stuff that I found under the Leaning Tower of Paper! No, not Lord Lucan and Shergar. But certinaly things that I thought had been lost.

12. I am rather proud of my website at http://www.babysignsuk.com/. Initally developed and put together by Husband Kelvin, it is now truly my own and I am determined to keep it up-to-date. It's like aother baby to me. (As if I need any more of those right now!)

13. Talking of which, Baby Fielding Mk 3 is making his or her presence well known now and is kicking me on a very regular basis. Although, that being said, s/he does appear to be having a bit of a lie in today. I have my anomaly scan tomorrow. I'm looking forward to seeing the baby but feel very nervous about all the things that could go wrong. I was oblivious in my first pregnancy but as time goes on, I get more aware.

14. I have developed a full on craving for Haribo Star Mix. Rather shaming, I know. They have all the texture of flavoured rubber. But what can you do. It's the little foam backed ones that I love, particalrly the red ones. I suspect that I may be beyond help.

15. Tabitha is signing! She can now sign "More", "All gone"/"All done" and to ask to clean her teeth. It's so sweet and I'm so proud of her. I'll try and get some piccies of her signing to put up.

So that pretty much sums things up for now. Apologies, once again, for being missing in action.

I'm Back!!!

2009-03-09T08:13:00.003Z

After having ten days with a nasty computer virus, I am now back on a wiped-clean computer. This on top of a heavy cold, a sick chicken and a poorly toddler. Joy. I will blog more later and bring you up to speed but I just wanted to let you know that I was still here! :)

My Perfect Pixie

2009-02-23T14:11:00.004Z

Here is my gorgeous girl, perched on the Doomoo beanbag, scoffing an iced bun. Quite often whilst I'm working at the compluter Tabitha will sit on the beanbag behind me and chatter or play or read a book. She can be really good company.Now, to be fair, I Photoshopped this image to get rid of the acres of iced bun that was smeared around her chops. But she is as lovely as she looks anyway, with or without the removal of iced bun.

What Her Friends Wouldn't Tell Her

2009-02-20T09:15:00.001Z

On Thursday I received a letter from a "Consultant in Surgical, Laser and Cosmetic Dermatology." I have a vague feeling that I had to see him at some point in the past and my name and address has obviously remained on his list. He was inviting me to take part in a clinical trial for a new kind of Botox. Hmm. So he's saying at the age of 33 that a) I *need* Botox and b) I'm at a point in my life when I should be considering it. Not too flattering, I must admit.

Then it got me to thinking that maybe I do indeed need Botox and that nobody has had the nerve to tell me yet. I scrutinised myself in the mirror. Yes, I have some lines at the side of my eyes where they crinkle when I smile. Yes, I have lines on my forehead when I raise my eyebrows or frown. Is this a major problem? Apparently so. Indeed, as a thank you for taking part in the clinical trial the helpful consultant would offer my follow up Botox free of charge. I must be a lost cause.

I am assuming that the Consultant does not know that I'm pregnant. Can you imagine what Botox injections might do to the baby? Instead of being a wrinkled old prune when it emerged as all newborns are, s/he would have skin as taut and as smooth as, well, as a baby's bottom. Less like a raisin and more like a grape. What a horrible thought. Part of the thrill of having a new baby is being able to laugh and say "Ha, s/he looks like a little old man/lady."

Nope, I won't be having Botox. But I wouldn't rule out a tummy tuck.

Sunday Slugs

2009-02-16T10:26:00.004Z

When Husband Kelvin and I were cleaning like mad things yesterday, apart from a cursory dusting from Elliott, the children decided to take things easy. Here they are, reclining on Elliott's self-made cushion mountain, swigging juice and watching "The Polar Express."Patently, it's a hard life for them. Tabitha has cut five new teeth in two weeks and is obviously feeling the strain. Elliott was running a (very) slight temperature. So obviously the best thing for them to do is lie back and relax.

Ah, to be a child again!

Today will be a challenge

2009-02-14T09:53:00.002Z

Elliott was up half a dozen times in the night for varying reasons. More to drink, he was cold, wet, "I want you", etc. The consequence this morning is that he's a very tired boy and very weepy and whingy. Daddy has discovered that letting him watch "Hulk" cartoons keeps him quiet. However, I have a doubt that phrases like "I'm going to kill you, Frost Demon" is going to help him to become a well-rounded individual.

Tabitha, on the other hard, had quite a good night's sleep and has woken up as a little toublesome imp. She keeps going quite at various points around the house and has so far:
- Tried to stuff a large fire engine down the toilet.
- Covered herself and the floor with Max Factor foundation.
- Liberally poured Stella McCartney perfume around the bedrooms and down her front.
- Pulled all the toys off of every surface in the play room.
- Got hold of my chiyogami papers and screwed them up.

She is currently trying to scale the book case to get her hand on the pile of wrapping paper at the top.

I'm waiting for the next thing to come.

Noah's Flood

2009-02-09T14:29:00.004Z

Sou'wester Man is now obviously having the last laugh as the remainder of the mud and water that makes up our garden is washed away in a flood of Biblical proportions!

It hasn't stopped raining in 24 hours. And I mean, really raining. Bouncing-off-the-pavement raining. The chickens look decidedly bedraggled and the Buffs, with their feathers plastered to them, look like they have lost half of their body weight at least.

Stupid chickens. The door to their nice warm Super Shed is open and inside is warm and cosy. But some of them still persist on standing outside, looking pathetic and occasionally scratching at the ground as if I haven't been down to fill up their food and water, which, of course, I have.

I hope that the rain stops and soon. Bring back the snow!

Folksy

2009-02-05T23:32:00.002Z

Check out my Folksy shop here: http://www.folksy.com/shops/freerangefamily

It's the British equivilent of Etsy. I'm hoping that I'll get more people looking at my jewellery than on eBay or the like.

x

My Latest Project: Glass Pendants

2009-02-05T17:51:00.004Z

I have been working hard, posting items up into eBay today. In the last couple of months I have been developing and making these fantabulous washi paper glass pendants.

I really enjoy making them and I think that they're really effective. Take a look here (http://shop.ebay.co.uk/merchant/kfieldin_W0QQ_nkwZQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZQQ_mdoZ )on eBay to see the other ones that I've completed. The one above is my favourite but I also like the 'Tokyo' design.

I've also been making brooches , with similar handmade Japanese paper designs, which I'll be listing later in the week. Watch out for them!

Snow Day!

2009-02-05T12:00:00.006Z

I thought that I'd just upload a couple of pictures of Elliott and Tabitha playing the the snow this week. They had such fun and Elliott has shown much concern over the gradual disappearance of Mr Snowman as the week has gone on.

Today we have drizzling cold rain - not very pleasant. At least the nursery is open though and Elliott has gone traipsing back. Looks like we may be getting some more snow coming in over the weekend though, which is exciting!

We have another birthday party to attend over the weekend, which Elliott is super looking forward to. However, we also have a busy weekend planned as we're trying to get the house up together, in case we have to put it on the market. Yes, it has come to that unfortunately. We still have hope, but we need a contingency plan in place. Kelvin is going to work on the garden and general cleaning and maintenence and I'm on decorating duty. I have to fill in crack, sand over and then spruce things up with a coat of paint, not least in the ensuite.

I always seem to be painting walls when I'm pregnant!

Cravings? Not me.

2009-01-28T19:14:00.002Z

I fancy the following things to eat. Not in any order and NOT together, should anyone try accusing me of having odd pregnancy cravings. However, it is noticeable that my tastes have changes over the last few weeks. Make of that what you will.

1. Pickled beetroot. Preferably crinkle cut.
2. Redcurrant jelly. On chicken or turkey.
3. Pancakes. With syrup, sugar and lemon juice.
4. Very cold water.
5. Melon.
6. MacDonald burgers with the full contents of red and yellow sauce, diced onion bits and gherkins. Oh dear, perhaps I am too far gone.

Now that the morning sickness is mostly gone (apart from the odd bout of nausea) I just feel starving. Most of the time.