Autumn Equinox

Just before we went out yesterday I looked for the chickens to pop them back into their run and found this! rarghh was desperate to lay and egg but Beep was not moving, no way not even for corn, she just let her sit on her head! Chickens are wilful creatures at times.

So we went to the Maize maze and trusted a small child with a red flag to get us out, and he did but we came back out the way we came in after only wandering around about 1/4 of the maze!

Then we went in this crazy train, what it actually was was a landrover with wooden carcass to look like a train then wooden carriages attached, the guy driving it was utterly mad and it was a real bone shaker, not the sedate, smooth train ride I had envisaged. The boys however LOVED every jolting, swaying, juddering moment of it.

Blackberry Days

We have lots of blackberries in the freezer ready to drop a taste of summer into winter but I have yet to make jam. I was put off as the last lot I made had pips in and it seemed to be more pips on toast rather than blackberry jam on toast. I don't have a jelly bag and it all sounded like a lot of faff but I have since figured out pushing it through a sieve like I do with the tomatoes would work just as well so that's what I did yesterday :) I sent the boys off blackberrying and 1.7kg of the juicy delights turned into this......

it is delicious!

Sultana bread and puppets!

Managed to cobble together a recipe for sweet sultana bread today, while it wasn't as sweet as the one I tried it was delicious :) Looks like the mice have got somewhat cheekier and bigger over the summer though......

Nana has come to stay in the caravan which has pleased K no end, he's been asking if she is here since he woke up this morning! She brought down a puppet theatre passed on from my sisters children, he LOVES it!

A frenzy of bees

We have hundreds of bees, all buzzing about in even the briefest spell of sunshine, making the most of it before autumn melts into winter.....

Foxy Flowers

The fox nearly got one of our girls yesterday but we either scared him/her into dropping her or she had such a go that the fox thought better of it! She lost quite a few feathers and there is a wound on her back but we're just putting wound powder on it, it is looking OK so far.

When I opened the door this morning I noticed an amazing smell and realised our honeysuckle that is struggling this year has produced 3 flowers, 2 are open and smell divine. Before the wind tears them down I thought I'd take a picture.

Also the flowers I got given when I left work have survived my utter neglect and despite me are blooming.

The weekend

Went to Lappa Valley on Saturday, a rare day of sun. Got some pictures of K coming down the huge slide. E was on my back and I forgot about him so we took one in the car! Oops!

In the canoe and our train was called Muffin!

Sunday was dire weather wise, I think my hoped for Indian summer is but a dream, we spent a lot of the day having a 'pic pic' indoors :)

E is 6 months

and it feels like it has flown by (well bar a couple of days, but if I don't get this down it might go unrecorded!)
We have the two bottom front teeth and more on the way. Rolling from front to back and as of 5 mins ago rolling from back to front! Still a bit wobbly when sat up and is prone to toppling forward without warning.Sleep was a restful all night long and then he hit the 4 month growth spurt and sleep officially became a luxury for the weak!
His woolies and sleeping bags and cute clothes are all getting too small and need to be sold on. I didn't feel like this with K as I was keeping it all 'just in case' ;) but there can't be any more and it feels very strange and is definately tinged with a little grief.
He's been watching me eat for a few weeks and is mesmerised by the food or the act of it being eaten, I'm not sure which, so yesterday he had some sweet potato and carrot, it all got squished and thrown around, eating was not top priority! The fruit puree was tasted but not eaten, then today K was having banana for afternoon snack and he wanted some so he had a piece that I think he was just trying to get milk out of .
He adores K, giggles at him and watches his every move desperate to join in with whatever he's doing, K has realised he has an audience and plays up to him big time!