Frosty mornings.

Our walk to school this week has been in bright sunshine but at the same time it has been very, very cold & everywhere is, yet again, white with frost.

This reminded me that I hadn't put up the photos that I took just before Christmas when we had an amazing hore frost, which lasted a week.

But in the garden the snowdrops are just starting to open, Spring is on it's way.

Walking for cancer charities

These are the views that I was looking at last Saturday evening, not the best photos but I was walking at the time. I participated in the Mid Summer Madness walk for Marie Curie cancer care and Macmillan cancer support.

The walk was from Padstow to Wadebridge and back again, 11miles in total, we did it in 2hrs & 50 minutes so I was pleased with that. It was a beautiful evening and the sunset was stunning, the lights in the distance below are Padstows.

Sadly I don't have a photo of me taking part, well I was wearing pyjamas ;)

On Sunday we took L to Newquay zoo as it was her 4th birthday on Tuesday, I could barely walk but I hobbled around looking at all the cute babies

Ducklings

Pied Tamarin

Marmoset

Visayan warty pig these are from the Phillipines & are extremely rare so are part of a European breeding program.

Capybara

Talking of babies this baby Blackbird is living in our garden & for some reason it's very tame, today it came in my stable door flew around the utility room panicked and flew out again.

and I found this one in my greenhouse this evening, my first baby cucumber, it's the first time I've grown cucumbers from seed so a very proud moment!

Plodding along ...

and not getting anywhere very fast! As per usual there always seems to be so much to do & so little time if only we had a few more hours in the day :) I think when the sun comes out time just goes fast forward. I've been trying to get more cushions finished each one probably takes about 4 hours or more! Some friends and I have started a quilting group as well, meeting fortnightly & having a laugh. I've decided to hand sew a Grandmother's flower garden quilt, which is made completely of small hexagons, it may take some time!

Of course in the sunshine you also have to spend time at the beach.

Going for walks.

And waste a lot of time watching the hens having dust baths,

Maude is more dignified with hers.

And then hours & hours of gardening & watering.

Of course a fair bit of time has to be spent thrifting.

The recipe book is full of recipes which 2 friends have sent to each other & magazine newspaper cuttings including this from January 21st 1945.

I also helped a couple move into one of the most gorgeous houses I've ever been in and she gave me these curtains, originally from Liberty. I don't know what I'm going to do with them yet, there are 4 curtains probably 7ft in length & double lined so they weigh a ton!

Some more linen found at a car boot

along with this tray,

lovely & big bowl,

a shaving brush to put with my collection of mugs,

yet another cake stand & some plates.

And finally a laundry basket to be painted & covered ...... one day!

And today it's back to the sewing machine & the cushions. I've also got to do some walking as next week I'm doing a sponsored 11 mile moonlight walk for Marie Curie/ Macmillan cancer charities & haven't really done any practising yet :0

Meet the girls at long last.

For years I have wanted chickens but have never got any because of worrying about the neighbors complaining, which is really silly as we live in the country and have sheep, cows etc all around us not to mention a gazzillion barking dogs! We also have a small garden but last year we got our piece of field enabling us to make an allotment there thus freeing up space in the garden. I did a lot of research and found out about the allotment act of 1950, which put my mind at rest, to a degree, about the neighbours. Anyway last Sunday we collected them a black Maran which, I've named Maude, a light Sussex named Delilah and a Silkie named Flossie.

We shut them in their house when we got them home, Mr CB had made it on legs to discourage rats, so they have a ladder to climb down. Maude was out first then Delilah eventually after a little nudge Flossie looked out and there she stood for 1/2 hr or so! She has the hang of it now and is straight out in the mornings.

Maude is quite noisy she seems to be the announcer of any eggs being laid by her or Delilah.

Flossie is such a cute little thing but I don't expect her to lay many eggs, I had to have her as I do love Silkies.

And Delila is definately Mrs bossy boots and the greedy one she goes inside to lay her egg Maude starts cackling I go to quieten her, which makes Delilah come out to see if I have some food for her, this makes the egg laying process quite a long one.

Maude laid the first egg within 2 hrs of coming home and her and Delilah have laid each day.

As they are on bark in their pen I've put a shallow flower pot of soil in there for them to have a dust bath it's quite hard to see in the picture but they love this.

They didn't think much of yesterdays rain though.

Once they've settled in, had their wings clipped and I've moved all my seedlings down to the allotment they'll be able to rummage around the garden I and I'm sure they can't wait!