Very Unwanted Christmas Gifts

Oh dear, oh dear! Well we had done quite well this year at Christmas, just filling our days slowly with good hearted people.
Then there are the presents. For some reason my mother in law always decides she is going to try to compete with me at all times over everything. Most of the time I ignore her, and that seems to make her more grumpy and I just let her get on with it. But sometimes I just can't get away from it. One of those times is Christmas.
Let me set the scene...
On the phone she asks what I'm getting one of the children for birthday/christmas, then no matter what I say she will buy exactly the same thing just 4 times the size and expense. Why tell her? I just can't seem to lie, and every time I think she's phoning to ask so we don't buy the same thing...

So this time I just didn't call her, and that was great. Now she also knows I hate certain things - things that are plain stupid, or sexualize children, or both.
Also she knows I hate it when she sends presents/cards late to make Granny's present special, and more remembered than anything else. Why do that, then tell me the reason why?

So for my lovely little girl we have a load of Barbies coming, and really that isn't so bad, as there is still room for her to use her imagination at play. But then there is also the DVD. Oh my goodness it is just horrid. They all look something like lap dancers, and all they talk about is looks and shopping, and I'm sure its very similar to a film mean girls that I saw a trailer for on the telly.

Anyway, it was Granny's present, so I felt obliged not to whisk it from under her nose and say she couldn't watch it.
So she watched it. The strangest series of events followed..
First she thought it was wonderful,
then she started to copy the behavior (!)
then she started to get upset (some of it a direct result of me telling her to behave nicely) and angry
and then, shock of shocks, she said she didn't like it.

She started to cry, and I sat on the floor with her and held her and asked her to explain. She was really pleased that Granny's present finally arrived, but she was really sad that she didn't like it, and angry at the same time.
She really wanted a present as the boys had received one.

We sat together, and then she told me what she would like, and for the next hour or so we made Walrus (her real doll) a summer dress.
It is not very neat, but she chose the materials, and told me how it should look, and for us it is just fine.

She has played with that doll for two days solid now, taking her to bed, and on picnics etc. And always she has played good hearted games, and smiled, yes smiled!! That didn't happen with the barbies, they just seem to tell each other off.

Even Daddy said to chuck that DVD out.

Last night I had a dream..

Every now and then I have the most intense dreams, that to me are so real until in the morning light I realize I was actually dreaming.

I have met people in my dreams, I met Ed's dad in my dreams who died about 17 years ago now. He was such a nice man, and that dream was so special to me because I really did feel I had met him, talked with him, and that he'd got to know me too. 

One other time I dreamt that the phone was ringing, and when I answered it it was Ed's dad on the phone. He asked to speak to Ed, and in shock, I handed the phone straight over to him  and in my dream he was obviously shocked to have a phone call from a dead person, and was very white. But after a while as they talked, and laughed together on the phone his color came right back, and when he hung up he was so happy, and contented.

I think he needed to tell Ed that he understood, and that he shouldn't feel bad, because he just knew.

I know some might say that our dreams are just a reordering of what we know etc etc, but sometimes I have these dreams that are so much more.

Last night was one of those nights. I dreamt that my Grandmas came over here to visit us all, and see our children. They died just after our first was born.

It was such a real dream, the details of the bustling of them unpacking, and getting over jet lag..

Going into their rooms and hearing them talking and organizing and calling out to each other.

And our children were so pleased to see them. They were running about all excited..

It was so nice...

Then as the dream progressed I was getting in the car, and being driven away from the house, and looking back and waving to them all, my two grandmas and our three children. All of them were so happy, and waving and shouting goodbye to me. Then I woke up. My eyes were full of tears, but I am left so happy...

Just thought I'd write it down. 

Does anyone else have this sort of experience? 

New Life

I cracked a couple more eggs yesterday, and they were rotten too. No hint of any development whatsoever. So I looked up another seller of eggs, and wrote to her asking if our hen would continue to sit on more eggs. She said that she probably would, but she also had some day old chicks available too.

So after some deliberating I decided to go round and take some chicks, to give the poor hen a break.

How excited the children were!

Off we went and we now have five little chicks. They are all araucanas, I'm not sure what sex they are.

Just look....

I kept them in the house under a lamp for the rest of the day, and then after dark I went out to the nesting hen and removed her remaining eggs, and gently slipped the chicks under her.

I wasn't sure if she'd like them, but although she behaved a bit confused to begin with, she really likes them.

While I was outside waiting to see what would happen one chick poked its head out from under her, she pecked its head, then scooped it back under her wing.

At that moment I knew all would go well.

She seems like a superb mother.

Previously I've just raised ducklings under the heat lamp which is just lovely for us humans, but to see this hen with some chicks is just so right, and pure and totally lovely. I'm so glad!

Garden Growth, and a nest of eggs

The garden is just starting to burst into life. We have had several days of very heavy rain, and we've not been able to go out and play, or to weed. The weeds have just loved it!!

I bought a Jasmine plant an put it under the kitchen window..mmmm

And here is a rather smashed by the rain bed of lettuce and beans, with calendula and lavender

The beans are cannellini, just right for soups, and the flowers smell a bit like roses..

I grew all my garden from seed this year. Previously I've had terrible results from seed, but this year I've bought direct from the seed people, and what a difference!

Gypsophilia..

Here are some Amish Pie pumpkins, and beetroots, and Thomas in the background!

He's doing well at mowing the lawn..

and his fleece is growing beautifully...

Carrots and onions

Sweetcorn

Monster garlic patch

silverbeet/chard

Little melons

and rhubarb

And this is quite a disaster story. Our beautiful black hen, called Lightning McQueen by our son, became broody, so I bought some fertile eggs from the internet, and thought I'd collect them so as not to damage them.

Five were very dirty shelled, so we didn't put them under her, but she has been sitting so dutifully now for 23 days.

They are supposed to hatch at 21 days

I went to check her and make sure she got off the nest to feed, and had a good look at the eggs. Not a sign. One egg smelled like a bad egg, so I took it out to prevent an explosion.

I thought I'd crack it open to see if anything had grown at all..

But no, look at that mess, and the smell!!

I'll leave them until tomorrow, then crack the rest. What a disappointment, and she has been so very good! I really did think we would get at least one.

Saturday Musings

The wool I started to spin is coming along nicely, here is the first skein being played up..

The color seems to show its softness, it is a blend of white and natural dark merino.

Also, the coriedale shawl I was knitting for myself, then decided to shelve it for a while because I was disappointed with the fibre, has a huge fan!

So I cast off just where I was and here she id modeling it. It fits her just right!

At the moment it is closed with a duck nappy pin from many years ago, but soon I may put a button on just for her..

And someone got hold of the camera and took a picture of her special dolly I made her when she was about 2. Can't explain either hairstyle!

Later on today I discovered that i could stick the roving onto the lazy kate that came with my wheel as I was spinning it. Much better.

I also made a skirt out of a dress that was just terrible on me, and it looks lovely on her too!

Thanks for looking!

A Rainy Day

There have been heavy rain showers here for the past week, and it is making the laundry a bit of a problem.

Anyway, it was a good day for spinning, and this beautiful big wheel of mine has been calling out to me....

It has taken until now to feel at one with her! I have felt quite guilty for spending the money on myself, silly, I know, as good things for all our family will be made with her, and she will go on probably longer than me!!

So I've been wanting to make myself a sweater for some time now, and I finally decided now is a good time to start.

I used some merino I bought last year and kept on a shelf. I've made one of my friends some booties for her new baby with it and it is so soft!!

The color is silver...

Its is so buttery soft, and I hope it will look that way once spun up.

I have decided I don't like that corriedale. It was really soft in the bag, but once spun I thought it was too hard.

That's the trouble with merino, once you spin it, there's no going back.

So while I was doing this, the children were outside playing, and bouncing in the rain.

It is looking so lush out there now,we'll have to mow soon, if the rain stops. I might try to turn the grass into hay.

There was also some lego-ing

And when the rain stopped a bit we went out to eat peas...

He doesn't like to eat them raw, but he likes to feed them to Mamam..

they were yummy!

Lunch

Today Edward was to be back home early, so I prepared a wholesome lunch for us all to share...

First some good bread. I used the high grade white four, as the wholemeal stuff doesn't have enough gluten in here.

Then I add good stuff to it, some bran, and some linseeds....

A splash of oil...

Water and yeast and a little salt make this wonderful goo...

And after 10 mins of kneading the goo turns into this perfect ball.

Now what to go with the bread?

Some soup.

I used one of our pumpkins we grew in the garden. We stored them in the garage over winter, and only about 2 have gone moldy.

The one thing I can't stand about pumpkins is their shell. So today I just thought I'd bring in the axe, and problem solved!!

i roasted the pumpkin in a hot oven with garlic sliced on top, and oil, and salt and pepper, then when it was nice and golden I added it to a pan of sweated onions, and garlic, and water and whizzed the whole thing up.

Here's the bread before it went into the oven.

I like to make pretty buns!!

I didn't get any pictures of the cooked product because we were all so hungry and we just ate it!!

Thanks for visiting!