So where have I been?

I have been here for the majority of the past month ..... working ....

I have been trying to get ahead with all my swaps ......

We have been practising having Little Soldier for the day .... all on our own.......

I have been tidying up the Visitors Garden at Tyseley Loco Works ........

We have been to Paris ......

PJ has been erecting the Chicken Ranch .......



So you see we have been rather busy, hoping to get enough done so that we can spend some time on our own garden when the Chicken Ranch is finished......hoping!!!

I'll be back soon ..... promise .....  I will enlighten you with our exploits ....stories .....stupidity ..... but most of all .... Fun!!  lol

Easter 2016

I hope you all had a Blessed Easter despite, or because of, the weather!

We were very blessed, spending time with both of our girls et al.

I bought all the eggs in good time, all the chocolate ones at any rate, Little Soldier would have a knitted egg and SILR would have a home baked cake.


There was only one egg that I could buy for PJ .......

.... had to be didn't it!!!!

  
 How he laughed but I had so much pleasure for weeks before...........




I have a Despicable Me fan in the family so .........

First thing on Saturday I baked a cake and managed to get it all cooled down and into the carrier before we left home to make a few errands and visit DDC.  The cake still needed some butter icing to go with the jam through the centre but I had no icing sugar.  When we arrived I added the icing sugar pattern atop the cake..... no photos I'm afraid.
Clever SILR popped round the shop and bought some cream!!!



I started knitting LS egg a week ago but had to take off a few days ...... health is important!!!
I managed to finish knitting Little Soldier's egg on Good Friday .... cutting it fine I know!!  

The instructions suggested coating the egg with hairspray to create the form but I just left it 'soft'.  Love this little toy - Alan Dart is just soooo clever!!
We took the eggs round with us as DDC had invited us for tea ..... with SILR doing the cooking I knew I was in for a treat ..... he did not let us down .... a lamb dinner!!!
I came home with some Easter Mallows!  Never knew these existed!!!  I am saving these for 'that' day when I will sit and enjoy ........

DDN doesn't 'do' chocolate so I cheated a bit and bought a white chocolate cow!!    


This was greatly appreciated as she can make the cowshed from the box and SILA can eat the egg!!!





I received some flowers, from which I made two arrangements so am really happy!!!


A beautiful yellow and purple one and then........


 .....a completely different one, in oranges and gold!

Altogether a great Easter!!

Thank you Lord for all these Blessings, You are mighty.

Who's Maurice?

As many of you know, I am trying to trace my Ancestors.  
I have had an online account for several years, have been contacted by a relation in South Africa who has provided me with lots more information.  Very exciting!
I recently found some letters sent to me some time ago by cousins.  One of my cousins sent me a copy of the family tree and with it enclosed a beautiful letter.  Reading this letter through I discovered some more information, given by 'Maurice'.  
Who is 'Maurice'?
I am intrigued .........



While looking for some images for a swap, I found some postcards that my Mother had saved.  Really old ones ........

My Mother was born in 1905, she was the youngest child with three older brothers, and these cards go waaaayyyy back.

Some were sent in 1916, some were hand delivered.  There are cards from her Mother and Father, brothers, friends and cousins.

Therein lies another mystery or two .....

There's one from cousin Amy and cousin Hilda - very young writing but no date - I don't remember any mention of these cousins.

Some 21st Birthday cards - one from cousin Lily and another from Auntie A (could be G) - there is an address on Auntie A so I will try to sort that one out.



There is also a 21st card from cousin Mabel.
 yeah!!    I remember going to visit cousin Mabel (Auntie to me) when I was very young.  She is listed on my family tree along with her son Eric.

I hope to show off these postcards on Cardius Bloggus where they will be copyrighted to me as these are.



UPDATE:  I have since found out that Maurice is another cousin - on my Father's side of the family.

The Tumble Dryer is dead ... Long live the Tumble Dryer!

A long, long time ago, back in the days of yore .....

Well, many years ago ... we think about 18years ago.... I acquired a tumble dryer.  It wasn't wanted, was sitting in the garage of my daughter's new house, totally unloved so I took pity on it and brought it home. 

It has thanked me by being a humble servant working away, drying my washing load after load. 

 When the door fastener broke, PJ 'fixed' it - well, it worked didn't it? 
Yes! for more years....  

Just before Christmas the heating began to 'play up', sometimes it was hot and sometimes it was cold.  I managed to keep it working until last weekend ..... the day I dreaded arrived.

The Tumble Dryer was dead.


Eventually we chose a new one, a smart white one, Indesit, to match the washing machine.

PJ stripped down the dryer to take it away for scrap, so that there was just a space waiting .....

I had washed two loads of clothes ready for when the dryer arrived.  I wanted to try it out to make sure that it works ok... and it does!!! Both loads are dried and put away ...... in less time than my previous one.  
The only danger I can see is that it is so quiet ....... I will forget it has been switched on!!!

Wonder if this machine will still be working in 20 years time ..... I am not holding my breath .....

The Chickens are getting closer .....

We (PJ)  waited for the better weather and better health to start off again with preparing the Chicken Ranch.
PJ has sunk some of the sleepers into place now, taking his time and only working when he has the next day to rest and recover. 


The lawn looks a tadge sad but we know that the grass will grow again and Mother Nature rarely gives up on the garden.


The soil is well trodden down although it was rotovated after it was all cleared of plants.  

More sleeper 'pieces' were cut and brought home yesterday so the shorter piece is now a 'sort of' step!



One more side to do .... the apple trees side.  This has been left until last, trying to let the trees start into growth so that they will survive the digging round their roots.



The bushes at the top of the garden look neat behind their sleeper but for how long I wouldn't like to guess.  I would imagine that by the end of the summer we will be trimming them back out of the way of the chickens!!!

At least we have an almost clear patio, just the one piece of sleeper brought over yesterday.

Spring is springing

The early flowering bushes are starting to show some colour, I do hope they survive the still to-come-cold weather!
I make the children laugh when I say 'I have seen snow at Easter' but I have and I am worrying about these beautiful yellow flowers on the Kerria and the now forming flower buds on the Ribes.  
Another week and the fence will be decorated with yellow and red flowers.

The rhubarb which we removed from the top of the garden seems to like the rather large tub to which it was  transferred, maybe we'll have an early crop - Rhubarb Crumble is a favourite round here!! 



There has been some house inspection carried out by a couple of Blue Tits so we think that the house may be occupied this year - it's about time as it has stood empty for about three years. 


If it is occupied then there is hope for the other empty habitat on the block!!  
This one is vacant, not inspected as far as we know and just hangs there.  
I presume that when the bushes have grown a little more, they were cut back last year, the house will become more attractive ..... I think it is pretty as it is!!!

With the sun shining I am full of expectation that Spring is on its way!

Chickens are still coming.....

Seems such a long time since I last spoke of the chickens .........
Work has progressed so much, the land was cleared, bushes were chopped back.

The blackcurrant bushes alongside the compost bin were moved nearer towards the house. 


Poor old Olive was moved nearer the fence so she could have more space  - to grow olives hopefully.
Julia, Augusta and Septa have all been moved so that they can now form a blueberry lineup!


I don't think you can see very well from these photos but the apple trees - three on one stem (Cox Orange, Golden Delicious and Blenheim Orange) - was severely pruned, especially on the chicken ranch side!!

The sleepers also arrived, thanks to Tyseley Loco Works.  
We now have a pile of well oiled sleepers waiting to be sunk into the ground, hopefully this will deter Mr Fox.

 Roll on Summer!!!!

A Charity Event.

A friend has a train in his garden ....... a miniature train of course!  
He held an Open Day for Charity and we were invited .....the instructions read like - when you reach suchandsuch a place take a sharp left and park in the lane.  Walk down the lane to the gate and the train will pick you up in the field ....... 
So we drove out into the Worcestershire countryside and when we reached the lane, we turned sharp left .........
After opening the gate we could see the train line and a paved area so we walked across and, sure enough, we heard the whistle and round a bend in the hilly field appeared the train.

We were not alone by now, several folks had gathered at the 'station' but there were enough seats in the carriages to take us up to the house.
We alighted at the top of the hill after quite a trip round the field as the railway line gradually climbed up the hill.
The house looked to be old and sprawling as most of the country houses tend to be.  We left the station building and walked across the grass, down the steps and into the patio area where most of the folks were gathered.  Details of the named Charity, hot coffee urn, mince pies, chocolates and mulled wine were laid out waiting for us.  We were glad of the hot drinks as the weather had turned damp and miserable, but the company was very friendly and accommodating, did I mention there were a few dogs and children running around undeterred by the weather!!
After a while we wandered back to the Station and sat on the platform just taking in the views of Worcestershire and watching the train as it travelled it circular route.  The engine and carriages are a few years old but this is the Owner's second engine.  He built the line some time ago after acquiring a diesel engine, again with carriage.
As the engine reached the top of the hill, the line veered to the left and completed a circle to come back to the Station in the right direction for the passengers to alight and then travel round the field.

In the middle of this circle was the chicken ranch, the chickens not seeming to be disturbed by the action, steam or noise.Several folks wandered around in freedom and dampness, chatting to other folks and  ..... the chickens!!

We wandered back to the house and had another warm drink and bite to eat.  There were a fair few more folks now, the 'green wellie brigade' in attendance, and DH wished he had worn his flat cap, but ..... never having been here before .... it was difficult to decide on attire!   If we are invited next year we shall know.
I decided to jump on the train and have a couple of circuits of the field and had a smashing time, looking at the views and chatting with fellow passengers.  
I noticed that every now and again, photographers turned up as we went chuff chuff along the line. 
By the way, the guy in the Father Christmas hat in the above photos is the owner of the railway.  He was most unperturbed by all these people and, as he is Chairman of our Loco Works, we already knew he was train barmy.  The Works Manager from Tyseley Vintage Trains had also arrived with his family.

On my circuits I gave a wave out to DH as he sat enjoying the views and chatting.

After a couple of circuits, I climbed out of the carriage and we wandered off to make our donation to Charity and say our goodbyes to the Host and his good wife.
We travelled back to the gate and came home.  We had a thoroughly enjoyable morning and I do so hope we get invited back next Christmas.

Desirable Residence in view

I have searched through all - and I mean ALL - of my posts but although I mention buying the furniture for my dollshouse, it appears I never blogged it.

So here we go....
My father made a dolls house for me when I was about 6yrs old and it was almost as big as me. He had fitted it out with electric lights, doors and furniture.  My mother had supplied the furnishings and .... the folk who lived in the house.  They were peg people, actual clothespin pegs, delicately dressed in the finest clothes.  My parents must have spent hours and hours of pleasure and love making this present.  Needless to say I loved it!  I was the envy of all those children who came to play with me - especially my friend Freida.  Unfortunately it didn't last many years as I came home from school one day to find it gone, just the furniture and the folks were left.  Mam carefully explained that we did not have enough money for coal for the fire so it had been used for firewood, but I still had the furniture and people - I then noticed that we were a lot more furniture missing in the real house!!
I don't think I ever recovered from this loss.  It had to be used, I agreed, but it was a sad fact in those days.  Make do and mend was the way, no credit taken - if you couldn't pay you went without.  These things didn't really stand out l a r g e in our lives as it was part and parcel, everyone was the same where I lived at the time...... 
Through the years I often looked at dollshouses, all types, colours and kinds .... that was when I missed my own ..... 
I made sure that all my own girls had dollshouses of one sort or another, even my boy had a garage!!!

Several Many many A lot of decades later, as we walked home from shopping I spotted a house!  
In a Charity Shop .....
..... I looked at DH and said "look!  I have to go see".
  It was a handmade dollshouse, sadly neglected .... beautiful ..... I went back outside and before I said a word, DH put his hand in his pocket and said "How much?"  
He later told me that the look on my face was priceless!!
The house didn't fit in the boot of the car so it had to ride home on the back seat - I kept turning round all the way just to look at it!   
It is approx 3 ft long and 2ft tall, rather large (just like the one from so long ago).  

We managed to manoeuvre it into the house and have a good look at it.   
So, so neglected.  
I didn't mind.  What!  I can do this!  
DH will be allowed to help if he wants ....

The house sat in the dining room until the Christmas when it was relegated to the workshop/garage so that DH could work on its structure ..... the roof, the doors etc.  
It stayed there, wrapped in plastic until last year when I insisted it was brought back inside so that work could begin - it has been a case of more important jobs being done and my dollshouse continuing to sit there.  

So in it came, sat on the table where I could see it in all its shabby glory.  I had bought some furniture a year after purchase and last year I found a family to add to it.
So it sits and, on occasion I turn up a magazine or a pattern and I think - I must renovate that house or I shall run out of time and it will be something else for the skip .....
My beautiful house ..... even in its neglected state I hope it knows it's loved .....