Well what a difference in the weather this week! Yesterday it was 20 degrees C, the sun had his hat on and it felt like late spring. Sorry to everyone reading this who's got snow and freezing temperatures but it really was lovely. And today is fantastic too. So it's off with the thermals and outside I've been.
I've planted some garlic in one of the raised beds - it's a bit late in the year but we'll see what happens. Apparently garlic benefits from a cold snap and as long as I can keep the animals away from it, it stands a chance!
Speaking of animals if anyone is looking for a pig either as a pet of for eating we do have a couple still for sale. The piglets are now getting big and probably weigh in at around 35 kilo's each. Ideal for a small freezer or christmas lunch.
Christmas is just around the corner, although it doesn't feel like it here. I've not put any decorations up yet, the kids have asked for money instead of presents and I've yet to do a big food shop. Everything will be last minute as usual in this house. No christmas cards have been sent either as I don't trust the postal service after having so many returned months later. So there may be some e-cards sent to people and a christmas day blog post yet.
Well I'm off outside to do something - not quite sure what but there is still loads to do before the winter really does get here. Hope you're all having a good week.
Thursday, 9 December 2010
Sunday, 5 December 2010
Up in the Air
Life sometimes throws things at you that are not expected and that's what happened to us in the last 10 days. Routine gets turned upside down and there's absolutely nothing we can do about it apart from grit your teeth and go with the flow.
Unfortunately my father in law passed away quite suddenly last weekend which of course meant that hubby had to fly to the UK for the funeral. Now we don't usually plan to fly anywhere after December and through until March because you can just never judge the weather and we've always been caught out and had delays etc. The weather here is still warmer than normal and we've yet to have snow, although the poor UK has had awful weather lately and temperatures in County Durham, I believe, have been as low as -15 deg C, with lots of snow.
This time hubby had a 3 hour delay which wasn't too bad (I hope). But it could've been very different. He'd had an awful time trying to find a coach seat from town to Sofia (where the airport is) and ended up booking a seat at 4am which would get him to the airport about 3 hours earlier than he needed to be to check in for the flight. But due to a technical problem (possibly an alarm clock set wrong) we both slept in and he missed the coach. All panic then ensued as we ran around at 4.45am to try and get dressed without waking the kids, get in the car and drive to town to try and find another coach seat!
Luckily for us the ticket office was open when we got there at 5.45am and to be honest I really thought I was seeing things - There aren't many places that would have a ticket office open and staffed at that time on a saturday morning! So on the coach he got whilst I drove home in the rain. I miss hubby loads when he's away but know that he had to go this time. I'm already looking forward to him getting back next weekend. Life will just carry on as usual here with animal feeding, muck shovelling, horses and donkey in and out daily and the general household chores that need done.
All of the animals have extra bedding now as the temperatures continue to drop. I think nature is playing tricks on us at the moment because my spring bulbs are poking through the soil and the strawberry plants are flowering again. Hopefully the weather here will stay mild and we're not in for a huge shock in January and February, which are usually the worst months weatherwise. Still I know it will get colder and we will get snowed in at some point - it's just a matter of time. But when it happens we should be well stocked up and have thermals at the ready, fashion goes out of the window at temps lower than -8!
Unfortunately my father in law passed away quite suddenly last weekend which of course meant that hubby had to fly to the UK for the funeral. Now we don't usually plan to fly anywhere after December and through until March because you can just never judge the weather and we've always been caught out and had delays etc. The weather here is still warmer than normal and we've yet to have snow, although the poor UK has had awful weather lately and temperatures in County Durham, I believe, have been as low as -15 deg C, with lots of snow.
This time hubby had a 3 hour delay which wasn't too bad (I hope). But it could've been very different. He'd had an awful time trying to find a coach seat from town to Sofia (where the airport is) and ended up booking a seat at 4am which would get him to the airport about 3 hours earlier than he needed to be to check in for the flight. But due to a technical problem (possibly an alarm clock set wrong) we both slept in and he missed the coach. All panic then ensued as we ran around at 4.45am to try and get dressed without waking the kids, get in the car and drive to town to try and find another coach seat!
Luckily for us the ticket office was open when we got there at 5.45am and to be honest I really thought I was seeing things - There aren't many places that would have a ticket office open and staffed at that time on a saturday morning! So on the coach he got whilst I drove home in the rain. I miss hubby loads when he's away but know that he had to go this time. I'm already looking forward to him getting back next weekend. Life will just carry on as usual here with animal feeding, muck shovelling, horses and donkey in and out daily and the general household chores that need done.
All of the animals have extra bedding now as the temperatures continue to drop. I think nature is playing tricks on us at the moment because my spring bulbs are poking through the soil and the strawberry plants are flowering again. Hopefully the weather here will stay mild and we're not in for a huge shock in January and February, which are usually the worst months weatherwise. Still I know it will get colder and we will get snowed in at some point - it's just a matter of time. But when it happens we should be well stocked up and have thermals at the ready, fashion goes out of the window at temps lower than -8!
Thursday, 18 November 2010
Catching Up
Over the last week or so we've been quite busy. Last weekend was daughters 15th birthday so we had friends over for a curry and a dozen or so teenagers here too. A nice mix of Bulgarian and English and I hope everyone had a great time. The weather, luckily for us was fantastic so we were able to sit outside until the sun went down. Hubby made a lovely curry for the adults and the kids managed to munch their way through pizza, pasta, crisps etc.
We're still setting and catching mice in the house and just now I can hear something scrabbling around in the roof too so that will have to be investigated at the weekend. There's not much more we can do apart from keep setting the traps and trying to see if there are any access points we can find to block up and stop the critters getting in. There seem to be a lot more rodents around this year despite the fact we now have 2 more cats. Although Fatty and Farty as they're affectionately named - Thomas and Purdy in reality, are not proving to be very good at catching or even hunting anything and prefer to spend their days sleeping or eating!
The 2 boy dogs seem to be enjoying their new dog run and we've had no more escapes since I put extra bars on the barn window. But Fudge has decided that it's fun to bark and threaten the pigs through the window so I'm trying to nip that in the bud before it becomes a habit. Fudge is about to begin the process of injections and blood tests that should in around 6 months or so allow him to go and live in the UK with my sister in law. Fingers crossed that it all goes well and to plan.
We're still setting and catching mice in the house and just now I can hear something scrabbling around in the roof too so that will have to be investigated at the weekend. There's not much more we can do apart from keep setting the traps and trying to see if there are any access points we can find to block up and stop the critters getting in. There seem to be a lot more rodents around this year despite the fact we now have 2 more cats. Although Fatty and Farty as they're affectionately named - Thomas and Purdy in reality, are not proving to be very good at catching or even hunting anything and prefer to spend their days sleeping or eating!
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| It's a hard life......... |
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
The Latest Pimp My Project post
Well it's that time again to try and raise awareness for someone working hard for a cause they believe in....and boy does this guy work hard.
This weeks Pimp My Project is Saving Rare Breeds a wonderful charity started and run by a twitter friend of mine. Based in Caithness, Scotland and working closely with the Rare Breeds Survival Trust to preserve endangered livestock and increase the numbers of those animals currently listed on the RBST watchlist of animals in danger.
Please take the time to have a look at their website Here to find out more about the work they do and details of their lovely sponsorship scheme, which would be a lovely christmas or birthday present for someone who loves animals. You can also help Saving Rare Breeds by registering with Every Click which is free to use or by joining their facebook page to try and help raise awareness.
I'm still asking for readers to get involved and let me know which charities they would like to see featured here and why, so don't forget to get in touch.
This weeks Pimp My Project is Saving Rare Breeds a wonderful charity started and run by a twitter friend of mine. Based in Caithness, Scotland and working closely with the Rare Breeds Survival Trust to preserve endangered livestock and increase the numbers of those animals currently listed on the RBST watchlist of animals in danger.
Please take the time to have a look at their website Here to find out more about the work they do and details of their lovely sponsorship scheme, which would be a lovely christmas or birthday present for someone who loves animals. You can also help Saving Rare Breeds by registering with Every Click which is free to use or by joining their facebook page to try and help raise awareness.
I'm still asking for readers to get involved and let me know which charities they would like to see featured here and why, so don't forget to get in touch.
Wednesday, 3 November 2010
Snaps of Autumn
Yesterday I did manage to get out and about with the camera after the fog cleared, and took some pics of things I found interesting. I didn't go far, and 2 of the dogs came along with me for the walk. The sun was shining and all around me I could hear birds singing, everything was quite peaceful if you exclude the faint tractor noises and chainsaws whirring as the locals get ready for winter.
I love the clarity and detail of this bee on the chrysanthemum flower, I hope you like it too.
And this is my favourite walnut tree looking rather bare now.
Finally something a little different. I was sent this as an e-mail today by my friend Shirley, who often comments on my blog and is a fantastic lady. I'd like to share it as I thought it was very sweet and tugged slightly on the old heart strings. Thanks Shirley, your e-mails are always enterrtaining and brighten my day.
I love the clarity and detail of this bee on the chrysanthemum flower, I hope you like it too.
And this is my favourite walnut tree looking rather bare now.
Finally something a little different. I was sent this as an e-mail today by my friend Shirley, who often comments on my blog and is a fantastic lady. I'd like to share it as I thought it was very sweet and tugged slightly on the old heart strings. Thanks Shirley, your e-mails are always enterrtaining and brighten my day.
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I RESCUED A HUMAN TODAY.
Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her. I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn't be afraid.
As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn't want her to know that I hadn't been walked today. Sometimes the shelter keepers get too busy and I didn't want her to think poorly of them.
As she read my kennel card I hoped that she wouldn't feel sad about my past. I only have the future to look forward to and want to make a difference in someone's life.
She got down on her knees and made little kissy sounds at me. I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her. Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for companionship.
A tear fell down her cheek and I raised my paw to assure her that all would be well Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into her arms. I would promise to keep her safe. I would promise to always be by her side. I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her eyes. I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor. So many more are out there who haven't walked the corridors. So many more to be saved. At least I could save one.
I rescued a human today.
Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her. I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn't be afraid.
As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn't want her to know that I hadn't been walked today. Sometimes the shelter keepers get too busy and I didn't want her to think poorly of them.
As she read my kennel card I hoped that she wouldn't feel sad about my past. I only have the future to look forward to and want to make a difference in someone's life.
She got down on her knees and made little kissy sounds at me. I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her. Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for companionship.
A tear fell down her cheek and I raised my paw to assure her that all would be well Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into her arms. I would promise to keep her safe. I would promise to always be by her side. I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her eyes. I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor. So many more are out there who haven't walked the corridors. So many more to be saved. At least I could save one.
I rescued a human today.
Tuesday, 2 November 2010
Digging For Gold
I've hit the jackpot, struck it rich, found the treasure! Yay. Unfortunately it's not actual gold, but for me, better than gold. Three years of keeping animals and shovelling muck has finally paid off and I have a muck heap full of the most amazing, totally organic compost that you've ever seen. It's fantastic even if I do say so myself.
Yesterday I filled a wheelbarrow with this gardeners gold and today I plan to do something with it. I've started planting bulbs to flower in spring, but because I'm so forgetful I've planted them in pots so that I won't dig them back out by accident at a later date. Hopefully we'll see a riot of colours next year with hyacinths, tulips, crocuses, Iris and chionodoxa, plus the usual snowdrops and daffodils.
I'm also starting to plan what to grow vegetable wise next year, and so far I have a few things I'd like to concentrate on and grow more of. And again I'm asking you readers to help me. I'm very interested in growing lots of different varieties of chillies but the seed choices here are somewhat small. So if you see any seeds that you think I might like to try out I'd love it if you could post me a few (I'll give my address to anyone wishing to participate). Now I'm not asking you to run out and buy packets of seeds - If you have any chillies at home (shop bought or home grown) just deseed them, let the seeds dry out for a few days and pop them in the post with a note telling me which variety they are please. I'll plant them in my fab compost and post pictures if and when anything starts to grow, then rate them when we eat what they produce. What do you think? Sounds like a plan to me so lets get started.
This morning we woke up to thick fog, a real pea souper. You could barely see in front of you and as soon as I'd put the horses out I'd lost them in the fog. Luckily about an hour ago the sun started to break through and hey presto, the fog has gone. So I'm off out now with the camera to take some lovely autumnal photos which I hope to include in my next blog update.
Yesterday I filled a wheelbarrow with this gardeners gold and today I plan to do something with it. I've started planting bulbs to flower in spring, but because I'm so forgetful I've planted them in pots so that I won't dig them back out by accident at a later date. Hopefully we'll see a riot of colours next year with hyacinths, tulips, crocuses, Iris and chionodoxa, plus the usual snowdrops and daffodils.
I'm also starting to plan what to grow vegetable wise next year, and so far I have a few things I'd like to concentrate on and grow more of. And again I'm asking you readers to help me. I'm very interested in growing lots of different varieties of chillies but the seed choices here are somewhat small. So if you see any seeds that you think I might like to try out I'd love it if you could post me a few (I'll give my address to anyone wishing to participate). Now I'm not asking you to run out and buy packets of seeds - If you have any chillies at home (shop bought or home grown) just deseed them, let the seeds dry out for a few days and pop them in the post with a note telling me which variety they are please. I'll plant them in my fab compost and post pictures if and when anything starts to grow, then rate them when we eat what they produce. What do you think? Sounds like a plan to me so lets get started.
This morning we woke up to thick fog, a real pea souper. You could barely see in front of you and as soon as I'd put the horses out I'd lost them in the fog. Luckily about an hour ago the sun started to break through and hey presto, the fog has gone. So I'm off out now with the camera to take some lovely autumnal photos which I hope to include in my next blog update.
One of "Those" Nights
Why is it that I tend to get a bit deep and meaningful at this time of night? Maybe it's because I have the peace and quiet and knowledge that everyone in the house is asleep and I won't be disturbed. I'm not sure but sometimes I just feel the need to try and make sense out of my jumbled thoughts and maybe now is the time to do it.
So....... in my head today I'm wondering if we all make too much of a fuss about the past? Surely what's past is past and we should be looking to the future and not wondering what could have been different? It's nice to remember good times and friends lost, but is it healthy to be asking yourself how life could have worked out if only you had done something a different way? Yes we all probably have regrets about various things and I'd like to think it's not good to dwell on them for too long. If you're happy with your life then enjoy it, on the other hand if you're unhappy then change it.
Fate surely needs a helping hand now and again. It takes courage to think outside of the box and take a leap into the unknown, but there must be times when it's worth the risk. How will you know until you try?
Well that's the latest rant over and I'd like to remind you all to get your thinking caps on and send me your suggestions for the next Pimp My Project! page. Oh and I took a small leap into the unknow on friday and actually went to the hairdressers for the first time in 3 years, and I quite liked it too! I even brought about 6 inches of hair back in a ponytail as a momento for hubby ;)
So....... in my head today I'm wondering if we all make too much of a fuss about the past? Surely what's past is past and we should be looking to the future and not wondering what could have been different? It's nice to remember good times and friends lost, but is it healthy to be asking yourself how life could have worked out if only you had done something a different way? Yes we all probably have regrets about various things and I'd like to think it's not good to dwell on them for too long. If you're happy with your life then enjoy it, on the other hand if you're unhappy then change it.
Fate surely needs a helping hand now and again. It takes courage to think outside of the box and take a leap into the unknown, but there must be times when it's worth the risk. How will you know until you try?
Well that's the latest rant over and I'd like to remind you all to get your thinking caps on and send me your suggestions for the next Pimp My Project! page. Oh and I took a small leap into the unknow on friday and actually went to the hairdressers for the first time in 3 years, and I quite liked it too! I even brought about 6 inches of hair back in a ponytail as a momento for hubby ;)
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