Tuesday 30 March 2010

Chicken love!

I took these photos in the garden on Sunday and have been trying since yesterday to get them uploaded but Blogger wasn't playing nicely! Still, third time lucky ;-)



I know I shouldn't really have a favourite but I do love Prudence, she is such a beautiful girl.



I managed to take this photo of Prudence at just the right moment for her to look like a headless chicken!



Prudence did some weeding for me ~ it's a pity she can't wield a broom to clear up afterwards LOL



The girls always seem to have such a great time hunting for tasty morsels.



The photo below is Abigail making a mess in one of the weed patches!



This is Imogen, up on the perch in the chicken run. The bantams like it when I let the big girls out as it means they get the hen house and run to themselves and can do what they like without any bossiness from the Black Rocks! I don't tend to let Martha and Imogen out into the garden because they are so much flightier than the other three. Being smaller, they are able to fly higher!



Imogen was outside all by herself for a while whilst Martha was busy in the nest box.



And this is what Martha was sitting on! She didn't seem to mind when I took the egg out of the nest box, though.


Beverly went into the run to have a chat with the girls and I couldn't resist taking a photo of her "behind bars" LOL



Here she is, forcing her attentions on Prudence I think!



And this is what happens when you cuddle up with a chicken LOL Beverly was not best pleased, I can tell you!



Okay, so this isn't a photo of a chicken but I couldn't resist taking a photo of one of the beautiful collared doves who are regular visitors to our garden. This one was sitting up on the house roof, enjoying the sunshine ~ even if the breeze was ruffling its feathers!

365 ~ Day 112




Ethel~Maud hoped that Amarinda would feel less sad if they went to see the grape hyacinths...

Monday 29 March 2010

Sunday 28 March 2010

In the garden today

This poor clump of rhubarb has taken a bit of a battering ~ I caught one of the Black Rocks having a dust bath in it last week!



I'm so hoping that this clematis has as many blooms as all these sweet little buds are suggesting! It grows on the side of the hen house and is very sheltered :-)



This poor hyacinth got rather trampled before I noticed naughty Abigail scratching all over it!



Crocosmia shoots beside the hen house.



I have discovered one or two brave daffodils are pushing their way up through the junk heap which is pretending to be my garden!



Amongst the rubbish is another lone daffodil.



I have a pair of these matching wooden stepped planters, which were placed either side of my front door up until a couple of years back. I got Adrian to bring them round to the back garden so that I could get them ready with new bedding plants but my back went and they have been stuck in the garden ever since. I haven't touched them at all in that time and yet here is one of the original little violas still hanging on to life ~ isn't nature wonderful!



Adrian picked this branch up on his way home from the railway station the other week LOL



I do love creeping jenny and I'm so happy to see it getting lovely and green :-)



Even in the tangle of a santolina little daffodils push their way through :-)



Another lonesome daffodil ~ this one has come up in the gnome hamlet :-)



Daffodils and rhubarb ~ both looking good!

And the winner is...

I "persuaded" Beverly to pick a name out of the hat for the porcelain pincushion shoe giveaway:



Getting ready to pull out the winning name:



Ta Daa:



And the winner is....Irene!!



The little porcelain pincushion shoe will be in the post to you shortly :-)

Prayer for World Peace



Dove of Peace ~ Giclee print


We pray to the great Spiritual Power in which we live and move and have our being.
We pray that we may at all times keep our minds open to new ideas and shun dogma;
that we may grow in our understanding of the nature of all living beings and our connectedness with the natural world;
that we may become ever more filled with generosity of spirit and true compassion and love for all life;
that we may strive to heal the hurts that we have inflicted on nature and control our greed for material things, knowing that our actions are harming our natural world and the future of our children;
that we may value each and every human being for who he is, for who she is, reaching to the spirit that is within, knowing the power of each individual to change the world.

We pray for social justice, for the alleviation of the crippling poverty that condemns millions of people around the world to lives of misery - hungry, sick, and utterly without hope.
We pray for the children who are starving, who are condemned to homelessness, slave labour, prostitution, and especially for those forced to fight, to kill and torture even members of their own family.
We pray for the victims of violence and war, for those wounded in body and for those wounded in mind.
We pray for the multitudes of refugees, forced from their homes to alien places through war or through the utter destruction of their environment.

We pray for suffering animals everywhere, for an end to the pain caused by scientific experimentation, intensive farming, fur farming, shooting, trapping, training for entertainment, abusive pet owners, and all other forms of exploitation such as overloading and overworking pack animals, bull fighting, badger baiting, dog and cock fighting and so many more.

We pray for an end to cruelty, whether to humans or other animals, for an end to bullying, and torture in all its forms.
We pray that we may learn the peace that comes with forgiving and the strength we gain in loving;
that we may learn to take nothing for granted in this life;that we may learn to see and understand with our hearts;
that we may learn to rejoice in our being.We pray for these things with humility;

We pray because of the hope that is within us, and because of a faith in the ultimate triumph of the human spirit;
We pray because of our love for Creation, and because of our trust in God.
We pray, above all, for peace throughout the world.

prayer for world peace ~ dr jane goodall

Saturday 27 March 2010

Healthy back bag...



I finally decided to get myself one of these Healthy Back Bags ~ and as luck would have it, there was an offer of a free baglett with each bag purchase :-) I know that with all the stuff I feel the need to cart around in my handbags, it really isn't good for my back and my sister-in-law recommended these bags. They are really good, with plenty of pockets for all the bits 'n' bobs that a woman "has" to carry around LOL I bought the little coin purse because I thought it would come in handy for Church on a Sunday ~ and I was even in luck there, too, as the purses were all reduced down to £3 from £7.50!

I think that I may well have a sort out of my handbag collection and try to sell some of them in my Ebay store. After all, if I don't have them, then I can't use them ;-)



With all the photos I have taken today, I just had to finish off by taking one of my pretty poochie too!

It's raining dolls!!

Dolls are a bit like buses ~ you wait for ages for one, then two come at once. Or in this case, a whole load of dolls came to my attention at once!

I've had an idea simmering for absolutely ages about giving the poor unloved, unwanted dolls I can't resist a second chance at happiness! They won't be suitable as toys anymore but I'm hoping that there will be folk who will love their new looks enough to want to buy them as decorative dolls :-) I have lots of ideas for pretty costumes and accessories ~ but first they will all need a session in my dolly spa!



The dolls in these photos, above and below, are all destined for a make-over.



This Jenny Jones doll I bought for my own collection. Louise is very much in need of some TLC!



More dolls for my own collection: Sonia, Ruth and Fiona.



Ebony is for my collection, too!



Now, this job lot of ten porcelain dolls are more make-overs LOL I bought these for 99p, plus £10 postage ~ can you believe that???



These two little sweeties were bought were dressing and selling ~ as soon as I saw them, I envisioned fairies ~ but I am wavering over whether or not to keep them myself! I haven't given them names, so perhaps it will be easier to let them go...



The fashion dolls below are for my collection :-)



This little lady is another doll which I am sorely tempted to keep for myself! She is very heavy considering she is only small. I haven't given her a name, either, in the hope that it will make it easier to let her go to a new home in due course!



And this gorgeous doll I am definitely keeping! I have called her Amarinda :-) She does need some tidying up but there is something extremely appealing about her sweet, pale face.
I have plenty of dolls to keep me very busy for quite some time now, methinks ;-)

Thursday 25 March 2010

The Thursday Poem



Young Woman Reading by a Window by Delphin Enjolras


Giving Up Smoking

There's not a Shakespeare sonnet
Or a Beethoven quartet
That's easier to like than you
Or harder to forget.

You think that sounds extravagant?
I haven't finished yet -
I like you more than I would like
To have a cigarette.

Wendy Cope
(21st July 1945 - )

from the book: Poem for the Day One

Wednesday 24 March 2010

GIVEAWAY!

To celebrate me finally getting myself organised and setting up my Folksy store, I am giving away this sweet little porcelain shoe pincushion that I have just finished. It is very pretty and measures a teeny 6cm in length.

If you would like to have a chance of winning this, do please leave a comment ~ I am happy to post worldwide :-) I will put everyone's name into a hat on Sunday to find the winner!



You can leave a comment either here or alternatively on my Flickr photostream by clicking on the photograph :-)

My Folksy store is finally open!

I've dithered and dallied over getting my Folksy store open but I've finally done it! I feel quite excited about this next step in my creative endeavours and am raring to go with all those other ideas I have tumbling about in my head :-)

So, this is the first item in my store ~ one of the porcelain shoe pincushions I have just made. Click on the photo to be taken to my Folksy store:



And this is the second item, another of the porcelain shoe pincushions ~ click on the photo to be taken to my Folksy store: