Well I think we can say goodbye to any more chicks. The eggs have been abandoned while both hens play with the chicks.

Baby sitting

just look at the chickens face!

strawberry tea!

Here's my strawberry, custard, meringue and fresh cream pie sprinkled with chocolate.
I had to make it to take my mind off the chickens. the white one is doing my head in!
sheila x

new chicks

babies!

I just have to tell everyone that we have at least two eggs hatched. They are both black although one has a white chest. We can't tell if there are any more yet as we are disturbing the other hen that is sitting in the Scottish eggs. what a performance. We initially removed the first chick from it's mother and put it in a box. It immediately rolled out of the box into the water I had put there. It would have drowned had I not rescued it. Then it was freezing cold from it's swim so we wrapped it in a pair of my knickers and dried it, and warmed it with the hairdryer. After a while, when we saw thet another chick had hatched we decided to leave them with the mother so put the first born back in the nest. The only problem is the other hen who is sitting on the Scottish eggs. She is getting more and more agitated now that she can hear cheeping from the other nest box. I hope she won't hurt the new chicks. She's crackers and has already eaten two of the Scottish eggs. there won't be any left to hatch out at this rate!
more later
sheila x

total strike

The Total management have backed down and reinstated all the 600 workers that they sacked and are now holding talks with the unions. A terrific win for the working class!
Just watched the Under21s England V Sweden . England were 3 nil up at half time and threw it away in the second half, plus having a man sent off.Extra time......... penalties.........both teams missed the first one........ England won!! I don't know how they did it!
Still no sign of any chicks but there are now only 4 scottish eggs left in the nest! The village eggs should start hatching any time tomorrow.
The weather is really strange.A lot of sea mist and low clouds. Other places have got brilliant sunshine.
must go. I am going to watch the Italy V Germany match.
Sheila x

another dentist

well yet again we have been to a new dentist. It seems like a proper place this time although it had a village feel to it and everyone who came in had a chat or a cup of tea with the receptionist!
Anyway both of us were declared fine and they will see us in six months, which is always a good feeling!
The weather is glorious and it is very tempting to sit out in the sun but I am very aware of the skin cancer threat and so don't do too much of it.
Last night I went to the next town for a game of "give us a clue" My team lost by one point, due mainly to the fact that one woman had no idea how to play! The buffet was good though.
My girls are still sitting on the eggs and verbally attacking anyone who comes near. They seem to say "Piss off and leave me alone why don't you?" only two days before we find out if we are grandparents?The first lot should start hatching on Saturday and the second lot a week later. I think I shall commit Hari Kari if none of them hatch!
I found my sewing machine out but can't remember how to work it. I looked on the internet to try and buy a manual for it but nobody in England will sell me one although they will check and repair the machine for around £70. I eventually found a site in America and they will post me a manual for $8.90. not much difference is there? I don't even know if I want to start sewing again?
Must go. It's nearly dinner time and I have to put the chops on.
Sheila x

Refinery strike.

Total Oil have sacked nine hundred workers who are on strike. It is heartening to see today that they have been joined on the picket line by thousands of workers from other towns . This could be a standoff off the M. Thatcher type.
Weather is glorious today so we are sitting outside enjoying it. Nothing from the sitting hens as yet.
nothing else to report.
sheila x

Dawn!

The sky looked so beautiful at 4.30am that I had to get a photo. It's not very good but you get the gist.
Sheila x

Strawberry Tea

On Friday we picked around sixteen pounds of strawberries for yesterdays strawberry tea at the village hall. Jean and Norman came just as we got back so we had a nice couple of hours with them before they went off to their caravan. I then proceeded to make another batch of scones for the strawberry tea as J&N had virtually eaten them all. I have been trying different recipes for scones as I didn't want to embarrass myself at the W.I. Anyway I decided that my old faithful recipe, given to me by Jean some 30 years ago, was still the best!
you might like to try these though:-

LEMONADE SCONES;-
3Cups of Self Raising Flour
1 Cup of cream
1 Cup of FIZZY Lemonade

mix all together. mixture will be quite soft.
Turn on to lightly floured board. Do not roll.
make 12 scones
put in a hot oven for about 10 minutes

So yesterday saw us bright and early at the village hall putting out the tables etc. The affair started at 2pm and we sat around for ages thinking that we weren't going to get any customers, but it turned out o.k in the end and we sold out! Anyway the end result was that we made £156.00 profit for the W.I funds.
Then we should have gone to another hog roast in a nearby village but the sky went black and it looked like rain, so we didn't bother. besides there was football on t.v.!
Today has been mainly sunny so we have been sitting outside for some of the time. Today is fathers day and Gina got Graham a special bottle of whiskey with his name on it, and it's 51.9%.
It's about time she wrote her blog again so that we can keep up with events.
My hens are still sitting on the eggs. We should get the first lot sometime this week if we are going to get any. fingers crossed.
sheila x

this is the life!

This is the avian equivalent of my eldest sister who shall remain nameless for the purpose of this blog. (Only joking, I love this picture)

Irish Soda Bread

I'm bored with making the same old bread so decided to make this IRISH SODA BREAD.
600grms / 1. 1/2 lbs mixed flour.
300mls / 1/2 pint yoghurt and milk mixed.
1 heaped teaspoon Bi. Carb
pinch of Salt
pinch of Sugar

knead the ingredients into a soft dough
Shape into rounds an cut a cross in them
Bake in a hot oven for around 30 minutes

Foolproof and no yeast needed nor waiting time!
sheila x

The girls have turned away!

Re:- Yesterdays fruit. When I peeled it, a great white ball studded with little black seeds appeared. To be honest it didn't really taste of much, a bit like an insipid melon. I cut it into pieces and gave it to the hens. They looked at it and then walked away. Thats unknown with my girls. Given the chance, they will eat anything. Anyway I think it was called something like a
"rambutan"
Went to the W.I last night where we had a talk and films about Mablethorpe and surrounding areas. These two men are recording everyday occurances before they are lost and gone forever. They urged us to make a film about the W.I. . They will loan us all the equipment we need and will make us all a d.v.d of the finished product so that we have a record for posterity. I think it's a good idea. I have been argueing for something special to celebrate our W.I s 30th birthday this year. Most of the old guard are very reluctant to spend any money or do anything out of the ordinary. I have been quite cross at times as I want to do something special in January when we have our birthday party. I have just realised that I won't be here now that we have decided to go to Australia! Whoops! well that lets me off the hook .
My girls are still sitting resolutely on the nest and still attacking anyone who goes near. They come out for about ten minutes, have a mad run round,roll in the dust and then jump back in and daft bats that they are, go on a different nest. They then make a keffufel and then go back on their( own) eggs.

strange fruit

I have bought this fruit today. does anyone know what it is and how does one eat it?

Hog Roast

As you will see from the previous blog (Click on it to get the full meatiness of it) we went to a hog roast last night and had a most enjoyable evening. Perhaps I should confess to over eating.I had roast pork ,Sausage. stuffing etc. Plus a whole variety of salads. I also had 3 deserts!! They were only smallish though! There was also a quiz which is always good for a laugh. The conversation took a strange turn when the couple opposite, who had rather a lot to drink, told us that some thirty years ago they had each left their partners and run away to France. They have just returned to live in the village and are wondering if they will be forgiven as she was the secretary of the W.I and he was due to be the speaker on the night they ran away! I said I thought I could safely say that the W.I. has forgiven them.!
I had a good talk to some young farmers about my chickens. It makes them laugh to hear how I mollycoddle my girls. One young lad delivers corn to a chicken farm where there are a million hens! Oh I can't bear to think about it.
My two ladies are still sitting stoically on their respective nests. Iwonder how long before we hear the patter of tiny feet.?
It's been a very pleasant day and we have been sitting outside a lot. We have to make hay while the sun shines. ( note the farming terminology, it comes from mixing with farmers!)
thats all for now. Sheila x

We are not normally keen on Pork but this was delicious!

Ice work if you can get it!

Yesterday we went to the dentist. He wasn't German this time but a young Italian lad so we were able to have a good talk with him. However we were not happy with the set up. It all seems very unprofessional and we don't have any confidence in them. So........ graham rang another practice, and providing we don't tell anybody, they said they would take us onto their books. ( Whoops! I just told thousands!)
Whist we were at the dentist our eggs arrived from Scotland but the postman wouldn't leave them because they needed to be signed for. That meant that we couldn't get them until after 7am this morning.
Graham went and got them whilst I was still in bed which was very good of him ( He's like that) and after breakfast I managed to get the girls out and put the new eggs in the nest. Here's hoping that at least some of the twelve now being sat upon wll hatch out. Maybe they will all be cockerels in which case they may have to be culled. Apparently you can dispatch cockerels when they weigh 9lbs and they make good eating. We shall see!
Glorious weather here today. I have been sitting outside with my foot in a bowl of ice. I must say it does seem to have helped. Maybe I will do it again later. Graham is going to the village this afternoon to help put up the marquee for tomorrows hog roast. I shall go and offer encouragement from the sidelines!
more later
sheila x

Old time music hall

On Tuesday we went to another branch of the W.I and were entertained by an old time music hall. It was very good although slightly scary that I knew all the old songs!. However I am cosoling myself with the fact that I learned all the songs at my mothers knee and not because I was there at the time.
my chickens are still locked away and sitting resolutely on the eggs. we are still awaiting the delivery of the special eggs from Scotland. They are due to come this morning. Then we shall have some fun and games when the girls realise that their clutch has doubled in size. (it sounds rather rude that doesn't it?)
Later this morning we are due at the dentist. This is more scary then normal as we don't know these dentists apart from the fact that they are German and very shouty.Lets hope we get a gentle one!
On the broken foot front. I am still in a lot of discomfort but people seem to think it is par for the course after you have the pot off. At night, having been on my feet all day, my foot swells like a balloon. Yesterday I did the ice thing but it was so cold that I couldn't stand more then a few minutes.
We spoke at length to Micheal in Australia via Skype. It is decided that we will try to go to them in early January so that we can spend some time with Debbie before she goes back to work at the end of January. Then we can fly over to S&S in Brisbane and hopefully fly home from Brisbane. Sonia is all excited cos' she has already booked her flights to go to S&S in November.
Must go now to prepare for the dentist.
sheila x

hatching?

Well my two girls are locked away in their hutch. No food, no water, no light. when I look in at them they spit and hiss and generally tell me to get lost. Trouble is I'm worried that they will starve to death or something. Apparently it takes about 21 days to hatch the eggs. how can they sit there that long. They are totally focussed on the job in hand. Wow it's exciting. Graham says I am like a kid at christmas " Has he been yet?"
I'm going out tonight so Graham is in charge. I bet he has a little peek!
My black Minorcan eggs should come on Thursday. That will be a game trying to convince the girls that these big white eggs have been there all along.
sheila x

Share with you

Several things have tickled my fancy today in the newspaper so I thought I would share them with you.
Sandy Toksvig said " causing mild offence is surprisingly simple. the swiftest route is to mention anything to do with religion. It's like pulling a small lever at the post office as the mail floods in. It's amazing how many people think that the good lord is all powerful and all seeing but they had best write in on his behalf just in case he missed something"

Dr fanu says " If, while sitting I rotate my right foot around in a clockwork direction, and then at the same time draw an imaginary "six" with my right hand- then my foot immediately starts revolving in the opposite direction" Try It!

Jerome K.Jerome said "Who wants to be foretold the weather? it is bad enough when it come, without us having the misery of knowing about it beforehand!"

Yes I know I have a strange taste in things that I want to read out to somebody over the breakfast table but there you are.
sheila x

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

enough is enough I can't go on, I can't go on. (as the song says) both of my little hens are so broody that they are attacking everything and anything, including me and Graham. So today we went to a local B&B/ farm and asked if she had any fertile eggs to swop for some of mine. She gave us 6 and asked if she could have the chicks when they hatch. But not if they are cockrels!!
Anyway the two birds are now firmly ensconced on three eggs each, shut up in the small hen house. Apparently you are supposed to shut them away for two days so they can bond with their eggs! I wonder if anything will happen? The woman at the farm has got dozens of hens all self hatched so it might work.
Other news is that my foot is still swollen and hurting. I wonder how long it will take to settle down?
Oh and I have ordered some eggs from a farm in Scotland. They are pedigree Black Somethings and they lay white eggs. Did you know that the colour of the egg depends on the colour of the feathers just below the ear of the hen? No neither did I!
curry for tea. That would have been sacrilage not too many years ago. Sunday was always a roast at lunchtime.
thats all for now Sheila x

The pot is gone!

Mostly my news is about the dreaded pot and it's removal. I kept telling people that the pot was hurting me but they just thought I was whinging. Well you should see the bruising on my foot where the pot has been pressing! however what a joy to get it off even if I can't feel any sensation in my big toe. ( now I really am whinging).
So the first thing I did after coming back from hospital was to go and have my hair cut. I now look as though I am in the land of the living.
my chickens are still playing up. The two baby ones are both broody and are stopping the others from coming into the hut to lay. So we have seperated them out and it's pitiful to see. They are desperate to get back into the nest and are patrolling the wire trying to get in (out?) The others have taken to pecking them whenever they come near so we will have to wait it out.
went to vote yesterday. I haven't heard the news yet about who has lost or won.
More later Sheila x

much needed

We had to have a glass or two of old Rosie after the trauma of the greenhouse!
Sheila

The finished Product

The greenhouse in all it's glory.
Sheila x

New bug screen

this is our new bug screen. I love it!

red hot pokers

They make a cheery backdrop don't they?