Chickens, Eggs .... and my most unusual Giveaway Ever

The birds are building up to being in full lay now, I actually have a couple of dozen eggs in the fridge, the first time this year.  (Yes, Mum I'll bring you some tomorrow.)  For once supply is keeping up with demand and it feels good.

The lighter and longer days suit chickens and help their little bodies to get back into a natural laying rhythm, not for me the commercial egg producers trick of keeping a light on in the hen-house and making the poor little birds lay day in day out throughout the Winter.  Going with nature rather than fighting against it or pushing it to it's boundaries, is what keeps hens happy, healthy and alive for much longer.

The blue eggs are laid by this lovely trio,  Ethel, Dolly and Enid who's names were picked by Blog readers in what must have been my most unusual Giveaway ever.  

See HERE for what it was  :-)

The third blue egg is almost green in colour as you can see from this photo, but I didn't find one when I collected the ones in the top picture yesterday.

And something rather special is going on at the moment, and yes it is always special to me no matter how many times it is re-enacted.  

Poppy and Caldwell II seen together in this photo are parents-to-be.  Little Poppy laid a clutch of twelve eggs over the course of the last few weeks and started sitting on them a few days ago.  Well she laid fourteen actually but I took two of them away as she is only small and for her to try and keep any more than a dozen eggs warm would have been too much of a struggle.

So in a couple of weeks we should have some new little chicks, the first to be born in Wales.  Welsh Lavender Pekin Bantam cross Mille Fleurs, and rather magnificently they are due on my birthday which is when I got my first ever Lavender Pekin bantams in 2010 and Poppy along with her sister Daisy are the last two descendants of the original family.

How wonderful is that :-)

Sue xx

And the winner is .......

And the winner is .... still helping me to declutter!!  As you will see further down this post ;-)

I decided to do the draw the old-fashioned way, with strips of paper and a hat.  Every time I use the automatic number generator thingys I can't get them to publish on my post and it looks like I've made it all up!!

So after much writing down the names of those of you who entered, checking and double checking I snipped away and folded the slips ..... then I went in search of a 'hat'.  

I couldn't find one upstairs and being in a lazy Monday morning mood decided to make use of whatever I laid my eyes on first in the bedroom.

Now as we don't have a po/potty/gazunder/chamber pot under the bed (aren't you really glad about that one!!) I decided to use one of the wooden bowls on the chest of drawers.  

Looking at the top of the chest of drawers through my new 'declutterers' eyes I thought 'what a mess'.

So I whittled it down a bit and gave it all a good polish in the process.  

But I can't make my mind up about the lamp.  We've had it there since we moved in last Christmas, but it has not been switched on even once.  So the vote is going to you.  Does it look better with the lamp ...

... or without it?

Anyway .... back to business, the little slips were put in the smaller bowl and held up by my left hand to a height where I couldn't see the slips and then my right hand (which is much more unbiased than my left one) was asked to do the draw.  

The winner is .... insert fanfare, or drum roll ... or just scroll down, depending on your Monday morning mood ...

(I chose the fanfare option.)

'wherethejourneytakesme'

Who by clicking on her name I found out has her Blog over HERE

So Vivien if you could drop me an email with your full postal address I will set the book of on it's journey to you.  And as Vivien is as big a declutterer as me it might be worth keeping an eye on her Blog because no doubt the book will be travelling on again pretty soon.

Many thanks to all those of you who took the time to leave comments to be entered into the draw and indeed to all those of you who leave comments on any blog post I write.  Your feedback sometimes keeps me on the straight and narrow and always makes this blogging world a delight to be a part of.

So four more items from the top of the chest of drawers to go into my charity shop bag, which means four less items in the house.  I'm making it my mission to take a bag of things into town whenever I go in from now until Christmas.

Happy Monday folks ..... and here's to lots more decluttering.

Sue xx

Decluttering 365 - Giveaway

I read this book last week, it really is inspiring ...well it spurred me into action anyway.

All this year I've been decluttering and entering the things that have left the house on the to page at the top of the Blog, but I had ground to a halt recently.  I guess I was uninspired ... so this book was just what I needed.

Of course it would be wrong to keep it for myself, I've read it, absorbed the gist of it and have now sprung back into action going through cupboards and taking the things I find to the local charity shop in Llanrwst.  I don't even know what they raise funds for but those that they help no doubt need the money that my things will get more than I need the things.

After all I should take more notice of this little box that permanently lives on my sidebar!!

I am determined to, at the very least reach my target of 365 things gone by the end of the year.

One giant declutter that has just happened is one of our cars.  

We have had three cars for a while now, for very good reasons ..... but the Corsa died a very un-dramatic but untimely death on the motorway last week, losing all power and then stubbornly refusing to work at all.  Leaving Lovely Hubby stranded for a while in the pitch black at the side of the M6,  then he was shunted from pillar to post by the AA for almost twelve hours.  I will give them credit that when I Tweeted about this the next morning they immediately sprang into action.  Paying for one of Lovely Hubby's taxi fares from the garage where they had left him and the car to his digs and then onto work, and also extending our membership for an additional six months.  The power of the Tweet!!

So that's us down to a much more manageable and sensible two cars.  We worked out that the cost of the repairs to the Corsa, quoted at over £1,200, would be more than enough to pay for the additional fuel that the Mitsubishi uses when compared to the smaller car.  And hopefully it will be safer for LH travelling long distances over Winter in the 4x4 and we will save on the car tax and insurance.

This must be the biggest declutter we have done for a while!!

If you would like to be entered into the draw to win this book, please just leave a comment on this post.  I am very happy to post to anywhere in the world.

Sue xx

Draw Now Closed

And the Winner is .......

 

I went over to HERE and picked up this number generator thingy, I couldn't figure out how to copy it onto the Blog so I just did what any good blogger does ..... I took a photo.

 

So the winner of her very own copy of A Little Piece of England by John Jackson is .....

 

 

 

 

Comment Number 56 - Kay, of the Blog 'Deep in the Cornish Countryside'.

 

Please could you drop me an email with your address Kay and I'll get the book in the post to one day this week. (I have already emailed you using the address on your Blog.)

 

 Congratulations.

 

Sue xx

Book Review and Giveaway

 

I got a very interesting email last month offering me a free copy of this book in return for an honest review of it.  As it happens the just week before I had bought myself a copy of it whilst perusing the shelves in Waterstones.  Admitting this to Jonathan who is from JJ Books, 'a small independent press in London', between us we came up with the idea of him sending me a copy anyway so I could give one away to one of my readers.

 

Their description of the book -

 

A Little Piece of England is author John Jackson’s amusing account of how he, his wife and three children built up a smallholding in a sliver of countryside in rural Kent over a decade in the sixties and seventies. Through trial and much error, the family came to make themselves self-sufficient in meat, milk, eggs, vegetables and some fruit, while learning various country crafts ‘in their spare time.’

The book features pen and ink illustrations by Val Biro, known as the creator of the Gumdrop books and for his covers for the Radio Times.

John, now 84, is an established author, lawyer, businessman and political and constitutional campaigner, as well as being a keen gardener. He is probably best known as a founder of the Countryside Alliance.

A good place to find out more about John may be his blog – such as this recent example looking at the current revival of interest in self-sufficiency: http://www.jjbooks.com/blog/why-self-sufficiency-now-is-as-important-as-ever

The book was first published by the Collins-Harvill Press 35 years ago as A Bucket of Nuts and A Herring Net: The Birth of a Spare-Time Farm – the title came from John’s unconventional method for rounding up sheep.

 

 

So how did I find it .... well it is very well written and very concise.

 

 I think I can always tell the difference in a 'lifestyle' book when it is written by a man rather than a woman, somehow there is less of the minutia of day to day life and more facts and accounts of things as they happened.  More specifics and less emotion is how I guess I would describe it, so in this way it is a really good read if you are starting out on a small holding or on the road to self sufficiency.  But saying all that, it is a very good read for most people and one that I would recommend especially to anyone who has a self sufficiency lust or who just loves reading about other peoples struggles with animals.

 

Reading about how he had to chase his escaping sheep over other peoples land brought back memories of chasing our Large Black pigs as they headed for the M40 when we lived in Oxfordshire.  Sometimes learning the hard way is the best way to learn.  Now we know how to settle pigs behind an electric strand!!

 

So if you fancy having a copy of this book to add to your bookshelf please leave a comment below. 

 

 The Giveaway is open to all Followers and long time readers of my Blog as my way of saying Thank You for taking the time to read about our day to day adventures, you being there to confess all our mishaps to and to share the times when we do actually get something right makes it somehow much more rewarding.

 

I'm now vanishing for four whole days, a day that I'm spending with Mum and her friends down the road in Llandudno, a day being spent with my younger son, just shopping and catching up, a day being spent car booting our excess clutter .... and a whole day of working on the hillside with my Lovely Hubby, so you will have plenty of time to add your name to the comments and give yourself a chance to win this lovely book.

 

For any of you that can't wait that long I will put a link to the Amazon page so you can purchase a copy for yourself.

 

I'll be back on Monday with the winner of the Giveaway. 

Good Luck.

(Oh and I'm willing to post to anywhere in the world.)

 

Sue xx 

Words

 

Words .... they are all over our house.

 

I was washing the pots last night and started noticing just how many we have accumulated.

 

Some tell us where we are ....

 

... some are instructions that need to be followed ... if you don't 'Kiss the Cook' you won't get any tea ;-)

 

Some tell us to chill out (on the side of the fridge .... haha).

 

Some are teeny tiny and don't get noticed often.

 

Others are very important statements of fact!!

 

Some are there to keep us on the right path.

 

And some simply sum up the cat's attitude problem perfectly!!

 

There are lists of things to remember .....

 



.... and things not to forget.   

 

Do you ever walk into a room and forget why you went in there, well you're safe in our bathroom then .... unless you simply wanted to use the toilet and you end up climbing in the bath  ;-)

 

I've always loved words, from being a small child and reading in bed by torchlight, reading all the road signs on any journey in my uncles car. I devoured Enid Blyton books and read them over and over, I knew 'What Katy Did'  .... and what she did next!  I read fairy stories, fables and classics, I loved, loved, loved Robinson Crusoe and then in my teens moved on to horror stories, lying in bed wondering if Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Raven' would get me.  Having a conversation with my son the other week we were talking about this and he was so knowledgeable I was briefly impressed ... turned out it featured in an episode of 'The Simpsons' oh well at least he knew of it.    I discovered Dylan Thomas and moved onto poetry, both reading and writing and lost myself in a new world.

 

I still read constantly and love the written word so much.  My only O level was in English Language and one of my first jobs entailed typing and proof reading.  I guess that's why I Blog. I get to put words on 'paper', read them back myself and read other peoples words commenting on mine.

 

 

And of course there's the small matter of the collections of books dotted around the house, of which this is only one.

 

And talking of books, I have a lovely little giveaway for all my Followers in a couple of days ... so watch this space :-)

 

Sue xx

Blogging Buddies and Giveaways

 

Over the years I have read hundreds of Blogs and some just keep you going back over and over, they're totally addictive.  We don't necessarily all do the same things or even agree with everything other Bloggers say and do, but we form a little band of folk that dip into each others life and wonder at the brilliant ideas and achievements we all make in our lives.  One of my favourite reads is Ilona's Blog 'Life After Money', in her own words -

 

Hi there, my name is Ilona,I am 64, and I'm having a wonderfull retirement I live a simple life, I downshifted and went onto part time working ten years ago. I was sick of slaving away and wanted a better quality of life, I was also concerned about what consumerism was doing to the planet. I reduced my income and reduced my spending. By cutting back I have managed to pay an extra £10,000 off my mortgage capital. This blog is a record of how I spend my time. I walk a lot, I grow vegetables, I do crafts making things out of rubbish, I have three cats, I walk dogs, and I keep my village tidy by picking litter. I am an expert on managing on very little money, proof that you can have a good life on a pension.

 

So I was thrilled last week when I found out I had won one of Ilona's lovely handmade bags in her Blogging giveaway and after reading her post about making her own packaging (see HERE) I immediately recognised the parcel left at the end of our drive.

 

 

And yes the packaging works really well, although the rain was pouring and the postman had only just tucked it into the box next to our wheelie bin, the contents were as dry as anything and all the stickers and labels were fully intact.  Her other parcel from that days giveaway will be winging it's way over to Canada, I think with packaging this sturdy it will arrive in perfect condition, although the sniffer dogs at the airport might be slightly interested in it (although there was no scent of Bakers for me).

 

I'm absolutely thrilled with my bag, many many thanks Ilona, I love it. :-)

 

 

Sue xx

Goose Eggs, Chickens, and a Challenge for YOU (it's a sort of Giveaway)

The first time I ate a goose egg, scrambled I think it was, I felt really rough afterwards, my lovely Mum said at the time 'do you think you might be allergic to them', I in my infinite wisdom pooh, pooh'd the idea.  After all I eat hens eggs til they come out of my ears, so how could I be allergic to goose eggs I thought.

 

WRONG!!

 

The above picture is Lovely Hubby's breakfast cooking on Sunday morning,  yes those goose eggs are big ...

 

 

 

... look how they fill his big dinner plate (he did admit to being absolutely stuffed afterwards and didn't eat anything until tea time that day, after all one goose egg is equal to THREE hens eggs.  While his was cooking he scrambled me a single goose egg, (I was going to share mine with the dogs, I knew I couldn't eat a whole one).

 

Just a couple of  forkfuls in I started to feel really rough, I stopped and the dogs got a much larger portion than they had hoped for.  Thank goodness I did stop because I felt really poorly for a couple of hours afterwards.  I walked the paddock with the dogs, round and round, such was my need for some fresh air and my desperation to get rid of this awful yucky feeling. 

 

 I had woken up so bright and bushy tailed and was dismayed to suddenly be feeling soooooo bad :-(

 

Later that morning we moved Chicken World further along the paddock so the birds, especially the geese had fresh grass to run on and eat.  After being out and about for a few hours I made myself have a piece of toast and then I started to feel better.

 

So now I think I can safely say although I may not be 'allergic' to them I am most definitely intolerant of them and no more goose eggs will be passing these lips.

 

 



 

Luckily for me though on Sunday we nipped out and picked up three of these lovely birds to add to our collection for this year. so there will be more hens eggs.  This picture isn't mine it's from Google Images, our new birds are shy at the moment and we have them in the Eglu inside Chicken World while they get used to the place and the other chickens and while the other chickens get used to them, so I can't get a good picture. 

 

They are called Skylines and are a Legbar hybrid.  They are supposed to lay eggs of blue or green, but because they are a hybrid (a mix of two different breeds of chicken) we won't know which until they start laying,  there is also a chance that the eggs could come out white or cream so we will see, whichever of these colour will be fine for us as at the moment our girls are laying pale and dark brown eggs.

 

So this week's task is to think up some names for these girls.  They are unusual in that they have extra feathers on their heads that look like a little feathery wig, two of them are pretty identical in looks, with almost Welsummer colouring and the other one is larger and more standard brown in colour, but all are wearing a feathery wig!!

 

So now we have a very unusual competition for all my Followers. 

 

Leave a comment saying what you would call these new girls and the three commenters that say the names I decide on will win a Goose Egg, (well somebody has to help LH eat all these lovely eggs).  Just pick one hens name each and it will give three of you a chance to win. (They are all girls.)

 

I am very sorry but this can only be open to UK residents as we have to get the eggs to their new homes pretty quickly and they have to be able to stand up to the Royal Mail postal system :-)

 

I'll pick the names from the comments tomorrow night and post the winners names on Thursday morning, if you can get back to me as quickly as possible the eggs will be straight in the post, possibly in time for your breakfast this weekend.

 

Good luck, it's time to get your thinking caps on.

 

Sue xx

 

Winners All Round

 

Well ..... we had a brilliant night on Friday, the wine flowed, the food was yummy and the company fantastic, and although a few of the younger members staff made extremely merry, they did it in the nicest friendliest way, but I would not have liked their heads on Saturday morning!! 

 

All in all a fantastic start to the Christmas season.  I've read in many Blogs about outrageous prices for many 'works' and 'staff' do's and think that for our £23.50 a head price tag we had a wonderful evening out.  With a massive charity raffle, lots of us came away with prizes, Lovely Hubby went up for one, and then me and then Lovely Hubby's number came up again so although he went up to draw the next ticket he gracefully declined what would have been our third prize of the night.  As it was we are very happy with our two lovely prizes, a very special start to our Christmas goodies.

 

And courtesy of Lovely Hubby the number has been drawn for my own special 1000th post giveaway.  I was just about to log onto the Random Number generator thingy when LH walked past the office door and asked what I was up to, when I told him he asked how many comments there were, and when I said 32 he shouted out "Number 7", I asked if he had read the comments at all and he said no, so I am taking this to be fate and so the lucky winner courtesy of Lovely Hubby's manful choosing is Rebecca AND she has her very own Blog called Crivens Cottage of which I have just signed up to be her 32nd Follower.

 

So if you can get in touch Rebecca and send me your address (my email address is about halfway down the sidebar on the right) I will send you the prize.  What are you getting ......well I don't quite know myself yet, I will be trawling my little stash of goodies and choosing things that sum up our lives over the last 1000th posts and I hope you love them as much as I do.  Congratulations.

 

Now we are braving the minus temperatures to take the dogs for a w.a.l.k.i.e.s.... yes we have to spell it out although Rosy is now wising up to the spelling so that won't last long, we did for a while say "should we take the dogs for a perambulation", but she has now learnt that 'perambulation' and 'walk' are one and the same thing.  Ooooh sometimes it would be easier to have a dafter dog!!

 

Whatever you're doing today try and keep warm and cosy, when we get back we will be switching in  the tele to take in some more cheesy Christmas films ......oooh I do love this time of year.  You really don't need to spend a fortune to get in the Christmas spirit, while other folks are already out there battling for goodies in the shops we are warm and cosy at home with steaming mugs of coffee a few homemade shortbread biscuits and good old Santa on the tele.  Life is good if you relax and let it be.

 

Sue xx

Brrr, it's cold.....

Well I've braved the cold, the chickens and geese are running round in their little white world, well rather the chickens are .... I've discovered recently that when the ground is really cold the geese like to sit down and stay put, I guess it keeps their feet nice and warm and they have their very own little patch of thawed earth.

 

I had to kick through the ice on the buckets and take over some hot water from the house, but now they all have drinking water and lots of food, the houses are cleaned out and an extra layer of hay has been put in the Goose Hoose, the chickens get treated to a layer of newspaper on top of their usual bedding on very cold days, it really is an excellent insulator.

 

As you can see from the photo, the dogs are glad to be back in the house and are hogging the radiator as I type.  They have turned round since I took this photo and now seem to be cooking their noses, cuddled into each other in the most adorable way.  How can two dogs  who can sit here looking so angelic and gorgeous turn into crazed monsters that seemingly hate each other and are intent on murder and need a 'time out' at least once a day?  It's a good job I love this little pair of hooligans.

 

 



 

 

I picked up a couple of brilliant bargains yesterday whilst out on my travels.  

 

 I had gone back to our old haunting grounds to pick up some Layers Pellets and corn for the chooks, and while I was in Thame I decided to go to Superdrug to pick up a years supply of hair dye for myself and use the £2 I had available on my 'Beautycard' before destroying it, but they only had four packs left and I needed six (luckily they were on offer too so I was a very happy bunny) and they had an offer on whereby you got loads of points per pound, I think it was something like 12 for every pound spent, so my card is back in my purse and will be used again to make good use of the £6 I now have available to spend on it.  My best bargain of the day though was this book for just £2 from the local hospice charity shop,  I'll sit with a cup of coffee later and have a good read, I may even light the woodburner early and have a cosy afternoon.

 

This evening it's time to done the 'posh frock' and accompany Lovely Hubby to his works Christmas Party.  Good food, lots of wine and the 'posh frock', truly a treat to look forward to.

 

And talking of treats ..... I'm leaving the Givaway post (SEE HERE) open until Sunday evening so if you haven't had time to leave a comment yet pop over now - Good Luck.

 

Sue xx

 



Celebrating 1000th Posts with a Thank You and a Giveaway

 

 

It all began HERE 1000 posts away,  Our New Life in the Country documented (when the Internet will allow me) on an almost daily basis. 

 

The original newspaper clipping that lead us to this way of living and is framed for posterity on the living room wall.  This Blog was to be a continuance of my 'Lavender's Blue...' Blog that talked about the day to day life in the 'smallest shop in Cumbria'.  I had truly caught the Blogging Bug and decided we would chart every step of our great big adventure as it unfolded before us.

 

The adventure that was switching from town life to country life, with the excitement of getting new gadgets and big boys toys to make that life easier.  The acquisition of more four footed and feathered family members, because, YES, all our animals and birds are members of this extended family.

 

And then one by one you started to follow our adventures, joining in with encouraging comments, asking questions that tested our new found knowledge (sometimes to the limits), but day by day, week by week with the help of family and friends and good Blogging buddies we have made this wonderful journey, and to celebrate the 1000th post I decided that there just had to be a giveaway.  I'm not even sure what you will get yet, there will be handmade soaps and cards for sure, something suitably chickeny and something that will be picked from the house that sums up our journey.

 

All you have to do to be in with a chance is to be a regular reader or Follower on this Blog, and leave a comment saying which was your favourite ever post, you have 1000 to choose from.  All of you who left us ideas for using up the Stew Packs will have your names included in the hat 3 times as Lovely Hubby liked ALL the suggestions, so we will be slowly using each and every recipe idea.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read each day and for being there with your words of help, encouragement, advice, commensense and expertise whenever we have needed it.  Thank you for supporting us through the tough times, through hardships and sadness, and thank you for being there when it all goes right and you tell us what clever little sods we are, or how well we have done something, we need all the encouragement we can get as we are now moving into the final stages of Our New Life in the Country ...

 

.....  we may have found our forever home!!

 

So hopefully even more exciting times ahead, which of course we hope you will continue to join us in.

Thank you.

Sue and Lovely Hubby xx

 

A while ago I entered a Giveaway over at Sarah's Blog ........and I was lucky enough to win it.

So look what turned up in my mailbox this week, all the way from Australia, I'm so lucky.  It's a lovely book and when I get back from taking my Mum home this weekend, I'll sit down with a big mug of coffee and look for inspiration to make Lovely Hubby a special vegetarian meal to celebrate us being back together.

We don't like to be apart, but it's worth being apart sometimes so we can enjoy being back together all the more!!

Simple pleasures. 

Thank you Sarah for my book and for paying to send it all the way to England, I'll think of you and raise a glass to you as we tuck into meals made from it.

Sue xx 

Plans and Giveaways

I did a plan of my Veggie Patch, simply A4 and pencil scribble ......

...... Lovely Hubby took it away to work with him one day and made it all posh.  Now it's A3 and proper printed.

So now I have a posh plan of my Veggie Patch, the only thing is he didn't ask me which way up it was supposed to be, so I have an upside down posh plan of my Veggie Patch, luckily he gave me some blanks too, so I have written on them the right way up and now I can make sense of the whole thing.  It's also way too big, so I have to do a little pencilly scribbly one each day to take out with me.

He's very good to me ...... in his own way!!

So I thought I would be very good to you. 

You have by now probably noticed that I am currently dieting (well healthy eating) the Harcombe way and I treated myself to the new set of Harcombe books, which leaves me with a spare copy of my original book.  I'm offering it as a Giveaway over on my other Blog - nip over and leave a comment if you would be interested in a chance of winning it, the draw will be on Saturday morning. You can be a Follower of either blog to enter, however, the comments should be left over there on the Giveaway post.

Sue xx

Something New, Something Old, Dismay and Thanks

Something New - for the first time - yes I have to admit it - I made a Smoothie, well a jug full of smoothie actually, and very yummy it was too.  Frozen Strawberries and Rasberries from last years crop, with half a Pineapple from my birthday fruit basket off Mum and a really, really over ripe banana.

And the verdict.........YUMMY!! 

Definitely one to be repeated, it's easy, full of goodness and it uses up all the little odds and ends of fruit that are lurking about the fridge.

Something Old - open freezing, I do it all the time with any little things that I need to be free-flowing straight from the freezer.  Yesterday it was the turn of three lemons that I found lurking in the drawer at the bottom of the fridge, I didn't want them to go off while I do my Challenge next week, so I decided to slice and freeze them ready for use in drinks in the future.  Really simple to do and they chill your drink beautifully.

Dismay - at how few seeds you seem to find in fruit these days.  As a fruit and veg gardener I am truly dismayed that we breed the fruits these days to have less pips and seeds.  How would they reproduce without seeds and pips, where would new life come from without humans to plant seeds.  (Inserts a little sad face)

If I'm ever out in the car chomping on an apple I always check to see if it has pips, if it does the core gets lobbed out of the window in a suitable place for an apple tree to grow, rest assured not folks' garden just wild looking places and wide verges.  It's the only time I feel like a litter bug (but a good one)!

And finally - Thanks.

Thank you to Sarina for her wonderful gift of a Riverford vegetable recipes folder, she had no need for it and generously offered it as a giveaway prize the other week.  I was the lucky name that came out of the hat....so THANK YOU Sarina, it has found a good home.

Lots of useful recipes neatly ordered by the month the veggies are in season, just what I need when the Kitchen Garden springs a glut of a surprise on me.

So that's two treats I've had in the last couple of weeks, first my wonderful day out to Yeo Valley to meet Alys Fowler  and now my lovely folder of useful recipes from Sarina. 

Now if any one of you knows the winning numbers for Saturdays National Lottery...........they say luck runs in threes!!

Remember if you choose to Follow this Blog anytime between yesterday and the 11th May, 50p will be donated by Lovely Hubby on your behalf to my Live Below the Line challenge money.  Eleven of you did just this yesterday raising £5.50 thank you.

Sue xx

Farmers Markets, Craft Fairs and Giveaway Results

This weekend sees the end of an era.  We are doing our last Craft Fair on Saturday and then on Sunday our final Farmers Market in Tetsworth Village Hall, we did our final Great Haseley one last Sunday and went out with a flourish, with lots of bargains for the customers and lots of good wishes for us (and a box of handmade chocolates off one of my favourite customers).

Over the last three years the stock has changed slightly, going over to more handmade and homegrown lavender goodies and away from the bought in things I used to sell in my little lavender shop in Cumbria.

But always we had fun setting up stall and enticing the customers over with the lovely soothing smell of lavender.  During the Summer we sold lots of freshly laid free range eggs, Lovely Hubby's worm tea and compost and took orders for our lovely pork products.

It's been an interesting three years, we've had stalls in all sorts of places, village halls, town centre squares........

... windy deserted car parks, thanks to Jason our Gazebo didn't blow away, but he had to hang on tight!!

The best seller has always been my handmade soaps and loose lavender, with Essential oils coming in a close third.

It really is the end of an era, but one which although we've enjoyed thoroughly, will be happy to see the back of.  No more trying to feed animals in the dark and then getting changed and trying to get away on time, lugging boxes and boxes of stuff in and out of the car, trying to set up stalls on windy days or desperately trying to get warm in freezing cold village halls.

Next year in our bid for self sufficiency we will be concentrating on ourselves, growing for ourselves and making for ourselves and we are really looking forward to it.

And the winner of my little giveaway the other day chosen by a random generator thingy (which I could not figure out how to pop into the Blog (sorry)) is number 21 which is.....

Shaheen

If you drop me an email Shaheen with your address, I will post you a little selection of the goodies I have been selling over the last few weeks at our Farmers Markets and Craft Fairs. (My email address is on my righthand side bar.)

Oh ......and yesterday in the words of Margo Leadbetter  .... 'Christmas was delivered'.  Our yearly luxury hamper from Lovely Hubbys generous contract agency arrived and is now snuggled next to the Christmas tree holding lots of yummy treats for us for the festive season.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Sue xx