Sunday 30 January 2011

Two new girls (this time rescue chickens!)

We're delighted with our own new girls Muriel and Gladys who have been outside in the fresh air for the very first time today. They were originally battery hens, kept in false light and given a cage the size of an A4 piece of paper to live, eat, sleep and lay on.

If the lovely people at The British Hen Welfare Trust didn't rescue the hens they would simply have had their heads chopped off at 18 months old when they stopped laying so regularly (I looked for some pictures of battery hens but they were too horrible to post...)
So far they have re-homed almost 250,000 hens.


We warned the boys that they wouldn't look very pretty when they first arrived but I really wasn't prepared for how pale and scared they looked. They have had a manicure (love it!) because they have never put their feet on a solid surface before. It obviously felt a little strange for them as they spent most of their first few hours with one foot at a time in the air.

Their little combs have no colour and are flopped over (a fringe?). Their eyes are weirdly pale and they have really scrappy feathers with bald necks...poor little things!
Anyway, they found the smallest, darkest area in the garden and cowered there until bedtime. We've built an area to keep them away from the other ladies for the time being and they have 
their own bedroom!
(don't think they're up to coping with a pecking order just yet)


 The Orpington ladies stood behind the fence and stared at them - v funny!
They looked so healthy in comparison.
We can't wait until they are all in together and hopefully make friends (little bit worried that the ladies are going to be too posh to mix with Muriel and Gladys...)

Will upload some more photos to Flickr, fee x





Weekend Project: Pom Pom Flowers

 I love pom poms and love flowers so particularly loving this post (see link below)....have a VERY long list of sunday jobs, but off to make some of these instead!
Thank you poppytalk.blogspot.com
fee x

Weekend Project: Pom Pom Flowers

Saturday 29 January 2011

New baby gifts and more cupcakes

You can't visit a baby girl without some cupcakes surely? (cured my serious carb withdrawal too)


Baby Mabel is doing great - as are her Ma and Pa. The boys loved meeting her for the first time...


although none of them liked the talk of sore bossoms!!!



Loving all the gift and card opportunities...

 



Need to remember I still have long list of Chipper Nelly orders....fee x

Thursday 27 January 2011

New blocks on Chipper Nelly

More blocks suitable for men....



and some 'dreaming of spring' home/love blocks (building up to Mother's Day!) 

fee x 









Mabel...my new favourite girl!

We are all delighted with our new neice / cousin little Mabel Kisby who is (naturally) perfect in every way! Good work Nelly and G Kisby....

She came home today and apparantly 'loves it', which is a relief.

Chipper Nelly is VERY busy at the moment selling tons of valentines day blocks but not too busy to make some pink things! Will post her first set of many gifts tomorrow....fee x

Tuesday 25 January 2011

Avoca buttons mug

Little bit worried that said resolution to NOT purchase any new clothes for a year has driven me to homeware...




HAD to have it....feeling pleased with myself for resisting the whole tea set!
http://www.avoca.ie/home/products/?mid=5&sid=17&pid=1067

It's a girl....and some new sewing books

Hooray for Nelly and Gaz who had a lovely baby girl this morning! No name as yet (NOT Pussy, as my middle sized boy told everyone at school today....possibly Kitty, which is very different!)

Mum and I snuk in to hospital to for a sneeky hello and fell in love with her, looking forward to hours of fun ahead. She may well be about to benefit from the serious lack of shopping opportunities I've had with three boys!

My two new books arrived today too - and couldn't be better timed.
 
As I can't actually sew I thought I'd start with something simple....like an apron! (with frills, natch) I was slightly worried about the list of things in the 'essential equipment' section, but convinced myself some of them were surely optional! Loved looking at the pictures though - some beautiful designs. 
When , on January 1st, I made the bold (and with hindsight, foolish) announcement that I would not be buying ANY new clothes in 2011 I didn't realsie how very hard it would be. It dawned on me just how hard when one day last week I remarked how well I was doing, only to be reminded by Cleggy that I had approximatly 340 days still to go.

As I am 'allowed' to make new things (which was the whole point of the exercise in restraint) I need to get sewing quick smart so watch this space. (and watch out Stella Mc!!)


Maybe I'll make some things for Pussy too....fee x
 

Oooops...anyone know anything about HTML?

So, I decide in my new found confidence with all things technical, that (rather than do any house/work) I'll change the 'B' icon on my blog to a smaller version of everything else. (thinking branding!)

With the advice of some PC sage from 2008, in I go, headfirst, gung-ho to the HTML bit of blog and paste some random code in which I had successfully picked up from my photo on Flickr.

Pleased (and a little smug) I sit back to admire my handywork, only to see a GIANT photo of me at the top of ,my lovely blog. This is my worst blogging nightmare....have tried in vain to remove it but don't understand!
It strikes me an easy job for someone who speaks this language - can any of my lovely blogging friends help?
Fee x

Ps still no baby....what's it playing at??!

Monday 24 January 2011

Nelly's baby is on it's way....hoooray!

Nelly's waters broke this morning so we are all v (V) excited here - fingers crossed a new baby will be here before long....  see Nelly's blog (Nelly's Eggs) for more details of impending birth!

Good luck Nelly!

Saturday 22 January 2011

My favourite girl - the story of Pearl


Pearl is the only one of out hens we 'grew' ourselves so we are especially fond of her.

When our eggs arrived in the post last spring (yes, you can post eggs...who'd have thought it!) we didn't know if any of them were fertilised - so watched with wonder, and occasionally a special torch to see inside. After a couple of duds we eventually hatched 4 chickens.



Watching them grow was  amazing - and so quick. It almost felt as though they were getting bigger before our eyes. We took lots of photos and the boys loved looking at their flight feathers develop. Their feet got very big very quickly (partly because three of them were boys)

Pearl was our only girl so unfortunatly Myrtle, Nancy and Dolly had to go.

We decided to bring in three more ladies to keep Pearl company. At first the three new girls kept their distance, and even slept on the opposite side of the coop, but they're all friends now!

We love all our ladies....but will always have a soft spot for Pearl!

All our hens are pedigree Orpingtons (known for their gentle nature and beautiful lacey feathers). Always desperate to expand home farm, Cleggy is talking about getting a couple of rescue hens so no doubt the ladies will have some new pals before long.... fee x

A set of blocks for Wills and Kate!

Yesterday the lovely people at NOTHS asked me to provide some Chipper Nelly wedding blocks for their latest press release.... naturally I was way too excited to be cool about this!
The theme of the 'Look Book' is Spring Weddings so they requested some blocks for William and Kate.

(Does it need to be said that now, in my dreams, Kate is browsing notonthehighstreet.com for present ideas (!) and stumbles across said blocks, orders them and tells all her rich princess type friends about the little shop that is Chipper Nelly....)










 Anyway, it reminded me that I really shoud be focusing on wedding products at this time of year (as well as valentines, mothers day, Easter, fathers day, not to mention new babies!)

Speaking of new babies, still no sign of Nelly's baby, which is probably a good job since they can't decide on a boys name. 

Off to join in the family film watching going on in the lounge (Aliens in my attic, followed by Alice in Wonderland....which reminds me, I have some beautiful Alice inspired blocks in mind...) fee x 

Wednesday 19 January 2011

Wooden bunting with crochet...what's not to like?

Since all I can crochet is a long string it's use is fairly limited....however, turns out it holds wooden bunting really well as it doesn't slip like ribbon sometimes does.

Here's my first offering






Off to make MORE tea for my (lovely) builders... Fee x

Tuesday 18 January 2011

Cupcakes from Sonny and blocks for Sarah

We had a lovely visit from little nephews Sonny and Luca yesterday (along with the rest of the family and some friends) who came armed with a box of gorgeous cupcakes....


Sonny was amazingly good and didn't dive in (like I would have done if I could get away with it!)

Thanks M and J - and sorry you didn't get to take any home....

These double sided blocks are for Sarah, who happens to make the most beautiful 'toys' - looking forward to having a new neice or nephew to justify having to buy one (any day now, v excited as always!)

cakes http://www.jellytotsanddollymixtures.co.uk
sarah's toys http://www.folksy.com/shops/northfieldprimitives

Monday 17 January 2011

Snowdrops

I LOVE when you can see the first snowdrops of spring and, despite the battering by the (lovely) builders, there are some little snowdroplings in our garden today....

Here are my favourite photos, taken in a little village called St George in Abergele, North Wales.


 


Bring on the spring.....fee x

Sunday 16 January 2011

Loving H&M Homeware Collection

What an unexpected treat...



Nelly (my little sister) is 30 today (as I desperately hurtle towards 40) and with mini Kisby being due any day now we thought a Goldilocks themed gift was in order.

So, three porridge bowls for mummy, daddy and baby bear(http://www.makeinternational.com) wrapped in a beautiful tea towel from Etsy seller handyjan ( http://www.etsy.com/people/handyjan?ref=ls_profile) featuring vintage Goldilocks fabric...



both of which went down a treat (much like the champagne!). 

We had a lovely time and sleepover (love you Gaz/Nelly!)








Despite small hangover managed to get a couple of valentines treats on both shops...


Off to read the Saturday papers...fee x