Spring is in the air.

We have had lovely mild weather for some weeks now so it's nice to go out and enjoy it.
Faith and Sophia love getting outside to play and do not want to come back inside. Gareth has been sanding and painting this link box so now it's a great place to jump up and down and make a noise with your feet.
I hope you will take notice of this sign the girls found lying at the back of the house!
The hens have been laying since last week. It's lovely to be able to go out to the nesting box and lift fresh eggs.
The weather has been good too for getting into the garden and planting the vegetables. You could say that I am MORE THAN PLEASED with the progress so far. I have already used the fresh rhubarb twice to stew for dessert.
I re-aligned the planting area to have a better walking space between the beds,
I have planted potatoes, onion sets and shallots, runner beans, leeks, cucumbers, lettuce and strawberries. I also planted a row of blackcurrants and raspberry plants which were growing in various places around the garden. We'll see if they come to fruition - literally!
The shrubs are in full bloom and the bees are enjoying their nectar. This plant was a hive of industry for the bees today and the noise they were making was amazing as there must have been hundreds of them.
The hens spend all day roaming round the garden picking up any tasty morsels they find.
On a good day I can get three eggs. There are four hens so hopefully we will soon see four eggs in the nest.

Latest photos of Faith and Sophia

Here Sophia is feeling the texture of the soil. If you don't watch carefully they like to taste it too!

A popular game is rolling over on top of each other. It's all right for a while but can end in tears.
They like sitting together in this swing seat in the garden.

Their favourite occupation is looking at their books. It's ok until both want to have the same one.

I put their hair up in a bunch on top, out of their eyes. Faith has just spotted Sophia's and in a minute she'll have it pulled out.

New chicks.

Today I took a few more pictures of the chicks. They are now allowed out to feed and run about with the others.
The mother hen spends a lot of time instructing them how to scratch and find food in the grass.
One looks slightly larger and stronger than the other two so I guess it will be a cockerel.
This is the first photo of the three chicks when they were only days old.

Holiday to Scotland July 2011

We enjoyed a few days in Scotland a couple of weeks ago.
This is the Tam O'Shanter Inn in Ayr. It's a quaint wee building with a thatched roof.
One of our stops was in St. Andrews. We went into the courtyard of the university to get this shot. The town itself is very nice with cobbled streets and interesting shops.
We also visited Dundee. This is Caird Hall in the city centre.
We passed by the popular ski area of Glenshee where we saw the ski lifts going up to the top of the mountain.
In the town of Ballatar, near Balmoral, many of the shops have a royal crest above their doors
to indicate that they supply goods to the estate.


This is the lovely little Crathie Kirk, near Braemar, where the royal family worship when they are in residence at Balmoral.
This church was at the village of Dunkeld on the way to Perth.
The River Tay runs through Dunkeld. We walked down beside this bridge over the river.
This is a view of our hotel, the Angus Hotel, in Blairgowrie. It was comfortable and the food was good. We used the swimming pool and jacuzzi every day and usually had it all to ourselves!

Building site clearance

The work on the building project along the shore in front of our house has finally begun. We woke early yesterday morning to the sound of chainsaws and a digger working on the site.
The pictures here are not in proper order but you will be able to see how our view of the lake has dramatically changed - we now have a panoramic view all the way along.

Robert then decided to cut away the two big trees at the front. They have been there a long time - probably way over 20 years so they had got out of hand and far too big. It's exciting to watch the progress now. Maybe the developer just wants to clear the site and put in foundations before his planning permission runs out. Time will tell.
They have also cleared the area down where the boats are tied up. There is an angling centre and 2 apartments planned for that area and 3 houses across the shore in our direction.
You'll not know the place when you get back.


Finally, a picture of the girls sitting in their new "Hello Kitty" chairs. Gareth, Kyra and twins are away in Portstewart for the Easter weekend staying in a B&B with Deborah and Dane. Jill & Nial are also up there with their caravan.

5 star accommodation at Rossclare

I have finally achieved my desire to keep hens again and also to house them in 5 star accommodation. Gareth made this coop a couple of weeks ago and just days ago my 4 hens moved into it. It is located just outside the sun room so it is easy to watch the goings on.
However, we may eventually move it further down the garden to a more sheltered spot.
The coop is of sturdy construction with a main compartment including some roosts and a nesting box which protrudes at the back. It has a hinged lid in order to access the eggs.
At the front there is a "runway" up to the entrance. My chicken book says horizontal struts are necessary across it to "give the hens more traction."
It was good to watch the hens' reaction to their new home and they were soon exploring all aspects of it.
We initially had four hens and then last night Robert was given three more to add to the flock.
Imagine my delight today, just before lunch, when I spotted my first egg! This had been produced by one of the newcomers as the others are not laying yet. She has obviously not discovered the dedicated nesting-box. Perhaps a signpost is required!

Sleepover at Nana's house!

Faith and Sophia stayed at our house from 5p.m. on Sunday to 5p.m. on Monday giving Gareth and Kyra a free evening to themselves - the first one they have had since the twins arrived.
In this one Faith is getting tired - time for a change of position or a new toy.
They look so grown up now when they have on their fancy clothes rather than babygro suits.
They're really cute now and sitting up unaided.
Sophia is always ready to pose for the camera. What about that runny nose?
Faith laid back as usual. She had to get in eye drops for an infection.
Not sure what is puzzling Sophia here.