Saturday, October 27, 2012

chook kennel update

The chook kennel is progressing!  Toby was visiting a friend yesterday, so Jasper was Daddy’s solo helper.

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He had some very definite ideas about the helping bit.  “We could tie a big string on here and here…”

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“…and then bang this bit out with the hammer!”

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Barn door on the way!

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Looking good on the outside…

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…and inside!

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Thursday, October 25, 2012

sewing

So, there has been sewing happening around here.  Just hasn’t been making it on to the blog very much!

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First a few repairs to Seymour (aka The Sewing Machine); well, strictly speaking it was ‘cleaning’ as Seymour was slightly (ahem) dusty.  I never like taking Seymour apart as it feels vaguely like operating on a friend without using anaesthetic, so Dave does the necessary deeds for me.

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Then back to work!  Rattles waiting to sew together…

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Piles of gorgeous fabrics waiting to be turned into Christmas banners, and peg boards all stamped ready for string and pegs to go with the banners…

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And every once in a while I manage to finish something!

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Saturday, October 20, 2012

prayers

Jasper’s bedtime prayer:
Dear God, Thank you for sending the flood and promising that you will never do it again.*  Thank you for making a beautiful world and making me.  Please make me grow older.  Please make a new world one day.  Amen.

Toby’s bedtime prayer:
Dear God, Please help Caleb and his family make the South Sudanese people healthy.  Please be with the baby birds in our roof and help them not get sick.**  Thank you for the noise they make and for sending Spring.***  Amen.

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*It’s raining heavily at the moment, but we read about Noah yesterday and know that God will never flood the whole world again – such a sweet way to know Jasper’s retaining some of the message!

**We have a nest in our roof full of (noisy) baby birds.  We got the ladder out this morning and had a peek at them, under the suspicious eye of the mama bird.

***Some people enjoy the noise they make more than others…

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

the elizabeth handmade market

Only six weeks to go until The Elizabeth Handmade Market on 30 November!  We’re getting excited, and would love to share our new-look website with you, now complete with a spectacular list of talented stall-holders.

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We’d love to see you there!

Saturday, October 13, 2012

spring garden

We’ve been enjoying the gorgeous sunshine this week and getting out into the garden!  Way back in May we planted some peas.  We were worried that it was way too early, but it doesn’t seem to have harmed them.

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Beautiful little flowers!  And right next door are these close relations…

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Our carrots and potatoes are looking good…

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…and our leeks, silverbeet and broadbeans are coming along nicely too.

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Divine apple blossoms…they smell as good as they look!  We’re espaliering these ‘step-over’ ones, and they’re still just babies, so it’s lovely to see them bursting into life after winter.

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And we’re so excited to be finally getting underway with our ‘chook kennel’, as Jasper calls it!  Hoping to have some feathered residents sometime later this year.  Chook house build, part 1:

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The boys did a lot of sanding and banging in nails (only one banged finger).  Jasper made sure he protected his hearing.

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