Humming-bird Hawk Moth

I'm really proud of this pic! We see this moth on a regular basis during the summer so here for everyone is:-

Happy Birthday 'Sweet 16'

Happy Birthday Victoria!

Sweet sixteen and never been kissed!!

She has had her first week back at school and compared to last year it has been very good! She also went back to her Yoga course as well. So things are looking good for this year, lets keep our fingers crossed! We apparently are off to the cinema and out for a meal later on today. I am under strict instuctions not to wake her before 10am, so Kathryn who has been up since 5.30am and me since 6am have a long wait!!!!!!!

Visitors!

Meet Megan

My friend and her daughter came round today, I used to work with Hayley 3-4 years ago and have always got on so well with her. She is a single parent and her daughter Megan is a handful. She had a number of tantrums today which included banging her head on a door and then the floor. You should have seen the bruise! She is only 18 months old!

CHICKENS

I now have pics of all my chickens:

this is Babs as you can see she likes climbing, she is a Meadowsweet Ranger and is very friendly

This is Bree, she is a Barnvelda. If I said 'headless chicken' that describes Bree to a 'T'. You can't get near her, she flaps, squarks and runs around. Even when sweetcorn is on offer the rest are up the front pushing and shoving, she is at the furthest point of the run trying to get out in the opposite direction!!

Finally Big Bird(Left) and Bunty (Right)

Big Bird is a Maran, and bad tempered isn't the word. She thinks she's top bird but in fact shes not and she doesn't like it. She is blind in one eye so you have to be careful when approaching her, I usually talk, that way you don't scare her. She is always first to bed, why I have no idea, she will let my husband stroke her.

Bunty another Meadowsweet Ranger is the 'Houdini' of the flock, if she can get out she will. Since they have been in the new run though, I think we have her beaten. I admit to Bunty being my favourite, she is top bird and is such a character. She jumps to get leaves, berries or even the bowl out of your hand and it is hysterical to see.

On average we get 3 eggs a day, one bird is laying soft shelled eggs and I think one lays alternate days but as to which egg belongs to which bird, I haven't any idea.

GENEALOGY

One of my favourite programmes returned to the BBC last night 'Who Do You Think You Are?' this is my winter hobby, when there's not much going on in the garden. I now have 452 people in my tree. On my fathers side I can go back 5 generations and on my mothers, mothers side 6 generations. Take a look at the link on the left, there are pictures too!!!

Back to school for Tori!

Its been a tough few days. Tori has like most children not wanted to go back to school! She hates change and the school have changed there start and finish times, which of course alters all the lesson times. Anyway up at 06.30 to wake her, expecting all sorts of problems but, altho she dragged her heels abit, she was ready. We left at the usual time because we have a junction to negotiate where A3102 meets the Devizes/Chippenham road and it is hell getting out of there. She went into school fine, I couldn't believe it!
Went to pick her up and it was chaos, in the school carpark, all the 'year 7' mummies where there, parking in the most ridiculous places, no one could move! Out she bounced full of the joys of spring, had a great day (which I knew she would, and told her so!) super timetable. One of the new teachers is excellent etc. etc .etc
I think I need a stiff drink!!!!!!

and across the lawn to :

the newly constructed chicken run.

Three at the front are (l-r) bunty, babs and big bird. The one at the back is bree. I will get better pics.

Finally the Greenhouse on the left and the shed on the right behind the hedge. Its all abit of a mess at the moment due to losing a huge part of my flower bed for construction of the chicken run. When you first get chickens you have this wonderful idea of fluffy chickens, laying eggs, clucking away and sitting pretty for the camera. Not true I love mine to bits but they poo for England, in the hot weather it can get a bit ripe, they eat anything and will go anywhere to get it and boy when they want to get out they will, so when you come back from your shopping trip and all you peas have disappeared but the hens are back in the run, you often wonder how that happened. But you CAN'T BEAT THE EGGS !!! Here ends the tour!!!

My Garden at 07.30 04/09/06

As you step out the back door you arrive on my patio, (south facing) hence the tropical plants, bananas, cannas, tracycarpus, plus coal bunkers. This is a lovely place to sit, drink coffee, eat lunch ot dinner! Altho this year it was rather too hot!! At the end off the patio is an arch which you go through to get to:

Vegetable Garden

Not very wide as you can see which does give me a few problems especially with the 6 ft fence on the right!!! Not done too badly tho, the bed on the right was full of onions, I still have garlic and onions in bed on left.Down to the end of the Veg patch too:



Well I'm not sure really, I did have the chickens here but have moved them further down, I think I will be putting in a small green house here, this will be a cold one as the one at the very bottom has electric!

Through the arch to: the Garden, garden well you know the flowery bit!

Well that was until we decided the chickens didn't have enough space, so they have had use of the lawn, the sun dial doesn't normally sit there but as you will see from the following pics there has been construction going on. The pond behind the rotary drier is a haven for newts, frogs etc even tho we have fish.

Monday 4th September

I got a jar and a half of the Blackberry and Sloe Gin Jelly, not bad really when I used half quantities!! Have to wait to taste, but am on the look out for more blackberries as I expect this could taste yummy! While I was out blackberrying I saw loads of elderberries, must find out what I can make with them, also someone on freecycle was offering crab apples something else to think about!
Have finished the chicken run, must take some pics!

This is Kathryn and her college mates out on the razz on Saturday night, it is probably the last time they will all be together before they go to Uni they are a great bunch. Kathryn is behind the girl who is bent over in the centre of the picture. That is Elli her best friend, she is off to West of England Uni, Kathryn is going to Worcester, only a train ride away from each other!

This is Tori (Victoria) my youngest daughter she suffers with Aspergers. A very special person this is a rare photo of her smiling, I caught her on a good day. She and Kathryn are very close and Kathryn has a way with her, she can get Tori to do things I can't! Tori has had a tough year and is currently under a physchiatrist! She has an exceptional IQ and sets herself frighteningly high standards, which if she doesn't achieve will beat herself up about! The school she is at has (past tense) been very good for her, but since her period of severe depression, not been as supportive as we would have hoped. Because she is a clever girl, no matter what, Tori will probably achieve A-C grades in her GCSE's. So the school are happy, they are not helping her achieve her ability of A, A* by supporting her, we have to fight all the way, its like climbing a rock face (not that I have, searching for every hand hole) we have to search out any help we can no one is there to say ' what about this, have you thought about that or take my hand'.

Enough of my ranting, her favourite colour is black, she likes the 'Goth' look altho I am not sure she is one. She is exceptional at English, she also was in Science, but the school lost her! ( A great shame when the country is so short of scientists). Anyway today we are off to buy her some Dr Martin boots I expect in her favourite colour.