Harvest Festival - Or What I had for Sunday dinner!

Well, it's got to that time of the year when the garden is producing more than enough to live on - As long as you never get bored of runner beans and courgettes! - Here was last night's dinner, baby carrots, runner beans (which went beautifully with a chicken leg and some new potatoes) and for desert 4 ripe plums! mmmmm
I have painted about one third of the chicken run! - Their house is in there too, along with a little bit of cover for them for when it rains, and to keep their food dry! - They seem very happy and I've had eggs from them both, and they're eating well. So all is good there.

For all you Spot fans:- The pooch seems to have been a little side-lined lately, so here she is in all her spaniel glory........

...... and what is she making those big beautiful brown eyes at..........

Mum has a bottle of beer!!!!!
I've taken the verification code off my comments for a while, to see if I get hit by spam. I have been having a lovely email conversation with a blind gentleman through work, and as part of the discussions I have learnt how very un-user-friendly the verification codes are for blind and deaf-blind users, because their screen readers can't read the image. Now blogger does at least have an audio facility (although obviously no use to a deaf-blind user), but have you ever heard it?? Go find a blog that uses the verification and click on the little disabled icon next to the box - it took me 8 goes to get mine! - Which is why it's not there any more!

Finally, my next social outing is to visit a very, very dear friend in Norwich next week. - I go up there for a day next Tuesday - and his birthday is on Friday. If anyone has any suggestions for a birthday gift for a Catholic Bishop, I'd be grateful! (I should add that he does have an excellent sense of humour!!!)

Right, Spot and I are off for a very long walk now! Byeeeeee

P.s. Thanks for all your lovely comments on the new layout - I can't take the credit though! - For a lovely selection of blogger templates check out Finalsense. Be warned though you will lose all your widgets!

p.p.s I have been tagged twice - for a Schmoozer award and a Rockin'Girl blogger award. I want to acknowledge both awards properly as I'm stoked to have received them, but just haven't quite got the time at the mo. Please bear with me!

Lessons Learnt

1:-Decide that you want to paint light coloured wood before you make an enormous chicken run and staple wire to the wood apparently at 2cm intervals

2:-When using water protective wood stain, remember it isn't very likely to come off you very easily either!

3:-Re No. 2 - Wear a hat!

4:-Re No. 3 - If you aren't wearing a hat, don't stand underneath the beam that you are painting.

5:-Don't wear a sleeveless t-shirt.

6:-Wear old clothes, shoes, hat, glasses, and if possible old skin - - you'll need the new stuff to cover yourself in after you've scrubbed all the old skin off in a vague attempt to remove dark brown stains from all over your body/face/hands/hair!

7:-Enjoy it! - Well you might as well - it's going to take weeks!

I'm going to get my knitting out now - it's safer!

It's Here!!!!

See what I found lurking outside my front door at 8am this morning!!!!! - You might not hear from me for a while!

Don't like not having time!

Just a really brief update, cos I've got to pay the tax!!!!!

I've been nominated as a Schmoozer blog by the lovely Ruth. i will acknowledge it properly and put the associated medal in my sidebar probably at the weekend, or sometime soon. I've got to re-decorate my blog so I'll do it then, and I'll nominate some other Schmoozers too!!

Work is OK - ish!!!! I don't think I'll be staying there long-term, for all sorts of reasons, not least because i miss having time to walk the dog every day and do the things i now know are important (cook properly for example!) there are other reasons which I won't go into here and now, but may do later depending on whether I need help making up my mind!!!

The garden is brimming with runner beans and courgettes - I already have a fridge full and have been off-loading onto the neighbour!!! - I got a good deal though as she re-paid me with a jar of homemade marmalade, and some cakes !!!!

Finally..... all you eco-warriors out there..... I need to ask a question.... I know that parabens and SLS in shower gels etc are horrible things! - When I popped into Sainsburys the other day they had a deal on Wrights coal tar soap, which i have always loved the smell of as it reminds me of my dear Grandma's house when I was small.....so I bought it! - Looking at the ingredient list, (Sodium Tallowate, Sodium Cocoate, Sodium palm kernelate, cocamide DEA, Parfum Glycerin, Sodium chloride, Tea Tree Oil, Tetrasodium EDTA, Etidronic Acid, Eugenol, Amyl, Cinnamal, Coumarin, Limonene, CI 11680, CI 15510) there are none of the dreaded parabens or SLS. So, as one who doesn't really understand such things - why did we stop using a good old bar of soap? Is there something in that list that is dreadfully horrific? - I know it's probably not "great" cos it does all sound a little chemical, but i just wondered why we all moved onto liquid cleansers when soap seems a bit less ....ermmmmm..... yucky!!!!

ooooh one other finally!!!!!!!! For those that enquired about the future of the rodent population in my vegetable plot (among other places)...... at the moment they are safe, I won't do anything that may interfere with my veggies. however i do think that maybe in the Autumn i might have to take the matter in hand a little, as one ran out of the lawn-mower yesterday when i was half way through cutting the grass, so obviously there are a fair few around! and it's not good for the chickens!!!