Orphan chicks.

A couple of weeks ago we had a broody hen sitting on some eggs. They were due to hatch within a couple of days when I found that mother hen had been taken by a fox.

With a bit of quick thinking we managed to get the eggs into an incubator. We thought that the eggs may have gone cold and we wouldn't be able to save the chicks. How wrong we were as eight healthy chicks survived. It was lovely for Jasmine to get to feed them while she was here.

We have put them into the stable until they are big enough to let out into the open. But with a fox still at large we will be careful as he has been back since and tried a turkey for supper!

More Junk!

Jasmine and I had a visit to the nearby junk shop the other day. We spotted this old Lloyd Loom style bedroom cabinet, another bargain as we got him down to £7.00.

Its ideal for keeping Jasmines books in, as it has a little cupboard with a door. We can store them safely away as I'm a little worried about mice and the damage they can do.

Blaze.

Jasmine and I set off in search of Blaze!

Here she is wondering what we have for her.

She's looking great after the long hard winter.

I'm waiting for the blacksmith returning from Appleby Fair so we can get a set of shoes on. Then we will get her out into the trap on these fine evenings.

All of the hard work pays off when you see her looking so good. This is due to the help I get from my Dad. He feeds her on the days I am at work which is a huge help. He also guides me and advises me when i come across something new be it in the stable or in the garden.

Bike Ride.

Whitby is a little hilly for kids on bikes so I took Jasmine for a bike ride along the Derwent Walk.

She was enjoying making her voice echo under the bridge.

I love this house, even though it is said to be haunted. In 1911 on a cloudy moonless night, after the the passengers from the last train 10.45 alighted,  the station master was shot. The motive for the murder was said to be robbery.

The place looks quite neglected now and has done for years. I have always dreamed of living here, tidying the platform, opening up the garden and serving teas etc to passing walkers and cyclist. I don't think I could ever persuade my husband to live in such a lonely place. So I will dream on!

Re cycling.

After having a clear out in the boys wardrobes I had bags full of old T-shirts. They were all well worn and not good enough for the charity shop. So I decided to have a go at crocheting a rag rug. The first one was made from the old t-shirts and the second from old duvet covers and pillow cases. The most tedious part was in the preparation, cutting the fabric up into strips. Once that was done the rug grew pretty quickly being careful to get the tension right and preventing  the rug from curling at the edge or becoming too frilly. You would not believe the amount of fabric I used to get these little rugs. They would make great bath mats but these are going into the summerhouse.

A busy weekend!

Cakes!

Cakes!

And more cakes!

As predicted, another baking session has taken place. Jasmine is getting a dab hand at measuring out her ingredients from memory, and mixing up a great batch of cakes. At 10 years old I'm very proud of her achievements (she's had a good teacher!!).

This was her first attempt at using a piping bag, we made a white chocolate frosting. The cakes went down well on Sunday afternoon with a nice cup of tea!

Holiday time.

I have a weeks holiday now, and lots of baking ahead as Jasmine will be coming to stay. These are some of our previous projects.