Something different!

Today I wanted to do something different!

So I made bread!

:D

New Year - new start.

It's been a while, but already I'm probably blogging more than last year!

I left my last job at the sword place as I finished what I was doing for them. So now I'm looking for a job, anything would do really, as long as I pay the bills and feed my family I'd be happy. I've been sending off application after application this last month or so, got one interview for a job that didn't exist but at least I have my foot through the door at that company now. :D

We went on Holiday to Florida recently to Disney World which was amazing on so many levels! This was our first holiday in something like 8 years and Kane's first proper holiday ever!

The photograph at the top of this post is one of Kane and I at Epcot on the Aqua Seas Tour. Jo bought this for our Birthday treat. This was proper scuba diving but without weights, so we swam around on the surface looking at all the sharks, turtles and fish below. I loved the man made coral reef and the fish swimming around and through it - the colours were incredibly vivid.
     The best thing about this (apart from doing it in the first place, with Kane of course) was the fact that Jo had also bought us both prescription masks, so I was able to see underwater for the first time in 30 years!! - THANKS JO!

We met some great people like Terry who was from Buffalo, NY. He was a construction worker who had driven massive dumpers and wanted to run a fishing charter boat at Niagara Falls. Not heard back from him, but he was a breath of fresh air in Disney, and we had a lot in common.

We also met Wayne Moore, who was an ordinary cast member at Animal Kingdom Lodge but because of his incredible passion for Disney trading pins he was given a new role. He is now King Pin, who is available every day at 3pm at AKL to trade pins - Kane got some really cool pins from him, and a couple of very special ones too!

It was a great trip, the flight over wasn't too bad, and the flight back was ok too - it's always a drag, but I was sat next to a tech journalist who lent me his Kindle and introduced me to a series of books I will read one day. Not only that, but we had some great chats about online gaming and other 'stuff'.

Hopefully sometime soon I'll get a job, but until then I've been working at home on the garden and chickens a little.

I hope you'll keep reading as I will post separate posts on what I'm doing here - and a run through of our holiday.

Christmas already!?

...not quite, but it will be on us in the blink of an eye!

Life is a changin', I have just finished my 4th week at my new job and I'm absolutely loving it!

I am now a cutler. I work for Pooley Sword who provide swords for the Ministry of Defence and other military establishments.

It turns out that we also made Prince William's sword for his wedding to Kate Middleton!

You can see the Prince's left hand resting on the bottom of the guard in the above picture.

We have also refurbished Prince Phillip's swords amongst other. Just finished a sword to be presented to Bernie Ecclestone too!

So, work is amazingly interesting and different every single day. I am in charge of stock and logistics and have already implemented a couple of ideas to make things work a little more smoothly, whilst I have also found ways of saving money too.

All the family is well, and we are looking forward to Christmas!

See you all soon!

:D

New Chickens on the block!

We've had a bit of a weird week, so we thought we'd get out the house for a while.
    Putting on our shoes Jo, Kane and I jumped in the car and went to St Martin's Wood to have a look at some chickens and buy some feed. It's a nice drive, only about 20 minutes, but it's enough of a change to clear the head and see some beautiful countryside - sometimes that's all you need!
   Jo had found their Facebook page and discovered that there was a discount, offered by the new owners, for this weekend only. The only way to secure this discount was to mention the new addition to their family, which was an Alsatian puppy called Indy. It all seemed a bit cloak and dagger if you ask me - walking up to the owner and saying in hushed tones;

"You have an Alsatian puppy called Indy"

I half expected him to say something back like "the larks fly at night"! It was a bit weird!

Anyway, we looked around and chatted about what sort of chickens we liked and the gentleman showed us what stock he had in. There were a lot of lovely looking chickens there, and it took a few minutes of looking at each other and debating to find out that we were actually going to buy some then and there.

Jo started to look around and pick chickens while the man tried to corner them and catch them - he said he could catch them first time, but seemed to have more than a bit of trouble catching the ones Jo and Kane wanted. Admittedly they were running around like Usain Bolt!

The chickens were put in a large box with plenty of holes, and then put in the back of the car with Kane keeping a good eye on them. Two bags of feed followed the box into the back of the car. I paid for the lot and also a large water dispenser which I will pick up next weekend as they were out of stock at the time - but we got the 10% discount which was really worth it in the end!

So, to the bit you've been looking forward to - the unveiling of my new 'ladies'.

So there you go - the gentle integration of our 4 new ladies into the family. I put them in with Star and two Isa Reds as Star is the youngest and fittest cockerel and will outlive Rhydian - sounds harsh, but it's how life goes I guess.

Thanks to Jo for those photos, below are the close up pics I took whilst inside the run. We have two Red Rock and two Blue Haze chickens.

Our Blue Haze ladies.

Checking out their new home.

A close up of one of the Red Rocks.

An unsure Star looks on.

I kept an eye on them most of the afternoon, and they kept themselves to themselves mostly, the new ladies taking over the coop, while Star, Queenie and Minnie decided the corner of the run was the best place to watch the new girls. Star tried several times to be amorous, but the new girls weren't having any of it - apart from once. We only have one name so far - as one of the Blue Haze birds has the lightest colouring, but is also heavy - so I thought of calling her Stone to start with (cos of the weight and colour) but Jo came up with Joss - as in Joss Stone. I'm happy with that!  

Then in the evening Kane and I spent the second night in a tent in our garden - next post I expect!

Lewes Boccia club update

Since I started Lewes Boccia there have been some changes.

I always envisaged the club to be open to everyone without limitations, but to start with I had to narrow the field down for what was specifically needed at the time which was a club tailored to my son Zak's needs.

Since running the taster sessions and the multisports sessions at Wave Leisure centre, the club has at last totally opened up to all ages and all disabilities.

On the 11th June, Zak and I (and Jo and Kane!) went to Northease Manor school, which isn't far from where we live, to promote Lewes Boccia. We arrived to find two long tables placed for us, and we set about putting our information out - plus our balloon bunting! 

We had photographs of our sessions, information packs, Lewes Boccia stickers, tee shirts and various equipment to show people what Boccia is all about. 

Here we are behind our promotion table. I thought of taking our big garden umbrella and stand as it looked like rain - good job we did as it threw it down for about 10 minutes!

It's not a particularly big fete, but it was our first time of promoting our club. We met a surprising amount of people when they visited our stall to see what Lewes Boccia was, and we were able to give out our information packs and a LOAD of stickers!

It was great to meet everyone that day, and we even met one lad who came from Zak's school! Overall it was a good day, and is something we shall definitely do again when we get the chance!

Back to basics

You may have noticed my lack of regular blog over the last year, this is because I have been concentrating on my other projects.

     The first one is the Kingston News, a village newsletter that goes out every month. It was failing as far as funding goes, and the treasurer was starting to get concerned over costs and longevity of the paper. When I took over, the previous editor didn't like asking for money for submissions, and after only two months I had implemented a pricing tariff for articles and adverts. Now, after almost a full year, the Kingston News is thriving, with people sending me the correct money, and happy to do so as they realise I have the villages best interests in mind.

     I have also turned it around so much that I we are able to sponsor a literacy award to Keystage 1 and 2 at my youngest son's school in the village. We are providing two wooden, engraved trophies for the kids - better than a book token I feel, as they get to keep them forever. 

     I have also created a website for the paper, www.kingston-news.co.uk which I keep updated with stories and photographs from the village.

The other thing that has been taking my time up this year is Lewes Boccia. You can read more about this on my other post, but briefly, my son couldn't find anywhere to play the paralympic sport Boccia, so we created a club ourselves! 

     It was the 14th January that was the defining moment of the club, it was after a meeting with the local leisure centre manager that I realised I had to start the club. Up to then it was just an idea floating around.

     We have helped the leisure centre run some multisport activities involving Boccia for young disabled kids, and also run two taster sessions for our own club. Our first proper club session was last week and it went very well indeed, with all participants enjoying themselves.

     I also created the website for Lewes Boccia, www.lewesboccia.co.uk and it will evolve and be updated as much as it needs to.

I have been busy with Zak as well. We have been making ramps for him and the club, going into the shed for hours at a time on the weekends!

     Our last time in the shed was spent designing and cutting to size materials for a table type raised bed.

The raised bed I made previously in our vegetable patch wasn't high enough for Zak, so the only other solution was to build something off the floor. Most of the parts are ready to put together, and we should be able to finish it this coming weekend.

In between everything else, it's the Easter holidays, Kane is home for two weeks. We've spent some of the nicer days playing outside throwing his frisbee and firing rockets up to 400ft up in the air with his stompy air toy.

     We've had some real laughs outside as the frisbee and rockets sometimes go in some strange places and hit bits of the body we'd rather not mention!

     Kane has also been sitting on my lap driving 'The Rig' (my ride on lawn mower) around the garden, flattening the mole runs and helping me cut and move some low hanging branches.

The soil for the raised beds arrived this morning, dropped off by an old work colleague from a firm I used to work for, which means I have more work to do!

     

A numerical wonder!

WOOHOO!

This blog just hit the 3000 pageview mark!

(although the counter was put on here way after I started)

Thanks all for reading!

:D

Lewes Boccia club is here!

A couple of months ago, Zak asked me to find somewhere for him to play Boccia. For those of you who don't know what Boccia is, it's a paralympic sport, created for athletes with cerebral palsy, and other impairments. You have to play it sitting in a chair, and it's similar to bowls - you have a white 'jack' ball, and you have to get your own coloured balls nearest to it to win.

     After a few weeks of looking for a Boccia club in our county, I found that most of the 'clubs' available were either within schools or residential places. I did find one locally, but it was for people 60+! That was in a residential home anyway. 

     Unable to find anywhere for Zak to play, I threw a flippant remark at him, saying maybe we should start up our own club, since there was nothing about. Zak agreed, in fact he seemed really impressed by the idea. 

     As I'd never done anything like this before it was difficult to know where to start, but I phoned the governing body of Boccia in the UK, and they thought it was a great idea. They in turn gave my email address to a couple of people. One person who called was a trustee of the local leisure centre group, and someone who knew about Boccia - what a result! She put me in touch with the manager of our local centre, and a meeting was booked for the 14th January.

     It all seemed to happen so fast after that. I had the meeting with the manager and a young man who's title was Disability Co-ordinator, it is a new post there, but it basically means it's his job to get the disabled into the   centre. It was only after that meeting that the club was officially formed. What happened next was a blur in my eyes.

     Within three weeks, I had a club name, a bank account, flyers, posters, designs for pin badges and stickers, and a website. I had also designed banners (4' x 2' for promotion purposes), tee shirts, not to mention I was able to take part in a official Boccia England training course!

     Part of the meeting at the leisure centre was to do with what they were already setting up for disabled young people. They were putting on some multisport activities, such as wheelchair basketball, or table cricket, wall climbing and other such sports. I was asked if I would be able to an introduction to Boccia on their taster days, so I jumped at the chance. I decided the best option was to be able to take Zak, so Friday evenings 5pm - 6pm were organised. The first one is on March 4th.

     The next logical action was to book my own taster days and so Jo accompanied me to the centre and I booked a month of Sundays to see if this idea/club would be viable. Paul the manager was so keen to get our club there, he gave us two hours in the sports hall free to use as our own taster sessions to introduce people to Boccia and our club.

     Now we have a website, email address and are even on Facebook!

All the contact details are on our website with information on our taster sessions;

www.lewesboccia.co.uk

Find us on Facebook

Zak is very pleased, as he has the membership number 001. He has his own laminated membership photo ID and a cool lanyard we bought him from Barcelona this week.

I also received a message from Boccia England asking me to contact a woman about 30 miles away, which I did straight away. It turns out that she used to play on the national Boccia team, and has been looking for such a club for years! I was pleased to be able to tell her all about the club, show her our website and facebook page, and she seemed very excited.

It proved to me that this club is exactly what some wheelchair users have been waiting for - they start to play the game within their schools or placements, and then once they leave, there is nowhere for them to go to play. More importantly, it somewhere for people who have been or still are wrapped up in their 'bubble' to get out, and meet new people in a similar situation.

There is a sad lack of social occasions for wheelchair users in this area, but hopefully that is about to change.

Fingers crossed all will go well on our taster days, and we start to form a regular membership!

 

Has it really been THAT long!? (updated - photo added)

WOW! Doesn't time fly by quick!

It's a whole new year and this is my first post!

A lot happened the end of last year - at least, this was the last thing on my mind if I'm being honest.

I hope to get back into regular posting, as there is so much going on now.

Kane is now 8 years old! It doesn't seem that long ago that I was holding him after he had just been born. He looked up to me with one eye as if to say "you'll do" then closed it again.

My wife has started running arty crafty courses, Kane is doing really well at school, Zak is adjusting to
semi-independent life and has a new interest which he is sharing with me, called Boccia. I'll do another post detailing exactly what has been going on there, but what started as a flippant remark to Zak, has turned into something far more - Lewes Boccia club!

My Birthday was on the 16th Feb, and I had a lovely day - got some nice presents, and some cash to pay for a private Soo Bahk Do lesson!

Jo and I celebrated Valentines Day by giving each other cards and then having lunch at the restaurant we went to for our first meal together. The Chef there has worked at a few restaurants including the Fat Duck owned by Heston Bloomenthal, and produced some very nice food indeed.

Also we lost three of the chicks we originally hatched, losing the silkie with smooth feathers quite recently. The good news is that the first one to hatch has turned into a very handsome cockerel called Star. You can see the silkie in him though with the 'brillo pad' on his head instead of a vertical comb. It's nice to see him climb the pecking order too - it will be nice to see him up the top some day! You can see a photo of him at the top of the post.

There is more news, but I'll write about those after they've happened (obviously!).

If you're reading this I'd like to say Happy New Year to you, as I missed doing it on the 1st Jan, and I wish you all the best for the coming year!

Santa visits Kingston Pre-school!

You'd never guess who came to town on Friday...

...only Santa!

Admittedly, I had some insight seeing as it was ME!

Last year I was asked if I was able to be Santa for the local Pre-school. It was something I jumped at, as I love kids and the pre-school is a fantastic place, in which Kane had a great few years at.

The problem was, that last year it snowed very heavily, so much in fact the pre-school was closed and my services were no longer needed, so instead of getting dressed up and seeing the kids... I dressed up and walked about in the snow in our garden and fed the chickens!

There are some photos of last years outfit here.

I said goodbye to Jo after getting changed, and off I set to the pre-school.

Santa de-icing the windows.

A surprised looking Santa!

One can only blame the mince pies!

When I arrived I gently knocked on the door and Claire, the lady in charge, gave me one minute while she got the kids sitting down and quiet - then it was my grand entrance. I rang a set of sleigh bells outside the door and Claire asked the children if they could here anything - I was amazed at how many kids shouted out;

"SANTA'S SLEIGH BELLS!"

So with the door now open I walked in and did my "HO HO HO!". Claire guided me to a chair and the kids sat in front, looking up at me with excited eyes, and big grins.

Luckily, I happen to know some of the kids as their older siblings go to Kane's school - and it was amazing to see their little faces light up when I spoke to them by name and gave them a present wrapped and given by their parents to the pre-school previously.

One of the highlights was a little tiny speck of a girl who came up to me and said;

"I put a carrot out for your reindeer last year"

to which I replied;

"yes I know, and it gave my reindeer extra power so I was able to put all the children's' presents under the trees"

She went away grinning from ear to ear!

It was time to go once I had given out all the presents, and I was thanked by one parent who was holding a tiny baby dressed in red, with a Santa hat on - so cute! (I did remember to ask him if he'd been a good boy this year!)

It was a great experience, and you know what was the icing on the cake?


..... I've already been booked in for next years event as well!!

Movember has finished!

I am almost sorry to lose the 'tache', but Movember is now officially over!

Our team - Team Chuck - raised over £400.00 for The Prostate Cancer Charity UK.

Here is a photo of some of the group - next to me is our Master Instructor Andy Scriven, from Scriven Soo Bahk Do, then there is Bob Andy's dad, the Nick - another student from the club.

We have a member of the club who has literally just finished his course of chemotherapy, his own personal fight with Prostate Cancer - we all wish him the very best, and hope that the money we raised goes a little way to helping others.

Quick update

Well, the 'Mo' is going reasonably well - partly down to shaving approx 12 hours after the rest of my team!

Here we are as of yesterday!

Scary eh!?

Movember!

Hi all,
    yesterday I did something that I have only done about 4-5 times since I was 19...

...I had a wet shave!

Now this may not sound very interesting, but maybe when I tell you that it's in aid of the Prostate Cancer Charity, things may seem a little more clear.

You can read all about Movember, and how it helps by going to this link.

Here is a photo of my lovely (!?) smooth face - a lot of people are saying how young I look!

All through November I shall be growing a moustache. My Soo Bahk Do Master Instructor has made a team called Team Chuck, and any donations can either be made directly to the team, or to me personally here.

Hopefully we will raise some much needed cash for this important charity. I have a friend from Soo Bahk Do that has recently had Prostate cancer, in fact he's going for his last hit of chemotherapy soon, plus the fact that I know a lot of people who have had cancer makes this effort all the more worthwhile!

If you can donate - even a small amount to our team or to me, I would be eternally grateful, if not, then hopefully I have raised awareness a little bit, and helped the fight against this form of cancer!

A horrible find today!

Today on one of my visits to check the chicks I found something really awful.

One of the chicks - the smallest one of the batch - had died.

She had no marks on her, she wasn't malnourished, so I'm not quite sure WHY she died.

From seeing the chicks when they were just hatched to seeing this little bundle of white feathers lying so unusually still.

There's nothing else to say really.

So sad.

Chicks move into their new home!

I thought it about time the chicks went outside and started to realise what the big, bad world is all about, so I put them out in their new coop, with their little run.

Now the run isn't as big as I would have liked, but it's enough for the little chicks to scratch around, and for mum to get some fresh air.

We have 3 types of chick. Their father is the same - Rhydian, but their mothers vary. Two brown eggs hatched, then two of the white Silky eggs hatched.

From the brown eggs came the brown chick with the striking markings it's a typical brown Isa I think, with tan legs and skin and brown feathers.

From the other brown egg came the white chick. This chick has the same type of feathers like the brown Isas except they are white, but has black skin like the other Silkies.

The youngest two are definitely Silkies - typical scruffy feathers, big black eyes and black skin.

While I was taking photos, mum wanted to get in on the fun too!

Queenie is looking a little tired and bedraggled, but hopefully once they are all integrated she will fluff back up!

Chicks get new home.

Well, I decided in the last few days that I ought to make some kind of dwelling for the chicks and Queenie, so they can get used to being outside and running about in the grass.It won't have a massive run, but should give them a little sense of adventure, while also letting the other ladies and Rhydian get used to them.

The coop isn't finished - I felted the roof today but haven't started felting the outside walls yet. I also started on their run - hopefully tomorrow I shall be able to felt some more and finish the run.

The run is approx 3' x 3' and is 17" high. There is no bottom to the run, as I'm making it for day release only, and they will be securely locked up in the little coop at night.

I must admit, I was quite pleased with it, my favourite bit being the little door that flaps down to reveal a little ladder board for the chicks to get back inside.

Usually when I make things, I make them so they do the job at hand - I'm not particularly great at finishing off, but this time I thought I'd spend a little extra time making sure this coop would last and look nice (must be my age!). I love the pitched roof, as the half that comes off is now hinged to the coop by means of being stuck to the felt - it won't be lifted up that often, so I'm happy with that.

Hopefully the chicks and Queenie will like it - it's not to last them forever - just until they are bigger and are more integrated with the flock.

I will post once it's finished and in place.

Chicks take over the coop!

It's true - mother hen Queenie is no longer queen of the roost.

The four chicks have been seen trampling all over mum, even to the point she has one sitting on her back!

The above chick could be called Stella after Jo's mum, but we a little undecided whether to call the white one Stella instead. One thing is for sure, her feathers and the the little black stripe on her head are beautiful and hopefully she'll keep some of that detail later on in life.

The older chicks are growing their feathers very nicely, but with the smaller two looking quite tatty, as their feathers aren't growing as nicely as the others - is this a problem - I have no idea. Maybe they'll grow normally in a while, but I don't know - hopefully they will.

I replaced the floor in the old coop and made sure all the holes were covered in the door and back wall. Hopefully it's a lot warmer and safer now! At least they have a nice little area to run around in.

Queenie has been teaching the chicks to scratch recently, so every time I go in to check the water cups, I have to clean the bedding straw and sawdust out.

I have picked them up a few times now, and I like holding the coffee lid of water as they drink, because they can get used to my hands, and when they drink they tip their heads back and look straight at me - which is very cute (sorry to be a bit soppy there!)

The next stage is for me to make a little coop for mum and the chicks to go in actually outside the large coop, with a little run so they can start getting used to grass and all the other things they will hopefully take for granted when they're older.

Friday chick update.

Well, despite all my fears and worries, things seem to be going ok in the brooder.

Queenie is showing she's a devoted mother type, and the chicks are eating their chick crumbs, and drinking their water nicely.

They seem to be growing quite quickly already and fluffing up well.

Here's a little film made this morning of the chicks at the watering hole - the whole family taking a break!



Enjoy!

Chick update No.3

I say 'chick update No.3' as I put two updates on the bottom of my last post - I didn't want to seem TOO obsessed!

Today's post will comprise of this first bit - then further down at the bottom there will be updated news as it happens (or pretty much anyway!).

Not a lot to report today so far. We still have four chicks, and they are looking cuter than ever!

I had to make sure the remaining eggs were nicely under Queenie, as she seems to occasionally forget they are there - but then again, it's all new to her and she has a lot to cope with right now!

I very carefully lifted Queenie off the remaining eggs, her chicks were peeping out to see what was going on, to put her in front of her food and water. She was very unsteady on her feet, and so would mine be if I'd had been sitting for the amount of time she has - but she managed to eat some, drink some, and leave behind the biggest, stinkiest deposit I have ever seen from a chicken!

...still, you probably didn't want to know that last bit!

;)

Here's what the chicks look like this morning...



And one of the chicks eating her tasty chick crumbs!



Enjoy!

:D

Two chicks have hatched!!

After all the fretting and worrying about whether or not I had done everything right...

...should I have moved the eggs?

...will the hen sit still on the eggs long enough?

...have I provided a good enough brooder for the hen and the chicks?

...it looks as though I can relax just a little bit today, as yesterday was the day the first two chicks hatched out of their eggs!

I realised this morning, that the broody hen was in fact Queenie. Queenie was one of the chickens we rescued a couple of years back, and was and still is, the only hen to actually stand up to Rhydian. I remember when she came in, Rhydian started to boss her around, when she reared up, with all her neck feathers standing on end - it made her look like a spitting cobra - the effect was so dramatic! She has been the one most friendly towards me - I feel awful I didn't realise it was her.

I went over this morning to let the rest of the ladies (and Rhydian) out to free range as usual, and to check on the broody hen and the eggs. Inside the coop I heard some definite 'cheeps', so excitedly I open the door and looked inside - there was a little tiny, white head peeping out from under Queenie's rear feathers!

I snuck inside a bit further and sat down on the hay next to the brooder, when ANOTHER head popped out. This one was a light brown colour with a dark stripe on it's head, and looked so cute!

While I was there I couldn't help but pick one up and just marvel at the whole aspect of a new life starting. This was totally unexpected - and I've only had a couple of days to adjust to the thought of possibly having chicks hatching - I just hope that I can look after them well enough for them to survive and prosper.

As I was sitting there, I filled up the small 1kg feeder with chick crumbs and the coffee cap with water (washed out thoroughly of course!). I then held both in front of Queenie one at a time so she knew that they were food and drink for her babies. Hopefully she will show the chicks how to eat and drink properly - at least that's the plan!

Here's a photo of them clambering a bit under the watchful eye of Queenie.

I also took a few little movies - they can be seen on my Youtube channel here, as well as this one below.



You can hear their little cheeps, but you can also hear Queenie telling the chicks to behave themselves!

I'll be keeping regular updates on these little things, so keep checking back for the latest news!


UPDATE!





The newest addition to our family!



Awwwwww!

NEW UPDATE!!

We now have FOUR chicks!


:D

Mother hen

Today I spent a little time making a brooder for the eggs I found.

It's only a bit of 12mm OSB with some old shelf bits for sides, but it will the new home for (hopefully) any chicks that may hatch over the next week or so. I also covered two out of four of the coop roof vents so the end where the brooder sits is in the darker section, which should keep her nice and calm.

Most of the eggs are Silkie eggs, but two are brown and have come from the hybrid layers we rescued from the farm two years ago. Rhydian is our only male, and he is a Silkie so I wonder what will come out of the brown eggs - will they be hybrid brown colour, will they be white, or will they be a strange mix of the two - it remains to be seen.

The weirdest thing about all this happened after I had made a new nest for the broody hen and the eggs. I had just lifted the hen off the eggs and was in the process of moving them ever so carefully, when I heard a cheep and felt the egg I was lifting move!

To be honest, I nearly dropped the egg as I wasn't expecting it to do that!

After the hen had finished drinking and eating from the containers I had put in the old coop, I put her on top of the eggs, and she nuzzled them as she got herself comfortable. The food and water are outside the brooder so she doesn't make it too dirty, and can stretch her legs when she wants something.

The last thing I did was to make sure the door was shut and locked. She is definitely living the dream of having her own secure apartment!

Stiggy loves the chicks!

A weird thing happened today. I went to collect the eggs as per usual, but in a strange place, there were a number of eggs, so I picked one up. It weighed more than the others so I got my torch and checked them.

8 of the eggs seemed to have chicks inside!

I hope to raised at least a few of the chicks - I'm really hoping they survive!

I am in contact with the man most knowledgeable about these things - Don!

Oh.... and I also have about 8-10 baby stick insects.... seems like our home is growing into a farm!

:D

May Fayre day.

The local school always puts on a May Fayre, and this year was no different.


It was opened by the Newhaven Marching Band, who played a wide selection of classical and modern tunes to the early visitors.

Around the outside of the playground, there were many stalls for people to peruse.

There was a book stall, plant stall, and white elephant stall (no-not to buy white elephants from!) that sold all sorts of strange and wonderful items - as well as the more normal things like games and video cassettes.

Kane's favourite was the 'Throw a sponge at the Teacher' stand, where we paid £1.00 to throw 3 wet sponges at the teacher - although to start with, Mr Dobell the headmaster took up the challenge of being soaked!

I think Kane threw 9 sponges, and I threw probably the same amount - although after hitting Mr Dobell full in the face with a fully laden wet sponge, I was told to double the distance to throw from. Unfortunately for the headmaster, this only seemed to improve my aim!

Kane then wanted to have a ride on 'Sparkles' the lovely white pony, like he does every year, so up he popped and rode around the playing field.

Up next was the coconut shy, where on my penultimate throw, we won a coconut!!

The bouncy castle was next, but the rain stopped play, so his go was cut a little short.

We met some friends at the Fayre, and bought some cakes to take home to Zak and Jo. 

All in all it was an excellent day, and we look forward to going next year as well!

:D