Beltane giveaway.

I feel like sharing my great good mood with everyone so I'm going to have a Beltane gift giveaway. Tomorrow I'm going to paint a Beltane picture, sew a Reiki pouch and put together a few things.

All you have to do is leave a comment, even if you've never commented before or for a while. I'm going to run this on both blogs, so there will be two winners. You can comment on both if you like, that's ok :)

As soon as the picture is finished I'll post more details of the actual giveaway.

Edited to add:

Here is the picture I'll be giving away. I've called it 'Dawn' and it shows a Hawthorn tree standing against a dark hill and a dawn kissed sky. The print will be 5x7inches and will probably be a little darker than this picture.



I'll also throw in a Reiki pouch and few little surprise goodies. I'll close the giveaway in two weeks, so that will be the 14th of May. Good luck and don't be shy putting your name down :)

An interesting time of it!

You may have noticed that I've not had much to say! Well, I had a wee health scare, but after a long and anxious wait, a trip to the Hopsickle has put my mind at rest. I'm all ok now and feeling more like my old self.

I've not been idle though, and I have lots to share. I just need to get the camera out and take a few piccies, so normal service will soon resume.

Hope everyone is hale and hearty, hugs to you all :)

Sewing Sunday.

I'm sorry guys but in a lazy day moment, I've posted the same item on both blogs. Sometimes I think a cross over of blogs is ok, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it, haha!

Ren over at Fairysteps has started a Sewing Sunday Flicker group and today I'm going to join in. Before I get started on my lovely (and expensive) linen skirt, I'm going to have a play with this pretty cotton lawn that was an Ebay bargain.



It was a lttle too bright and new looking, so I gave it a good soak in some strong tea. It's not as dark as I would like, but it's a little muted now and that's fine.


I've cut out a simple A line shape and will sew this up later today after ponies are fed and housework tackled. Pictures of my progress to follow.

Have a lovely Sunday everyone.

Chickens.

Wow! What an incredibly busy time I've had of it lately. I've crammed as much into the Easter holidays as possible to try and make life a little easier when I go back to work. My time has been extended at the school, but on a week by week basis, according to their funding. They can't really afford to keep me on, but need me there so it's a case of juggling their pennies. Thankfully I'm still really enjoying the work but it's so clear that the home and field have been neglected. Hence the simplifying of our lifestyle.

I'm almost too ashamed to post this picture, so I thought distance would lessen the blow! The hen house and run are in terrible shape and the run has almost collapsed in on itself. I've been trying to patch it up, but it really should have gone last year. Rather than build a new one, we took the decision to move the hens to the field. The garden is now very tidy, but a little empty and quiet!


We were given a large dog cage last year, which is extremely strong and secure. With the electric fence around the perimiter, I feel that the hens are as safe as they possibly can be. The run is only really comfortable for 3 hens, so no plans to extend the family yet, but in the future, who knows?


They seem to like the new set up, although the sound of the crows had them diving for cover and our resident pheasant isn't too chuffed!


We have the other half of the rabbit run to let them out on the grass for a while when we are in the veg garden and in time I'll let them out to range freely in the paddocks. Again, though, only when we are with them. Foxy is around all the time and doesn't like to stick to times, preferring instead to pop up when she thinks I'm not looking!

We've had eggs from the hens, which I guess is the best indicator that things are well with them, although Lottie did try to lay one on the roof of their house, so she's still getting used to the set up!!!

Later, more of what else I've been up to this week :)

YAAY! My chickens are going!

No, I haven't lost my mind and become a chicken hater!!! We have finally taken the decision to move the hens to the field, and keep all our smallholding projects together. I'm so excited!

I'll be back later with lots of pictures of the new set up and some wonderful goodies that came in the post. I must stop smiling now, my face is beginning to hurt :)

The odd couple.

These two boys are funny little fellows! Max stays inside more so that Arnold has to take care of the garden, and without Bigwig around, Charm clearly feels happier having Arnold around.

They are keeping their eyes on each other and I wonder what exactly is going through their minds! One thing is for sure, a few months ago they would have not have been happy in the garden together, preferring instead to skirt around each other.



I'm sure that Charm misses Bigwig, even though they weren't terribly close. He's been allowing me to stroke him more than he used to and he sometimes goes over to see the chickens, even though he seemed to hate them before. I guess we have to adapt and move on and these two seem to be doing just that. Bless them :)

Studio!

The gorgeous weather today had me fleeing to the Studio as soon as my other chores were finished. Children and ponies were fed, cats were sleeping and hubby was working. Sheesh! It was messy out there!



The after pictures though didn't look much better, so I've focused on a couple of close ups! A lovely, twisty branch that makes me feel happy and gives me lots of inspiration for trees.


My neat stacks of wood, ready to be sanded and painted. Each block takes an age to sand down to a smooth, satiny finish, but it's so worth it. Some of the beautiful patterns are too delicate to paint over, so I'll use the grain to enhance my pictures. I see lots of fairies and goblins dancing across these little blocks.

Happy Easter.

Here's hoping that Easter weekend finds you all having fun, indulging in chocolate and watching cheesy movies. I had a lot of outside jobs to get done, but the weather hasn't been too kind, so I've been spring cleaning and loving it. It's great when things start to come together, and parts of the house have become a dumping ground for our various projects. Now I've got a little time to sort things out, hopefully things will be put away properly (are you listening children!).

I had a birthday recently and a couple of lovely gifts from hubby were this gorgeous spotted tea pot, which I totally adore, and the Florence and the Machine album. Moomin took her pocket money to school and bought me this fab book, and darling son bought me a hooooge box of maltesers (no picture as they are all gone!). I had a perfect day, but these lovely colours make me want to decorate the kitchen, so that's on the 'to do' list now!



I treated myself to a canvas board and some artists turps, which is meant to be better to use than normal turps. Now I don't know what to do with the board, as I don't want to waste it!


Some fabric seemed to follow me home too, along with a pattern and some lace! I need a long, lightweight skirt, but can't find anything I like, so I'll just have to make one, it looks fairly simple, but we'll see :)