Sunday, January 27, 2013

The last of the snow

Hagos bought a snowboard online, and there was just enough snow left to give it a go.
I wasn't at all successful, but Hagos managed a bit of a run. It took a lot of effort though.

I gave up fairly quickly and returned to the more immediately rewarding sledging! 

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

A lovely photo

I came across this photo tonight while looking for another, and really liked it. I like the composition and the colours. I think the hens are quite young here - the whiteness of Shelley gives it away!

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Sledging! And other snowy things.

Hagos is off recording today, so I decided to go sledging by myself. Isn't this the most amazing view from the top of the hill? With the Pentland Hills straight ahead. I laugh all the way from the top till long after I've reached the bottom.
I had no steering skills, so when I tried to follow my previous route down on the second run to avoid getting covered in snow, it didn't work.  I managed four runs all together. I could've played there all day, except for having to climb back up the hill each time.
Usually when I open the hen house door the hens all come running out in a hurry, but today they all stood in the doorway looking at the snow. Finally Arrow was brave enough to fly out, and land in the water. I do feel sorry for them though. They stand on one leg and tuck the other into their feathery belly to keep it warm, and then change feet. And they were shivering too. 
If you look closely under the table, beside the feeding bowl, you will see a sweet little robin. I counted three robins flying in and around the hen run today when I let the hens out. I think I've said before that as well as feeding the hens, we also get robins, pheasants, blackbirds and squirrels eating the layer pellets. They are so beautiful, and it's lovely to see a splash of such vivid red on a winter's day (the camera didn't pick it up though). 
Bow taking tentative steps in the snow.
And three of the seven eggs we got today. I love these top-down perspective shots. I might print out a series of them and hang them on my walls.

What a lovely day!

Monday, January 14, 2013

Delight - Departing Guests

I had a great weekend. On Saturday my sister and her husband drove up to Edinburgh and we met them at Whitmuir Organic Cafe and had coffee and cake, then came home to have lunch and a country walk. Then on Sunday our friends came over and we had lunch, then a snowball fight, then some sledging (which I LOVED), then other friends came over and we had a bonfire.
I had the foresight to take today off work, as, much as I love seeing people and doing stuff, I know myself well enough to know I need time to myself. My 'two hour rule' was vastly overstretched this weekend so today is all about engaging with nobody outside of my little family unit: my husband and my cat and my hens :)
It brings to mind one of the sections in JB Priestley's 'Delight' book, where he describes one of the things in life that brings him delight as 'Departing Guests'. I know exactly what he means. I appreciate spending time with the people I like, and I love coming back to myself and my own thoughts and interests. 

Saturday, January 05, 2013

Knitting mania

These three jumpers are all finished. I just have to sew them together and knit the neck. But instead of doing that (because sewing up is my least favourite part of the knitting process) I decided to start knitting a new pair of socks instead.
I got the blue wool from the John Lewis sale - half price! Four balls. It's Rowan Cashsoft 4 ply. Lovely, soft wool. I've had the reindeer motif for years, meaning to knit it into a pair of socks, and this is me just getting round to it. The blue and white colours are for the Scottish flag.

Hagos and I have been watching Dexter recently - the American series about a serial killer, but he only kills bad guys so that's okay. The main character is played by the actor who played the younger brother in Six Feet Under. It took me 8 episodes to get into it, now I love it. 

Tuesday, January 01, 2013

December 31st

Traditionally (since we moved to Scotland) we spend New Year's Eve with our friends. This was us lining up for our annual group photograph. The kids often move at the last minute so this was quite a success.
I wish I'd known it was going to be a Onesie party, I'd have bought the cat Onesie from Primark to wear. The boys looked great in theirs though.
Nate particularly is fascinated by Hagos's beard. He likes to stroke it, and ask questions about it. Hagos endures it as best he can.
Though it can be a bit overwhelming!

We didn't stay for the bells last night, as H has had a bad cold over the past few days. Expending any energy seems to knock him right back. But we stayed long enough to play Family Pictionary. We like playing normal Pictionary, but when I discovered there is a version with adult and child cards I thought I'd get it for JJ's Christmas, as he really likes the game. The first thing he drew was Peppa Pig, guessed rather swiftly by team effort from me and Lynsey. JJ insisted on drawing George to accompany Peppa Pig, which prolonged the game somewhat (he completed every drawing he did, even after we'd guessed correctly). 

My favourite part of the game was when Nate declared, "I don't want to be beaten by a tiger and two ladies." Obviously that kind of talk stirred our competitive spirit and spurred us on to overtake the boys' team on the board and win the game on the final All Play square.
This was the hens' treat yesterday: porridge with kiwi fruit. There are 15 of them now, though the newbies haven't worked their way into the pecking order yet, so I have to scoop out a little portion for them to the side. Most of the others can fend for themselves but I sometimes have to help out Malcolm and Lady Emma too, though they are getting braver.