Spring chickens

My LSOH and I have just done a 1.5 hr round trip to Greensborough to collect two brand new hatchlings to put under my mother hen, Shelley Winters.

Shelley ended up with just the one chicklet hatching, but now the solo hatchling (A Columbian Wyandotte if anyone is into that level of detail) has two adopted sisters (well, hopefully not brothers! No roosters in this little corner of suburbia please).

Thought they are different colours and breeds,  I don’t think chickens are racist.

One is a pale lemon fluffy pom- pom headed Polish (who, if I was a daggy kind of chook owner, might get named "Sherbie" ...and likely will).

The other is a strawberry roan Rhode Island Red who may get called Katie after Katherine Hepburn (one of only two natural Hollywood red heads btw).  Both are bantams and just hatched in the last 24hrs  and in case you thought we were stealing them away from their "real mother"  .

Martha Stewart doesn't know an Araucana from a Pendescenca.

Ahem...well who would?

Money for Jam....

Yesterday Dad and me made strawberry jam together, with the abundance of fresh strawberries he had in his fridge.

 

 

 

Here is Dad stirring the jam!

 

 

 



And here is the finished product!

Recipe and tips to follow :)

The Lost Trades Fair - Kyneton

The weekend before last  was our long awaited visit to the Kyneton Lost Trades Fair, now in its second year and much bigger than the 2014 event according to one local.

Originally this tribute to the traditional trades and the people who made them, fitted entirely into the Kyneton museum, with some of the artisans working from their nearby premises.

Now the festival, created by chairmakers Lisa and Glen Rundell, spills over the Kyneton racecourse with 84 stall holders and incredibly, 13-14,000 visitors this year.

Nanna's bunnies...and the Harcourt Apple Festival

 

We found ourselves by complete chance at the Harcourt Apple Festival last weekend. 

This festival was a lot of fun and we felt very lucky to have caught it as it enabled us to get a feel of the local "vibe" as well as sample great  cider and perry - or rather purchase great cider and perry,as we have been lucky enough to sample the goods via family in Castlemaine, in recent years. ;) 

All in all a fine quality product we can highly recommend!

Nanna's bunnies

These utterly charming bunnies were made by the young stall holder's Nanna.  I loved these so much I had to ask M to buy me one - and yes this little fellow is now living at my place - isn't he cute? And Nana (of a grand old age - not - of 65) made him!. Go Nanna I say!

Apart from the cider and perry stalls there were many more stalls of face painting, circus acting classes, and animal petting.All in all a great family fun day.

Circus training for all

This happy fella was content to just "sit" in the petting pen - and I have never seen a more contented incumbent at a petting pen than he.:)

Apples at the Harcourt Apple Festival

And this sweet caravan could not fail to charm...isn't it gorgeous? All in all a good afternoon and one we can highly recommend for next year!!

Little Mouse Tea House

Taking a break ..Part 2

Have you ever been to the Mid North Coast of NSW, and inland to the Dorrigo? If not you are missing out on a stunning part of our beautiful country, full of flavour, natural beauty and interest. Of course as a Victorian, I can say that humbly, having been introduced to this part of the world by my NSW born and bred other half, Michael.

Michael's father Athol loved the Dorrigo plateau, just inland from Urunga on the coast by about half an hour, driving through it as a logger on many, many trips,  back in the 70's. Michael first saw it as a little tacker riding with his Dad and fell in love with it too.

Taking a break...Part 1

In Late January we abandoned the chooks and the garden to head North.

This was our destination  in Northern NSW - So gorgeous and unspoilt I am reluctant to name the location ! Let me think about that :)...We were away for a month and the next couple of posts will be about some truly beautiful places and inspiring people, trying to live sustainably, creatively, and connectedly.

Anonymous walkers on Mylestom Beach