Crochet!

Tavish often sends me potholders that she has crocheted. I can only crochet basic stitches, although as a child I learnt to crochet lace - fine and intricate. All that is locked somewhere in the deeper rescesses of my mind! Looking at Tavishes potholders and coasters, I decided to have a go.

I started a couple of weeks ago with a coaster. The first attempt came out saddle shaped. The second one was flat but needed much tweeking and closer attention being paid to the amount of stitches and where they were placed. The third coaster was more successful. The picot edge was not quite evenly spaced, especially where I ran out of yarn with only two 'picots' to do!

So after recieving and being inspired by Tavish's Informal Spring Parcel, I thought I'd have another go at crochet. This is the inspirational Spring Potholder. Next to it is my first square.

Ta-da! This is my finished potholder, holding it's own flanked by Tavish's Spring Potholders. Just to the right is KnittyWittyCarina's potholder and to the left is a fish - one of the first things that Tavish sent to me.
A close up of my first Crochet Potholder! Thanks so much to Tavish for her potholders and for inspiring me to take up my hook!

Easter in The Garden

We have been spending more time in the garden - planting and sewing. HobbitKeeper has constructed netting cages over the beds that we've sewn to keep local cats from planting their messages. They seem quite effective so far. There is nothing worse than seeing a freshly sewn bed with cat poop in it, then knowing that whatever is sewn there probably wont grow.
Let sleeping dogs lie! Rhinog taking a nap, days in the garden - following HobbitKeeper and Momma around, watching for Fairies (cats) at the bottom of the garden as well as keeping an eye on the chooks can be very very tiring!

Oregano, parsley and corainder seeds germinating along with HobbitKeepers tomato seeds. My toms are on the window legde in the back bedroom (aka my knitting room) and are doing much better. I've also got cress, mustard fenugreek seeds on the go, as well as two types of chillis.

These are the courgette seedlings. We've done very well with courgettes in the last couple of years, so I've got high hopes for these! A lot of the plants will be given away, as we only need a couple of plants but it just seems such a waste not to plant all the seeds in the packet.

I'm transplanting some strawbery plants into guttering. The frame is for raspberry canes - of which we've planted three. As we've got a small garden we try to maximise space and think three dimensionally. We grew some strawbs like this last year rather sucessfully. The slide in my hair is from Tavish in Tonawanda!

In the bottom corner of the garden, where the arbour is, we're going to make into a secret and quiet area of the garden. So HobbitKeeper has built the frame. He's also put a conifer in a pot. The area will have 'pretties' in as well, so it will be more of a proper garden rather than a funtional garden.

The chooks are finding it very frustrating at the moment as we can't let them out of their run so they can have free range of the garden. Not only would they eat every worm in sight but they would eat every seed as well! When a worm is dug up, they are given it though, so they don't miss out on that score! The chooks are doing well however! Young Sage has made a full recovery from her frostbite in her comb. She is laying now, so the worry levels are down for me!

A Walk on Doxey Marshes

On Sunday, HobbitKeeper took me for a walk to one of his newly found favourite places to fish - Doxey Marshes. The marshes are within walking distance of home. The far end where we walked, we drove to. It's only about two miles from home. The pictures aren't in proper order of walking......

This is part of the Management System of the marshes. I don't profess to know the wrongs or rights of management of such a place, but... this is ugly and out of place! Other attempts of controlling the water pools and making 'dead' areas of water have been overtaken by nature - banks have been broken and huge chunks of concrete are now inches below water. I can't understand the politics of this type of water control.

This is another example of the management - creating banks and dividing water. The only reason I can see for doing this is to create areas for the Canadian Geese and other birds to nest in. Apparantly the amount of geese there in the height of the season is phenomenal.
There are even cows on the marshes - running cows - these cows don't walk, they run!

HobbitKeeper planning his tactics when the Fishing Season opens!

Tavish's Ray of Sunshine!

Yesterday, after Knitting and before running off to work, I recieved Tavish's Ray of Sunshine, and shunshine it was! Tavish sent me three baby patterns, four sachets of tea, fried rice seasoning, a 'Grew-ems' credit card and a lovely card - raining cats and dogs! Indy sent Rhinog some of her biscuits - people crackers! Rhinog had a few wjen I came in from work so there is not as many in the picture!

I really enjoy getting things in the post. This swap is a good one as it doesn't hurt the purse and does as it says - sends sunshine!

Leaping forward into spring and getting the first planting of the season done!

Sunday was spent in the garden. It was a beautiful spring day and we did the first of the planting. Hobbitkeeper doing the First Earlies - potatoes to you and me! Me planting the courgettes in the Potting Shed. Although I knew what I was doing I was under strict supervision.........

How sweet is the first crop of the year??!! Me sampling the first cane of Rhubarb. This had been forced under a cloche and away from pecking chooks! The taste was like nothing on earth! The sweetness I've not tasted in rhubarb in a very long time. Without stating the obvious, I could taste the freshness of it, scrumptious! I had it dipped in sugar (how young did I feel eating it?!) a thing that shall always remind me of my Grandma x

Here is Sage. She is recouperating from frostbite in her comb. She is slowly getting better as we were very close to loosing her. Everyday she is getting a bit stronger, so fingers crossed she makes a full recovery!

Giving the chooks a head start on the worm hunt! Like I have any choice, digging without finding a chook on the end of your fork or spade is an impossibility! Here are The Three Muscka-chickens - Radar, Guess and Roast.

HobbitKeeper giving Guess a bit of fuss.

HobbitKeeper having a well earned break, sat on top of the chicken run!

Me preparing the tilth, ready to plant beetroot and lettuce

Cloths, Korma's and Rhinog

I had my first Ray of Sunshine from Carina, aka KnittwittyCarina this morning. It is as wonderful as it looks! Two panels of cable with three panels of garter stitch, bordered by a few rows of garter stitch all the way round!! I'm very pleased with this! Carina also sent some 'Hello Kitty' stickers!

My pan rack, adorned with Carina's potholder and Paula's St Patricks Day potholders, and a couple of potholders from our first swap!

In case your wondering what I'm having for tea tonight - a mushroom and potato Korma, made from scratch, along with Rice and home made garlic and coriander Naan bread.

And this is my Rhinog, being a tart, smiling at me and wanting a tickle on his tum - which he got!

The Early Bird Only Gets The Worm If He Digs Where The Chooks Can't Get Too (Yet!)

Now, this afternoon, we spent a few hours in the garden. It has been a bit of along standing thing that there is stiff competition between HobbitKeeper and the Chooks to see who get the worms first - it's nothing to do with the early bird!

HobbitKeeper thought it would be amusing to get to the worm first, by digging in an area that the chooks can't get to - or sussed out how to get to yet!

This is HobbitKeeper dangling a worm for Guess (with Radar in the background).

This is the action shot of Guess jumping for the worm! Yes she did get it!

This is me, knitting, surprisingly enough! I'm knitting a cloth for Tavish. The design is 'Waves on the Shore' by Maile Mauch, using Peaches & Creme.

Prior to this photo being taken, HobbitKeeper lifted the pot, which is forcing some rhubarb. Radar and Guess are sure they saw something green, pink and tasty, hence the search! They know it's round here somewhere!

Chickens love freshly dug soil probably more than cats do (although I'm sure come tomorrow morning there will be cats prints all over the beds along with the ubiquitus cat poop)! The Three Muskachickens will be there in a flash when the ground is being turned over. This is the only way HobbitKeeper can keep the girls off the fresh soil. As you can see, they don't take a blind bit of notice!

For the knitters amongst you, HobbitKeeper is wearing a Noro Cash Island Beanie Hat, from Noro Mini Designs.

In another week or so, the seeds will be being planted and the garden will slowly come back to life and become much greener. How many chooks can you see??!!