One of my darling aunties came to visit all the way from Ireland. We took her to a country auction which was an absolute giggle. Some more family came and at one point there were five ladies in the kitchen rolling gnocchi... again with the giggles. The only mishap was forgetting her bag at our house (with her passport inside!) and her having to drive the 2.5 hrs to get it before catching her flight.
We've got ourselves some cluckers. They've gone from this...
To this...
...in just a few short weeks. It's amazing how fast they grow.
The chickens above are Rhode Island Reds. They are full of personality and are a lot of fun to watch. We're hoping a good portion of them are ladies and will provide us with some yummy fresh eggs. Any boys will likely meet the chopping block as we have neighbours who won't appreciate morning crowing. We lost our littlest bird to a cheeky fox that I had to chase off by yelling and banging. We've since added extra protection for our girls so no one else meets the same end as that poor wee fellow.
Above is our second batch of chicks. These birds are destined for the dinner table and will be ready to 'harvest' in a an amazingly short time. Don't feel too badly for them because they'll live a grand life with fresh grass, good food, clean water and lots of space to scratch and roll around.
A local farmer was offering free wool so I decided to swipe some. I got two garbage bags full! I have absolutely no experience with wool and have been having a grand old time experimenting. It's amazing that the stuff on the right can be turned into the stuff on the left with just a bit of soap and water. The goal will be to dye some with the Big D during summer vacation and give needle felting a try.
Last but not least... our gardens.
This is part of our veggie patch. So far we've taken radishes, lettuce, spinach and rhubarb. There's loads of other stuff planted back there too... beans, carrots, sprouts, potatoes, raspberries, pumpkins, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, garlic (to name just a few!). We also have herbs like thyme, sage, bergamot, southernwood, wormwood, mint, mugwort and much more. I can't wait until everything comes in. There is nothing like food from your own garden.
It's hard to believe that just a short while ago we happy the grass was poking through the snow.
