What is Orange and Rhymes with Parrot?

Emily at Ba-gawks.blogspot.com  has kindly agreed to let me share some of her photographs with you.  'Ba-gawks' is my type of place, loads of photographs of chickens and goats.  I am very excited and pleased about this as I think the photographs are wonderfully creative and they make me very happy to look at.  I really hope they make you smile as much as they make me smile.

Little Chicken on the prairie

Chick Peas

Chicken in a Little Mushroom Hat

Chicken and Tomato

Chicken Hood

Ahoy Jim Lad!

Chicken Flower Fashion

Helping the ill

Chicken and Sweetcorn

Warrior Chicken

Suits you Sir!

Pretty as a Picture

Wingardium Leviosa

May the Force be with You!

If you would like to see more photographs pop over and say 'Hiya' to Emily.  I am off to get me some felt!

The Lord Of The Rings!

I went for a walk at the weekend with Lacey and Euan through the 'Shire'.  I tried to get some video of Lacey with a 'branch' unfortunately it seems I only recorded myself heavy breathing for two minutes...so I will spare you that.  I managed to keep the rusty old shopping trolley out of shot for this photograph.  This place is known as 'Pike's Pool'.  I am not sure anything could live in this swampy muddy mess.  The Pike would probably be radioactive.  Euan wanted me to play 'The Lord of The Rings.'  I was on the look out for 'Black Riders'.

I looked carefully and got allocated the part of 'Gandalf' to play.  I felt very important for about three minutes.

Euan was Gimley the Dwarf.  Lacey was as close to a 'Black Rider' that we got.

Then came my bitter blow.  I was abruptly demoted from being 'Gandalf' and  I was reappointed as "The Dwarf's Fat Mother!"  Charming!  Kids eh!  It is a good job I love him!  He is lucky he did not end up in the stinky water!

On a brighter note I spotted some catkins.  I also spotted some early signs of 'May Blossom' on the Hawthorn Bushes.  Gimley got bored as I tried very hard to photograph them.

I didn't quite manage a good shot here either.  I really need a photography class.  Take my word for it anyway...green shoots and little tiny buds.  Everything looks prettier in 'the Shire' in the Spring.

This is the River Arrow.  It runs through the town along through Worcestershire and joins up with The River Avon in Warwickshire, Shakespeare Country, 'Stratford Upon Avon'.  I must take a trip to Stratford and get some photographs of Shakespeare's Birthplace to share with you.  It is a lovely place to go shopping too!

This is our local Duck Pond.  It was not a very photogenic day.  We have just had some very wet and windy weather.  Still no 'Black Riders'.  I did spot some new shoots of 'Dogwood' though which looked very bright and cheery.

Do you want to know how I know it is 'Dogwood'?  You can tell by the bark!   We returned home to 'Hobbington' from our adventure, safe and well, even if one of us had a dented ego!

Check out this House, isn't it beautiful?

I thought they Love me. Chickens escaped!

My Girls must be entering the 'Teenage Unruly Phase'.  I thought they loved me.  I also thought my garden was chicken proof!  It seems a neighbourhood cat has been in cahoots and shown them a gap in the fence!  I bet that cat is plotting something, trying to lead them astray like that.  It was a tiny gap in the fence and I did not witness the act!  So maybe it went something like this?

They were in the neighbours garden being 'helpful'.  They were digging up his parsnips!  I had to go round and apologise.  Then try to catch them.  In my own garden they run towards me, overjoyed to see me but in the neighbours garden, oh no!  They pretended they didn't know me!  I nearly had to resort to this:

A phone call to the 'Chicken Police'!  Euan found the hole escapade most distressing, I found it moderately anxiety inducing and Henry thought the whole thing was pretty funny!  It cost me six eggs worth of apology and now I am watching those chickens like a Hawk!

A Post about Post

I was wondering what to write about today and then I heard the Postman squishing a packet through the letter box.  We do have a 'Mailbox' but for some reason some Posties prefer to stand and squish.  Inside the package was this delightful 'Deep Purple', Hand Painted 4ply yarn.  I really really shouldn't be buying any more yarn, so I didn't!  I am a Yarn Magnet.  Just before Christmas, in a bit of an emotionally turbulent week the 'Yarn Angels' looked kindly upon me and I WON this!  Whoo hoo!  Go me!  It was after a kind Ravelry Friend gave me the 'tip off' about 'Old Maiden Aunt Yarns' group'.  Old Maiden Aunts Yarns is a company in Scotland specialising in beautiful, Hand Dyed yarns and yes, they have an online 'Shop'.  I have enabled you with the above link.

   As the 500th group member I was lucky enough to win this scrumptious prize.  The camera really doesn't do justice to the rich, subtle shades of this yarn aptly named 'Bramble'.  What a treat.  A 'prize' for me, to brighten up my weekend.  I am really hoping that my Mom may knit something for me,...very cheeky of me!  I have just the pattern and it is one that I have seriously fallen out with!  It really beat me.  My Mom's knitting skills are far superior to mine and she actually gets projects completed something I can only aspire to.  My Mom and Grandmother used to tell me as a child 'Lucy, you look like a Maiden Aunt!'  So I feel this was destiny for me!  I have an inspection at work this week so I am feeling rather stressed and preoccupied, it is seriously effecting my craft time preparing for it!  I prefer my head space to be filled with Yarny goodness and fibre filled thoughts.  This yarn made a timely arrival.  Also in the package was something I always wanted and needed but never knew existed!

A very cute little key ring of 'Emergency Yarn'.  I will feel much better knowing I have 'Emergency Yarn' on my person, this will bring me great 'Peace of Mind'.
Hope you are all having a great Weekend thanks for stopping by.  X 

Pie Day Friday (4) 'The Queen of Hearts' 'The Humble Tart'

The Queen of Hearts

The Queen of Hearts

She made some tarts,

All on a Summers day;

The Knave of Hearts

He stole those tarts

And took them clean away.

The King of Hearts

Called for the tarts

And beat the Knave full sore.

The Knave of Hearts

Bought back those tarts

and vowed he'd steal no more.

According to Wikipedia this poem was first published in 1782.  A lot of tarts have been eaten over the centuries!  This little plate of Jam Tarts were made all the tastier for placing a little heart on top of each one.  It is like sandwiches in this house they always taste better in triangles, rather than rectangles or squares.  Everyone knows triangles taste better than squares!
Yeah it's Friday!

Rumpelstiltskin - Not quite spinning straw into gold!

I would like to introduce you to the 'Baa Lamb Brothers'.   They were a very cute Christmas present, hand made by my Mom.  Euan has the white one and I have the grey one.  I love their little woolly fleece.  I play with therm more than Euan does!  Mine will join me on my 'Spinning Adventures' for 2012.  They are pictured on top of a 'Woolly' Mountain of 'Merino'.  The Woolly Mountain is presenting quite a challenge...which is where the story of 'Rumpelstiltskin' springs to mind.  This is part of a 10kg Bale, I ordered out of overexuberance when I first started to spin!  Ooops.  It was a shared purchase with my Mom so that takes me down to a 5kg Merino Mountain.  Yes my Mom has a Merino Mountain of her own too.  My intention is to get  a large quantity of it spun ready for some  Dyers Adventures in the Summer.  Watch this space!  Whirrr whirrrr whirrrrr!  (That is the wheel going around!)  The Lady that initially 'taught' me how to spin said to me after about twenty frustrating minutes, "You'll get there, but you are not exactly 'Rumpelstiltskin'!"  I thought that was very funny.  Especially as the lady made a deal that if she couldn't get me spinning she would jump into the brook!  I think she had a few moments where she thought her feet would be getting wet!

Ah!  Ahem, yes another fibre Mountain!  Tis lovely.  A momento from our Summer 'Alpaca Adventure' at Cotswold Vale Alpacas Lovely Crimpy Locks of goodness.  It is quite different to spin compared to wool.  I have experimented, as I really fancy a light floaty shawl in 100% Alpaca.

This sample is 'Navajo Plied' so it is a 3ply yarn and anything but light and floaty.  I am not overly proud of this yarn as it is very uneven due to my inexperience with Alpaca and Navajo Ply.  I love it, but I know it is not technically great.  I would like to experiment felting thicker Alpaca yarn.  This would make a very dense fabric, ideal for a bag.

This is what is currently on 'The Bobbin'.  'Clamour for Glamour', a delicious hand painted 'Yummy Yarn' Fibre.

You gotta start the year as you mean to go on...look at me...all that 'Glamour'.  I still can't quite spin 'Straw into Gold' but I can manage a bit of 'Glamour' quite nicely, even if the only thing that is glamorous about me is what's on my bobbin!