Wordless Wednesday: Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

Wordless Wednesday: Queen of the Garden

Wordless Wednesday: Caddy Lamb Bottle Feeding

Wordless Wednesday: 30 seconds old

Summing Up Sunday: 17th January 2016

These are the cool new fire cones that J's mum got for us as Christmas present that makes the flames go blue! How cool!

Quiet week. Took photos of the sheep for their pedigrees:

Shrew in the middle

Greedy Teasel!

Bit grumpy looking Cappuccino.

And the only photo at all we managed to get of Amy.

So, there've been lots of bits and bobs going in throughout the week - some good, some bad - so I will just leave you my current favourite song (I haven't even heard the original), and I hope you'll agree with me that this is beautiful. (If you don't agree, don't mention tit)

Happy Sunday everyone! Not much more to say, sorry about that. An uninspired, gloomy, horrible January week. April is not the cruelest month; I've always thought it's January. Let the next week be better.

The Sheep with the Gold Earring

Link up yours here!

Wordless Wednesday 25th November: Sheep in the Frost

Wordless Wednesday: Our enterprising sheep that don't like the rain

Summing up Sunday 25th

A busy week full of autumnal events.

It always seems odd that the mulberry is the last to get leaves and the first to loose them and it's no different this year. The  shower of yellow dinner plate sized leaves has been going on for a week or so and without a frost and an avalanche of leaves  the steady trickle will continue. Joyce visited to swing whilst J did the sweeping up...

The biggest event of the week was the arrival of Jacob, a visiting shetland ram, last weekend. He's gradually been accepted by our rather flighty group of girls. Initially Cleo and Bunty bossed him about but they are now being a little more accepting of him and he's showing the right kind of interest in them, so we hope for the patter of tiny feet at Easter. However, he seems to be encouraging bad behaviour, and on the  first very rainy autumnal day they wickedly knocked down the mollytunnel defences and ate through the plastic to get into a nice dry space with hay!

The second autumnal event was an amazing apple day in cambridge botanic gardens visited by a and t . We went in with a mission to try and identify some varieties for the end of our field and found 7 great ones to bring home to the south west for a bit more of a trial. We realise we are going to have to do a bit more of a search in South west pomonas ( fruit encyclopaedias for areas ...) but it was a good start.

Autumnal event number 3 is the start of the grand pickle and chutney preserving which starts now and will go on, traditionally in this house anyway, to Boxing Day when the final pumpkin will be pickled. T in cambridge has been making quince cheese and setting it in lovely containers with wax seals, and here we have been using up all the green tomatoes in chutney before blight takes them over. 

Summing Up Sunday 18th October

What's been happening at 2CC this week?

BIG EVENT OF THE WEEK

Jacob, our stud ram, has arrived! He comes from Shepton Mallet and is staying for six weeks (which is two cycles for the rams). He's only five months old, so we'll see how he gets on. (Best quote: 'he has some very large, er, apparatus at the back!' - E)

Here's where he came from:

Two lovely sheep-y women asked lots of proper questions about pedigrees etc. which made A and J realise they never got our flock's in the first place. Oops. Jacob's paternal side are all named after people from the bible (Jacob), and his maternal side are all named for foodstuff. (Jacob's Cream Crackers)

The ladies are getting used to him, and he ate from the trough with them for the first time this afternoon.

What else?

• A and J went to a salsa party which involved a lesson followed by a party. Sounded like it was fun!
• Reading - J on 'The Gracekeepers', A reading poetry, E moving between 'The Virgin Suicides', 'Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe', and Michael Morpurgo's 'War Horse.' Good feedback all round!
• Disappointment at the Man Booker announcement; E must have missed something. Have to admit, it's still not that enticing to get through that many pages for something that sounds intrinsically nasty...
• Popoki is growing! She's not really a kitten any more, more like a small-cat. Spayed and microchipped on Monday! (You wouldn't have known she'd been under a GA, starting from Monday afternoon, she has been the most manic we've ever seen her!)
• A brief felting 'workshop' with a neighbour that wasn't entirely successful... At least A managed to get something presentable! The herd wick's fleece didn't felt easily at all, as we had been promised. And alpaca wool definitely needs quite a lot of sheep's wool with it to get the lanolin. Oh well, it's a learning process.
• A and J went garden centre-ing (along with grocery shopping) and got some colour for the winter months ahead - wall flowers, cyclamen, pansies and pinks.
• E finished stitching together her wooly project, so just a border to go. Watch this space...

5/15 on The Guardian Quiz. A mediocre score. We should have stuck with our first thought - the Chancellor of the Exchequer is the Master of the Mint!

Happy Sunday!

Summing up Sunday 5th October

What we've been up to: 

First ever pub quiz for the Blaxter Tristrams - 66/100 for J and E's team, and 71/100 for A on a rather odd rival team... Think we came about 8th or 9th. Not our finest hour, but we knew some odd ones - for some bizarre reason E knows the real first name of Tyger Woods! 

First and last visit to Chew Valley Sailing club. Sadly not enough wind to do anything at all. There has been mention of an extra session next week to make up for the disappointment, so watch this space...

Last of the courgettes picked, garden going over. Apples dropping like crazy. Still rudbeckia and sunflowers going strong.

First week of term for A, first lecture to the new first years. Busy times.

First (of hopefully two!) celebrations for Hugo round the corner. Small boys, pizza, cake and sparklers. Lots of laughs.

Last week of the garden blog without Orchard S, as she has returned from her European travels. Two beautiful little needle felted presents of a sweet bunny rabbit and some acorns.

Last vaccine for little Popoki... After spaying, she'll be allowed out into the wide world. Scary stuff! The cats are all beginning to get along a bit better though, long may it continue.

Last (almost!) ends sewn in of a wooly something being completed (it will be done, it will be done!)...

First visit to local Yeo Valley Farm - beautiful sunshine and beautiful prairie style planting in the garden bit. When enough Yeokens have been collected, a trip to their canteen will be in order!

First prize for the lowest score in the Guardian Quiz - a spectacular one, with the only correct answer by J about the safety lamp being invented Humphrey Davie. 

First go at getting Glastonbury tickets for J - no luck at all, didn't even manage to get onto the site. Still, there's the resales later...

Summing up Sunday 20th September

Not so good weather this week, sadly. A lot of rain, and a lot of fog. Still, we've had some wonderful evenings making the most of the last sun.

A has been on her wonderful Shibori dying course - which she talked about here! It's amazing what complicated things you can do with what originally seems like a simple process. And the blue is amazing. Of course.

J has spent the weekend visiting T and H in Cambridge - playing Norwegian Train Game, having breakfast out and visiting museums.

A and E went to visit S's orchard in the mist this morning (S is away all September) and came away with some veggie-ful spoils:

E has done a couple of craft projects: a bag for a 4-year-old just starting school, and a peg bag for M.J. 

Popoki continues to grow! She's got more of a run of the house now, which is good for independence, and the big cats are slowly getting used to her. She doesn't make things easy when she has endless endless energy, and you can almost hear her yowling: play with me play with me play with me! Such a joy to have though.

The Man Booker Shortlist was announced on Tuesday... to much disappointment. Two out of five books were damned by the book group, and one wasn't even read! At least the Anne Tyler made it through. The question now is: are we really going to read them all?

No Guardian Quiz - we forgot! Happy Sunday x

(We really need to get a move on with 26 books. It isn't that we haven't read lots - we have, honest! - it's just coordinating reading books from the right categories at around the same time. Might just have to start posting whenever one of us has read one, time's a ticking!)

Wordless Wednesday 9th September: The Joys of String

Summing Up Sunday 30th August

Another week at 2CC!

In The Garden: last of the cucumbers - but the plant did about nine! Great tomatoes, even though the plants look very sorry for themselves. Gladioli nearly all over, maybe three to still come. Dahlias still strong - beautiful reds, yellows, light pinks, bright pinks and deep purple-y red. Lovely. Sunflowers grow-grow-growing, apart from one that was sadly severed by its own tie. (Note to self: leave even more room for stalks to expand.) Too much rain to have much fun outside, and the garden needs a bit of tidying, but still very productive.

Outings: an exciting week! J went to London (two plays - one mediocre, and one very good), gallery-ing, Mexican food-ing, wandering, reading, looking at the magnificent view from hotel window. A and E to Wells for charity shop clothes, but sadly none found. Then, the unexpected Banksy trip by E, J and C (chum for the afternoon) - so lucky to get in, as we never imagined that we would! Excellent. A more charity shopping on Saturday and struck gold! And A to a lovely outdoor wedding on Saturday afternoon/evening. Packed packed week!!

Purchases: 'fairings' from London (notebook and tea, so very good automatically); two charity shop dresses (A); trowel and hoe set for a £6 bargain in Wells charity shop; then an almost new (second-hand) Settlers of Catan on ebay, but were outbid at the last minute (I think that there's a real knack to ebay); twenty six books bought (... er. Yeah. How did that happen? Oops); new secateurs! (there must be some huge party house in a secret part of the garden where all the old ones live...)

Kitten Updates: still very very sweet! Growing day by day, if everyone is to believed. (Hard to tell when you see her every day.) More confident and spending much more time in the rest of the house - desperate to get around in fact! Contact with the other cats is continuing at a slow pace... no one is that impressed so far, but hissy/spittiness is getting a bit better.

Visitors: twenty-two month A (I made this blanket for her as a tiny thing!) and her mum visited on Friday. A was completely uninterested in Popoki, but she thought the toddler was terrifying! A had friends round for a laugh on Friday night. KH visited E on Tuesday for a lovely craft session.


What a mammoth week! What has everyone else been up to?

Love from 2CC xx

Summing Up Sunday, August

Hello! It's been a while, hasn't it? A sort of low level business of summer time is the general sum-up. Here are a few bits and bobs:

We have welcomed: Popoki (Poppet) joined us from Alysun and Tim's house a week ago. She is black and white and now 8 weeks old, and despite a lot of conversations and scent swaps with Kirry and Koshka our resident cats, is a complete surprise and horror to them. She is very sweet and living a life of luxury in E's room whilst she gains confidence and K and K get more used to the idea.

The Garden has been growing: mulberries by the bucketload! Tomatoes (although E managed to snap a brilliant one...) Sweet peas on and on and on - 4 bunches on Friday!

The serpent radishes have finally radished and we had a bowlful of little glistening pods as a salad last night.

Dahlias, sunflowers, rudbekia...

We have had lots of: rain, thunder, lightening, slugs (huge brown and orange ones) :( 

We have made and played: a new fence in the field; a tablet stand and laptop case for T's birthday; an amazing mulberry Bundt cake in a new birthday tin;

several games of scrabble, Bananagram, and  new Ticket to rides (Nordic and Holland). (Banangram best words: philatelist; yodelling; oxidises). 

First game of chess against S that was actually a near win! (E)

We have been reading: 'Dominion' by CJ Sansom (everyone for book group, really compelling); 'The Chimes' (J); 'The Illuminations' (A); lots of YA books (E - Cassie Claire's Mortal Instruments, The Coldest Girl in Cold Town, reread of The Fault of in Stars, The Darkest Part of the Forest, Demon's Lexicon trilogy, I Capture the Castle etc etc)

We have been visited by: lovely S our family therapist to sample our gluten free baking, S and C bearing Sally Lunn Buns from their holiday on Bath, and C to work extremely hard with J in the orchard project and putting up a great fence...

We have been going: up hills in the pouring rain in swimming trunks, coming back wringing socks out (! J and C); round and about the garden and field (all); to poetry group with the theme of 'Food' (J and E, as A wasn't well enough); America, Amsterdam, Exeter (E in book world)...

On the net: brilliant cartoon here based on JK's speech at Yale. Inspiring words beautifully brought to life

Guardian Quiz: 6/15. Did you know that Lennon and McCartney met at a garden fete?

Happy Sunday!

Summing up Sunday August 2nd 2015

The week held:

Kittens, several visits.

Saying Goodbye to Church Road.

Visiting the lovely livestock of Brecon Show.

Canoeing, learning to meditate, taking B and G to Court Farm (A) 

Starting a NetGalley challenge! Very exciting :) 

Summing Up Sunday, 12th July

A went to Cambridge to visit T and H (and to a VetEd conference) for a few days. Looks like they had a good time!











J and E played a mean game of Scrabble with M and J's mum (and another with A on return); sat in the field and felt the space around us; spun/crocheted/cross-stitched; read in the garden, and enjoyed it being summer.

Everyone has been reading lots; the garden has been grow-grow-growing, and A found two cauliflowers she never knew about! These are the Persian buttercups (thank you Mr FX):

Everyone been to see new kittens (!), amidst worry about our 13-year-old Kirry-cat who has a mass on the side of her neck. J removed it on Friday, so it's a bit of a waiting game...

No Guardian quiz - we're rather out of the habit!

Looking forward to: book club for A and J next Sunday; a potential party for A on Saturday night; a YA binge for E; the peas being picked; the long summer evenings, and a new edition of The Train Game.

Goodbye Kittens

A and E have been visiting a beautiful litter of kittens in the last month or so. The mother, Lacey, was found heavily pregnant as a stray. Now, kittens need socialising with at least four people within the first six weeks of their lives - so we were actually doing a good deed! (Honest!) Lacey had six kittens, but since she was so emaciated to begin with there was worry she wouldn't be able to feed such a large litter. She did marvellously: the little kits were as fat as butter! Lacey, unfortunately, lost some weight, so had to go back early from her foster home to the RSPCA. But now, she is doing very well - just waiting for someone to take her to her forever home.

All the kittens have been adopted now, and off to wonderful homes. This is great news, but it is very hard to see them go. Fallen in love, I have to say! I was able to name them, which is a great privilege - I wonder whether their new owners will keep the names? I'll never know.

So here we say goodbye to them all.

Alder, Fennel, Huckleberry, Juniper, Chicory and Cally (Calendula). Hoping for happy forever homes.

The RSPCA are a wonderful charity, and need supporting. There are so many cats that are unwanted or strays for one reason or another, and the staff work tirelessly to help them, along with a huge number of volunteers. As a punter, you don't see all the work behind the scenes! Before these kits even got to the RSPCA, they spent six weeks in a wonderful volunteer's house, gradually growing used to the world without the stress of other cats.

There are still many cats all over the country (including Lacey!) that need homes. Even if you don't want a cat yourself, there are many ways to help: donations, cat cuddling (!), foster homes, socialising, cleaning... Without the RSPCA, there would be many more distressed felines in our streets. 

Anyway, good bye to my little kits (I know they're not mine really). I will never forget you all.

Summing up Sunday week 6

Best outings...

J and A's cycle ride along the strawberry line to Axbridge and the Lamb for supper on Saturday evening.
A and E's visit to see Lacey at Brent knoll RSPCA cattery, though sad she hasn't yet been re-homed.

Achievements ...

16 pieces of Raku pottery sitting on the windowsill glinting in the sunshine.

Singing in a Joyful spirit concert with A in an octet on 'I heard the voice.' 

Most exciting happening..

A badger visited in the night and dug a small hole at the side of the drive to find and eat a wasps nest. The debris, and the poor old wasps were scattered across the driveway first thing in the morning. 

Visitors...

Sue and David came to train game - great fun! 

Best thing in the garden...

The wonderful sweet peas and the night scented stocks. Come and see more over here!

And something we want to remember...

Sarah Raven's seed range of flower seeds for cutting -looks fantastic so we are disappointed we didn't discover them a few weeks ago, but there is always next year.

And the score in the guardian quiz was ... 4 out of 15. Did you know that Mick Jagger had six children, and yet none of them had silly names?

Happy June x

Summing up Sunday: Week 5

We've been growing: borage, love-in-a-mist, squash pumpkin things, polyanthus tuberosa pearls (came free with the dahlias, which are doing well!), and remaindered carrots and sweetcorn plants from 'Sandra's' World - pretty good stuff! Most things doing well, although lots of aphids on the broad beans...

We've been reading: 'Life After Life,' Kate Atkinson (A - enjoyable after a few false starts), 'Ancillary Justice' and 'Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk' (J - both very good, particularly AJ), bits and bobs (E): 'The Sandman,' (good), 'Stolen' (mediocre), started 'The Darkest Part of the Forest' (great fun.)

We've been going: busy week! Visiting kittens at the RSPCA (saying goodbye as they went to their forever homes yesterday...), drive to Uphill Beach (lovely, breezy and quiet), concert at Bristol Cathedral (not a great programme, but a good experience), J's trip to Devon to see a cousin, and Raku Pottery Take Two at The Walled Garden, including a slightly chilly picnic.

We've been doing: reroofing the garage! (J), practising spinning (A&E), finishing making a peg loom (J&E), sewing a present for a friend (A&E), charity shopping (A)...

Best part of the week: having T and H for the weekend, a real treat!

xx