Total Pageviews

Tuesday 21 December 2010

time flies

It's ages since my last post , Christmas school activities seem to have been at the forefront of our daily lives. With 2 performances each and 2 children to whom this applies ( the twins don't do these things at high school) I have spent a fair amount of time ferrying people here there and everywhere. I also organised the first annual carol service for the scouts , cubs and beavers. To say I had sleepless nights over it is no exaggeration - the main problem being that nobody seemed to communicate with the other leaders in their troupe and the vicar was out of the loop completely . Suffice to say that on the night it was a huge success , the church was full ( thank God ) the troupes all sang what they promised to sing , the organist played beautifully even thou he didn't get the order of service until 30 mins before ( don't ask) and everyone enjoyed tea and mince pies afterwards ! Phew!
After that I thought it would be a breeze until Christmas - didn't factor in the huge amount of snow , the crash which saw me tipped over in the 4 x 4 or the schools closing early! Anyway , we are all safe and well . The alpacas have reluctantly taken to the stables , althou they all venture out periodically just to check that the snow is still there , and to consume huge amounts of hay and sugar beet, preferably warm please!
Bizarrely the chickens have started laying again , and I have gained the 3 school chucks for the holidays .
The shopping is done , presents and food , barr a couple of non-essentials from Waitrose tomorrow , and we are snuggled down and ready for Christmas - I think !

Tuesday 7 December 2010

Freezing

Will it ever let up? I have had to ask for extra thermals to be dispatched ! It has not gone above -4 for 5 days now and frankly I've had enough. To start with I found it quite exciting to see -10 on the car thermometer as we drove to school - it's the southerner in me , it never gets that cold on the south coast- but now I've had it.
The alpacas seem to be coping fine , now that the snow has stopped and we have ice and a few green patches( not many) they are sleeping out in the fields again , scoffing hay and alpha a nuggets , and all the sugar beet I can prepare ! The hens are finding it harder . They seem mainly to spend the day in a large conifer tree on the yard , feet off the floor , pretty miserable.Last night I bought the smallest 5 into the utility room just to get warm for the night ! they make me laugh , they are like teenagers at a sleepover , they are constantly chattering until you open the door and then they all shut up!
We have entered the realms of school Christmas plays , I am loathed to say nativity since Jesus doesn't seem to make much of an appearance , he is some what swamped by the donkeys ( OK) sheep(OK) camels( a bit iffy) bees(???) mice (???) and all other manner of creature who I'm pretty sure isn't in the biblical tale . Add to that the strange phenomenon that every important speaking or singing part is held by a child with a varying degree of speech impediment , and you have a slightly surreal experience! Even ( particularly) DH commented that it was shocking to witness such a high level of talentless kids in one place !! However , they all show remarkable courage in standing up ( prob cos they don't know how bad they are ) and seem to thoroughly enjoy themselves , so we all sit through it and smile and clap , and everyone is happy . Thank god I only have 2 and not 4 this year! Am I the only parent who finds it a chore ?

Wednesday 1 December 2010

Success , of sorts

As many , we are covered in snow , not the proportions that the North and Scotland have thank god - I feel for you - but enough for hot water and extra hay for the alpacas !

They are all quite happy , some venturing into the stables at night , some preferring to sit on the yard , but all down by the yard and out of the snow and wind to a greater degree.

My success is with the sickly chicken . Finally , after a week of bathing her eye twice a day I think I have conquered whatever was the problem. Without putting you off your dinner , suffice to say that I have finally managed to get the last bits of pus out of her eye . It was congealed and set firm , but now it has gone . The eye looks a bit milky and I fear she may have lost the sight in it , but she is quite happy pottering around , albeit out of the snow as much as possible.

Other than that , we are bracing for a lot of snow tomorrow , the kids are begging not to go to school , but I feel that they may be disappointed , and we look forward to the weekend which should bring some rain and some sun , hurray!