Some of September

One of our young silkie hens started laying recently.  The first egg!

The grass in some of the pastures was cut and baled.  My boys had great games pretending to be hibernating hedgehogs.

Making grass animal sculptures.  This is a green sheep.

And here is one of the happy sheep in the field right next to our house.

Baling in progress and fun and games racing from bale to bale afterwards and leaping on them.

Outside - Easter Monday

This day, we usually make homemade pasta but this Easter we haven't done much cooking and baking. We spent most of the day gardening and playing in the garden. Denise, we will be planting up some of your seeds soon and at some point I will post a pic of our boys planting those shared seeds - such a beautiful idea of yours!

I am turning more within now, waiting for my precious new babe. See the rainbow we saw this weekend. My babe will soon be coming from the angels, over the rainbow to join us... I will be taking a break from the computer, spending these last days with my boys outside and won't be posting more until babe comes earthside..My babes tend to feel warm and cosy within and take their time deciding to leave!! And being of African heritage, this one is waiting for a warm, sunny day, I imagine!

Outside - Easter Sunday

Well, can you believe how magical this is! Mark took the boys off for a walk while I hid some Easter treasures and treats around the garden for our Easter treasure hunt. We had told the boys to look out for the Easter hare as they walked and lo and behold they saw two beautiful, swift brown hares darting across the fields. (We don't often see them. The last time must have been around February and luckily last Easter too but I think it was on Easter Monday.)



They must have been on their way back to their homes after delivering Easter eggs in our garden! Needless to say, the boys were delighted - we all were! Hares are fascinating, mythical-type creatures. (I just love the story about how the hare was chosen by Jesus to carry His message to the world at Easter, found in Wynstone's 'Spring' book and I think it is in 'Festivals, Family and Food' also.) We strolled home and lots of little treasures were to be found!



We spent the rest of the day with family. A beautiful, warm day!

Outside - Holy Saturday

More strolls about. We do lots more besides in case you wonder, but this is our favourite past-time! We learn, exercise our bodies, connect with each other and with our earth - totally strengthening!


We stopped to watch the pig manure being scattered. This is an organic farm. There are organic pigs and organic cereals. The pigs rotate around the fields. They roam about and root up the roots of the weeds. Once they have worked over a field the field is cleared, the pigs moved on, and the pig compost scattered over the field and ploughed in. The pig manure is really good for the soil and the benefits of having the pigs on the fields, rooting and manuring apparently benefits the soil for around 8 years! The organic cereal crops are then sown - mostly oats and wheat and there are high yields from these crops. The boys call this machinery, 'the hippo', as hippos have a tendency to scatter their manure in this way!


Here's Noah and his round Mama watching. He's going to miss that round, warm baby tummy!


We passed by the mama pigs and babies. Here's two sweet babies.


Played on the hay bales..


Then stopped to love some daffodils. It started to rain and how refreshing and invigorating to walk home in the gentle rain.

Outside

The farmer has started preparing the fields to sow organic wheat here. It always amazes us that within minutes of him starting to turn the soil, flocks of gulls arrive from nowhere and start looking for food. Incredible how they get to know...the boys call them crazy birds.


Warm enough to go barefoot and reconnect with the ground beneath.


A tribe of jabberwockys.


The insect world is awakening - our insect boy is delighted...


Wheelbarrows make mighty ships sailing the seven seas.


Wool on the trees for the birds to use in their nests.


And this mama sits in the gentle sun spinning, savouring every kick of this growing babe and loving seeing her children running free...