Richard Dorking

Ever since I took over the pen of chickens that I’ve been looking after I’ve wanted to try breeding pure Silver Dorkings or Marsh Daisys, I’ve spent hours on eBay looking at hatching eggs and going through poultry forums for sale lists. I’ve even almost arranged buying eggs but whenever I’ve been able to hatch them then other peoples birds have been off lay and/or broody.

Any way, today mother and me went and collected my new Silver Dorking cockerel. I found him through the River Cottage Forum, and Rhys named him Richard (after Richard Dorking.)

Tagging

Ok, it’s taken me a while to sit down and think about this, and I wasn’t sure which ‘tagged’ I was so I thought I’d do both.

Thanks to Rosie (& Simon) at Eco-Gites for tagging me. 

The rules of this Tag are:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.
5. Let each person know they’ve been tagged and leave a comment on their blog
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Six things about me that people might not of known:

1. I have a black cat call Sam, she is a Bonbay Black and when I first got her she had never once been outside even though she was a couple of years old. She now spends most of her time outside, but is still a little bit weird compared to other cats. 2. I come from a big family, I have two younger siters and a younger brother, I also have a older half sister and brother. And two nephews. 3. Out of all the pairs of jeans I own, I think only one pair fit me. 4. I still have all four grandparents. 5. Cheese cake is my favourite cake but I don’t think I’ve ever made one. 6. I’ve recently join Facebook but am already getting feed-up with it.

And six things that make me happy:

1. Home grown/made food. 2. Collecting firewood. 3. Working towards something, and then getting there. 4. Learning new things. 5. Family, although the can also annoy me more than anyone else. 6. Kidding and lambing time.

Now for my taggings:

Paul & Shelley at Holly Cottage Garden

The Green Family at MyZoreWaste (not completely sure if it fits with your blog to join in but doesn’t matter if not)

Lucy at The Smallest Smallholding (I know you’ve just done six things about you but what makes you happy?)

Jo at The Little Ffarm

Farming Friends

Six Home Educate in Kent

Beads, wool and spinning

Last week I was ill, it was the horrid flu-y, chest infection thing that everyone else has had and I promised I would get. It wasn’t very nice at all, and even after a week on antibiotics, and two weeks of large doses of Vit C and eating as much garlic as possible with every meal (I haven’t really minded that) I still have a little bit of a chest infection.A few years ago I would have loved the idea of spending a week in bed watching Tele, but I got really bored. It did give me time to do some indoor crafts though, I’ve been meaning for a while to try making a seed-bead Christmas tree:

And I un-did all the knitting that I had done and started again, it looked to me like I had dropped a lot of stitches but I had only dropped one along the way.

I started on my first ‘round’ as well, using four double-pointed needles. I did think that I would try knitting a whole mini sock as practice but after I looked up how to knit a heel I gave up, as I had nowhere near enough stitches. I also got chance to carry on with my drop spindle.

Goat page

I’ve spent some time this evening up dating and adding photos to my goat page, it isn’t completely how I would like it to be and I will be adding more soon, including information and photos of my current goats, but please have a look and let me know what you think…

In season this week #14

VEGETABLES

beetroot | brussels sprouts | celeriac | celery | chicory | jerusalem artichoke | kale | leeks | parsnips | potatoes (maincrop) | pumpkin | swede | turnips

FRUIT & NUTS

apples | chestnuts | clementines | cranberries | passion fruit | pears | pineapple | pomegranate | quince | satsumas | tangerines | walnuts

MEAT

duck | goose | grouse | guinea fowl | hare | partridge | pheasant | rabbit | venison | wood pigeon

Bringing home the bacon…

Rhys finished making bacon today.

The joint was saved from a couple of years ago when we last had pigs (or maybe it was last year? Seeing as we’re almost at the end of this year it might have been last year, feels a lot longer ago though) for making bacon with and a couple of weeks ago we were given a meat slicer.

He loosely use a recipe from Creavive Living Forum and they all said it tasted very good.

In season this week #13

VEGETABLES

artichoke | beetroot | brussels sprouts | celeriac | celery | chicory | jerusalem artichoke | kale | leeks | parsnips | potatoes (maincrop) | pumpkin | swede | turnips | wild mushrooms

FRUIT & NUTS

apples | chestnuts | clementines | cranberries | passion fruit | pears | quince | satsumas | tangerines | walnuts

MEAT

duck | goose | grouse | guinea fowl | hare | partridge | pheasant | rabbit | venison | wood pigeon

Christmas Shopping

I started on my Christmas shopping, I’m still not convinced that Christmas in November is allowable, but I’m realising that planning is everything. For example under my normal rule of ‘do-not-even-try-to-talk-to-me-about-Christmas-until-December-the-first’ would not have allowed me to have sown carrots all those months ago to have carrots ready to be freshly harvested on Christmas morning, which I’m really looking forward to but without forward planning it wouldn’t be happening.

So I’m coming round to the idea that some Christmas before December is allowed, just not to much. I just find Christmas disappointing if I’ve been waiting since October for it, nothing can live up to that sort of build up.

I’m hoping for most of my Christmas presents to be homemade, but this was a new-ish book I knew someone wanted and I found it on Green Metroplis, there was only one copy on there and I know it won’t be there for long… In fact I’ve already bought it so it’s gone.

Half way through November…

Already, things still don’t feel like they’ve slowed down in any way yet. I’m sure when I was younger winter felt slow and long, and summer felt busy and alive.

I’m back at work now after having a week off, things aren’t slowing down there either. Christmas is now upon us, then it will be the new year, then Easter, then the May Bank Holiday’s, then summer…

Everyone’s been taking it in turns to be ill, so far I’ve managed not to be and, touch wood, won’t be.

It’s all very double edged, part of me is drained and tired, I’ve even learnt how to turn my alarm off in the mornings without being woken up, and wants to stay in bed by the fire reading and watching TV and the other part of me wants to keep going, wants it to be Christmas and then spring and kidding and have done all the things I had planned for the winter and be doing them.

It’s just finding the energy after work.

Milk & Autism

I found this story on Channel Five News this evening and found it really interesting.

Three months ago in a Five News investigation we told you about a possible link between drinking milk and the behaviour of children with autism.

Some scientists believe most of the milk we drink in this country can make the symptoms worse.   Since our report, there has been growing interest in an alternative.   We reported how some scientists believe one special kind of cow’s milk may help with the effects of autism.   Yet getting your hands on this kind of treatment isn’t as easy as popping down to the shops to buy a pint.   You might think milk from one cow would be much like milk from any other.   But actually different breeds make milk that contains distinct varieties of milk proteins.   Most milk sold in Britain comes from cows producing a form of of protein called betacasein A1. But these Guernsey cows mostly produce a different type, betacasein A2.   The research is still hotly debated, some scientists believe drinking A1 milk may worsen the symptoms of autism: so switching to A2 milk could help improve the conditions.