Guess what I've got!

Yep, I spent a little over 3 hours today driving over to the other side of town to pick up my spinning wheel. It wasn't too bad though, because I drove over to my sisters, and she and her hubby took me the rest of the way. Had a lovely drive in the car with them, talking and laughing and catching up. It's rare to get a chance without DD along to steal the show. She chose to stay behind with her daddy though, and they apparently had a wonderful time playing hide and seek, and making and octopus out of a banana and a face out of a mandarin.

Of course, I had to call in to spotlight on the way back to pick up a very small packet of dyed and carded fleece to give it a go! I ended up getting a pink, white and blue pack because DD has been so excited about the spinning wheel (Once I explained that it wasn't like the one in Sleeping Beauty, and she wouldn't prick her finger on it and go to sleep), so I wanted something with pink in for her. No plain pink, so the 3 colour one had to do. DD seemed happy enough with it anyway, and kept asking if she could have a go spinning. She had a bit of a turn spinning the wheel with no fleece, although I think it will take a bit of practice before I give her any wool.

As for me, my brief experiences of spinning groups my mum went along to 18 odd years ago, and the spinning book I'd borrowed from the library stood me in good stead, and I manage to make a belt out of string (it had no belt), and a makeshift brake, again out of string, and actually spin the fleece I'd bought! It's rough, it's uneven, but the packet of fleece is now a bobbin of wool! I suspect it's not going to be that easy to knit, and will probably keep breaking, but I'm going to give it a go anyway.

I was quite surprised at how quickly the wool spun up. It was only 10 grams I think, but as you can see, it made a reasonable amount of wool. I somehow thought it would take longer. Now of course, I'll be haunting eBay for wool, and all the other accessories I 'must have'.

The Bricks are on!

I've been meaning to post an updated pic of the house for the last few days, but I keep forgetting to take one. So while I was out taking pics of the chickens, I snapped one. So here it is. The bricks are DONE! It actually looks like a real house now! From the outside anyway. Still a LOT of work to be done inside yet before it is liveable though.

Some projects finished!

Well, today has been a day of finishing many projects that have been hanging over our head for the last few weeks. We have 7 little chickens that were ready to fly out of their brooding box and a cubby needing painting.

It all started last week. We had a big trip to Bunnings to buy all the necessary materials. We bought polypipe (found in the plumbing aisle), connectors, and some chicken wire, and of course, paint for the cubby, 4 litres of Pink Tiara! The sheltered bit we planned to build with corflute (imagine corrugated cardboard, only plastic), which we already had leftover from building our bathroom (that is a story for another day!) Only when we arrived home of course, it was pouring!

It lessened off in the afternoon though, and we put together the polypipe frame for the chicken tractor. I chose polypipe over wood for two reasons. One, if won't rot when it gets wet (there was no way I was using treated timber, hate the stuff), and two, it will be light so it will be easily movable. That is the object of a chicken tractor. It isn't designed as a stationary pen, but rather to be moved from place to place to give the chickens fresh grass to live on.

Initially I was planning on making a rectangular design, like this one of at The Frugal World of Doc's, but in the end I decided on a triangular model, as it gave us a larger space for less pipe. Ours is now 3 metres by 1.5 metres, which initially seemed huge, but now I think is just the right size.

This is about how far we got last weekend. We ended up having to put an extra support in the middle, as 3 metres is just too long a stretch, and the polypipe was bowing in the middle. This meant going up to get more connectors (still didn't get enough, as you can see from the tape), only my car broke down on the way! Luckily I was close enough to walk home, and DH went back and sat with the car till RACQ came. It wasn't a cheap repair, but at least it's going again now!

While we were waiting for my dear sister who came and took me back to Bunnings to buy the connectors we needed, we got to painting. We had a very enthusiastic painter in DD, who was COVERED from head to toe (including hair) in paint by the end of it. She had a ball though, and most of it washed out. If you ever visit our place, don't forget to check under the cubby, to see her artistry.

And here it is finished! It is VERY pink, but that is what DD wanted. We are going to get some darker pink to do around the door and windows, and possibly some stencils on the veranda palings just to leaven the pinkness.

We also put down some weedmat in the sandpit area, ready for the sand that will arrive on Monday! So looking forward to having a sandpit again. I'll have to pull out all our sandpit toys. And yes, it was getting dark by the time we finished. I could have brightened the photos, but figured I'd leave them natural(ish).

And back to the chicken tractor, here it is finished! The whole side (on the other side) lifts up to get them in and out. I will add a roost in the covered end for them too, but haven't gotten to that yet. We did have a few dramas when it wasn't really square, and the door didn't line up properly, but we got it all lined up in the end. It's not very secure yet, as we don't have wire all around it (putting wire about 30cm out from the edges on the ground will prevent dogs/foxes getting in. They will try to dig under the edges, but don't know enough to go out past the wire), then we will peg it down with tent pegs to make it secure.

Initially they all huddled up in one spot, looking around as if to say "What are you doing, leaving us here all alone?" But after a while, they started to wander around and enjoy themselves. Well, more like jump and fly! They pecked around all afternoon, and we only bought them in again when it was getting dark. If it were summer, I would leave them out overnight (once we had a secure pen), but it's just getting too cold here now.

And here is a closeup of our little babies enjoying their space! They are getting quite big now, and have pretty much fully feathered wings, and are getting feathers sprouting everywhere. It's amazing how quickly they grow! I think they look so pretty, with their dark red feathers, such a beautiful colour. I'm so glad I went for Rhode Island Reds, they are just the prettiest chooks.

Craftiness (and musings)

I have run riot on eBay in the last couple of days. Firstly, Jean Greenhowe books! Remember my cute little Easter Bunny? He was made from a pattern designed by Jean Greenhowe. Do a search for her on Google or eBay, and discover many many knitting patterns for lovable scarecrows, dolls or animals, designed to entice you into knitting (usually works for me). That wasn't what I was looking for though. Rarer, but infinitely more valuable as far as I'm concerned, are her sewing patterns. Jean Greenhowe patterns are always easy, usually involve mostly squares or circles to cut, and are so neat, tidy and adorable that they are irresistible.

I can't wait till they arrive so I can get sewing. Or at least look at all of the pretty pictures and dream!

Now that DD is older and I actually get a chance to sew occasionally, I'm really looking forward to making many many of her toys. Along with the bunny, I made her a cloth doll, which she has been carrying around all over the place with her. We've bought her plastic dolls before, thinking she'd enjoy bathing them etc, but she has never really been interested. Yet for some reason, this cloth dolly, definitely not one of my better efforts even, has meant something to her.

Was it the cuddliness of it? The size? Or was it the fact that we made it together, and she got to make the important choices, like what colour hair to give it (dark maroon!), and what colour eyes. Either way, I'm very happy that she appreciates my efforts!

There really is something about making a toy with your own hands. There is a feeling of satisfaction of having taken something rather uninteresting (material, wool, stuffing), and turned it into something that offers hours of imaginative play. Sure, it might not look as neat and tidy as something you buy in the store, but it has a homeliness that money just can't buy.

The more I work towards this simple and self sufficient life, the more satisfaction I find in the things I do every day. Growing our own food, cooking our own snacks, making our own clothes, it all connects you again to what life really is about. In modern society, where we go out to work, and buy everything we need, it is easy to forget what's important. Even more so when your paycheck is banked automatically, with no connection to the work you do other than the electronic signals that transferred it. No recognition of a job well done, or money well earnt, no "Good job" or "Thanks" from the boss, pay day is just another date on the calendar. Chances are that you will pay for your rent/mortgage, bills, groceries, without ever actually seeing the money either.

And as for the food you buy, it is hard to connect it to it's origins either. It comes in a tin, or a bottle, or a plastic packet, no hint that it was every grown in the ground (and maybe it wasn't?). We can go home and chuck it in the microwave and it comes out ready to eat, we don't even need to stir it or watch it, just listen for the beep that tells you it is ready. This might all save time, but it doesn't save money, and it certainly gives you little satisfaction. It doesn't even taste that great.

Now picking tomatoes from your own plants, that you have watched grow from a tiny seed, watered and cared for, waited in anticipation for, taking these and cutting them, cooking them for several hours, checking regularly and stirring lovingly, until you have a delicious, thick spaghetti sauce, now that is real food. And it has the real taste to prove it.

Now, having deviated far from the original topic, a photo of my last eBay purchase.

Now I am definitely going to have some fun with this!

Kitchen Knitting

I've always found knitting quite relaxing. As a child, I used to knit while reading a book, now I often do it while watching TV. This won't work with complicated patterns that require you to count stitches or rows though, as you risk loosing track (although that doesn't always stop me). That is why I like my kitchen knits. This is my replacement for what we always called 'green scratchies' in my house growing. I think some people call them scourers? Anyway, they're the rough scratchy things you use to do the washing up with.

I made this one a week or so ago, and have been using it instead of my scratchie since. It's made from 8 ply acrylic, 20 stitches on size 8 (4mm) needles, and just knitted until it seems the right size. I wasn't sure how it would go, but I've been surprised at how well it works. Although I still sometimes reach for the scratchie for really baked on grime, I suspect I wouldn't even need that if I soaked things. It does a great job of cleaning glasses, plates and cutlery, and is actually more pleasant to use. It doesn't wear away like a scratchie does, isn't hard and unbendable, and best of all, when it gets dirty, I chuck it in the wash and reach for the next one.

I've posted pics previously of my knitted dishcloths, well I have 2 now. The second, knitted in garter stitch, was much closer to a square shape, and I use both often. Again, they're really pleasant to use, feel nice on the hands, and do a good job of wiping down the benches and tables.

Guess I'd better get back to knitting!

Autumn Growth

Growing Progress

I was wandering around my garden this morning, and saw a splash of yellow up in the orchard area. Closer inspection revealed this beautiful Loofah flower, so I sent DH back to fetch my camera. It's surprisingly large, about the size of an (Australian) 50 cent piece. For those that don't know, the 'loofah's' that you buy for scrubbing yourself in the shower actually grow on this vine. After the seedpods reach maturity, they dry out, leaving a stringy sponge like remains. The seeds are in the middle of these. When I get some, I'll post some more pictures of this phenomenon.

Here is the little loofah growing beneath the flower. It's still very small though.

Sadly, I doubt that little loofah will be fertilised, as I think this is the male flower (or a cluster it seems) here, not open yet. There are several other female flowers in the development stage though, so hopefully I'll get at least one loofah this year. It really is a little late for these, so I wasn't expecting to get any at all at this point.

While I had the camera out, I snapped pics of everything else that is growing along to do a long overdue update here. These are the rosellas, loaded with fruit. I harvested my first 2 a couple of days ago, and hopefully there will be lots more soon. Looking forward to making my rosella jam!

The small gooseberry bushes have recovered from their bug devastation surprisingly well. I gave them a water with some worm casings, and new leaves came out strong. I've also done my best to kill off any of those stripey bugs I find, and while there are still a few around, they aren't in the same numbers as they were. Hopefully the cold will keep them away now.

And here is my first gooseberry flower! Hard to see in there, but there are several other buds as well, so hopefully we'll actually get some gooseberries off these.

The cotton plants are coming along slowly. This is one of the two planted in the garden beds, which seem to be doing slightly better than those up in the orchard. I have no idea if they'll make it far enough for us to actually get cotton, since they really are slow. It will be interesting to see.

I have another little rockmelon growing on the vine that self-seeded among the carrot seeds. It's about 10cm across right now. Since rockmelons grow pretty fast, this one might actually get ripe before it gets too cold, hopefully. A tiny caterpillar did take a bit of a bite out of it, but that won't stop me if it gets big enough.

I also discovered that some of my potatoes are dying off. I'm not too sure why this is. When I saw the first one, I thought it was lack of water, so I watered a couple, but then those died too, so I'm suspecting that the water sped up the decomposition of the grass, making it too hot for the plants. I'll leave them there, and not water the rest and see how they go. Since there are other potatoes in this lot I don't want to dig them up and risk killing those off. I might have to invest in some bales of actual straw to grow the next lot, and see if that helps.

Seedlings

Here is one of my Roma tomatoes that were the first seeds I planted this season. It's not doing too badly, if you ignore the weeds that inevitably sprout up around it. I'll have to put some stakes into the ground nearby soon too.

Some of them though, are being a little overwhelmed by the pumpkins that have self-seeded around them. I can't bear to pull them out though, as these are the healthiest and fastest growing pumpkins I have on the place! Probably all that nice worm castings that they're growing in.

Here is one of the peas that has come up from my first planting. Only 2 out of 6 have come up so far. I'm not sure if something is stealing the seeds (possible, as I suspect they weren't planted deep enough), or if I didn't water them enough for them to germinate.

The climbing peas planted among the corn are having a higher success rate. Is this because the corn is protecting them from predators, or because they were watered more? Who knows. The aim with these is that they will climb up the corn stalks, as the last few cobs of corn are harvested.

Here is one of my broccoli or cauliflower seedlings coming up (no, not the one to the right, that's a weed, that one on the left there is the seedling). I can't remember which is which. I planted one lot on one side of the bed, and one on the other. Not to worry though, I'm sure I'll work it out before I eat them. I've only planted 3 of each, as our family isn't too keen on their greens, but hopefully I can slip these in somewhere!

Here is, I think, a lettuce seedling. I've planted these in around the broccoli/cauliflowers. Again, we don't really eat lettuce, but if all else fails, I can always feed them to the chickens.

And finally, here's the one nasturtium that has come up out of the 3 or 4 I have planted. I thought growing some flowers might encourage DD to become more interested in the garden, plus of course, attract more bees. This season we have nasturtiums, pansies, and cosmos. I also have some dahlia and sunflower seeds for next summer. I'm really looking forward to the sunflowers, I've never grown them before.

I have also planted some of the above flowers and some red kidney beans that are yet to come up.

Plans

I really must get into some more gardening tomorrow. I have some arrowroot tubers from Greenharvest, as well as some comfrey root cuttings, and about 20 seed potatoes that I need to get in the ground. Well, the seed potatoes will probably wait until they get some eyes, and until I work out what happened to my last lot of potatoes! Don't want to kill this lot too. The arrowroot is for making flour (a main ingredient of gluten free cooking, and from what I've read, pretty easy to process), and comfrey makes an excellent fertiliser for plants.

I also need to plant out two pineapple plants that I've raised from pineapple tops in post. They are doing great, and the roots are coming out of the bottom of the pots now. They'll go up in the orchard area.

I plan on planting out the mango I planted from a seed a year or two ago. It hasn't been cared for too well, just shoved into a pot of potting mix, so it is still tiny. Hopefully if it gets into the ground, it will get going a little more. I will still buy a more mature mango tree soon, but no point in not planting this one.

Speaking of fruit trees, I have been drooling over the trees over at Daley's Nursery. So far, I still want to get:

• mango tree (probably Bowen?)
• Apricot tree, possibly 2.
• Lychee tree
• Carob trees (maybe 3-4? I'm thinking they would go well as a hedge at the front of the house)
• Black Sapote tree (also known as the chocolate pudding fruit!)

Hopefully I'll order these (and the others that I'm sure I was planning on but have forgotten) with my next Istock payment.

I also plan for the future:

• Grapes (Thompson seedless)
• Olive tree (for oil)
• Sugar cane
• Bamboo (well contained!)

And if I can get hold of one, I'd love to try growing a cocoa tree, even if they are not supposed to fruit in this climate.

Easter

We've had a lovely Easter Sunday today. Sadly, DH had to work, but we drove him in near the city, then went to have breakfast with my sister and her hubby's family. This is the view from Mt Cootha, where we had breakfast. It's just west of the city, and has a pretty good view. That is the city centre, where DH works. We live about 50k to the left! There wasn't the best view today, rather foggy and overcast.

In fact, about 20 minutes after I took the first picture, the rain came in. You can see it coming across the city like a sheet, amazing.

We decided not to go overboard on the Easter Eggs this year, buying one bunny to share amongst the three of us, which looks like a very good idea, as this was my sister's Easter basket to share at the breakfast! Luckily there were about a dozen people there to share them amongst. We bought some home, and they are sitting in the bottom of the fridge, recovering from being in the heat in the car on the way home. Tonight, after DD is in bed, I'll hide most of them in the cupboard above the microwave (the only one DD can't reach!)

Instead of eggs, I stayed up way too late last night to make this little baby for DD. I asked DH to put it on his hand, so that you can see the size. The pattern came from the same old book of magazine cut outs that the ducklings did, and was designed by Jean Greenhow.

He sits in a little basket (the instructions said to use an aerosol lid, but since I didn't have one, I used a cardboard baking powder tin), and I added a few tiny Easter eggs for her. She loved it. She even thanked me for making it for her, even though she didn't see me, and I didn't tell her I had made it. Cluey kid that one.

After we came home, we took the chicks out for a run in the yard. They love getting out, and one of our big projects for this 'weekend' (which will actually be Monday and Tuesday that DH has off) is to make a chook tractor for them to be out in during the day. We'll still bring them in at night for a little while, as the chook tractor won't really be dog proof enough for my liking.

The chicks are really growing, they even have feathers on their wings already! As you can see, they're trying very hard to fly! They're also trying to have dustbaths, on the newspaper in their box! I think they really need to be outside!

House progress

Well, things were moving along in the week leading up to the Easter break. Our building overseer changed, and the new one came out and met us, and we got a chance to go through some of our concerns and clarify a few things with him, which was very good (The old one used to just pull up at the gate, look from his car, then drive off). He said they were a bit behind with bricklaying, and not to expect anything until after Easter, but then they turned up and started 2 days later! The brickwork is mostly finished now, except they have stopped about a foot from the roof? I'm sure there is a reason for this, as a few mates of DH's have said that similar things happened on their house, but I have no idea what. If anyone knows, I'd love to hear.

The interior has been moving along too. All of the internal walls are up now, and although these photos don't show it, most of the gaps and corners have been done and the imperfections plastered over. This is the view from the kitchen/living room, looking down the hallway to the bedrooms. Our bedroom is at the very end, and DD's is right next to it. The closest door is the spare room, which will be both guestroom and my sewing room! Boy am I looking forward to being able to set up my machine and not have to put it away every time. And hopefully being able to have most of my sewing stuff in the built in cupboard.

The bathroom/toilet/laundry are down the hallway and on the left.

This is the main living room area, with a lovely huge window that looks out onto the back yard. You can see our tank through the window, as well as a pile of the bricks. Our TV will probably go across that back wall, and the lounge chair in the middle of the room.

Many of the fittings have also started to arrive. The kitchen cupboards are here, although they aren't installed yet, and I haven't taken photos, as are the laundry tub and bathroom cupboards. We're actually starting to be hopefully that it won't be too much longer, although we know from the shed building that these fitting/tidying bits actually take a surprising amount of time.

Low-tech Wednesday

A member on Aussies Living Simply mentioned that they were having a 'low-tech Wednesday', where they tried to get through the day with as little use of technology as they could, and I was inspired. I know I tend to get too involved on the computer, and DD watches a bit much TV some days, so I thought a day without could be nothing but good.

It wasn't easy, I have to admit, but in the end, it turned out to be a good day. DD had a few tantrums in the morning about wanting to watch a DVD or play a computer game (not that she would normally do them at that time, but when I said we weren't going to, it immediately became the first thing she wanted to do of course), but she settled down quite well.

It helped that Wednesday is story time at the library, so that took up a large chunk of the day. They had an Easter story, made some bunny ears, and were given an Easter egg, which she really enjoyed. Then we choose some books, and a big set of wooden dominoes, and headed home. We spent a lot of the day reading our new library books (at times when DD needed some restful activities and would normally have watched TV), cleaned the floor (DD loves scrubbing the floor!),

We took the chickens out onto the lawn to run around, and watched them excitedly flapping their wings (they are getting feathers on their wings already! Slow down chicks, you can be cute and fluffy for a bit longer!), and pecking at the grass. We played in the cubby, where DD is loving doing pretend cooking on her toy stove. We planted some seeds (peas and pansies), and watered them. And picked the few ripe tomatoes that were there.

For dinner, we had a barbeque with sausages, and tried cooking some vegies wrapped in alfoil in the fire. Most of them burnt to a crisp, but the couple of potatoes that survived were delicious. DD had an early night, and DH and I stayed up far too late talking, without watching TV or playing the computer! DH enjoyed putting some food on his hand, and sitting with it in the box with the chickens as they climbed all over it and pecked it out of his hands. He is allergic to most animals, thus hasn't been able to have pets, and is really enjoying the experience.

All in all, I think low-tech Wednesday was a great success, and we're thinking of making it a regular event!

A Sad Day

Well, after spending all day agonising, reading all I could, and observing our little chicks, I came to the conclusion that the three who are unable to stand were not going to improve. Everything I read said that spraddle/splayed legs fix very quickly, so this was obviously something more serious. DH talked to the vet for quite a while, who agreed that there was little more to be done, and as it was, the baby chicks would not have a very good quality of life. So very sadly, we made the decision to have them put down. I was very emotional, but I'm glad the decision was made. We just couldn't look after them and they couldn't get to the food and drink themselves easily.

I know it is a part of the cycle of life and the workings of nature, but I can't help but be sad for those little chicks. I haven't told DD yet, just told her that they were going to the vet. I will tell her in the morning, because I believe that it is better to tell the truth about these things than to try to spare a child's feelings with untrue stories. Though it might make them feel better now, in the long run, I feel it undermines their security and trust in you.

Stuff

Nope, no pics today. It has been one of those days that just passed somehow, with little of note actually happening. We went to the markets this morning, and trialled the fold up trolley I found for $2 at the second hand shop, but it was rather unsuccessful, so I'll need to come up with something else there. We buy so much fruit and veg each week that I can't carry it in one trip, meaning either numerous trips to and from the car (not good with a 3yo), or finding some sort of trolley. I might yet be able to come up with something using the frame I have, but the box we had on the bottom of it today isn't it.

On top of the normal fruit today, I bought a new garden fork. The neighbours dogs got into my compost bin yesterday (my fault, it had started to come apart, and I didn't fix it), and trying to turn it over into the bin again with a shovel wasn't a good job. We found a great stall at the markets that had lots of old tools, including a couple of scythes, kerosene lamps, a mangle, and lots more. Their tools were all old, solid ones, and I got a great pitchfork for $20. Bet it will hold up much better than a $20 one from the hardware!

Then I spent the morning making a sling out of an old sock toe for Tiger, trying to get him upright. His legs aren't out to the side as much now, but he just isn't getting up on his feet. I think he (and the others) are balancing slightly better in their squat position though. At least they all seem to be able to eat and drink mostly without assistance, which was questionable a few days ago, so we'll give them another week or so and hope they continue to improve. It is very stressful, watching them hobble around, and I wish there was something more I could do to help. We haven't even had much of a chance to enjoy all the other chicks, we've been so focused on these three, so tomorrow I plan to take the other 7 out on the lawn to play with DD.

While I was focused on chicks, DD and DH played in the cubby for hours on end. She loves her new toy, and is even happy to play on her own there for short periods of time, although at this stage, DH and I prefer to keep a close eye on her until she masters the ladder a little more fully. (Well, actually, she's very good at it, but we worry none the less.)

Around midday, we got into some cleaning that sorely needed doing, general tidying (washing up, making beds, washing clothes), then spent 15 minutes on the veranda, which was getting quite unsightly. It still needs a lot of work, but the improvement you see for just 15 minutes is amazing!

This afternoon we got stuck into some mowing. The orchard area is very overgrown, and hasn't been mowed for a few weeks. It was a case of push and shove to even get the mower through the grass on it's highest setting. I tried to do it with the catcher initially, but I was having to empty it every 20 meters or so, far too time consuming. I think I got through about 1/3 of the area. DH also attacked some of the highest weeds with the whipper snipper, which has made a difference too.

Did a bit of planting this morning. Some cauliflower, broccoli, and lettuce seeds, which are now covered with my netting cage in an attempt to keep the caterpillars off them. The tomato seeds (Roma) I planted about a week ago have come up, along with several self seeded rockmelons that were obviously in the worm casings I planted in. It's a little late for them, but I'll let them go and see what happens.

I can't remember if I've mentioned it or not, but my loofah plants have tiny loofah's on them! Very exciting! I'll have to do some more garden pics soon to upload. I also discovered a self seeded passionfruit vine down near the gate a few days ago, so today I transplanted it to the fence behind DD's cubby. I don't know if it will survive the transplant or not, but it couldn't stay where it was, as the mound of dirt it was on was going to be moved around in the next few months.

Finally, for dinner, we had a barbeque again. Rissoles this time, with steamed vegies cooked inside. Delicious! I'm really loving the barbeques now that the weather has cooled enough that the mozzies aren't too bad. I think we'll have to have one more often. Afterwards, DD played in her cubby while DH and I chatted. A perfect end to the day.

Cubby at last!

We've been promising DD a cubby since we moved, and finally, here it is!

It took a LOT of searching around before I found a company I was happy with. Nearly every cubby company out there makes their cubbies out of some sort of treated timber. Even the few that have cedar cubbies still have treated frames, and I just wasn't happy with that. CCA (copper, cadmium, arsenic) treatment is no longer allowable for use in children's play equipment, but I'm not convinced that they new treatments they're offering are safe either. For our peace of mind, untreated timber was a must. I finally stumbled upon TimberPlay, who specifically state that all of their cubbies are built from untreated timber. They have a cypress pine frame, and cedar cladding. DD has specified that she wants a pink cubby, so some time in the coming weeks, we will paint it with low emission paint for her.

They came out this morning and put it up. Cost us a little extra, but worth it to avoid the hassle. DH has a slipped disk in his back that is finally improving, and we don't want to damage it again. Not to mention neither of us being very good at building.

It is in the area directly opposite the shed and also close to the house, so it will be easy to keep an eye on her while we're doing other things. Until she is a little bigger though, we'll stay pretty close, as the ladder is quite a challenge to climb. She is picking it up quickly though, and being very careful. The barbeque is nearby, and our new outdoor table that DH's parents no longer want, so we're building up quite an outdoor entertaining table.

In the next few years, we'll probably add a swing out this side and a deck on the other side to make a real playground for her. Underneath will be a sandpit as soon as we get some sand.

While all this is going on, our house is still progressing. There was nothing for a week and a half, then just days after the new foreman told us that we probably wouldn't have the bricks on before Easter, they turned up and started. They're going on a little slower than I expected, this is after 3 days of bricklaying, although of course there is more on the sides and front that you can't see in this picture. Today (Saturday!) the next lot of contractors also turned up and began putting up the cladding on the interior walls. They've just left now, and I'm off to have a look and see what it's like inside!

32

Yes, that's how old I am! At least, I think it is (without actually doing the sums).

Yesterday was my birthday, and it was a wonderful day, even though we didn't make a big deal about it. I visited my sister in the morning, and took her to the dentist to have a tooth out. She didn't want to have to drive home herself afterwards. DD and I walked around the shops while she was in the dentist, and DD was most excited, as it's the store we used to visit often before we moved, so she knows it well. I had promised her some felt pens, so we went looking for those first. The stationary store had two packets, one smaller one for $5, and a larger one for $10. I explained to DD that she had $10 to spend, so if she bought the larger one, she wouldn't have any money left, but if she bought the smaller one, it would only use half her money, so she choose the smaller one. I was most proud of her.

Then we went onto the bookstore, where she went to look at the kids books, while I had a quick look at the gardening ones in the next aisle. A few minutes later, she came over with a book and asked if she could buy it. To my surprise, it was a 2nd grade workbook! I had a quick flick through, but most of it was above her ability level, so I suggested we look at a few others. She finally settled on a counting to 20 sticker-book. I think I'll try to buy her one every now and then, now that she's showing an interest in them. I will also select a bunch of worksheets from Prodigy Pie and print them out and staple them into a book for her, and see how she likes that.

We had a bit more of a look around after that, and a few tantrums when she couldn't have other things that she wanted, but I stuck to the fact that her money was spent, and there wasn't anymore. I had a look at a few gardening books, but they were all about $40, so I decided to wait.

Then we dropped my sister home, and came home. Later in the afternoon, after recovering from her tooth, my sister and her husband came out, and we had a lovely barbeque in the cool of the afternoon. It was a wonderful relaxed evening. My sister's husband started the fire and cooked, and we sat around and ate and talked. I couldn't have asked for a nicer way to spend my birthday.

Into the Wild.

Well, the chickens have fluffed up, and look like real chickens now! We took them for their first run outside, which meant I was able to get some decent photos (while trying to stop them running off and hiding behind things). All up we have 10 chickens out of the 12 eggs, which is pretty good I think. The last one hatched at about 7am this morning. The last two eggs are still in the incubator, but I would be very surprised if they hatched at this late stage.

Tiger

Out of the ten, unfortunately there are 3 little ones that are having trouble standing, like the one in the picture above. I believe they have what is commonly known as splayed or spraddle leg, where their legs stick out a little rather than being directly under them. I gleaned this info from the Backyard Poultry Forum, where everyone is most helpful. The treatment for this is to 'hobble' their legs, to pull them back into line, which we have done. This web page gives instructions on how to do it. After 24 hours or so, when they didn't seem to be showing much improvement, we took them into a vet (a bird vet specifically), and they concurred with what we were doing, and were very impressed with the hobbling we'd done. She helped redo them a little, and the worse one, poor little Tiger, so named for the little black stripes on his head, has his feet taped to a piece of cardboard, as they were too out of line for the simple hobble to work. She was hopeful that they would at least recover enough to be able to get themselves around, and since they are pets and egg birds, we will be happy with that.

She said to leave the hobbles on for 3 days, then take them off, so we'll have to see how they go.

They are beautiful birds though, despite the stress of worrying about these three. I can happily just sit and watch them scratching around and pecking at things. I'm so glad we decided to get them. DD is really enjoying it too, and loved playing with them outside. If she walked away from us, half them would rush after her, following her.