Our Chickens: Feeling the community love

Our girls abscond on a daily basis.

They take a run-up, flap their clipped wings at a furious speed, and sail over the fence to the creek; they sneak through a gap in the retaining wall to our neighbour’s lush garden (with plenty of gorgeous green grass),  squeeze through loose palings and onto the road (where they’ve been found sitting, contentedly, in the warm sun), and have been found perch all-in-a-row on low branches in random trees.

With all the rain about lately, I’ve seen them huddled together in Ella’s doghouse (thankfully, without Ella in it), and standing, soaking, in the middle of the garden, staring wistfully at the sky. And it goes without saying - they take every opportunity to steal into the house, whenever the kids unwittingly leave the back door open, which results in a comical commotion of chasing and almost-catching and clucking and giggling.

There’s a layer, an almost layer, and two youngun’s who constantly jostle for a better hierarchal position in the coop, still growing their combs.

And, if you couldn’t already tell, I’m totally and absolutely in love with them.

 

The Coop, set in the back corner of our garden…

To love a chicken (or four chickens) is a strange thing, because before they arrived on Christmas eve, I was scared of them - and their flappy wings, sharp beaks and scratchy feet. I was absolutely convinced that they’d chase me, peck at me, and was horrified at the thought of having to actually pick them up to put them away at night. But they wormed their way into our family, with all their warbling and grazing and waddling. And in a surprisingly short time, I was in love – just like that.

What I didn’t expect though, was how accepted they’d be with neighbours and friends. Our next door neighbour talks to them when they manage to escape into her garden – I often hear her cooing to them as they strut and scratch in her lovely lush grass; another neighbour saves all her fruit and vegetable scraps, bringing them over in big plastic bags, or randomly throwing bits and pieces over the fence and into the run. Other neighbours have offered advice about compost and using chicken manure in our garden; friends have taken them onto their laps for a pat.

I admit it: I love this. Who would have known that they’d become such wonderful community pets?

Do you have chickens too?

Nat

Ps. No names yet; goodness, it’s hard finding chicken-appropriate names that everyone is happy with!

 

Our new house

Right now, it's catering for a menagerie of wild animals. There’s a lion and a hippo in the bathtub, two lassie dogs tucked into the upstairs bedroom, and pigs and sheep climbing up the stairs. I found a goat in the kitchen cupboard, a cat sitting at the breakfast table with a camel, and a scary green-eyed gorilla thinking about using the toilet.

Our Lou loves her new dollhouse. And I’m often stealing away to sit down and play with her too.

Want to see how it turned out?

Here’s shell of the house, the week before Christmas:

And all shiny and bright, Christmas morning:

Are you renovating a dollhouse yourself and want some inspiration? Check out Steph at Mon Petit Poppet and Megan at Mousehouse – they’re amazing!

Nat

Holiday Lessons

Yes, we totally dropped off the radar.

Sorry, dear readers.

It actually all started when my computer broke down the week before Christmas. I was horrified at first, and then sunk into the lack of technology like a pig in mud. There is a lot to be said for taking a break from life for a few weeks – Dave and I played long treasure hunting games with the kids, swam, ate and ate, and had random afternoon naps; the kids rode their bikes for hours, we went on long drives, dug up the gardens, cooked the most delicious food, and watched lots of kiddie movies.

It really was heavenly.

And I actually managed to learn a few things while on our long, lazy holiday:

1. Yes, it is possible to go back to sleep in the morning if you close your eyes long enough (and if there’s a pillow over your head to muffle the outside noise).
2. Holidays = messy house, frequently empty fridge. It also means that no one really has the motivation to do anything about it, which makes it a lot easier to turn a blind eye and indulge in fantastic takeaway.
3. You can never have too many swims in one day. And lazy after-the-kids-are-asleep swims are the perfect way to wind down.
4. Holiday breakfasts may just be the best kind of breakfast: there’s very little guilt involved, you’re able to take your time (perhaps even read the paper or pour another mug of coffee), and can then crawl into bed or onto the couch for slow digestion.
5. Having a little girl that loves pretend tea parties is really the most delightful thing. Thinking that we’d always have a tomboy, the emergence of the very girly Lou really is a thing to marvel at; and all those endless cups of pretend tea and cake, the tucking and re-tucking of dolls into makeshift beds, and a sudden obsession with pretty skirts and beads, adds a lovely (sometimes sparkly) shine to the house. 

Even though it may feel like an age ago, did you have a holiday over Christmas? What did you do?

Nat

Ps. I’ve been writing. A lot. And isn’t it a novel thing, to write with a pen on paper? I think it took me two weeks to write without an aching hand!

Image from here.

Baking and making the day away...

There are definitely Christmas-related smells.

For me, it’s spices: ginger, mixed spice, cinnamon and ground cloves. Sometimes even nutmeg. It was heady in my kitchen over the weekend, as I baked the most beautiful pumpkin pies; and it made me smile today, as I introduced the kids to their first Christmas baking experience – a tradition that I’m hoping to encourage within our small family, complete with all the smells, mixing, taste testing and patient waiting that goes along with it.

Our lovely Aunt and cousin have a yearly baking tradition that we were keen to get involved with; and this morning we smelled and mixed, and measured and tasted our way through Grandma’s boiled fruit cake recipe (laden with rum-soaked fruit, nuts, stewed prunes and piles of zesty peel), and a big batch of sticky, moreish rum balls.

I watched the kids mix at the table, standing up on their chairs – absolutely engrossed in the step-by-step process going on around them; best-loved carols played on in the background, spices measured out teaspoon by teaspoon, and once the lid was lifted, the strong smell of the soaked fruit filled the air. It warmed my heart – sharing this with family, and introducing it to Judah and Lou. Coming from a family of the most amazing cooks, the love of cooking and of food is something I’m so keen to weave into their young lives.

The weather turned cool and windy this afternoon, and as I tidied up, I eyed an ice-cream tub full of cherry tomatoes from the garden, which we can’t seem to eat through fast enough. And after a full, sweet day of happy cooking and comfortable chatter, I felt ready (and inspired) to do just a little more.

Relish, perhaps?

Thank goodness for Steph from Mon Petit Poppet, who luckily had posted a recipe not too long ago. The tomatoes were cut up in a flash, generously salted and peppered, and are, as I type, roasting beautifully in the oven.

Don’t you just love productive cooking days?

How was your day today?

Making Christmas Ours...

This year, I’m making a pumpkin pie for Christmas Day desert.

And perhaps even a lemon tart, loaded with fresh seasonal berries.

There’ll be lazy after-dinner swims in the pool, iced tea in tall glass pitchers, old (sometimes scratchy) jazz records being played, and a string of lanterns glowing on the verandah.

I’ve been thinking about starting our own family Christmas traditions a lot lately – you know, the things that you do every year as a family (isn’t there just a loveliness in things that stay the same over time?), and the things that we’ll look forward to with delicious anticipation. The small things that will make Christmas our Christmas.

The babes are old enough now to be swept up in magical things, and we’ve been discussing Santa’s job (and whether Santa enlists the help of fairies to help him out), and all the childlike things that go along with it. Judah has decided that he wants to leave a present for Santa, which I readily agreed to – and Lou suggested that the reindeer might like some honey on toast, along with the traditional carrots and apples. Who doesn’t like hot-buttered honey toast?

Dave and I have been brainstorming ways to make the magic of the season real for them both. Inside, on our bright Christmas morning, there’ll be a note left from Santa, footprints leading out from the fireplace, and a pile of string-wrapped presents stacked under the Judah-decorated tree. The plate of homemade goodies that the little ones will make the day before, will have proved too much of a temptation for old St Nick; and outside, the reindeer feast will be all but a memory. There may even be some sparkly glitter in the place where they rested – evidence of their magical pit-stop.

As we lean towards the loveliness of Christmas day, the kids have begun making their presents for the people they love most in the world – with my help, of course. Their drawings are very person-specific, and done with such care and sweetness; some of them have been transformed into small artworks, some have been set aside for more intricate projects in the New Year. But most importantly, they are all wrapped up in the idea of giving to people, and I can’t help but smile at their enthusiasm.

Do you have Christmas traditions that you’ve brought into your family from your childhood? Or have you created your own special family traditions?

Nat

Image from here.

Rowdy, rough-and-tumble types...

My babes are wrestlers.

They’re also fast-running-around-the-table, rolling around in mud, climbing dangerously high (and jumping without fear), and fake laughing in the mirror kind of kids. They do everything in a loud way; will shriek and screech over the smallest finds, and love making up circus tricks and tumbling down the hallway. They make loud, scary noises when pulling faces, breakdance to bad 80’s music, and sing off key to our favourite songs. I never dress them in white. Ever.

Even though I’m more than aware of their boisterous beginnings, this week I had the opportunity to see a work in progress performance in an inner city theatre, a play for two-to-five year olds all about play – and I must admit, I hesitated. Especially because when I was reading the email invitation, Judah was standing on the dining table shouting ‘Fi! Fi! Fo! Fum!’ and beating his chest like King Kong, and I could hear Lou outside squealing repeatedly over a colony of ants that she’d found in the mud.

But then I thought, why not? They may just surprise me…

As it was, my energetic two were very good, and aside from a few feet stamping and jumping on cushion episodes, all went beautifully. But the thing I love the most?  How seeing the performance has influenced their own imaginings and the way that they play together: Judah’s been pretending to swim around the house, holding his breath so his plump little cheeks stick out, breast-stroking at a furious pace, and diving onto the couch to paddle-kick his legs at breakneck speed. And Lou has been exploring with boxes, copying Judah’s enthusiastic swimming displays, and hiding under sheets – just like the actors did.

It was an interesting lesson for me – perhaps I box my wrestlers/mud rollers too quickly, and don’t really give them the opportunity to experience new, quieter things because I’m afraid they’ll be too disruptive. But I’m thinking that we may just become a theatre-going family after all… which is very, very cool.

Have your children ever surprised you in a similar way?

Nat

Ps. Only one more week left before we draw the winner of our $50 Quill & Ink Handmade gift voucher! To enter, all you need to do is post a photo on our facebook page of your Quill & Ink product with its new owner, and like us (if you don’t already). Simple as that! Best photo wins…. x

Market Wrap Up: Mathilda's

And so begins a mad month of markets for Quill & Ink Handmade!

Yesterday we peddled our wares at the lovely Mathilda’s Market, which was brimming with eager Christmas shoppers – we met so many lovely people, ate enormous portions of Happy Little Dumplings pork buns (oh my goodness, so delicious) , and had moments where our stall had so many people buying that it was tricky to see past them – very exciting!

Next up: We’re off to take part in the Racecourse Road Community Christmas Event, with a big market hosted by BrisStyle, and held on the grounds of the beautiful St. Augustine’s Church on Friday 25^th of November, 5pm until 9pm. The whole of Racecourse road will be taking part in this lovely community event, with carols, roving entertainment, great food, and a visit from Santa - plus all of the local restaurants and cafes will be celebrating in style, with Christmas menus and delicious specials. We’re so looking forward to it!

Will you come along too?

Nat

Image from BrisStyle.