Cunning Mr Fox

Fortunately all of my chickens are safe and well.    We have had a visit from a Fox - you are going to have look really hard at this photo to spot the fox.....

 Did you see him???   The tree is very very tall,  much higher than the house and growing behind the garden fence.   Mr Milly spotted the fox yesterday, but I didn't see him - today we saw him again.   Perched right at the very top of the tree sitting watching the chickens and everyone else in and out of our garden and from that vantage point several other gardens too.   I think our dog and the dog next door could both smell him and not see him as they were both very vocal all afternoon.  As the sun started to go down, down went the fox, no doubt to return another day.  Peer closely at the top of the tree and you might see the orange Mr Fox

A couple of better pictures of him - posing for the camera I think.

Can you see him now?



A zoomed in shot of the fox watching me photograph him.

Just goes to show that if you are keeping chickens a fortress to protect them is needed,  6 foot high fences are really no defence when they are able to climb like this.    Another learning for today - Mr Fox can climb very high trees! 

Gifts

For Christmas this year I was really lucky with my gifts from  the lovely Mr Milly,    one gift I did know about was my new sewing machine.......   I love it!  I have had mine for 25 years and although going strong it was really showing its age and behaving like an old lady.  This one will be kept for Mr Girl at her request.

The new one is all singing and dancing,  I think it has something like 225 stitches,  automatic button holes,  clip on presser feet - no more fiddling with a tiny screwdriver to change the feet AND an automatic needle threader - this is brilliant, especially as my eyes struggle now with threading a needle - that is my age according  to my optician (he really cheered me up that day!! LOL).

So here it is the new well loved machine.......

And what does a new machine need?  Well a new cover of course....  brilliant practice on the machine,  a bit of quilting, some patchwork and then some applique - me and Mr Milly worked on this one together as the maths and angles is just not my thing and his number crunching was really needed.   Mr Milly also arranged the patchwork,  I did try to get him to cut out the 42,  2 inch squares but he was having none of that!

I think Mr Milly is worried that I don't have enough to do and occupy me - and after watching Kirstie Allsopp' Homemade Home he gave me a needle felting kit for Christmas.

The kit looks like this;-



Book, wool, needle tools, felting mat..



I have been having a play  with the needles and wool and after puncturing my fingers on numerous occassions - the needles are barbed, triangular and incredibly sharp,  my index finger and thumb looks like  pincushions!  I think I am starting to get the hang of it  - and learning to keep my fingers out of the way!  Very briefly - you get some wool,  place it on a brush/sponge and stab it multiple times with a needle to mat it and sculpt into whatever you are creating.   Brilliant therapy after a hard day at work!

My first couple of efforts - with some more to follow in the next couple of days.



Gnome Garden - 20p to give an idea of the scale



Learnt today - A collection of ladybirds is ' A loveliness of Ladybirds' - how cute is that!!

New Year's Resolutions

1. Save money where ever possible - clear all debts and save a bit
2. Don't put things off - this puts me under self inflicted additional pressure
3. Try to be calmer - this will be a real challenge!
4. Go to bed early - after midnight most nights is just too late
5. Try to learn a couple of new things every week
6. Come out of Hibernation.  I feel that I have hibernated this year - a coping mechanism I think.
7. Loose weight - I believe this one is compulsory for a New Years resolution list!
8. Get the allotment cleared and sorted

I think that is enough resolutions for one year!  A list written down does feel like they are proper resolutions and maybe achieveable - let's wait and see!

Out with the old and in with the new - I've made a few changes to the blog template,  what do you think?  

All is quiet again in our house,  My Girl is off visiting friends she will be home early next week for a day and then back to work in Kent.   I am going to miss her,  but I won't miss her messiness!  My goodness she is untidy,  in fact she can walk into a room and devastate it in about 30 seconds - she really does have this down to a fine art!!  Mr Milly gets frustrated with shoes - he will frequently ask her how come she has one pair of feet,  but there are 12 pairs of shoes all over the place! LOL!  The Portuguese Housekeeper has now also gone home,  so back to just the 2 of us.   This helps the first of the New Year's resolutions - the heating has been turned down a notch or two and is now on for just 2 hours in the morning and 2 at night.

Lastly on this very first day of 2012 a few pics of some of the makes for Christmas - not many photos though, as I forgot to photograph most of them!! 

Cowgirl and Cowboy cookie mix in a jar.  Just add butter and they are good to go.

A patchwork lap quilt for Mr Milly - he might need it as the heating is now so low!

My first ever Christmas cake

Have you made any New Year Resolutions?

Alison x

Good bye 2011

The last post of 2011.   I have never liked New Year's Eve and this one is no exception.  Tonight I have been catching up with all of my favorite blogs and today Sue from Our New Life in the Country has written a post which completely sums up for feelings for 2011.
http://ournewlifeinthecountry.blogspot.com/2011/12/goodbye-2011.html?showComment=1325365584273#c3285727401403921475

This has been a year of the most incredible sadness and loss,  part of me will be glad to start a new year,  the rest of me will be incredibly sad to leave 2011 for very many reasons.

I am hopeful that 2012 will be a year of positive changes.   For me and Mr Milly to take control and made our lives better and different.

Sue starts her post with these very moving words;-

You were a strange year, a year of learning, of realising.  One of strengthening bonds and knowing the true value of love.

You gave us great heartache, you gave us laughs, you took what we most valued and then tried to take some more.

We will look back on you with sorrow, with joy, with love and with hatred.

You were just a year

 

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year

Alison x

 

 

Last minute bits and pieces

The little nephew's Christmas tops are finished..   a slightly tamed down version of the grown up girls Christmas tops,  which I think is about right for the 2 boys!  The grown up girls wore theirs to Tesco yesterday - which was entertaining!

The last days of the Advent Calender have passed with a few more little sweetie bags hidden around the house.   This has definately been the best Advent calender ever!!  I now look at sweets in a whole different light when I am in shops - and wonder what they could become!  What an exciting life hey!!

My Boy popped in today,  he is working both Christmas Day and Boxing day this year - 7am until 7pm both days so we won't see very much of him.  Not his choice to work these days,  but a downside of working shifts in a 24/7 industry.   As in previous years we are all hoping he will be able to finish early and spend extra time with us.  

I did tell him that I have some stocking goodies for him and for him to take them home on Christmas Eve to open in the morning,  his face lit up and he was really pleased that he has one.  BUT I then worried that he would feel left out as the girls have the lovely Kirstie Alsopp inspired Christmas stockings that I made yesterday.   I am sure I was worrying more about this than My Boy would be,  but as he was pleased he has a stocking I thought he should have a lovely home made one too.....   Didn't want this one to be too girly though.......  Another that I am really thrilled with!  

This is really getting me thinking though,  they are very inexpensive to make and each one takes less and less time to complete and I think these would sell really well - what do you think?  A project for next year maybe!

Wishing you all a Very Very Happy Christmas,   From all of the Milly's!

Note to self

Do not watch Kirsty's Homemade Christmas just 4 days before Christmas!

The programme is full of all sorts of  goodies and brilliant ideas,  I do wish it had been on the TV a few weeks ago..... 

As always I was inspired and fingers itching to have a go........ I did convince myself this morning that I really wouldn't have time to make anything and definitely no time to shop for supplies.    The more I thought about it, the more I realised I probably had the supplies and lo and behold and a quick rummage through my fabric stash,  I did find all the supplies I would need.  The next problem was time - one of the advantages about working at home - when you take a lunch break you get a whole hour,  no travelling back to the office, just  a 20 second walk up the stairs and Mr Milly on hand to help with ironing and tidying up!

Trusty Google provided the template,  a bit of material cutting up and some time at the sewing machine.........

I love them!!

The poor dog has had a Christmas make over, courtesy of My Girl and the Portuguese Housekeeper!

She is such a good dog!  She is wearing a pompom on her collar,  Rudolph sticker on her head and look closely you can see her sticker earrings - she has worn them all day!!  What the camera will just not show is the glitter My Girl has decided to rub into her coat - she does look sparkly and pretty BUT there is now glitter all over the house :o)

Talking of Google - have you tried typing in Let it Snow into the search bar??  Try it - it is very cool!

19th December

In the advent calender today;-

The message;-

It was a very vague clue,  so it was fun watching the 2 girls run round the house trying to track down the little gift!  (They were by the front door hiding behind the curtain!)

Gifts for my work colleagues have been packaged up today ready for transporting into the office in the morning - that will be challenging,  it's a 15 minute walk up a steep hill,  so I will be trudging along with handbag, laptop bag and some other bag with all of these goodies in!  Keep your fingers crossed that it is not raining.

And finally - with just 6 days to go My Girl and the Portuguese Housekeeper have been scouring the shops trying to find fun novelty Christmas tops/jumpers to wear - I have no idea why,  just something they decided they wanted!   Believe it or not, these type of things are in very short supply this year and none at a reasonable price could be found.   They did get a resounding NO from me when they asked if I could knit them one (That is 2 jumpers 7 days before Christmas, and working full time - superwoman I am not!)

The ever trusty Google came to the rescue with some templates for a Rudolph and Snowman found, printed and cut out.  A rummage through wardrobes for some old tops to customise - then a swift visit to the Haberdashers for some supplies.   A couple of hours spent, cutting, ironing, sewing and positioning and they are delighted with their tops!  To be honest I loved doing these and am really pleased with the result.  The only downside - both my little nephews were here at the time, helping with pinning, cutting and sticking and now I have 2 more orders for their Christmas tops!