It's been a blast!

Hello All! We've just had a 4-day pyjama party with our very best friends, Cooper and Cabot, who are our urbanite half-brothers who live in Burlington. Cabot broke all the records for not eating anything he shouldn't, apart from the monkey's leg and the green dragon. They learned how to sit and accept 'cookies' like real gentlemen, without chomping off Mummy's hand! Their Daddy is coming to pick them up later, and we'll miss them a lot, but it will be a little calmer around here at dinner time! Honestly, anyone would think that they're completely starving, the way they carry on! It was quite a feat, we can tell you, for Mummy to separate the hooligans (them) from the well-mannered two (us)!! So we look forward to the next visit with eager anticipation!

Sapphie Comes Over for a Play Date

We had a fun day together today, Sapphie, Emi and I. They came early for breakfast, then we played some songs on the piano, and explored around the house and garden for a while. After her nap, we ate lobster mac 'n' cheese, then went for a walk down to the river. This is a picture of Sapphie reading the paper after her lunch, wearing her new hat made by
Great Cousin Carol in Yorkshire...what a clever cousin!

Over the sea to Skye

Speed, bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing, over the sea to Skye...

Carry the lad who's born to be King, over the sea to Skye...

I can hear her calling! I need to go.

Here chooks!

Just two weeks to go, and we'll be starting to grow our little brood of chickens! I'm ready!

Ta-Dah!!

Here is the finished Chook Palace, all stained, and ready for the day-old chicks, who will arrive before we can blink an eye! And here is the slate bearing the eternal truth:

Chanticleer, all over again!! Actually, I think we've decided to abandon the Chanticleer idea...a lot quieter, and a lot less worry!

Omnibus I

I have decided to go back to school! Not as a teacher, though, but as a student! Today was day one of my new course, Omnibus I, Biblical and Classical Civilizations. It should take me 6 years to complete Omnibus I - VI, so by the time that I turn 70, I should be fairly well-versed in the classics! Today we 'went' to the Sistine Chapel, and asked the question: "Who do you suppose that beautiful woman under God's left arm is?" Depending on your viewpoint, I suppose she could be Mary, who by the time Michelangelo painted his famous fresco had received the title of Mother of God back in the Middle Ages. Since Michelangelo didn't follow biblical descriptions of the cherubims, he probably didn't think too much about time-lines either, so this gorgeous female could then be Eve, even though she wasn't created until later. I, personally, think that this is the personification of Wisdom, who is portrayed in Proverbs as a woman. Entirely appropriate, for Wisdom to be included in this earth-shattering event! I suppose we'll never know this side of Heaven who she is, but rather fun to ponder such things! We looked at the whys and wherefores of Genesis, and now my homework is to read Toledoth 1 - 5, or the first 11+ chapters of Genesis. I'm going to enjoy being a student again! Soli Deo Gloria!

A Leeky Census!

A dear friend left this bag of ramps(wild leeks) hanging on our door knob early this morning! What a lovely surprise...so this evening we're having ramps and mushrooms gratines: saute 10 trimmed ramps and quartered mushers in a couple tablespoons of (real!) butter until golden. Take off heat, add half a cup of heavy cream and pop in small casserole dish. Cover with breadcrumbs mixed with Gruyere cheese and broil until golden topped! After dinner go for a brisque walk around the field 4 times to help move all that lovely cream through your veins!