It's a family affair....

We have so many building projects on the go, it's been all hands to the drill!



The free rangers were busy building new compost bins at the weekend. I'm not sure where the fine line is between helping out and child labour but there was no stopping my girl once she got hold of the power tools!

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Violas and lemon cake

I've been inspired by the Violas this week - they don't care whether the weather is with us or not - they're busting out all over and insisting that it really is Spring ...really!






So in homage to the delicate lovelies we made a lemon and poppy seed bundt cake and decorated it with a glaze of lemon icing with viola flowers.


We even found some crystallised rose and violet petals for the centre - hey presto spring cake!

I'm going to try and crystallise some of our petals this year - has anyone else tried? - am I going to end up with a penicillin purée?

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Easter Feasting...

Just before it gets wiped away let me share with you our Easter feast that was...

I was too busy cooking and serving at the time to photograph it all, and most of it was munched before the camera came out - but we did get a picture of Ponygirls birthday cake - she has an Easter Birthday so there's no shortage of chocolate!

What the camera doesn't pick up is the sparkly glitter  - or the chocolate popping candy sprinkles - or the birthday ready to sink her teeth into it! Happy Birthday Ponygirl!

An explanation, a completion and a return...

Its been a long time between posts, a long, long time. To be honest i wasn't sure if Id ever get round to posting again. What started as a chronicle of our life in Yorkshire was in danger of becoming another thing on the never ending list of things to do that never got done. We started this adventure with a house to rescue, roofs to be put on and damp to be prevented whilst still trying to make sure our children enjoyed the journey with us. What we've found is that too often things get in the way, things too many to list but the following would certainly make it into the top ten,

1. Work, work and more work...I love my job but who doesn't wish all weekends were three days long.

2. Children's hobbies, parties, birthdays, gym clubs, brownies, extra curricular activities, homework - all very worthwhile but I cant remember the last time I sat down before 9pm

3. House work and laundry - One day I will have a cleaner who I will love and cherish and who will rescue me from all this washing!

4. Dogs, chickens, dogs who find their way into the chickens and eat all the chickens, dogs who then break into a neighbours and eat their chickens - don't ask, I cant elaborate, its still too traumatic, suffice to say we no longer leave the dogs with a dog walker and our two surviving chooks are seeing out the winter with the grandparents. 

5. Bad backs - to top it all just when we are getting on top of everything both of our backs have a tendency to give way in unison. What used to be cured with a paracetamol and a radox bath now needs 48 hours and a tramadol - is this the future?

6. My impending big birthday - okay so for....thirty plus ten isn't such a big deal to everyone but I just thought Id be thinner/smarter/taller/richer/have better hair by now! I'm not in full melt down yet but I've got some big goals to achieve by August!

However, we have been cracking on with the build - we finally have a 'grown up' bedroom!

At last we have a landing that doesn't scare the children - the cold creepy tunnel that it once was is now a distant memory!

 Let there be light!

The down stairs room is no longer a pile of bricks - its a real room with real furniture and everything!!!

 and even a corner for crafting and blogging (okay it still needs shelves and skirting boards but hey it didnt even exist this time last year!!!)

so all in all were getting there...still slowly... but we're definitely getting closer. 

And I finally have somewhere to sit down and blog, so I guess....I'm back!