Friday, September 16, 2011

sliding into september

Updates on the simple life:

Chickens - We found homes for three birds! Two roosters and a hen went to live on two different farms in the Annapolis Valley. I've heard reports and they're all good. My pal, Kim, took the gorgeous golden-laced Wyandotte roo and the demure Barred-rock gal. A new friend, Cheryl, took one of the two outstanding black Australorps. We have the other. That leaves with us two spare roosters - a banty silver-laced Wyandotte, and a handsome Rhode Island Red. SP has found a place for them. It is the Lebanese Market in town and I'm afeared they won't make pets of them. At least SP won't have to do the deed - we don't charge for them - we just can't have three roosters. No one can. I am very happy that there won't be any chicken culling going on here. Very glad. That leaves us with six hens and one roo. The six hens are:
1 golden-laced Wyandotte - Beauty
1 wonderful little RIR - The Hammer
Another RIR - (unnamed so far)
1 black Australorp - Crow (2)
2 silver-laced Wyandottes - (unamed so far)
and the roo, who is also unnamed but we're going to be VERY careful naming him. Something kind and peaceful and loving - The Dalai Lama perhaps, or Gandhi. We'll see. These pictures were taken before we sent any birds to new homes.
 three of the roosters are in this pic. The golden is the gorgeous guy on the right and the two black australorps are on the left. Behind SP you can see the golden l-w hen, Beauty.


Garden - total wipe-out - got maybe a handful of strawberries and some tomatoes. There are two cabbages that might turn into something and a bit of basil. The garlic, so SP tells me, came out with smaller bulbs than went in!!!! I share the blame for the garden with the pissy weather. Nuff said. Next year...

Knitting - I've been working on a triangle shawl in a pattern called Dragon Scale Shawl. I got frustrated and had to frog it a zillion times and then figured out that I needed to go to a slightly heavier yarn - so I went up to a fingerling. I also put life-lines in place about every ten rows. Well, it looked gorgeous - very very nice and I was so happy but last week or so it went flooey on me.  I went into The Loop (knit store in town that is fabulous) and the owner nicely helped me take it back to the life-line and re-introduce the needle at that place. Took me an hour and a half under her tutelage. Then I knit happily away for several rows until I figured it is off again. Big time. That means either I've lost my mind - and I don't think I have - or the mistake was BEFORE the life-line. Whatever. I'm frogging it and starting over, only this time I'm using a smaller gauge circular needle as my life-line. Yes. I will not give up. I'm going to post a photo for you knitting knuts.



Assorted thingys - last week we had 6 extra adults and five extra kids over for berry-picking, nipkin hunting and dinner. It was a wild and wonderful time. SP made his amazing fish soup and a huge mac and cheese for the youngins. I made an upside down plum cake and brownies too. I am on this 17 day diet so couldn't eat that but had berries and yoghurt. The plum cake turned out wonderfully - hmmm....where did I get that recipe - let me look for a mo. There, now I'm back - not sure how I got there but the link above will take you to it. I think I did everything it said except I added a peach or two and kosher salt - puhleeze!
The reports were great...



9 comments:

Jude said...

It's a great morning when I notice you have a new post with great commentary and beautiful pics! Love the lace, you are sooooo determined and talented. Hope the sun is still shining in NS.

Liza said...

So funny. I watched Ina make that cake yesterday and decided it would be good for company we are having next week. What is a nipkin?

Karen said...

Your chickens and your shawl are beautiful. I am inspired. I've got a lace shrug to finish but not nearly so beautiful - I don't know how to go back without losing the pattern so I just trudge on past the mistakes!

Jan Morrison said...

Hey Pude - I'll call you this morning...
Liza - by all accounts it is a winner! A Nipkin is a tiny being who lives in tiny homes nestled into hillsides and under trees. They wear tiny stocking caps and catch moon stones and have a wonderful old time. They are hard to spot with the right compliment of children - not so difficult!
Maggie - thanks deario. I'm frogging it while we speak. I trudged by a few mistakes and kept checking how it looked but the last one was too weird to tink so I'm starting over.

Maria Zannini said...

That's great that you were able to find homes for them. They got a second chance.

Carmen @LifeLines said...

Jan, I came across your blog while reading "So I'm Fifty." I'll be reading. And, what a surprise! I purchased some plums at the Farmer's Market last week and wondering where-or-where is that plum cake recipe I used to make. Thank you. :)

Gardeningbren said...

Well, learned way more about chickens than I ever thought possible yesterday at the Open Farm nearby. Your post awakens chicken love. So this makes me beg, whoever gets the Silver Laced Wyandotte Roo...please keep him alive, they are just too beautiful to make dinner out of.

Anonymous said...

this knitting knut is very happy to see photos of knitting and to know I am not the only one that gets lost in a lace pattern - my mind wanders - which is the reason I knit in the FIRST place....

Anonymous said...

Hi Jan,
Thanks for visiting Wooly Acres today. I am so thrilled to find another chicken enthusiast...and you have the same # of hens as I do (though yours are a rainbow and mine are...white)!
Also neat to see you are in NS. I am in Pennsylvania now, but my family back a generation or two came from Cape Breton Island, Englishtown in NS. We visited recently, so beautiful.
See you around on NaBloWriMo!
Julie