So....... The first thing I must tell you all about was a walk with Spot, MrNoo, my sister and her 2 boys (aged 4 and 6 months). I will call the older one Mr4 and the littley Mr0 from here on in! On Easter holiday from playgroup we decided to all go for a walk on a lovely sunny morning. At first Mr4 was a little nervous around Spot - after all she does do everything at 100mph, and when you're little that must be a bit nervewracking! So MrNoo walked Spot to the front of us and held her to heel for a while and gave her plenty of whistle commands so she knew she wasn't just on a "jolly". We got to the open bit of brackeny loveliness and Mr4 had overcome his initial nerves and wanted a go on the whistle. Spot's commands are 1 whistle for "stop and sit" and three short ones for "come here". We also had a gundog dummy to throw for her to retrieve. (I so wish I had taken a video of this!) So we have Mr4 in charge of a whistle and what 4 year old doesn't want to blow a whistle incessantly....... a mad Spaniel who when she's in the mood is actually very good at her commands....... and me and my sister just standing back and laughing. Poor Spot was up and down off her backside so many times. Every time she moved he blew, and she stopped, sat-up and looked around as if to say "what now?" In the end, being a reasonably intelligent kind of a girl, she just stopped moving off.... so she stopped, lied down and just stayed there. Mr4 then took to pushing on her back in a typical 4 year old way saying "Go ON Spot" really it was tooooo funny! Mr4 also wanted to throw the dummy (it's a 1lb one) and did very well for someone so small - although which direction it took off in was a bit random! But when Spot brought it back he wasn't sure he wanted to take it from her (which I can understand - a dog's mouth is not a good place for a 4 year old to get too used to!). I have spent the last 6 months or so trying to train Spot not to spit out the dummy on returning to me, so finally she holds it ready for me to take it from her, and here was Mr4 not really wanting to take it! If she'd have spat it out as she always used to he'd have been off and running! Really the whole morning was just lovely. Spot surpassed herself in the obediance stakes (very unlike her!) and we all just had the most wonderful and jolly time watching them play and learn together. It was magical! It lovely now my sister and her family are living so close that Mr4 and Spot are forming a lovely relationship. Both are nervous of the other, but as soon as one settles/calms down so does the other... I've even caught them having the odd impromptu cuddle! It's lovely.
The chickens are also very well and laying pretty much every day -I get 2 dozen eggs a week, and am currently drowning in them! - I have made ice cream..... hot crossed bun loaf (what a success that was - fab!!) am probably eating more poached eggs on toast than are good for me (Cara where are you when I need you?) and still have a fair few - I might try lemon curd soon too - anyone else got any other suggestions?! The Silkie has finally found out what it's all about and laid 3 eggs this week........ I'm hoping she will go broody soon as I want to try raising some Sasso's for the table and I'm getting impatient!
Here's a photo of the Silkie cockeral, just because photoless Blog posts aren't very exciting (and he won't be around too much longer so you might as well enjoy him!)Knitting is going well, and I'm definitely on a roll, and may have even nicked someone else's mojo as I seem to have plenty at the moment. The Central Park Hoodie is all knitted up and just needs seaming. I've done one sleeve... it won't be long! I'm now knitting a pair of tights for Mr0, who has some excema on his legs and has discovered the art of scratching under his trouser legs, so I'm using some Rowan 4ply cotton that I had in stash, as a sort of "trial Pair" to see how we go and whether they help or he gets too hot in them....... I'm using this pattern from the DROPS site which always manages to have something appropriate if you look hard enough.
I haven't really done enough study for the ICB course - I've done lesson one, but sort of came to a grinding halt when it came to the assignment - why is it that as soon as I have to do something that needs to be "handed in" I get all school-girlish and "it will never be good enough" - Good grief it's only the first flippin' lesson! And I know that I'll end up rushing it to get it done, and really not doing it well enough!
Well we have just started a major thunder storm here..... Spot is quaking under my chair and the sound of the torrential rain on my conservatory roof (where I sit all day) is deafening.... so I think it is time to retire to somewhere more relaxing for a while!
