New Raggy Rat Website ...

I am pleased to announce a lovely new Raggy Rat Website, linking together my up to date activities with an archive of all the old raggy rat favourites ... It even feeds from this lovely blog!

It has been carefully created for me by Differo Web Design and you can find them FACEBOOK too!

A Ratty Kind of Weekend ....

Made a black 'car rat' and a silver grey rat bag ...

Then Mary drew two very special rats ... she has never drawn a rat before! They are of our new girls, yes - a Rat owning family again!

Here is young Smudge, she is a Himalayan-hooded rat ...

And her sister Pepsi, a Hooded girl, and the alpha rat! Both named by my girls during a dinner discussion!

New Toy!

An exciting unexpected parcel landed on my door-step today, as I had won a prize in a magazine give-away!



So I quickly plugged it in and drew in my chopping board, wrote my name on the bottom of a glass, and added this to the book mark in my diary!




Then I realised a practical use for it, and wrote three names on three bottle caps!

Chicken run!

it was time to stop squeazing in between the clothes pegs and have a proper chicken run - with a gate! First, we had to free the chickens, and they were all over the grass at once!



the two buff Orpingtons seem to be the gaffers on this project ...



but the black tails are happy to lend a had to Doug too - this one is off to look for a left-handed spanner ...



my camera is something of an attraction too, and i feel a bit wary when those beaks start to loom large in my veiw-finder!



Any work in the garden calls for lots of builders'(TM) tea - just ask Mary!



Looks like all our girls really like to play together! And that keeps the chickens from under Doug's feet - they didn't even quake when he fetched out an axe!



Our cuddliest-Chicken has a nice sit down with Matty and Daisy!



And the work is completed in one day - I just had to pick all the pooh off the lawn the next day, before letting the children out to play!


Thank you Doug xxxx

Something Big Went Up ....

...in the garden ...



And Mr Raggy Rat was a very happy man ...

House Work Round-up ....

another lot of scaffolding goes up, erected by men with no t-shirts ...



on the ground - one of our new solar panels ...



Ready - Duncan is in position to help lift the panels ...



Malcolm and Duncan Lift one of them - hey, be careful with that!



Up it goes - not work for a windy day I don't think ...



three panels in place ...



all nine panels cooking up some solar energy for us ...



Matty and Daisy watch some other men remove our old broken 1970's fence ...



and see the new fence go up ...



then the porch is finally completed when the floor is tiled ...



The scaffolding goes down, and our house smiles out from new windows, and my hawthorn tree looks very pretty in blossom ...



Thanks to Malcolm for the additional photography ... The Raggy Rat did not climb on the roof!

do you remember the life cycle post from last September?

http://raggyrat.blogspot.com/2009/09/life-cylce-by-our-back-door.html



They Hatched!
We have new babies - this pic is better viewed large of course!

Ground Works .... Windows all in, Porch being Erected ....

Day 6 ...
Matty and Daisy supervise Mark and Daniel in the dining room ...



during the bank holiday weekend I managed a few DIY tasks - one was painting some more of the dining room walls white ...



Its bin day, and not much room to squeeze past the van on the driveway ... my house its looking very smart, and my rooms are quieter ...



who needs to find things to do, when there are men-at-work to watch ...



I am loving my reflection, but only because it shows I have very clean windows!



this is not really a hat, its one of those shoe covers, designed to keep the mud from customers homes. The boys said that they have been told to wear these, instead of removing shoes, because their feet smell too much!



Day 9 ... Ben comes to erect the frame-and-window part of the porch ... the windows have been beautifully finished on the outside, even matching in some cement to make the lintels look pretty. SOME window companies would have applied more plastic ...



Look, he's throwing it up - it even has a door!



the bricks look nice too ... looks like Ben needs a Wessex FM mug next to the spirit level ...



coffee time ...

Something for you ... New Mouse Design GIVE-AWAY!

sometimes, when away from home, and my sewing machine, I take a small work-bag of bits and create something by hand ...



and here, based on an old wooden toy i have had for a few years, is Button Mouse, made from wool fabrics with glass-bead eyes and vintage buttons for faux wheels ... after a bit of tweeking, there will be more of these mice available! But for now, to thank you for your friendship and support i want to give this one to you ...


So what do you need to to to get your hands on this little fella?
Just visit the Raggy Rat Etsy Shop. and leave a comment on this post with your favorite item. Be sure to include an e-mail address so we can contact you if you win! Try looking in the sales section too, some old favourites of mine are in there ...

You can get even MORE chances to win!

Become a Raggy Rat blog follower. If you're a new follower, leave another comment and let us know that you joined. If you're already following us, you can let us know that too and score one extra entry!

Follow the RaggyRat on Facebook and/or Twitter. Again, let us know in your comment if you're a new follower or an old friend and you'll receive one extra entry for each follow. Leave me a link you your twitter as I might like to follow you ... http://twitter.com/raggyrat
(Raggy Rat's Facebook Page).

Tweet this giveaway. Make sure to give us a link to your tweet in the comments to get one extra entry.

Blog this giveaway. For an extra TWO entries, tell folks about this giveaway in your blog. Please make sure to use one or two of the New Button Mouse photos in your post and leave us a link to see your story.

Good Luck, and thanks again for voting for Ganesha - i will do the draw on my birthday, 12th May XXXXX

ground works ....

DAY 1 - say good bye to this lovely but old and rotting front door ...



daisy mary and matty make themselves giggle by saying, 'bye-bye chimney!'
Mummy and Louise made that collaged and stitched house number ...



our man Jamie cuts through concrete, crazy pathing and digs very hard clay to make the foundations for our new porch ...



finally, the hole is deep enough ... note that part of our old tiled step has already disappeared!



Daisy spends an hour in the window sill, watching Jamie mix cement and throw it in the L-shaped hole ...



DAY 2 - The Foremen show up and scrutinise the brick laying done by Mike ...



Builders' Tea, Strong, White-with-one ... in Wessex FM Mugs ...



Jamie digs a hole in the lawn for a new soak-away ...

extreme weather ...

'urgh', says dog,


its almost too windy for photographs ....

almost ....