Happy birthday, happy birthday.....

Helllooooo Girls, how are you all? No, seriously, how are you?.....

Firstly i should just say that Im frustrated that i cant figure out how to swap my photos about and put things where i want them on blogger anymore, its my own fault for not uploading the photos first!, never mind im sure you'll be able to match everything up.

January has been a real wobbly month for me, i knew it would be, but ive had wonderful lovely kind friends (real and bloggy) who have offered me a shoulder to cry on, and some pretty flowers to cheer me up!

Mr P has renamed me grumpy. No, i havnt shrunk to dwarf size, its just been a tough month.

Im just about recovering from my root canal treatment this week, i thought i looked after my teeth pretty well, but alas, this was 100% necessary and 100% scary for me. I hate going to the doctors, but the dentist-well thats even worse, as soon as i get the all clear im usually out of that chair but this time it was an hour and a half of what can only be described as hell. That was just one thing bringing me down, The week before that, Ruby had her first major accident, id just started running the bath for her(and i was sat on the side of it) when she decided to step into it, i hadnt even switched the cold tap on, needless to say-it was hot. He left foot was burnt and she is having it redressed every couple of days by the(lovely)nurse at our surgery. It was very blistered, but luckily isnt sore at all. She's never got into the bath without asking before and most of the time i run the cold with the hot, on this occasion i hadnt even had a chance to switch the cold tap on, still wracked with guilt though-bad mummy of the month award goes to me.

Saddest of all this month, my beautiful daughter Poppy's 6th birthday, on the 22nd January, was the first anniversary of loosing my gorgeous friend James, those of you who know me well, know that i dont need to elaborate further on my feelings about my sadness.....its just added to my sombre mood this month.

As you can see, i did indeed make her a cake in the end, 2 in fact, but to be frank, my heart wasnt in it, i dont think she or anyone of my family noticed and enjoyed the cake anyway.

I was hoping this year would be a really postive one, but to be honest January has done nothing but drag me down, and thank god that on monday we can float into February.

Speaking of February, the 1st to be exact, i do believe thats my very 1st blog birthday!

How shall we celebrate then? A giveaway?, oh ok then!!! Ive collected a few lovely bits and pieces together to celebrate this momentus occasion and id love to share some fab goodies with one of you.

Id really like it if you would be so kind as to leave a comment giving me an idea of a simple meal idea i could try out for the family. I know a few people have requested this recently too, but dont worry, if you cant be bothered to write out a whole recipe, beans on toast will do as a suggestion!Id like to just say thanks to all of you, i now have 101 followers-101!! While thats lovely, and a compliment that a few people out there enjoy tuning into my twitterings, you've all been so sweet and kind and inspirational, and really hope this journey continues with you all, thanks a million! (and i apologise that my posts are fewer and further between than id like at present, just life getting in the way as usual)

Just an update for those of you who are interested, the pig farm is going from strength to strength at the moment, i drove the big digger over the fields today down to the main pig area and as i passed them all they all ran over for a nosey, i think they thought they were going to be fed-no such luck! Some of the sows have farrowed now so as soon as is humanly possible i'll take some good photos of the piglets for you all to ooh and ahh over-just bear with me.

One thing which has put a smile on my face this week is the fact that each room of the house is adorned with the stunning tulips you see photographed. I popped in to the local texaco garage one evening and they had 3 bunches down to 75p each...next evening, 7 bunches, at 2.25 each, s i asked the young chap with the scanner reduction gun thingy if they were due to be reduced further that evening? Of course-er 75p a bunch okay, he said ?! Er YES!

I grabbed the lot(greedy i know!) The guy at the till said id saved twenty two pounds in reductions on those flowers!!! I love love love tulips the're just so pretty!!

I'll leave you now as id really like a glass of rose(ay) and a catch up with Mr P when he gets in shortly, thats if i dont fall asleep first-im pooped!

Here's to February the 1st ;-)

Night all,

Kirsty xxx

help!

Hi all, just a quick one, ive decided to make Poppy's 6th birthday cake for this friday and i think i want to buy a book to help me along so i can use it in the future too, thing i there are soooo man, can anyone reccomend one in particular for me?

Thanks gals, i reall appreciatte it xxx

more snow!

Evening all, today we awoke to more of the white stuff-another day off school, another chance given to appreciate the beauty, so that i did.
Ted and i walked, and looked around us-you know properly looked, saw all the animal tracks in the snow, gazed at trees laden down with it, wondered how all the tiny birds manage to keep going, saw a tawny owl and took a few more photos for you xxx

First Snow

(By Mary Louise Allen)

Snow makes whiteness where it falls

The bushes look like popcorn balls

And places where i always play
Look like somewhere else today

Beautiful feathery flakes of snow

Over the woodland and field they go

Making a blanket so warm and deep

Over the flowers that lie asleep.

A (teddy)bear in the snow!

Hellooooo! Good morning good morning my lovlies, how are we today? Good i hope, thought id share this mornings adventures on the farm enjoying the white stuff. It looks reall beautiful at the moment as its so sunn, and undisturbed. There were deer tracks all over the place which was nice to see but apart from that not a sole had trodden the ground. I love that, when ou can be the first to walk on that soft white powder and leave a perfect boot print, dont you?

We're back inside now, girls with hot water bottles, Ruby is writing m shopping list for me, im hoping to escape to ASDA this afternoon for 'essentials'-hot choc marshmallows and squirty cream namely.

Ted had a fantastic time out in the snow, i do worry that dogs' feet pads must get painfully cold but neither him not Murph seemed bothered, he did slip onto his side a couple of times on the compacted icy snow in the yard but seemed unphased!

I always take a pocket full of tiny pieces of cheese when im walking him to try to get him to 'want' to come back to me, so far so good, he never goes out of sight and is only too happy to dash back when i whistle him, good stuff as we should be beating here tomorrow so he can spring into action and hopefully not show me up!

The photo below is one of four of the big oak trees which line the edge of the garden, they're full of birds, tits in the daytime and Owls at dusk. Talking of birds i do hope you've alll remembered our feathered friends, mine have some left over cereal, granary bread, mixed seed and i think some dog biscuits or something stale my mum put out for them!

There back and forth from the tree to the house all day and beautiful to watch.

Mr P found a dead common chaffinch in the yard yesterday(like the one in the photo above but slightly less flighty obviously!) when he was littering up the cattle-not uncommon you might think- but the unusual thing was that it had flown all the way from Norway!

When he got home last night we googled the ring number and found a website giving some sketchy details about the discovery, we emailed the chap who seemed to organise the ringing and he put us in touch with a chap called Alf Tore Mjos-i kid you not-head of the ringing section at stavenger museum in Norway!

So we've given him our address and he's going to send us a 'recovery letter' whatever that is? Quite interesting i think, Poppy will probably use this as her show and tell next week, i can print out the museum info for her and she can tell all about ringing.

Shame about the poor little chaffinch but im not surprised he carked it having flow that far!


Enough of me babbling, here are a few photos of the hound and the kids and the farm for you to enjoy.........