Out Of Action

I just wanted to let you know that I haven't been gobbled up in cyber space this week but have had an annoying injury. I have a broken finger caused by Dylan the pony pulling away from me while I was lunging him (exercising him from the ground on a long rein).

It swelled up quite alarmingly so I went to the doctor the next day. I had to have an x-ray & the break is at an angle across the middle bone of the ring finger on my right hand & of course I am right handed. They said that it's a very common injury caused by a sudden tug - often found in horse riders & dog owners!

So, it is now in a splint & I have to keep my hand elevated in a sling & not do much at all.
The biggest pain is that I'm not supposed to drive & that's a huge problem as I have to take The Boy to school & can't do any "ordinary" stuff for 6 weeks - who is going to clean the house, do the shopping, cooking, packing & posting of sales & feed & tend to the chickens, dogs, cats & pony? Mr C will do what he can but he's out at work all day & The Boy at school.
I am quite ambidextrous but lots of things you need two hands for.
Arggh!

So, I will be reading your blogs but probably not leaving comments or posting here for a while - not because I don't love you all but because I'm not supposed to be using my right hand!

Cheeky Chickens

My neighbour's chickens have discovered that I put seed down in the front garden for the wild birds & have taken to coming over for their breakfast. There is Daddy Cockerel & Junior Cockerel, the hens & one who is most decidedly not a chicken but thinks she is - a lady pheasant who moved in about 2 years ago as a young bird & is part of the flock now.



I took the photos through the window so they aren't as clear as they could be & my garden looks awful after everything was frosted up by the snow & cold weather. When it's gets a bit warmer I'll have to get out there & do some clearing.

Etsy

This week I have taken the plunge & have opened an Etsy shop! This will be a mixture of handmade goodies & vintage items too. I'm pleased to say that I have had a number of sales already & would be delighted if you'd take a peek & let me know what you think.

I'm new to this so any hints & tips from experienced Etsy sellers would be gratefully received!

You can find my shop HERE

A Snowy Walk

The dogs & their antics in the snow never fail to amuse me! We took them for a bracing tramp across the fields yesterday to run off some of their pent up energy. Toby had to have his little jumper on as he doesn't have very much fur, unlike Lucy with her thick coat. Lucy was in her element - running at least 3 or 4 times further than everyone else, sniffing every interesting thing she could find, splashing through icy puddles & through snow drifts - she was soaking wet & didn't care one little bit. It's amazing how her coat just seems to repel the water so that by the time we got back she was just damp & only needed a rub down & dry off by the fire.

Bet you didn't know that Jack Russells could do hand stands did you?



Snowball catching champion of the world!



The sheep didn't look too happy but as they are wearing wool they should be quite cosy!


Here I am standing in the snow - you can see how deep it is & more heavy snow is forecast for tomorrow. The Boy went back to school today - they had been clearing around the school with a snow plough over the weekend but I don't know how long that will last if it snows again.



Why are people panic buying? The shelves at the supermarket looked decidedly bare on Friday - only skimmed milk available & I saw lots of people buying big bottles of water. There were no crumpets to have with my tea & no carrots - do you think rabbits & horses are stocking up?

Unlike the dogs, these two below are not at all charmed with the snow - I have to force them to go out for a bit!

Cats!

Snowy Day

I know that most of us have been taking snowy pictures in the past few days but I had to post a few here to show you.

Mr Cottage & The Boy took the dogs out for a walk down the lane & took some photos.

As you can see, the dogs were having a ball!


This is the view from our upstairs window overlooking the farm.


This is our lane to the left of the house.


And to the right of the house - you can see why we stayed at home yesterday!


The garden hedge.


The patio furniture is covered in a blanket of snow.


This picture looks like a drawing - it was taken in one of the nearby fields.



The boy in an expanse of white.




King of the wall!


Walking back home (our house is where the car is)

Wintery Day

This is the sight that met me at 7.00 am when I let the dogs out of the back door! We had a heavy snow fall overnight & the garden & fields were smothered in a blanket of white.
The Boy was delighted to find that his school was closed today (after only returning to school yesterday after the Christmas holidays!).
The snow made a pretty sight & the dogs were delighted. The cats & chickens on the other hand were decidedly underwhelmed!

It's almost a week into the new year already & I'm sure that many of you, like me, couldn't do without a calendar to keep track of day to day appointments, reminders & so on.
For the past couple of years I have used the really nice free calendars included with the January issue of Homes & Antiques magazine which have lovely photos & plenty of space for writing on.
At the end of the year they end up in the recycling box, but it seems that in years gone by some people hung on to their pretty calendars & I have been fortunate enough to find some to offer in my shop. I am always delighted when I come across this sort of thing as they were disposable items.

This perpetual calendar makes me think of the spring that is just around the corner (difficult to believe on a snowy day like today!)


The cute calendars below date from the 1920's & 30's when kittens, dogs & idyllic country scenes were very popular. All of these plus some others are available here.




Finally, don't forget to feed your garden birds as they will be struggling to find food in this winter wonderland. Our bossy blackbirds are hogging the treats today but the robins & the rest of the gang are holding their own!

Over For Another Year

Well, here they are for one last time - The Herd has gathered for a final shot before heading off to the North Pole (aka The Loft) until next Christmas.


All the trees & decorations piled up ready to be packed away - doesn't the house look empty & drab once everything is gone? Time for a few pots of bulbs to brighten things up I think! I have given my blog a New Year makeover too.

As for Pippa - she doesn't want to be woken up until spring as it's so chilly today!

Mr C went back to work today & it's The Boy's last day of holidays so we are going to see a film this afternoon. Miss C will be at home for the rest of this week & then she is back to uni again & the house will be very quiet during the day once more.

I am, however, looking forward to the spring & the next Vintage & Handmade Fair - I've just realised that it is only 4 months away & I need to find new stock to take along so that will keep me busy!