Walks in March- such warm sunny days!

It's a shame there's no associated sounds as the birdsong just lately has been WONDERFUL.

28th March was a very warm day : into the twenties so the dogs went for a cooling -off paddle.

Pip even wandered downstream following a floating twig and ''fishing''.

Serenely beautiful.

Ripples and reflections.

New green leaves: HOPE and NEW BEGINNINGS.

The trees too were ''greening'' up.

Had a nasty and malevolent shock in Mid March while I was away- stalked via e-mail -and these quiet- but birdsong musical- and serene walks were a balm to my soul.

HEALTH WARNING: this post may make you feel decidedly PECKISH!!!

Hello there, sorry to have been away so long, been busy don't you know, started my first OU course, a proper academic one this time complete with face to face and online tutorials, etc etc. Marvellous. Also many many bleak, bleaker and bleakest moments this month. That's February for you. Had most of my 9 ( YES NINE) miscarriages in this month including little baby Nicola who was just 18-20 weeks old.( that was in 1997) BUT BUT BUT, ALSO the 13th Birthday of Miss E who made the above dreamy cake from the Hummingbirdbakery cookbook: ALL BY HERSELF. It's the Brooklyn blackout cake. YUMMEEEEEEEEEE!

We had a pint of chocolate custard left-over which I turned into chocolate ice-cream by adding sugar, raw eggs and yolks and double cream..... beware the waistline.....-or lack of-!

Made our own BUNTING don't you know, will do a step by step session later on, early March at the latest I promise. Am very proud of this. Suddenly thought : why do we have 3-4 boxes of Christmas decs in attic and use them once a year, when we have 4-6 birthdays a year and buy rubbish plastic banners and the like???? WHY? This is sooo much more ''eco-friendly!''

ALL fabrics were already in my stash in the attic anyway, much better cheerily decorating the kitchen.

Fastforwarding on these fairy cakes were made by Miss Y and a friend in half term, rainy and mostly grey except for a lovely sunny walk in MUDDY Marlow( renamed) yesterday.

In between - and sometimes in the middle of- bleak thoughts and dark moods I always still had to walk the dogs and SUCH delights were to be found in early February: WOW.

Lilac and orange. stripey green leaves and such simple beauty.

Lots more of them.

A little closer.

The bright orange sand is really there too, honest. It's a gully.Lovely contrasts.Bliss, cake for one's vision.( otherwise known as eye-candy?

Snowdrops in Cuttlebrook. They lift the spirits don't they? Even if you're not ''down''?

PS reason for the bleak bits is : husband made redundant in a particularly unfeeling and unpleasant way in January this year. Not only scary from a financial security point of view but also from a spiritual/emotional viewpoint as he's now depressed and has ''moods'' etc.

Consequences for family life: immense actually. Despite my trying to keep it all going along happily and healthily, doing the Tony Robbins happy focus, the happy questions, the cooking of delicious nutritious meals etc etc.

The importance of work for the man/husband/dad of 2011.... DISCUSS - hey this could be a OU - TMA..... just joking. Nope not really. Would it be part of a Public Health course or a Mental Health course?Or shall we call it ''wellbeing''?!

My dad was never out of work and my mum never did any serious- as in paying of household bills type- paid work outside the home. This is a whole different world than the one I grew up in.

Hey way too heavy- SORRY FOLKS! LOOK at these snowdrops: aren't they LOVELY?

SPRING IS COMING and all WILL be well.

After all where did all these new followers come from? WELCOME by the way : I am over the moon thrilled to see the numbers climb like this?
MALTESER CAKE baked by Miss Y on 6th February, DELICIOSOOOOOOO!From the FEAST cookbook by our esteemed Nigella Lawson. Boy this cake went so fast! Less than 2 days and it was ALL GONE.
Feeling peckish yet? This cake is made with Horlicks as an ingredient and we've been drinking it at bedtime too.

The day before Miss E made the Lemon Meringue Cake : again from FEAST , borrowed from the library, at my request actually as I thought it would be a bit different and let her have a go at meringue.

OMG- again such a TRIUMPH. It was utterly mouthwateringly delicious. Lemony with a cakiness as well as soft,sweet,chewy meringue. 10/10.

It was harder to make it look so good, probs with the fan-oven don't you know, BUT just believe me that the taste was just sublime.

Guess who does daily stepping on a -DIY- raised WII FIT stepper for 30 minutes to the beloved GILMORE girls?! Me. Have to. Don't I? All that cake. It's 3472 best score for 30 mins. Quite often 3348-3396 too.In addition to the dog-walking naturally. Talking of dogs: Pippa nesting on the fabrics collected from the attic to make ''build-a-bear'' clothes and some clothes for us 3 girlies too, maybe. When I can MAKE more time.

OOOOH and I forgot: do you remember my first attempt at sloe gin? It's a success! Utterly delicious - again- must think of a better word- SCRUMPTIOUS. Tongue Tickling and Throat Massaging and then a glow, oh the glow. Like a really GOOD, ( expensive) cherry BRANDY.

Very fruity, sweet but not cloying, slightly sharp and smooth as silk satin.

Nightcap material.

Offering sweet dreams , no hangover and no worries at sleepy-time. ( when J has already fallen asleep hours ago- seemingly at random- either on medication or without.)

Fab, isn't it? Meant for Miss Y- she needs dresses for church as she sings in the choir, but she didn't like it,alas. Miss E didn't like it either but at least she agreed to model it for me.
She started off all serious,calm and a bit shy.... as usual, but then- oh then- the dress TOOK over! It's a HAPPY HIPPY dress and it made her DANCE! then she felt all hippy happy and went a little wild- good for the soul I always think. WAY TO GO GIRL!
Nope, sorry folks I don't do video clips here- yet?- and that brings me onto a recommendation that a kind friend in Long Crendon Library told me about:

GO SEE (or GOOGLE IT) : Where the Hell is Matt? ( 2008) on YOUTUBE......

have a laugh!!! Dancing for joy that's no cliche!!!!

See you back sometime?

Dancing really IS so good and am happy to report, no ECSTATIC to report that I'm dancing twice a week now: English Folk and Scottish Country and not only is it good for fitness, it's good for socialising and just such fun, the soul gets to ''sing'' it's JOIE-DE-VIVRE..

New Beginnings April 2009

Today I would like to catch up with the elements of Spring right with us every day.

The eggshells we found in the garden the other day: light as a feather and thin as paper yet firm and strong. One white and slightly larger, one pale blue- not duck egg as it's NOT a duck's egg but very similar... And our collared dove has finished his/her brooding:is eother of these one of hers maybe?

Every day when we walk Pippa we see the lambs: when they are close by - I usually don't have my camera!- and when they are in the distance I have it so apologies for the blurry images.

They are a reminder of many lovely afternoon and evening walks watching them gambolling about.

Where's my mummy???......

Where? And Jack fast asleep here at least 2 weeks ago now, has started a new life in Woodstock under the name Ricci and has an older dachshund to play with all day named Rodney. We wish him well and I'm quite sure he's very happy there.

And finally : our friends have been using an incubator and some of their eggs have hatched: these are all chickeny chicks but different varieties of chicken. They very kindly let me snap a quick :'' aaaaaah ''photo for you to enjoy!

So raise your glass of water, juice or wine or Pimms and toast with me:

Here's to the JOYS OF SPRING and all the new life and happiness it bring.(s) CHEERS!!!!

Dachshund diaries day 11, no really this time!

How could I do that? I labelled yesterday ALL WRONG!

Oooopsie sorry about that, must have been every bit as tired as I was feeling! Yesterday was day 10 NOT 11 and it should have been obvious as day 1 was on March 1st so at present we're keeping time with the month.......

Here are the carrot tops flourishing nicely although I don't think you can see the 2 tiny fronds starting on the far left one.
And below are those Daffodils you saw in bud only about a week ago!


I thought I'd show you the proud PARENTS of the pups , but as I had to take a photo of an on-screen photo the dad may be a bit blurry.He's the very smart and gorgeous one on the left .
The on the right is mum in her -just been to the grooming lady- looks not her usual scruffy self at all.

And then there's Lucy the FIRST to OPEN her eyes TODAY!!!

She can't quite see yet and the picture was taken hastily and in daylight as I won't be using a flash while she's learning to see. Her retina would not be able to cope and we're soooo excited she opened her eyes we don't want her shutting them in fright just yet!!!( or at all)

So all pictures have to be in natural daylight from now on.

Jack and Tom have not yet followed suit.

More tomorrow, t'was a hard night with 4 visits from mum who joined me on the sofa and decided to wake me for cuddles and feeds and just a bit of TLC. ( a bit hard to come by at 3 am)

Hence I'm moving back to a real bed tonight.

Puppy LOVE or DACHSHUND DIARIES-1

What a FABULOUS day : I still can't believe how serene, content and utterly happy and joyful it has been.

I had been up hourly all night from 2 am checking on the dog with her puppies because just after dinner she'd sat on a puppy and ignored the ensuing squeals. This was a tad worrying to say the least so I decided to keep watch- with ears all night- and with eyes once an hour between 2 am and 6 am.

And yet . And yet : I awoke to THIS WONDERFUL MORNING!

Bright blue skies make my heart sing, it's just so cheerful! I could have danced in the garden at 6 am in PJ'S and a wintercoat and crocs when supervising the dog on her first trip out since the op.

Blue skies, buddding branches and crocuses too! Not a cloud in the sky and all day at home to potter and watch the puppies, do some crochet, some sewing and lavish lots of TLC on the dog and her pups.

As my eldest was off at 7 am on an outward bound week with school our little family was down to 3 people and 4 dogs but where I expected I might be sad or worried I was not. I was glad and hopeful that she was going to have an amazing time. Big hugs in the kitchen, a lovely breakfast together and then a quick tear or to as off she went for the first ever time away without parents.

Then after the school run with number two it was just me and the dogs: I have never seen such young puppies before so to have 3 all to myself to watch over all day was amazzzzzzing!!!

They have 7 teats to choose from but they fight over the same one. They squeak a lot but they can't hear it; it's purely for mum's benefit....After feeding little Tom always climbs up mum's neck and hides his head under the flap of her ear: soooo sweet!

When mum want relief from swollen engorged teats she licks their bottoms vigorously until they sqeal and ''swim'' across to her- they can't walk or crawl properly yet so it's a paddling motion mostly with the 2 front paws: cute is not the word for it LOL!

Tom also likes it UNDER mum's front paw.

It's day 2 and they are starting to wag their tiny tails whilst asleep and on waking they ssssssstttrrrretch out the front and back paws so far: you'd think they were made of elastic! This is accompanied by a grrrrruuuunt which is not dissimilar to that which eminates from my beloved most mornings.....AAAAAAAaaahhhhhhh

When feeding they ''paddle'' their paws along mum's skin to milk the teat: tiny paws and even tinier claws constantly raking up and down.

Below is Jack junior having a bit of shut-eye while keeping a paw to be sure of big-sister's whereabouts. These two are seen feeding side by side above.

And finally here's Tiny Tom getting to grips with the serious business of learning to suckle, in this case he had a helping hand from me - those breastfeeding lessons of 11 years ago very useful again sooner than expected!-the teat was engorged so I milked it a bit until he could ''get a grip'' and helped him latch on. Surpisingly it's the same method as for human babies and nipples....


Aren't his ears cute? I trust- and hope!- they'll grow and drop to hang down eventually.

Stay close and I'll be sharing the development of these little treasures with any who visit here.

The cast are Tiny Tom, Jack junior ( dad was also a Jack) and Lucy- Loubi-loo or even Lulu and their mum of whom I am soooo proud I just can't find the words.

We've survived the first 36 hours and now let's hope it goes well onwards from here.

For me it's been one of those magical mystery days, discovering and learning by watching their behaviours whilst also tending to mum's needs and relaxing with some crochet and sewing- more of that later I promise.

It's back to work tomorrow after watching over them again all night but I'll try to come home as soon as possible to watch and report. It's JJ 's turn to watch over them 9am-3pm tomorrow- that's hubbie NOT the puppy.