New gardening programme - sounds right up my street!

Must remember to catch this next week! Looks fab and scarily exactly what I'm trying to do. Can the BBC read my mind...

The Edible Garden - BBC 2, Wednesday, 8pm

Elderflower cordial recipes?

I have just fallen in love with some elderflower cordial I purchased from IKEA. My parents have an elderflower tree so I'm sure I could knock a batch up fairly easily. I've found loads of recipes but has anyone tried to make their own before? When is the best time to harvest the flower heads?

Dig in

My seeds arrived from the BBC dig in campaign yesterday. I was so excited I went out and purchased some tomato, spinach and broad bean seeds as well. I'll get cracking with this little lot next week.

The first two egg day

Yesterday we had our first two egg day. Both our girls are now laying regularly! There is quite a difference in size between them but hopefully they will be full size very soon...

We were greeted this morning by another two egg day. My girlies are clever, now where is my egg cook book...

The first egg

I don't think we'll be making cakes, scrambled egg or egg custards just yet but here is the first egg from our girls. Clever ladies...

Chooks - two weeks on...

I am pleased to report that the chicken/human relationship is going well. Despite the chooks usually being in bed when I get home from work they are now taking treats out of my hand and I have been able to handle Beryl a couple of times (eek!). I am finding my own methods of putting the chooks back into the run once we have let them out - it mostly consists of me standing next to the open cage door and herding them in with the bright blue line prop. They seem to be taking offence at the line prop (!) but it is a method that works at the moment so I'm sticking with it! Can't wait for the lighter nights so I can spend more time with them in the evening...might even be able to pick Hilda up soon...

The fun continues...

The chooks have arrived!

Here are the girls who arrived yesterday. The black one is Beryl and the ginger one is Hilda (don't ask). Everything seemed to be going smoothly until it came to bedtime. Beryl would not put herself to bed in the coop and I had to stand out in the pouring rain until lots of coaxing (i.e. a broom handle) made her retire for the night. We were at it for about an hour.

This morning I made sure I opened the door nice and early (6.30am!) so they could get out and about but they refused to come out! I can see this is going to be a difficult relationship....

Reading - with gusto!

2010 seems to have rekindled my reading mojo. I have been devouring books quicker than ever and have been perusing book blogs to find inspiration for new material. Here's a quick update:

To be read

1. The Angel's Game - Carlos Riuz Zafon
2. A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini
3. Brick Lane - Monica Ali
4. Then We Came to the End - Joshua Ferris
5. The Mist in the Mirror - Susan Hill
6. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
7. A Murder is Announced - Agatha Christie
8. On Beauty - Zadie Smith

Finished

January

1. The Blind Assassin - Margaret Atwood
2. The Jewel Garden - Monty and Sarah Don
3. The Guernsey Literary and Potato peel pie society - Mary Ann Scaffer

February

1. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Agatha Christie
2. Divas Don't Knit - Gil McNeil

Currently reading

1. The Hound of the Baskervilles - Arthur Conan Doyle

Chickens and allotmenting!

Finally, it is all coming together. The chickens are arriving next week (eekk!) and I've emailed the local parish council who said they should be in touch with me about an allotment very soon as they have been clearing some land. I've been on the waiting list for nearly three years so I'm very excited. I've been gazing longingly at seed catalogues and now I can start my planning and ordering for real!

Updating 'About me'

Eeeekkk! Just had to change my 'About me' section of my blog. Gone is 'approaching 30' to be replaced by 'thirty something'. Feels somehow significant...

Reading material for 2010!

With one thing or another I have well and truely let my reading slip. Now I have my very own 'reading room' (picture to follow soon!) I have no excuse and need to get through the piles of books I have accumulated over the last couple of years. Anyway, here is my (very unambitious) list of books for 2010 - I figure that I can always add more in if I should finish this little lot!

1. The Blind Assassin - Margaret Atwood
   
2. The Angel's Game - Carlos Riuz Zafon
3. A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini
4. Brick Lane - Monica Ali
5. The Hound of the Baskervilles - Arthur Conan Doyle
6. The Jewel Garden - Monty and Sarah Don
7. Then We Came to the End - Joshua Ferris
8. Divas Don't Knit - Gil McNeil
9. The Mist in the Mirror - Susan Hill
10. The Guernsey Literary and Potato peel pie society - Mary Ann Scaffer
11. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
12. A Murder is Announced - Agatha Christie
13. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Agatha Christie
14. On Beauty - Zadie Smith