Fiddle sticks

I PASSED I PASSED I PASSED I PASSED, hmph I meant I passed quite as I expected to, he he not at all, my faith in the ABRSM board goes down but I'm really glad they let me slip through the net :-) Robin however believes that time should not be wasted celebrating and has started me on the scales for the next grade up already, I've also got a CD with the pieces on to pick out the ones I think I want to play (oh dear what have a I done, these sound really hard!) and I've def got to sort out extra theory lessons, eek!

The weather here is changing again with this morning being overcast and dull (I wish it would rain then I wouldn't have to water the veggies tonight which is taking me about an hour a night at the moment). The barometer by the front door is being famously non committal about it all and instead proclaiming 'change', which is very unhelpful, particularly as I would like to know what is happening at the weekend for my intended BBQ (the boy in question still hasn't replied despite my email clearly stating that I would like a reply, grrr) I'm sending a chaser email today in a last saloon style, will he reply? I doubt it but these are the kind of cliffhangers that make this blog worth reading (I hope). (by the way interesting side fact if you don't reply to emails you are technically know as a dingleberry, strong words indeed!)

Gradually I am working my way through the office teaching everyone to knit, I taught my ex boyfriend while I was with him (although men who knit have been in very short supply since). Suzi who sits next to me was the first to feel the force of my desire to teach the 2nd floor and seem to have come down with a particularly strong strain of 'I want to knit it itus' which is obviously most excellent. Rachel who sits opposite me is now the next person to learn and in just 10 Min's she has mastered the basics (still needs to work a bit in her tension but hey don't we all :-). One day this publishing company will be through (I got in to another we are not being taken over email, which probably means the opposite) and then we'll go into textiles I tells you! And take over the world!!!!!

Chick chick chick chick chickens

So yesterday in the absence of my friend Suzi (desk mate and primary stabilizing influence at work) I did some major chicken research in my lunch hour. Finding an Araucana breeder was more difficult than I imagined and now I have discovered there are two different colours of Arucana to choose from (this is a very bad thing, more choice is definitely not needed!). They come in he traditional white which I believe is referred to by those in the know as Lavender or the very striking black and red which seem to be less common. The list of specialist breeders was quite short and quite a few didn't have photos of their hens or the conditions they were kept in and so were ruled out for that. The breeder that looked the most promising is based in Quedgeley, Gloucester. They have photos of the birds on their website and although they are a commercial breeder they are okay with us visiting as long as we let them know when we are coming and we dip our wellies on the way in (this is a DEFRA requirement on all farms now I believe). So it looks like we might be going to see them on my birthday on the 11th. I will try and get my camera charged by then so I can put some photos of the brood (and hopefully relations of my chicks) up on here.

Violin lesson tonight, the heat isn't agreeing with Benji the violin at all, I had a broken A string when I took him out to practice the other night (thankfully I had a pre-stretched one ready to put on otherwise I think I would have abandoned practice because of the heat), it cooled down a little last night (indeed enough for the witchcat to seek out a spot on my bed) but it supposed to get hot again today. Really hope I get my results tonight, and obviously hope I've passed, I'm sure it didn't take this long last time.

A quick note on my knitting as I haven't mentioned that for sometime even though I've been doing it. I have now moved on to Christmas Knitting (with the exception of Fi's wedding present which counts as seasonal, some baby clothes that I have to start for Michelle (a pregnant friend from work) and a Jumper that I thought I might attempt for Raverly's Summer Olympics which runs from the 8th - 24th August (if I get Fi's project sorted in time I might do that instead as its a bit more urgent than a jumper for me, but at the moment that's looking doubtful). Right totally updated I better get back to it.

strange weather we are having....

It is indeed very strange. Last night there was a thunderstorm of almost tropical proportions (and just after I might add we had watered and fed the garden (thus proving you can never win them all)). The plants are coming along quite well, Mel has harvested her magnificent marrow (and it is now temporarily residing in our fridge, as the poor plant could no longer cope). The pumpkins are also coming along at a good pace, although we are trying to get some hay to put under them at the moment to make sure they are protected from the ground and can grow as big as possible (I have my heart set on quite a large pumpkin for Halloween this year, what fun). The weather forcast today according to the BBC is rampant rain, which sounds interesting to say the least, but at the moment its blue skies across most of Oxfordshire so we will see.

Preparations are going full steam ahead for the weekends BBQ, about half my prospective guests have answered and for the rest (including a certain someone who shall remain nameless) I will send a chaser email out at the end of the week (further news on that front I managed to form actual coherent sentences in the tea making room with him yesterday, and found out that he has lived here in my beloved Oxfordshire for most of his life, for me just the talking bit is progress indeed, I usually just turn to jelly). Further birthday preparations (such as compiling a list of things I would like (mostly bee tools and plants at the moment) and searching out local chicken breeders are also in progress.

Went to see Fi and baby Alex last night as Fi's parents were visiting at the weekend so I didn't get to see them, they are both well although Fi especially seemed to be feeling the heat. It is now only a short time till their wedding which means I have to get a serious shuffle on with their present (which alas I can't got into here as Fi sometimes reads this very blog, but I should be able to put a picture on after the happy event) and also make ready my wedding outfit, what fun!

A weekend to remeber

So this weekend was spent catching up with my old Friend Nichy from university. I went to pick her up from the station on Saturday morning and we had lunch in the cafe behind the church in Oxford (we were going to go to the vault and the walled gardens but they were serving large meals & we only wanted a sandwich, but I will def keep this in mind for another time as it looked lovely). We then went to the Alice in Wonderland shop, around the 3 floors of Blackwells (where Nichy bought my birthday present, the complete translations of the grim fairy tales, wicked) and then some tea and cake before finishing up with a tour of the Bodian Library, which was truely wonderful (Nichy incidentally has access there as she is currently studying for her PhD at Manchester). Yesterday after a very small lie in (9.00 am, that usual bee getting up time) we headed to the farm (where my bees live) and picked our own raspberry's (I also acquired a massive wicker basket that is lovely and will definitely fit all my farm produce in). We spent the rest of the afternoon in the garden eating the raspberries and doing a bit of light weeding until it was time to put Nichy on a bus and let her go home. I got a text last night saying that she had got home safely and her parents were intrigued by the prospect of seaside pasta (its something I cooked, basically pasta bake with seafood and crushed crisps on top, its quite tasty despite what you might think!).

So this morning it was back to the 6.30 starts (too early for natural getting up time not early enough to catch farming today) and back to work with a capital W. There are two senior positions going so I have to sort out my CV and make sure I brush up on my interviewing technique. I don't really want either of these two as they are in different departments and I quite like where I am now, but I have to show an interest just in case a promotion comes up in my dept.

It is now quite certain that my mum and Kip are coming down for my birthday, I think we have decided that we will visit the red house on the Sunday (my birthday is on the Monday) although the Bee society are holding a skep making class on this day also, but my mum thought her & Kip would get a bit bored with this not being incredibly be-ee themselves. Finally I think I might have finally settled on names for the chickens Mildred, Hermione and Isobel/Agatha (can't decide on the last one).

The hour approaches....

Nichy will be here this time tomorrow, I cannot wait to see her, it has been scandalously long, in fact possibly dating back to those halcyon days when we had Chaucer and medieval lit lectures together at University. Tonight I think will be spent mostly tidying up for her visit. Last night I tried to sort out the garden by doing some major weeding and mowing both lawns. I also did a bit more on the scarf that I am knitting at the moment. The yarn is really unusual having loops in it (which can be a real pain when you are knitting as these tend to go over the needles) but the finished thing (or what I have of it so far) is really pretty, it reminds me a bit of stained glass. I've already got a big queue of things which need to be cast on next, but for once I'm trying to be methodical with my knitting, so I guess it depends on what is most urgent.

My mum phoned last night to say that her & Kip are coming down for my actual birthday (this is quite nice as I thought I would be on my own, Mel will be at work and Fi & Nick are away in their disco camper van with young Alex). I'm hoping my mum may be up for a smidgen of Chicken collection (I need a name for the 3rd one so far I've got Mildred and Hermione, the third one is a toss up between Isobel & Minerva, I wanted them all to be named after witches from history/literature). The other thing I thought it might be nice to do is visit William Morris' the red house. I have lived in Oxford for three years and I still haven't been there (even though I think William Morris was a god amongst men and the whole house was his creation), so I guess I should look into that.

In the end I gave into my better judgement and invited the nice man from work (no reply yet but I thin his dept have got some deadline looming so I suppose that's okay. I've also just bought a ticket for Towersey festival (Fi & Nick are commuting to and from it this year) so that's where I shall be on the late bank holiday. Towersey was really brilliant last time I went and I'm already getting very excited about Beautiful days. Right better go, I am sure this weekend will be full of lovely things, will write again on Monday.

Is this a good idea?

My my I am tired, returned from London at about 7 last night and walked home from Radley station. The presentation went well, I think.We were told we were the most innovative out of all of them, which I suppose can only be a good thing. The presentation itself was held at the Natural History Museum in London where Eileen my editor works. The room we were presenting in was really nice and had plant leaves in frames in the walls and fossils in heavy black cabinets round the outside. I didn't have much time to appreciate my surrounding however as the board fired one or two quite tricky production questions at me. I think we did okay though. The Building itself was also really lovely being made up of two different colours of bricks, red and black and having staircases like the ones that move in Harry Potter. After the presentation we went round the dinosaur exhibit, they had loads of skeletons there but the highlight was undoutably a teenage anatromic T-REX (VERY COOL). Which Adam and I spent the rest of the day impersonating, rggeeeeggghhhhh etc etc. I bought a sand filled T-Rex for my desk at work to remind me of what was a great day.

Last night when I got back watered the garden (fig tree still not looking that happy), checked out that the pumpkins were okay (they are steadily making their way over to the french beans and may have to be restrained) and tried (and failed) to tie up the cucumbers (I may have another go tonight depending on whether we go and see the 2nd Narnia film). The other thing I have definitely got to do tonight is buy a BBQ, it is my birthday in a couple of weeks time and for the first time in many years I will be at home and not in a field at a folk festival, so we decided to have a BBQ the weekend before (as the weekend of it I will be visiting my cousin who has come over from Istanbul). This BBQ however throws up a potential problem, there is it must be noted a very nice boy on my new floor at work, I have tried ignoring this fact as boys at work have lead to trouble and strife before, but alas it cannot be done and last night I dreamt about him, meaning that he has somehow done a deal with my unconscious without me realising it, bugger. I don't know him that well but he knows most of my group of friends and invited me out to his birthday drinks (crushingly I couldn't go). Do I invite him round and let him see the Rose self sufficiency effort? (bearing in mind that he saw me teaching crotchet in my lunch hour and pulled a face) OR do I maintain the distance, not invite him and try & be cool and aloof? (this usually doesn't work out that well as I have a tendancy to blush) I mean how bad would it be if I invited him & he didn't want to come? Oh the decisions the decisions!

Coffee and nerves

Today is the day of my big meeting in London, I have to say I'm more nervous than I expected to be on such an occasion. We received a list of the people that we are going to be presenting in front of and I've met them all at least once (plus the editors for this journal are really lovely), but its the chance that something I don't know the answer to may come up. That's what I don't like the thought of. The coffee I think its fair to say is keeping me awake and trying to steady my nerves....

Rapper last night was really good. I went straight round to Julie's after work and we went out to dinner to the bear at home which is just down the road from where we practice. After taking our fill of good food & ale we headed off to practice. I didn't think I'd be doing much as the team are dancing out for several weeks now and wanted to practice the dances in the positions they will be in. But I ended up doing loads of Bobbitt's and quite a few figures of Kaleidoscope as well. Julie was watching me as she also dances as a number four (you get assigned numbers depending on which position you start in and these dictate which way you turn, your placement in figures, etc) she told me that I was really starting to look like a rapper dancer now & that I definitely shouldn't give up (the other dancers in the side are all a fair bit older than me and I tend to get picked up on the tiniest thing, which gets a bit disheartening sometimes).

Right really should get back to work as I only have half a day to do a heck of a lot, will let you know how the meeting went tomorrow.

Results just in...or not

So I trudged to violin last night despite the fact that I was still quite tired from the weekends activeness (and because of the busy week work wise I couldn't go in my usual Wednesday slot) only to find the results that Robin was sure would have been uploaded on Friday have not arrived. Not even a sniff. This is now quite frustrating as I don't feel I can get excited about the next grade up (nevermind gripped with horror at the extra amounts of practice and hard work I will have to put in) until I know I've passed this one. (I'm really not sure, bits of it were okay, other bits were horrendous). But there is nothing I can do to quicken them up, so I guess I'm going to have to stay on tenterhooks till next Wednesday, unless Robin calls before then.

This coming weekend Nichy my friend from university (and co founder of the carrot cake appreciation society, a society with literary aims which ended up being a cake fest) is coming to stay. I'm going to let her choose which attractions to visit on the Saturday (I will be highly recommending the Bodian as I've lived here two years and still never been inside) and I'm hoping on the Sunday she won't mind helping me come & scope out possible chicken housing and maybe go to the farm that the bees are on to pick some of their strawberries or raspberries (I won't be going to see the bees this weekend as Virginia is taking her niece along and Nichy is quite a nervous individual (nervousness and bees definitely do not go together well)).

We tried growing strawberries for the first time this year and I have to say they were a bit of a dead loss. I think it was because the weather was very hot one minute and then really wet the next. We've only had 1 plant out of the 3 survive and its leaves are all scorched (having said that my fig tree is going much the same way but I was told this was lack of water, and we are going to try it in a bigger pot to see if that makes a difference). The french beans on the other hand have been (no pun intended) a revelation, we have had three lots off them already and they are still coming. Also in that corner of the garden the pumpkins have taken over and there now appears to be a couple of little orange orbs. I've got my fingers crossed for a proper Halloween pumpkin this year but we shall see.

Monday, Monday here again

Morning! Its on days like these that I wonder where the weekends go but this week I don't have that excuse as I did everything possible to get done in a weekend and then some. It all started with an early get up on Saturday to head down to Steventon for the first day of Truck. The Lemonheads were headlining (I wasn't that excited about this as they are a bit before my time) but was very excited to discover the Ralfe Band and Martin Simpson were playing. Watched both, spoke to lovely Garo (part of the band Goldrush but he has folky tendencies, oh and did I mention he is gorgeous? Even though he now has a moustache), bought some earrings, left, feeling quite merry (its the pear cider I tells you).

Sunday woke up with a hangover, muttered something about staying away from pear cider in future, took painkillers went to see the bees. Elizabeth & her swarm doing very well (they still haven't stung me, lovely lot) but they seem to be trying to raise new queens (we found several queen cups but all of them were empty, so it doesn't look like they are serious about swarming yet. I think they have been picking up bad habits from Virginia's bees next door who had swarmed and superseded their queen. The new Virgin queen was found marked and clipped but there was no sign of them doing anything unusual last week (looks like I might have to keep a closer than usual eye on my lot). I also gained another Orchid plant from the farm shop (I know, I know, but it was cheap and clearly in need of rescue). Then last night Mel's alto's from her choir came round for high tea (I was put in charge of cucumber sandwiches) and I went round to see Beth & Nick two friends who have just moved in together round the corner from me (I gave Beth a glass painted candle holder and a spider plant that I'd grown on from a cutting).

This week it seems to be all happening. Nichy my friend from University is coming to stay next weekend, I've got a violin lesson (and hopefully my results) tonight and my seaweed presentation in London on Wednesday, hectic week!

Mystery parcels revealed

Went to the post office last night to pick up my parcels and it was a book on canal/barge ware which I'd ordered from Amazon (the eventual thought was to do a new number sign for the house with a rose theme) and my drop spindle, which it turns out is made by Ashford the very people who's spinning wheel I was eyeing up the other day (the model is Elizabeth 2, google it, its gorgeous and just like a fairytale spinning wheel, which is what I've always wanted) however I digress. The plan in the short term is to learn how to spin using this drop spindle (I was reading the instructions last night and as usual they seemed quite complicated). My best friend Fi spins though and is very good at it so I'm hoping me & my drop spindle can turn to her for some lessons.

Robin thinks that my violin results will be in today but has vowed he will not tell me till my lesson on Monday. I had a very worrying dream last night that I had failed but other parts of the dream were completely surreal (I was being forced to marry Bellowheads manager by my father, trust me this would never happen), so I'm hoping its just nerves and not some premonition!

This weekend is truck festival (so called because it started with a stage built on the back of a truck) so I will be heading off to Steventon to listen to so great music and catch up with some friends. If I wasn't going to that I would have definitely headed off to the folk proms in the park which Bellowhead are performing at, but alas it clashes. On Sunday I shall be heading off to see Queen Elizabeth & the rest of the bees and hopefully we can take some honey from them this week. I'll let you know on Monday. Oh and fear not the issue of weeds from yesterdays post has been addressed. Vikki 1 - seedy weed 0 (it is now residing in the compost bin :-)

To bee or not to bee

Morning! Yesterday was a bit of a mincy day but I have recovered sufficiently to greet today with a smile. The title of this post refer to two things. Firstly that I have to phone the bee lady to see when I can next go and see Queen Elizabeth the 1st (my queen) and the girls and boys. The second is that I've just been asked to go to Stratford upon Avon to see the gorgeous David Tennant in Love's Labour's Lost. Despite being an English graduate I've never ever been to Stratford so I'm hoping this hasn't sold out already!

Violin last night went okay, I told Robin my tutor my plan to reach grade 8 and then teach, he nearly fell over with shock and insisted I leave the room and tell his wife, so amazed was he. He then started on the rather more serious (and boring subject) of how much work it would be, how much more practice I will have to put in and how I can't rely on my 'natural abilities' any longer. Well that has told me! It appears I might have to do actual practice from here on in...

Work at the moment is still really busy and I've got one of my editors coming in today but thankfully nothing that major is happening tonight so I've got to finish off something that I was knitting for a friend, finish off some glass painting and make sure I pull out a very pesky weed which is lurking down the side passage of our house and causing problems. Witchcat keeps on coming in with its seeds stuck in her fur and when I went out to take the rubbish out this morning all its seeds stuck to my boots, which was very annoying. I've also apparently got two parcels at the post office to pick up, I wonder what they could be?

Gin, gin, gin

No self sufficiency whatsoever last night as instead on a Tuesday I attend rapper practice in a little village hall in the middle of North Morton. Last night was no exception and I went along, as usual the girls were all in high spirits and had indeed brought high spirits with them in the form of saffron gin. Now I'm not the biggest gin drinker in the world (although the house of Rose Sloe Gin does pack quite a punch) but our rapper side are famous for their appreciation of this particular liquid coupled with large quantities of cake (your beginning to see why I joined aren't you?) and I wondered when was the next time I was likely to come across saffron gin? I tried it. This was on reflection a bad move, it tasted like the mother's ruin touted in most supermarkets aimed at underage drinkers. Plus it was orange and so I felt quite ill for the rest of practice, but hey, I lived to see another day.

The rapper side however may not, we are being kicked out of our current place of practice because they are re-doing the floor and (probably rightly) don't want us messing it up. I agree that you can see where been dancing as the floor is worn but surely that is the point of floors, to be used? Otherwise we'd have all learnt to fly by now. The team at the moment travel a fair way to practice as there aren't that many rapper dancers or sides to be found these days and North Moreton was originally picked as its in roughly the middle of where everyone comes from. The other thing I find slightly annoying is that the side has always practiced in North Morton and indeed is named after a local woman [The name Mabel Gubbins was discovered, by the founding members of the team, on a tombstone in the village graveyard. A little prying into local history revealed that she had been the landlady of the local pub (despite being a staunch teetotaller herself!?)] So by moving us on they are destroying the history of the team as well (the side has been going for 10 long years now, although I've only been a member for 1) . Right I'll stop ranting now as there is nothing I can do about it we have to move no matter what we do. Grrrr. Violin practice tonight I'm hopeful that my results might have come through but I think its a bit early, will keep you posted.

Fruit from the garden

Last night I had a proper attack on the garden (still didn't mow the lawn but I was convinced it was going to rain, even though next doors gardener had assured me the weather would hold). I tasted the first one of the raspberry's from the cane that my mum bought me earlier this year and harvested some more french beans for the freezer. I saw our neighbours from over the back fence and they told me to help myself to whatever I could reach of their redcurrants which are currantly hanging in great big bunches over our fence (next weekend I feel some redcurrant jelly coming on :-)

Yesterday after the excitement of bees at the weekend I decided to investigate a little further the chicken idea. I had looked into possible housing last week, the very trendy eglu's that most people seem to have are £400 for the small one!!!!! Even worse is the one I fancied (its purple and shaped like a cube) currently retails at £600, and that's without the chickens!!!!!! Definitely not for those of us on a frugal budget, so I guess I'm looking at more traditional chicken housing. With regard to chicken breeds I quite fancied some breed of bantam as I've heard that they are very prolific layers, they are a bit smaller than the usual chicken and 90% of their egg is yolk. However on researching the different breeds I found a white one that lays blue eggs. These are called Araucana's and depending on how pure the bloodlines are depends on how blue the eggs are. As one website informed me 'their eggs can range anything from a light bluish green to a dark grey depending on the purity of the stock'. These my friends are posh chickens. I'm off to do a bit more research today (and also off to check out a second hand eglu message board that I received a tip off about) will report my findings tomorrow.

Bees - the results are in

So this weekend, well for the most part, was spent dressed in a white bee suit looking like a bit of a ninny. I went to the bee day organised by the Newbury Bee society, they had a bee inspector come round to inspect the hives and he went through showing the beekeepers (and potential beekeepers like me) what to look out for in terms of disease and mites. Afterwards there was tea and lots and lots or gorgeous looking cakes (as someone else commented I think the beekeeping bit might be a cover for cake appreciation). While I was enjoying a well deserved cup of tea a lady called Virginia came over and asked if I was from Abingdon. It turns out that there are loads of hives on the farmland at the back of our estate which this lady manages. It also turns out that she is one of the lecturers who runs the course on beekeeping at Newbury college. She asked me if I would like to go and see her hives on Sunday and so I did. We went through all the hives (I think there were 7 or 8 in total) and I saw lots of things including a bee being born (very cute, they are fluffy when they are born), a queen cell waiting to hatch and a mini bee war (bees from other hives had broken in and were 'robbing' the hive of honey, so the bees had stung and killed one another). The plan is, hopefully, that I will start looking after one of the hives under my tutors instruction and so I can learn all about them and have someone to ask about any questions. I am really excited, I think the next time we will be going to see them will be next week but I shall keep you posted. In other news tonight's jobs are to harvest the 2nd lot of French beans, plant out the sweet peas, mow both lawns, harvest most of the rhubarb for winter storage and plant the rest of the tomatoes out anywhere they will fit. Will report back on how much of that list I actually get done tomorrow.

This weekend - Bees

For a while now I have been contemplating the idea of keeping bees, both because their numbers are dwindling and also so I can have my very own supply of honey/Beeswax. Up to this point my experience of bees has been a bit limited, so a couple of weeks ago I bit the bullet and am now a fully paid up member of the Newbury and Vale & Downland Beekeepers’ Association. I have also taken out a subscription to their highly excellent magazine Beecraft which has given me quite a few evening of reading this week. The thing I think is going to be the real problem with getting the bees is how much there is to learn. Its quite probable that I won't be able to get my own swarm/hive until next spring as at the moment is the wrong time of year too be starting. This in itself is fine as it give me more time to go to the clubs meetings, read everything I can lay my hands on and get some general experience with actual, physical bees. And that is what this weekend is about. I'm off to see hives owned by two of the more experienced members of our group (I have also been promised tea if I provide cake, which seemed like a fair deal). Hopefully it will be a great chance to see how the hive works and get used to being near that many bees. I will report back on Monday (no Internet access at the weekend) on how it goes. Wish me luck!

And so it begins.....

This blog is really to help me keep track with what is going on, if anyone reads it that would be nice, but hey I'm not fussy. The title refers to the end aim in all this (not that I'm entirely sure this is possible but hopefully by aiming high I should improve my current situation somewhat). My family is orginally from Scotland and we have a castle with lots and lots of land up there. Unfortunately (for yours truely) the aged relative who owned the castle lost her marbles and in a final moment of madness, sold it. The castle itself is in no danger as it's in trust (hopefully meaning that nothing barbaric can be done to it) but I have to say our family (and me in particular) would quite like it back! (There is a slight problem in that the last time it was valued it was worth nine and a half million, but hey, you've got to have goals.) At the moment I reside in Abingdon in Oxfordshire (if you've never been please do visit, its lovely), in a semi detached house in the north of the town. I work full time for one of the large Oxford publishers, my hope is however that over the next year I will become more self sufficient and need to rely less on my full time job and concentrate more on what I'd prefer to be doing (and put away some all important castle money). That's it for now I will post again with an update but for the moment I better get some proper work done!