Summer weather.

The last week has been very hot and dry and the kids wanted to go out and have some fun, but first they had jobs to do, of course 😉

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Joe helped by wheel-barrowing manure to the spot where we’re going to grow sweetcorn.

Then it needed raking in before we could dig some holes and plant the little sweetcorn plants.

20170527_120037 It was very hot work. Joe knows he did a great job.

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Meanwhile, getting quite hot and a bit fed up, Caleb had found a really good hiding place in the chives and thought it was about time someone came to look for him.

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When Joe came to find him they both disappeared off somewhere together…and I’m still looking for them. ……

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“She’ll never find us in here…

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..and even better, let’s wear green next time 🙂 “, chuckled Caleb.

After much calling and searching, much to their amusement, I eventually found them and put them straight to work in the polytunnel. Now that IS a hot job.

The tomatoes and chillies are starting to flower and they need weeding and watering and feeding now.

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The boys set to the task of weeding and Mum filled a watering can with tomato feed.

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“It’s too hot in here. Shall we go outside and play and cool down a bit ?” suggested Joe. Caleb never needs much persuasion to go and play outside.

The wheelbarrow was cleaned up and pressed into service as a kidmobile.

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First Joe pushed Caleb past the lavender, then Caleb pushed Joe around the potatoes…

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Then Joe pushed Caleb past the strawberries, but got a bit distracted for a second when he saw real, green baby strawberries growing where the flowers had been,

20170528_184849 and it only took a moment’s loss of concentration for him to run over a stone and lose control …

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..and send Caleb tumbling right out of the wheelbarrow onto his head..

“Oh sorry Caleb, here, let me help you up. Are you hurt ? ”

“No, it was fun. Let’s go again ! 🙂 ”

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Lots of turns later it was time to go home. Two tired little boys headed for the car.

“Are you sure you’re ok, Caleb? We’re still best friends aren’t we ?”

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Click to solve their jigsaw

Happy Bank Holiday Everyone ! 🙂

Wheelbarrow

Little knits I took to SCW 2017

20170507_184410 All are now sold, including my shameless attempt at Princess Charlotte’s little cardigan for which I now have so many orders I’ll still be knitting it when she’s all grown up.

I’ll make them all very slightly different though so no two will be exactly the same 🙂

SCW this year was a great success but I didn’t take many photos because better photographers than me were recording it all for Sasha FB groups and their personal blogs so this is all I have to post. I did have the best time and that’s all thanks to the tireless efforts of the organisers and contributors, the craft demonstrators, raffle donors and organisers, doll costume makers and all the wonderful people who came from some very far-flung places to share their dolls and their enthusiasm and to make it so special for us all.

Sasha people are the best ! 🙂

Recent additions to the family

In the last few months a few of the later, pale vinyl Gotz kids have come to live with us. Usually the first thing I do when a new kid arrives is change them out of their clothes and store them away, partly to keep them safe and partly because I don’t usually like the original clothes they come in. But these later Gotz dolls have really well-made outfits and they suit them very nicely so today I asked the kids to huddle together for a family portrait in their best clothes and provide me with the makings of a weekend jigsaw. They were quick to remind me that the family’s not complete without big sis Anika and little baby Matti, oh, and a few toddlers as well, but the search is still on for them 🙂

20170505_143541 Gotz Family Jigsaw

They are, from left to right, back row first, Yvette, Stella, Carmen, Wibke, (front row) Meike, Simon, Lars and Stine ❤

Bank Holiday on the Allotment

On Saturday we put up a little polytunnel so that we can grow tender vegetables like tomatoes and hopefully they won’t all shrivel up and turn black with blight like last year. We’ve used all our supply of bricks to weigh it down and stop it blowing away….

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to us it’s a thing of beauty 🙂 And then the swallows arrived . It took a long time to catch them on camera ..they’re so fast, but it’s wonderful to see them again 🙂

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So now we needed to get some work done. My daughter Emma put her gloves on and mucked in, literally, spreading chicken manure everywhere and planting marigolds…

..and the kids helped to plant tomatoes. This week Kiltie and Adam came along.

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They brought something comfy to sit on for after all their hard work, but had to try it out to make sure it was in the right spot first. The sofa was fine but there was a funny smell coming from somewhere….

“We can measure ourselves against the tomatoes every week and see who grows the quickest !

The next job was to dig over a space for some lettuce and then dig some little holes for 12 tiny lettuce plants.

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Are the holes deep enough?

“I planted the red ones” ..”and I planted the green ones, and we both planted some marigolds”

We’ve left our footprints all over…..

I’ll rake it over and then we need to give them all a big drink of water..

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We’ll need to put nets over to keep the rabbits from eating them all….and no sooner had we mentioned the rabbit than we saw him on the next plot, watching us !

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