Feather your Nest Friday, 8th July, 2022.

 I am so glad to sit down to look over the week.   It has been pretty busy.   One of the goals we set this week was to get well ahead in diesel engine oil as that looks to be a looming serious shortage and without it we would have a tractor that stands still.   So this was mission number one.   That is taken care of.

Some of the ways I built up our home, pantry and garden were:

I added soft nesting material to a clutch of Bantam eggs as the hen had 15 accumulated!  Now she is broody and sitting on them!  The Dad is one of the super fluffy grey/blue Roosters.  The chicks could be lovely! 

Another Bantam is laying also so I added shredded paper to her nest.  I am encouraging them along! 

Chloe's chickens are all old and like I do she looks after them forever.  She did however need some fresh laying hens.  There were bargain hens on offer from a farm.  These are two year olds that they retire... where as to us two year olds are young!  They were $7 each.   I went to pick them up.  Chloe got six and I got four... because I need more chickens! haha!   They are very healthy looking and we are happy with them.

I had a lot of moving animals around.  The first chicks I hatched in my incubator are now pretty big and kind of chicken teenagers.  I moved them out of the outside brooder and up into the main hen house.  Then I cleaned out the brooder.  I had used cardboard for the floor and by now it was cardboard and manure.  This went on top of my compost pile which will become my pumpkin patch in Spring.

Next I set the brooder up with fresh hay and my Quail moved outside.   They still have a little heat plate as it is pretty cold at night.   They were well and truly ready for this.  The inside of a cardboard box is only interesting for so long!

They just went crazy fluffing up and scratching and having a great time.

They are so tame and sweet.  They like greens which I cut up everyday with scissors.    Today little Thomas was here helping me feed them.

I have been working to fill my ready meals freezer.   Next week is baby week! 

I made a couple of dozen sausage rolls...

Plus spaghetti sauce and pasta bakes.   The freezer is now packed full of ready to thaw and eat meals plus some roast beef and cheese rolls. 

I went into town and ran some errands and did some shopping.  There are two op shops in this town and I went to both and had great luck!   I found lovely kids clothes which are now washed and put away. There were beautiful little boys shirts from RB Sellars which is a famous brand amongst Aussie farmers.

I love to use bone china cups and saucers.   Because I use them constantly after a few years I have breakages and recently my supply has been pretty low.   I found several sets which also included a side and dinner plate!   One had a gorgeous matching bowl and the other had a matching jug. 

There were also pretty glasses which I got for when the girls are here... I will use them for little fancy deserts.  (The sets were $6 each.)

In town I was also given a big bag of beautiful (and huge) fresh lemons.

The lambs have grown and have fresh hay in their little night time shed.  If they see me they come running so I watch them from the window and see they are eating grass really well. 

I cooked a big roast using a Turkey roll I had in the freezer.  I did a ton of veggies and after I served up our dinner I plated up a dinner for Chloe and Luke and another one for us.  I then had cold meat for lunches.   It was delicious and it is cold and good weather for a roast.   Of all the things to make at the end of the day we like a roast most of all.  

I am waiting on some wool to complete a blanket I have been working on in shades of pink.  There is a hold up with the yarn so I worked on some cotton tea towels...

Every one of these went straight into the gift cupboard.   After this my wool still was not here so I went through all my baskets to see what I had.   I found I had a lot of left over blues and some red.  The skeins were all op shop finds.  And pure wool.    

I wound the skeins into balls.  They are two ply.  There is one ball of four ply and the rest is eight ply.  I am using multiple strands when needed to add up to eight ply.    I decided these colours would make a very nice boys single bed blanket and I am loving it!   I chose a nice rustic textured stitch.  All day I am thinking that I can't wait for evening so I can work on it! 

How was your week?  How did you build up your home,  love your family,  add to your pantry or garden?

Have a lovely weekend! xxx