Every time a child says, "I don't believe in fairies," there is a fairy somewhere that falls down dead.
James Matthew Barrie, Peter Pan

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

the fairy of the bird world is heading our way!

So growing up in lovely Scotland, which has lets be fair Highland Cows - so we win right? But anyway back to the point - we are sadly lacking in the Hummingbird department.  The first time I ever saw one, was 8 years ago in Upstate New York, at my Mother in Laws house.  I was instantly hooked on hummers! I love the way they appear from nowhere and are gone in a flash. They truly are the fairy of the bird world. In 8 yrs living in NYC I didn't see one hummingbird, not one, garden, park, shore - zip zero.  One of the (many) things I am excited for in the coming months is witnessing the first one in my garden here.  After looking for a while, and really hating all these nasty plastic feeders I've settled on an antique bottle one, with a copper base. I just can't wait to fill it and hang it by the window - I already have a quiet but highly visible spot for it all worked out!  And this map shows - they are on their way! So happy about hummers!

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Cottontails and Ducklings

When I was small my Mother, Aunt and Grandmother read to me the wonderful tail of Peter Rabbit and all the great Beatrix Potter stories.  And now I read them to my children.  What enchanted me as much as the little clothing clad animals were the gorgeous gardens which are based on Potter's own garden in Cumbria, the English county bordering my Scottish homeland. My own Mothers garden had within a large vegetable garden featuring an abundance of produce including rows of potatoes, clumps of rhubarb, and high staked sweet peas. The hen house in one corner, the potting shed near the gate, and further in the glass greenhouse, full of tomatoes and grapevines, and a resident toad - Warty Bliggins, we called him.  The far end was the duck pond and to the left the barn. The stables were off to the side of the house, but the horses were in the field behind the veg garden.  It was a lovely place to be.  My garden planning here has started with the central spot I call my vegetable garden.  Like my Mothers, it won't be only veg in there.  I plan to have a lovely bench with an arbor, rambling roses overhead, lavender and rows of sweet peas, a butterfly bush and a few old fashioned roses near the chicken house, which I'm hoping to be a barn style with a small enclosure.  My 5 hens will be in there, ever-changing breeds in my mind, but this week I'm going with 2 Araucanas and 2 Silkies and 1 Buff Orpington.  The Araucanas for their Easter Eggs, the Silkies because they look like Eagle fledglings, and give you the teeniest little eggs so sweet for the children to collect. The Buff Orpington because when I think hen that is what I picture, a big golden bird. Today is to be pushing 50f so I'm going out to clear some more debris and dig over some of the garden beds.  They are still predicting 4" of snow tomorrow, but it's to be 55f by the wkend and in the 50s all next week. Please let this be the start of wonderful Spring!

Monday, February 27, 2012

gardening times

So all my seedlings are up.. around 300 of them! I just planted another 2 trays so hopefully my garden will be positively overflowing with flowers and veg in the not too distant future. I'm having a contractor come out to give me a quote for the work I need doing in the kitchen - new backsplash, tiled floors, butcherblock counters and taking out a bit of wall to open it all up a bit. I'm hoping everything will be ready by Spring so we can get some chickens, still deciding on breeds but Easter Eggers and Silkies seem to be at the front of my list! Also planning on getting a greenhouse hopefully next weekend so would like to plan out and prep its space this week including the base. Its to be 55f today so I plan on getting out in the garden with the children to dig some more, clear some more, invent some more.. promises be a good day, going to make the most of it before the snow comes back, albeit, I hope, briefly!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

kitchen dreaming


So I am deciding what will be best for our small galley style open to family and living room kitchen.. ideally I want to bust out the top of the wall separating it and the dining room, re-tile the whole thing with quarry tiles, and swap out the counters for butcher block, paint the cupboards and off white antiqued of course, and add some lighting.. in theory this is all very good but actually deciding on colors for tiles, and how much of the separating wall to take out proves difficult. I want to add a cupboard and more counter the other side of my cooktop, so won't be losing space, but trying to make it all work and still look good isn't as easy as it seems!