catching up

So it's been a long time since I blogged anything meaningful, mainly because everything I started writing sounded a bit Eeyore-ish recently so I decided to hush up until the sun came out and everything seemed a bit brighter.

In the meantime, here's what we've been up to.
Eva has developed an obsession with OUTSIDE. Even when she can't get at it, she is determined to climb onto any window sill she can reach and shout "quack quack" at the chickens. I say her fearless clambering about is the fault of her father's athletic genes. ("He was a right little... hmm, you know" says my mother in law, reminiscing about his habits of exploring everything possible, usually busting it in the process.) Mr M thinks she has somehow inherited being a towny from me, it's the only explanation for her unshakable belief that chickens say quack.

The chickens moved from their winter quarters to a new bit of garden. We knew they would be destructive which is why they are firmly fenced in away from the veg plot. What I hadn't realised is that they would gleefully dig up every single thing that had ever been lost in a given patch of land. They scritch and scratch about unearthing old buttons, drill bits, half tennis balls and long forgotten gardening tools. This was only a half move as the coop and enclosed run stayed put, Mr M, father in law and Isaac just shifting the fence around a bit.

Isaac took the first opportunity to lose his welly and come within an ace of treading in a gigantic chicken poo.

I watched all this from the former granny annex - now dining room, office and general glory hole - and avoided writing essays.



Sunny days mean venturing outside in our endless garden centre weekend trips.




And we have made the acquaintance of Jack. He's a rather lovely Welsh mountain pony belonging to a friend of mine who is kind enough to have let us bring the children over a couple of times to meet him. The first time wasn't a massive success as Isaac wobbled slightly as he settled into the saddle, decided it wasn't for him and demanded to get off. So we took Jack for a walk anyway with Isaac running behind and Eva dragging Mr M into the duck pond (shouting "quack quack!" At least she's right some of the time).

A second visit proved a huge hit and Isaac proudly rode Jack most of the way around the field, swapping with his sister for the last little bit. You'll be amazed to hear that she showed no fear, sitting up there as if she had been there forever. Clip clop went Jack along the path, unpeturbed by the small girl waving the reins and bouncing. "Quack!" shouted Eva.