Fred and the chickens explore their new enclosure ...

We were supposed to go camping today but at the last minute (i.e. last night) we changed our minds and decided to 'staycate' instead. So we've spent the day enjoying our lovely home and getting on with some home improvements. In particular, improving the chickens' home. We've marked out an area which we would like to become a vegetable bed, we've fenced it and moved the chickens in. The idea is that they will do all the hard work for us ... weeding, fertilising and pest control. They seem to love it, and so does Fred ...

Fred stroking Boat

Duck and Boat hiding under the coop

Fred, Duck and Egg

When you're this wet it doesn't matter if it's raining or not.

There is only so long that you can give in to the rain and stay indoors. So today, in pouring rain, we braved the fountains at Alnwick Gardens anyway ...

Not sure who is wetter ... Fred or Auntie Weasel!

I've not posted on here for a while which is largely because life goes on as normal in Alnwick! Some people have said they have been unable to comment on posts on the blog - I've changed the settings and hope this will now be possible. Can someone give it a go (via blogger not Facebook) to see if it has worked?

It's been raining steadily for hours so after a huge brunch we decided to go for a wet walk and come home cold enough to light the fire. It worked, after walking 2.5 miles we got back, wet through to the skin. Now we are snuggled up by a roaring fire watching Super Ted. It's great!

We now have an open fire - or at least we have had the chimney swept and the grate and fireguard arrived this week. The problem is it is hot - the weather, that is. It has been gloriously sunny and really not the weather to light a fire. So every night we wait impatiently for the cold and rain!

Having said that, we had a lovely evening tonight sat round the fire pit in the garden reading Winnie the Pooh.

LOOK! We've done it ... the garage is tidy and clear enough to fit the car in. This is a one off though - it fits but only just. It's a tight squeeze to get out and tricky to manouvre the car in. But, I'm very pleased that it's possible. Just need a smaller car now!

In the last few weeks Fred has been coming home from nursery with armfuls of models made out of old cereal packets, egg boxes, plastic etc etc.  One of his first was a gun! Then a couple of weeks ago I struggled to get a 3 foot church into the basket. But, yesterday he excelled himself ... when I picked him up from nursery he presented me with a model toilet brush.  I really wasn't expecting that!