April Showers...

I'm really starting to love it here. It's so green and lush and smells so good sometimes. Pat and I took the kids for a walk out back just to see how things are changing. Found a tree in full flower, I really should figure out what it is so I can know what I'm seeing but for now you'll have to just settle with my plant ignorance.

Flowering Tree

The kids actually wanted to walk farther out but it was pretty late when we started.

View back to the house

Athena wanted to take over the camera so I handed it over. Considering it's her camera I should be happy that I'm even allowed to use it. I really need a new one... so these are all Athena's photos.

She caught the sun at just the right time.

She wanted to take my picture, I had picked up an old coke bottle in the grass. Diet coke...blasphemy!

Picture of the house.

I really like this photo, I never would have thought to take it. Sometimes she gets the best shots.

Now I know why I love it here...

It was the end of March and I was going to spend the afternoon with the kids on the beach. Yes, you heard that right, the beach. No I wasn't still in Florida, I was home. The weather was supposed to be warm and sunny, it ended up at almost 21'C, lovely!

So the kids and the dog and I headed down to Cedar by the sea, about a 20 minute drive from home. It's our favorite crab looking location, flipping giant rocks (the next one bigger then the last) looking for those tiny little crabs. We packed a lunch and Ronan was intent on eating as soon as we arrived.

The dog was just happy to check things out.

Athena was intent on building sandcastles, one after another.

Then we were on to looking for the famed crabs!

Then we were off down the beach!

Stairs to nowhere

Waterfall (ignore culvert at top)

Dog wanted to swim

Kids headed out into the water

Athena loves the timer on the camera.

All in all we had a good day, sunshine was warm, crabs were available and we had the whole beach to ourselves. What more can you ask for!

Spring!!!

Well it's officially spring (although it is still somewhat chilly). We're getting into the swing of things, garden is slowly being carved out, debris is being collected. Fruit trees are almost all pruned. I've even started laying out flower beds around the houser for prettying up the yard.

We've been to 2 poultry swap's so far. First one I brought home 14 new feathered friends. 6 Plymouth Barred Rocks, 5 Black Australorps and 3 Khaki Campbell ducklings. So Cute!!!

Hanging with me while I work

Having a bath

Second swap we were good, we only brought home 12 Rhode Island Red chicken eggs for hatching, but we also sold off 28 quail!! Slowly trying to find a market for quail eggs, it's a process and it needs to be done as we can only eat so many eggs.

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I think we've got about 200 pickled quail eggs in the fridge and another 3 or 4 dozen uncooked ones as well.

Black Australorp

Everybody crowded together end of March

 Today Pat finished off the starter pen so the ducks could head outside.

We moved their water out since that even though the Muscovy ducks are terrestrial ducks, they do like to play in their water. Eventually we have a large area staked out where they will be able to free range eating all the bugs and grubs they can get in their beaks. Unfortunately since the farm was somewhat neglected prior to us moving here the ground isn't always the safest for them to travel across. We moved the ducklings in with the adults. So far so good, they stick together. I think of them as my little babies.

The new outdoor Coop

The adults

Adults checking out the new ones

Another outdoor view

Boy were we not prepared...

Morning of January 12th, well pretty much middle of the night, I get woken up by a music box mysteriously starting up on it's own. Trudge down from the kids room where I had fallen asleep the night before. Stumble through the dark with a box that just won't stop playing. Can't seem to turn the lights on in the laundry room (What the hell?). Finally decide to put the box outside where it won't wake anyone and we've got a foot of snow but it suddenly stops playing.

So back into the house I go to only realize we have no power. It's just after midnight (thanks go to my cellphone which I had just happened to charge the day before). I crawl back into bed after covering up the kids (since there is no heat at this time) thinking it should be back by morning.

5:00am, still no power...

6:00am still...no power and Pat has to get ready to leave for work. I go outside in my winter boots and jammies to help push the car out since it's bottomed out on the snow.

After Pat leaves I decide to go back to bed since what else am I going to do by the light of a bunch of little tealights. It's too cold to do anything else.

9:00am...still no power. Planning on taking kids to Calgary although not sure if our flight at 12:30 is still a go. Decide to wing it anyways. So we cook some oatmeal on the campstove on the front step before heading out to the bakery for some treats for Gramma.

The roads were crappy, although at least we got on our flight and made it all the way to Calgary although getting off the plane in -33'C (with the windchill) made me miss my 2'C with no power.

We finally got power back home by midnight the next night. At least now we know that we really need to get together an "In case of no power" emergency kit. Tealights don't cut it for heat. No flashlight, campstove was hidden away and we should have had more water set aside because had we stayed at home we would have easily ran out.

At least the birds were warm. No losses there. And the snow was pretty.

Happy new year!!

Well it's January 2011 and so much has changed, lots for the better of course. I started the day with 3 hours of work before the brood got up. Then today I had to register Athena for kindergarten, I swear it was only yesterday she was in diapers. Time flies by much too fast. We stayed for the good start program, the teacher reminds me a lot of one of Athena's old playschool teachers that she loved so much.

Then we were off to look for gymnastics classes, Athena is really missing the more organized activities, I thought (and so did she) that this would be a good start. Then we had to stop by the post office to drop off some mail.

Once we were home it was time to tend our expanding flock of quail. 9+13+30+24+18+16=110 little beaks to feed. Ronan of course fell asleep on the way home, which I'm sure will lead to another long night of him not going to sleep.

Then, checking my email, responding to some work requests and now it's almost 4 and I haven't go the foggiest idea what to make for supper. So much for lazy day.

Countdown to Christmas...Gramma time!

So the last two weekends we have had Gramma's come to visit. First the Mother in Law for almost 4 days and then my mom for a little over 48 hours. Of course neither gramma got much sleep, once the kids realized that gramma was sleeping over it was WOO HOO! Of course both gramma's snore a little (ok maybe a lot) and the kids had to comment, but I know it runs in the family so one day I'll do the same to my grandkids.

While Gramma Ellen was here Athena and I managed to sneak out to the ballet. It was our first mommy daughter night since the move and Athena was pretty excited. Now she wants to be a Candy Cane like with the tights and everything. She liked getting dressed up so we made gramma take a picture.

The next day was pretty busy, we went into Nanaimo to check out the harbour. Gramma treated us to lunch. Kids had a blast. Totally wore them out though. Of course gramma couldn't believe that Athena will seek out her brother whenever he sleeps, just to hold his hand. Needless to say after he fell asleep in the shower, she wasn't far behind.

Weather wasn't too bad for either gramma. We were able to take them out and about to see the land around the house. There was a trip to the bakery for Gramma Ellen (gotta get one of those fabulous cinnamon buns) and a couple of trips to the beach for Gramma Sharon. The weather was nicer the next weekend for Gramma Sharon so we found a great little beach 5 minutes from the house. It's all rock (no sand) but it's weathered smooth so in the summer you could get some good sunbathing in if you wanted.

 Athena wanted to dig in the sand as was disappointed when there wasn't any.

We  headed down to Transfer beach on our way to take Gramma Sharon to the airport. (Didn't realize the bakery is closed on Sunday's so a cinnamon bun is promised to be delivered when we head back to Calgary in January.) The weather wasn't too bad so the kids had fun looking for seashells (and a couple of photos with Gramma).

Pat's finally getting a day off here and there. Time to get moving on the projects around the house. Too many quail in the house means we really need to get their new home outside finished. Had to build the dog a place to pee since I was getting tired of wandering about looking for deposits. Only dog I know that hates getting rained on while going to the bathroom. Good use of an old tarp though. Hopefully it's not too tempting for the kids to play in.

The reason we moved was...

Pat created an opportunity for us to try a new life on the coast. He brought his work home with him one day for some extra training (the bird not Pat).

Goose had a lot to say about the experience. Between the noise of the kids, the dogs and the cats (who eyed him with great suspicion) he hollered to no end.

Eventually he got used to his surroundings (which was what Pat was trying to accomplish). I tried to pet him once but I'm not as comfortable with them as Pat is. Eventually I'll get the hang of it, but for now I'll leave it to the experienced one of the house.