Carnival & the animals

We have just returned from the boy's school 'carnival'. The theme was l'eau and the children had made costumes to illustrate this. Plastic bottles had been turned into octopus legs or parts of submarines. Tom and Ben's class were decorated with colourful fish, sea horses and seaweeds with boat hats. The event was to raise funds for the school by going around the village selling cakes (as supplied by parents) to the locals. Fortunately water from the sky did not fall but it was cold and the process of going around the village took quite awhile. I must admit after the first hour I headed back and sat in the car to warm up. Back at the school parents could buy back the cakes they had made (cynical). Loads of cakes seemed to be sold so hopefully they raised lots of money.

As with any small village school there is always the risk of closure and the boy's school is subject to the usual rumours so it is important to support the school in anyway we can. Its a good little school, with good teaching staff and both boys are happy there, so hopefully these are just rumours, but nonetheless a bit of a worry.

Lovely spring weather most of this week has meant we were able to make great strides forward. We have planted the majority of the hedgerow trees, dug over more of the 'allotment' and Rosie planted the fruit bushes. I took drastic action on one hedge as there was so much fencing tangled and embedded in the trees that I had to pull some trees out as I couldn't coppice them due to all the metal in them. I then replanted this up.

I also made a cold frame, which Rosie has put into use, and got the grass cut, after getting the mower repaired. Now I have to go and chainsaw up some logs, plant orchard trees and do some more hedge planting.

We will be welcoming three new arrivals in a couple of weeks and have been planning for this occasion. Shank, Hotpot and Bestendof are coming. Our first livestock a ewe and two lambs. And another job to add to my ever increasing list - fencing. "Rosie can you plant up a pot of mint please!"