Portchester Castle and more chicken action ...

Well this update will be quick compared to normal as the beginning of the week was very quiet! So let's jump in! ...

Monday 16th August:

We got braver today and let all the chickens out on the patio at once ...

Tuesday 17th August:

Nothing happened!!

Wednesday 18th August:

Mummy found the card that tells us we have the dentist next month. Better move this to the top of the saffiano filofax then!

Today is mini clean out chickens day. They produce a loooootta pooooo! So I take the roost out and wash the poo off with the hose pipe then spray with a antibacterial cleaner and scrub what's left - not much! Then take out the tray underneath that has straw and the poo in it. Repeat process. Dry then put back with new straw in. The straw doesn't absorb it but it does stop it sticking to the tray to make a bit of an easier clean.

We end the evening by playing child bingo! 

Thursday 19th August:

Mummy brings in some sprouting brocalli. Isn't it a pretty flower! 

Friday 20th August:

Finally some action! Mummy is feeling really guilty that we haven't done anything these holidays and time is marching on! So today we take a trip to Portchester castle. Poor Jess has been dying to go back ever since she went in year 1. 

The day was - well as is normal for Summer 2021 - cloudy - snooooore!! We parked in a car park that had a nice view over Port Solent I think it was right next to the castle. Well we stopped there and I waited with Jess and hubby parked elsewhere as it was full. So we took these 2 piccies whilst waiting for them to come to us.

Once we were in the castle we headed for the top via many many stairs! The hardest being some spiral stairs that Jessica was absolutely terrified of. She was shaking and crying the whole way up. Once up top she couldn't even stand up to walk round she was so scared. But she made it and we were rewarded with the lovely views around the Solent. Oddly enough she didn't really remember the spiral stairs or have the same reaction first time round. Maybe they didn't take the children up them?

Once we were done with the tower we looked around the outside of the ruins. By this point mummy was getting hungry so we then headed outside for a food van that we spotted on the way in. (Souvenir shop first of course!). Daddy was disappointed to hear that this was not the end of the trop and that mummy wanted to go to Southsea after. He thought we could walk along the beach here. But oh no mummy wanted the hover craft! for anyone who has no idea a hovercraft is a boat the inflates itself like a giant cushion that you bounce across the sea on. It's totally epic ...! Any way we get to Southsea and walk along the beach to collect sea glass. This is Jessica's favourite pass time. The we head into the pier for the arcades and the fun fair. 

We went on a few rides. Mummy went on her first ever rollercoaster that wasn't even that steep but was still somewhat terrifying! Yes I am a weakling. LOL! Here is a video of hubby and Sophie on the dodgems. After a few seconds you hear Jess shouting the hovercraft is going. So I go to catch it on video. Have look here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/UP6Fjg44ZhXSwERo6

After that we walk back to the car and drive home. Poor Sophie's feet are falling off after all that walking!

So that was a bright end to a rather boring week really! I had been trying to wait for the weather to get better before doing anything but clearly these holidays aren't going to see any sun!

So that brings to a close another blog update. It's Friday night that I am writing this and have another busy Saturday hopefully with a quiet Sunday to follow! Plan on sorting the boxes on the landing for the loft and cleaning out chickens. Sunday hopefully a bath - maybe with a child in it too lol! - and then some crafting! 

Right off to bed now. Keep looking up all and smiling! Lots of love from The Mad House Xx

Coop maintenance and garden weekend

Hello! It's another catch up posteeey wosteeey! As per usual I'm going to jump right in ... Only another 7 weeks to go until i'm all caught up ha! ...

Saturday 14th August:

Well a week in and the chickens have trashed the grass so we are going to dig it up and add woodchips in there so the whole run is woodchip. This is good for cleaning as any poo gets dug over when they scratch around. First we had to move the run so we used the metal rods we had used before and lifted it. Had to be careful as the chickens were still inside it lol But they moved along with it and got excited to see grass again!

It is also clean out day so I cleaned it whilst it was moved while hubby was digging.

The chickens are loving digging in the grass. Look at this video: https://photos.app.goo.gl/kGGrHP9Af8fTLQ2JA

Eventually the woodchip was put in and we were ready to move the coop + hens back. Meanwhile the kids had created chalk pictures. This is chalk on kitchen roll. It has come out strangely artistic! 

Here's the poles we used. Brought from Homebase lol

And back in place!

Already digging a hole at the sides lol

Hello Speckledy!

With Peckers in the sand bowl chilling!

Sunday 15th August:

The day started off with Jessica's school friend coming over for a chicken meeting session. She got in the run with the girls and had a stroke. 

Whilst the kids were playing I decided to go check out the veggie patch ... Argh my tomatoes have got blight! They have gone all brown and yuck. I'm gutted just as they got to a good size look! Everyone I have spoken to has said the same though. It's been a trash year for Toms!

My sweetcorn is taller than me! So this is doing well!!

Potatoes are flowering. I do love their flowers they are pretty.

Some honesty I got from my neighbour. A pretty plant so really want to get this in the garden next year. Needs a good water!

Strawberries are very happy ...

These potatoes have died down. I looked in the bottom of one of the bags but couldn't see anything there?! So i've just left them.

Cucumber plant has gone wild ...

But is fruiting - Yay!

Carrots are still going

Courgette is doing well too ...

And chucking out babies

This is my "failure" - my purple sprouting Brocalli is very small. I suspect tub is too small for it. But I did pick a bit off it before it went to seed.

Later in the afternoon we decided to be brave and let the chickens out on the patio - one by one so they didn't escape! They went no further and enjoyed weeding the gaps for us as can be seen here in this video: https://photos.app.goo.gl/qT3pf4V3wXWU9Ldd9

In the evening I cut up a courgette I had brought in from the garden and boxed it up. It's not in the freezer for using in the slow cooker/stews!

Right that's rounded of this weekend. It's been a busy one once again! Not doing anything in the garden now that the season is drawing to a close. Only 2 weeks until the start of Autumn. Looking forward to September and better weather as it is always nice. Can't wait to see the back of August as it's been soooo cloudy and cool. And just when we need the sun to ripen things! 

Right i'm off to get my back on my massage machine as it's been really bad again lately. I've spent the last few days with a back ground headache that's been threatening. 

To current times now we are well into October I have been looking at fireworks do's. Doesn't seem like there is anything on local which is a pain. So looks like we will need to book something and travel to it.

I've also been looking further ahead to Santa! Not sure whether to bother this year as we did last year and it's quite expensive too. They didn't play with the official Santa toys really either. We might do something else like visit a light walk/seasonal light show. Theeeeen I need to think about halloween and if we are going pumpkin picking too! Sooo much to think about this time of year! 

Right enough nattering i'm orf! Lots of love to all. Love The Mad House Xx