Birthday Greetings from The Funny Farm

I myself have just turned the ripe old age of 52 Children, whereas this little bundle of fluff, was just days old when I took the photo.  And whatever age I be, I will aways remain  'A Kitten at heart'... or do I mean 'A Cat among The Pigeons', 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof', or just Catastrophically Nuts ?
 
Trousers is convinced I haven't shown these two photos before now, because they were still on my camera.  Yes, I've had kittens, and it's a bird on the Laundry Dolly sweetheart, it happens when you go to work?  So now, they're off my camera, he's happy, and Wellie can get on with her life in peace once more.

Changing the subject rather - and knowing how much profit Mr. & Mrs. Tesco make each year, I would steer you clear, Boys'n'Girls of being tempted to buy their pack of Mini Sparklers for the princely sum of £2, because in my humble experience, they don't....
I bought them to decorate a very special Birthday Cake that I'd made, and they wouldn't remotely with a household match, stubbornly refusing to with a tealight too? 

And having spent quite so much time, energy and braincells on re-creating this Great British Bake Off Showstopping Chocolate Raspberry Opera Cake, the complicated method, and ingredients of which beautifully sung on for two WHOLE pages (I'm not a natural baker Kids.....), I refused to take a Bunson Burner to the Mini Sparklers, in case I set fire to the cake, the upturned posh wooden Carving Board I'm emotionally attached to, or indeed, the box of matches, potentially so close to Trousers' manhood.

Just how many times do I have to tell you NOT to make your own story up Children?!X

Anyway, my good self shares a birthday (all the best people are Scorpios) not only with my best friends' husband, but also, with the oldest resident in our village, who was 94 on Friday....And so it was, that Ian and I had a joint celebration....himself liking a Chocolate Cake or three.

With having mentioned to Ian that Adele had sung that song, and the new James Bond 'Skyfall' movie was being released especially FOR us on our birthday, he appropriately turned up 'suited and booted' last night, as handsome as the star himself. And my best friend, M, looked pretty gorgeous herself, if she doesn't mind me saying so?

She and I recently took ourselves off to a new local craft shop, and learned how to 'Felt', and she had made me a felted gift tag with a WellieBoot on it, (disappointed about the lack of Sarah Raven laces though Babe?!) and had made a gorgeous woolly Snood(?) for me in my favourite Scorpio colours, and fab felt flower-band.  And three beautiful birthday cards (photos to follow on next blog).

We spent our celebration at home, with a couple of new and lovely 'Village Friendlies' in front of a roaring fire.  Luckily, we DO  have a fireplace, so don't overtly worry yourselves that we're homeless now?....
Not remotely because they brought card/prezzies will we be wanting to spend more quality and enjoyable times with them..... but the homemade bottle of Sloe Gin did happen to nail our friendship at least until Christmas?!   We hugely enjoyed their company, for the first proper 'getting to know you' since The Village Show back in August, so thank you SO much you two, for making our evening even more special than planned.  And the extra cake IS on the way for all of your hungry boys.

Oh my LORD!  I've not told you about The Village Show yet?
What a right royal success THAT was, in the end..........

For now,  Keep Safe, Keep Warm, and see you next time.
X

Helloey My Gorgeous Worldwide Friends!

Wellie has prolly missed all of you WAY much more than you have missed her in the last few months, but I can assure you that I am fit'n'well now, and raring to go 'like a bull in a china shop'!

You know, with Trousers having, this evening, sorted out just how to provide a link for you all to access my new business blog 'Funky Nora on The Funny Farm' (which at the moment, you can't Google separately for some reason?), and attached a counter to that blog, and this, I am now dead 'cited to find that within 2012, I've had nearly 19,000 views from all over the world... so as far as I'm concerned, each and every one of you can pat yourselves on the back for being 'Completely Epic', and I'd personally like to thank you all for being completely misguided?!   But I genuinely love and applaude you, my friends.X.

Now then.  In order to gently 'tease you' into my new Funky Nora Business Blog, I want to point out to you, that I have an eye for fabrics, a penchant for sewing and a passion for creating.  But because I love what I create, whether it be a purr from my cat, something as lovely as a Denis Cotter vegetarian chilli, or my Funky Nora Limited Editions that I'm in the process of creating, I care about each and every single one of them. 
You will be able to see my Funky Nora Limited Editions, and Blog only via the link (top left of this Funny Farm Blog, allegedly) for now, until Trousers isn't working 16 hours a day and has the time to even kiss me, let alone anything else............
I've told you before Children, do NOT make your own story up?!

Incidentally, don't you just HATE it when you buy something gorgeous, and then you see someone else with the same?  That's why I'm 'creating' Funky Nora, because whether it's a gift for your very favourite, an angelic dress for your newborn's Christening, a really 'tantrum tiara' dress for her tea party, a pretty pair of summer PJ's, a new Pinny just because, the funkiest of handbags, or a little something for your other half to buy to make you feel as special as you are?....

Funky Nora is where you'll need to be, and as I make them, you will get 'first choice' before I sell them elsewhere.

I won't tease you any further for now.... but remember the words 'Limited Editions' by Funky Nora.
And I'm wearing my first Funky Nora Pinny, if you please........X

It's my birthday this Friday, and I'm treating my party guests to my favourite chef's chilli, with lime soured cream, and garlic bread on Saturday night.  Homemade Pinot Grigio and Merlot, yummy puddings, and a chocolate birthday cake.

Bless you for being here again, and my love for now,
Shelley.
X

LIKE A DUCK TO WATER....

...and no-one sees those little webbed feet under that sparkly water, 'flippering' away frantically to keep that calm eiderdown of unflustered feathers so cool, calm, and collected, water off a duck's back above the parapet?

I just love it, and adore it.  And having 'reinvented' the floor-plan now for the 2012 Itton Village Show over the last few weeks, 'tucked up with teddy' on A Sicky with my cat at The Funny Farm, I have learned SO much about how this beautiful village show ticks, and the people within it.
And that's been such an enjoyable time for me.
Without a doubt, that level of research can only benefit the future of The Village Show, to determine what's good, what's popular, and which wheels need to be reinvented, or conveniently 'fall off'.

And whilst Trousers and I had valuable Oil in our tank, feeding the Rayburn with cooking fuel, and hot washing-up water (!) for kind of free, it made sense to put all that to good use, and bake as many fairy cakes, summer fruit tarts and (unfortunately!) a few sponge 'Frisbies'(?!) for The Show, and fill our freezer with them.  (I've not had 150 Fairies in my Freezer before, and never quite that much flour, sugar and butter all over my kitchen walls?!)

Anyway... Medina and I had a meeting AT The Village Hall this afternoon, and thankfully, every inch of my new Show Layout worked an absolute treat, from paper to reality.
And the two of us positioned the Showbenches, mapped out our new Raffle Table, and visually positioned all of our Trophies and funky new Certificates, took new measurements, and had totally new breakthrough Epic moments (which almost entirely belonged to Medina!)

It was SO lovely to be able to do that in an empty Village Hall, just now beginning to imagine 'the real thing' in 8 weeks' time, and to start properly getting excited about staging it 'for real'.

There's a lot to be done yet at home behind the scenes, and many many Raffle Prizes to be sourced from the locale, if we can persuade anyone to help us out in that direction.

I'll pass on your good wishes for a speedy recovery to my cat too?  She has one hell of a sore throat today....

My Apologies....

I have been such a poorly girl lately? and Trousers will tell you that I just 'don't do' being ill, in whatever shape or form, Boys'n'Girls, so it's kind of nice to feel marginally better for now, and be here catching up with you all.

I am truly amazed to see how many of you are reading my blog from every corner of the world now (in whatever language you speak.....:you must be completely Bonkers?) but I'm still incredibly pleased that you are, and I adore that you are.... So Thank You.X

My friend Medina, and I, are forging forwards with huge excitement now, with only 8 weeks, and counting, putting together the totally new 2012 Itton Village Show for Sunday Bank Holiday end of August.

It was a 'ruddy good job' Children, that Wellie measured The Village Hall so accurately a few months back, making a Foot by Foot Floor Plan, because at the last 'shout', (read: AGM) I learned that it wasn't permissable to have tables now where they were last year, because of Elf'n'Safety'n'Fire'n'Stuff, and consequently, have had to totally 'rethink' the entire layout of the whole Show, since The Show first happened 20 or so years ago.
Exactly Right and Proper for safety of Jo Public, and I haven't a problem there, but not particularly 'helpful' for a girl in The Village trying to keep the Marmite & Lemon Curd Scones separate in her first true year of organising it, from the.........

Actually, I DO so love A Challenge?
And because I felt so unwell again last night, I sat at our kitchen table, and completely 're-invented' the layout of the entire Itton Village Show floor-plan/show benches, foot by foot, with a mug of Hot Chocolate or fifteen.

Then I focussed my attentions on collating exactly 'who entered what' in the show last year...
And as I sit here in front of you right now, I am the perfect candidate for THE BLACK CHAIR in the 2012 Mastermind Challenge, and my chosen subject is:...the 2011 Itton Village Show.

Keep Well, Keep Safe, and see you next time.X

Are YOU having a good Jubilee Weekend Children?

 Welcome to Itton Village Hall's very own Jubilee Celebrations: ,,,,,,and the 'Dibley' Dancers ..... are OFF!  The sole purpose of this 'game' was dancing with a red, white or blue balloon between you and your partner.  You then had to 'change partners', without losing contact with the balloon, (and not chucking your keys into the centre of the dancefloor, because that's an entirely different game Children?) I absolutely promise you that Andrew and Bruce had a balloon between them, but I am SO going to have to get that photo onto the front of our next Parish Magazine for a 'Guess The Caption' Competition?!

Wellie, Medina, Trousers and Tractor Man were sat in the wings, watching all of The Wrinkly Games, shoulders shaking uncontrollably, and tears just streaming down our faces. 
We momentarily thought we were 'in with the crowd' when faced with a Jubilee Quiz Sheet, but no.... we were once again thwarted, as the quiz master himself had failed to do adequate research, which meant getting more than a handful of the answers remotely correct was an impossibility.

We had SUCH a giggle, but prolly, in truth, for all the wrong reasons - and for that Children, I humbly apologise.  Not.X

 Like I know what I'm doing in my Pretty Productive Kitchen Garden?  This is Wellie's first Smug Trug of the year.  I know, it's dead pathetic isn't it?!  but by golly it tasted good.

And then there's an early harvest of Japanese overwintering onions and garlics, because they're as ready as they're going to be/starting to bolt/need to clear them for replanting the ground now.

 Just a few words here isn't remotely enough to tell you the story of the Nuthatch family in my garden right now, as there are six babies, squeaking all over the place, getting themselves into all sorts of trouble flying into BC's greenhouse, getting 'patted' by her, because she doesn't know what else to do with them, and being told firmly by me that she must LEAVE it darling, which she does?
Extraordinary.  They are SO tame, I can pass them in the garden within a few feet, and they just ignore me.  Ordinarily, I'd find that quite upsetting, but it's an absolute honour to me in wildlife-terms.  I spent absolute Quality Time this morning photographing one fledgling Nutty, who'd surprisingly decided to have Forty Winks on the rusty-old-arbour by the birdbath.  Kept tucking its' head under its' wing, motionless for ages, and then reawakening for a while.
Luckily, my photos were in focus, and a posibility for entering into The Itton Village Show end-August maybe.

 The new hardwood Birdtable Trousers made me has been a huge hit with my Funny Farm Feathered Friends, but an even more huge hit with Wellie, because she adores her garden birds.

So THANK YOU Trousers.
Wellie's been planting 'like a mad thing' this weekend, as it's only a fortnight today that she opens up her garden to Jo Public once again?  I must be NUTS Children!
X

I Apologise.... I'm Having Way Too Much Fun?

M and I had a rather lovely Itton Village Show meeting this afternoon in The Funny Farm Garden, (with only 13 weeks to go now, time does fly when you're having fun Children?)  It was SO appreciated in 'The Minutes of The Meeting' that Wellie and Medina had coloured in every single copy of the hundreds of front and back covers of The Show Schedule 'by hand', with grown-up crayons, and that we'd emailed/phoned each other virtually every day to see who had 'coloured in' the most Flobalobs that day?..... I might even treat my Mother to a copy so that she can appreciate how very much both my maternal and paternal grandfathers taught me so fantastically well?
I know M and I shouldn't have this much fun at our age?..... BUT WE JUST ARE.... Okay?
And Wellie was a little bit upset about something yesterday, so M brought me A Pig Biscuit On A Stick, because I'm HogMother to her Three Piglets........ and expertly she advised me that I could 'bite its ears off' and pretend that it was Trousers? I started by biting its' ears off,.... and kind of got 'carried away' Children?
I can't remember what time I emailed her, but later that evening, I broke the news to her that The Pig On A Stick was well and truly dead Angel?

With my not very good computer skills, I've purposely not spoken about the previous photos, in order not to lose this beautiful photo within the blog that I love?  And to bring you heartfelt speaks about the photo, because no words on this page will ever describe how Mum and Baby suffered for the absolute MINUTES that they were parted from each other, and I'm not magnificent, because it was just 'opening a gate' for me to encourage baby back to Mum......And whilst that took what seemed like a lifetime to happen for them, it was something that I was able to do for the two of them, because I happened to just be there.

I LOVE where I live with an absolute passion, and I've never felt that before now.
Isn't that lovely?X

Wherever you are, be inspired and make the best of what you enjoy.
My Love.
Wellie
X

Don't You Just LOVE Life?

Trousers is the person that we all have to thank for even viewing these kittens, because without his Private Dick/PI skills, we wouldn't be aware that they were even there in the first place?
He is TOP Banana when it comes to Observation, and never misses a trick.

Having told our very special friends, and invited them round to see them, the Mum Cat had decided to move them from underneath the oil tank, and we were all completely 'gutted' then to be looking at an empty space last evening.  So Wellie went out there on A Mission today to locate where Mum had moved them to...and Phew! it was only 'feet away', vocally given away by the squeaking of Stripey Kitten, who'd lost the map to The Milking Machine, bless her cotton paws.X

Now THIS is what I also call 'A Result'?:
My lovely friend Medina came over this afternoon to view the kittens, and we were walking around The Funny Farm with a chilled glass of Pinot Grigio each, sharing stories of how our crops were growing in our greenhouses, picking wild garlic, spring onions, lamenting that not a sodding Asparagus has bothered to do much yet? and 'itching' to get planting all of our Serbian/Borlotti, French and Runner Beans, and just how all of that is beautifully coming together for our veg plots and Village Show at the end of August.

I'd shared with her previously my tears about the fact that this Ewe had struggled so badly to give birth to her dead baby, and how I'd stayed with her for over an hour until I found help.

And then I told her about how the fleece of the still-born had been tied to an 'abandoned' lamb of another, and that we were all hoping she'd take to it instead?
Look closely now.....  Neat Trick in the Lambing World: This lamb has the fleece of the still-born-lamb tied to it, and thankfully, finally, this Ewe has accepted this one as her own instead.  I've been SO on their case, watching them since the tragic birth episode, and every time I see these two together now, I just have to smile deep inside for the both of them.X

Already so soon, I'm booking myself onto a How To Deliver A Dodgy Lamb Course next year?
And it's NOTHING to do with 'Cooking Badly'.....  How I just completely, once again, cried laughing all over my non-waterproof Mascara there M?!
You think I'm joking, but there's a Vet in the Raglan area who does courses in how to deliver lambs in whatevver guise they present themselves from the birthing Ewe.  And I am ON it my friends....Never a dull moment for Your Auntie Wellie, and I can't think of a better way to spend £25, because handbags are just a waste of time?.X

Next time, I might treat you to a sneaky preview of what I'm growing to eat in our Kitchen Garden?
And remind me to feed back to you some of the lovely comments about our new Show Schedule for 2012.
For now, love you and leave you.
In the meantime, give 5 minutes of your time to someone that you care about, and give them a big hug.X