An abundance of avocados

Avocados would have to be one of my favourite fruits and I have been so lucky this year because both daughter M and sister-in-law J have lovely big avocado trees in their gardens. 

J's tree in particular is literally dripping with fruit and every couple of weeks we visit her to fill a bucket full of the delicious green orbs. 

  

It is not easy work as her trees are very tall, but it is so worth the effort when you can bring home bounty like this.

I am not looking forward to the time when we have stripped the trees and I have to start paying for avocados again. Ouch!

So much to do and a chicken update

Do I have any readers left?  I doubt it after such a long hiatus.  For those who have remained (thanks Mum!) I send my apologies.   The truth is I am having hip surgery in less than two weeks and I have a to do list as long as both my arms before the big day.  Being so close to Christmas means that all my Christmas shopping and cooking has to be finished as well as a thousand other little jobs.  I suppose that in the grand scheme of things if nothing got done it wouldn't be the end of the world, but I know that I will be able to relax more when I am home again if I can look at that list and see a line  drawn through each item.

I have been wanting to update you on the chickens.  Mandy's little chickens have grown and moved into a very grand chicken house.

 Now they have begun to lay, much to the excitement of two little girls.

In this case it is very definitely a case of the chicken coming before the egg.

Country weekend

A weekend in the country is good for the soul.

But when you add a romantic country wedding to the mix, it is even better.

We gathered at the top of a hill on a warm spring afternoon.

The bride arrived in style.

And the cows came over to the fence for a better look.

Simply beautiful!

Meet the chickens

 
Mandy has some new additions to her family and they are very cute.

Altogether there are nine little chicks, although she won't be keeping them all as Council regulations mean that the roosters will have to be returned to the people who provided the eggs.  I don't want to think about what will happen to them then, but I hope they go to a good home.

The girls have been having a lovely time with them and the chicks seem to be right at home.

They have been making new friends.

And exploring alternative accommodation.

In a few months we hope to be enjoying freshly laid organic eggs.

Another birthday

We have been inundated with birthday celebrations in recent weeks.  Yesterday we had a party for Little  M who has turned five. She decided she wanted a rainbow party and as usual Mandy put on a spectacular show.   A little girl having a rainbow party needs a rainbow dress so we went shopping together and she chose this fabric.  It was not something I would have chosen if I had been on my own but, as it turned out, it was the perfect choice.  Clever girl.

 

The cake looked amazing.

 

 

Some fruit seemed a good idea to counter the surfeit of sugar.

 

 

 

The rainbow jellies looked great and tasted even better.

 

Such lovely little biscuits. 

 

 

A rainbow party needs a rainbow pinata.

 

And there was even a fairy floss machine.  I haven't eaten fairy floss since I was a child so when a stick of it was thrust into my hand, I had to try it.  (I don't think I have been missing anything!)

 

 The children all went home with one of these little gumball machines filled with jelly beans.

 

A great success. 

From three to ninety-three

We have celebrated two birthdays in the family in the last few weeks.   Little C turned three and Mum turned 93.  Amazing to think that there are 90 years between them.

 

 

 

When a little boy is crazy about trucks, diggers and all things mechanical, it seemed only natural to have a 'construction' party.



 

All the workers received a hard hat.

The decorations were suitably themed.

 

The cake was a construction site.

 

And all his little toys were put to good use to display party food.

Happy birthday to the young and the young at heart!