First family outing

For the last three weeks, Liesl has been sitting on three eggs. Patiently and diligently, despite the heat wave and the
flies, while Frieda (the rooster) hung out in the house with me and the dogs.

When I came home from yoga class last week Wednesday, Frieda came running towards me, flapping his wings and crowing loudly. Very clearly something exciting had happened :-).

When I checked on Liesl, a tiny little chick looked out from underneath the safety of her wing.

She stayed in her nest for a couple of more days, but yesterday afternoon the little family came outside for the first time.
In the nest was one dead little chickie and one egg that Liesl had obviously given up on.

Here some pics of the first outing:

Both parents are very protective and very involved, showing the little one how to scratch and how to wipe its beak and
how to have a sand bath.

Such fun to watch!

Although Liesl chases me off whenever she thinks that I come too close.
Now I just really hope that it is a little girl...


Have a great start to the week!




Lots of love,

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The art of cat napping

 This is what happens in Eva's bed while she is at school:

 

 

Am feeling very sleepy myself right now, probably the aftermath of the flea market which I did survive!
I so don't like selling, but with the help of Eva and my man we even made some money.

And now I will lie on the lilo in the pool, with a book and a drink :-).


A beautiful Saturday to you!




Lots of love,



.

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Learning for life from our animals

Part One:

What to do if your man doesn't listen.

A lovely weekend to you!

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Fold an owl - a DIY

The web is a wonderful place!

I came across this side that offers little paper critters to download, for free.

The owls are my favorites.

Just download the PDF, print it out on normal printing paper, cut, fold, glue, and enjoy!

Lots of love,

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Afro Chicks and other wildlife tales

Just in time for our holidays, the puppy came on heat for the first time. A variety of male dogs hang out in front
of the gate, driving our own male bonkers.

The last time we had a female dog on heat I flew to Germany to attend my brother's wedding, also leaving her
with my man. When I came back she was pregnant with 11 puppies.
This was 12 years ago, but I really really really do not want a repeat performance. Puppy (in my opinion) is far
too young to be a mother and we already have 13 animals.

Four of them brand new.
Liesl's chicks hatched yesterday. I just took them out very briefly to take some pictures.

They are the cutest things:

 

 

Eva wants to take them with to show Oma and Opa, but I think they would be even more difficult to export than the camelthorn seeds...


Lots of love to you,

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Playing

My cat Georgia did not come back into the house for nearly two weeks after we got Lola.

And now they are the best of friends and do a lot of playing together.
Somebody who looks different and doesn't speak your language can be lots of fun :-).

May you always have someone to play with!




Have a lovely Tuesday,

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The first egg and a pavlova recipe

There is great excitement in my household today.


This morning I visited the chickens, and this is what I found:

 
So at least one of our chicks must be female :-).

Very happy about that!!!



To celebrate I made a pavlova, which is quick and delicious to do:


You will need:


2 to 6 egg whites (depending on how big you want it to be). The one in the pictures is made with only 2 egg whites,
and the measurements are for two eggs also.


125 g (1 cup) of castor (super fine) sugar
2 egg whites
a little bit of salt
1 teaspoon of cornflour
half a teaspoon of white vinegar
250 ml cream (8.45 ounces)
berries (I used frozen ones):

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (356 Fahrenheit).
Beat the egg whites until firm, adding a little bit of salt.
Once firm, slowly add the sugar, the corn starch and the vinegar and continue beating.
Then distribute the egg mix on a baking sheet. I made a circle but if you use more egg whites, you can also fill the whole sheet.

Bake for 5 minutes, then turn the heat down to 150 degrees (302 Fahrenheit) and bake for about an hour, until lightly brown.

Turn the heat off, open the door of the stove slightly and let the pavlova cool completely before taking it out.

Then add the whipped cream and the berries and enjoy!

A lovely Sunday to you!

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