The Vintage Magpie

Happy Sunday..

A stroke of genius hit me on Saturday evening.  Do the weekly food shopping NOW, and then you won't spend Sunday morning racing round gathering everything for next week. And it worked. Sunday morning we rose earlier/later than usual (not sure as the clocks went forward) and breakfasted on fresh warm
croissants and jam. I peeled the spuds, feed the fleet of animals, and put a washing load on.  Then as the weather forecast was wrong (hooray) and it was a glorious day, we set off for Widecombe-in-the-Moor.

Not long before we came across this little angel, who could only have been around a week old as she was still very unsteady on her toes!

Once in Widecombe it was off to the pub for half a pint of the good stuff ;)

and then we took some time out to breathe ..

Then back home for the roast dinner

with a few extra guests :0

Then quiet time ...

Bath time....

and bedtime.

Monday please go away... there's a dear.

 

Smiles all round

New shoes for me!  I wouldn't class myself as a shoe person, but when I saw these beauties I could not resist.  Was I influenced by watching The Wizard of Oz over Easter?  Probably.  I'm going to put them on, click my heels and hope Mr F takes me somewhere gorgeous so I can wear them out over the weekend ;)

Its sleepover weekend.   Lauren is off on her first ever sleepover and is over very excited. This morning I was presented with the above list, and told in a rather too authorative tone to organise all the things that hadn't yet been crossed off.  Oh goody.  As you can see its quite extensive.  Its a serious matter, obviously.

Quite clearly a first sleepover is a situation not to be taken lightly.  I just hope I can live up to expectations :0

I think we're going to need an extra bag.......

Have a great weekend everyone x

Cookie Heaven

Yesterday I spent most of the afternoon baking these cookies, which Mr F takes into work to sell in the tuck shop!

I thought I'd share one of my favourite cookie recipes with you, as these are truly delicious.  My all time favorites are gingernuts (well anything with ginger in really) but these are a true miracle!

Old Fashioned Gingernuts

350g self raising flour
pinch of salt
200g golden caster sugar / caster sugar
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
115g unsalted butter
85g golden syrup
1 large egg, beaten

• Sift flour into bowl with salt, sugar, ginger and bicarbonate of soda.
• Heat the syrup and butter together gently in a saucepan until the butter melts.  Let this cool until just warm and then pour over the dry ingredients.
• Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
• Using your hands roll the dough into walnut size balls.  Place them well apart on a baking sheet, and flatten them slightly with your fingers.
• Cook in a preheated oven at 170C (325F) Gas 3 for about 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
• Remove from oven and leave on baking sheet to firm up a little, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Tip:  I found if you like your gingernuts chewy, cook them for about 15 minutes until they are just firm to the touch, but if you prefer them crunchy (oh yeah!) cook them for a bit longer.

Enjoy x

Sunny Side Up!

Yesterday we took a trip to Sampsons Farm and picked up these two gorgeous ladies (yes there are two in this picture!).  They are white pekin bantams, and have just reached point of lay.  One, obviously, a little more shy than the other.  The above is Mabel ...

and here she is with her best friend Prue.  I love bantams for their fluffy feet, and sweet natures.   

Not wanting to be left out of any camera action..

Olive puts in a guest appearance!  They have just taken up residence in her and Lottie's house after all..

Mr F spent most of the afternoon building a splendid new 'chicken run' for the expanding brood, so they now have ample space to run around and to dig up a little dirt, a much treasured past-time for the feathered friend. 

Florence and Woody (the dogs) are having a little trouble getting used to the much wider viewing angle they have of their new friends however, and spent most of the afternoon with their noses pressed up against the chicken wire and yapping everytime one of ladies dared to utter so much as a cluck.... we (and the neighbours) are hoping this excitement for the new additions subsides rather quickly :o

Well, now we've expanded our 'egg production line' its eggs, eggs and more eggs here for breakfast ... sunny side up!

Other people's junk!

How beautiful is this?  How could this be someone's junk?  My heart skipped a beat when I saw this in the charity shop!   Its certainly going to sit on my shelf of treasure (I shall squeeze it in somewhere).  Along with this little fella...

Do you remember these?  Liberty's little creatures filled with beans.. so cute.

We had a lovely relaxed Easter, just enjoying some time off together, a trip to Dartmoor, The Wizard of Oz on television, some finger knitting and just some 'home' time.

This afternoon we are off to pick up two new fluffy little girls to add to our family.   I can't wait! 
If they aren't too shy I shall post some pictures tomorrow.

Hope you had a great Easter...  I couldn't even look another creme egg in the face right now :( !!

Boys and their toys

Yesterday was a beautiful day in Devon.  The sun was shining and we were lucky enough to be invited to visit friends, who in turn are lucky enough to live on Hilltop Farm on Dartmoor.  James played with dogs, checked the chickens had laid any eggs, said hello to the ducks and made friends with Charlie the minature pony.  We all had a lovely time.  I played 'house' in the Landrover and Daddy and his boy were in their element racing round the field on the quad bike!

James is determined he's going to be a farmer when he grows up.  Its all he talks about, so this was the stuff his dreams were made of!  He's planning to have his farm in his bedroom.  A cow, a pig and a sheep.  He's having 4 children and I'm going to be their mother, and Lauren (his sister) is going to be his wife, the cook and the 'washer-upper'.  Obviously there are a few things that need to be ironed out along the way, but I see no need to shatter any dreams just yet!

We are all off to the beach for Good Friday tea (if the weather holds) so I'm going to wish you all a Happy Easter today as I think I shall be too busy to post tomorrow.

This is my little Easter find..  A gorgeous trio which I thought would be perfect for the season.

So I'm off to eat cake for four days.  Any one want to join me?!

Have a great Easter everyone x

Great Quilt Giveaway

Hi all. Michele at Calicodaisy just tipped me off to the Old Red Barn Co. Quilt Giveaway! You'll have to hurry over and enter by 19/03/2008 at 7:00 PM EDT. There are other prizes, too. If you comment on the post and then put the graphic on your sidebar, you get extra chances at the quilt. It's beautiful and is made with katie jump rope fabrics by Denyse Schmidt. Its just scrumptious!

Its that time again....

Time for Easter Bonnets.  This time for the Brownie Easter Bonnet Parade.

I'd be lying if I didn't admit things weren't getting a little frantic as we had 20 minutes til Brownies - and only one hat was finished.

 

It was a tense time.. with  everyone simultaneously screaming for glue, glitter and scissors...

But we made it to the finish line just in the nick of time.....

Next job.. Angel Fish outfit for the summer play.. oh yeah.  Great.  :0 !

Just as I was sitting here, twiddling my thumbs wondering what to do next !!

Introducing 'The Darlings'

A new litter of rabbits has arrived, just in time for Easter.  The Darling family.  Their arrival has been a little delayed and the afternoon has been a little fractious.  Squabbling over cardigans, buttons and lace.  However, we all appear to be sorted now, so I shall start by introducing the first born.

Posy Darling

Posy is a sweet little thing who likes nothing better than to gaze out of the window all day watching the world go by.  She can be a little shy and quiet at times but she loves a good story and a nice cosy spot.   

She prefers not to enter into too much conversation but would rather listen and enjoy the company.  Posy is filled with dried lavender and so smells dreamy when cuddled..  SOLD, thank you x

Prue Darling

Prue is very gentle and loving and likes nothing better than a good snuggle in a warm bed.  Her favourite bedtime snack is hot milk and buttered toast, and she loves to listen to the radio.  She is looking for a very loving owner, who will be gentle and kind, and not speak too loudly.

Prue is filled with dried lavender and so smells dreamy when squeezed.  SOLD, thank you x

Next up, Dorothy Darling

Dorothy is quite a robust character, full of giggles and laughter.  She loves to be centre of attention at all times and can be quite a handful.

Dorothy is filled with dried lavender and so smells dreamy when squeezed.  SOLD, thank you x

Winnie Darling

Winnie Darling is a delicate little soul, and needs lots of love and attention.  She loves flowers and anything pretty to look at, she is softly spoken and eager to please.  Her favourite dish is banana and warm custard, and she's not one to turn a biscuit or two down either.  SOLD, thank you x

And last but not least...

Nellie Darling

Nellie Darling is quite the escape artist and we have been running around playing hide and seek with her all afternoon.  She is very fun loving, and loves being tickled.  Nellie is a very sweet rabbit, but can be quite the rascal.

Nellie is filled with dried lavender and smells dreamy when squeezed.  She was made from my last scrap of a favourite Cath Kidston duck cotton. SOLD, thank you x

All The Darlings will be sitting in my Etsy shop waiting for new homes x

Rain, rain, go away

Well the weekend was practically a washout... it did not stop raining on Saturday, so at a loss as to what to do it was decided it was everyone's favourite bear's birthday, so we threw an impromptu party.

Any excuse to eat up the cakes from the easter fayre ;)

Thank you to you all for your get well wishes last week.  I'm happy to report that I am feeling much better and am now able to talk, shout and hollar at any given moment.

I have another litter of little rabbits waiting to go into my Etsy shop this afternoon.  We are adding the finishing touches this morning, and once they have finished squabbling over who is having which cardigan ,which buttons and other paraphernalia,  I shall be able to photograph them and introduce them to you later today. 

If you would like to adopt a bunny in time for Easter please let me know and I can priority post her.

See you later x