Everything's going "cheep, cheep, cheep..."

well, at least that's what I keep hearing when I head down to our backyard and hover around the chook house. I'm very proud to announce the hatching (birth isn't right) of three brand new fluffy chickens. I'd forgotten how cute they are. The last batch of chickens I recall hatched under a light globe in a large box at the back of the classroom circa 1989. And might  I say well done to Persephone (our Silky hen) for putting in the long hours, only leaving her precious cargo briefly for some food and drink over the last three weeks. I'm also quite excited that we managed three different colours, how very multi-cultural. It remains to be seen if we managed two different sexes. Nothing against the blokes in this world but if these little fluffers are the cockadoodledooing kind, they can't stay because a) the council won't let them and b) boy chooks don't lay googies, and I quite like to bake cakes.
All this excitement and activity in the back yard draws me into the great outdoors. A little ray of sunshine helps, too. In fact the sunshine part is critical. Without the gentle warmth (or searing UV) shining down on the back of my neck, my encounter with the great outdoors is brief. Thankfully we've had some magnificent sunshine lately so the garden and I have become reacquainted. There's a new herb garden my son and I planted a few weeks ago. He very helpfully "tucked them in to bed" after I'd put the tiny seedlings in their freshly dug holes and we wait with baited breath to see if any of them do any good. The strike rate so far isn't great. I've already replaced the basil (any hints? I keep killing it) and the Thai basil seems to be following suit. I am, however, very exited about the tiny green grassy bits poking up where I sprinkled dill, coriander and chive seeds, perhaps my thumb does have a green tinge.
The front garden has also been graced with my presence. I'm sure if a garden could up and run away it would have when it saw me coming with my trowel and watering can. Luckily it stayed put and I filled every available gap with petunia seedlings. The brightest, least colour coordinated ones I could find. I just can't see the beauty in simplicity and restraint. Now, with two tiny kidlets running around, I erred on the side of caution and heaped up the mulch, forgoing the snail bait in the hope the slimy little suckers wouldn't like the prickly sensation on their sensitive under carriages. For the first five days it seemed they didn't, or at least that's how long it took them to assemble an army. Come day six at dusk they moved in with stealth and efficiency chewing every innocent petunia off at ground level. Can I tell you I was not happy, Jan. So, in the sunshine of day seven my husband and I moved in and flushed them out of hiding before ruthlessly stomping on the lot. It didn't help the deceased petunias but it felt good. Slimy suckers.
This sunny weekend past I felt the grief of losing twenty bucks worth of petunias had eased and we replanted the front garden with a new batch of seedlings and I sprinkled about half a box of snail bait gloriously over the whole garden. Relax, the children are safe. I used a new variety which is iron based and apparently far less harmful that the lurid green kind of old. So,  now we wait. In the meantime I've been buying and borrowing (yay library) many a gardening book in search of inspiration. Currently on my mans job to do list (note to husband) I have a pergola, a fence along the side of the front garden to stop the kids from running under a truck (or Toyota) and some new gravel to replace the vast expanse of daggy, broken 1950's vintage concrete at our backdoor. I don't ask much.

On the buntyandsars front I am on a bit of a high after a great Saturday at the Buninyong Makers Market. Lots of people, lots of talent. I highly recommend a wander around the next one on December 6 (I think, I'll confirm this closer to the day) It got me thinking about the little market community that I'm discovering. At each one I see familiar faces and chat to like minded people. It's perfect for sharing ideas and advice and quite often parenting experiences. There are quite a few Mummy Makers out there!
Each market I do I refine my concept for buntyandsars. I've nearly got the range of books perfect at which point I will leave them alone. I have to keep telling myself to leave it alone. I love developing new products and exploring new ideas but it's time to simplify and unify buntyandsars as a range so from now on I'm adding nothing new. Well, almost nothing. Forgive me, but I can't leave these lovely litttle hanging storybook works unfinished, so THEY will be the absolute last new product in the range for a while. I'm thinking pen and ink like the cards but with some kind of collage element, maybe some glitter, no wait, perhaps some metallic paint, or I could add some vivid watercolour, maybe I could do some Pull-along ones too.......yep, I know, I just need to tell my brain to shut up. I will, but it never listens.