When your husband insists on bringing home work at the Weekend....

and he is a Science teacher....

Aren't they totally cute. Only two have hatched... but we are happy. Buying hatching eggs via mail during the Hurricane season really challenges hatching rates.
The mainly yellow fluffy effort hatched on Thursday ..the black sploded last night. They are very very friendly and chatty and will go back to school for the weekdays for a few weeks so the children can see them grow.

The yellow shelf in the back ground is actually the brooder from Brinsea an  Ecoglow 
It is working really well so far and was an Early Christmas present to me. It uses very little power and hopefully is a lot safer than a heat lamp.

I think this little one approves anyway!

They were hatched on Thursday and Friday respectively and are eating and drinking and chatting. I think we may be having ducklings joining the Guinea pigs in the laundry this Winter...

Oh and if you are interested in Ducks they are Anconas... more info here

Washing a plate ..the Lost banana and being a temporary Grandmother (No I'm not really)

Ok you may (or may not) have days where the you wonder if you are going completely dotty .
I certainly do ..darn it.  Today was such a day. It started off when I lost 1/2 a banana ...My healthy breakfast ..well half a healthy breakfast ..how do you lose half a banana ? ...I really don't know but I managed it . Obviously my special talents tend to eccentricity . I just put it down to turn on the kettle and poof ..no banana ..it's a small house but so far the banana remains elusive. As I said dotty.

Next I was really worried as the washing machine was making a worrying knocking noise ... she is not very old and a lovely machine ...I was not a happy camper. The relief when emptying it to find a plate in amongst the wash ..so that's what was making the noise. That'll teach me to empty the laundry bin straight in without sorting ...not that I expected a plate to be hiding in there mind.
It was a melamine plate so no damage and it was rather clean....but I don't think I'll encourage the practise.

And to cap it all a visit to activate a phone for my daughter led to a conversation that involved the realisation that the nice staff assumed the phone was for my grand daughter ..as they were being very helpful and obliging I just didn't go there ...some mistakes you just let lie. Then they wished me a nice rest of my stay ..and I didn't correct that misconception either... it can be a real conversation stopper when asked have you been here long? the answer 18 years throws them.

Well now I think I need chocolate or wine or both.......and I think I shall hide all the mirrors....

So how was your day ?

Porcupines and planting bulbs...

Not really related those two.

We always buy bulbs and almost never manage to plant them before the ground freezes. So this year a determined effort is being made and some are now in the ground and if I make a  further effort when I've finished this post then more will be in and it'll be fingers crossed that they come up in the Spring (and that if they do the Moose don't prune them   "A Moose ate my tulips" is not an unheard of wail in this area)

It didn't freeze last night but came close ..so today may be my last chance. I think I need to go to the gym to develop some arm/wrist strength ..I found making nice little deep holes with the bulb planter surprisingly tiring ..oh dear. I did get a bit carried away and bent the planter. I was so determined not to be defeated that it gave up the ghost and I had to go out and buy another and a new trowel as mine is hiding.

Walking the dog yesterday evening we came across a Porcupine having a mellow stroll through the woods. I was quite quiet and it allowed me to take a couple of snaps before I wished it well and left it in peace. The Collie would've investigated if he hadn't been on his leash (he is always on his leash as it's the rules and because of the Wildlife would be crazy not to be) So we now know what we suspected. That is that he doesn't remember his first encounter with a porcupine when he was a pup ... darn it. We were out in the wilds and the one and only time he was off his leash he ran into one or it ran into him. Not an experience we'd ever wish to have twice. We were still removing quills weeks later.    

Anyway this was a lovely mellow porcupine just strolling along. An amiable little chap. The Steller Jay that keeps visiting the garden is a far more raucous effort and thinks he can scold me for daring to put my nose out of the door... and does so. A real cross patc.....but very smart to look at.

Right now I have no more excuses .....I'm off to plant bulbs.

It's Fall here....(Autumn)

It's suddenly Fall here (Autumn) and it's going to be over so fast you have to take care not to miss it!

I've been taking the camera with me on daily dog walks..and sometimes I even remember to use it.

Anchorage has a wealth of parks with multi-use trails that are very popular. People run, walk, walk their dogs, cycle  or ride their horses (but thats less common) around the trails.

In Winter the runners turn into skiers, the cycles become fat tyre bikes and the dog mushers reclaim some trails as their own, but the rest carry on as usual (just wearing warmer clothes).

We try and walk a 3 ..3&1/2 mile loop through woods as often as we can ...if not then it's a shorter walk  round the neighbourhood and it's smaller parks.

We don't tend to walk the trails that follow the creek as the bears like these (they catch Salmon from the creek) but you do sometimes see bears and or moose on the trails we use.

So we use discretion when we see moose and we make a noise and carry bear spray in case we surprise a bear (bears do not like surprises)

When the sun shines it is just too beautiful outdoors to consider staying in.

But like these Toadstools ..it's going to change fast.

Even the hound is shedding fur to keep the leaves company....

This morning it's cold and wet...darn it but last night shopping a short walk from home I couldn't resist taking pictures from the parking lot of the mountains that provide a backdrop to the city.
(This morning they are hidden by thick clouds but last night they were stunning).

Well now I'm off to make a pot of Tea and light the fire and perhaps cheerful music is in order to combat the gloomy weather and it's chill!

Favourite childrens authors - Judith Kerr

Judith Kerr  (pronounced Kar) was born in 1923 the same year as my Mother.  My Mother made it to her 90th Birthday a good age but we still miss her. Fortunately Mrs Kerr seems to still be going strong.

I was introduced to Mrs Kerr's work by her Mog the Cat stories and these were followed on by her Classic "The Tiger who came to Tea".  I know she actually wrote Tiger first but as a Cat fan I met Mog first and have kept a soft spot for the daft cat.

Mog is the family pet of the Thomas family and gets into fixes sometimes with most surprising results. I was born too soon to have enjoyed these as a child, But teaching Primary aged children Mog came into her own. Then later my own children enjoyed her stories and so did I! There are a series of Mog adventures including Mog's final adventure Review here

The Tiger who came to tea is a stand alone. A satisfying story about a Tiger coming for tea and adding a little excitement to the day. The Tiger was very hungry but also very polite and this story is curiously satifactory for small children.

Mrs Kerr has led a most interesting life born in Germany, escaping from Hitler aged 9 moving to Switzerland then France and finally Britain. She tells her story in her semi-autobiographical novel "When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit"

There are some lovely videos of Judith Kerr talking about her work and life on youtube.



When Judith Kerr draws

Interview

Documentary

An interesting and quietly amazing Lady who has given many people a n awful lot of please ..me included. Thank you Mrs Kerr.