Projects

I loved how the fireplace looked this Christmas, so I left it throughout January more or less as it was.  I've decided I need to re-arrange the mantlepiece this week, time to move on into 2018.  

While I don't do New Years Resolutions I have made a list of projects I want to complete this year, it goes something like this:

Finish the house re-vamp outside and in,

move the veggie patch to the back of the house,

reduce plastic use at home - can I go plastic free?

Develop the Little Hadham Farmers' Market, increase numbers, quality and reduce plastic use there too,

look again at my craft kits, dolls and felt more,

blog more,

be a better bee keeper,

raise more chickens from my flock and introduce ducks.

Our three boys; Donny Darko, Desmond and Digby

I had a 95% male hatching rate last year, not what I wanted.  We'll be having some late winter chicken soup.  Fortunately for these guys we have also sold a couple of cockerels.  Desmond has been re-named Sam and is now head of his own little flock.  Digby is going to one of my farmers' market stall-holders, Claudia of Bury Green Poultry and will also get girls of his own.  We're keeping Donny Darko and their dad, Bernie.

Hatched on Saturday, this is Jemmima/Sonny

Now that we are back in the house I've the urge to nest, so the project list continues:

Renovate shop - a new business opportunity there,
redecorate front rooms, hall, landing and stairs,
make curtains,
new desk for Una,
decorate downstairs loo and utility room,
including making a peg-board for storage of cleaning equipment.  

I found some lengths of this old peg board in the static caravan that we got rid of last year during the build, I'm going to mount it and paint it to go in the utility room.

Una got a sewing machine for Christmas and so I'd like to help her make a quilt and do one for myself too.  I fancy going for some really vivid jewel colours, none of those vintage flowers for me thanks. 

Una has hockey (and Louis rugby) on a Sunday morning, so it' becoming a lovely Sunday afternoon activity for the two of us.  Una is doing a fab job, now that she knows what's she's doing she is steaming ahead.  I need to do a bit of cutting and tacking today to catch up.

And finally on my list:

Take the kids to Disneyland before they're too cynical to care.  And I mean Disneyland, in California, so I can catch up with friends, and meet their children.  To me that is Disneyland.

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Little Hadham Farmers Market

There has been a farmers market in Little Hadham since 2002, founded, organised and run by the local couple, Brian & Brenda Kain.  It was the first farmers market in East Hertfordshire.  The Market takes place once a month at Little Hadham Village Hall, usually on the last Saturday of the month, from 8.30AM until 11.30AM.   

Little Hadham Farmers’ Market promotes the best of local produce, and has a strong ethos of offering only items grown, bred, prepared or made by the stall holders as much as practically possible.  Stalls include; meat, vegetables, fruit, bread, cakes and pastries, coffee, honey, jam, cheese, chutney and artisan crafts.  There is also a cafe that prepares fresh, home cooked breakfasts from the stall holder’s produce.  

A friendly market, there is a wonderful loyal clientele who come every month to shop, meet and eat.  There is free parking and the village playground and field on site make it especially welcoming to young families.

As a regular market goer (it was one of the reasons we looked at the village when buying our house) when I heard that the Kains were looking to retire, and we might loose the market altogether, I decided to step in and take over.  I have been running the market since September and with the new year I plan to start to implement some changes.

I plan to keep to the Kain’s core ethos, but I’d like to attract some more stalls, maybe food demonstrations and monthly guest stalls too.  I would love for more people to find us, as the market is such a little gem. 

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New Year, New Eggs

I'm not sure quite how, but the little foxes managed to convince me to raise ducks this year.  A friend in the village gave us six duck eggs and we put them in the incubator on Christmas day.  They are due to hatch in 5 more days.

After a few months of not laying, illness and disruption in my little flock the hens have started to lay again too.  

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