End of year -Refections

This year has been OK.

Sadly, we have lost a few animals to 'Animal Heaven' ; but we like to think they were happy and comfortable living here.
We had a really good holiday to Barbados-The most memorable thing being chased by a turtle & seeing Peg swimming with them.
Mr Crow has been busy at work; but could do with more time to play!
Daughter Peg is enjoying learning the piano & piano accordion with the lovely Anna
(who had baby Charlie & got married to Kit this year)
Work has been work! I am enjoying working with the slightly older children, some of whom (poor things) have been in my class before!!
My sister has moved into her own (rented) lovely home with her boyf .
Mum & Dad have needed some extra bionic body parts; but are still M&D :) (hoping Dad gets his knee done soon, and Mum gets her hip/thigh sorted and can walk without her trusty stick)
We said farewell to Grandad; but he had a lovely life & will be with Grandma again.
All in all, as I said it was OK!

Here's hoping 2013 is good for all  x

Jobs you put off

Afternoon!
Today Mr Crow & I decided that we really did need to do lots of animal jobs! For once it wasn't raining, so we set about trimming 2 lots of goat feet and 7 lots of alpaca feet (as well as a few hair do's!)

The thing is with the animals, especially the alpaca they do not like being handled, and then sit on their feet! For this job I always wear a hoody, as alpaca spit is most unpleasant! The goats are both  boys so they can be a bit pongy; but they are very lovely! Biccy peg actually sat on Mr Crows knee!

Next, we decided to move the chicken run-this can ony be described as an enclosure made from aluminium poles with wire netting all around. We had to resort to this after Mr Fox decided to take all our chickens and ducks in one go-he never ate them, just decapitated the whole lot. Finding 22 dead birds inside an electric fence before work was not something I wanted to see again! The run is in the alpaca field-in theory this should also deter Mr Fox (I know he needs to eat; but I don't like killing for the fun of it)

The chicken house was moved (inside enclosure) then we moved the enclosure onto a new patch of grass. We can just about manage this with just the two of us.

We then cleaned the stable out and hosed it down. The only animals we haven't had to sort out today were the pigs-they really seemed to be the happiest of the bunch wallowing in the mud!

I am now having a half hour sit down, half watching 'Bedknobs & Broomsticks' with Daughter Peg, blogging and reading my newly acquired quilting  book  'Sunday Morning Quilts'

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday x 


    

Busy Busy Busy!

After a lovely; but quiet few days, Daughter Pegs & I went out and about on Friday. The weather is still more appropriate for ducks; but we braved it and went to Totnes (One of my FAVOURITE shopping haunts) Unfortunately lots of the shops were shut! We did however share a lovely brunch in our favourite cafe, and mooched around the individual shops that were open.
We then went to my friends for a natter & cake (you truly can never eat too much cake ;)  Pegs loves seeing her friend Origami boy & I enjoy putting the world to rights with Em *she of 'Dartmoor ramblings'

In the evening we went for supper with friends. Pegs spent most of the evening trying on a huge bagful of clothes from their 'big girl' and chasing their ginger kitten about the place-We did try stealing said kitten; but at the last minute it was decided by Mr Crow that we best leave it there...!

Today we had a lovely drive over the moors towards Ashburton, It is decidely wet, and lots of local rivers have burst their banks. It took Mr Crow back to his younger days as a kayaker! We then descended on friends for an 'Afternoon of fun & Games' We ended up playing Snakes & Ladders, and Tiddlywinks! The girls thought we were mad!

This evening I have decided that the tree has had enough. We have more twig left than tree, so with sadness we have de-decorated it, and put it outdoors!

Why is it Christmas goes so quickly; but takes ages to arrive?  

I am going to attempt to tidy the spare room tomorrow, so that on Monday I can actually get some sewing done...Watch this space 

Much love, Jopsy 

A bit slow on the uptake...

Hello again!

I hope you and yours had a fabulous Christmas!?

As usual work ran away with me-plays, concerts etc... Hence lack of blogging (NYR-Update weekly!) I only managed to catch up with my friend Em (dartmoor ramblings blog) on Christmas Eve

Home is looking lovely, and smelling great with the real tree. In our road (4 houses) there are currently only 2 houses full, everyone else has gone away-so it is quiet and still (which I rather like)

We never managed to finish the painting-so spent Xmas day in the back of the house (Where it looks more jolly)

Mr Crow has just dashed off to the Boxing Day sales in Exeter. Mini Me Peggy and I are chillaxing, eating chocs and mooching about our gifts.

Half term - Fun & tumbles

Hello again!
Well, it's been half term here this week-It's always chock a block. We always want to do more than we actually achieve!
We have had a horse on his holidays from Cornwall for the week. This has very much pleased Daughter Peg, as he is her favourite thing ever! We usually only see him twice a month-So daily rides have been fun, challenging and exhausting for a non horsey mum!
He has been a delight, and most unforgiving towards a complete amateur!On occasion I have wished he could speak!
We have seen friends for play dates and tidied up around the house (We've been decorating, so it has looked like a garage sale for a few weeks)
We went trick or treating at a local village. We saw lots of friends and the littlest Witch was happy. She had drawn over 20 pumpkin designs ready for the big day ('It is one of my favouritest days of the year!) We struggled to find pumpkins and opted for any we could find! These were quite small; but perfectly formed, and only £1 each! 
On Thursday we went to Bath for a night away. It is Mr Crows birthday this weekend, so we decided to celebrate! This is not quite as easy when you need a pet sitter! Luckily we have a very nice lady up the road who just loves animals and even took our dog for a sleepover!
Bath was bustling & very cold! Daughter Peg loved the Roman Baths, and I loved the shops! Especially 'The Makery' and the charity shops. We stayed at a lovely Georgian Hotel very close to the centre. It was warm and comfortable. Daughter Peg loves exploring new places, including bouncing on beds!
We had a lovely evening meal at a restaurant called 'Aqua' it was relaxed and the food was fabulous!
Returned home today after a trip to Ikea in Bristol-you can never have too many bright plastic things!!   

Monday's child is fair of face

Hello, Another new week has started!
It's definately changing here on the moor. It's much darker in the mornings whilst feeding the menagerie. The pigs are settled in their new area (the old chicken & duck space) They seem happy, and are merrily furrowing the earth. Daughter Peg is excited as they are unearthing more old pottery. She still has a sore finger from her penknife whittling on Saturday -She slipped!. The painting did not get as far as we had hoped. Mr Crow fell through a floorboard, plaster fell off the wall, and paint was peeling....Consequently the house is very upside down, with all of the items from the lounge side all over the dining room.
We will get it finished soon honest
Enjoy your week, Speak soon, Jopsy x    

Money, Money, Money (Abba hit)

Hello on this lovely bright day!
Today we all went to the auction (mentioned last week, as I went a week early-Possibly due to excitement?) We mooched around the auction, and this time saw nothing of interest! We did however, see a sign for a garage sale in the vicinity, for an hour later. We decided to treat ourselves to hot choclates and toasted teacakes. We got to the garage sale 30 minutes too early. Mr Crow saw a man bumbling along with lots of things and asked him if he were on his way to his garage for the sale. Luckily he was! We got 1st dibs on a set of steps that double up as drawers (some work needed, and no idea where they will fit!) a bargain for £20! (These only just fit in our rather large car)
We then drove off to our nearest big place to buy posh paint! Mr Crow nearly keeled over when he paid!
We returned to collect the step drawers, where I saw an overmantle mirror! I had been looking for one of these for months. We came home with both these 'needed' items (I only just fit in the car)
We have spent the rest of the day emptying the lounge and snug ready to paint (hopefully we'll begin before bedtime this evening!!)
How do you accumulate so much 'stuff'?, I really should try to get rid of something...  

Thank Crunchie (It's Friday)

This week seems to have been the busiest week! Work has been full on, as has home! My favourite part of the week is always Daughter Pegs Piano lesson, 1 hour, every Friday. I sit chilling out with a nice magazine (A little treat) on a comfy sofa listening to the lesson, at the piano teachers home. This week Daughter Peg was learning a Halloween tune! Her favourite Celebration of the year!
Enjoying a nice glass of chardonnay as it's the weekend!
See you soon, x

The rain came down (and the floods came up)

The title of today is a particular favourite song of mine! Unfortunately it would appear that this evening it is tipping it down! Not quite raining cats and dogs; but close! perhaps kittens and puppies? There are Met Office Warnings for some areas of Devon & Cornwall-I do hope everyone stays safe.
Mr Crow made corned beef hash for our evening meal-It really is a warming dish for an autumnal day. Even Daughter Peg enjoyed it! There are big discussions in the house about which colour paint to use to compliment the chosen blue (Which neither Mr Crow nor I can remember the name of!) This job desperately needs doing, there are big circles of different testers both there and in the hallway! A job for the weekend, perhaps...
Daughter Peg is pleased that she played her piano accordion for the first time in the school band practice! She had written the notes on the music herself! She has only been learning it for a short while. It compliments the piano which she took up about 6 months ago. We really are very proud of her.
Right, no rest for the wicked. Work awaits, bye for now x   

Manic Monday (Go on sing along!)

Hello again
It's been rather manic today. The heavens opened as I went to feed the animals. The poor rabbit stayed in his 2 storey home in the shed, I'm sure he was grateful! The alpacas were hiding under the trees and leaning along hedges. The goats ate swiftly, and returned to observe from their house, baaing loudly. The dog loves the rain, the muddier he gets the happier he is. He has a house in his run; but rarely sits still! The chucks were happy to eat and watch from under their house.
I returned home only to find Daughter Peg had missed her mouth and needed changing into a second lot of clean uniform!
    

Early on Sunday morning

Hello there,
It's just gone 5 in the morning and I'm wide awake! The stars are very bright, and there's an owl hooting in the tree by the window.
The dog is talking in his sleep, and a hot honey and water is not cutting the mustard for me! On the positive side the newly fitted woodburner has kept the room nice and snug.
Mr Crow is fast asleep 
Daughter Peg is fast asleep.
There is an odd yelping noise outside which I am assuming to be a fox; but I am not going to investigate!
We had a lovely evening yesterday with friends coming around for a curry. This was made by Mr Crow as I am not too keen, nor indeed very skilled in the cullinary department! They brought their big children along (Well, 'big' in Daughter Pegs eyes!!)
Unfortunately I left the plates stacked up and the house now smells, that'll teach me for sloping off to bed.
Looking forward to a rainless day
Bye for now x

Funny old Saturday!

Hello and welcome to my newly hatched blog! Having been a serial blog stalker for a few years I have decided to attempt a blog of my own.
My lovely friend Em at dartmoorramblings.blogspot.co.uk
has recently started her blog and was full of excitement about it. That was it! Over a few warm drinks, and the odd cake or 3 'Jopsy, Peg and Crow' was created!

I'm currently sat at the dining room table watching the rain pelting down and making the grass a lush green.
It's been an odd day so far, I bundled the family into the car early to take a trip to the local auction in the next village. On our way I saw a few posters advertising the fact. It wasn't until  we were virtually upon the hall that I realised we were a week early! (oops!)
My friend Em was coming for lunch as was my daughters friend. Em arrived; but the play date did not. We waited and waited until we could bear it no more, so started our food! Said friend arrived later, having already eaten...
Em and I spent a happy (well, I was happy not too sure about poor Em!) few hours setting up my blog! 
Daughter Peg and friend were happily playing in the tree house. Mr Crow was mending a hole on the shed roof-the poor rabbit was getting quite damp around the edges!   
Poor friend felt ill, so we then had to drive her home across the moors 3 hours earlier than anticipated! Cue grumpy daughter Peg!
Anyway, I must dash the animals need feeding (more about them next time)
Bye x