After the Rain

There should be a rainbow... but if you look closely to the right of the first one is a second one ( almost hidden by the trees) here.

This is one of our back fields and part of the hay field as well. The hay is ready to be cut but the weather continues to be showery and well just plain English, while I hear from friends in England that the weather there is our normal hot and sultry June...
We need a week of dry warm weather to get the hay in so keep you fingers cross it will happen soon.

In the meantime, we are all adjusting to having Cherrington Merlin stay with us. He is a really good ram ( which is good since we have never had one here before) and has already picked up on when the treats are handed out. He is managing well and I am monitoring his condition carefully.

At long last!!!! The Cookie Monster!

After a really tough delivery and the sad loss of his twin sister.....

Welcome to the world, Mr.Biddlebump born Friday June 19 at 7:00pm

Biddlebump is the son of Cherrington Harry and Hopeful Gwendolyn.

He is precocious and already wandering off leaving poor Gwen. frantically looking for him.

He jumps into her hay, steals grass straight from her mouth and is into everything.

Poor MOM!

ANY DAY NOW !!!

Our little Gwinnie should be due this week. She has become totally obsessed with food and can't get enough, we think she is hatching a "Cookie Monster"!!!!!

Everything is ready and waiting and waiting and waiting.........

Spring

Welcome to the farm in Spring

This is my favorite time of the year, everything is green and smells so wonderful, its a good time of the year to be born and for that we are waiting on our Gwinnie.

Gwinnie is currently eating like a barracuda.....everything in sight. Two other of our girls may also be pregnant or then again just fat, we will have to see.

Some of our whethers even look a wee bit in the family way... umm Jolly, with a bit of winter insulation?

Here are just some of our girls spa-ing in the sun.... are we happy?!

Everyone loves to go out and cut loose especially after the rough winter we have had....

well maybe not everyone!

'Driving Miss Lady'

I think that my dear husband has found his equine niche in life and may never 'ride ' a horse again.
Thanks to some friends of ours who are members of the Percheron Horse Society, we were able to finally hitch and drive our Lady last Saturday. Lady hasn't been driven for the two years we have had her and who knows when before that, although I have been riding her.

She was extremely patient with us and our total inexperience in all this

Al started by ground driving her first, then the wagon was dragged out ( by us) to the field and she was hitched. We only drove her for about 15 minutes since she is rather out of condition.

I think even Lady had fun.

seven things you may not now about me

A while ago I was asked by a dear friend to list seven things that most people would not know about me. It took a while to get on with it but here is the list:

1: I am a classically trained mezzo soprano with a long performance history mostly solo baroque aria work.
2: I love Gregorian chant and the mediaeval catholic church liturgy , you know bells, incense the whole works
3: Life gaol is to finish visiting the high spots along the pilgrims route across Europe, so far I have done Canterbury, Rome and twice to Jerusalem
4: I ride side saddle, its the equitation style I learned on.
5: PURPLE, love it especially purple silk velvet
6 I have made virtually all my major adult "life decisions" here at this place.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Orme
7: one of my favorite authors is Khalil Gibran
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khalil_Gibran

There hows that!

costume design

As many of you may know I have an deep interest in historical costuming. I have participated in a number of living history events ranging along the time line from Anglo-Saxon to English Civil war and 19th military, not to forget the SCA.

I thought it was be fun to share some of my favorite costumes here.

For years I have studied the fashions of the Court of Henry VIII. I have taught workshops, seminars, proofed patterns for companies and been the featured attire on this site along with some of my students at the time.

http://www.festiveattyre.com/feature/yr4/week150.html

One of my other favorite periods inspired by that wonderful film Henry V with Kenneth Branagh is the 15th century. This is a picture of Al and I taken at a local production of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew. This is 15th century Burgundian style and we were the dancers at the wedding in the show. Both outfits are velvet and Al's boots are copies of 15th century riding boots and were made by a friend of ours who is a professional shoemaker.

Completely jumping era's brings us to the 1860's and a ball gown, using 27 yards of paper thin silk.

Of course all the costumes pictured here are complete down to the corsets and underpinning where required and yes I ride in a corset when in kit
Thats just a wee peek into my costume closet, maybe more later when I get some more pictures!