Quiet day

Today started dismally with constant drizzle, so plans for a BBQ were quickly shelved. A good deal of sitting about, watching the Olympics ensued, whilst the family gathered themselves.

Chickens and rabbits were fed - and a discovery was made! Our doe rabbit, Rosie, has given birth to her second litter of the year. We think that there might be four kits, but until they grow a little bigger, we are not going to disturb them. Patience is definitely a virtue. Her first litter are all grown up now, as they were born in May. They have not yet left home, as the FGs are reluctant to part with them - thank goodness that there were only four of them. Plans will have to be made soon, though, now that this second litter has arrived.

The FH and FGs went out this afternoon to visit a relative. I watched some of the closing ceremony of the Olympics, and then cut the back lawn since the rain had stopped long enough for it to get dry. The BBQ was back on, so the gang bought some provisions on the way home and we got it all cooking for an outdoor meal tonight. The weather for August has been a bit of a challenge for BBQs, so we were pleased to have one tonight. However, too many wasps were around so we lit a couple of citronella candles - not convinced that they did a lot of good!

Tonight, we have had a bouncing competition on the trampoline and been in fits of giggles until the gathering darkness forced us inside. Must get FH to replace the bulb in the outside light and we could have gone on longer!

This coming week is looking busy as it is the last before the FGs go back to school. They have two days booked at a local school to do a sport day camp, and we have a little uniform shopping left to do - I hate shopping for their shoes as they both have wide feet and it is hard to find shoes for them. However, it has to be done, so that is on the list for this week. Weather permitting, we are hoping to have one last day out: we have our sights set on Holkham Hall on the north Norfolk coast and then fish and chips from nearby Wells-next-the-Sea. I haven't been to Holkham since my mother took me as a child, but you will see that it fits in with the historic theme of our earlier visits of the holidays so we may as well finish the way we started. We have only got Wednesday or Saturday to do that trip, because of the other commitments, so we will be watching the weather forecasts closely!

If rain sets in, I am not sure whether there is a fall-back plan as we have already been to the cinema twice - the first to see "Angus, Thongs and Perfect snogging" (hilarious!!!) and then to watch "Get Smart" (even more hilarious!) so although numerous people are telling me to go to "Mamma Mia", I think that that may have to wait until I catch it on DVD.

In the garden, we are picking tomatoes and dwarf beans like mad, eating as many as we can and freezing the rest. The chickens are growing so much that my dad has recommended more feed as he thinks that they are hungry all the time - so they are now on pellets twice a day and corn for a lunchtime snack - and they are eating it all, so he must be right. The layers are up to one egg each most days: we get six eggs from seven hens on five days out of seven, and five on other days, at the moment. They will start to lay less as the nights draw in, so we have to make the most of them whilst they are laying so prolifically.

I think that we will be having a vegetarian day tomorrow after our meal tonight. I have been reading today about the amount of resources (water, grain, acreage, for example) needed to produce meat as opposed to vegetables and grains/legumes. It certainly made me think about cutting back on our purchased meat, and look forward to our own "harvest" of chicken.