Using your imagination, turning old things into new, bringing it new life.

It begins, the cold nights and fresh mornings, brings a warm, almost hot, day.

 

While i was out busily building our new chicken tractor, i was listening to the song of the house martin. 

It was perched up on the electricity wire that joined to my house. 

I stopped in wonder from hammering, to admire the beautiful song it was gifting me. 

At that moment i realised the beauty and powerful meaning of that moment. 

I looked across at the field to the new mother goats, to see them watching their young, jumping and frolicking in the grass. 

The wind turbines up on the mountain top were slowly spinning, and the fresh clouds were piercing through, the sound was quiet, the air was still, what a wonderful time to be alive.

I finished the frame of the chicken tractor. It measured in at 3x3 meters, and 1/2 a meter tall. 

I then went round my garden fence to find any existing chicken wire that wasn't being of any use anymore, and pulled it from the overgrown grass edges, cutting away at the root systems. 

Some of wire ripped, other parts of the chicken wire was starting to rust. I pushed on and my husband and i tacked the fence into place temporarily as to tighten it once it was all in shape.

Im very glad i used my imagination a worked on through the terrible material of the poles which was made from 1 inch thick mimosa poles. 

Bareing in mind they are not straight or flat, i built it with only having nails to bind together. 

It was short of a minor disaster if your a trained carpenter watching in.

 The 80 year old neighbour has been keeping a keen eye on me, wondering if it will and when it will fall apart, but he doesn't judge me or tell me how to build it, he just watches, each day, my progress. When he saw me yesterday he was almost shocked that i hadn't thrown in the towel and given up, and i would say he looked impressed.

After all, it is all we have to build with, and it is the only way my naughty chickens are kept from scrabbling mine, and the neighbours gardens, so i have to put all my heart into it to make it work. 

If i were to varnish it or linseed oil it, or even fill the dry cracks with wood glue, it might just last this summer, in this heat, it might not, there is no telling how long my creation will stand the tests of time.

 But like most things, nothing but change is permanent, or so someone said once.

 I have faith, and the little house martin up on the wire, also had faith in me in that moment.

 I have completed  the next part of the little doll i am making for the birthday of my little niece Eva- May.

 I tailored a dress for the doll with buttons so it can be removed if needed, with an under dress, next to find a way of making hair and a face. If i have time i might just tailor another dress for the doll so she can have the chance to change its clothes and it would make a lovely little gift, i hope.

My daughter has been crazy over watching a show on youtube from when i was small. 

The animals of Farthing wood, one of the classics when i was small. 

My daughter has taken a liking to weasel, i think because of the laugh, she find the animal funny. 

So for my daughters birthday, at the end of May, i have decided to make her a cuddly weasel toy,  i don't know yet how I'm going to accomplish such an endeavour but ill give it a go. 

I'll search the soft toys that already exist in her room to get an idea of the shape of the head, and figure something out. 

I'll be posting pictures in stages to show you how i constructed it.

Until then, happy crafting painting, making, baking, growing food and learning, it is a great time to be alive. Enjoy every moment for what it's worth.

Blessings