daisy moon witters on

daisy moon starts to witter on again

2010-12-28T01:18:00.000-08:00

it's been such a long time since I wrote anything and what a busy year it's been. We've seen our little business Daisymoon Designs grow and grow and become so busy... if you don't know about our venture you can find us at daisymoondesigns.co.uk.
The laser cutting side of the business has really taken off and we found ourselves supplying so many crafters with laser cut wooden shapes.. fabulous!

It has been difficult to juggle the ndew business with caring for our little menagerie here, especially in the winter months when everything takes a lot longer, especially carrying umpteen buckets of water into the fields and chicken shed everyday. We've had a sad few months as well, as we lost a few of our old animals... there were two silver linings to our losses, the one was that we knew that they had been loved absolutely during their time with us, and the second silver lining was that they didn't have to struggle through this very long and cold winter spell. One of our biggest losses, was saying goodbye to our ancient Poodle Sally, who we called Salsa bean! She must have been about nineteen and we had taken her on when her previous owners didn't want her any more because she smelled and didn't look pretty anymore.. we thought she was beautiful, she would wake up every morning and bounce around in happiness.. even though she'd collapse in a cough because she really was too old to bounce! She loved life and seemed to be excited at the thought of another day... she was inspirational in her zest for life... so now, when we might be feeling a little low, uninspired or grumpy we remind ourselves to "be a poodle"... so don't forget .. in the new year... be a poodle, embrace everyday, bounce around, even for a moment and don't take a day for granted x

daisy moon & another day

2010-01-03T09:24:00.000-08:00

evening, witterers; quite an ordinary day really. most of it was spent sorting out the various animals. Kitch, the hen is still in recuperation in the cat carrier in the kitchen. We let out the other hens today and one found her way over to the house, went straight to the kitchen and got in the carrier with Kitch! She then came out, followed by a wobbly Kitch and out they went together into a very frosty & icy outside. When I counted them in this afternoon, i was one down and wasn't sure who was missing. I felt a little anxious as we'd lost one the previous day but I heard a little clucking in the doorway of the old barn and there was Kitch all puffed up, with her head in her "shoulders" not sure where to go. So she's back in the kitchen, warm & safe. She's a lot better today than she has been but her poo is still very "eggy". I'm hoping that her egg hasn't broken inside her as that is potentially fatal. Hopefully, it's an unformed egg, which is taking its time to be expelled.

Well, I'm off to make some stuffed peppers & rice for tea before checking on Morris...BEFORE I go to bed myself. Then I'm going to post some fragrance oils onto my web site: www.daisymoondesigns.co.uk ~ my favourite ones at the moment are lemon meringue pie and coffee creme caramel; they are so scrummy when made into wax melts, the aroma fills you up without the calories!

daisy moon & a sad time

2010-01-02T14:27:00.000-08:00

It was a difficult end to the year. My gorgeous goat, Red, died, very suddenly and thank fully, very quickly. She called me to the shed rather than coming down to eat with the others and she wouldn't eat anything. She seemed to have an upset tummy, something that they have suffered with a few times over the year. I put down plenty of hay and water for her and left her for the night. The next day, I went up to her and she was laying down in her stall obviously very unwell. I called the vet, but within 20 minutes she died. She seemed to wait for me to come to see her; she wagged her tail and I talked to her until she eventually closed her eyes. It was so so sad to see her go. It sounds silly to say it, but she still looked a picture of health, even though she wasn't with me anymore. Through all of this, the ponies and Black, her mate just wanted feeding and wouldn't give over until they'd all been fed. Doesn't it seem cruel and strange to carry on as normal, when another animal has just died. They've all lived with Red for over 15 years, yet, even as she was dying, seemed completely unaware of anything, except what they needed. I guess, it's the best way to be. I had to leave Red covered overnight, as she's not a small goat. She's the size of a small pony and I couldn't move her. My poor husband had to sort that out the next morning, with the help of my daughter's ex boyfriend!

On a brighter note, in the same week, a little goat was found wandering on the old mine and was brought up to me to look after until he was claimed. As if he knew we had room for a goat and thought he might fill the position! We called him Morris (minor!) and he's a real character, with horns and attitude. My poor old arthritic Black is not very impressed at all, and Dolly & Molly are not having any of it! Morris is trying to fit in, but has yet to realise that butting everyone is not endearing behaviour at all! He's stayed out with them a few nights but it all depends on the order in which they go to bed. If he gets into the stable before molly and dolly then he can find a place to sleep, but if he's last in, they will not let him throught the door! So before going to bed each night, I have to go out and check that he hasn't been exiled. If he's out, then he is led into the chicken shed for the night, otherwise, he gets to sleep over!!As I speak, he's still out and seems to have claimed his space in the stable! Molly Dolly & Boyo are actually laying out in the field as if it's a summer evening!! I'll check once more in a minute then it's bed time for me as well....happy new year xx

Daisy moon and the grumpy goats.

2009-11-12T13:31:00.000-08:00

What a wet day! My goats are very grumpy, they don't like this wet weather. Their field is turning into a marsh! It's so muddy, my wellies were almost sucked off my feet by the schloopy mud! Still, they've got their stable to keep dry and warm and I fed them nice and early today, porridge oats & sugar beet with some apples and pears, finished off with some cool mix, which is like muesli. The shetland ponies, Dolly, Molly and Boyo don't seem to mind the rain so much, so they ate theirs outside, quite happily. Red & Black the goats are called! Wonder if you can guess the colour of their coats, they had these names when they came to us. They are lovely and very funny, especially when they're grumpy, they butt each other and totally ignore me...after I've given them their food of course...

Edie, the turkey found her way into my kitchen! feathers and turkey poo everywhere, so she had a swift exit. She doesn't like the rain either, so everyone had an early to bed today. I'm still working my way through the christmas cards. I love making them, but feel a little daunted by the number still left....mustn't complain though, it all goes into the pot to feed and care for the ever~hungry menagerie we have here! Right, on that note, off to finish the inserts for the eight cards just waiting to be packed up....x

daisy moon, concrete & chickens

2009-11-08T12:11:00.000-08:00

....hard day today! we're in the middle of getting water & electrics to the chicken shed...the stand pipe is in which saves me quite an arduous journey with buckets twice a day, leaving trenches, very muddy trenches in front of the shed/barn. So today, the electrics were run across from the workshop to the shed, which meant more digging and our ground is full of huge rocks! So hubby's in the digger & I'm shifting the rocks as they emerge. Hubby decided in the middle of this to replace the ramp into his workshop which was crumbling. This meant shifting about 3 ton of sand and chippings to the cement mixer (why would they be next to each other, when you can shovel them twice?, unload, then reshovel sand, cement and chippings into the mixer to make the cement. We used rapid setting cement, which does what it says on the bag, usually starting to set before it reaches its destination, so we had to make it sloppy to make it last the working time! it slopped & splashed all over me, in my hair, my mouth....very nice! We made the step, puddied it and did that thing with the plank to level it....during all of this time, the chickens had been dodging the digger, running under the shovel and generally playing kamikaze with it, totally unfazed as worms were being unearthed left right & centre...just as the last bit of concrete was levelled, road runner (a very spritely hen) decided to go for a paddle in the rapidly setting concrete! Hubby got her out quickly and of course she legged it, covered in the concrete! He's not as agile as me, so I had to run around frantically trying to catch her to get the concrete off before it set her feathers and feet into some kind of contemporary sculpture! Two laps of the barn later, I practically rugby tackled her, and doused her in a bucket of water, holding her wings firmly while hubby washed her off! Not a happy chicken!
....a few minutes later I had all the chickens back in their coop, munching their corn, safely away from all concrete related projects..... x

2009-11-06T10:52:00.000-08:00

...evening fellow witterers... spent some time with Peggy the chicken today. She's a lovely little thing, but she has a bad leg and limps along. She's looking very scraggy at the moment, chickens are a little like children, they pick on anyone who looks different to them. Peggy is literally "hen pecked" by the others and spends a lot of the time on her own. So I scooped her up today and took her inside so she could have bread & biscuits to herself. She wandered around, looking at everything and then decided that the bread was the best option and helped herself. Once she'd had her fill, I took her back outside to the rest of the crew and threw out bread for them all, Peggy didn't have to try and snatch some before being pecked as she'd had her fill. She's such a sweet chicken, she just gets on with everything, ignores the bullying and just tries to get on with them all. They wouldn't let her into the nesting coops last night..there's enough for them all but they all like to squeeze in together and Peggy was left sitting on the floor. So I took in a nesting box that I keep for segregation purposes if any of them get ill and put it on the floor for her, which I think she appreciated!
....so that's Peggy...she says hello and is sorry that she doesn't seem to be able to lay eggs at the moment...x

daisy moon with glitter & mud

2009-11-05T08:53:00.000-08:00

..busy day today. Plan was to get up early and make three cards before collecting my daughter from University at 8am...hubby came into my craft room at 8.30am as I was finishing my first card! Two hours on one card, I have to get more of a streamlined approach going! I fuss & faff over the papers, shall I use contrasting or same tone papers, which embellishments will I use? It goes on and on, if you make cards, you'll know what I mean!The only thing I never have to make my mind up on, is...will I use glitter ~ it's a must, I have to have sparkle! (my husband frequently goes to work to be asked why his face is sparkly!) I have so cards many to make though, the ones I'm working on now are for two customers wanting 10 each, all different of course! Then I've got 350 corporate cards to make...then 65 "posher" corporate cards to make....and 65 packages of handmade soy wax melts to make and package up. It feels very real now I'm writing it down..so must get on with it & stop procrastinating.
I was glad of the outdoor break this afternoon; the sun had done its shift and the rain was duty, which felt cold and fresh on my face. In blue boiler suit and wellies I was soon chasing chickens around the barn, trying to get them all in, there are about five who think it's funny to run in every direction possible when they know it's time for bed. One of them, Roadrunner, has a long neck and she stretches her head forward, folds her wings in tightly and she legs it. We did one lap around the barn then I engaged the use of a sturdy broom and before RR knew it, she was flying into the chicken shed, making a very indignant hooting noise! Edie, the turkey was pacing up and down her stall demanding food..I'll tell you more about her another day. I thought we were going to lose her a few months ago, but she's back with a vengeance now. I'm very proud of her!
anyway, I got them all into bed after mucking out and feeding them all and now I'm back to the card making.......I've got glitter in my hair and mud up my trousers ( even though my boiler suit was tucked inside my wellies!). Glitter & mud just about sums my life up!! Not bad eh? x

daisy moon's daily weet!

2009-11-04T03:16:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been two years since my last blog! I know time flies by, but honestly, two years is a long time...I had forgotten all about it, when my blog details appeared in a google search! They had probably always been there but I had never googled myself before. I have a web site under development, which is almost done and I was checking to see if it came up if I put the main name into Google, and it did...the web site and this dusty blog of mine! So hello, I've dusted off the cobwebs, with my pink tickled pink feather duster I bought in Asda yesterday and revived my wittering tendencies. If I Witter, does that make my entries "Weets" ? I have ventured into Twitterland ~ well my goats have, they tweet about how late I am feeding them and how muddy the field is. I couldn't handle Twittering myself as you can't enter many words into each Tweet, which is no good for a Witterer like me. Witterers need blogs, we have to ramble aimlessly through our heads on a regular basis and inflict our mind melts onto others. So I'm a Witterer not a Twitterer, and I do Weets not Tweets!
You can follow my goats & other animals of mine on Twitter. I'm daisy moon designs there; you'll see it started as me and then the Red & Black, the goats took over.
My web site, which is not finished by the way is www.daisymoondesigns.co.uk

daisy moon goes to the cinema

2007-05-10T04:01:00.000-07:00

I don't think I will ever go to the cinema again! I know it's me, I am so irritable, little things irritate me beyond any rational reaction. I can't stand people whistling, my son likes to drum his fingers on anything and this annoys me: feet. I can't stand feet, to look at them naked is awful and no-one is allowed to cut their toe nails when in the same room as me. I can't stand the sound of the clippers clipping, let alone the sight of the feet in all their glory!

I must be a nightmare to live with.

Now the cinema. I went to see SM3 and I think it was a good film but I became increasingly obsessed with the noises in the cinema. Almost the entire row behind me was taken up with a family with a number of carrier bags between them full of the most rustly paper packets of sweets, popcorn, crisps et al. One of the children wanted to start eating as soon as they sat down, but the adult decided no, " Have them when the film starts!" Indeed, why not ensure that everyone could listen to them eating during the film, rather than during the unimportant ad's and previews? As it was, it didn't matter when they started because they ate continually throughout the film. Passing bags up and down the row, eating with mouths open - I can tell this because of the clapping noise of their mouths. They didn't even wait for the loud parts of the movie to eat the noisy stuff. No, it was continuous and it drove me mad.

At one point their noises subsided, my blood pressure abated, but then the couple next to me opened their carrier bag and opened a packet of crisps each. I swear i heard every single crunch. I became so obsessed with all of the munching, crunching and rustling that the film seemed to mute and was replaced by the cacophony of sounds throughout the auditorium, now I could near every cough, word, rustle and movement. Just to add to this the child behind me who finished eating about 20 minutes before the end of the film, started to sniff. He did not have a runny nose, it was a dry sniff, and he sniffed about every 8 seconds. Yes, I counted the seconds between each sniff. I was so glad when the movie ended and I could leave. I realise most of the problem is mine.....my irritable state must be reaching new heights, but surely, they could have stopped eating for a while, at least during the quiet moments?

I read recently that some cinema companies are stopping customers bringing their own food in. My first reaction was that this was just to preserve and promote the extortionate prices they charge for refreshments, and that it shouldn't be allowed. But after yesterday, customers should be frisked, and scanned for rustly packets and crunchy contents. These should be removed. Anyone with a cough or a sniffly nose should be excluded. An audio sensor should be installed beneath each seat which emits an electric shock when an individual exceeds the allowed noise making threshold.....or, I should just buy dvd's in future and stay home.

daisy moon witters on

2007-05-08T03:36:00.000-07:00

my first blog entry ever!! feels odd and somewhat arrogant to post my witterings into cyber space. Who would possibly want to read about my thoughts and feelings? still, it does feel comforting to write..it reminds me of years long gone when I used to write diaries revealing far too much to no-one..
well, I'm Daisy and I'm prone to wittering on...do tell me if I witter somewhat too much! I live in a semi-countryside village and feel very priveliged to walk the dogs on my very own hillside. I can still hear the police sirens, ambulances and buses on the main road but I can only see the road if I walk into the fields for a bit and look into the valley. I moved here 3 years ago and it is a working project. It took nearly a year to get rid of the smell. The house was rank; when we viewed it we had to breathe through our mouths to avoid the gagging reflex caused by the acrid stench throughout the entire house! I'm relieved to say that the smell has now gone and we are well into the improvement process..
I have two wonderful dogs....Lulu and Flo: at the moment they are in their kennel and just due for another walk. They are just one year old and truly finding their feet. They did have lots of freedom and space here, but now they are intent on escaping down the lane and onto the main road. We've almost finished building them a run in the field, but this will take more work. I put them in it yesterday and hid behind the old sycamore tree (which kindly allowed some fencing staples in its grand gnarled width of a trunk), but within about 30 seconds little Flo was out, so more rails needed methinks!
Well, I need to finish the ironing, compost the contents of the fridge (will I ever cook the ingredients I buy?) and find the living room- it was here yesterday....