Thursday 21 August 2008

Good versus Evil

Should we allow our children to watch TV?

This is always a hot topic in our house. I do hate it when the boys sit and flick through the channels and then settle on watching something I consider to be rubbish. You know, those horrible cartoons on POP? Police, Camera, Action or worse the American ones!! Pet Rescue is another one I hate. There are lots that I don't know the names of and it turns them into vegetables, unable to move until I insist they get up and do something else.

Well, this is rather an extreme scenario, as it doesn't happen very often. The boys are far more interested generally in being outdoors but when the weather is bad, or one of them is a bit poorly.....we find it hard to play games and do puzzles etc at the moment. Willie is at the worst stage I think. The 'I want everything that you have' stage, the 'scream and shout until I get it' stage....or worse...the 'bang my head or bite myself because i'm frustrated' stage (What is that all about? None of the others did that!!) so it makes playing anything involving small pieces difficult.

Sooooooo.... we have taken the TV out of the living room for a while, leaving just the small one with DVD player in our room. The big boys have the PS2 in their room (minus a few games that I loathe) which means they can watch DVDs together in there occaisionally.

I don't mind the actual TV watching if they are watching a film or series on DVD that has a definite beginning and end. A set timescale to it.

Its funny how there has been a pattern emerging...
Tom has been re watching the Long Way Round/Down series (motorbikes/off roading/geography/adventure) and David always wants to watch films that have goodies and baddies or adventure films...Lara Croft, Indiana JOnes (the old ones) and Power Rangers, borrowed from a friend while he is on holiday.

So should I still worry? I hate Power Rangers because of the fighting aspect but it is the old fashioned Cops and Robbers however unrealistic the characters are!!!



So we are thinking of putting the TV back in the living room, but minus the TV aerial ( even might go so far as cancelling the TV licience...not sure yet.

I certainly won't miss it generally...although I hear Hugh is doing a River Cottage Autumn.....but I think I can watch that on line!!!





And now for a couple of pictures..

Our next door neighbours are away this week and have left me in charge of the chickens, fish and cat! One of their Silkie bantams had been sitting on 3 eggs but they hadn't hatched on day 21 so went off on holiday leaving me to sort out the removal of the eggs, when I was sure they wouldn't hatch.

Hee hee!!! So I had to find her a house and run, and some food and water for her beautiful, clever little self and her new babies!!


Our hen Buffy that successfully hatched 3 earlier this year is broody again so we have given her 4 silkie eggs and one of her own AND one from our laying teenager to incubate. Trouble is they will be due to hatch the day after we go to Wales, so we will miss it!! :-(


This is Bob trying on his new rug for when the nights get a bit chilly in the autumn. Doesn't he look smart!!!




The Discovery has gone in for its re test today for its MOT....it just needed a few minor things doing. Rob and Tom handled them easily!

And the 110? Well they have drained the oil to flush the system through twice now (the first drain was thick and black full of gunk and bits), they have fixed the leaking water hose and the other couple of very obvious minor things...and guess what? It runs brilliantly!!! It sounds so much better...ticks over fine and so much less smoke now too! So just the doors to sort out and they reckon it will go through an MOT too! We could be going to Wales in convoy!

I made Chocolate Courgette cake the other day...yummy! The best way ever to use courgettes, which by the way, are growing prolifically in my garden. I need a bigger veggie plot for next year for certain. One way or another, I will have more veg and goats, even if we do move to Wales to get it.

Thursday 14 August 2008

A few pictures,

Sophie sleeping in the sun in the kitchen, looking so much like Sonny!!!
Now for some veggie pictures.... 8 tomato plants! One of the tripods of beans growing in the old Landrover tyres, and 5 more tomato plants!
The tomatoes are coming!!!!!!!!!
Tom, picking a few beans for tea...think the knife is a little over sized, but hey ho!!! BIG pumpkin.....

Medium pumpkin!

Courgette plant...

4 yummy courgettes!This is my NEW leek patch with leek seedlings from Freecycle! With hens in background eyeing them up!
3rd sowing of carrots, still under netting as protection from the chickens!!!!The beetroot, looking a little over crowded and...yes! 4 more tomato plants. I must confess to there being a least half a dozen more in the mini greenhouse!!! A tomato plant fetish? No, just burnt by the loss of last years crop through blight :-(Newly potted Lemonbalm and Oregano...probably not a great partnership but until I get another ornamental pot they will have to share.This is David's latest collection of money. Dollar bills printed off from Enchanted Learning and coloured in. He just loves money!!!!And that is all for now. A verbal catch up another time.