WWI in terms a drunk can understand

Puts the whole thing in perspective really

The Cotton Boll Conspiracy

(HT: Bring the Heat, Bring the Stupid)

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Sunbathing goats

Kashmir, Cadbury and Drifter chilling out

 

The weekend here has been gloriously sunny and the goats have been taking the chance to do a bit of sunbathing.

 

Wispa – just for once immobile !

Saturday was so hot that even Wispa (the cheekiest goat kid ever) had to lie down and sunbathe for a while.

Golden Guernsey baby Kashmir

And his twin brother Korma

And twins Korma and Kashmir hunted for shade and ended up retreating under the nearest gorse bush.  but came out to play as the worst of the heat died away.

 

Happy goats – happy owner

The goats are now moved into their new pen which hopefully should last them well into the winter. This will largely depend on how much rain we have as whatever pen they are in will turn to mud with wet ground and cloven hooves.

The new pen is higher up on the land so hopefully the water will run off it a little better. As it is only a temporary pen, I am working on making a layer of shipping pallets all around the outside of it, to give extra shelter from the wind and driving rain in the winter.

They goats tend to churn up a gooey stick mess all around their water tub. To try to remedy this, I have placed their water barrel up on a pallet, so that they are standing on the wood when they go to drink. Hopefully and water that gets spilt will drain through the pallet which means the wet ground will be where the goats can’t stand in it – better for the ground and better for their feet 🙂

When they came in from grazing last night, they were very happy to go into it (after a little bit of initial confusion) and immediately started exploring the corners where the shelter is, and found their water.

I can now breath a little sigh of relief as I have been worrying about getting the goats moved into new accommodation for a while now. Now they are in, I can get some of the other much needed jobs done 🙂

 

Remembrance Day

THE FINAL INSPECTION

The soldier stood and faced God,
Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining,
Just as brightly as his brass.

‘Step forward now, you soldier,
How shall I deal with you ?
Have you always turned the other cheek ?
To My Church have you been true?’

The soldier squared his shoulders and said,
‘No, Lord, I guess I ain’t.
Because those of us who carry guns,
Can’t always be a saint.

I’ve had to work most Sundays,
And at times my talk was tough.
And sometimes I’ve been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.

But, I never took a penny,
That wasn’t mine to keep…
Though I worked a lot of overtime,
When the bills got just too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear.
And sometimes, God, forgive me,
I’ve wept unmanly tears.

I know I don’t deserve a place,
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around,
Except to calm their fears.

If you’ve a place for me here, Lord,
It needn’t be so grand.
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don’t, I’ll understand.

There was a silence all around the throne,
Where the saints had often trod.
As the soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.

‘Step forward now, you soldier,
You’ve borne your burdens well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven’s streets,
You’ve done your time in Hell.’

Author Unknown~

 

A sweet treat

One of the strange side effects I have discovered to trying to be self-sufficient is that everyone automatically expects me to be fantastically healthy – and expects never to see a sweet treat pass my lips.

Well…..they’re wrong!

This week’s sweet treat is flapjacks. Flapjacks are good. They are so simple that I can cook them even half-asleep, the only drawback being when I fall asleep while they are in the oven but that’s another tale 😀

One of the great things about flapjacks is that I can enjoy them to my heart’s content, all the while convincing myself 100% (well maybe a little less) that they are health food. Just think……all those oats…..flapjacks are just porridge in disguise right? And if you throw in a handful of nuts, or dried fruits – well – it’s virtually muesli!

My basic recipe for flapjacks

9 oz butter
9 oz castor sugar
6 oz golden syrup
15 oz porridge oats

Anything else you care to add to liven them up – some options are

a teaspoon of cinnamon
nuts – cashews, walnuts or brazils are good
sunflower seeds
dried fruit – raisins, dried apricots, dried strawberries all go down well

Put the butter, sugar and syrup in a large pan and heat until the butter is melted and all the sugar disolved.

Tip – Once the sugar is disolved, now is the best time to add your other ingredients. It is much easier to get them evenly distributed through the mix while it is still liquid.

Stir in the porridge oats, and divide the whole mix between two sandwich tins, or a rectangular baking tray. I like to use loose-bottomed sandwich tins as it makes turning them out easier. But using greaseproof paper would do the job too.

Put in the middle of the oven, on gas 4, for 25-30 mins until it turns deep golden around the edges. The mixture will still be very soft in the middle.

Leave until almost cold and then cut into slices. They should come out chewy not cruncy. Eat and enjoy.

 

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