Discombobulated

describes exactly how I'm feeling at the moment.  George got back from New Zealand so I am now under house arrest. 

I spend a lot of my time sitting around like this

 

not sleeping, just sort of flopping on a chair in the kitchen, hanging my head in despair.

Having obeyed the rules and not stockpiled, I had to go to the supermarket on Monday to get two weeks' worth of food in because I was picking up George the next day and knew we'd have to isolate.  I was thrilled when I got there because the shelves were full!  I managed to get everything I needed and made my way triumphantly to the till.  Sadly I had to put most of it back because most of the items were limited to three per person.

Feeling a bit concerned about what I was going to do, I noticed an ad from Quintin Catering, who catered for Victoria's wedding, and immediately ordered a box delivery from him.  I was so pleased when Jake dropped this off hours later

An abundance of food so we are sorted!

Also, the chicken have started laying finally - a maximum of 3 a day, so we have (a few) eggs.

I walk over and check on the calves everyday - the twins are doing well

I haven't felt the need to start knitting a noose for Jonathan yet, although sometimes it gets a bit close.  Like when he's charging round the kitchen shouting 'Where's the number for PJS?'  I pointed it out to him.....

The geese are scrapping like crazy one minute and the next

And I've done a bit of crochet, a bit of quilting, and a bit of walking, a bit of gardening, a bit of everything and a lot of nothing!

Isolation.....

Well, I'm not really in isolation but I may as well be.  No workshops until....well, just until.  No social events.  No Mother and Toddler group.  Time seems to stretch on and on.

Calving is coming along nicely.  We are well over half way through now and I walk over most days (weather permitting) to see what's happening. The twins have got a lot bigger

And I arrived just after this one had been born.  He got up and went straight to the wrong mother!

It's so funny when they are a bit older and go haring around the barn in the late afternoon.

Not long till lambing starts so I want all this horrible, wet, cold and dark weather well out of the way.

I've also been enjoying looking at the polo ponies in the field across the road from us

On Tuesday I thought I'd better get some food and stuff in - I sat down to make a list but couldn't really think of anything and only got as far as

then I realised I was just procrastinating so took myself off to Waitrose in Wantage and thought I'd do my usual browse and buy.  I was astounded!  The shelves were completely and utterly empty.  I know the media has been going on about it but in Wantage?  They didn't even have laundry conditioner.  I've never seen anything like it.  So I came back home with two onions.

I fared better in Hungerford yesterday - got some meat supplies from Christian Alba the butcher and the rest in Tesco's.  The only thing I couldn't get was potatoes so that wasn't so bad.

I also got my Mother's Mothering Sunday flowers from Martin and the Magpie - I've mentioned this Florist before because I think he's great.  Her little basket of Grape Hyacinths arrived yesterday and she was thrilled with them.

I think I've adapted to this slow pace of life now.  I've put together a small quilt which reminded me that before all this madness, in the last workshop, Helen finally managed to put her quilt blocks together.  We were all so pleased for her - her first quilt and it's so pretty

Another happy story is that we had a Repair Café in our Village Hall the other week - various volunteers put themselves forward and we could take along anything in the hopes that someone would be able to repair it.  I took along a little musical table that my father had brought back from his travels many years ago and which was now in a very sorry state. I really thought it was beyond repair and so was absolutely thrilled yesterday when I got a call from Jon Hing to say my table was ready - it really looks so beautiful.

And that's it really.....

Good News on a Rainy Day

So, that heifer we've been watching and waiting on for the last two and a half weeks (although I was unconvinced; she looked too skinny to me) has finally had her calf

and when I walked over to have a look at it there was a surprise in store - a twin!

Mum has rather shocking eyes.... perhaps a side effect of calving.

Anyway - some rather exciting news on what was otherwise a very wet, dreary, grey day.  Just the sort of day, in fact, when I would prefer to hunker down under a beautiful quilt like the one Frankie was making in the workshop the other day

only I can't - because it's tiny....

I love hexagons, the smaller the better, and love the ones' Barbara is putting together for a seat cover

I'd love to start working with them again but I MUST NOT - not until I've finished these blooming Magic Lanterns:

and just to make me feel even less productive than I am, Ros showed us what she's working on at the moment - the Attic 24 Dahlia blanket which has moved into shades that are a bit on the bright side for us but which we will think will be less startling as the stripes turn darker

and then she produced this masterpiece in the making

Frankly, all we could do was gasp.........