You have to feel sorry for Walter

We 'knead' to do this properly!

Well you can't say that our Blog is mundane, it has humour, sadness, laughter, joy, frustration, philosophy and a glimpse at the life we Southwellski's lead.  In fact if it wasn't our blog I would still read it!

Coco and I have been busy this weekend, we had a baking session yesterday and made a whole farmyard of gingerbread animals and some home baked bread as well. 
 
Today has been no different to any other Southwellski day in as much as we didn't do the things we thought we were going to, and did something different altogether.

Today was the Wayland Show, the 137th as the banner above the livestock stalls reliably and proudly informed us.

A character?

It's a small show with a lot of character and a lot of characters.  We saw Knights on horseback, show-jumping, sheep judging, the West Norfolk hounds, carriages and brewers drays being drawn by wonderfully huge shire horses.  Makes you want to go back to those simpler times doesn't it?

Coco particularly liked the sheep, and the pigs because these were asleep and not snorting loudly like the Old Spots we saw when we visited Kadesh (an independent school we work alongside) a few weeks back.

Most of all Coco liked the fairground ride and we spent the rest of the afternoon going the long way round so that we avoided the rides and Coco pointing longingly at them and saying "this".

This is wheely great!

Coco's other favourite thing was the tractors, there were loads of them, more than you could point at and say 'this'.

So, poor Walter!  We stayed on until the end to see the 'Champion of Champions' our appetite whetted by the promise of a closely fought battle for best in show between the duck and the lop-eared rabbit!

Part of the pre amble to this ultimate event was the awarding of the trophies for 'Best Ginger Cake', Champion Grower from the horticultural show, Best Stand etc etc etc.

Then the MC got quite excited, he had something good to tell us about, would you believe of all things 'Young People'! How much more 'down with the kids' could he get?

He interviewed a teenage girl who was raising turkeys; another teenage girl who showed poultry; and then there was Walter a young man who worked as a gamekeeper on a local farm.

"What did you think of the gundogs Walter?" the MC asked, " they were alright" Walter replied.

"Will you be inviting them onto the farm Walter?", the MC went on. "They already come".

Knowing he wasn't going to get the better of Walter, the MC went on to announce which young person had won this years most enterprising young person award.  It was Walter!  Everyone clapped, his family who seemed to be sitting near us cheered.

The glory was short lived, the MC had read the results out back to front and the turkey girl had won.  There was a hush around the main ring.

Now, it is prudent when one has dug a hole and reached the bottom to stop digging. Not so if you are the MC at the Wayland Show.  Trying to make light of it he announced that it was 'sad' and that Walter would see the funny side as he was a 'Game-keeper!'  Walter got £50 pounds for his trouble and his 15 seconds of fame.

We wanted you to win Walter, and don't feel bad because we were cheated too;it wasn't a lop eared rabbit nor a duck, it was a rabbit that looked like a hare and a chicken!  'Fowl play' I hear you all shout!

We've added our names to the list of competitors for the horticultural show for next year, I reckon we would have won the longest runner bean contest this year and our potatoes would have given the winners a good go too.

There will be more pictures added when Nanny Southwellski shows me how to get them off her computer.

Why I shouldn't be allowed to multi task

Aren't clouds amazing!

Its been an eventful day here at the garden in a number of ways.

Coco and I have spent most of the day outside cutting grass, harvesting veggies and planting our melons out under cloches as it's turned rather cold here, well I've been planting Coco has been unplanting.

Right from the day I bought the seeds cheap in Focus, I thought you will have a lot to contend with my little beauties and I didn't expect much from them at all. I was pleased that they had even germinated.

Now if they produce anything it will be amazing, they have all been planted at least twice some three times.

Who ate the runners?

Sunday is roast day and we were very proud to have produced Potatoes, Carrots, Peas and Purple Curly Kale to have with it.

There is certainly a sense of achievement in harvesting, preparing, cooking and eating your own stuff.

We should have had Runner Beans as well but they sort of got eaten on the way back to the kitchen, didn't they Coco?

Now, to make our lives easier Nanny Southwellski has prepared a monthly menu for us so we know what we are having every day and it's brilliant! So today was roast chicken (not one of ours) with veggies.

As it was a beautiful day we decided that it would be best cooked on the BBQ using the spit and we would have it with salad and new potatoes. I balanced the chicken on the spit beautifully, turned on the burners, put the lid down and went to prepare Coco's dinner. She normally eats with us but time was ticking on etc etc so she had something else.

While she was eating I thought I'd make a loaf of bread and a cake (cake for the ofsted man!) and watch Coco and cook the chicken. Easy peasy!

To make it more of a challenge,  I took Coco for her bath (she had finished eating).

Chicken cooking, bread proving and all the ingredients ready for the cake, Coco in bath, marvellous!

Nanny Southwellski came and took over after how long I'm not really sure but Coco was turning prune like.

I walked into the kitchen to see smoke billowing from the BBQ. I went out, turned the burner off and lifted the lid to find the chicken on fire! I had been calm up until then.

Anyone in Hockwold waiting to see the Olympic torch pass through was not disappointed as it was on our deck and I was carrying it!

I like mine well done please.

In fact what I was doing was running around waving the flaming chicken on a spit about to extinguish the flames. It worked a treat.

The chicken however was slightly singed but it was only skin deep and I have to say it was delicious.  This is the second one we have done on the spit and it certainly stays moist and tasty

Lunch tomorrow - sorted!

The cake turned out a treat, but then Delia is a Goddess even if she does support Norwich City she has never let me down.

The Dough for the bread I divided between two loaf tins and then realised I had only made enough dough for one, Doh!

So I scooped it out and kneaded it again stuck it into one tin and it's turned out great.

Now all we have to do is get by the Ofsted man and it's on with the summer holidays!