Carrots and Kids

Make a Bird Nest Building Buffet

Things have been extraordinarily stressful at Carrots Cottage this last week and a bit, but one of the most soothing things I've found is watching birds in the garden.

I stand at the kitchen window sipping coffee, thumbing through a very old copy of The Hamlyn Guide to Birds of Britain and Europe. It's old, priced at £1.75, but we got it in a charity shop.

There's not as many feathered visitors as I'd like but we've had dunnocks, great tits, chaffinches and bullfinches as well as the usual robin, blue tits (currently building a nest in the box as they do every year), blackbirds, sparrows and the ever present pigeons who, I know, are just waiting for me to sow some peas.

Nest building is going on aplenty. Every time I see a bird in the garden they either have something in their mouths or are eating at a feeder.

So I thought I'd help them. We collected some moss, clipped the hairy dog and cut up some wool. I wondered how to make this tip top material available for the birds.

The garden's currently in disarray thanks to a major patio building project so I wouldn't have any where to place yoghurt pots or dishes of wool. Plus, they'd blow away. Oh, I know there are doubtless countless posts and tutorials on making such a thing but y'know, I couldn't be bothered to look. Sometimes you just want to get on and do it your way.

So I fudged my own idea.

If you fancy having a go here's what you need:

• a small piece of wood
• a drill
• hook for hanging it up
• nesting materials
• pieces of wood or nails for the birds to perch on

We (well, Hubby, I was deemed too accident prone) drilled holes all the way through the wood then the seven-year-old stuffed them. Our holes could have been bigger I reckon but they're full of material.

I've hung it up near the most popular feeders but have yet to see a bird visiting their buffet. "It's not like it's been posted on Facebook love, the birds aren't telling each other there's a load of dog hair for nests at number xx," commented Hubby.

Hmm, well I hope they're not going to be fussy. This is prime nest building material here.

:: Today on Birdoosh I'm talking about Monday mornings and routines ::

Book Review: Garden Crafts for Children

When I was very kindly asked by the publishers if I would like to review Garden Crafts for Children by Dawn I was a little trepedatious. My bookshelves groan with children's gardening activity books. I even have a beloved favourite. Could this latest addition add anything new?

While I did come across the dreaded planting in a welly boot activity (a pet hate of mine), I was also pleased to see some new to me crafts too.

What I liked:

• the alpine wreath. Never mind the children, I'm making this for me
• tyrannosaurus garden. This is something my five-year-old will love. Just need to source a tyre
• stop-motion bean pot. I loved this new take on growing a bean down the side of a glass. This will be gracing our kitchen table very soon
• I liked the design of the book. It's aimed at children and I could happily give it to my seven-year-old knowing she'd be able to follow it thanks to the clear instructions and pictures

What I wasn't so keen on:

• Generally I liked it but the above mentioned welly boot craft could have been omitted I reckon (but that's probably just me)
• If you already do some gardening with your children you may find that you're familiar with some of the activities such as miniature gardens, pine cone feeders or growing cress but I think you'll find a few gems that are new to you as I did.

It is a lovely book and would make a great present for a beginner gardener (or family) or perhaps for a grandparent eager to do more with their little ones than feed them cake during visits. You could even team it with some of the materials to make one of the activities - now that would be a lovely present. And don't worry that you haven't got a large garden, or any garden at all, as there is plenty to offer mini would-be balcony gardeners too.

:: I was very kindly given a copy of this book for free ::

{Learning to Sew at West Dean}

Last weekend I was lucky enough to learn how to use my sewing machine on a course at West Dean College. Oh my. It was such a wonderful experience.

It's quite hard to sum up in words what it meant to me (and really, how can a sewing machine course induce any feelings at all apart from phew, I can now use my machine?) but when I think of the weekend I just feel all warm and fuzzy.

By rights I should feel a bit stupid. I was one of the slowest. So slow in fact that I didn't get to try out button holes (although I wished I'd watched someone else have a go because I've read the instructions and all I can think is I have to cut the stitches?).

There was not one thing about the course that I didn't love. One of the other students, a workshop veteran with three other courses under her belt, described West Dean as her spiritual home. And I knew exactly what she meant.

It's a sumptuous manor house set in rolling acres nestled in the South Downs. It's the home of the Edward James Foundation and is where people can learn how to make musical instruments, tapestry, felting - the list is endless. The creative vibe was palable.

Even the other tutors were, from what I saw, funky and eccentric and creative looking. They seemed to be older women and I gazed on them in awe, thinking I want to age like you...

But what of the course? Did I learn anything? Well, I made a wonderful looking cushion (even if I do say so myself). It even has a zip! And four different seams in the front which allowed us to try out different techniques.

I've also got a funky bag that's going to be my book club book bag. It might also make an appearance in the school playground. I made a rather fundemental mistake on it but it's one I now know to look out for in future bag making exploits.

Ginny and Alice, our tutors, were fab. They had endless patience, even with me who displayed a truely stellar goldfish-like memory. There were eight of us and they managed, somehow, to help us all individually and equally. I felt so at home in the studio with everyone that I didn't want to go home.

Life's been pretty stressful lately. Actually, this weekend made me realise quite how stressful, on a day-in-day out basis. I've been finding it hard going, having to mix daily (or rather not really mix) with groups of women who don't get me and are not remotely interested in me. Where I live is a wealthy, cliquey place and if you don't have the private education/bank balance or three-quarter of a million pound home then you don't fit. And it's not just me, I know others experience the same.

But this weekend all of that was forgotten. It was joyful to immerse myself in a productive activity, to lose myself in learning and to be me with no worries or stress. Really, who'd have thought one little course would have given me so much? I'm so glad I went.

Simple Life Projects

Just lately I've been streamlining my life. Simplifying it. Not for any particular reason but I just feel compelled to, which is slightly odd but I'm going with it.

This simplifying has taken on many forms, but it all boils down to the same thing: shedding. So I've shed excess weight (34.5lbs so far!), possessions and commitments.

The latter includes things that are coming to a natural end (like the gardening club) and endings that I've initiated. I've discovered that I don't want to spend vast tracts of my life and time online (you may have noticed...).

This freeing up of my time and space means that I can concentrate on getting to grips with a few projects such as:

• Planning and eventually transforming one of my raised veggie beds at home into a herb bed. I've never had one this big before so the possibilities are quite exciting
• Creating and making my own potions and lotions using the herbs
• Major decluttering and organising in the home (this sounds boring but it'll be transformative, I tell ya)
• Learning to make my own clothes. Sewing machines frustrate me no end but I'm determined not to be beaten!
• Baking bread - regularly
• Becoming more proficient at knitting. I'm still ploughing on with my little project and will update soon
• Learn to crochet
• Photographing with vintage cameras and film.

Of course, life will still have it's stressful moments and days (she says wearily) but I'm hoping my responses will be different. I'm hoping that my "work" will give me solace and some grounding instead of the little things, like taking photos, being blotted out by the dark clouds of anxiety.

I'm always on the look out for future project ideas - do you have any you're planning or doing right now?

Nurturing Knits

"Oh is this for a half-term project?" asked the very helpful owner of the wool shopped as she bagged up my rainbow assortment of yarn.

"Yes," I replied, "it's to save my sanity."

Which wasn't strictly true. If I'd been honest, I'd have said about how it was a way of nurturing myself, rather than a means of escaping from the impending chaos of having children at home for week.

A way of creating. Creating some space. Some relaxation. Something, for no other reason than just because. This week has been a bit of a bummer. Dead cat, heartbroken children, poorly child, poorly grandfather, two trips to A&E, teenage troubles - all exhausting, important and a tad too much.

The thought of stepping away from the usual routines this coming half-term break, pottering, being with the children and with some stress-free knitting thrown in is rather lovely. I'll show you my Nurturing Project when I've actually done some.

It can rain or shine this coming week. I've got everything I need.

On My Kitchen Table

I really want to say "thank you" for all of your positive, supportive comments on my last post. I did think perhaps I would turn the comments off but I don't like it when blogs do that.

It wasn't my intention to garner lots of love for this blog; I just really had to offload how I felt about blogging and it all. For me as well as you, I needed to clarify what I thought. So thank you for listening and your generous comments.

They were very cheering. Like this bright pink hyacinth. I should have left it out in the cold for longer but for some reason it made it into the house and has been delighting me with its colour and perfume.

It sits on the kitchen table and is a Beacon of Brightness in this grey world. Flowers are more important in winter than summer really and I should make more of an effort to ensure they are dotted around. I did buy a jasmine plant (have never tried to grow these 'from scratch' - has anyone tried?) and a bunch of daffs too.

But lest you think my kitchen table is a horticultural heaven, here's a picture of what was happening at the other end. Yeah. I was crafting. Not pretty hey?

No, not pretty but I'm finding, like the hyacinth, essential on these damp winter days.

Birdhouse Gourds

I have a confession to make: there are some things that I just seem incapable of growing. Massive pumpkins? Gourds? Purple sprouting broccoli? Not a chance.

Admittedly, I've not tried terribly hard with the broccoli, after seeing all my tender plants demolished last year by caterpillars. So that's partly my fault.

But the pumpkins? And those ornamental gourds? I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. Last year I bought a packet of Japanese Birdhouse Gourd seeds from Chelsea Flower Show and this year I got around to sowing them.

I transferred one of the plants up to the allotment and promptly forgot all about them. I remembered when I spotted the strange white flowers but, knowing my track record, I really wasn't hoping for much. The best I ever seem to do with squash (apart from courgettes) is one per plant. Hardly sucessful.

But the other weekend I spotted three very strange looking gourds. And, wonders will never cease, there was a plant marker nearby. Yep! I "grew" three of the birdhouse gourds!

Now I am going to turn them into birdhouses, naturally. It does not appear to be a simple process, there are lots of instructions. Fingers crossed this will actually be a project of mine that is successful from start to finish! I'll let you know how I get on...

Ten Nature Inspired Half-Term Activities for Kids

• Feed the birds. I've written a post on ReadyforTen with lots of thrifty bird-feeding ideas

• Build a bug house (more on that to come)

• Collect leaves for leaf mould, bag them up and tuck behind the shed to work their magic ready for next year

• Do some indoor sprouting (I have radish sprouting seeds ready to go). More to come on that too

• Make woodland elves and sprites (oh, how I loved making these with my recuperating five-year-old)

• If it's a sunny day, set them up with a bucket of soapy warm water and get them scrubbing pots and plant labels

• Make autumn leaf mobiles (a favourite rainy day activity for the school gardening club). You'll need some sticks and pretty leaves. If you haven't got access to a laminator, flatten leaves between books, then stick onto card and cover with clear, sticky back plastic

• Go on a walk and collect more of nature's treasures. We're currently hunting pine cones

• Create a nature table with your finds

• Start a weather tree. You can buy them but, with little artistic talent, lots of patience and a large sheet of card, I reckon you could make your own.

A Crafty Giveaway for Children

There is nothing I like more than when my children are playing or being creative. Either way, exercising their imagination muscles is essential at their age (well, any age really).

We have a well stocked if disorganised craft cupboard but sometimes...well, sometimes I can't bear the thought of "getting the paints out". Is that mean? Maybe. That's when craft kits come into their own.

They're like the cake mixes you can buy; cheating a bit but still able to give you the "I made that" glow. And with half-term coming up (or even wintery weekends when it's nice to cosy up at home) craft kits can be a welcome addition to the kitchen table.

We were fortunate to be picked for the team of Toys R Us Toyologists and believe me I know how lucky we are. We have paid it forward by giving away games, kits and sets to both primary schools we're involved with and to friends.

Now I'm paying it forward to you, as are lots of other members in the team by taking part in a Competition Carnival. It was tricky picking what to have as the prize - I wanted it to be something that sort of reflects a bit of what Carrots and Kids is about plus I wanted it to be unisex.

So we're giving away a set of Blendy Pens, two paint by numbers and a kit to make eight small glow-in-the-dark bouncy balls or two big ones.

All you have to do is tell me what crafty activity you like doing with your children. Entries are open to UK residents only and the closing date is Saturday October 23.

If you don't win there are more Toyologist giveaways to enter:

Monday 18th October        The Five Fs Blog

Tuesday 19th October        Glowstars Reviews

Friday 22nd October          Sarah Cookson

Sunday 24th October         A Modern Military Mother

Tuesday 26th October       More Than Just a Mother

Thursday 28th October      Flower Fairies and Fairy Cakes

Saturday 30th October       The Babbling Mummy

Sunday 31st October         A Mother's Ramblings

Tuesday 2nd November     Are we nearly there yet, Mummy?

Good luck!

I Heart Rosehips

Rosehips have become one of my favourite autumnal treasures. More than teasles, pumpkins and conkers. More than ruby red leaves. And more than blackberries.

Last autumn I had great fun making a Nature Window Sill (a table here would be too tempting to little ones both with paws and feet).

I even made an autumn garland with the chinese lanterns (when the stems had died), teasles and a couple of small dried sunflower heads. It's still up but looking faded.

When collecting the rosehips last year I thought I'd make a rosehip garland or some syrup. I'm working my way up to the latter. This year I did actually get around to stringing some but I made a Rosehip Heart.

I won't lie; it wasn't easy. There was a fair bit of cursing, a stabbed finger or two and a few mistakes, which rapidly piled up. A completely pointless thing to do, really, but I loved it. I used:

• florists' wire (wonderful stuff, so useful)
• a cork
• pliers
• lots of rosehips
• a fairly thick needle.

I tried to push the wire through but it bent, even after pushing a needle through first, so I conceded Hubby's way was best and threaded the wire onto the needle and literally sewed the rosehips on (after tying a loop at the end). It worked but the cork was needed to push the needle down on to and sometimes the pliers to pull it through.

Afterwards I made a circle, tying it at the bottom and then shaped it. Lastly I tied two bits of wire from either side of a rosehip in the centre and then adjusted it a bit more to look more heart-shaped. I might make another, a circle with perhaps acorns or some other found treasure. Oh the possibilities are endless..

I'm sure there are probably easier or better ways to make one but it kept me happily occupied for an hour. And I got my heart.