Fall day

Greetings 
Wow cool fall day today. getting the greenhouse winter ready. And the chicken coop. Dug some beautiful potatoes from the garden . Thank goodness for the warmth of the kitchen stove and plenty of hot water for a much needed warm bath. I am tired tonight and will hit the hay early ...well as soon as the birds go to bed.

Hoops

Hello everyone on this wet Saturday evening 
We were invited to a B'day party for  twins who turned 1. Lovely gathering and they looked so beautiful in their new outfits. 
On the way home we happened on an antique store. Lots and lots of things we would have bought had money not been an object. But the one thing I am going have to go back for was an original hoop . It was for a young girl but it was in absolute perfect condition.  I have never seen an original other than in pictures . I am hoping the shop owner will make a deal with me . I will keep you posted for sure
Until next time 
M

July 20-21 2013 weekend fair

Please keep in mind our weekend fair next summer


Living Victorian in a Modern world
           Weekend Fair
           July 20-21 2013

More detail to follow . We hope to teach participants why we are doing what we are doing, how we are doing it and how it is affecting our lives . And what we plan for the future.
So if you are interested please mark the date on your day timers.
Tell as many people as you can
If you want to do a demonstration please contact us..
Until next time
Margaret and Ken

From our facebook page a post

We are having a relaxing day and discussing the "Living Victorian" fair we are planning for next July. Suggestions welcome .
We are also planning our Cider making weekend for next fall. Have some interested participants already. If you want to make your own apple cider please let us know. We have our beautiful presses and you are more than welcome to come and use them. We will have other projects to work on that weekend too. Perhaps sausage making???

Storage for almost anything

Greetings again: I've started on the storage area we need on the side of the shop. 5' X 22' in total and 8' tall. We accumulated some sliding doors last summer, 6 in all, and I'll be using 4 of them on the storage shed. Pretty swank huh!?? Not really, they'll be doing service as windows, not doors. This will eliminate the need for electric lighting, portable lamps or flash lights will be sufficient additional lighting at night should we have the need to hunt something down after dark.

I'll have some pictures later and post them as a group. Look for them on our Facebook page "Victorian Year 1865". The storage shed will be the second last major project for this year. My last project will be the cold room for the garden vegetables and preserves. (strangely almost completed before the shed ... hmmm!!)
Lots of shelves for squash, potatoes, carrots and whatnot. Yummy veggies to enjoy all winter!

Till next time,
Margaret and Ken

Hunting for hay

Greeting all: A few weeks ago I spent about an hour on Kijiji hunting for hay at reasonable prices. I am out of touch with hay costs apparently because I was very surprised at the cost per small square bale, anywhere from $3.50 to $8.50 a bale plus delivery. Wow! i say again ... Wow! Definitely need to be on the ball next summer for sure. We are looking for about 100 small square bales and I don't want to pay $1000 for them! I guess I'll need to get a scythe handle, put my blade on it, sharpen it up and start cutting by hand.

We'll need straw for bedding as well, again, about 100 small square bales. I see straw runs about $3.50 to $5.50 a bale. Not as much as hay, but still an expense.

Lesson learned, pay attention to prices for forage and try to get a much a possible for the labour it takes to harvest it. The same goes for straw. Can you say "hot and sweaty?" I can, it's been a long time since I did any serious hay or straw, it should prove interesting to say the least.

Till next time
Margaret & Ken

To be thankful for

A Happy Thanksgiving to all of you .
We had a wonderfully full day this past Thanksgiving weekend. Had our Grandsons Aidan and Jude stay the weekend.Jude learned the art of making pumpkin pie from the pumpkin out and apple jelly from the apple peels and cores. We enjoyed 4 types of squash for our Thanksgiving dinner this year and Jude has become an avid seed saver .Labelling the containers he scraped the seeds into. Most of our dinner was vegetable in manner with the exception of a lovely turkey with sausage stuffing .Oh and cranberry sauce made with help from Jude .We ate our fill and then went for a  2 hour walk in the fields , the bush, through a corn field and finally home. It is hard for this grandma to climb fences with skirts on . But it made everyone laugh.
A good day had by all
Until next time
M

Recipes and menus

I have had a comment asking if I would be willing to share recipes . Absolutely.If there is recipe or a food item any of you would like to know how to cook in period style please ask. Cooking has remained very much the same in the past couple of centuries. The variety of food has decreased unfortunately as we have become accustomed to wasting a good majority of the beasts that give their lives to sustain us . But preparation is similar. Methods of cooking has changed , by that I mean the appliance we use. You will be pleasantly surprised...macaroni and cheese anyone?
So if there is a food item you would like the recipes for please feel free to ask. I have done much research in this area in particular. Not that any of you who actually know me would be surprised.
Until next time
M

A most enjoyable luncheon

Last Saturday we had a most enjoyable luncheon with our friends Mr and Mrs B. This was a prearranged luncheon  in full Victorian fashion and garb.Mr and Mrs B arrived at the appointed hour and were beautifully garbed. we knew then this was indeed going to be a day to remember.
After a short visit in the parlour Mr Cook took Mrs B's arm and we entered the dining room . We dined Al a Russe with a meal of 10 courses.Every item was triple researched to ensure authenticity.
The Menu
Soup of finely chopped vegetables
Salmon cakes with a mayonnaise dill sauce
Beef Pie
Chicken ragout in a puff pastry
Creamed celery
Steamed cucumbers in a cream sauce
sweet potatoes
glazed carrots
buns
apple tartlets
steamed carrot and apple pudding with a brandy sauce.
The meal was enjoyed by all .
After wards we took a turn around the grounds and discussed our plans for a apple cider bee for next fall.
A most enjoyable visit which we hope to enjoy again soon
Mrs B presented me with a lovely gift of home made preserves and other beautiful items.
How wonderful it is to have such beautiful friends
Until next time
Margaret & Ken