CATCHING UP PART 2

Well now where was I, ah yes telling you all the exciting things that have happened over the past couple of months.The memory ain't what it used to be! Sights, sounds and smells bring childhood memories back in full technicolour as if it were yesterday,but what I did yesterday is anyone's guess, now where was I, yep got it back to the beginning  In April, I had agreed a price and ordered 15 cubic meters of fire wood and the first load arrived, Jaseps arrived with a new {to him} timber trailer complete with extending arm grab and unloaded the first 3 cube

The first of five loads

This was the first of five loads, all placed neatly along side our barn, so much better than last year when it was just tipped in a great big heap. One different thing here is all trailers have to be tested and registered and have their own number plate, so if you have a tractor and trailer but the trailer's not registered legally you can't take it on the road.

Look no hands

                                                                                 

Talking tractor's sorry ladies, whilst visiting our friends nursery { More of that later}I found the tractor of my dreams. Now the Latvian for 'I want' is 'es gribu' So  es gribu one of these,it's a motor block complete with trailer and seat,a state of the art machine

My dream machine

Only trouble is when it comes to making a choice between one of these or a ride on mower, I'm afraid the mower would have to come first darn it!!!
Also Valerie could use the mower, but can't see her driving one of these.

Well now onwards and upwards well up to the bird box's at least, since we moved in I have taken the opportunity to put several box's around and we now have Pied Flycatchers, House Martins,Swallows Swifts, Starlings, House Sparrows and Blue Tits nesting that we know of, if I could find them, I know there would be Wagtails,Great Tits and several more varieties nesting in the hedges and apple trees. But the opportunistic prize has to go to the Blue Tits.  Among the fire wood I found an old woodpeckers nest so cut it out and thought it would make an ideal nest box for putting in one of the trees, I showed it to Valerie and left it by our fire pit fully intending to find a spot the next day.

 Next morning however when I pulled the curtains low and behold it was being investigated by a Blue Tit which duly took up residence and a pair have raised a family.

For those of you who like craft markets, let me tell you about the one we visited in Riga in the open air museum early in June, http://www.brivdabasmuzejs.lv check it out. Now the craft fair is all about Latvian made craft, {not one bit of tat from the far east} Its a wonderful celebration of all things Latvian from hand woven place mats, lace making, basket work, wood carving, pottery the list goes on and on, food stalls selling hot soup to soured cabbage, with not a burger stand in sight all at very reasonable prices. It would be easy to feed a family of four with a hot meal cooked for you while you wait, for much less than a tenner

Home made pickles

Hot soup

Pottery of all shapes and colours

Hand knitted hats

A rocker for the garden

Beautiful hand woven craft

A stone and iron rooster, heaven only knows how much it weighed

Wonderful hand made modern day hope chest's

A rocker for the sun lounge?

What a day, so much to see, all set in the trees, plus you get to look round the museum. That took care of Saturday.
This same weekend we had a children's festival on the Sunday, Then on the Monday a trip to Cesis, Sigulda and a zoo with {exotic animals} but more of that in Part three.