http://spiced-apple.net A country corner in North West Essex, UK. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:32:10 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I used to work in the centre of Cambridge and one winter lunchtime I was wandering down the back streets. It was a cobbled street that I was on and the college buildings were all around with their huge, ancient doorways, sometimes partly open to reveal glimpses of perfect ... http://spiced-apple.net/conservatory/classical-music-concerts A hen goes broody and sits in the nestbox firmly refusing either to come out or to lay any more eggs. So you trundle off to your nearest egg-seller (if you don't have a handy cockeral that's keeping the neighbours awake), you put the eggs under the hen and ... http://spiced-apple.net/stable/the-vagaries-of-the-broody-hen Gantwells have just helped Lisa-Maria Forbes to launch her new website: www.lmfanimalhealing.org.uk Lisa is an animal healer working in the Essex, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk area of the UK. She treats all animals from cats and dogs up to horses - and beyond, probably, given the opportunity! You can read all ... http://spiced-apple.net/itstuff/animal-healing I have just started reading the most lovely book that I would like to recommend: William Winstanley, The Man who saved Christmas by Alison Barnes. The Winstanley's were a local family. William lived at Quendon in what sounds like a lovely old farmhouse called Berries, which sadly has been pulled ... http://spiced-apple.net/conservatory/william-winstanley Tiny Wiki, Tiddly Wiki, Taggly Wiki - all forms of the same thing - a personal wiki you can run on your desktop. Just download the file from tiddlywiki.com and away you go. You do need to run it in Firefox however. It didn't work in Safari ... http://spiced-apple.net/itstuff/tiny-wiki Get a cup of tea (or juice) and a biscuit, put on "The Magic of Making" DVD and sit back and relax. Be transported away to beautiful countryside where sheep are sheared. Grimace at the washing of the lanolin (grease) and dirt from the fleeces and marvel and ... http://spiced-apple.net/playroom/the-magic-of-making I realise we are reaching another stage. Having babies seems to be all about stages and they come very quickly first of all. There are all the settling in stages such as sorting out a routine for feeds, baths, changing and sleeping. Just when you feel like ... http://spiced-apple.net/playroom/baby-and-toddler-supplies (Disclaimer: the following article is my experience on a potential lameness. If you are in any doubt, at any time, about the health of your animal, then call your vet. Do not hesitate.) It is one of those decisions that I hate. Do I need to call the ... http://spiced-apple.net/stable/is-that-a-bad-foot-or-not Finally it has been necessary to remember to pack the sun hats, sun cream and drinks when we set off on a trip. After weeks of rain we have been getting a little sun and the 1st August was a sunny day. So when James and William set ... http://spiced-apple.net/playroom/hatfield-forest-and-mr-muddle I first discovered Doreen Tovey on a summer holiday years ago while I was still at school. In fact, it wasn't me who discovered her, it was my grandmother who, until her eyesight deteriorated, was an avid reader. (She now has books read to her instead so ... http://spiced-apple.net/conservatory/doreen-tovey