New Arrivals

We've taken delivery of our four new "girls" - four young chickens (hopefully all girls but apparently you can't tell until they are older). At least three of them are too young to lay eggs yet but I am hoping the biggest, older one will start producing once she settles into her new home.

So here is the coop I bought off Trade Me



And here a couple of photos of the girls - we have three different breeds (don't ask me what they are though).

Exciting news!

Well I think this is exciting news - my youngest son doesn't seem to share my enthusiasm though.

We are getting some hens! I've ordered a purpose-built coop from our local (New Zealand) internet auction site so I am hoping it will get delivered real soon. A friend of mine has a lifestyle block and has different breeds of hens as well as ducks. She has said I can buy some hens from her so I will be getting that organised as soon as we have the coop all setup. The coop is large enough for up to 5 hens.

Once we are up and running I'll post a photo and let you know their names. :)

Awesome chocolate mousse recipe

This mousse is a firm favourite in our house. It's pretty easy to make and delicious!

200g cooking chocolate
5 egg whites
200g castor sugar
1 tsp instant coffee powder
300ml cream
2 nips rum or brandy (optional)

Beat egg whites with 100g castor sugar until very stiff. Put aside. In a separate bowl, beat cream with 100g castor sugar and then set aside. Break chocolate into large bowl and melt over boiling water. Stir coffee and rum / brandy into melted chocolate and remove from heat. Add egg white into chocolate mixture and whisk until well combined. Carefully fold under whipped cream. Pour into serving bowl (or individual bowls) and refrigerate for a few hours - cover with cling film to ensure mousse does not absorb other flavours.

Serve wtih fresh fruit and cream - or simply eat it as is.

Enjoy!

Changes are afoot

Apologies for the lack of posts recently. There have been some changes happening in our household. The Optimist is moving on so this is, obviously, resulting in a number of changes. Our separation is very amicable - which is proving hard to get our heads around. We kept feeling like we should be shouting and arguing but we're not. All of which is a good thing.

In some ways I am quite excited about what the future holds at the same time as feeling sad that our marriage didn't work for us. Those who know me well know I am a strong person and very independent. I've accepted the situation and am now in "planning mode". Our home will be quieter and slightly emptier. I've re-hashed my budget and re-set my goals. We've worked well together to separate various accounts, etc and now we will embark on our separate lives.

I'll be back blogging properly very soon so watch this space.