Elvis is laying again!

Can you believe it?!  Elvis has laid two eggs in the last few days - just amazing when you remember that we didn't think she'd make it to New Year!  Mind you, you really do have to laugh at today's effort.  You know I've said that sometimes one of the chickens lays half an egg by forgetting to put a shell on it?  Well Elvis's egg today was just half-size - it's tiny and looks so funny.  I was up at the top hanging the washing out when Bob first went into the chicken run and he came out to ask if I'd already been in there because he thought I was playing a joke on him. . . . . . just look at this . . . .

. . . . the other egg is her one from two days ago.

As predicted, I didn't have three days off last week and had to go in on one of my days off and this week I just have two days, and next week I am doing 20 extra hours!  This all makes planning house activity quite difficult, but hey ho.  I have a WHOLE WEEK off in February!  Then back in for a week and then over two weeks off.  Because I haven't taken any holiday since I started in August I have had to cram it all in before the end of March.

The window frames are now all made and are at various stages of painting/wood preserving, so we need to order the glass for them now.  That is usually ready to pick up within the week, so should fit in quite well with painting.  Here's the trial run of the smallest window.  We have left the original wooden lintel in (don't worry, there's at least two new concrete lintels behind so this one is only decorative really).  It is so NOT level!  Bob had to make the frame slope at the top to fit, but leave the casement for the glass square so it all looks really wonky which I love.  I don't actually think you'll notice it as much once it's all painted the same colour.  The new slate sill looks as though it's always been there doesn't it?

We made some marmalade last week which seems to have turned out rather well though I say so myself.  We used brown sugar so it is quite dark and very orangey.  I'm in the middle of another batch, but this time a lighter one with white sugar and a couple of lemons added for a bit of variety.  I invented a new dessert (well, I've not seen it before though it may exist) using the dark marmalade stirred into a dark chocolate ganache on top of a biscuit base.  This was inspired by a cake my nephew made us for Christmas using the same flavours and it worked really well.  Luckily, I wrote down the recipe as I made it up, so I should be able to replicate it.  Phil and Ann came for dinner on Friday, so they were my guinee pigs!  I don't think they minded too much.

Right, this week Tuesday night is my Saturday night (in my M&S work pattern) and we're having curry, so it's time to crack open a beer and get the naan bread dough on the go!