I haven't updated in ages!
I have now moved to Leicester for university, so I don't know all the comings and goings back home right now.
I will try and persuade my mum to update for me, but the internet situation is a bit sketchy right now at home.

I will do an update about Mum's 50th birthday soon, I promise!
xx

Last day together (for a while)

All seven of us were together today, which doesn't happen often. Steph is heading off to university in Manchester on Wednesday, and I (Naomi) am going to Leicester the following Friday, so we decided to go out for lunch, and then spontaneously we went up to Portstewart (although Suzie couldn't come on with us after lunch, she had church commitments). We walked along Portstewart Strand, the boys went body-boarding in the sea, played Frisbee, had ice cream, took photos, got coffee on the promenade, and got chips on the way back up.
The weather was beautiful, and we all had such a lovely day.

Dave and Dad at lunch

Mum (Pamela) on the beach

I made Steph pose, she pretended she wasn't happy about it.

Steph and me.

Joel and Steph

Me jumping for the Frisbee


Favourite photo! Joel jumped really high and threw the Frisbee to me through his legs!


The Strand


Steph enjoying her milkshake at the coffee shop on the promenade.

A few photos.

Last Thursday, we all got up early and headed to the airport to pick up Steph. Once we got there, we met my grandparents (Mum's parents) and Auntie Naomi (Mum's sister) with her three children. Also in the picture is Alison (the girl Steph was with for her trip) and her parents.

A hastily made sign I put up at home, made from a ripped-open pillowcase and a Sharpie. In Malawi, 'Feel free' means 'Make yourself at home' (or something).

This was my disastrous attempt at a rainbow cake, for Steph.

Although Steph is back over in England for her de-brief until Friday, we are very glad to have her home safe, and hope she settles back into life here without many problems.

Steph is home!!
Photos soon.

Quick update

Steph is home in two weeks!
I can't believe it.
Mum had a fantastic time in Malawi, I'm still trying to persuade her to do her own update on her time away.

I'm going to do a post soon about the house build!

Pamela (Mum) left today to go visit Steph in Malawi for two weeks. She's currently thousands of feet above sea level somewhere between London and Johannesburg.
It's Steph's birthday on May 6th, so it's pretty awesome that Mum will be with her for that.
We sent out loads of things for Steph, including a bag I handmade for her (see my other blog for photos) and a video DVD thing our whole family participated in. We all recorded an individual video message for her, and Joel edited the whole thing, putting in clips of some of our animals and a song he played for her too. Hopefully she'll like it, I know if it was being sent to me, I'd be crying by the end of it!


It was Suzie's birthday on Monday, she was 25! We had a lovely family dinner on Sunday, and she really loved all of her gifts. Dave and I (and sort of Steph) gave her a new hairdyer, Mum and Dad gave her several pieces of Emma Bridgewater, which she adored because she is starting to collect the 'heart' pieces. Joel made her a coffee table (he's a joiner, and a perfectionist at that!) for her new house, and she loved it.

I'll finish with this photo of Mum and 'her girls', taken last summer at a friend's wedding. I couldn't find a more up-to-date one, which is crazy! We all look a bit different than this now, particularly me and Mum, my hair is much shorter, and Mum's is a lot longer.

L-R
Steph, Naomi, Suzie, Pamela.

Selling eggs and feeding lambs [image heavy].

It's a really beautiful day, so I dragged myself out of bed before lunch time (okay, okay, a huge bee was in my room, so I screamed and jumped out of bed).

After spending some time with Dave (my fifteen year old brother) doing GCSE Maths
I headed outside with my camera...


Our chickens were laying more eggs than we could eat, so it was decided we would try to sell some. Joel made this awesome box/house that now sits at the top of our lane.



So, if you happen to drive past our farm, and spot our cute little mini-honesty shop, take a peek, lift a box or two of lovely, fresh eggs...
... deposit your money in the sweet little box...
... and enjoy!


Most of our sheep have lambed now, just a few more to go. Our fatalities total has been the lowest since we started this whole farming thing, woohoo! Still, even one is too many. One of the saddest things though, for me, is when a mother rejects her own lamb. We have one little orphan, who requires feeding from a bottle. How to feed a lamb from a bottle...

Drink some juice and clean out the bottle

Pour 'Lamlac' into the bottle using a funnel

Wrestle with the teat, spill milk everywhere, eventually persuade teat to stay securely on the bottle

Heat the bottle up in a jug of hot water


Try to feed to unsure lamb

It was rather a challenge to try and get some photos of the little cutie, whilst also feeding her by myself...

How could this little cutie be rejected by its own mother?



And this final one is my favourite, look at her tiny tongue!

She has no name yet, just 'Lamby' and 'Sweetheart' from me. Any suggestions will be considered, and most likely used.