Tales from The Shire

Cheery_Daff

Yep, I vote hare followed by chicken too. I do love chickens as you know! I think I prefer the hare being in the corner though. They're all lovely Fortune, you're so talented! 

Raining here too, and yes, it is SO good to see the ground a bit damp. 

themadvix

I love the hare, but as Cheery points out inadvertently, chickens will sell because people will buy them because they have chickens or because they need a 'chicken-related' present for someone who has them. Likewise the cat that beanie suggested! They are all beautiful though

rtandon27

Fortune - I quite love the vibrancy of the blue/green lettuce & snail - Absolutely no clue which ones would sell, just a personal preference! RT

Fortune_Smiles

beanielou said:

The chalk boards look great. 

I am sure that a cat would look great too. 

Thanks Beanie - I did have a cat in mind.

Moneyfordreams said:

I think the hare is lovely.. you are very talented

The hare is the most popular so far Money.

in_need_of_direction said:

I like the insects but then again, I have a total aversion to birds so the chicken wouldn’t appeal to me

I like insects too INOD.  These are grasshoppers.

PurpleFairy26 said:

The hare is definitely my favourite. How big are they out of interest? 

They are about 36cm long by 25 wide.  The slates are over 100 years old so they vary a bit.

Grogged said:

Second the hare. Love the way they take advantage of the pattern in the slate, seem to make them more real somehow.

Thank you Grogged.  There is a lovely patina on the slates where lichen and moss has grown over them.

Mrs_Money_Penny said:

They are lovely. The hare is my favourite followed by the chicken. x

Thanks MP - I was pleased with the chicken.  Sometimes the coloured ones don't come out as well.

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

Cheery_Daff said:

Yep, I vote hare followed by chicken too. I do love chickens as you know! I think I prefer the hare being in the corner though. They're all lovely Fortune, you're so talented! 

Raining here too, and yes, it is SO good to see the ground a bit damp. 

I thought the chicken would be a hit with you Cheery.  We were hoping to get our chickens this year but are holding fire until the financial situation improves.

themadvix said:

I love the hare, but as Cheery points out inadvertently, chickens will sell because people will buy them because they have chickens or because they need a 'chicken-related' present for someone who has them. Likewise the cat that beanie suggested! They are all beautiful though

Good feedback MV.  I'm not sure any will sell tbh but, at the least, they'll make for an interesting display in the annex.

rtandon27 said:

Fortune - I quite love the vibrancy of the blue/green lettuce & snail - Absolutely no clue which ones would sell, just a personal preference! RT

Oh no!  I went over the blue with some black ink to bring the colour down a bit.  Good to know that the brighter colours appeal though.

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

Wow!

Such a lot of feedback and very useful stuff - thank you everyone, it's appreciated.

I toned down the snail and lettuce with some black ink and I think it works better now.  Put in an @m@zon order for some plaited jute twine for hanging plus some other art supplies so I'll be able to finish them off.  Costs will be met from personal spends.

In money news - we won £25 on the premium bonds!  (Still missing those jumping smilies.)  That's £50 this year in total 😁

No gardening yesterday as it was so wet.  The plants look so much better for a long drink though and I expect the veggies will have a little growth spurt now.  I did manage to reduce the ironing pile a chunk.  My ironing 'watch' was Tess of the D'Urbervilles 2008.  Not a very uplifting watch - must find something more cheerful for future ironing sessions.

Lunch was Chorizo, Asparagus & Manchego Tart.  I made just the one big tart rather than four smaller ones.  It was delicious and we ate it with salad including some Little Gem lettuce from the garden.  Remember those seedlings my neighbours gave me and I tried very hard to kill off?  Well some of them survived and are all grown up now 😁  Supper was Creamy Dublin Coddle Hotpot which I tried out purely because I liked the name 😆  It too was delicious.  However, I'd forgotten that we had Fish Curry left over from the day before which we should have eaten first 😂  No cooking required now for a couple of nights 😂

The future of Mr F's job is starting to look uncertain.  I've told him not to worry about it.  I know we'll manage whatever happens.

Take care all

Fortune x

themadvix

Sorry to hear that about Mr F's job Fortune, but you're right, I'm sure. All your efforts to manage the budget/overpay mean you'll be in the best place to weather the storm should it arrive.

Cornish_mum

Hare is my favourite I like muted colours though.  I think they are lovely. Have you thought about slate coasters and place-mats?

Cornish_mum

Sorry about MrF job, it’s tough currently - we are worried too; esp about my role. Thank goodness for MSE though.

PurpleFairy26

Sorry to hear about uncertainty around Mr F job. I think often that is worse than knowing either way. 

Thanks for think recipe links. I’ve a turnip turning up in my veg box tomorrow so that might just be Saturday nights tea sorted! 

Would you post the slates? I would definitely be interested in buying the hare and paying postage if you were. Even if you don’t want to go to PO just now with the current situation, that would be fine for me as I’m not in a rush for it. Appreciate it’s an extra layer of hassle so no issue if you only want to sell them through the annex.