Thank you + a mish mash of stuff

From left, these chooks are Plymouth Rocks, a buff Orphington (at front), a buff Sussex, Faverolles (whitey at back) and Anne Shirley our New Hampshire.

Thank you all so much for your support, love and blessings yesterday. As I wrote then, it is not the writing, it's a feeling I get sometimes that I might be exposing our family too much. Hanno said I am worrying about nothing and to do what I feel is best, and my instinct is to just keep on blogging. However, when I get those horrible emails, I'm sure many of you get them, I wonder just who is reading my blog. I only get that type of email at the email address I post on this blog. Everyday there are several emails referring me to various sites and sometimes there are p orn links posted in the comments. Ugh. The writing itself is a breeze. I am a natural writer and it's something I need to do every day in one form or another. I guess it's a form of therapy for me. It's just what the writing brings that worries me at times.

But if I look at it like that, I also have to know that it brings me all of you, and that is a true blessing. I never thought my blog would become so popular. I see myself as an elder and with that, I believe, comes the responsibility to pass on what I know. Blogging, and the voluntary work I do, is the ideal way to do that, I just didn't know so many would want to know about my life. It's comforting, rewarding, exciting and scary all at the same time. So I'll just keep plodding along and see what happens. :- )

Someone asked a day or so ago about my thoughts on volunteer plants. For those who don't know, a volunteer plant is one that isn't planted on purpose but instead comes up from a random seed. Generally I like these plants and tend to leave them where they grow. However, I do that because I only grow open pollinated seeds and I know that every seed will produce a duplicate of its parent plant. If you're growing hybrid seeds they might not grow true to type and will often revert to one of the types used in the hybridisation. Usually that will give you something other than what you were hoping for. So if you're using only open pollinated or heirloom seeds, it will be fine, and if you need to you can move the plant to a more suitable place. Just wait until it has developed its true leaves and is nice and healthy and when you transplant, water it in with a seaweed solution. That helps with transplant shock.

This is Hanno's favourite chook, Rosetta, she is blind in one eye. Whenever she sees Hanno, she flies up and sits on his shoulder. Just recently she's taken to flying out of the chook run, walking to the back door - after she has stared down the dogs - and looking in the back door.

Gill asked yesterday about a soap making tutorial. It's here, Gill. If anyone wants to search this blog, there is a search option on the bar at the top of the screen. It's on the left side near the Blogger logo. You just type in the subject you're looking for and press the 'search blog' button next to it.

Recently I found a new Australian site called small footprints. There is a blog and forum and it looks like the beginnings of a valuable and interesting site. If you have a few spare minutes, check it out.

I was asked for the recipe of the copha soap. I'm sorry I forget who asked and it takes too much time to look, but here is what I used - the method is the same as that in the cold pressed soap tutorial - the link is above.

OLIVE OIL AND COPHA SOAP
Olive Oil - 500 grams
Copha - 4 blocks or 1 kg (2.2 lbs) - melted slowly

Rain water - 550 mls

Lye (caustic soda) - 230 grams