This is Plum at just a few days old. She is a Cayuga duckling and will always be all black but later there will be some green tints to her feathers. She looks as if she is wearing Barbie scuba diving flippers.

This post is just a quick note to say I haven’t disappeared, I’m still here and itching to be sewing, but have had to take some time out lately. A few small additions to my family have made sewing impossible, indeed have made most things impossible for a while.

You may remember in my last post I had just got two Runner ducklings, Flossie and Phoebe. And now I have Plum, a Cayuga duckling. Isn’t she a cutie? That completes my family of six ducks as I don’t think I can manage, or afford to feed any more. Here are my adult three, enjoying a swim in their pen.

Ducks in a Row: Lovely photo taken by a friend, Jane Carlton, on a recent visit to my home

Today, the ‘Twins’ are coming up to five weeks old. They are beginning to feather up, their yellow fluffy patches are turning white and their brown patches are becoming more speckled. Plum is just over 2 weeks old now and has tripled in size since her arrival.  If you have had children you may remember that when they were babies you would feed and change them and by the time you had put the washing on and tidied up a bit, it was time to feed and change them again. This is what it has been like for the past few weeks: A long round of feeding and watering, cleaning pots and pens and then more of the same, over and over, as well as fitting the needs of the adults ducks in between.  A lot of cheeping and whistling, a lot of mess and a lot of pleasure. But not a lot of sewing. I am exhausted at the end of each day.  A few more weeks to go and it will get easier, the weather will get warmer and they can go outside for a longer periods which will buy me some sewing time.

The ‘Twins’ are so much bigger than they were when I last posted. Here they are in their ‘play pen’, enjoying the garden for a short while.

Before I go on, I want to say hello to my new followers who have joined me at this awkward time when nothing seems to be happening on my blog. Welcome! Please bear with me for a little longer. And feel free to comment, ask questions and tell me about your experiences. I love to hear from people.

I have actually tried to work on a project in snatched moments here and there but I have rushed it and it has not turned out well. I am still trying to repair it and then I will write a post about the problems and what to do when things go wrong.

The Twin ducklings were a birthday gift but I also received a few books and I can’t wait to tell you more about them and to try out some of the projects suggested inside.

Two of the books I received for my birthday. I also received two others which I will tell you about in my next post.

The weather in Scotland is dire at the moment;  so much rain and quite cool even when the sun comes out for brief intervals.

More rain on the way – photo by Jane Carlton

It is the coldest June I can remember.  The rain is making everything grow profusely but it is too wet to go out and do anything about it. There are so many  flowers about and the bees are busy as ever, despite the rain.

So until next time, hang in there for me…… I will be back with some sewing just as soon as I can.

A bumble bee on a Geranium – photo by a lovely friend,  Jane Carlton.