Some recent goings on around here.

We saw this group of people outside our local bar as we headed to the market on our bikes last Sunday. The young ones were running about or dodging their mothers who fussed over them and sorted their outfits, while the adults were inside, presumably having a wee drink before they did whatever they were about to do. On the way home we heard a band playing a block or two away. As we started planting all the plants we brought home from the market we kept hearing the band in the distance until I couldn't take it any longer and had to take the boys out to find them. We walked slowly through the local brocante (car boot sale without the cars) until we found the band emerging from the bar at the local football club around the corner. The boys were each given an orange by a young person and then another two or three each by some very drunk men dancing about and having a wonderful time. The whole scene was hilarious. The band struck up but sounded terrible- they had all been drinking for a few hours by this point, although it was still only noon.
We found out later from our neighbour that this is the normal labour day celebration, although we still don't know what the costumes are all about.

Here's Steve and Tadhg buying some seedlings for the garden to add to the ones we've grown from seed ourselves. More on the garden later.

Brendan and I went to our first formal(ish) homeschool activity. One of the homeschool group parents organised an owl pellet investigation. Brendan was the youngest but he still got something out of it. We've been talking about owls for the last few days and the tricky topics of animals eating animals, death, raising farm animals etc. The major find in our owl pellet was a complete rat skull. So Brendan insists CouCou must not go outside so she isn't eaten by an owl.
And when it comes to our chickens, we are allowed to eat them all except JJ, the littlest one which Brendan has claimed as his very own.

So much for not really wanting a trampoline :) This one was in the garden when we arrived and the boys love it and are on it almost every day. And it does funky things to their hair. Lots of fun.

The chicks have moved to a bigger brooder box and are going outside for a while every day now. They love running about and fighting over every little bit of bare earth they come across for a quick dust bath. I'm amazed at how their instincts are so strong that they know just what to do without having a mama bird to show them. Incredible.