The Farm

Well everyone else cancelled but I had already promised Boss that we would go, so I didn't want to be a liar. I took one look at the weather this morning - one or two drops of rain and bottle out too. Then I asked him "do you want to goto NA like last week - you really enjoyed that, or do you want to goto the Farm", and well, let's just say I still have the welly-imprints on my head as he tried to get to the car yelling THE TRACTOR PLACE!!

So we went and actually the sun broke through as we got there and it was a lovely day masha'allah. Not too many people like a weekend but enough to get chatting to others.

The main event was the mill demonstration, and as promised the mill was in full operation - the wheel was not only turning (as usual) but this time they had added the grindstones and Boss really liked the sound of that rumbling above his head! He loves machinery anyway so just loved the working water wheel and cogs and kept running backwards and forwards saying IT'S OK, THEY'RE STILL WORKING... the mill ground the flour and then we went through to the little kitchen area to see what happens to the flour after it is ground.

They did NOT dress like this:



Some ready-made dough was given to each (paying) child and they got to knead it and shape it and see it placed in the oven. Returning half an hour later to see the transformation that had taken place in the oven. The bread was lovely and soft and smelled great, but we didn't eat it. I didn't know what was in it, whether it really was halal, and TBH the thought of having people who are surrounded by animals all day making something that I have to eat makes me want to dry heave. So we fed it to the ducks instead and Boss still liked doing that. In fact he was amazed at the fact that he made his own bread and how it came out of the oven - I just can't make bread with him as I have a really bad raw flour allergy and making even simple biscuits has me clawing up the walls with skin irritation within minutes, so it was nice for him to see something as simple as bread being made and for him to have the connection that food does not grow in supermarkets.


Then we looked at other stuff, the highlight of the day was seeing a peacock for the first time. He was mesmirized. He kept saying 'Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease, Peacock - show us your tail... pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease' then saying back to himself in a gruff voice, 'NO I AM VERY COLD TODAY'. *shrugs*

We looked at the animals and fed some of them, we looked at old stuff and threw sticks in the stream and raced them under the bridge. Then he saw a sandpit and some mud and THREW himself down into BOTH. I am beginning to think he thinks that the entire point of leaving the house is to crap up his clothes, create work for me and to see how naked he has to be stripped to before getting home... it's become a habit. Cut it out.

They are also building a new childrens play area there - the last one was a bit dire, but this one looks very promising - lots to climb and slide down and crawl through. Should be good.

Anyway, had a pleasant day. Enjoy the offering:

Goats

Mean horns

Rusty tractor

Cows... you need to be told that?

Well.... it *walked* like a duck, and it *quacked* like a duck....

Pigs.

Vehicle parts

Vehicle ... with no diesel engine...

The sandpit. They should really embed this thing better - Boss was walking round with it like it was his horse...

The Farm

The grindstone

The bakery

The baker

The peacock... nearly wrote 'peanut'... I'm tired

The peacock again



Night night. I'm pooped.