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Crack… Crack…

By Stephanie

And without warning, we went from three quiet blue eggs to three blind, naked, wonderful hatchlings…

The nest is in such a place that I can’t get my head up there to have a look — I have to hold the camera up over it and take pictures, and then have a look at them on the camera to see what’s in the nest.  And, as I looked at the first few images, the babies looked so lifeless…  I was suddenly heartbroken at the thought that they might all be dead.

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And then one of them raised his head up and begged the camera for some food, and I realised with relief that they were fine!

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Fine… and growing fast!   This was them only 48 hours later.  Look at all the feathers coming on their wings.

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And this is them today, only 5 days after the first photos.  Incredible how much they’ve grown!  My first thought is how much work that must be for the parent robins, to get enough food to them to support such rapid growth…!

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Aren’t they amazing?  It’s been well worth not being able to use the back porch through all this lovely weather, just to give these beautiful babies a chance to hatch and grow.

An Announcement (Yes, THAT Kind of Announcement!)

By Stephanie

One of the best things in life must surely be spending a breezy summer afternoon sitting on the back porch, with a nice glass of wine, listening to the birds and spinning wool into yarn.  Absolutely magical!

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Except today I am on the front porch instead of the back, and this is why…

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Last week, while I was away for a couple of days, a couple of plucky robins decided to build a nest on top of our back porch light, right next to the back door.  And every time we go in and out, or even just sit out there, they get so nervous that they leave the nest and fly to the apple tree, screaching for us to leave.  And I really want them to feel secure and comfortable, because this is what’s inside that nest…

That’s right, folks!  We’re having babies!!!

…And hanging out on the front porch for the time being.

Adventure, Day 1

By Stephanie

When I was a kid and I’d do something dumb (the way kids do), my dad used to call me a “Space Cadet”. It was usually said with love, often with exasperation… but I knew it was always meant with affection. There was a lot of love in the house while I was growing up, even as we tried our parents’ patience time and again. But I did a lot of dumb things, and I got called a Space Cadet a lot. Eventually the nickname started to really stick, and I began to feel like I really was a space cadet, that I did a lot of things wrong. Sometimes I still do.

So I decided a long time ago that when I finally worked up the courage to break out of the mould of ordinary work and do something creative — something I wanted to be proud of — I was going to call my little venture “SpaceCadet”.  I could baptise that old nickname with a new meaning.

Opening SpaceCadet Creations on Etsy is my new venture — my adventure! — where I hand-dye yarns and roving for knitters, crocheters, spinners, and felters.  I hope you find something there that sparks your excitement, because it’s been very exciting for me creating all these yarns and rovings, watching all the colours develop.

I can say, at last, that I am proud to be the SpaceCadet.