The Nursery and a roast chicken

You know you are getting to the pointy end of it all when you start setting up the nursery. Here we are, with four weeks to go (or so. Can't predict how these things are going to go!), and finally the nursery is set up.

The new stuff is unpacked, the (gratefully received) gifts from generations past cleaned, and everything is just about ready to receive the new lord and master (mistress) of the house.

So- see below some of the photographs of the preparations thus far.

The cot that Jane slept in as a baby (absolutely decades ago!!!), with the playmat given to us by Melissa

 

We are planning on baby being a reader!

The Chest of drawers we made. Painted in the same colours as the canvases as we can't paint the rooms.

The 'Nappy cake' made for Jane by her work mates

So lucky- another gift from friends. Apparently Jane will be able to hear this one from work, as we are so close!

 

Sparrow's first back pack. It's going to be the cutest kid!

Sparrow's first teddy- Made by Nanny Mary. Note the crochet blanket in front- originally made by Sparrow's great-great grandmother. Nothing lasts like good kiwi wool!

Now for the chicken- We had Pat and Bec over for lunch today, and cooked a roast chicken. It was so nice to have a Sunday roast! I decided to brine the chicken, never having done so before. I was amazed at the result. Simply spectacular. The chicken was moist and full of flavour. The recipe is super simple as well- Bring 4 litres of water to the boil and dissolve 225 gm salt and 125 gm sugar. Also add aromatics (chopped onion, garlic, bay leaves, pepper corns, thyme and rosemary). Let the brine cool, and then submerge the chicken in the liquid. Leave the chicken in the liquid for 8-12 hours, and then drain. Leave the chicken uncovered in the fridge on a rack for a further 3-4 hours to develop a 'pellicle', or tacky skin. I cooked the bird (stuffed) at 180 deg Celsius for 90 minutes and then let it rest for half an hour before carving. Just a shame we didn't cook two, as now I don't have any left for lunch this week.

So- Nursery sorted, still have three chooks in our back yard, and Sparrow is just rounding the last corner and heading for the home stretch.