A pigeon pair

Earl & Mabel our resident pigeons 

"A pigeon pair" how many times did you hear that said when you were growing up?  Certainly it was a phrase that was used a lot in my own family. For years I didn't know what was meant by it. There was a time when a family friend was having a baby, a little brother or sister to her first child a boy. When her second baby arrived and was a girl my mother announced 'oh a pigeon pair how lovely'.  It was at this point I asked the question as to why people always said that if someone had one of each they called it a pigeon pair.  My mother told me that in folk law pigeons tend to lay two eggs at a time which would go on to produce a male and female chick hence the saying 'pigeon pair'. Well it made perfect sense but I have no idea whether this is true or not I suppose I would have to ask a pigeon fancier to get the answer to that particular question. 

I recently received news that a friend was to become a grandmother for the first time when her daughter announced that she was pregnant with her first baby.  As you can imagine this brought great excitement and much debate as to whether they would find out the sex of the baby.  The day came when she was going for her 12 week scan and my friend sat eagerly by the phone waiting to hear news that everything was as it should be.  The call finally came and her daughter announced that she was not having just one baby but two.  Twins how wonderful and the first in the family as far as they knew.  The weeks ticked by and as she was having twins a close eye was being kept on her pregnancy.  It was at a scan to check on how the babies were doing that they found out they are having a boy and a girl.  Their own pigeon pair.  They were immediately nicknamed Janet & John in the office. For those of us old enough to remember they were the set of books that you first learnt to read at school back in the day.  Janet & John were also made famous by the great late Sir Terry Wogan when he read the alternative Janet & John stories on his radio show. If you've never heard these you can still find them on You tube, just a warning you'll need tissues as they will have you in tears of laughter.  

With some twins being delivered early (they've already said no later than 38 weeks),  I set about getting their blankets made whilst grandma got on with knitting lots of first size outfits.  

Two solid granny square snuggle blankets were soon underway:  

Pretty in pink for 'Janet'

Mr Blue Sky for 'John'

They are made to the same pattern as the Que Sera Sera blanket I've posted previously and you can find the details of the pattern here average cost for the wool to make a snuggle blanket is £14 or approximately $18

and the details of the colours used for all three versions of the blanket  here .

The babies are due imminently so I am pleased that I have been able to get them both finished and ready to gift at her baby shower.  And I think its safe to say when they do arrive that they won't be named Janet and John, not that these are not good solid names but not those that seem to be on the short list at the moment.

If you're in the UK and have been experiencing the awful weather then I hope you are all safe and warm.  Our garden looks a little like a water table at the moment, but I'm sure the plants are appreciating a good watering.  There are those that have been a bit battered so I hope they will perk back up once the wind dies down.

But seriously this rain needs to stop,  I will be visiting Gardeners World Live and the Good Food Show at the NEC in Birmingham on Friday if the rain doesn't stop  then wellies and a big umbrella it is. There's always  lots of coffee drinking to be had and sampling of the wares or dodging the rain drops to be able to get around the gardens.  Either way I'm sure a good time will be had and you never know I may bump into Monty and the team in the tea tent.

Hope you have a good weekend whatever you are up to. 

Mx