After a fortnight of wonderful weather, summer vanished without a sight for the next 3 weeks. Howling gales, even on the mainland of 100 miles an hour for May? Horrible. Icy winds, days and days of gales.
We want our summer back! Its short enough as it is without a midwinter break in the middle of summer.
Friday, 27 May 2011
Sunday, 27 February 2011
Huisie by the see / Cottage by the sea
So, I finally made a friend the sign I had been promising since I made mine. My lovely daughter and I designed it together and she drew it, and I painted it.
It came out so nice (we thought) that we found it very difficult to give away but it made a lovely present and we hope its new owner will love it as much as we loved making it.
It came out so nice (we thought) that we found it very difficult to give away but it made a lovely present and we hope its new owner will love it as much as we loved making it.
Welcome to Spring
So officially spring arrived on 1 Feb. The bulbs are all getting ready to flower and we had an excellent session in the garden on Saturday getting all the flower bed in shape for the flowers when they arrive. There was one little magenta primula showing her colours for the lovely sunshine. Last night though we had a lot of hailstorms. Though this morning the plants all looked excited at the sunshine again. Loads of sunshine this week end and everyone is positively gleeming with joy at the sunshine. Winter is really tough and its good it loosening its hold and summer will be here sooooon! HOORAY!
The kids joined in the quick spring clean of the garden and we gave the one big bush a bit of a haircut so now its more of a ball than a stick figure ;) Its not easy with a rented house as you cant change much and you don't really know how long you are there for. Last year we kind of thought we were moving so we only planted veges and herbs but we are still here for now so thought we will spruce up and get the flowers ready.
We bought a few pot plants for the hall table and they are hyacinths, freesia and chrysanthemum - brings a lovely bright, fresh feeling into the central heating zone. So looking forward to turning off the heating when warmer weather arrives.
Suns out, wind still cold but its a start :) Wonderful to see the blue skies.
The kids joined in the quick spring clean of the garden and we gave the one big bush a bit of a haircut so now its more of a ball than a stick figure ;) Its not easy with a rented house as you cant change much and you don't really know how long you are there for. Last year we kind of thought we were moving so we only planted veges and herbs but we are still here for now so thought we will spruce up and get the flowers ready.
We bought a few pot plants for the hall table and they are hyacinths, freesia and chrysanthemum - brings a lovely bright, fresh feeling into the central heating zone. So looking forward to turning off the heating when warmer weather arrives.
Suns out, wind still cold but its a start :) Wonderful to see the blue skies.
Friday, 15 October 2010
Saturday, 25 September 2010
Do all the good
“Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”
~ John Wesley
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”
~ John Wesley
Thursday, 16 September 2010
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Wild foraging for Brambles
On the weekend, at the suggestion of our youngest,
we went wild foraging for blackberries.
These are the first ripe ones that we have seen here
and they were plump juicy and delicious.
Although very late in ripening.
We created natural magenta highlights
in our hair
We had magenta
everywhere
We collected enough
for a dessert with cream.
Heavenly foraging.
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
~ Joyce Kilmer
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
~ Joyce Kilmer
Thursday, 26 August 2010
Spicy Banana Muffins & Bread
Chopping bananananananan's
Bananananannananan Muffins
and finally, its ready
Thursday, 12 August 2010
Visiting Chichester
Beautiful scenery, lovely people, fields of flint & chalk, great weather :)
Walls constructed of flint stone
Character homes
Wooden sheds
More flint incorporated in the buildings
A little hideout in the woods
Pink Wildflowers
As we travelled through Scotland and England
the scenery was consistently ablaze with a mass of pink wildflowers.
Anyone know what they are called?
Wild Foraging
We were out for an ambling walk just now,
wild foraging red currants and raspberries along the way :)
Nice sunny, warm afternoon visiting in Fife today.
Enjoyed with family and lots of little cousins.
Monday, 26 July 2010
Free stained glass patterns
I found this lovely website with free stained glass patterns. There are a few pages of them so I am sure you will find one you like.
They are quite nice for painting as well, even if you don't do them as stained glass.
http://free-stainedglasspatterns.com/1set01.html
Enjoy ;)
They are quite nice for painting as well, even if you don't do them as stained glass.
http://free-stainedglasspatterns.com/1set01.html
Enjoy ;)
Thursday, 22 July 2010
Breakfast.......
Freshly home-made rose syrup drizzled over hot pancakes mmm......
Rose syrup is really easy to make. Get a cupful of fresh organic rose petals (VIP - not poison sprayed) and wash them off in cold water. Add 2 cups of hot, boiled water to a small pot and add rose petals and approx. 2 cups of brown sugar and boil for 10+ minutes. Remove rose petals after ten minutes (they are edible when they have cooled down).
When the syrup starts 'holding its bubbles' when its boiling then its ready to bottle. It thickens up when it cools down.
We used magenta rose petals and ended up with a lovely thick pink syrup that was so delicious we kept sneaking some long after the pancakes were finished.......
Rose syrup is really easy to make. Get a cupful of fresh organic rose petals (VIP - not poison sprayed) and wash them off in cold water. Add 2 cups of hot, boiled water to a small pot and add rose petals and approx. 2 cups of brown sugar and boil for 10+ minutes. Remove rose petals after ten minutes (they are edible when they have cooled down).
When the syrup starts 'holding its bubbles' when its boiling then its ready to bottle. It thickens up when it cools down.
We used magenta rose petals and ended up with a lovely thick pink syrup that was so delicious we kept sneaking some long after the pancakes were finished.......
Wednesday, 21 July 2010
Elder
Whilst wandering alone in the wooded area near our home, my daughter returned very excited and certain she had found an Elder tree. There are precious few trees with in miles and miles of us so, this was an exciting discovery.
We have only been here for just over 2 years and summer is very short here so far north. We have not yet had the pleasure of meeting an elder tree.
Off we raced to get samples for identification. We got flowers heads and leaves.
It seems she has identified it correctly and so we will keep a look out for the berries. The flowers are mostly gone so no elderflower wine, perhaps next year.
There is much magical and medicinal significance attached to elder trees.
http://www.woodlands.co.uk/owning-a-wood/tree-identification/elder.php
http://www.shee-eire.com/Herbs,Trees&Fungi/Trees/Elder/Factsheet1.htm
http://www.selfsufficientish.com/elder.htm#cordial
We have only been here for just over 2 years and summer is very short here so far north. We have not yet had the pleasure of meeting an elder tree.Off we raced to get samples for identification. We got flowers heads and leaves.
It seems she has identified it correctly and so we will keep a look out for the berries. The flowers are mostly gone so no elderflower wine, perhaps next year.
There is much magical and medicinal significance attached to elder trees.
http://www.woodlands.co.uk/owning-a-wood/tree-identification/elder.php
http://www.shee-eire.com/Herbs,Trees&Fungi/Trees/Elder/Factsheet1.htm
http://www.selfsufficientish.com/elder.htm#cordial
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