Fiddlesticks

The New Parish Magazine

2012-01-26T16:50:00.000Z

Has arrived from printer. No one is more relieved than me. There are 1000 of them all ready to be delivered to the 7 villages to which the magazine now serves.

And yes I'm pleased with it. Its how I thought it would look, but would now be the time to say I've never done this editing thing before...

Resolutions

2012-01-16T15:43:00.000Z

A late post. I know the date. I've been trying to get to write this since the beginning of the year when I set this resolution. Since everyone has gone back to work and school its as if I've gone back to work as well. The first publication date of the new parish magazine fast approaches and as well as mopping up the remains of the project management side of it all I've been setting pages. Its tense and daily work. I'm learning how to juggle it with family life and home responsibilities but I still find distractions (cat let a live mouse go in the house one morning, a ring had gone on the cooker and I found a poorly wild rabbit in the garden) All demand some organisation and problem solving time. Long days.

It means that this years chosen resolution is even more apt. In one word:

ME

I've always believed that we have to balance 3 sides of ourselves. physical, mental and spiritual, in order to stay healthy. All areas have to be worked on and cared for - that sounds like hard work, but that's not what I mean.

Last year I started looking after my physical health better. I've taken the gym more seriously and been more mindful of eating habits; which has resulted in me dropping a dress size. I was only marginally over weight in the first place but I didn't want it to be a slippery slope! I've summed it up to anyone who asks that in under 2 years I'll be 50 - I've no intention of looking 50!!

Spiritually I'm in a better place too. Its not something I ever discuss publicly online. Like my politics I know what I believe, but its not up for open discussion.

Mentally I'm a strong person. Self reliant and driven. I get down like everyone else of course, but not usually for long. I bounce with an inbuilt optimism and enthusiasm. But that needs protecting and I need space to think and day dream. Relaxation is important so I'm not taken advantage of or get burnt out.

I resolve to work on looking after myself and creating a better work life balance this year. Its hard for women to take enough care of themselves especially if they have children or home responsibilities. I seem programmed to put children and community first. But I must set boundaries. Make sure for example that my twice a week gym habit which gives me more energy and strength physically and mentally (all those endorphins!) doesn't get sidelined

I've recently realised that if I take on something else like the magazine then something has to go. I am at capacity. What that something is I don't know currently. Once the first couple of editions have gone out then I'll be able to see just what a normal month's workload is like and I can plan accordingly. I have to have space to think.

So ME translates in to looking after myself more. Continuing good health habits, making sure I have enough rest and relaxation time - and not feeling guilty about it.!

Final thoughts on #less365 *

2012-01-02T17:54:00.000Z

This has been a fascinating project and I can see that following it for a whole year has ingrained some very positive habits and change of thinking.

Looking back its clear its more than literally throwing out one thing every day. In truth due to life getting in the way that wasn't always possible, although I found myself then tending to throw out 10 items in one go which either made up or put me in credit.

I don't think there was an area of my home and my life that I didn't sort through and declutter.Although there are still some areas of the garage that would be reduced further. However I stuck firmly to my own things - apart from trying to encourage periodic clear outs of my childrens' rooms - I feel its up to the individual as to how they manage their belongs.

I interpreted #less365 quite widely and took it to mean an overall reduction in everything. So I reduced the magazines I bought, cancelled catalogue and email subscriptions and halved the number of weekend papers we had delivered. I didn't record every empty bottle or packet I threw out - that would be normal recycling wouldn't it? - but as I set out to use up things in a more systematic way, especially where toiletries are concerned, then actually throwing out an empty bottle was relevant. For example I had a selection of hand-creams (gifts rather than bought myself) which I tried to use up in order, thereby reducing the overall toiletries I own. I'm on the last one. #less365 shouldn't be about throwing out usable things just for the sake of it.

I managed my money better and thought about what I spent it on. Sometimes using things I already had more imaginatively rather than just purchasing the exact thing for a specific function. I don't need separate A4 pads for WI and personal things when I've got a perfectly good loose leaf A4 for parish magazine notes that could be used for all purposes.

I've bought less books; in part due to no longer working at Oxfam so I'm less tempted. Instead I've read what I've already got. Don't we all have things on the bookshelf that we've barely had time to skim through before the next book is bought? In general without the temptation of a weekly visit to town now I'm not working there, I've spent less. I've no need to buy myself a sandwich for lunch for example which I use to treat myself to periodically.

I've had much better value out of things I already own which also has a lessening effect. An important lesson of #less365 and indeed any sort of eco, decluttering, minimalist way of living is not to bring just as much stuff back in to the house as you've got rid of!

I've been very careful not to waste food. Our Christmas 4kg turkey crown fed 7 people well on Christmas day. It was served cold with chips and salad for 4 on Boxing day, made a pasta bake for 4 on Bank Holiday Tuesday and the very last slices went in to a leftovers pie for 4 on the Wednesday. Not a scrap left. This reduces food spending - something we all have to be mindful of these days.

Has it changed me at the end of it? Yes. I'll never be a minimalist - as I said before I like books and fabric too much, but I have changed my attitude to possessions and 'stuff' around the home. When we redecorated the sitting room we only put back a few ornaments and objects. Surfaces are clearer as a result and the room is peaceful and easier to tidy. I've much less interest in shopping for its own sake. I see less and less that I actually 'need'. Tim and I use to spend a day off at a different town and I'd invariably come home with something. Although we have done that this year; Hungerford and Marlborough were lovely, we discovered that wandering round the parish churches and exploring footpaths, admiring old things in antique shops, and finding somewhere nice for lunch were preferable to 'shopping'. We noticed the architecture of old high streets rather than going in to a chain store you could find anywhere. We often came home with no more than the ingredients for a supper - good cheese and local bread from an independent deli perhaps. Nothing else. I learnt to admire, but not necessarily own. That's almost the most important lesson I take from this year.

Of late we've preferred country walks with maybe a pub lunch along the way. This holiday we've not even strayed from our village to set out across the fields for the afternoon and after an hour or so have returned home for tea and homemade cake. The recent acquisition of a hide key at a local lake ( for a nominal sum) means a morning quietly watching bird-life has cost us little more than a bit of petrol and our time. I need town less and less and open quiet countryside more.

Its been a very worthwhile project. I was probably already motivated to reduce my things in any case, but doing something everyday focused my decluttering and made me think deeper about the whole subject. I've no need to record further reductions, but there are things I can see who's days are numbered - I did mention the garage didn't I? And now Christmas is over its a good sewing time of year for me and I'm keen to use up existing materials for projects first rather than purchase more. It doesn't stop because the year is over...

*If you're new to this subject then you'll find a variety of posts on it by putting #less365 in the search box at the top

New Years Eve

2012-01-02T16:58:00.000Z

Long ago when the children were small the whole issue of what to do about celebrating New Years Eve began with the realisation that of course one had to pay for taxi and baby sitter even before you'd set foot in a pub or restaurant. I know these costs won't have gone down any. Seemed a ridiculous amount to spend on one night.

So we had the idea of celebrating at home with a romantic meal for just me and Tim. Boys safely tucked up in bed, house all quiet. Whether we could afford the night out now is no longer the point. This is one of the loveliest nights of the year We make a real effort for this evening with nice clothes just as if we had gone out. The table is set properly with nice china and candles and the champagne is chilled.

This years menu was -

Starter - warm salad of garlicky mushrooms ( I added a few cashews in to the mushrooms just to warm through and add some toasty crunch to the salad

Mains.- Stewing venison slow cooked in our own homebrewed ale ( which although a tad cloudy is very drinkable) with onions and herbs. Roast potatoes and parsnips. Slow braised red cabbage - you know the old English recipe with cloves and vinegar in it. Oh and some peas for balance

Dessert - Homemade meringues with own raspberries and a drunken mascapone ( I stirred a little raspberry vodka in to it turning it a lovely delicate pink colour!)

We worked out that as the menu used some of our own homemade or homegrown things it probably cost under £15 for 3 courses for 2 people. The champagne had been a gift so that's not included either.

Its a lovely chance to look over the year to mark what we've achieved both in the home and personally and to look forward to next year with our goals, ambitions and resolutions. I wouldn't change this way of celebrating New Year for anything.

Glorious Christmas

2011-12-29T12:11:00.000Z

We're having such a lovely break!

There were 7 of us for Christmas Lunch. Tim kindly collected all parents on Christmas morning so they could join us. Its nice to offer 80 year olds a 'good dinner' without them worrying about shopping before hand, preparation, clearing up or driving around dark country lanes. A busy but satisfying day.

Everyone was delighted with their gifts and we've since settled down to a relaxing set of mid-winter days. There is a pattern to them. Reading and coffee in the morning then a good home cooked lunch. I used up every last scrap of turkey and no one got bored. In the afternoon a walk out of the village; maybe for only half an hour if the wind is cold, but it feels a nice habit to get some daily exercise. We've been exploring old footpaths that we've not really ventured down before. We discovered an old tiny reservoir yesterday. Then home to board games and tea. There is a family tradition of a good cheese board in the evenings along with some of those little party food nibbles you can buy now like filo parcels or mini prawn something or other. The boys in particular are fond of these little hot bites. Then there is more reading and relaxing

I'll be itching to get on with things next week once everyone is back at school and work, and in fact we did dive in to town quickly this morning just to visit the bank and buy literally a couple of fresh things for the weekend and in to next week (salmon, cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms) - only a small basket full so not really shopping much at the moment which is how I like it.

So... off to cook a beef mince chilli and rice for lunch.

Something I realised many years ago...

2011-12-29T11:48:00.000Z

"The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your life is your own. No apologies or excuses. No one to lean on, rely on or blame. The gift is yours - its an amazing journey -and you alone are responsible for the quality of it. This is the day your life really begins" - Bob Moawad

And have done my best to live by ever since.

No more shopping

2011-12-23T15:39:00.000Z

All done and ready bar the cooking. Tim and I dashed to town early this morning and grabbed cheese and salad. 1 basket was all we needed which made it easy to weave through all the slow moving and piled-up trolleys in the supermarket.

After a bit of housework and lunch we both felt the need to go out for a walk, but somewhere that didn't involve crowds and shops!

Although it was starting to rain we set off to a local gravel pit lake. Tim had recently applied to the local wildlife trust for a key to the nature reserve hides there, so we were keen to try them out. Well worth the soggy walk. No one else around but us and the birds. We're only beginner bird watchers so far, but we spotted cormorants, tufted ducks, coots, swans, mallards and geese. Listening to the rain and wind whilst in the dry of a wooden hut. We felt quite warm and safe.

Back home now and just in time as the weather has got worse. Very wet and windy out there. We've had tea and mince pies to help dry us out. Felt good to get out though. An antidote to spending, crowds, traffic and plastic Christmas music.

cakes for a school fundraiser - wordless post

2011-12-14T16:40:00.001Z

Christmas Preparations

2011-12-14T13:52:00.000Z

The biiiig supermarket shop was done today. For the last few years I've shopped in the week before Christmas for lots of frozen foods (for when we're fed up of festive foods and just want fish fingers and chips) the store cupboard basics ( things like pasta, flour, and chickpeas for making the most of leftovers so we don't waste food) and finally the household basics like soap, cleaning materials, kitchen towel etc. I've found its saves so much time and money. Admittedly the trolley was full, but its all safely gathered in and stored away.

We've two sacks of our potatoes in the garage and 2 large pumpkins left - we've eaten the rest. In the freezer are plenty of homemade goodies like soup, curry and tomato sauces, plus homegrown fruits, peppers and chillies. Abel and Cole will deliver a festive box of vegetables and the turkey next week. We have eggs from the chickens, jam and honey in the pantry and the Christmas cake just needs icing. There is a barrel of beer clearing in the garage and the sloe gin just needs straining in to bottles. Milk and juice are delivered from our local milkman.

When the supermarket is heaving next week all I'll need is a basket to get some nice cheeses, salad stuffs and fresh cream. I'll hit the shops I need as soon as they open on Christmas Eve morning and will soon be away and back to the village. We have everything else.

I've worked out it saves me money as we genuinely work our way through everything not just at Christmas and New Year but in to January too, making the food bills for that austere month much lighter. So often snow comes in January here and I've a house full of family again if work and school are unreachable or closed, so I need plenty of ideas on hand to feed everyone.

Its a real feeling of safely gathered in and being prepared for the winter. Last week a wood delivery came from a local farmer and that's neatly stacked in the shed. The chimney was swept this week. I've all the presents bought or made. The cards have been posted or just need a walk round the village to deliver. We'll get the tree at the weekend.

Sounds like 'it' doesn't it! I love this feeling that we can pull up the drawbridge at Christmas, and just celebrate warmth and good food together as a family.

Off to pack presents....

Making the best of things

2011-11-30T09:53:00.001Z

Today schools are shut due to industrial action so the boys are home. They've got school work to do and revision for up coming exams so not a wasted day state education wise.

But learning isn't just in the classroom - I've always felt very strongly about that. Often when the schools have been shut something else new has been learnt at home. One snowy winter when roads were impassable by school buses and everyone was at home, we all learnt to sledge down an old field at the back of the churchyard.The boys have spent hours with their mates in other cold winters building elaborate snow lookout posts; working together, helping the younger ones be safe, inventing and organising.

Today my eldest decided he'd like an omelette for his breakfast so I taught him how to make one. He was really pleased with his first effort - anything food related and he's enthusiastic. Another useful skill. He can already cook a basic supper for him and his brother and we often work together on big cooking occasions like Christmas or when we have guests. Both boys can load washing machine and dishwasher, hang out washing ( in interesting ways but its out) do the washing up, clean and tidy ( somewhat reluctantly on the latter but they're boys..) and do small jobs around the house like change bulbs, clean barbecues or build flat-pack Together we've renovated the garden over the years; digging out unwanted shrubs, pruning trees, building gates and laying turf.

But we're curled up at home. Its not a bad day out there with some sun but its not especially warm and there's nothing we have to do so we'll stay in the warm and work or read.

I've got some knitting to do to make some wrist warmers. This wool patterns itself as you go along and I'm ridiculously pleased with the effect :-)

Off to make a large pot of coffee for everyone :-)

Another lovely Autumnal walk

2011-11-25T10:39:00.000Z

And Tim took our photos to make a video of it. :-)

If you want something done...

2011-11-24T14:24:00.001Z

well you know the rest.. I'm not idle as you know and I suppose I wanted to take a moment to say why I've not written up this blog quite as often as I might have recently

Our clergy team are responsible for 7 churches in the 7 little (and some even littler) villages around here. Until now and for historical reasons there have been 2 parish magazines. Divided in to one for 4 churches and one for the remaining 3.

The larger magazine of the two has been edited by the same (brave) lady for over 35 years and understandably she'd like to retire now.... Its a subscription only magazine at the princely sum of 40p and has a print run of about 150.

The smaller magazine is printed and edited by local businessmen and distributed freely through the 3 villages it serves.

You know that it makes sense to combine them in to one magazine. A bigger magazine is planned; more advertising to fund it, more pages of church and community information. A combination of all the best bits of the two old magazines and space for new ideas and features. And it is to be free to everyone. Now the print run will be over 900.

You know what's coming next don't you? Our Irish vicar has the gift of persuasion and so he rung me early one Saturday morning and I found myself agreeing to edit this new magazine and chair the whole re-creation process. What have I let myself in for or even do I have the skills for this? Daunted.. (yes I know most people put 'undaunted' here but I'm truthful - I was daunted...) but determined to sort this project out. It made sense and would be a challenge.

Its a lot of work! Since September when we started this process we've come up with a new name for the magazine, engaged a graphic designer ( a dear friend of mine) to design a new cover and we've got new advertisers on board with adverts all set up -talk about a crash course in Microsoft Publisher. Well that's kept me quite for many an afternoon.

The first issue is due out Feb 2012 and there are hurdles to jump still in terms of sorting out distribution and delivery once these 900 odd magazines get back to the villages. I've got templates and style guides to sort so that the overall look of the magazine is fresh, clear and interesting.

Once all these things are ticked off I shall be sat in the editors chair each month collating and sorting all the contributions, ideas and adverts for community and church events in to one useful and recognisable church magazine.

You can therefore understand that by the time I've spent an afternoon firing off emails left, right and centre, designing adverts and invoices plus writing letters to get more people on board this project, then the last thing I need to do is more writing! But we'll get there - of that I'm sure and once the magazine is up and running then hopefully it'll become a seamless part of my life here and hopefully of the community to which it serves

And on that note I'm now going back to my knitting - it's not concerned with text boxes and clip art

Walking

2011-11-24T14:05:00.001Z

This mild and murky Autumn has been a funny old beast. Little in the way of frost or cold weather so the garden and countryside are confused. Its enabled us to get out though. Little that we have to do on plot and garden and all harvests etc are safely gathered in so we find ourselves out on walks more often than not.

Some photos to share from a recent walk around our village; along paths and field margins. We were walking for a glorious 2 hours and didn't notice the time fly by..

Much better than shopping...

Beer

2011-11-09T11:44:00.001Z

As I'm sat here doing a pile of admin emails etc this morning, there are occasional glug noises coming from the corner of the sitting room. There's beer fermenting..

A few weeks ago I trimmed the hedge that runs along the back of our garden. Its a mixed loose old tangle of snow berries, brambles, laurel, other unidentified greenery and right in the thick of it hops!

My reward for clambering on to the low stone wall to reach the high bits, bramble scratches in my hair and other assorted indignities was long hop bines. They're reasonably common in hedgerows around here possibly because there is a bit of a history of hop growing in the area, and there is still a commercial hop farm in a nearby village. Freed from the general tangle I plucked all the hop cones off them, as you can see and set them to dry in the airing cupboard. Once dry they're very light and that bowlful you can see only equals about 2oz of hops.

Just enough to simmer with malt and water last Saturday before putting in to a fermenting bin with yeast. The house smelt like a brewery! Lovely. :-)

So now its happily glugging away.

It'll take about a week to complete the 1st fermentation and then it'll be transferred to a barrel for secondary fermentation and clearing. It'll be stored in cool of the garage.

Should be ready to drink around Christmas.

Westonbirt Details - wordless post

2011-11-05T14:12:00.000Z

The Glories of Autumn

2011-11-05T13:55:00.000Z

The last day of half term. Tim took the day off and so the whole family including mum in law set off for Westonbirt Arboretum

One of our favourite autumn places. The sun shone, it was warm (ish) and we just walked and wandered to take in the lovely colours. I almost don't need to write anything else as the photo speak for themselves...

Half Term

2011-10-29T17:05:00.000+01:00

We're on the final weekend of a school break. Now my boys are 12 and 15 holidays are a much more relaxed affair. They enjoy outings and doing things with me, but there is no longer a sense of needing to be entertained all the time. In fact I even find that tea or coffee is made for me, and even the odd toasted sandwich lunch will be delivered as they make themselves something.

Doesn't mean we don't do things of course. I try to balance time at home for them to explore their own interests - or ok just play on screens - with outings and projects. Both boys had homework and for eldest this is an important school year so there is revision ready for exams too, so space and encouragement was needed for these activities too.

For myself I'd had a busy few weeks so craved some rest from the To Do list and some time to plan what I needed to do next.

After a couple of quiet days when school work could be begun and I had a chance to catch up with some reading, we set off for a day out in London on Wednesday. We especially wanted to find a Scandinavian food shop I'd seen advertised, so that we could buy the things we'd grown to love from our holiday in Oslo. We came home with the boys favourite chocolate spread, Norwegian brown cheese and some Scandinavian frankfurters. We also met Tim for lunch and then looked around an Apple store and a couple of other iconic London shops that the boys had not been in to before. The train ride and navigation of London by tube is all part of the enjoyment of a trip to London for us rural peasants, ;-)

Thursday, and we baked together, producing a handsome chocolate cake and some cookies. Homework was completed and I'm up to date with reading of sewing magazines and have some clear ideas for Christmas and winter makes. Next week I've the Christmas cake to make!

Yesterday Tim took the day off and we had a family day out to Westonbirt Arboretum - but that's the subject of another blog post - as you know there will be photographs!

This morning youngest helped take the cats to the vet for their annual check-ups and I took eldest to town to buy new school shoes and a few food items for the weekend. Then I've been in the back garden clearing the rockery of summer plants, and pulling weeds from the main borders. I've put a few pansy plants in their place for a bit of colour and popped further pansies in to the permanent pots we have dotted around the garden. Meanwhile Tim has been up to the allotment to harvest the last pumpkin of the season.

A whopper! As Tim says, its satisfying to need a wheelbarrow to move a pumpkin we've grown! On the same trip he picked probably the last couple of courgettes and potentially the last pot of tomatoes. I also requested a cabbage for the weekend. Plot wise there isn't much to harvest now. Much is gathered in, processed, stored or eaten.

I'm now sat writing - hence the flurry of posts here, Tim is upstairs doing similar and eldest is carving a pumpkin for Halloween - no not one we've grown! Ours are for eating and I'd not want to waste one just for decoration, so we picked up a cheap one in town purely to sit near the front door. Youngest is quiet which means he's probably playing a playstation game or watching tv upstairs. The cats are snoozing. Supper will be a family dinner of tacos and probably slices of chocolate cake for a pudding. If the temperature drops we'll light the wood stove.

Next week its back to busy-ness with school, work and voluntary projects, but for now we've had time to rest and think.

To The Sea

2011-10-29T15:09:00.000+01:00

Last Saturday there was nothing we HAD to do. It dawned dry and sunny and no rain was forecast so we decided to bunk off and drive to the coast - may be it'll be the last time this year we get to see the sea.....

We drove to Lymington in Hampshire. A coastal town with boats and chandlers, ferries and seagulls. We lunched outside at a waterside pub ( not bad for mid October) and then wandered round the town in the sunshine.

But after a while we realised we needed more sea, less people and less commerce, so we got back in the car and drove the short distance down the coast to Milford On Sea.

There was the brisk sea breeze and rushing waves we really needed. The outer edge of the beach is backed by a high spit of earth, behind which are salt marshes and a small lake. Ideal for visiting bird life and a peaceful walk. Much more us!

After a lovely walk we had an ice-cream in a small cafe ( literally one of the very few businesses on this beach -it really is a delightfully simple place) we then pointed the car towards home.

A restorative day. The work back here could wait.

Gathered - wordless post

2011-10-15T18:48:00.001+01:00

I am only one..

2011-10-12T16:33:00.000+01:00

I am only one, but I am one.

I can't do everything, but I can do something.

And what I can do, I ought to do.

And what I ought to do, by the grace of God I will do.

All is safely gathered in

2011-10-09T11:34:00.000+01:00

Last weekend was a busy morning on the plot (and yes I've been too busy since to blog about it )

It was an unseasonably hot weekend with record temperatures for the UK. It shouldn't be hot in October. Season of mellow fruitfulness and all. But we set off as a family armed with water and sunscreen to continue with tidying of the plot and gathering in of harvest.

There were the last few pumpkins to bring home although this beauty needs a little more time in the sunshine so we've left it a little longer

Courgettes were gathered in although the warm weather was persuading the plants to have a final flush so we'll leave pulling the plants up for a bit - you never know....

We pulled a good bag of carrots and a cabbage for weekend eating. There are no more raspberries but there was our 1st solitary pear and and our 1st melon is ripening at home now as the plant had died off in the polytunnel.

As for tomatoes...

These are a heritage variety called yellow pear and there are just loads along with plenty of sweet little red tomatoes. We spent time removing excess foliage and tying up the remaining trusses of unripe tomatoes so that we gave them as much chance as possible to ripen whilst the sun was there. Anything to avoid having to find green tomato recipes!

Chillies and peppers are still giving and more of them have come home and been put in the freezer for winter use.

Our best year ever for growing these and the polytunnel has really been a worthwhile project.

We don't grow an awful lot of winter produce, but there was time before it got too hot last weekend to put some kale, cabbage, leeks, garlic and overwintering onions in to the ground. Something for next Spring - however far off it may seem right now - felt a good job to do!

I've a couple of raised beds to dig over and once that big pumpkin is done that bay will need clearing and rotavating but it feels like we're somewhat ahead of clearance jobs before the weather turns and time to get up there is more squeezed by rain and Christmas preps. There are always areas that are up for revision and change and a cleared space enables the thinking and 'design' to begin to take shape.

Off to bake now....

Autumn and Abundance

2011-09-30T14:33:00.000+01:00

There was the odd evening last week when I considered lighting the woodburner or putting the heating on. Today I'm sat out in the shade of the garden with the laptop trying not to get burnt! Its been glorious the last couple of days. Beautifully warm and sunny. It can't make its mind up can it?

Its definitely make the most of it before winter arrives!

Last weekend we took the boys and Mother In Law to the Malvern Autumn Show. More of a harvest festival and country show than merely just gardening. A lovely sunny day luckily ( nothing worse than a soggy, muddy outdoor event is there?) and although we didn't buy much ( I tend not to these days - another side effect of #less365 - I can admire but don't need to own) we had a lovely wander round stalls and displays. There were animals to speak with, nice food stalls to eat from and it was one of those events that managed to appeal to everyone from a 12 year old right up to an 81year old. No mean feat that!

Other than that there has been post summer allotment tidyings. We've strimmed, pulled and dug over the last couple of weekends and it looks smarter and sharper. Harvest wise we've been eating well of tomatoes, chillies, peppers, pumpkins, and courgettes from the plot. In store there are potatoes, garlic and onions. In the ground there are still carrots and cabbages as well as more of the Mediterranean veggies. I'm not needing much to complete supper. A fresh tomato sauce with chorizo over pasta or as last night roasted homegrown veggies ( carrots, potatoes, onions, peppers, pumpkin, courgettes, chilli, cherry tomatoes) and with cubes of halloumi cheese sprinkled to toast amongst the tray for 5mins at the end, it was a lovely complete in-one-tin sort of dinner. Everyone tucked in.

What else? Oh on our walks we've been out with the bags and baskets as its such an amazing fruit year. We collected over 5lb of crab apples so I've made plenty of pots of pretty jelly for the winter or gifts. There are sloes in the freezer and blackberries too. Abundance!

Abundant sunshine, fruit, vegetables; we need little else...Just enjoying being out in the garden making the most of it.

Writing for the WI

2011-09-30T13:23:00.000+01:00

photo credit to Josie Alsworth

Have recently been writing a series of blog posts for the WI's main national website. Its an exercise to show the diversity of members. I thought you might like the link to read things there too.

WI Members Blogs

There is currently no provision to post comments there but you can always comment on here - I'll know what you mean! :-)

September Garden -wordless post

2011-09-16T08:30:00.000+01:00

#less365 moving on

2011-09-15T11:29:00.000+01:00

It was hard over the long summer to de-clutter on a daily basis as we were travelling or just busy out in the garden, but that doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about it.

After we'd come back from our holidays the boys and I had a grand sort out of their rooms. We removed 2 bin bags of recycling and pure rubbish including a big clothes sort out and I've taken 2 large carriers of toys and other items to the charity shop and 2 equally large bags of unwanted books to Oxfam. So I suspect the net result is still at least one thing a day -we just did it in one big hit!

Now everyone is back at work and school, its just me and I've started to get rid of things again. The weather has enabled me to work in the garden and the plot so there hasn't been much in terms of house clearings - although in truth there are now few areas that I haven't looked at. Think the garage and my craft supplies are probably the only remaining places to declutter unless I choose to revisit an area. I just need a wet day to tackle them!

There has been the odd item going out still - I treated myself to a new autumn lipstick last week and then chucked out 2 lipsticks/glosses when I got home. Having started out with 12 at the beginning of the year its now more like 5 which is a huge difference and there's another one on notice as it is ( if I don't start to use it then it'll be out soon)

What I've been drawn to looking at instead is less spending in general. Less about chucking stuff out (as I run out!) and more about not buying stuff back in. Its a different way of lessening but my thinking is that its still part of it. So today I went to the paper shop and just tweaked our delivery. I long ago gave up a daily paper and now I've changed it to be only 1 paper on a Saturday and Sunday - where I use to enjoy 2 on a Saturday. Less recycling, less reading (and less stress when it takes me till Wed to read the papers if I've been busy) and less cost. I've also cancelled my regular monthly sewing magazine. I'll buy it as and when I see it and only then if there is something I especially want to make. Its about reducing my magazine habit!

As you've seen we've not really had need of a veg box each week so I'm being more proactive in sorting that order out. Rather than forgetting and finding a veg box on our doorstep and there be potential for waste, this week I just ordered the odd thing to complement our crops, and when we don't need more veggies then I plan to use the same amount of money to buy nice meat or fish etc to make up in to meals. Its being aware of wastage. Ditto I'm more careful about our milk delivery. Its alterable (online too so no excuse) so I'm looking in the fridge and checking that we really do need 3 pints of milk tomorrow or whatever. Again to avoid wastage and unnecessary expense.

One of the jobs on my list is to go through the big freezer. Sorting out exactly what we've got and planning to use it in a more systematic way will be money saving and lessening. I'll have room for Christmas things in time then which is often an issue for us.

Its interesting how its evolved throughout the year and I can tell already that its altered my thinking as well as physical amount of my stuff in the house. Lets see what I can do in the last quadrant of the year.

The Whole Lifestyle

2011-09-11T20:18:00.001+01:00

Its been a busy week I've got lots done from going back to my voluntary post, to gym and shopping to gardening, sewing and writing - not to mention domestics like cooking, processing and cleaning. Sometimes its helpful to me to stand back and look at these activities from an outsider viewpoint. Looking at the whole rather than the detail of each part of what I do.

I've long worked out that the best way to approach what I do is to think of it as a self employed person would. I need to use that mind set to plan my week and organise myself. When it is just you during the week juggling home and family, plot and processing,volunteering and community help, writing and creating, housework, health and hobbies (hm.... that's quite a good sum up of me actually) then it would be easy to flit between jobs, not really finishing or properly starting anything, not achieve in a timely manner - which for gardening and especially processing could mean wastage of valuable crops. Chaos really.

Tim works long hours so during the week it really is just me. If I want the hedge trimmed or jam made then I need to get on with it. We work together at the weekends but there is a limit to what that time and weather allows us to do together. If you knew all that I did you'd be horrified. I made a list once and frightened myself. This isn't a moan; I love what I do and get a huge sense of achievement from it. I realise that my work load has been derived from the choices we've made in terms of having many and varied passions and ethics. I've evolved in to an extremely practical person. I was never going to be the sort of person who sat watching day time tv drinking coffee.

I'm naturally organised which helps, but its based on systems I've evolved over the years. This is in part as the children have grown or changed schools so my involvement in the day to dayness of their lives has changed. I've no school runs to do any more for example, which has made a huge difference to my working day. I'm still needed to be with them in the school holidays of course - which we genuinely all enjoy - and they've said that they value me being here for them at the end of the school day. It doesn't matter what I'm physically doing when they walk in the door, just that I'm there to welcome them home and listen to their day, able to deal with letters, forms and other issues.

Monday morning and the door slamming as the boys go for the bus is my cue to start the week - Tim will have left much earlier. Using the weather and set activities like my day at Root and Branch I work out roughly how my week will unfold. Everyone works differently but I get the best out of myself if I only plan for a couple of activities each day. I can really get in to them properly and get things finished. Trying to cram too much of too many different things in my time doesn't work. Something will always take longer to complete. I like to immerse myself in gardening or sewing or whatever it is. And I feel better if I've been able to finish what I set out to do.

This isn't about motivation especially - I can get stuck playing games on Facebook like everyone else. Sometimes you have to allow yourself that space to do so. In the end I get it done because my desire to have something to show for my day drives me forward and off the sofa.

I use To Do lists to plan each day and to work out more long-term projects - Christmas for example; I've written the lists for that already so I can make a start on work for hampers or presents. No last minute sewing late in to the night then. Its less stressful. Long term also includes what I term Capital Projects such as decorating, or moving garden or plot along. Less about maintenance more about developing or redesigning things. These form a big list which has no time limit on it but is more seasonal; and wholly dependant on weather for gardening projects and time and finances. Its a good list to tick things off from, as I feel that gardens in particular are not static 'finished' projects, but spaces where designs evolve due to family usage, time, and trying out new ideas.

There are more prosaic entries on the lists which cover the making the dentist appointment type things and are equally about keeping the diary of the family members. School trips which need my input from equipment to money, need to be kept an eye on, so I know where everyone is and if they need picking up from somewhere. Again there is achievement in ticking things off from this list. I have been known to add something knowing I've already done it - just having something ticked off already is helpful. Sometimes it is better to have tackled these little things, then the whole list looks better if I've crossed 5 phone calls off in one go. Anything to shorten it. Ditto emails. Inbox is as small as I can make it. Deal with it; reply to it straight away and then file or bin.

Underneath all this is an awareness of looking after myself too - I'm my main employee after all. I use to think that I got enough exercise through my day to day activities, but with years of a weekly Pilates class and more recently a determined weekly visit to the gym I've proved that actually proper set exercise has huge benefits for me. I have more energy; I'm more aware of my body and can counter aches from gardening by doing Pilates stretches to strengthen core muscles or even just simply bending me back the other way. I feel better about myself and its strengthened my already determined and positive outlook on life. It feels preventative - I'm not getting any younger but hopefully am working on an insurance policy which will give me the tools and energy to work as well as I can in to the long term.

Coupled with that is a need to relax - no I do honestly - not completely mad/workaholic. Because we have such busy weekends from plot work, family visits and outings then sitting reading the papers with a coffee will only be squished in for an hour or two at most. I've worked out that I must have an afternoon in the week of feet up rest. Not doing something off the list. Invariably I potter or quietly sew or read with the radio on and a cup of tea but crucially I give myself permission to do plenty of 'nuffinks' as my dear friend Henry would put it. It boosts my immune system too - if I don't get sufficient rest I get the next narsty cold/flu going. Proven.

I'm lucky there isn't paid work in there as well. Actually if I was employed then something would have to go - probably the allotment. We just couldn't do all this if I wasn't at home full time. I love what I do. Sitting down of an evening and reviewing what I've achieved during the day is what drives me. I couldn't just chase paper all day - what would there be to show for it? When we've eaten things we've grown or I'm wearing something I've sewn then I can see why I live like this. I love it really. :-)

Hops!

2011-09-09T14:25:00.000+01:00

Have spent this morning sorting out the hedge at the back of the garden. Its a neighbours hedge but it had grown in long arches right over their wire fence and entwined its self in to everything, obscuring the old low stone wall and threatening to engulf the arbour.Its probably quite old so its a gnarled mix of laurel, snowberry, and bramble.

What a job! I balanced myself on this wall, sandwiched between arbour back and hedge. Talk about scratched and pulled by this tangle. Things went down back of neck or stuck in hair as I stretched up to snip. I've cut and chopped and pulled to clear it away so that its all tidy against the wire fence and the back of the garden is visible again. There is enough hedge left for birds to nest in next spring (which is why I'd not done it earlier) but its tamed and within its boundary.

It wasn't an entirely thankless task - it had produced a fine crop of hops draped over everything (mostly the brambles!) which I've carefully hauled in and put to one side

Picked off their bines I've a good bowl of hop cones.I'll put them to dry and will make beer out of them for Christmas!

And now I've had lunch and washed the scratches clean I'm going to have a completely different afternoon and prepare to cut this dress out. Its Butterick B4790 a reprint pattern resized and rewritten for modern shapes but a direct copy of an original and iconic1950s Butterick pattern.

Going to need a cup of tea 1st I think..You offering to make one?

This morning in the kitchen

2011-09-08T14:32:00.000+01:00

Had a glut of fruit to use up and the biscuit tin was empty so..

First up a raspberry and pear crumble for supper this evening.

Then a bag of little golden plums were cooked with the few remaining pears to make just over 3lb of jam.

And finally a batch of peanut cookies for the tin. A new recipe I found in a magazine using peanut butter - very simple and very delicious

Not bought veggies for weeks!!

2011-09-02T11:46:00.000+01:00

Such are plot spoils recently that I've barely bought veg in the last 6 weeks - just the odd ingredient we don't grow (fresh corn on the cob) or things we've needed whilst away or for specific recipes (lemons). We've eaten well enough from what we've bought home from the plot that nothing else has been needed.

There have been courgettes, baby turnips, currants, gooseberries, raspberries, dwarf french and borlotti beans. Enough potatoes to last well in to the winter; along with garlic, shallots and onions. We've also eaten chard leaves, figs and herbs, and now carrots, peppers, chillies, and tomatoes. Cabbages are coming on nicely and we've harvested the first pumpkin. There are at least 5 more pumpkins to come and potentially our 1st ever melon, a handful of apples and one pear - well they're young trees so will need a year or two before we get loads off them.There are still more raspberries and we've put blackberries in the freezer along with soups for the winter. Left over from last year there are curry bases, some fruits, a little soup, and plenty of honey.Actually I must have a sort out of the big freezer as there might be other goodies lurking at the bottom The chickens are laying well at the moment so we've plenty of eggs for cakes and meringues to create puds.

My shopping instead has been about buying simple ingredients like chorizo or chicken, halloumi or prawns that together with harvestings equal complete meals. Its very simple eating - roasted veggies with sausages, an autumnal lasagne or a sauté of prawns, chilli and courgette to go over pasta.

Its not self sufficiency as such, but its cheap, varied, tasty, healthy and authentic.

Bank Holiday Monday

2011-08-29T19:38:00.006+01:00

We'd had a busy weekend after a busy week. Harvesting and a little plot work Saturday as you've seen, plus a lovely retirement garden party in the afternoon. Sunday we drove to the next county to see parents in the morning and once home did a few admin things, and I put together some raspberry vodka to steep for Christmas. By the time today came round we wanted to do something with just us and the boys. Bank Holidays are notorious for bad traffic and queues and having had a busy old time recently we were really keen not to join in, but to find a little peace!

We awoke to a sunny day, although the forecast was that this was the best it was going to get, and it would cloud over more in the afternoon. Going for a morning walk seemed the best use of our time and the weather. We put bags in pockets as its getting to wild fruit time and we wanted to be prepared!

Setting off to the river Thames by a different track to our more usual one we encountered few people. Just us, a few cows, birds and a distant tractor. We were right to carry a bag as blackberries were in abundance ( with plenty more on the way) so we picked and ate as we walked. There were a few early sloes and cherry plums so we gathered some of them in too. The boys found a couple of interesting feathers to bring home - red kite we think - and checked if conkers were ready yet. I noted some crab apples so that's got me thinking about making crab apple jelly. There are some trees slightly closer to home I must go and look at. Sometimes you have to remember what you have at home in terms of sugar, jars etc for processing such bounty. Its wise not to gather too much without having thought about what you're going to do with it!

There is a pretty bridge to walk over and admire the river meandering beneath (as seen in previous post) and other than a couple of boats sailing past it was very quiet. The sun was warm on our backs as we retraced our steps along the track past the old war time pill boxes and carried our foragings home in time for lunch.

This afternoon Tim has mowed the lawn and sorted all this morning's fruits in to the freezer. Traditionally you're suppose to leave sloes until the 1st frost before picking but rural folk know what to do with them, and if you left it that late in the year there would be nothing to pick! Putting them in the freezer for a week or so mimics nature and ensures a supply to add to gin to steep for Christmas.

Meanwhile, I worked on the pumpkin we harvested from the plot on Saturday. We had some of it in roasted veggies and sausages last night but there was still the bulk of it to eat. I thought sitting in the kitchen with a knife and bowl I could deal with it in one session and plan meals around how much actual pumpkin 'meat' it generated. It was too big to go in to the fridge for a start!

I started off a vat of pumpkin soup with plenty of onion and stock. Its still cooling on the side so I'll box it up shortly and get it in to the freezer. Next a bag of small cubes of pumpkin which I'm going to roast tomorrow to make an autumnal lasagne and finally a large pot of pumpkin pieces which I cooked down in to make pumpkin mash to go with tonight's supper - baked chicken breasts coated in egg and spiced breadcrumbs, cabbage and slices of fresh tomato.

Now I'm sat with a glass of red, writing these posts, having sorted out all the photos from this morning. Particularly pleased with the one at the top of this post. Cheers!

Family walk to the river - with added blackberries

2011-08-29T19:23:00.009+01:00

Now Harvesting...

2011-08-27T19:15:00.005+01:00

We dodged the showers this morning and whilst Tim mowed the paths, I watered the polytunnel and then we harvested...

Here are the photos.

First up yet more raspberries - probably got at least 4lb in the freezer now. The start of the cherry tomatoes in the polytunnel. We've had the odd one up till now (and fresh and flavourful they've been too) And the last few sweet peas - they've had a good year too.

A few more onions from a stray row and a good handful of carrots. Plenty more of them; just harvesting as we need them now.

First of the peppers and chillies in the polytunnel. They're doing so well; again its about picking as we need them now. Oh and figs from the back garden tree -that's about a dozen we've had this year before the wasps/birds find them

Another largish courgette lurks behind this photo of a bunch of sunflowers and a lone chrysanth.
And finally the first pumpkin. A fine specimen and it looks to be a good year for pumpkins.

Tim spotted the first ever melon in the polytunnel!

This is what its all about. Food for the family; true home-grown meals. We will eat well.

Oven Gloves

2011-08-26T19:03:00.004+01:00

Two pairs of oven gloves had got a bit tattered. I managed to repair the one as it just needed its binding re-attached but the other pair was really beyond repair.

So I rummaged through my fabric stash and in an afternoon made a new pair. :-)

Can sense September already...

2011-08-24T13:06:00.001+01:00

Perhaps it's just me but I can feel September in the air. Without wishing to rush the year along, there is a change of light... a slight scent.. intangible.... hard to quantify.... but if you can sense it too you'll know what I mean.

The new school year starts in 2 weeks so boys have been doing homework and next week we'll buy the new shoes ready.

Today it was Russell's turn to be King for a Day as ever we've started with a full cooked breakfast. We've just come in for lunch as we've been tidying up the front garden. Me and Lawrence pulled weeds, trimmed shrubs and roses, swept and tidied. Russell worked down the side of the house and removed a tangle of ivy creeping across the path - its quite narrow down there - plus cut up holly, an elder seedling and other weeds that had grown in the wrong place. He also filled up the pond in the back garden and sorted out the hose pipe and stored it properly.

There's a sense of tidying up ready for autumn and then winter. Gathering crops in - I spent part of yesterday making soup out of our courgettes so we have plenty in the freezer for cold weather lunches.

The nights are drawing in and there is a need for lamps on to read in the evening. We're drawing the curtains against the dark; starting to get cosy.

And yet the calender says its still August. Nature may well surprise us but I've a feeling that summer is fading and a new season is just around the corner......

Devon Holiday - wordless post

2011-08-24T12:24:00.009+01:00

South Devon Holiday

2011-08-24T11:35:00.014+01:00

We've just come back from a week in Stoke Gabriel which is half way between Totnes and Paignton in South Devon. A lovely break for all the family.

Weather was... you know... 'British' so there were only 2 days of sitting on a beach, but we packed a lot in that managed to cater to everyone's ideas of what constituted a good holiday

Our cottage was right opposite a pool that led to the creek. It was popular for crabbing and fishing which suited the boys perfectly. Tim liked to walk with binoculars; birdwatching and I could sit on the bank or in the cottage garden and read.

When the weather wasn't so nice we travelled on steam trains....

Visited the South Devon Chilli Farm - very inspiring! Lots to taste too ; we came home with sauces, chilli chocolate and of course plants and seeds!

Visited towns - here's Dartmouth.

Although my personal favourite was Totnes itself - just didn't take a camera out that day. Its narrow main street had some fascinating shops, small clothes boutiques, hand made shoe shops, vegan and wholefood shops and cafes, alternative bookshops, an independant record shop ( how rare are they?) and old fashioned department stores still in family names. Loved it.

One of the highlights of the week was a visit to the Butterfly and Otter farm at Buckfast at the end of the South Devon railway. We just loved feeding time. Here comes cute...

Perfect!

Read, and reading currently

2011-08-22T09:42:00.007+01:00

The one time when I really plough ( with joy) through a pile of books is when we're on holiday. I'll blog about our family week in Devon later as we only got back yesterday and I'm still catching up somewhat, but I thought you might like be interested in what I've been settling in a chair with.

Richard Bach - The Bridge Across Forever ( found in holiday cottage bookshelf - have read most of his books including Illusions and Jonathan Livingstone Seagull but I'd say The Bridge was by far the weakest - not a bad read but more autobiographical than spiritual so to me less thought provoking)

Meg Cabot - Boy Meets Girl (simple romantic comedy novel bought from Oxfam. Once read I added it to cottage bookcase for other holiday makers to read)

Thomas Kelly - A Testament Of Devotion ( found in cottage bookshelf - a Quaker writer and lecturer's thoughts on Christian spirituality - one quote " nothing matters: everything matters" is still making me ponder. The sort of book that each subsequent reading will pick up different insights)

David Nicholls - One Day - ( current best selling novel - very clever, funny and moving - loved it but hope the forthcoming film doesn't spoil it!)

Rosie Boycott - Spotted Pigs And Green Tomatoes - ( slightly dated but interesting account of Ms Boycotts 1st year at being a smallholder interspersed with comment and analysis of our food system, supermarkets and other eco issues. Enjoyed it but it didn't personally teach me anything I didn't already know. I didn't feel I'd read it again as it would only continue to date so have left it in the cottage bookcase for someone else to enjoy)

And today's reading will include papers , catalogues and magazines that got delivered whilst we were away, but I am hoping there will be time to start another book. It was such a lovely habit and I do on the whole read lots, but having that hour or two purely to curl up with a book is something I'm going to aim to do a bit more for the remains of the school holidays at least.

In the meantime the washing machine is on its 2nd load of the day, We've been out to collect the cats from their holiday to the cattery and I need to head out to the garden and do a bit of weeding in the rockery whilst its sunny.

Oslo - Outdoor life

2011-08-12T17:07:00.005+01:00

I think you would agree that when the British have 'nice weather' we have a tendency to sit out; don't we. We enjoy the lounging in the garden or on the beach; we relax and take it easy....

Norwegians however are much healthier than us. If its nice out then they're out. Walking, hiking, cycling, fishing, camping. Anything to be 'doing' in the great outdoors.

A mere half hour walk up from the cottage there are forests and lakes to explore. We took a bbq one night and sat with sausages, fish and beer to watch the sun go down.

Another time after a restful Sunday we walked to the lake to get some exercise and just enjoy the sunshine and warm weather. Norwegian summers are really June, July and part way in to August before the temperatures dip ( especially at night) and autumn and winter draw in.

The boys had their first ever go at fishing and loved it! Russell (2nd photo) wants a fishing rod and a licence and.. and...

So much to learn and enjoyed about our stay in Oslo. From delicious food - Russell was Mr Adventurous Eater but then reindeer is delicious ( oh and the brown cheese, the sausages, the salmon, the bakery for breakfast.....,) and Lawrence was Map Boy deftly guiding us around our independent exploration of Oslo City.

And me - Well I managed to take 2 children to Norway and back by myself. I loved the city, its culture and society. Lots of things about Norway made sense to me; I could live there; I got a sense of its ethos.

And we are very grateful to our dear friends Eline and Arve for being such generous hosts and allowing us to stay with them. We truly had an amazing time.

Thank you

Oslo, The cottages

2011-08-12T16:32:00.006+01:00

A simple gallery of cottages and gardens. A most wonderful, peaceful and natural way to live in Norway's brief summer

So pretty!

And peaceful - no cars along the little lanes and rules on use of mowers etc on a Sunday.

A simple way of living with meals outdoors, old trees with tables under them, hammocks, candles everywhere. Stunning...

I want one!

Must be ideas I can translate in to our garden and plot...

I could have spent all day just wandering around these lovely places gaining ideas and inspiration.

Oslo - Holmenkollen and other stories

2011-08-12T15:59:00.010+01:00

We thoroughly explored Oslo and its surroundings. Sometimes we were taken around by our hosts Eline and Arve and other times it was just us three learning how to navigate and enjoy a foreign country.

From the Peace Flame near the harbour ( the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo)

To the world championship Ski Jump at Holmenkollen - that was a day out! Not if you don't do heights though....

And then on up the hills above Oslo for lunch at a stunning restaurant with breathtaking views over Oslo and the Oslo Fjorden (spot the dragon again? ;-) )

To an ice bar in central Oslo! Where it was -5c and since it was a hot day out there, it was a most welcome cool down in our funny ponchos (which only came in one huge size!) with a drink in a glass made of ice!

Phew...

but there's more.........

Oslo - folk museum.

2011-08-12T15:24:00.008+01:00

We visited the open air Folk Museum in Oslo. A fascinating collection of old wooden buildings from all over Norway celebrating the country's long and often impoverished past.

I was particularly struck by the wooden Stave church. It has dragons on it!

Its completely made of wood even down to the shingles on the roof. It was built around 1200 and moved to the museum in the late 1800s. We'd never seen anything like it. There are still some around in the Norwegian countryside so if you google them you'll get more images of these impressive buildings.

Some of the old houses were open to visitors with guides in national dress - which is still an important part of Norwegian culture and its still worn on national occassions.

There were wooden storage houses of different ages.

The planting on the roof is to prevent fires from the open chimney which in some cases was little more than a hole in the roof.
There was dancing to watch too.

Solid houses built to withstand cold and long winters.

A fascinating day which gave us an insight in to the culture, craft and history of Norway

Travelling to Oslo, Norway

2011-08-12T14:32:00.007+01:00

The random thoughts went like this -

I'd had the idea that the boys should experience other countries; do some travelling.
Now that they're 12 and almost 15 it seemed a good a time as any to get started.
I'm not that well travelled myself and have always wanted to explore Europe
The 6 weeks summer holiday is such a long one
Tim doesn't get as long a holiday as we do ( pity but there it is; such is corporate life for you)
We have dear friends in Oslo who had said " you must come and visit"
We'd never been to Norway

Well that all added up to boys and me being dropped off by Tim at the coach station in Oxford 2weeks ago ready to get the airport bus. We decided to be relatively independent travellers; coach by ourselves then our flight and we also stuck to hand luggage only to practise travelling light - easy since we were only going to be away for just under a week and we knew there would be washing machines!

Eline collected us at the airport and we had our 1st look at Oslo as we drove to their house.

I have to explain that in the winter Eline and her partner Arve live in an apartment in central Oslo, but in the summer they move to a gorgeous wooden cottage set in the middle of what is effectively an allotment plot on the edge of Oslo just minutes from the countryside. I'll do a separate post of photos of these cottages as its such a glorious way to live and really get to enjoy the summer.

We had the most amazing few days in Oslo. The city was still recovering from the dreadful bomb attack and shooting but we felt very safe and I was aware of how dignified and thoughtfully Norwegians dealt with the tragedy. There were flowers everywhere.

Oslo is well served by trams, trains and buses which we soon got adept at using to visit the sights, shop and to get back to the cottage. It has a water frontage with a stunning modern Opera house, as seen above, ferries, shops and eating places.

The city is busy but there were lots of open air cafes, fountains and gardens to sit in. We visited museums and the world championship ski jump at Holmenkollen - photos for that in the next post.

What an adventure..

Ready for some more photos and thoughts on Norway??

Next post being written in 3..2..1...

beans, beans and clearing out the fridge

2011-08-12T12:35:00.006+01:00

Spent a little time up the plot this morning. Picked almost 2lb of borlotti beans and have then been in the kitchen shelling them and blanching them for the freezer.

Then I decided that there were too many oddments of veggies hanging round the fridge and kitchen so a 'use it up and start again' mood came over me. So far I've cooked up a bunch of beetroot left over from the veg box and now on the hob is a vat of vegetable soup to use up courgettes ( have to keep them down to manageable levels!) a lone but fat carrot, onions, a handful of turnips picked this morning and a broccolli that wasn't at its most pert. I'm wondering if I can bung the remains of a lettuce in there too!. It'll make a few pints for the freezer in any case which is most welcome in the winter. Tim tries to take something homemade in for work lunches and soup is ideal for that.

I have to say that the pumpkins on the plot are growing up 'mighty fine' ....

Cushions!

2011-08-08T16:09:00.007+01:00

The final part of the sitting room refurbishment! Having recovered the dining chairs I had spare fabric and decided to tie the sofa in with the rest of the room by adding some home-stitched scatter cushions.

In detail as below. The 1st one I used scraps of the dining chair fabric with triangles of coastal striped fabric from DeckChairStripes I was trying to create yacht sails!

Next one of fun patchwork using scraps of seaside images and other coastal fabrics. They've all been backed with the dining chair fabric as its designed to be hard wearing.

Then the next two use larger pieces of stripy fabric to mimic flags or just general deck chair brightness!

Finally I unearthed a length of needlepoint - completed years ago, but never made up in to a picture. I thought its scene of geese taking off from wetlands was in keeping with the theme so after (considerable) time at the iron straightening it out and blocking it, I made it in to a long bolster cushion. Its actually a good use for needlepoint - there are sometimes insufficient walls for every thing one ever makes!

I think that really is the last part of the room done. :-)

Clearing the wildflower patch

2011-08-06T11:34:00.004+01:00

The seasons seem to be moving on all too quickly. Our wildflower patch at the top of the garden had been a riot of clover, ox-eye daisies, red orache, butterflies and bees but now the rain, wind and cats have flattened it and it was all droopy and past its best.

So we set to clearing it this morning. First scything it off. Scything is such a meditative implement to use. The soft swing of the body and arms, the sharp swish through the grass and the scent of the cut foliage. Meditative.

Next raking it all off and up. The chickens found this part Extremely Interesting and were clearly hoping that something or other would catch in the wire of their run just for them.

A final pass or two with the mower to finish and the job is done. The old decorative beehive is put back in place again. This area will be regularly mowed over the autumn and then left til the spring to be a wild flower patch all over again.

Gathering harvests in

2011-08-03T08:56:00.004+01:00

The summer is moving along at a very fast pace here. Its been so dry that the lawn is looking more brown than green! There are occasional downpours of heavy rain and thunder but the ground is so hard there is the risk of it just bouncing off and not getting down to the roots.

We spotted a hint of blight about the potato plants on the allotment so Tim spent a day getting them out quickly before the spores had chance to damage the crop completely. There were 2 wheelbarrow loads as pictured above in the end and they've all been bagged up in to feed sacks and put in the garage ready for eating now and in to the winter.

As you can see the pumpkins are loving the weather and we are enjoying (for the moment!) our glut of courgettes!

Root & Branch

2011-07-15T17:52:00.006+01:00

If one ever tossed out in to the universe the idea that they'd like to do something useful ( for the common good and all) which used all the skills they'd so far amassed.... that used their natural enthusiasm to inspire and motivate based on the things they do in their daily life.

Would be wonderful wouldn't it?

They offer therapeutic gardening and rural crafts to folk with mental health problems. Its set on a farm with far reaching views to the countryside. There is a large garden with flowers, veggies, a polytunnel, and bee hives (no bees currently but there are plans.... ) There is a kitchen for encouraging healthy eating and a large craft room with paints, paper, fabric, etc. There is also a woodworking shop and blacksmith's forge.

I started there last week. As a volunteer I'm there as part of a team who motivate, encourage, befriend and gently lead clients ( who are known as gardeners) in gardening, crafts, exercise; building self esteem, and learning new skills along the way.

Its just a lovely place to be. Challenging as I know little about mental health issues so much to learn on that front. There is plenty to do. On my 1st day we harvested veggies and a fresh soup and salad was prepared for lunch. We walked after lunch and then settled down to a glass painting workshop for the rest of the afternoon.

It couldn't be more ME :-)

Moving On

2011-07-11T19:47:00.005+01:00

After 4 years last Friday I said goodbye to the little Oxfam bookshop I'd volunteered at. I've absolutely loved it. The people I've worked with are funny, smart, inspiring and always interesting. I've bought some fascinating books - well you would wouldn't you?

I've learnt new skills; not just the tangible like how to work the till and sort out books, but the confidence that comes from work in general. The latter especially noted since I've not done any paid work outside the home for at least 8 years. And of course confidence in a work situation goes; its bound to. I couldn't imagine coming up with a CV let alone applying for a paid post or attending an interview. Now I've 4 years of working experience and I've enjoyed every minute of it.

But sometimes there's a sense that your time in one place is done. Not because it's become an unhappy work place - far from it - but because one needs a new challenge. So time to move on...

(see next post for details..;-) )

This weeks noms*

2011-07-11T12:05:00.003+01:00

Just got back from a hot morning up the plot. I've dug potatoes, hoed raised beds, watered the polytunnel and harvested.

As you can see from that jolly basket there are a good number of potatoes, turnips, 3 courgettes (and I could see many more to come) and a small initial bunch of fingerling carrots. I spotted that someone had had an exploratory scrabble by the carrots; rabbit probably, so I've netted the row and just pulled up the ones that had been disturbed.

I've also got for this week a handful of shallots which are rather small as someone had nibbled the tops off the plants and they'd not really thrived but since they were dying off I thought they might as well come home and be popped whole in to something or other.

There are also yet more sweet peas for the table. I am looking at when to pick the lavender which is abundant, but since its full of butterflies and bees I'll leave it for a bit longer I think.

I'm now sat in the shade in the garden to write this - having a break from the sun for a bit.

*Noms = eats/food/etc

An Afternoon At The River - Wordless Post

2011-07-02T22:27:00.006+01:00

Enough for a few suppers

2011-07-02T13:59:00.003+01:00

And desserts and even something to grace the table I serve it on.

A productive couple of hours on the allotment this morning. Quite hot up there, but we mowed the paths, hoed the raised beds and bays, watered the poly tunnel and harvested.

From the top of the photo and going in a clockwise direction we have a lovely bunch of sweet peas - one of my best years for them I think. Plus a few sweet williams, a singular alstromeria ( thought they died in the hard winter) and a small posy of old fashioned pinks ( thought they'd disappeared as well )

Next up the 1st courgette. And there will be more. Many more. As well as the first few diggings of potatoes. I've since weighed them and its around 3lb of nice clean spuds off 4 plants so an excellent ratio so far.

Then there is yet another good sized box of raspberries and I made meringues in the week so that equals pud then. I got given a tayberry plant some while ago and its settled in nicely. It had literally a handful of berries on it, so that made a worker's snack whilst we were up there - they're not in the photo; I'm just mentioning them....

Moving up there is a good bunch of turnips. There are more to come; I just pick the largest to give the smaller ones more room. Carrots aren't quite ready but I accidentally pulled up a tiny one when hoeing today and we ate that too!

Finally in that picture is our garlic harvest. Not the biggest bulbs I've seen but edible all the same. Could have been the very cold weather and or the lack of rain this spring and summer so far. No idea but the tops were dying off so they did need to be dug up.

Coming home with plenty to eat and enjoy makes all the hot hard work worthwhile.

Hot days

2011-06-27T10:15:00.008+01:00

Hot this morning and with a plumber due at 9.30am to finish off the en-suite I whizzed up the plot once everyone had left for work and school and was out in the fresh air by 8.15am.

A quick water of the polytunnel and on to picking. Its suppose to rain this afternoon but polytunnels don't benefit so I gave it a good soaking this morning instead. The chilli and tomato plants look just great in there although I think the hot weather hasn't suited the last of the salad leaves and in spite of a thorough watering think we've probably had the best of them for now.

The lavender looks just lovely at the moment and its full of bees and butterflies. I'll pick it over the next few weeks and dry it.

That's about the 3rd big box of raspberries we've had. I remembered to weigh this box and its just over a pound. I've put most of them in the freezer but have a pud in mind for these tonight.

Meanwhile we've also been picking lots of other fruit. Gooseberries have been good this year and there are now about 2lb in the freezer.
I've also got a nice box of mixed currants in the freezer, red, white and a few blackcurrants. The latter didn't seem to have done so well this year, but perhaps they go in sequence as there were very few red currants last year.

The sweet peas are just abundant - have picked and picked so that their heady scent is throughout the house.
So its hot today. I've tried to get on with the jobs here that make me hot so back down from the plot I've ironed, changed beds, wiped over kitchen and bathrooms. Now on to some cooler sewing after I've finished this post.

Rockery Project Complete

2011-06-25T16:56:00.008+01:00

Yet another part of the back garden renovated. The rockery has been a bane for many years and we've tried valiantly to work round and with the existing plants, but as with so many things sometimes the only way to really sort it out, is dig it out and start again.

I found an old picture of it from last year

The bamboo planted by the previous owner had become very invasive - it sends roots along the ground for yards and yards and it shoots up all along these lengths so it was threatening to take over the area and beyond, unless we did something about it. Suffice it to say I'm not a fan of bamboo. That's 2 different ones we've had to battle with in this garden. In both cases they've ended up being completely removed as they're just not controllable or confinable.

So Tim and I dug hard today; cleared that bamboo, other weeds and old plants and revealed the rocks in their entirety. I'm not sure if rockeries are in fashion still, but ours makes a good feature of a change of level and is a contrast to the mini wall, simple grass and maple tree on the other side of the steps. I want to create a soft bank of low growing flowering plants amongst the rocks.

An offer in a Sunday paper delivered 30 mini ground covering plants that we've popped all over the rockery and I've added a few annuals for this year whilst things settle in and begin to grow.

Can't decide whether to add gravel or bark to mulch it or leave it as it is. Actually a few years ago we tried a layer of gravel but it seemed to introduce a lot of grassy weeds in to the area which added to the work so it probably won't be gravel again..

Max approves it seems - perhaps he could have made the tired gardeners a cup of tea then...

Re-covering dining chairs

2011-06-25T10:09:00.009+01:00

I'm not an upholsterer but I've recovered chairs before and its an economical and simple way to combine old but good furniture with new decor.

Below the 'before' picture...

We got these old dining chairs basically from a skip or at least that's where they were heading.. Not in bad nick over all and a complete set of 6. Having had the sitting room colours changed to tones of teal and pale blue, their original dark olive upholstery was really wrong. I spent a few weeks sourcing the right fabric to cover them and this week the material and braid arrived and I was able to get on with the project.

Armed with staple and glue guns it took a couple of days to transform the chairs to this

Close up of the braid used. Its glued on and hides the staples that fix the fabric to the backs. I copied the original upholsterer in this.

3 done! And you can see the finished set at the top of this post.

A wholly satisfying project; not difficult as long as you take your time and have a good glue gun. I think in all it cost around £80 for material, braid and staples etc. Excellent value as a 'new' set of dining chairs. Really pleased with them :-)

Today's Posy

2011-06-14T10:19:00.001+01:00

To show that even the wildflower patch can deliver a pretty vase full.

Today's Posies

2011-05-31T18:01:00.005+01:00

An abundance of flowers! I had a lovely choice as I walked around the garden with the scissors. So I settled on fragrant roses.

For the kitchen windowsill to scent the washer-upper a little posy of apricot shaded roses. There are three varieties here - although the only one I can name is Buff Beauty which is at the front left.

Below is a close up of Buff Beauty which has tangled itself up in to next doors holly tree in a rather pleasing way. Don't think they mind. Its a rather heavy bloom for its stems and doesn't last long in water but has such a lovely colour and scent I can't help but cut some.

This rose below is in the back garden. Slightly better quality rose than the previous one as it has stronger stems and doesn't flop so much and its growth is more measured. Don't remember its name though; and I've just gone for a further look at the plant to see if the label is still attached and it isn't. Sorry.

In the sitting room a bowl of Wedding Day. This is a rambler ( I think) and only flowers once but the tiny buds are so pretty and it has a heady scent that even if I'm not that sure how long they'll last once picked I couldn't resist a tangly mass of them for the dinning table. As it is a vigorous rose these were heads of flowers that were in the way in any case. Much better to enjoy them than just consign them to the compost bin.

Tiny buds no bigger than a finger nail but perfectly formed in a cheery egg yellow that fades to white as the flower ages.

2 more raised beds built this morning

2011-05-28T12:23:00.003+01:00

Russell and I got the wood for more raised beds this morning. It was then all hands to get them put together. We use cheap decking boards and short stakes. They get screwed together, positioned, dug and pushed in and then filled with compost. Which I never manage to buy enough of at the 1st attempt, so a further trip to the DIY store will be needed before we can plant them up. This is fine though as we don't need them right this minute for planting. There are tomatoes, chillies and climbing beans in greenhouse or cold frame that are about a week or two away from being planted out. There was no rush to build these next beds as such, but its nice to be ahead so that as soon as plants are ready we've their new homes all set up.

Its trying to rain out there so its an afternoon for the papers and putting feet up I think. There's chicken fajitas for supper.

Moving the allotment onwards

2011-05-24T13:56:00.006+01:00

As garden programme presenters are oft to tell you gardens need to evolve. Areas need to be revamped or redone entirely. I'm sure the same is true of allotments. Even if you've a traditional plot with rows of neat veggies across the width there will still be times when the fruit bushes have given of their best and need replacing, or the strawberry patch needs to be resited.

So it is with our plot. I've got on my list for this year some areas which after 8-9 years of ownership could do with renewing.

I've not photographed all that needs doing - I did say I don't usually take photos of the weedy bits - but I'll try and explain my plans. You have to remember that our plot is some 180ft long by approx 25ft wide so we've plenty of scope for renewal and change, but that time and other demands does mean that its never going to be pristine - we have a life beyond the plot.

Nearest the shed at the start end of the allotment is a fruit area. The rhubarb is abundant and the lavender hedge just perfect, but in between them are currant bushes and gooseberries. At least one of the gooseberries looks a bit sickly and I think on reflection I should have planted all these fruit bushes at slightly greater distances. Some autumn raspberries have suckered everywhere and its weedy and untidy. It needs a grand clearout. I've another area by the fruit trees, beyond the poly tunnel, right at the other end of the plot which might well suit currants and gooseberries better, so come the autumn I'm planning to buy fresh plants and start again. Removing the old plants will probably mean that I'll let the autumn raspberries have their way and colonise (within reason) the original area. I love raspberries and as they're expensive to buy, giving them more room won't be a hardship.

Next to that area is a narrow bay of strawberries. We set it out in 2006 and have had amazing crops off it. But its got very weedy and strawberries need moving on to fresh ground periodically, so I'm aiming to clear the area, once they've fruited this year, and create a new easier to manage strawberry bed in one of the raised beds further up the plot. This old strawberry bed can then be rotavated and cleared and used as part of the general rotation of bays for larger crops like beans or squashes or similar.

The other area that needs a revamp is the old cutting garden, as pictured above - the only weedy photo you'll ever likely to see ;-) I've standards to maintain! The roses -just out of view to the left of the shot - are just glorious and there are a few self seeded sweet williams and a small lavender hedge. But. The path I created has got weedy through the gravel and membrane, and the dahlias that have always survived winters were very poor after the last severe one. I've even less hope of a show after this winter just gone. I intend to leave the roses alone and hopefully create a small area by them for a bench or a chair to rest weary bones on. The views are lovely up there. Clearing the rest of the patch from the path onwards, will leave room for 2 more raised beds to join the existing ones, bringing the total up to 8.

Raised beds for certain crops has been a huge success for us. On a psychological note they're easy to maintain. Telling myself I've just got one to dig or hoe is better than a 20ft row or two to deal with. Manageable chunks of work. Equally manageable chunks of produce too - a short row of turnips is better for the house than a great 20ft long row. So creating more of them will work well within the plot as a whole, giving us a succession and variety in what we harvest and therefore eat.

Lots to do and I'm thankful that the weather has enabled us to make a start on all these plans as well as the general work that's involved with an allotment. I've no idea if I'll get it all done this year or whether some things will end up being next year's projects, but I'm keen to move our plot onwards to get the best out of the land.

Another busy morning up the plot

2011-05-24T13:27:00.004+01:00

Whilst the weather lets me I might as well work up the plot. With a thermos of coffee I was up there by 9am this morning. A bit of a cool air to begin with but sunshines and a willing spirit are a good start to any outdoor project.

First I hoed the potato bay, re-earthing up as I went along the rows. It got me warmed up too.

It had been very windy yesterday but the poly tunnel was upright and undamaged, and I gave everything a quick water in there, also stopping to give a drink to the courgettes and squash plants that Tim had planted in their bay at the weekend. It feels quite a desiccating wind really, and there's been little rain these last few weeks.

I checked on the beans we'd set out on Saturday and they looked fine. I think the wind had ripped a leaf off here and there, but they'll recover. I'd lost a small branch off one of my roses which I think was caused by the same; ah well.

I then worked in a new area - we've got the use of a couple of raised beds in a neighbouring plot and I'm setting them out as a new cutting garden. I've already put in sweet pea wigwams and sunflower seeds and this morning I dug over the next bed and set it out.

There are now chrysanthemum plants, gladioli bulbs and seeds of the likes of candy tuft, poppies and strawflowers. Its not a huge area but it just needs a little TLC to get it looking up together.

That seemed like enough work for the morning! I'd been up there 2 hours after all. To finish I thinned the turnip row and have a few baby turnips to add to supper and there were plenty of flowers to pick too so another posy for the house.

Time to head for home after all that.

Blooming and Blossoming

2011-05-23T14:56:00.003+01:00

Its been so dry and sunny we've really been able to get on with the plot and its just blooming right now.

Everything we've sown and planted in the polytunnel has come up and settled in nicely. We try and keep on top of the watering but so far plants are quite happy. There are tomatoes, chillies and mixed salad crops in there but space for more as plants become ready.

Row of italian salad leaves

Outside its looking just as good - well mainly. I try not to photograph the weedy bits...

Lavender is coming on and starting to form buds. I'll dry it like I did last year.

One of the rose bushes in the old cutting garden is bent down with the weight of gorgeous blooms - I had to pick some for the house!

And in one corner by the compost bin we discovered Mrs Partridge - quietly sat on her nest. We backed away carefully and I'll leave any compost turnings til later... ssh...
As to the rest of it? Well the spuds are up and look great - no gaps in the rows. Tim planted out the first of the pumpkin, squash and courgette plants in their chosen bay on Saturday whilst I tied in sweetpeas in the new cutting garden and hoed the onions and carrots in the raised beds. We dug over the last of the raised beds and planted out a little regiment of dwarf french bean plants. That's the 4 raised beds all planted up. We've strimmed and scythed paths and part of the old cutting garden ready to clear it properly so that we can fit in probably another 4 raised beds.

I picked roses, mixed salad leaves and purple sprouting. Something's nibbled the broad beans (and they were coming on SO well ) so I've netted them and hope for a 2nd flush of pods. There was rhubarb and a lone iris flower which were available, but not required by the house this week.

Could do with some rain though... just saying

Thinking about #less365

2011-05-17T16:28:00.004+01:00

I'm still lessening possessions - beginning details here if you're a new reader . We had a huge declutter of the sitting room as you've seen and I've also steadily been sorting through the garage and bathrooms when I get 5mins.

Although the original pledge was to get rid of 1 thing every day for a year I'd say for me its evolved differently. I may not physically chuck something everyday, in part as life gets in the way - and I'm not going to count every daily visit to the recycling bin as my 'one thing' as that would be silly and I think the idea, as I see it, is about getting rid of extra things, not the everyday rubbish. But its true to say that every couple of days I'll think of an area of my life or the house and have a look through it - today I checked through the fridge and dumped excess old sauce bottles and jam jars with the barest of scrapes in them. No point keeping them. Its probably at least 4 things I've chucked out today.

Whilst I've not kept a tally as such, I'm sure I've got rid of more things than we've had days in the year so far.

For me the most important aspect of this whole experiment, is that its altering my thinking. This is more than about removing one item from the house on a daily basis. For example I find myself pledged to reduce my toiletry/cosmetic usage. Apart from a big chuck out months ago, I seem to be using up the remainder in a more systematic way and not replacing things. Its a more gradual form of lessening possessions and its not wasteful. I've found that this sort of gradual reduction seems more sustainable. I have had time to get use to less products and am less tempted to shop again.

I'm much more mindful of the books I buy, and working in a bookshop is a huge temptation as you can imagine. I'm more likely now to view novels, in particular, as one would a sort of magazine - read once and then recycle ( back to the bookshop actually so it benefits Oxfam twice!)

Equally with clothes I'm trying to make sure that as I buy new items - and I'm not a great shopper but on occasion, you know... - then at least the same amount goes back out in a charity bag so that I don't end up with more than I started with. The net result numbers wise should be at least the same if not less, if that makes sense.

That's a long winded way of illustrating that de-cluttering or minimalism or eco or charity benefit or whatever reason one might have for thinking about and rationalising all that we own, one has to be mindful about not putting out of one door, to be buying and collecting again back through the other. Reducing really does mean that; lessening isn't about an excuse to buy more. Its a lesson I'm still learning and I still get tempted and spend money ( of course I do - its hard to resist sometimes, isn't it?) but hopefully its more mindfully and with greater awareness of what I already have, what I truly need, and what I really don't.

I shall continue to reduce the equivalent of one item a day for each day of this year, but its only May and already I can see how much its making me stop and think. Hope these updates, as I work through this challenge, are of interest and are inspiring you to have a go too.

Putting the house back together

2011-05-09T10:24:00.004+01:00

The newly decorated sitting room is now so CALM. The job was done by Friday and we spent a fair bit of Saturday putting furniture, technology and books back. I was keen that we didn't just shove everything where it was previously but stopped to think about whether we really needed it and whether it added to the room or not. All books were sorted carefully before being put back on shelves. We have a lot of books, but some you take for granted and actually on reflection are dated or no longer represent views or interests. At least another 2 carrier bags destined for Oxfam then.

We've put the tv on the other side of the fireplace and have moved a rocking chair in to a peaceful corner for reading. I went through all ornaments and only put back those that really went with the decoration and even then have kept it minimalist and uncluttered

I've ordered new lighter curtains ( should arrive today) and a small lamp table which will house the CDs/DVDs will come next week to replace both an open media storage unit which just collected dust and a badly marked old table. I've binned a magazine rack and banned myself from keeping a tottering pile of books from the side of my chair to make the floor clearer. I found a nice basket instead which I can keep one or two current books and magazines in but it prevents me from building up silly heaps of things.

We bought new photo frames and created photo areas on the bookcases rather than pots of pens and piles of post. We've ordered metal wall art for one wall and today I've got to arrange for a photo Tim took to be converted in to a picture for another wall. Lovely isn't it?

The last job I've got to do is to recover the dining chairs with a toning fabric - will need careful measuring, staple gun and glue gun.

We'd set ourselves a budget for house renovation projects this year and our aim is to complete this room even down to the decorative details. I did at first want to do bits in lots of room but can now see the wisdom in getting one room done properly.

Baking and Gardening

2011-05-04T13:27:00.008+01:00

Monday now seems to be my baking day. With hungry children the biscuit tin is often decimated over the weekend and the last slice of cake devoured. This bank holiday Monday morning, just past, I had help from my youngest. We made chocolate biscuits and then a lemon drizzle cake.

Meanwhile Tim went out to purchase gravel and grow bags. The growbags have been piled into the polytunnel and the gravel was needed to finish off the bin storage area we've been creating as mentioned in a previous post. Once cakes were in the oven I went out to help Tim with the gravel levelling. With the bins now in their new home the area is a working one, but its smart and functional. We just have to remember to turn left out of the front door to take rubbish and recycling out now.

At the same time my eldest was starting to clear our sitting room; taking down curtains and pictures. Its been decorated this week so I'm curled up in a corner of our workroom to write this. I am completely surrounded by books , art and ornaments as we really had to move everything out of there. Its only when you have to find a temporary and alternative home for belongings that you realise how much stuff you have in the average sitting room - and we love books so that makes it even worse! In the course of doing #less365 we've had a sort out as we've gone along and another 3 great carriers of books are awaiting the journey to Oxfam.

Today everyone is back at school and work and its just me and the decorators. In an effort to keep out of their way I've been to the allotment. Tim had already popped some chillies in the polytunnel along with the 1st tomato plant. I added some salad seeds and a few little beetroot plants this morning.

Outside things are coming on nicely in the raised beds. I changed the covering on the purple sprouting for a large net tunnel now they're too big for the fleece tunnel. I used that to cover some salad leaves that are an early crop we've started to eat from.

And look at the broad beans! Lovely plants with pods forming - just waiting for them to fill out to give us our 1st crop of beans this year.

Now I'm sat typing this up. I did want to start to sew a dress this week but I'm short of space up here and without a sitting room floor to cut it out on I'm going to have to leave it until the room is restored. I've got some embroidery I can do which doesn't demand much space so I'll settle down with that instead. But first a cup of tea...

The garden now - wordless post

2011-04-27T20:32:00.003+01:00

Back To Normal

2011-04-27T17:30:00.005+01:00

Much as we had a great 2 weeks school holiday and a really lovely Easter there was a part of me that looked forward to the door slamming on Tuesday morning and everyone going back to school and work.

Peace and quiet and space to get on with stuff of my own. The weather has remained sunny although not as warm as the weekend but its dry which is the main thing. Or actually in some ways it isn't as there's lots of watering to do.

Tim has tomorrow off as its our Wedding Anniversary and we're off out to lunch so with only 2 days I really needed to get on with it!

Monday I'd sat and written a huge To Do list not just for these 2 days but pretty much for the summer really. Some are fond aims of areas of the plot and garden that want renovating or renewing or sewing or baking projects and I shan't be too hard on myself if for one reason or another they don't get done. But aims and projects are a good thing and its the way I work. I need something to get stuck in to!

So this list...

I'd got a head start on it on Monday and planted all the onions and shallots out on the plot. Didn't realise there were 7 trays of them. But now 3 of our raised beds are full. As well as the onions there is already garlic, purple sprouting broccoli, carrots, turnips, chard, broad beans, and cabbages. Oh and a few early salad leaves.

Yesterday morning I got on with the laundry, sorted papers, bills, emails and other administriva, posted letters and baked biscuits for the tin. That crossed off another 6 or so things.

In the afternoon I worked in the garden. We've a climbing rose, Wedding Day which needed a good prune. I'm trying to persuade it to grow along the fence and not just up in great arching stems which catch the unwary and their hair as they walk past it. It was quite a tangle underneath. I'd left it late as during the winter I'd worked out that the mat of branches and twigs was home and shelter to little sparrows and other birds so with the extreme cold we had in December I thought the birds had greater need than I for it. But yesterday I sorted it out and tied in the longer stems along the fence. They need to fill out but hopefully it was a useful learning curve for the plant.

Next one of those little but useful jobs that makes the garden look so much better. Under our maple tree there had grown a lovely patch of grape hyacinths and the odd snowdrop but their flowers were spent and the foliage flopping and yellow so I trimmed it with shears so that next time it can be mowed. I also snipped those awkward bits around the washing line that no mower can quite get.

I wanted to work further in the garden - there's a fig tree to prune and I can spot some goose grass in one of the borders but it'll have to wait until later in the week as the council garden waste bin is full as is our compost bin. Council bin emptied tomorrow so I shall soon be back on the job.

Me and the boys cleared some old shrubs from a bit of the front garden last week. I wanted somewhere better for the various bins we now have from the council and under the kitchen windowsill is no longer the place. Got to work out what to put as a surface though. Measured it yesterday and you know its an odd size for paving slabs. Gravel is a possibility but that might be awkward to wheel a heavy bin on to. I spent some time musing over a cup of tea and looking at DIY sites. None the wiser currently but it'll come to me.

It was tea time by then - what did we have, now? Oh, some veggie burgers from Abel and Cole along with mashed potato, broccoli, courgettes and peas. Boys seem to have Easter Eggs as a default pud these days.

Today I've been to the Oxfam bookshop. Not normally my day but what with Easter and the school holidays I've not been for a couple of weeks so said I'd pop in and do my shelves to catch up. Not many gardening books donated but what we had was of nice quality. I also look after the humour section which always seems to end up with things that don't readily fit in to other categories like those little 'gift books' that garden centres seem to sell. Books on games like chess and poker also end up on the same shelf. I've no idea why.

I also cleared the back of my car of the boys' ex belongings that we sorted out last week by delivering them to the charity shops.

Then did some food shopping for the weekend since its the Royal Wedding on Friday. Quite tricky to work out what we might want but I tried to get a variety of ingredients for fair weather or not.

And that sort of gets us to here really. Well via a little reading this afternoon - a girl's got to have some time off ;-) I've a photo to take for this post and supper to make - leek risotto I think. Will stir some purple sprouting broccoli in towards the end and a few dabs of goats cheese.

Poly Tunnel Project

2011-04-25T16:43:00.005+01:00

Our Easter Project was to put up a poly tunnel on the allotment. We've hankered after one of our own for awhile now having looked after one on a neighbouring allotment a few years ago. They are normally quite expensive going up in to 100's of pounds but in recent years a newer lighter weight version has come on to the market which is more like a grand mini greenhouse. They may not last in the same way as a big old poly tunnel but at a third of the price and with spare covers readily avaliable at half that again, we thought it well worth an experiment. We've noticed more and more appearing on our allotment site alone so they're obviously something a lot of people are trying out.

Tim cleared and levelled the site on a previous plot visit - there was an awful lot of comfrey in the way - so that we could just concentrate on the actual assembly today.

You can see the frame above; all ready for the cover.

Putting the cover on and there was an immediate sense of heat in there. It'll be perfect for chillies, tomatoes etc. Tim remembered he had some melon seeds so he's just sown a couple of them in the greenhouse back home.

For the 1st year we thought we'd put grow bags in it and then once they're spent they'll get used as bed dressings for future years. I guess its size is about 6m x 3m so we can get quite a few grow bags down each side.

That wasn't the only thing we worked on whilst up the allotment. I mowed the paths and we planted out chard, onions and shallots. There's not been much rain recently so we spent some time watering everything especially as the broad beans have tiny beans forming.

Harvesting wise I picked rhubarb, rosemary and sage for our Easter Sunday Lunch yesterday, and today we came home with the 1st purple sprouting broccoli and a few early salad leaves.

I wrote this in the garden. WiFi worked perfectly from the arbour ;-)

Quick tomato tart - recipe

2011-04-21T07:22:00.005+01:00

Such lovely weather deserves simple tasty fresh food. Here's a tomato tart recipe that's so simple but looks good enough for a fancy lunch but quick enough for a family supper

Preheat the oven to Gas 6 or 200c fan or equivalent.

Take a sheet of ready rolled puff pastry and lay it out on a baking sheet. I lined the baking sheet with parchment to make it easier to pull the tart off to serve.

Gently score a border all the way round about 2cm in from the edge. Spread the inner area thinly with pesto. Take about 4 or 5 medium tomatoes and slice them. Discard the very ends and dab the tomato slices on kitchen paper to remove excess moisture ( stops pastry getting soggy) Then arrange in rows on the tart. You may need more or less tomatoes depending on size and how you arrange them.

Drizzle with a little olive oil ( you could add a little torn basil or other herbs at this stage) and season.

Pop in oven and bake for 20-25 mins until golden and puffed up.

Cut in to slices to serve. This would eat good hot or cold.

We ate this with mini jacket potatoes, a side of hot, roasted beetroot wedges and a green salad.

You could vary this by using cherry tomatoes on or off the vine and for a dinner party starter you could cut the pastry in to circles or squares to make individual tarts. I've also seen variations of this recipe with dabs of goats cheese added before baking so you could really experiment with this one (tapenade instead of pesto?)

Busy busy

2011-04-19T07:49:00.007+01:00

Its not yet 8am and the house is quiet. Tim left for work an hour ago and the boys are still asleep as its school holidays. My first cup of tea didn't touch the sides so I've got a second one as I put a load of washing on. Now sat at computer I thought it as good a time as any to write a blog post.

Busy busy day yesterday. I regularly encourage my boys to clear out their rooms and so that's what we did. They have a playroom (of sorts - eldest is 14 so its morphing in to a sitting room for them with tv, a sofa and music) which we did first. A large bag of books were packed up for charity along with 3 bags of recycling and a general bag of rubbish. We moved all the furniture and vaccumed behind. We polished desks and window sills and put videos back in boxes. We reorganised the furniture and plumped up cushions. It looks brilliant and they're very pleased with it.

After lunch we started on the bedroom they share. This room is a quiet place of beds, desks and clothes storage but it was untidy! We sorted through clothes, tossing out the unfitting or past it. My car is now full of bags for Oxfam etc. Then they worked on the real black hole of under the beds before tidying desks and the floor.

All good #less365 projects

At that point I felt I could leave them to it and I set to work in the kitchen to bake. A loaf of bread in first ( I've been asked to review a bread baking book - will do a full report when I've tried out more recipes but here's a sneak preview of what I'm experimenting with - Five Minute Bread ) then chocolate cookies for the biscuit tin and a large marmalade fruit cake. By then it was time to cook supper so the oven had a quick pork casserole put in it as the bread came out! Busy busy...

The day ended with Tim and I sat with books and slices of still warm fruit cake. Perfect.

New Herb Bed

2011-04-16T15:39:00.004+01:00

I mentioned in the week that we were going back to Haynes as I'd spotted something suitable for a herb bed. We went via the local tip actually as part of #less365 to dispose of assorted rubbish and old dustbins now the council have provided us with wheelie bins. I'm starting on the garage now, you see.

This fine galvanised copy of an old tin bath is perfect for herb growing. We have this odd bit of garden between greenhouse and shed where it fits perfectly - its otherwise wasted space. It rests on some old ballot boxes which also came from Haynes on an earlier trip ( we knew they'd come in handy for something) . I've sown coriander, marjoram and 2 sorts of basil. I also had some seedling spring onions and baby lettuces that I thought might as well go in there too for the time being. I'll buy a few herb plants at a later stage - thyme and chives for instance and I've got parsley seeds soaking in the kitchen to sow tomorrow.

That was this mornings work. After lunch we popped up to the plot and have measured out and nearly cleared a space for a polytunnel! Its been delivered and will be the Easter Project this year.

King for a Day

2011-04-13T17:31:00.004+01:00

Its the Easter school holidays. A feature I've introduced in to our time together is entitled King for a Day. Each boy has a chance to design a complete day, including eats. Whatever he comes up with (within reason - mindful of cost!) we do.

I've been amazed and delighted with what they've come up with. Last time it was eldest's day he got us to start off with a full cooked breakfast and then we tackled the trimming of the large weeping willow in our garden. A great practical day with a real sense of achievement at the end of it.

Youngest's choice last time was to walk to the next village, about a mile away where the shops are ( no shops in this village, remember) and buy picnic things. Once back home we put together said picnic and drove to his favourite stately home of Blenheim Palace for another walk in the grounds and then our picnic lunch. A good healthy and active choice and since we have season tickets to the palace an economical day out too

So today was eldest's turn again. A cooked breakfast started the day again (think I've mentioned he's always hungry) and then we set off to Haynes of Challow, Oxon. This is a practical boy's heaven. Part junkyard, part salvage tip, part house clearance, part hardware and garden sundries yard. Absolutely fascinating. My treadle sewing machine came from there so I always enjoy a wander through the sheds and barns. No point googling it by the way other than its full address and phone number in the business directories -it doesn't have a website. He had a project in mind! Actually it is the sort of place to remain openminded as you think about projects. Sometimes other bits and pieces will inspire you to tackle it another way.

We wanted to sort out the chicken's run entrance. The existing set-up was a half bit of fencing panel with a wide strip of netting secured between two posts across the top. To get in to the run, the fence is moved to one side and you duck under. It use to catch on jumpers and hair - most annoying and in general was pesty especially in the dark or poor weather. A proper gate was needed!

We bought a pretty curve topped piece of trellis, and fixings, then came home and set to work. Eldest screwed the trellis to the top of the half panel and then we created hinges to fix it to the upright posts. The strip of netting was removed and tidied away. This gate even has a proper handle now. We checked for escape points and spent some time stapling netting to any gaps spotted. The chickens obviously 'helped' pecking shoes and examining work in progress and in particular they showed us where they might like to squeeze through - soon secured and we didn't lose anyone. Here's the finished result. We're really pleased with it and we finished just as it started to rain.

We stopped in time for a pot of tea which youngest made for us - he'd been runner for our project all afternoon but was happy to go and put the kettle on. We'd netted another item at Haynes this morning(which wasn't on the list but we couldn't resist) a metal folding tea trolley! A bargain at £8. Youngest washed it and applied WD4 to its hinges and castors and it was perfect for setting tea on.

Next week it'll be youngest's turn to be King for a Day again - he wants us to go play crazy golf in a local park and then go out to lunch. Sounds a great day out!

In the meantime will be popping back to Haynes at the weekend - spotted just the thing for making a herb trough...

Jewels of the Garden - wordless post

2011-04-12T13:16:00.006+01:00

Catching up - because sometimes I'm too busy to blog

2011-04-11T13:37:00.007+01:00

If you're a blogger (writer?) there seems to be this compunction to blog about everything. Its not possible. Enjoying a day, an event or an outing doesn't have to equal photos and a write up. I blog as much as I'm able but there are times when I'd rather do it than talk about it!

Yesterday was a case in point. Yet another lovely sunny day and we were off up the plot as a family to get the potatoes in. The boys aren't that enamoured with gardening but many hands and all.... so we were keen to do this quickly before enthusiasm waned. Tim rotavated the potato area to get rid of annual weeds whilst I spent a little time putting up 2 sweet pea wigwams in our newly borrowed bit of neighbouring plot that is destined to be a cutting garden.

Then once the bay was cleared it was all hands. Tim rotavated a line and then dug it deeper. Eldest applied pelleted chicken manure. Youngest and me rubbed off excess potato shoots and placed them in the ground and then on to the next row. Once all in and canes placed to mark the rows we cover the potatoes up creating ridges as we go. Job done!

Tim then rotavated over spare bits of the plot to keep them neat. They'll be used later in the year for pumpkins and squashes and all the beans we like to grow. Eldest was charged with digging under the jerusalem artichokes to see how they were doing. Plenty to eat so a bag of them have come home. He also picked rhubarb which I needed for pudding. Youngest and I weeded around the broad beans and purple sprouting and then whilst the others packed up we stayed on to make a netted cover for a small row of cabbages.

A great mornings work -but did I remember to take any photos to record it? Nope... And sometimes a row of earthed up plot with nothing shooting up doesn't really explain things anyways does it?

I could have walked back up the plot with a camera, but after such a busy morning the back garden, my chair and the papers seemed a much nicer idea. And then there was cooking

Today isn't a photographic day either. The boys have 2 weeks off for Easter and today we tackled the front garden. Weeds pulled from under shrubs and a lilac hedge trimmed - eldest does like chopping things down so that's suited him and youngest quite likes wielding the large broom to help clear up all prunings. But its a shrubbery - it doesn't take that good a pic as the roses aren't in bud yet and the broom has yet to come out. You'll have to trust me that it looks neat and tidy ;-) We have ideas for rejuvenating the area and finding somewhere better to store all the bins the council have provided us with now ( rather than under the kitchen window as currently)

This afternoon whilst its looked like rain, boys retired to their screens. I stayed outside and worked on the wildflower patch (link shows how it looked last summer) Some thistles and the odd nettle had crept in so I dug them out. I then raked the thatch out of it and repaired obvious holes and divots with a little compost. I then sprinkled a mix of seeds over the bare bits. A pack of free wild flower seeds from the library, some proper pictorial meadow seed mix, ox-eye daisies, teasels, and honesty were all added to soil. I've watered it although the sky has now really darkened so hopefully we'll get some rain to water the seeds in.

And that's where I am. I took a few photos today after lunch and I'll add something apposite in a mo. Phew! Oh I should have sat diligently at my keyboard and recorded all as it happened, but to be honest we were too busy just living it :-)

Jamie Oliver's 30 minute meals

2011-04-11T13:06:00.005+01:00

This book has inspired my 14 year old son. He's always hungry (he's nearly 6ft) and has started to want to cook for himself. He became glued to the tv series and I bought the book as soon as I saw it. Now we're working our way through the recipes and ideas in it. Its a great thing for me and him to do together.

So far ( if you've got the book you'll know the recipes I mean) we've done the Chicken Pie menu - gather everyone has had a go at that - and yesterday we did the Steak Indian Style page. This is a complete meal of rump steaks marinated in curry paste and fried off. Its then sliced to serve rather than a big steak each. There was a big salad of baby spinach, alfalfa sprouts and cress with squares of sautéed paneer cheese and sesame seeds. There was also a yogurt dip and a curry sauce to make as well as naan breads to warm.

We were also suppose to make a desert using mango, but there was rhubarb ready on the plot so I stewed that instead to go with yogurt.

Did we take 30mins? Well I think we were slightly longer as of course Jamie knows what he's doing and we have to stop and read the instructions. But they do work and the result is delicious. Oh yes I should have photographed the result but it smelt good, everyone was hungry and wanted to dive in so I didn't :-)

Any book that gets a 14 year old boy interested in making salads has to be brilliant, doesn't it?

A jolly outing

2011-04-11T12:25:00.008+01:00

It was Tim's birthday in the week so as is our family tradition we all set out on Saturday for a family outing - Tim's choice of destination.

He loves the sea so we boarded a crowded but jolly train to the seaside. Weston Super Mare to be exact. I'd not been for about 10 years and Tim probably not since teenage.

The sun shone and the sky was blue and it was a busy place. Think everyone had had the same idea as us to take advantage of the weather and head to the coast. We bought fish and chips and sat on the beach to eat them. Weston is famous for donkey rides on the sand and they were still there - the same family have been running the rides for over 70 years. The boys made sandcastles ( quote from eldest " You're never too old to make a sandcastle") and Tim and I sat and watched the world go by.

Weston isn't known for its water as it has such a shallow sloping beach that the tide can go out for about a mile leaving great mud flats. Its more rivery than surf. But it is the sea! There is a large pier (rebuilt after a fire destroyed it about 3 years ago) perfect for rainy day entertainment as well as the usual beach shops and amusement arcades. Its not a sophisticated sort of place, but just a simple family fun seaside

After sitting a while we began a lovely gentle walk along the promenade and bought icecreams half way along. There is a small lake created by a causeway across an inlet which we walked around and there was a RNLI shop to visit too.

All too soon it was time to walk back to the station and take the little train home. All slightly pink of face and sandy of feet but it was a jolly old fashioned happy family day out.

Wordle based on our blog

2011-03-30T19:28:00.003+01:00

I made a wordle for this blog - you can too using this site -http://www.wordle.net/

Measure Of Our Days

2011-03-30T09:24:00.006+01:00

For about the past 10 days we've had such glorious spring weather. It's started off cool each day with a hint of frost some mornings, but the sky has been blue and the sun has shone so that within an hour or two its warmed, the washing can be put out and outdoor tasks planned.

I've been able to get a head start on the allotment. I've sown some early carrots and turnips in the raised beds. I found a free packet of mixed salad leaves so I popped them under a cloche up there too. We've both dug over areas that are up for renewal this year. We're hoping that a polytunnel can be purchased and we've been working on a space for it. We've also gained a handful of raised beds from a kind neighbouring allotment due to a downsizing of their space and I've started to dig them over as I'm going to move my cutting garden in to there. Its more sheltered than our plot so will be much better for flowers and plants to cut for the house and to attract bees and other beneficial insects . This will mean a regigging of my existing cutting garden which hadn't done so well last year and was due a renewal. I've started to clear it of canes, netting and other rubbish that's ended up there over the winter all the while musing on what I can do with it. So far I'm thinking of a smaller space for the roses that are doing so well there with perhaps a square to put a bench on to admire the views. This will give us the space to add 2 more raised beds and another smaller bay for veggies that need lots of room like pumpkins etc

A morning sowing things in the greenhouse means that lettuce, spinach, chard and raab (like an early broccoli) onions, and various flowers are now sprouting up in the light and warmth. I like a full greenhouse :-) There are also pots and propogators on various windowsills around the house as Tim starts his tomatoes and chillies off.

I've experimented with some early peas as well. I've set a few rings of seed in a large tub on the deck in the back garden and once they've germinated I'll add further sowings to the outer edge of the tub in the hope of a succession of peas. Not usually done well with peas up the plot - mice get them - so I'm hoping that with the tub placed so close to the house we stand a better chance .

The lawn has had its first cut and I'm sure that this weekend it'll need another one. I've pulled up weeds and the borders are now colourfully 'Springy' with lots of daffodils, grape hyacinths and primroses . Tulips won't be long looking at the buds on them.

The pond has played host to the annual frog party and there is plenty of frog spawn in there. Tim took a lovely frog portrait as you can see.

Our new chickens are doing very well and we're back in to full egg provision. We've started to sell the odd box which goes a good way to paying for their food. We did have to sadly say goodbye to Prue our old chicken who'd lived out a long and sunny retirement with us since she stopped laying some 8 months ago.

Bees - ah the bees. We need to go and have a good look at the hives but early indications say that the extreme weather we had in December ( record low temps) has meant that they've not survived the winter. We knew that they had good levels of food stores as they went in to the winter but this is no guarrentee of survival. Winter losses are common and are part and parcel of beekeeping. It really is a matter of doing our best for them in the autumn with feeding and varroa treatment and then crossing fingers til the spring. We've done well to have had barely any in our time as beekeepers. We were probably due some. Once we've taken our 2 hives apart then we'll know where we are but signs so far are not good.

When not out in the garden I've sewn ( of course) finishing a dress I'd had on the form since November. Not a tricky pattern at all but it had just got sidelined whilst I made things for my Etsy shop - see to your right - and Christmas. I've also been working on things for Mothers Day

We do rest from all this work and after busy long mornings I've found time and warmth in the garden to sit with a book or magazine and a cup of tea. Tim had some days holiday to use up so we've just had a long weekend and took everyone to my favourite National Trust property Charlecote Park in Warcs for a family outing on Saturday. We also welcomed dear new friends from Norway to our home on Sunday for a proper English roast lunch - Roast Beef, yorkshires, lots of veggies, gravy and a big old proper trifle for pud. As they still have snow and cold in Oslo it was nice to show them the village bathed in warm spring sunshine.

Monday (my birthday!) whilst the children were at school Tim and I wandered around the national history museum in Oxford and then had a birthday lunch at The Trout at Godstow My birthday gifts reflect me I guess, a lovely teak garden steamer chair to sit with a cup of tea and books on baking and gardening to read whilst sat there!

Here's a (dreadful - I hate having my photo taken) pic of me and my birthday cake! A Colin the Caterpillar from M&S - well I'm not making my own cake am I?

Today the weather forecast isn't so good hence I'm sat with a coffee in front of this keyboard. I was going to paint the plot shed but rain is on its way and with a drying time of 2-4hours there isn't a big enough window to do it. I've put washing out in the hope.. but am ready to retrieve it if necessary. I do a mini houseclean on a Wednesday so I've vacuumed downstairs and washed the kitchen floor and bathrooms.

I'd probably better stop there - that's quite enough for anyone to read - and go and do some ironing and then sewing. Looks like an indoor sort of day here.

Baking Day

2011-03-24T16:01:00.005Z

As I've been working at sorting through the food cupboards as part of #less365 I realised I had various half packs of things that it made sense to use up.

So after pilates this morning I settled in the kitchen with a coffee and began work.

An odd bag of barley flakes and some pumpkin seeds equalled a tray of granola.

I toasted the flakes and seeds with some honey and a little butter in the oven and then once cooled mixed in handfuls of currants. Perfect for breakfast.

Next an odd bag of choc chips resulted in the biscuit tin being topped up with soft choc chip cookies

And finally whilst sorting through the flours and dried fruits shelf I was tempted to make a crusty currant cake. This is an upside down cake. A topping of melted butter, currants and demerara sugar is spread in the bottom of a tin and then a simple vanilla sponge mixture is put on top and its baked. Cut in to squares the cake is served with the curranty bit uppermost.

Just right with a cup of tea.

Potential - Wordless Post

2011-03-23T16:39:00.004Z

#Less365 March

2011-03-21T08:33:00.006Z

Still carefully and systematically reducing possessions at least one item per day.

At the weekend Tim cleared out the shed of old broken tools, feed sacks and general rubbish. Its all swept out and now has more room for things that have inadvertently spent the winter in the greenhouse. The greenhouse is clearer as a result too then. He mowed the lawn and I weeded borders so perhaps that counts as a declutter of the back garden too.

Since my previous post I've mostly worked on the kitchen; excess vases, pots, cake tins etc have all gone. I've tidied the top of the washing machine where laundry liquid bottles and cat food bowls were and they've been reduced and tidied. Some general clutter on counter tops has gone. A pot had appeared at some point and its key, coins, broken necklace and pens collection has been removed and cleared out. Last night I put a stove top coffee pot in a bag for Oxfam - it had morphed in to an unused item that just kept being in the way on the hob.

I also sorted through the old shoulder bag I take up to the allotment. Its been cleared of old plant labels and pens, empty seed packets and about an inch of soil.. It took 3 days to dry after a quick wash ( its a hippy bag of thick woven cotton ) but is now repacked with only the things I really need for a morning up the plot.

I haven't abandoned the areas I've already decluttered and am still finding the odd book or item of clothing to get rid of. Toiletries are still reducing as I use things up and don't replace them. Definitely a simpler regime emerging.

This week I thought I'd do the food cupboards. A shelf a day to get rid of anything out of date or otherwise unwanted. I'd like to think there won't be too much there but you can never tell what lurks at the back can you?

A Daybook for March 18th

2011-03-18T18:58:00.010Z

Following the line of The Simple Woman's Daybook I thought I'd put how it is for today

Outside My Window - at this moment of typing its dark and the curtains are drawn but I have noticed how many daffodils are just about to open their flowers. Each day there is more colour returning to the garden

I Am Thinking - that its good the whole family is home this weekend.

I Am Thankful For - warmth and security.

From The Kitchen - The boys have just had their homemade pizza and shortly I'll do one for me and Tim

I Am Wearing - We had to wear something red today in the bookshop for Comic Relief/Red Nose Day. I don't have much red in my wardrobe but I did wear my red printed dress I made last year with a black cardi, tights and boots.

I Am Creating - having just finished another dress ( photos soon) I've yet to start the next thing but I've a pattern in mind....

I Am Going - to spend time this weekend booking our family summer holiday

I Am Reading - the latest Woman & Home magazine, Bishopston Trading Catalogue which arrived today. On the book pile is Zadie Smith "On Beauty" and "In Her Element - women and the landscape - an anthology" Edited by Jane MacNamee

On my mind - the slightly achy arm muscles from yesterday's pilates class. Its a good ache though.

Around the house - everyone winding down from the week.

One of my favourite things - Friday's homemade pizza night

A few plans for the weekend - lots to plant in the greenhouse tomorrow. Eldest and I have been through the cookbooks and are planning a Jamie Oliver feast for tomorrow night.

A window in to my life - We all wore deely-boppers today in the bookshop. They do nothing for hairdos!

Today at the allotment

2011-03-05T16:11:00.007Z

Finally we manage to get up on the plot for the first real working session of the season. Its not tropical outside at all and more cold weather is forecast but it was sunny and dry so as good a time as any to get on with it.

Tim rotavated the main bays and wide areas of ground. Due to the cold weather they only really had some annual weeds on them so they looked pristine very quickly

I meanwhile dug over the raised beds. I'm aiming to get things clear so I can start to sow in the next few weeks and in fact put some fleece on an area to warm the soil a little in readiness.

Things are not dormant up there at all. There are buds on the rose bushes and fruit trees. Tulips and daffodils are up. And as for the rhubarb! Soon be crumble time. :-)

The garlic we planted in the autumn are all up and underneath a fleece tunnel there is a lovely little row of broad bean plants..
Spring hasn't quite sprung yet but we've made a great start to the growing season by clearing up and getting the ground ready. As we worked we discussed our ideas for moving the plot forward. Revamping bits and changing areas. Lots to be doing this year - can't wait!

Sewing

2011-02-26T10:04:00.005Z

If you've been following this blog for a while (and thank you) you'll know that as well as plot work, bees, processing, recipes and as well as commentary and thoughts, that sewing has crept in.

I've always sewed, learning from my grandmother and in fact I can't tell you how old I was as I can't ever remember not sewing. There have been gaps when I've not done much such as when the children were babies and I felt it would be unsafe to leave needles and pins around, or times when I've had to balance paid work and garden work with little time spare for needlecraft. However now children are older my sewing machine and threads have been back out when ever I have a spare hour or two.

It fits in perfectly with an authentic, simple and eco lifestyle. Making things for the home or yourself or family is absolutely an authentic thing to do. From making items last by repairing to reusing materials and old clothes to create new things it has an eco basis to it. Its something that is growing in popularity currently and there are plenty of blogs to follow, books and magazines to read, as well as classes to attend and fabric and haberdashery shops opening all the time. This is a good time to sew again.

I've always been aware that not everyone can garden for a variety of reasons be it time or more importantly space. And yet craft with fabric and thread is as valid a green thing to do and so if you can't garden (as I can't today because its totally wet and rainy out there) then we can at least get our sewing or knitting out. Its become the perfect winter pastime for me when I can't get outside. There is an equal sense of achievement in making a bag in an afternoon or finishing a dress as there is in harvesting veggies.

I've discovered a love of vintage patterns, books and magazines. It started with a complete set of Golden Hands magazines from the late 60s and early 70s. My mum collected them at the time but didn't keep them, and this set was given to me by a work colleague many years ago as she cleared out her mothers things. Since then I've collected vintage dress patterns which you've seen on here and have made a start at sewing some of the things on them. I've since got other books, and my latest dear addition to the collection is a bundle of old 1940s craft and sewing magazines which deserve their own blog posts so they'll be detailed over the coming days and weeks.

#Less 365 further update

2011-02-26T09:20:00.006Z

Hope this is of interest still. If you're a new reader then #Less365 is explained here.

Since my last update I've been working on my makeup bag and reducing it. What an eye opener! Over 12 lipsticks. balms and glosses, 6 eye liners of varying sorts, 2 blushers ( can't remember the last time I wore blusher) and as for nail varnishes - how on earth did I end up with nearly 30 bottles!! Horrified. I do wear some make up and I like polished toes, but not to need that sort of quantity of stuff. Over the days I've drastically reduced these things in to items I genuinely use. I've also looked at toiletries in general - not only have I got rid of out of date or unwanted things I've started to use up others in a more systematic way so that the net result is a reduction in items and a simplification of regime.

I've also gone through the drawers in my desk and I hope its not cheating to offer spare pencil sharpeners, staplers and post it notes to the children who seized upon the bounty and scuttled back to their rooms with it.

Most recently in the last couple of days I've gone through my underwear drawer - more holey tights got rid of and a general reduction in items has been achieved - that's enough detail! :-) I've also done under the stairs in the hall and purged that general dumping ground of kids trainers that don't fit, and winter gloves that have lost their partners.

Next its the kitchen - I've already recycled an assortment of plastic and glass pots that those ready made puds come in and I'll be working my way systematically through each cupboard and drawer over the coming days and weeks.

Thwarted again!

2011-02-26T08:53:00.004Z

Its a wet Saturday again isn't it? I'd high hopes for plot work or gardening today but its currently absolutely pouring with rain so I thought I might as well write.....

Its been half term here and we've had a restful time this week. Eldest has an important maths exam to study for so I was keen not to over fill his days with outings and trips so that he had plenty of time to revise.

Tim has been working from home with a sprained foot and I had a slight bug with a temperature at the beginning of the week meaning I'd needed to rest perhaps more than I would normally.

What a funny sort of week then.

The boys revised or played. Tim worked with his foot elevated and iced, and I read a lot. It wasn't all being confined to the house for the whole week so the boys had a dentist appointment one morning, I took them to Oxford for shopping and coffee another morning once I was feeling better, and eldest and me had a lovely afternoon making fresh pasta with a homemade sauce of tomato, garlic and ham. That's it pictured above.

But today I was going to garden. Instead the rain is drumming against the window and there is no visible break in the dark clouds. Thwarted!

It'll have to be sewing today then...

What to do with a drizzly old Saturday

2011-02-19T18:21:00.007Z

We're just itching to get on with gardening things, but its done nothing but rain all day. It clearly rained all last night too as everything was dripping and soggy as we got up this morning.

Not a day to be up on the plot or back garden digging or weeding. Still I made the best of the day as far as I could.

We sorted through the seed packets this morning. So many say sow in March - only a week away - so close and yet with the soil still cold to the touch not really a temptation we should fall in to. We've learnt that it'll wait. Still undaunted I found things I could sow now. A quick nip up to the greenhouse, a few dead houseplants chucked out of it and a quick tidy up, and I got going. I've sown leeks, rudbekias, a hardy winter lettuce ( thought it worth a go) and swiss chard which always grows well for us. Some are in the shelter of a house windowsill currently as you can see. We'll leave the heated propagator in the greenhouse for tomatoes and chillies when we sow them in the next few weeks. There are things coming up in there - broad beans, peas for pea-shoots, a few sweet peas, and spring onions - the latter being an experiment to see if they would grow at this time of year.

Then when there really wasn't anything we could do outside without getting ridiculously soggy, I came indoors and did the other sort of sewing. I've had this 60's dress on the dress form since before Christmas. Not cos its difficult - it isn't - but because I've had Etsy and Christmas sewings to do which have taken precedent. Its all about the binding now on this dress. I've now done half of the hand-stitching on the edging and once I've completed that, there'll just be the arm holes to bind and hand stitch. Its half term next week and I'm determined to use some of the time to complete it. Colour tricky to photograph in the light, but its a soft clover pink crepe fabric with french navy binding. I'll show you it properly when I finished it along with the original vintage pattern it came from.

Then it was on to the kitchen. Our new hens have kindly started to lay or rather one girl has, and we've had one small egg daily for the last 6 days. Very sweet of her. I couldn't resist making a fresh soft sponge cake with some of them so we could all share them. The first one I cracked was even a double yolker - what a clever hen!

After more sewing and paper reading ( it really is that wet out ) I'm here writing a blog post. As I walked around the house taking photos for it, I noticed the one person who really had the right idea about the weather - Max...

A Bag In An Afternoon

2011-02-15T15:37:00.005Z

Leafing through old patterns in need of inspiration I found a bag pattern from 1976. I'd also recently bought a bag of furnishing offcuts from a local shop and felt that bag and fabric were made for each other.

Its lovely to start and finish a project in an afternoon! :-)

What do you think of it? I always have half an eye on my Etsy shop for further ideas you see. The handles are separate at the top - I'm just grasping them together - but I'm wondering whether to fix them together, either with a line of machining and pressing the ends out like 'bunny ears' or even to put a press-stud or button to join them. They're not quite long enough to tie.

Its not a big bag; more something you'd put a phone and keys in rather than your worldly goods as it were, but its a fun shape isn't it?

New Chickens!!

2011-02-13T15:30:00.004Z

Meet Minnie, Clarissa, Gudrun and Valentina. Our new recruits!

We segregated them from Prue our senior chicken for about 24 hours, so that they could get use to each other but not get within pecking distance. This afternoon Tim removed that division to see what would happen -we kept a close eye on them for signs of trouble but so far so good. Crosses fingers. A pecking order does literally have to be sorted.

We were even rewarded with an unexpected but most welcome freshly laid egg this morning - we weren't expecting any laying for a week or two as they settled in but its lovely to have the start of own eggs again :-)

Signs of Spring - wordless post

2011-02-05T18:07:00.003Z

A productive afternoon

2011-02-05T16:24:00.003Z

Its not cold out there, weather station is currently showing 11.9C and its 4.30pm as I type this. Its very blustery though and a bit damp at times with fine light rain.

Dear Prue chicken (pictured above) is happy and healthy but not laying. This is fine and all, but we miss the eggs so next weekend we've arranged to collect 4 new chickens. This afternoon we dodged the drizzle and made preparations for the new arrivals. Firstly we gave the whole chicken run a thorough dig over. There were some nettles starting to appear at the margins so they've been dug up along with some errant bamboo shoots. We don't mind a little bamboo as it provides a rather classy parasol in the corner of the run but its invasive stuff if not strictly controlled.

Prue loved the chance to scratch about in the freshly fluffed up soil as there were bugs and worms to discover. We'll be dividing it up temporarily next weekend so that newcomers and resident chicken can get use to each other through some net for a day or so before being integrated in to hopefully, a harmonious little flock of hens.

We then started to cut back the hedge that runs along the back of the garden. Its not actually ours but something that comes through a wire fence from the house behind. Its a dense thicket of laurel, snowberry, bramble, wild rose and other tangled twigs and branches. Its a great nesting place for all sorts of birds (starlings and blackbirds last year ) so we don't like to disturb it too much once spring is here. However a bit of a cut back this time of year seemed like a good idea especially of those long and arching bramble stems. We've removed dead and fallen branches after the winter and generally tidied up that end of the garden.

As it was such a nice temperature out there - ok not tropical, but perfectly warm enough to work in - we even sat in the arbour at that end of the garden for a 10mins break and just quietly watched the birds and Prue peck about.

After some record cold temperatures and long frosts and other typically wintry weather it felt so good to get out and actually do something practical towards the garden and spring.

Working on new items for my Etsy shop

2011-01-29T12:05:00.005Z

Hard to know what to sew first sometimes, so full of ideas! I have to learn to write them down I think, as ideas tend to flow just as I'm sewing something else which although handy is not necessarily convenient. I'm on a learning curve about working quicker too although I don't want to compromise quality in any way. There is a balance between wanting to turn out lots of things and being mindful that embroidery does take time especially as I design each one from scratch. I'm not copying patterns but making up the stitch combinations as I go along using vintage books as a starting point.

Its interesting how a new project helps personal development and learning - its all positive stuff! :-)

I've been particularly interested in folk art and a rustic style of embroidery recently, hence these new sewing accessories shown in the photos. The pin cushion below uses tapestry wool for the stitches rather than the usual stranded cotton to add to the simple effect.

The above items and more are all available to buy from my Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/MrsFiddlesticks

Now with some time to spare over the weekend I'll try and finish off a little purse which will be part of a new range of items for my shop. I want to expand beyond sewing accessories and lavender bags. So if sewing and scent aren't your thing then there may well be something else that you would like just waiting to be sewn and listed!

Roll Call of Fiddlesticks Chickens

2011-01-25T20:54:00.004Z

Having one of those conversations - can we remember the names of our dear chickens? We've kept chickens now for over 7 years and typically they live for about 2 years - some longer some less.

Well for the benefit of our own sanity and for your amusement here is the roll call.

Above you see our first ever batch of chickens - Queenie, Chutney and Ruby

Followed by Henrietta, Matilda and Flossie

And up to date our last batch of chickens, Winnie, Mabel and Prue. We've only Prue left now and she retired from laying a few months ago so although we'll not shorten her retirement in any way it is probably time to order new girls to add to the flock and because the cook of the house misses the eggs!

#Less365 - update

2011-01-25T18:43:00.004Z

I'll not bore you with a day by day account but more and more 'stuff' is going out that door.

Some examples -

I've sorted through and binned leaky reusable water bottles - we have enough for one each as a family so why was I keeping any more especially if they were leaking

I've taken all the junk off the top of the fridge - the place were all the old certificates, appointment reminders etc go when they've been superceeded by newer and better things to be reminded of. All sorted through and put to be recycled

There is an ever steady stream of things to go in the recycling bin on a daily basis - I don't keep magazines or papers for long once read. Some magazines are also passed on to relatives on a regular basis.

I took a couple of novels to our W.I meeting last week to go in our community book swap box. I also found an unused car air freshener, an unopened talc, and a handbag mirror to add to the raffle prizes on the same evening

Last weekend I had a good old sort out of cookery books and 12 have gone to Oxfam. I also filled a carrier bag with leaflets and bits pulled out magazines of recipes I never got round to making - that's now in the recycling bin.

Tim has cleared out the loft and took a huge car load of cardboard boxes, plus old hifi equipment and other misc electricals to the tip and recycling

Today I've started to work on my make up bag. There's nothing out of date in it ( did that after Christmas) but there is too much. I've just binned 6 lipsticks/lipglosses/lipbalms I'll be working on the rest of its contents over the next few days.

How are you doing?

Thought you'd like a photo of Pippi this time

A plan of action

2011-01-15T12:44:00.006Z

Its blustery today, rather dark with a hint of rain in the breeze. At least its not freezing or snowy like December or torrential rain like we had yesterday. It is all very soggy underfoot though, so although keen to get going on the plot, today isn't actually a day for working on it.

Still, we all pitched in to clean the house first this morning, and then spent a silly half an hour trying to persuade Max cat that if he insists on clambering over the fence to next door he does have to come back again via the same route! He was having fun running up and down their lawn ignoring our calls and rattles of his food bag - what a pest. He's asleep now.

So after all that and because it was getting ever darker, with the look that its about to pour at any moment, we quickly popped up the plot before lunch, to get a sense of where we were with it. The first question after a gap of visiting it, is always whether the shed is a) still standing and b) whether it still has all its roofing felt on it. All fine so that's one less job to do - but you don't take it for granted; its very exposed and windy up there.

The heavy snow and record low temperatures before Christmas has had a positive effect on the areas Tim had been able to rotavate in the autumn. They're relatively weed free and another quick pass would make them pristine.

Our raised beds put in last year look fine; there's one I didn't quite finish digging but that won't take long to sort. There are tiny shoots appearing in the autumn sown broad beans row so we quickly covered them with fleece to avoid them being nibbled off. Garlic is just starting to pop up as well which is very pleasing to see. I've got some purple sprouting plants to go in and can see where to put them. I bought them just before the snow came so couldn't plant them then, but they've been quite secure in the greenhouse and I'll get them in asap now.

There are areas that are on the list for renewal this year - the strawberry patch for example needs all the plants taking out, a good old rotavate and re setting out. We need to sort out the cutting garden as well - we've just entered in to a gentleman's agreement to look after a patch on a neighbouring plot which is sheltered and would be ideal for flowers so my existing patch will be relandscaped in to a smaller area for lavender and roses only. Again this gives us more growing room. I'm aiming to use up all our space this year if possible. When life gets in the way as it sometimes does we end up leaving some bits fallow, which for a crop rotation thing isn't necessarily a bad idea but its not using the land as fully as perhaps we should.

A polytunnel is badly wanted, or even 2 if the budget will stretch, and we have space so that might well be a job for the spring along with a continuation of our fencing project we started last year. There are some new areas to rotavate such as the old cutting garden borders that now are destined for veggies not flowers

Of course it all needs a tidy and there is plenty to get on with. The weather and conditions underfoot will determine how quickly we can get started but it feels very positive to have got up there to have a look and begin the plans for 2011 growing season

#Less365

2011-01-10T09:35:00.004Z

A hastag* on twitter has caught my imagination. Started mid last year by @rr he's promised to discard, recycle or otherwise get rid of one thing every day. Its become an excellent new years resolution taken up by many of us and played out in public it's motivating too.

He's doing it to embrace a more minimalist lifestyle which is a growing trend both here and especially in the US. This is where people consciously reduce their possessions to the bare minimum and lead lives as devoid as possible of modern consumerism and other diversions. Its more than just not buying, its reducing all that you all ready own. Some claim to own less than 100 things or other arbitrary amount. Some reduce their clothes to a rucksack full only and others build and live in very small homes. An inspirational blog on the subject is Zen Habits if you want to find out more.

It is of course a very eco thing to do. Which is what has inspired me to have a go at this challenge too. I've said on here before that decluttering is a green thing, not just in the way you dispose of excess, but because it helps you understand just what you own and therefore you can make sensible purchasing decisions or even realise you don't need to purchase at all!

So I've done this for 8 days and my list goes like this bearing in mind I didn't see this idea til 2nd Jan

Although I suppose I sort of started it before with my big clothes sort out between Christmas and New Year.

Day 1 Christmas cards sorted and packed up to be recycled - Woodland Trust are running a scheme this year

Day 2 Magazines, papers and ex Christmas packaging all recycled and out of the house

Day3 Chucked out a saucepan who's base had blown.

Day 4 Sorted through catalogues, leaflets and brochures. Netted 2 carrier bags full for recycling

Day 5&6 Less a broken coat hanger or two + a shredded and ripped old jeans belt ( did have to buy a replacement for that )

Day 7 Cutting out and using material from my stash to sew a cover for Tim's new Kindle rather than buying a case. Think that counts..

Day 8 (today) have just been sorting through a small cupboard in the kitchen and have binned out of date medicines, musty and no longer scented, scented candles plus sticky almost empty essential oil bottles

Are you in?

Its a photo of Max by the way - can't have too many cat pictures can you?

*a hashtag is a way of grouping tweets together on a common theme meaning they can be searched for. Its used to create trending topics perhaps to reflect current news situations and or to build up a picture of a situation. For example there is one that is used during any snowfall in this country - we add #uksnow the 1st part of our post code, and marks out of 10 for severity of snow to our tweets. Someone clever then collates it in to a map so you can see the extent of the snow fall; really interesting actually. It also gets used for fun stuff too, to keep track of comments or jokes or even for fundraising events

New Year Resolutions

2011-01-02T18:48:00.002Z

I'm fond of waffling on at this point and listing all that I and we as a family wish to achieve this year. But I thought I'd keep it simple this year; I've one resolution which encompasses a lot of things and its this -

Be More Creative