Living a contented creative life.

I have finally finished my wreath of knitted leaves.

It took hours of stitching to put it together, much more than I expected. I’m quite pleased with it but now I have to find somewhere to put it. Most of the pleasure was in the making. It will eventually settle somewhere on a wall at home to remind me of the time I spent happily knitting on winter days and nights.

The garden is a bit in-between right now. The Hellebores are still pretty but the Snowdrops have finished flowering and the Crocuses are looking a bit ragged.

Most of the Hyacinths have yet to flower but there are some lovely pink ones showing off already.

A few pretty Primulas are making a show and a few more Daffodils here and there.

The other night I was thinking about the garden and how Spring is not long now. A little poem began to grow in my mind. Here it is:

Spring is Coming

Anticipation fills the air
And all around us glows
The golden light of daffodils
As Winter's dark days close.
The fattening pear tree buds
Are almost fit to burst
Yet the plum's pure white blossom
Will entertain us first.
Seeds, with all their promise,
Fulfil a vital role,
With veg to feed our bodies 
And flowers to feed our soul.
Spring days are fast approaching,
We're longing for them now,
When life seems so much better
and we blossom like the bough.

With a new growing season beginning I need to think about using my fruit in the freezer. I have some gooseberries to use up. They’re something I have a love-hate relationship with. I love to eat them but the thorns on the bushes are awful and topping and tailing them all is a miserable chore. I got rid of my gooseberries for a while but a few years ago I relented and planted some more.

The fruit is lovely when you can leave them until they’re ripe. Last year I made some gooseberry jelly and I froze some of them. So I got some out the other day and made tarts. Perhaps not to everybody’s taste but I really like them.

I’m not the neatest pastry maker when it’s just for us. I press the pastry into the tins without rolling it. No need to flour the work surface and the rolling pin. Might look a bit rough and ready but it works for me.

I was very disappointed with the pastry. I usually use my own recipe for shortcrust but I wanted some sweet pastry so I used a recipe from a cookbook. It baked very hard and wasn’t the sweet treat I expected. I shall stick to my own formula in future.

I had some juice left in the pan after cooking the gooseberries so I thickened it slightly with a little cornflour, brought it to the boil while stirring. ( When it boils it clears and loses that milky look). Then we ate it with ice-cream. Very nice.

My final thoughts on cooking today are about using stock cubes. I find them an essential ingredient in so many meals. They form the foundation for my one-pan meals, savoury puddings and soups. Because they are slightly salty it’s not usually necessary to add extra salt.

I made my own a couple of years ago but it is a big job. I dried all the ingredients such as carrots, onions etc and then ground them to a powder. I used a teaspoon or two when I needed stock. I haven’t done it since because I prefer the taste of the bought cubes.

Without a good stock, vegetables, gravies and soups are bland and uninteresting. For most things I use Kallo organic ones. They have lots of flavour, keep well and dissolve easily in water. They are perhaps a bit more expensive but I buy a few packets when they’re on special offer.

For most of my one-pan meals or savoury flans, puddings and soups I use vegetable cubes. The chicken ones are tasty for any chicken dish. For beef or lamb gravy I use Oxo. Oxo cubes have the best beefy taste and give a rich delicious gravy. I never use gravy browning. I just don’t think it has an authentic taste.

That’s all for today. I hope you have found it interesting. Stay patient and stay safe. Spring and freedom are on their way. Bye for now. With you again soon.

The daffodils are opening their cheerful glowing flowers. Even on a cloudy day they look as though the sun is on them. I brought in a few for a vase so I could feast my eyes on them indoors as well as out.

These are tiny ones, probably Tete-a-tete, although they have only single flowers now instead of twins. I’ve had them in pots for a few years and they always flower.

The garden is waiting for its next flush of colour. The hyacinths are pushing up but not quite there. There are two clumps of Corydalis under the fruit trees which look pretty now and will look even better when the Muscari open their lovely, tiny blue flowers. The perennial wallflower, Erysimum, has one lovely mauve flower and lots of promising buds.

We’ve found holes in some of the borders. I’m hoping it’s not a badger. We had one a few years ago. At first I was thrilled to see it. I sat and watched each night as it turned up and approached the house, completely undaunted by the outside light I’d switched on. The thrill soon wore off as it ripped the garden apart! It dug deep holes in its search for worms and destroyed entire plants.

After a few weeks it stopped, much to my relief, but I think the badger might have been killed on the road. We saw a dead badger nearby and we never had a visit afterwards so we assumed it was the one that had been visiting our garden.

I’m always pleased that I planted some shrubs in the garden. Some are evergreen and give a lovely show at any time of the year. Others have lovely leaves and spring blossom. More pictures of those when the time comes. Some have beautiful berries.

I’ve been sewing together my wreath of knitted leaves. Taking me longer than I expected but I’m getting there. I found I needed three more leaves so I knitted those last night.

I bought a metal ring, then stitched a cover of bias binding over it. I stuffed the bias binding to make a base for attaching the leaves. Not easy! I pushed the stuffing in with the blunt points of my scissors and a knitting needle. Then I marked four points with thread to keep my bearings when stitching. Next I began to stitch on the leaves.

Here are some photos of progress so far.

I bought a set of little reels of thread in assorted colours. So glad I did because I have all the shades I need to invisibly stitch the leaves. I don’t like messy stitching.

After hours of stitching I needed to think about cooking. I had some cooked chicken thighs to use up so I did one of our favourite one-pan meals.

Chicken with Ginger and Rice

Cooked Chicken 
Chicken stock cube
Garlic, crushed
Carrots
Frozen Green Beans
Frozen Rice
Stem Ginger
Soured Cream
Prepare and slice carrots. Crush garlic. Cut
chicken into pieces. Chop ginger.
Put a small amount of water into a lidded frying pan.
Add stock cube. (I used half for two of us but you 
might need more). Add the crushed garlic.
Bring to boil, stir and add sliced carrots,
frozen beans,frozen rice, chicken and ginger.
Bring to boil, then turn down heat and cook
with the lid on for 15 minutes or until vegs
are tender. You need only a small amount
of water but enough not to burn.
Remove from heat and stir in a couple of
spoonfuls of soured cream. Then serve.

I can't be precise about amounts because it
depends on how many you're cooking for. It's
not critical because it works well however you 
put it together.
Quick, easy and delicious.
I use microwave rice but I just tip the frozen
rice into the pan. It's brilliant rice and
makes this type of dish so easy to do. 

I find one-pan meals are not only easy to do, save a lot of washing up and are economical on fuel but they are much tastier because the flavours are enhanced by the cooking process. Plus I’m sure they retain more vitamins because the cooking water is limited and not poured away down the sink.

I’m hoping for some sunny days in the garden again soon but meanwhile I have another project to do. When I covered the dining chairs I liked the fabric so much that I ordered more to cover an armchair which sits in the same room. It has loose cushions so it’s a fairly easy job. I’ve covered these cushions many times over the years. So that will keep me occupied until the sun tempts me out.

Please feel free to comment. I love to hear from you. Keep crafting, gardening and cooking and stay safe and well. With you again in a few days.

I’ve been cutting down the autumn raspberries and weeding the bed. Where did all those weeds come from? So many have grown since I harvested the last of the raspberries many weeks ago.

I grow the autumn raspberries now instead of summer ones. So much easier. None of that tying in new canes each year. I just need to cut back last year’s canes in February or early March and they will grow up again and fruit around October. Another good thing about them is they avoid the raspberry beetle’s season when they lay eggs which produce little white grubs in the fruit.

The early crocuses were closed today but when the sun warms them they show their lovely insides.

I keep a garden diary. It’s just a plain day-to-a-page one which gives me enough space to record my activities and the weather. I’m not out every day, I don’t enjoy cold weather, but when I do I like to note down what I did and how things are coming along in the garden.

It’s a really useful reminder of what I’ve sown, and when, and the progress, successes or failures of the plants. I make a note of anything I’ve harvested for a meal or preserving. I also like to jot down any special sightings of birds, butterflies and other insects. On nights when I can’t sleep (very often!) I love reading last year’s diary to see how it compares.

The last couple of days I’ve been busy indoors. I bought some beautiful fabric to re-cover the dining chair seats. The old covers I put on many years ago. Although they weren’t too bad they were mismatched and I’d done a rough and ready job of them with some fabric samples.

I ordered online from a local firm so I was excited when the fabric arrived and was even nicer than I expected.

I removed the old covers and pulled out the staples and tacks. Then I measured up and chose a section of pattern to centre on the seat. I made a better job this time of attaching the fabric and they now look lovely.

Ridiculous as it may seem we only have three of these chairs! We bought them for a £1 in an auction years ago when we’d just returned from abroad and were setting up home again. The chalk marks you can see under the seats were the auction lot numbers. We love them and don’t want to replace them. I”ve looked for all these years for another or even three to complete the set but never found the right ones. That is, until last week when I spotted two on eBay. They were a perfect match and in good condition. Sadly when I enquired about them they’d gone! So disappointed. So if you have one exactly like these, by any chance, that you’d like to get rid of please pipe up.

Although we’re all tired of lockdown and this awful virus it’s vital that we’re patient and continue to be cautious. The last thing we want is for it all to start up again and lockdown enforced yet again.

I miss the local plant nursery the most. We’re really lucky to have one close by. It has the most wonderful plants and their prices are unbeatable. I’m usually there every few weeks indulging my passion for anything pretty to fill a space, even if I have to find space, in the garden. As soon as I feel it’s safe I shall be there making up for lost time.

Meanwhile I keep myself occupied at home and enjoy little things that are not perhaps the most obvious ones but give me pleasure when I look at them in the right way. Have you noticed, for example, how lovely an orange is? It’s lovely colour, aroma and the beauty of the juicy inside.

How the sun lights up a room and makes the colours glow?

Little pleasures like these cost nothing and lift the spirits. I hope you are all enjoying these small things while confined to home. Stay safe. With you again in a few days.

We had some glorious warm days so I managed to be busy in the garden. I needed space in the polytunnels for new seeds so I’ve been clearing out old crops. There were some nice carrots in two separate areas so I removed the older lot and stored them. I put them in a bucket with some dry soil over them to keep them from drying out.

I still have some in another bed. I can never remember the variety I’ve grown but it will be recorded in my gardening diary.

I fed the spring cabbages with some fish, blood and bone to spur them on. This month they begin to grow with the extra sunlight from longer days. I grow Spring Hero which I think is the only spring cabbage to form a head. By April they will have formed lovely ball heads which will make tasty salads or a steamed veg.

I sowed celeriac, spring onions, parsnips, mangetout peas and kohl rabi. All these are under cover in the polytunnel where they will grow well and be protected from pests. The garlic is coming along and has been mulched to keep the moisture in.

I wandered around the garden with my camera and spotted several Ladybirds clustered in a sage leaf basking in the sunshine.

The hellebores have been fabulous. I have lots of different ones but don’t know their names. The labels have all faded and my memory is poor. If you look at the individual flowers you will see the differences. Their centres, petal formations and colour have distinctive features.

I bought a nice pot of basil from the supermarket. These are as good as homegrown and with a little care will keep going for a while. I give it a dribble of tea most days. It seems to like that.

I made one of our favourite salads with it. Now, I believed this to be my own invention but when I put it on Facebook someone said it was a classic Italian recipe! So perhaps I’d seen it somewhere and the idea was planted in my mind. Whatever the reason for this, it’s a delicious salad.

I put a little olive oil in a dish with salt and pepper and a bit of crushed garlic ( not enough to overpower the other flavours). Cut some bread into cubes and put them into the dish, then I tossed them thoroughly to coat the bread with the oil. I added sliced tomatoes, black olives and torn basil leaves and mixed well.

It’s a really good way of using dry bread. I find a white bloomer loaf works well. It has the right taste and texture. Serve with grated cheese. A good organic cheddar is excellent.

No need for Italian cheeses. They are very tasty but we have some really good ones in Britain. Cheddar is good for grating, especially with the salad I made. Lancashire is excellent for toasting and our blue cheeses like Stilton and Shropshire blue are fabulous.

I’m waiting for a metal hoop to be delivered so that I can make my wreath from the leaves I knitted over the winter. I’m itching to get it done. I think I will cover the hoop with bias binding and stuff it slightly then stitch the leaves, acorns and berries to it.

Meanwhile, I’m painting an acrylic picture. Bit of a challenge but I’m determined to do it. I mostly paint with gouache. People often ask me what that is. It’s a more opaque form of watercolour. It gives a much bolder look to the painting which I prefer. I’m not much for watery paintings although some do have an appeal. To give you an idea of what I mean here is an early painting I did of water lilies.

Enjoying Grayson’s Art Club on channel 4. Very stimulating. If you haven’t seen it, give it a try. The variety of styles and talent is fascinating and it’s not all sophisticated. Anybody can have a go. Art doesn’t have to be professional and accomplished to please.

I hope you are finding lots of enjoyable things to do. With you again in a few days.

A lot of activity in the garden now. The frogs have appeared at last in the pond and the first lot of spawn appeared yesterday. They are late this year.

It was good to hear them croaking and splashing about. We have a lot of duckweed, as you can see, but it never seems to trouble the frogs. In fact, it hides them from the eyes of passing Herons who are always on the lookout for a meal.

I saw several insects about. A Shield Bug was on a sage leaf in the sun, Ladybirds were wandering around and a lovely Bumble Bee was feasting on Crocus nectar.

The Broad Beans are just peeping out of the seed compost in the greenhouse. So relieved they made it after the big freeze.

It was time to move the wine on to the next stage. I sterilised a funnel, a straining bag, an airlock and bung and a demijohn. These all needed thoroughly rinsing before using. Don’t want any steriliser in the wine. I gave the wine a stir, then tipped the contents of the wine bucket gently into the demijohn using the funnel and straining bag.

I filled it almost to the neck. It was time to insert the bung with an airlock attached. I use the small airlocks, not the fancy curly ones but they seem to work well. I wiped the neck of the demijohn and the bung, put a little water into the airlock then pushed the bung in to seal out the air but allow the fermenting gas to escape.

It looks completely cloudy at this stage but will eventually be crystal clear and look perfect. It has to stand now for several weeks to ferment. When all the bubbles have stopped it can be siphoned off the yeast into a clean demijohn to mature for a while before bottling.

I wish I could show you the bubbles coming up. It is a lovely thing to see and sometimes if the yeast is particularly vigorous you can hear it constantly popping as it escapes through the water in the airlock.

The apples in the shed have kept well but a few are going past their best now and need using. Might make an apple pie. If I’m not in the mood I’ll just stew them and we’ll have them with some greek yoghurt.

Don’t forget when you prepare apples you only need some salted water to stop them going brown before you cook them. No need to have a lemon handy. Just a rinse, then into the pan, the pudding or the pie.

It’s been a difficult twelve months for all of us but I think all this time at home has made me even more appreciative of little things. My home has always been important to me so I cherish the bits and bobs which make it feel right for me. The longer I’ve had something the more I love it. Here are a few more of the jugs I have picked up over the years.

I also like contemporary studio pottery. I usually buy these from a craft fair or gallery but occasionally I have a look at eBay. Here’s one I bought from a lovely little local gallery.

Pretty things are nice though. I love flowers so anything flowery catches my eye.

I hope you are enjoying your own treasures and looking forward to Spring. With you again in a few days.

The garden is busy. Flowers are appearing by the day and birds are flocking to the food we put out. We’ve had a pair of Blackcaps visiting. The male lives up to his name with a little black cap on top of his head. The female is paler but still very pretty.

When I looked out of the kitchen window I saw a male Blackcap on the ground taking sunflower seeds. I called Allan and when we both looked out a beautiful male Bullfinch had joined him. The male Bullfinch is a fabulous deep pink. Such a lovely sight. Unfortunately by the time we fetched the camera they had flown.

We also had a Sparrowhawk. It landed in the Hawthorn tree above the spot where some of the birds feed. I think it was after the little Blackcap. They both flew across the garden. Don’t know if it caught the Blackcap. I hope not but then again the Sparrowhawk has to find food too.

It has been very windy again. It’s been howling around the outside of the house and causing some draught indoors. The other night, I was awake in the night and a little poem came to me as I listened. Here’s what I wrote.

Listening to the Wind

The house rattled,the wind blew,
Whistling, moaning,
Ever new.
Never still, it poked around,
Rasping, grazing,
Restless sound.
The chimney sang a sad song,
Whining, ringing,
All along.
And while it blew, I snuggled
So warm, so safe,
Untroubled!

The parsnip wine is diddling along in it’s bucket. Each day I give it a stir and replace the lid securely to keep out anything that could spoil it. Dust could introduce moulds and a summer wine-making attracts fruitflies which would turn the wine to vinegar if they got in.

It smells really nice and if I remove a sip it tastes a little more wine-like and pleasing every day.

If I put my ear to the lid I can hear it bubbling. A really pleasing sound. It will stay in the bucket for another few days and then I’ll strain it through a sterilised bag and funnel into a demijohn to finish fermenting. More details and photos when the time comes.

On Sunday we had a few hours before the rain when we could do some work outside. Allan washed the polytunnels inside and out. I’ll be ready to sow some seeds soon now that the tunnels are ready.

I cleared away a lot of old foliage from the Erigeron at the edge of the path behind the house. These are lovely plants with tiny pale pink daisies which flower all summer. The bees and other insects flock to them. They self-seed readily so I don’t put the stems into our compost, otherwise I’ll have them growing everywhere.

One of the things I love about gardening is the way it keeps you connected to nature. As I worked I found some lovely things. A big worm appeared from below. I uncovered a tiny green caterpillar. I wonder what that is destined to be? A moth or a butterfly perhaps? A Ladybird crawled out with it’s beautiful shiny red back on show. A lovely pale yellow snail shell lay under the tangle of stems and a pure white downy feather lay on the path.

Of course my camera was in action.

And I was surprised to see a bee feeding on the early nectar in a crocus flower. A welcome sign that warmer days are on their way. If you look closely at my photo you’ll see that the bee has pollen all over him. He will be carrying that when he visits other flowers and pollination will take place. A neat little trick!

I make no apology for talking so much about the garden today. A garden gives you hope. Life can be a struggle at times but if you have even the tiniest garden there is always something to look forward to. Those bulbs planted in Autumn, just about to come up and open their lovely faces to the sun. Maybe the satisfaction of producing something good to eat. The birds visiting the feeders, eating berries on your shrubs or showing signs of pairing up.

I saw a Dunnock land on the top of the hanging basket pole yesterday and sing two bursts of a lovely song. Then a female flew towards him. He fluttered his wings in a courtship dance and then they flew down together and pecked around. A lovely thing to see.

The garden is responding to the warmer days now and is looking prettier all the time. Here are a few of my latest photos.

I discovered one of my snowdrops has a double flower. A pretty frilly centre when I tipped it up and looked inside to see the fresh green marks on the petals.

One Spring we were at Attingham Park in Shropshire and they had lovely tulips for sale. I didn’t buy them because we had tulips at home in the garden but I took a photo and later did a painting of them.

I hope you are enjoying your garden if the weather is kind enough. There is nothing so uplifting. Stay safe. With you again in a few days.

The weather has improved tremendously. I’m so relieved. I thought the garden had been destroyed by the freezing wind. Was so pleased to find most things had survived. Even the drooping hellebores are standing up now.

Look at the difference in these little crocuses. I took the first photo when they had just emerged and the second when the sun was coaxing them to open.

The snowdrops, of course, are as dependable as ever. They are the most beautiful winter flowers. No matter what the weather throws at them they always look lovely.

I have a few leeks to use up. Just a few small ones but they will still be tasty. The garlic is growing well in the polytunnel but I’m getting a mossy surface on the soil. Will have to stir it up a bit. The Winter Density lettuces withstood the low temperatures in the unheated greenhouse. They had a seaweed feed today. I have sown some broad bean seeds in coir compost in the greenhouse. Not sure how they will do. They got very cold. We shall have to wait and see.

We were so glad of the log fire at night this winter. We hardly needed to use it last year but the last few weeks have been so cold that it was a pleasure to put a match to it every evening and watch the flames dance. Knitting happily in a cosy room, lovely.

At this time of year I like to make parsnip wine. I started winemaking about 35 years ago and I have tried many fruits and vegs but parsnip and ginger are definitely our favourites. I haven’t made ginger for a long time. Perhaps I will soon. It’s a very good wine. I do usually make an annual batch of parsnip though.

I didn’t have enough homegrown parsnips so I bought 2kg. They were lovely tasty ones and were so amazingly clean I only needed to check, trim and thoroughly rinse before chopping them. I’m glad of my chopping knife for this. I have a self-sharpening chef’s knife. A really good tool. I’m hopeless at sharpening knives but this one sharpens everytime I slide it back into its sheath.

I bought my wine bin many years ago and it’s been so good. It has a well fitting lid which is important because it’s essential to keep the wine as clean as possible. I couldn’t find my long plastic spoon so had to use my jam spoon with a long handle. I think I might have thrown away the wine spoon because it flaked after so many years of service. Need to buy another.

Here are some photos to give you an idea of my method. I used 2kg parsnips, 1 and a half kg of sugar, an orange and a lemon and a packet of all purpose wine yeast.

I sterilise the bucket and the spoon with Bruclens steriliser then rinse well. I cook the parsnips for 15 minutes to release the juice. No longer, or the finished wine might not clear. When it has cooled a bit I pour the juice into the bin. I fill the pan a few times with cold water over the parsnips to get as much juice as possible from them, adding it to the bin until I have just over a gallon. Then I add the sliced citrus fruits and sugar, stirring well to dissolve the sugar. Then check to see it is no more than blood heat (clean finger) and sprinkle the yeast in and stir. Put the lid on ,well secured, and leave in a warm place to ferment for 10 days, stirring once a day with a sterilised and rinsed spoon.

It is really quite easy to do and the wine is a warming, not oversweet, golden drink. I never add stuff to make it clear. If it’s done properly it clears perfectly by the time it’s ready to bottle on its own.

I don’t throw the parsnips away. I freeze them in plastic pots. Very handy for adding to soups or for a mashed, buttered veg.

Here’s a painting I did a while ago of my jewellery box. (No diamonds here!!) Painted with gouache.

I’ve got an acrylic painting on the go at the moment but it’s not going well. Will have to sort it out soon. You win some, you lose some! Just like gardening.

I hope your garden survives the temperamental weather and you find lots of enjoyable things to do while confined to home. With you again in a few days. Stay safe and well.

We had some snow again. Not my favourite thing but I have to admit it does look wonderful and remains a mysterious phenomenon no matter how old you are. I wrote another poem about it.

Snowy Night and Morning

The powdered snow lay all around.
Flowers drooped their frozen heads,
The wind had dropped, there was no sound
And people sheltered in their beds.

Flakes floated down and dropped
And glistening white lit all.
The wintry shreds of grasses flopped
And birds refused to call.

But the black night gave way to day
And sunlight burst upon the scene.
The shimmering light began to play
Where only ghostly forms had been.

The beauty of the snow was all around,
Elusive, fleeting, bright and pure.
Every undulated mound
Preserved only till the melting thaw.

Since then we’ve had extremely low temperatures and icy winds. Far more damaging to plants than snow. Looking around the garden at first I only saw a scene of devastation. I don’t think my lovely Hellebores will survive this freezing blast. They look very sad.

I went around with my camera and was cheered to see a few hardy plants holding their own.

I spotted a few Ivy berries which the birds had missed and the scarlet Skimmia berries still glowed. The Hydrangea has lovely faded flowerheads which I leave until the Spring.

With all this cold weather we need comfort food. I made some sausage and apple patties for a simple, satisfying meal. I mixed sausagemeat with finely chopped onion which I’d softened first in the microwave oven, then added a chopped Cox apple. Formed them into flattened cakes or patties. ( Never know what to call these!) Cooked them in the oven at 190C/170C fan oven, with foil over the pan. Served them with baked beans. They are brilliant with beans.

For a crispier patty, they brown more if the foil is removed before the end. They also go well with sweet potatoes and vegs. If there are any left over they are delicious cold.

If the pan has fat stuck to it after cooking I just put a little warm water into it and sprinkle it with soap powder (clothes washing powder) and leave if for a few hours or overnight. Comes off like magic without all that scrubbing and rubbing.

I have knitted all (I think) the acorns and leaves I want for my autumn wreath. Not quite sure of the final arrangement yet but I laid them out to get an idea of how they’ll look.

It’s been a pleasant way to spend a few hours during the winter, when I can’t do any gardening and has made a change from painting. Here’s a peek at what I’ve done so far.

I have to decide how to make them into a wreath. I can probably buy a form to attach them to and I will perhaps cover it and stitch the bits onto it. No hurry. Winter isn’t over yet.

Then it’s the problem of where to put it! I have a house full of paintings, pottery, books etc. No doubt somehow I’ll find a little space to do it justice.

I hope you’re finding lots to do and enjoying the warmth of home. Even if you enjoy spending time outdoors it’s good to have simple pleasures when you’re back inside. Stay safe and well. Back with you again in a few days.

We had a powdering of snow again. Barely covering the ground but enough to look pretty. The flowers were a little bowed but still giving me the utmost pleasure.

Definitely not gardening weather. I thought, what could be nicer than baking in my warm kitchen? I had some dates to use up and a couple of lemons so I got my thinking head on and invented a recipe. Always a gamble of course but when you’ve been baking as long as I have you have a pretty good idea of quantities and flavours.

This what I did. I’m pleased with the results so I’m happy to share the recipe.

Date and Ginger Squares

You will need a large baking tin. I use a roaster.
200g chopped Dates
100ml boiling water
juice of a lemon or 2 small ones
4 large Eggs
200g Caster Sugar
275g self-rasing Flour
10g Wheat Bran
2 heaped teaspoons ground Ginger
2 heaped teaspoons Baking Powder
200g Sunflower Oil.

Grease the baking tin. Put 100ml of boiling water
into a heatproof jug or bowl. Add the chopped dates
and the lemon juice and leave to soak while you mix
the rest.
Beat the eggs and sugar to mix.
Heat the oven to 180c/160C Fan oven.
Add flour, bran, ground ginger and baking powder.
Then add the oil. Pour in the dates and soaking liquid.
Mix well. Put into the baking tin.
Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Allow to cool slightly then cut into squares.
They freeze well.

A little tip here if you grow tomatoes. Don’t throw your eggshells away when you bake. I learned this a few years ago from someone else. Bake them in the oven while your cake is cooking. When they’re cool, put them in a bag and smash them up. The finer the better. Then you can sprinkle these in the soil around your tomato plants for extra calcium.

Seems to work for me. My plants have looked healthier since I’ve been doing it.

Talking of plants. Have you ever used the leaves from the top of homegrown sprouts? If not try them. They are so deliciously sweet and tender. I picked some of ours the other day and steamed them. I put them as a layer under my cheesy potatoes. Really tasty.

As we’re all confined to home it’s so important to enjoy our surroundings. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a garden or be able to enjoy the satisfaction and hard work of looking after one. I hope my garden photos will give you pleasure, either as a gardener yourself or as someone who enjoys looking at other people’s gardens. Here are some more of mine.

Here’s a painting I did of poppies in the garden. They had raindrops on them. One of my favourite flowers, especially when they are fresh from the rain. Their petals are like crushed silk, shimmering and delicate with the most beautiful colours. I tried to capture the light coming through them. Sadly, the petals fall all too soon but that brief life is so beautiful.

That’s it for today. I hope you stay safe and well. With you again in a few days.

Been knitting those little acorns I mentioned last time. It’s a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours. I hope to make an autumn wreath of leaves, berries and fruits. This is just the beginning and is prompting ideas for how it might look.

Only one small problem. I used the colours suggested by the pattern but when I looked later at photos of real acorns they are not like this at all! The cups are beige and the acorn nut is a warm orangey brown. May make some more and use these for something else. At least I’ve got the hang of it now.

I’m happy with the oak leaves though and the three shades of colour to give them an autumnal look.

I bought a new book for small knitted novelties and toys. “100 Little Knitted Projects”. Some lovely ideas which I hope to make in due course. I love the toys so I might make some of those. There is a little monkey, a teddy and a cute Humpty Dumpty which I will have a go at.

Balls of wool in beautiful colours are like artist’s paints. So tempting and inspiring. Who couldn’t resist those colours and the promise of happy hours with busy fingers?

We’ve had a few welcome days of good weather. The birds are singing and I think they’re searching for mates. The garden certainly seems busier. There have been beautiful Bullfinches visiting the feeders. Such a gorgeous shade of deep pink. I haven’t managed to take a photo yet. They’re not regular visitors so they are very nervous and don’t linger.

Managed to do some gardening. Cut back the scruffy perennials and tidied the borders so the Spring bulbs will be on show in a few weeks.

I brought in a few flowers for a vase. They looked wonderful but sadly they didn’t like the warmth of the house and were flopping by the next day. For a brief moment I had the intense pleasure of their beauty.

I am so glad of a warm house though and satisfying winter meals. I did another of my one-pan meals using sweet potatoes. It was easy to do and tasted really good.

I put a small amount of water into a deep frying pan with half a vegetable stock cube and a crushed clove of garlic. I added chunks of sweet potato, sliced carrots, frozen green beans and diced kohl rabi. Brought them up to boil, then turned the heat down to a simmer for about 15 minutes, with the lid on, until the vegs were tender.

While this was cooking I grilled bacon rashers to serve with it. Then when the vegs were ready I took the pan off the heat and stirred in some sour cream to make a tasty sauce.

For a vegetarian option I could have added chickpeas or cashew nuts for protein. I often do this for meatless meals. Ground cashews are especially useful as an ingredient. They make the sauce as well as adding protein.

I have been trying to provide more vegetarian meals. The thinking now is that we should all reduce our meat consumption to help with climate change. I’ve also been trying to reduce our use of plastic. It’s alarming to think how many products are wrapped or contained in plastic.

With that in mind I tried some shampoo bars. These are locally made by a small company called Greenfinch Naturals. I had them delivered by the lovely lady who makes them because I live nearby but they are also available from Etsy.

Fabulous! I couldn’t believe how easy it was to use. Lots of lather instantly and so easy to rinse. Lovely scent too. My hair felt nice afterwards. Will definitely ditch the plastic bottle in future.

I’m never keen on advertising on my blog because I don’t want it to be in any way commercial but if I’m pleased with something I point it out. I never intend to get involved in advertising though. I write this blog for my pleasure and I hope others enjoy it too. No profit involved and none intended.

Talking about plastic, I was also becoming concerned about using teabags. I used to think they were made of paper until I saw that when I composted them the bag didn’t break down. I found them scattering around the garden. Very annoying. I realised then they were plastic.

So I changed back to loose leaf tea. So glad I did. It’s lovely tea, smells wonderful and I can now use my beautiful old spoon for measuring it out. The spoon belonged to my husband’s grandma. It’s so nice to have pre-loved items about the house and especially when you can use them.

I can’t leave you without mentioning the progress of the garden flowers. The snowdrops are prettier by the day and more hellebores are showing their delightful faces. The sunnier days this week have brought them on and I love walking around to check how they’re doing. Here are some shots I’ve taken. I should wait until there is more of a show but I can’t resist.

I hope you have flowers of your own to enjoy and if not I would like to think you can share my pleasure here.

With you again in a few days. Bye for now. Stay safe and enjoy your home comforts.