Living a contented creative life.

Sunshine and cake. Two of life’s pleasures. Plenty of sunshine the last few days and I baked my recipe for date and ginger squares, so lots of enjoyment. What could be nicer than a delicious bit of cake and a cup of tea.

These are very easy to do and are moist, tasty and satisfying. Here’s my recipe.

Date and Ginger Squares

200g stoned, chopped Dates
100ml Water
Juice of two small Lemons or 1 large
200g Caster Sugar
4 large Eggs
275g Self-raising Flour
10g Wheat Bran
2 heaped teaspoons Baking Powder
2 heaped teaspoons Ground Ginger
200g Sunflower Oil

You will need a large greased baking tin. I use a roasting tin.
Chop dates if whole. Boil the kettle and put 100ml of the boiling water into a heatproof jug. Add the chopped dates and the lemon juice. Leave to soak while you do the next stage.
Beat eggs and sugar.
Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan oven, or equivalent for gas.
Add flour, bran, baking powder, ginger, oil and dates with the liquid to the egg mixture.
Beat well until mixed. Spread in the baking tin.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until the centre springs back when pressed.
Allow to cool in the tin, then cut into squares.

Although I love coffee there is nothing quite so nice as a cup of tea with cake . I have several teapots, mainly because I love pottery but I also like tea. I have a little chinese one which I keep just for lapsang souchong tea. Lapsang has a distinctive smokey taste so it’s best to dedicate one pot for that. Besides, it makes it seem even more special.

I have an Art Deco pot which looks nice in my red kitchen.

I even have a chintzy teapot which lives upstairs just because it’s so pretty. It sits beside a lovely china cup which I picked up at a boot sale for 50 pence. I can’t resist beautiful pottery.

When I’m not drinking tea and eating cake I’ve been busy catching up in the garden. Lots of seeds sown in the greenhouse and weeds removed from under the trees. It’s good to see new growth taking over from the wilted remains of the Spring show. I noticed how lovely new leaves can be when I looked around. So many shapes and shades of green, fresh and beautiful. Here are some that I found with my camera.

Early Summer flowers like aquilegias are beginning to show. They have beautiful colours and shapes.

Here are some other pretty things in the garden right now.

The mint is ready now for making delicious mint sauce. I love the taste and aroma so much that I make extra and freeze it in small tubs to use during Winter. It freezes perfectly and tastes as though it was just made. Perfect with lamb but good with many other foods.

If you don’t like mint sauce, is that because you have only ever had it from the shops? Bought mint sauce is completely different. It is, of course, stale. It has been made and processed for storage so it tastes horrible. The texture is also different. Freshly made mint sauce, especially from apple mint, is wonderful and so easy to do.

When I make my mint sauce I will add the process details and photos to my blog. Any day now.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the flowers and the teapots. Now you need to make the cakes and have an afternoon tea in the garden. Whatever you do I hope you can enjoy the beginning of summer. With you again in a little while.

At Christmas I always buy angelica to decorate little iced cakes. It has become a tradition. Now I have an angelica plant which is maturing nicely and I have always wanted to try candying my own. So I have been doing just that.

Because the plant has some lovely flowers developing I didn’t want to strip it bare so I just took a few small stems. Anyway I thought best not to do too much in case it goes wrong or I’m not happy with it.

It’s a really simple process but takes a few days to complete.

First, I cut and cooked the stems in water for about an hour to soften them. Then I made a sugar syrup from 200g sugar to 250mls of water. Stirred it well, gradually heating it before adding the drained stems.

I simmered the stems in the syrup for 15 minutes, removed it from the heat and set it aside until the next day.

The second day I gently warmed the syrup and stirred in another 100g of sugar until dissolved. Brought it to the boil and then simmered again for 15 minutes before setting aside again until the next day.

On the third day I added 100g sugar again to the warmed syrup, brought it to the boil then simmered for another 15 minutes. It’s important to bring it to the boil steadily or the syrup could burn and caramelise.

On the final day I simmered again in the syrup ( no extra sugar) for another 15 minutes. When it had cooled a little I drained it, split the stems and rolled in caster sugar. When it has dried a bit I shall store it in an airtight jar.

The bought version is a deep emerald green because it has food colouring added. Although mine is a dull green I prefer the natural product so I haven’t added anything. Of course it’s full of sugar but only small amounts are used for decoration so I’m not worried about that. I could have used that amount of syrup for many more stems but as this is a trial run it doesn’t matter. Perhaps I can find a use for the syrup.

The flower heads or umbels, as they’re called, will open into lovely white flowers which bees will love. There were bees and other pollinators buzzing about today in the garden despite the cold, wet weather.

I’m up to my ears with cabbages now. I have tried making sauerkraut in the past but it always seems to go mouldy. Not bothering again. Any surplus cabbage will make good compost.

I tried a different mangetout this year and they have taken forever to flower so no peas yet. One beautiful flower has finally appeared and it’s so lovely that I can forgive the long wait.

All gardeners know by now how important it is to avoid peat-based composts. I’ve been using coir. It’s fine for starting seeds off but as there’s no goodness in it I’ve been repotting into homemade compost when the time is right.

Because it’s been so cold I’ve only just sown runner beans, French beans, cucumbers, courgettes and squashes. They’re all very tender and don’t like the cold. Much like myself! They are beginning to peep through the coir and should grow nicely now the nights have warmed. They’re snug enough in the greenhouse until planting out time.

The parsnips and carrots are growing well. The spring onions are a tasty treat with a sandwich.

The garden is not at its best but here are some pretty bits captured by my camera.

My clematis montana “Elizabeth” has grown right up into the top branches of the old plum tree. It looks lovely tumbling down among the leaves.

With all the rain I’ve had time to finish my painting. It’s a scene from last summer in the garden. There was a campanula spreading prettily among the leaves poking through the fence. I took a photo and I’ve tried to capture it in my painting. Took a while. Lots of detail to do but enjoyable. Painted with gouache. Here it is.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the photos and perhaps you might fancy a bit of candying. Easy to do and pleasurable. Stay safe and don’t let the weather get you down. With you again in a few days.

Some ribbons for wrapping gifts. They look so pretty even as a jumble in the box. It doesn’t take much to please me!

Talking of pleasing me … Sometimes when I can’t sleep I like to invent new recipes. Occasionally, I find it stimulating to read a cookbook to stir my imagination and then make my own recipes or tweak one from a book.

The other night I was looking through “Let’s Preserve It” by Beryl Wood, apparently a favourite of Nigella’s, and I noticed an intriguing recipe for date and banana chutney. I thought that sounded a bit different and exotic. A couple of ingredients didn’t appeal to me so I came up with alternatives and decided to have a go.

I was so pleased with the result. A spicy, sweet chutney that’s very good. Although it’s recommended to keep chutney for a while to develop the flavour I couldn’t resist tasting it. I tried it with lamb and it was a delicious combination. I’m sure it would be really good with chicken. Here is my version.

Date and Banana Chutney
225g Dates
6 Bananas
450g Onions
285ml Malt Vinegar
Half a tin of Golden Syrup, approx 225g
4 or 5 lumps of Stem Ginger
1 teaspoon Chilli Powder

Wash and rinse 4 jars and place in the oven on a low setting to dry and keep warm until needed. Put lids to dry somewhere warm.

Stone and chop dates,peel and chop onions, peel and slice bananas.
Simmer them in a pan with the vinegar for about 10 minutes.
Chop ginger into small pieces.
Add syrup, ginger and chilli powder and cook until 
thickened and light brown, stirring from time to time.
While it cooks prepare a surface for the jars. I use a wooden chopping board covered with newspaper or kitchen paper. This prevents the hot jars from touching a cold surface which would crack them.
While still hot ladle into warm jars and tighten lids.

The bananas I used were just ripe except for one which was a bit under ripe. Seemed to work alright. The ginger was from a jar of my home preserved but bought ginger is just the same.

If you make jam and chutney it helps to have a funnel which just fits into the neck of the jars. It keeps the jars clean and saves a sticky mess which might go mouldy if left on.

Sometime soon I’m going to try to candy some angelica. I have a lovely plant in the garden which is mature enough now and it’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a while. Will post it on my blog when I do it.

The garden is looking a bit too green. Lots of bulb leaves without flowers but they have to be left to feed the bulbs for next year. The rain is encouraging the weeds to grow too. Been a bit wet so I’ve mostly been in the greenhouse and tunnels but still finding lovely things to photograph.

Even in the rain there’s beauty in a garden. The drops of water on flowers and leaves are lovely to see.

The hawthorn blossom is in bloom and smells so nice. If you look closely at the flowers you can see their delicate beauty. The stamens have lovely pink tips.

The sky has been fantastic. Fabulous clouds and a wonderful sunset.

If you look closely you can see the birds going home to roost.

I haven’t finished my latest painting yet. A lot of detail in this one and I need to paint carefully. I don’t like a messy picture. It should be ready next time I post so I will share it with you then.

Bye for now. Continue to stay safe. With you again soon.

With the hope of family get-togethers possible again soon I baked a pecan pie and stashed it away in the freezer. It’s a family favourite; wickedly rich, sweet and satisfying. It always looks special and tastes divine.

It takes about 250g of pecans and I find it best to empty the packet into a dish and separate any broken ones for grinding. The best whole ones I keep for decorating the top.

My full recipe is on my blog post called Christmas Thoughts. Not difficult to make and very special.

With food in mind I’m delighted to see the strawberry flowers appearing on the plants. Beautiful and promising delicious red berries in a few weeks time.

We have lots of wild alpine strawberries too. A friend gave me a few plants years ago and they spread around the garden like wildfire. Tiny, tasty berries and dainty little flowers. The birds and little creatures eat them so I let them get on with it.

I’m always pleased to see how many lovely flowers there are when I wander round the garden with my camera. I often think at this time of year, when the first dramatic show of daffs and tulips has gone, that the garden is too green. Not really true. If I look I can find.

Bluebells and pansies for instance. Best viewed up close. My camera catches all their delicate beauty, their wonderful colours, their fragile-looking petals.

Other lovely things catch my eye as I wander around. Some fascinating flowers on the potted pine. Are these going to become cones? Shall have to wait and see.

Here and there the Welsh poppies, Meconopsis cambrica, are opening their satin petals to the sun. Some are golden yellow and others a very pleasing shade of orange. They self-seed freely and grow like weeds but such lovely weeds that I welcome them.

Of course the sunshine and showers also encourage the wildlife. Some not so welcome like slugs and snails but even these provide food for the hedgehogs and birds so I don’t stress too much about them. The woodpigeons have been a bit of a nuisance over the Winter but I still enjoy seeing them.

I was amused to find that a hellebore flower I’d taken a snap of was actually covered in aphids. I didn’t see them until they were revealed when I loaded the photo onto the computer. Little green creatures. No wonder the ladybirds are doing so well. They feast on these things. Take a look at the picture and spot them.

They won’t do any harm to the hellebore. The flowers are spent and just holding the seeds but they still look so nice that I leave them for a while.

I was pleased to see a female Orange Tip butterfly flitting about the garden. It alighted on one of my clematis flowers to sip the nectar. Its wings were folded and displayed their beautiful mottled pattern. It was a good opportunity to take a few snaps before it fluttered away.

Because it’s been so cold this Spring I haven’t seen as many butterflies in the garden. Very sad to think how they’re declining. I spotted a Holly Blue, a yellow Brimstone, some Orange Tips and one or two Peacocks and Red Admirals early on but the last three weeks I’ve seen nothing. I hope our garden will provide a Summer haven for the few still around.

Apple blossom petals are showering the ground and the dandelions are springing up but even these are pleasures.

Buds are forming on the Solomon’s Seal and dainty little Lily of the Valley are opening their pure white bells beneath the rhododendron.

So much to look forward to when the Summer show begins.

Meanwhile I’ve done a little more work on my latest painting. Lots of detail to paint yet but it’s slowly taking shape.

Enjoy the sunny spells and find pleasant ways to spend time during the rain. With you again soon.

It’s been very cold, wet and windy so I have been reluctant to venture out. The house is snug and warm and the garden will wait. Nice inside the greenhouse and polytunnels though and things are growing well.

The lettuces are showing promise and I’m already using the spring onions and radishes. The peas will be flowering very soon and then we’ll have some delicious mangetout. The cabbages are developing huge heads. Way too big for one meal but very welcome.

I used some cabbage for one of my favourite one-pan meals. They are just the best way of cooking for taste, speed and simplicity. All the goodness stays in the pan and straight to the plate.

This time I put a small amount of water in my big lidded frying pan, added half a vegetable stock cube and some garlic. Stirred and then when boiling added chopped cabbage and frozen rice( I often add sliced carrots as well). Turned down the heat, put the lid on and allowed the cabbage to simmer for about fifteen minutes until tender. Then when it was ready I added some tinned sweetcorn (I think organic Green Giant is the best), allowed it to warm through then added pieces of smoked salmon. Just a quick stir to heat the salmon. Important not to overheat smoked salmon or it spoils the texture. Then at the last minute, removed the pan from the heat and stirred in a spoonful of soured cream. Creme fraiche is just as good.

It makes a complete meal, especially if you add carrots. It’s so quick, so tasty and all of the liquid is retained so you don’t pour vitamins down the drain.

The garden is full of weeds because of the rain and the lazy gardeners who prefer to be warm indoors. Will have to tackle it soon but meanwhile the promise of things to come is showing here and there. Purple pulsatilla is still producing flowers, buds are forming on the roses. Aquilegias and alliums are sending up stems to flower later and beautiful fresh leaves are on the trees. Even the fallen blossom has left tiny pears behind to grow over the summer months.

The flowers look fresh and beautiful despite the rain.

Plenty to do indoors while the rain is lashing the windows. It was time to rack off the parsnip wine into a clean demijohn. The yeast sediment had settled at the bottom and there was no sign of any bubbles. Fermentation had stopped and it was time to syphon it off for the next stage.

I sterilised my equipment and carefully syphoned off the wine, placing the tube just above the yeast so that the sediment wouldn’t be disturbed. I want as little of it as possible in the next demijohn.

I had to top it up with some cool boiled water and I tightly bunged it to keep out air. Then I covered the bung and put a rubber band around to be sure it doesn’t get dusty while it’s stored. It’s now in a cool, dark place to mature for a few weeks before I bottle it.

Tastes wonderful and the colour is beautiful. As you can see there is no need to add anything to wine while you’re making it. This simple method produces a golden, crystal- clear product which is natural and delicious.

A new painting is in progress. I did a drawing from a photo I took in the garden last summer and I’ve started to paint it. Gouache for this one. Lots of detail, which I enjoy doing even though it can be confusing at times.

Willing the weather to improve. Need some sun on my back while I’m weeding. Meanwhile, must find lots to do indoors. I hope you’re enjoying your own favourite pastimes too. Bye for now. With you again in a few days.

The pear blossom was lovely but it’s fading fast. The petals are scattering around the garden like confetti at a wedding.

The apple blossom will be lovely for a few more days and looking fabulous right now. Delicate pink petals, rosy buds and fresh green leaves are filling out the trees with all the promise of fruit later on.

The crab apple has beautiful, almost crimson petals. Such a show, followed by little red fruits which make a tasty jelly later in the summer.

The kale is trying its best to flower now but I keep nipping the buds off and we eat them. They are so sweet and tender that they’re good in a salad but usually I steam them over boiling potatoes, especially good when I make my easy-peasy fish cakes. Just potatoes mashed with tinned fish and browned in a little oil in the frying pan. Served with our favourite chutney or picalilli.

The vegetable growing is keeping us well fed but the ornamental parts of the garden are important to us too. Every week something new springs into bloom.

We have two potted rhododendrons. A deep pink one with big showy flowers and a mini one with pale mauve flowers. The little one is struggling a bit. Needs some tlc. I resolve to treat is with more care in future so the lovely flowers will increase.

I love colour and especially the colours of flowers. So pure and strong with a sheen on the petals and a translucency which is so pleasing. The wallflowers which I left in last year have flowered really well again and they are a mixture of pink, cream, gold and orange. Beautiful.

Just look at some of the colours in the garden at the moment.

Talking of colour, I got round, at last, to making the cushion covers for an armchair which sits with the dining table and chairs. Now they are covered with the same fabric and although I don’t always go for an overall matching look I’m very happy with the result. I made a cover for the scatter cushion from the offcuts as well. The room is more tied together now and the colours are lovely.

I sewed zips into the cushion covers so they are easy to remove for washing.

There is always plenty to do. Not often that I’m bored. Home is a creative hub where you can do what you like, when you like. Inevitably it leads to an inclination to hoard things which you think you might use for something. I can’t resist buying knitting yarn in sales for possible future projects or packs of felt, saving bits of fabric, ribbons etc. It’s really good when you have an urge to make something when the materials are there at hand. I think it stimulates your imagination.

Drawing and painting are also satisfying ways to pass time. It really doesn’t matter whether it’s technically good or bad. What matters is the enjoyment, being absorbed in a creative pursuit. Consequently, I always have paints, paper and canvases stashed away for a rainy day. Nothing worse than a creative urge which can’t be fulfilled.

I’ve started a new painting. Just at the drawing stage. I shall paint it with gouache this time on watercolour paper. I buy blocks of paper with the sheets glued together at the edges. You paint on the top one then separate it from the block with a knife around the edge when the painting is completed. I’m not keen on all that soaking, stretching and taping down involved with loose sheets. These are really good to use and again it means instant gratification because I can get on with it straight away. Perhaps I need a little more patience.

Here is a drawing I did some years ago. I often like to outline a drawing with pen to give it definition. This was drawn from a photo I took at Elvaston Castle in Derbyshire. The scene caught my eye and it was lovely to draw.

I hope you’re finding plenty to do and staying safe until life returns to some kind of normality. With you again in a few days.

The winter lettuce has finished but I’ve started on the cabbage I’ve been growing over the last few months. Sure sign that Spring is well and truly underway. I cut off a large fresh and juicy head and steamed it with diced apple and leek. It was delicious with a spoonful of soured cream and salt and pepper.

Almost used the last of the kale too. Gathered some leaves, steamed them and served them with my cashew cakes. I find it’s easier to cut kale and snip out any stems with scissors than to chop it . Red Winter is the one we prefer.

Unfortunately I made five instead of four cashew cakes so, as you can see, the pan was overcrowded and I couldn’t keep the shape. Still tasted good though. I added some chopped leek for extra flavour.

With an awareness of climate change and threats to wildlife it has become more and more obvious that it’s important to garden organically. This dawned on me about twenty years ago and now I can’t imagine using any kind of chemicals in the garden. Once the system is established everything works more in harmony. Of course, there are still slugs and insect pests but there are many ways in an organic garden to keep control. Hedgehogs and birds eat slugs and snails, ladybirds eat aphids, growing under cover prevents pests like carrot fly and a little roughness around the edges benefits insects, butterflies and bees. It’s a joy to sit and watch the many forms of life whizzing about in the garden and to know it’s all a good thing.

The fruit tree blossom is buzzing with bees and other pollinators. My favourite, the apple blossom, is just beginning to bloom. So pretty.

It’s been exceptionally dry. Lovely in many ways because flowers look so perfect when they’re not damaged by rain and wind but a big job keeping everything watered. Some small pleasures though. The lupin leaves looked like they were studded with diamonds after they’d been sprinkled.

Most of the early show has finished and there will be a short gap before the summer perennials take over. But the shrubs are lovely. The rhododendrons are opening their flowers and the berberis is a picture.

There are still a few lovely flowers in the borders too.

I had hoped to grow cranberries in the garden but sadly the plants were accidentally removed when we were doing some work. But bought cranberries are very good and I love the dried ones sweetened with fruitjuice to use in baking. I often add them to cakes and one of our favourites is my banana and cranberry loaf.

I have tried many banana loaf recipes from books and magazines but whatever I did they always seemed rubbery and disappointing. So I invented my own recipe and I was very pleased with the result. Perhaps you’d like to try it. It’s very easy. I always make two and freeze one. Not economical to use the oven heat for only one cake but, of course, you can easily halve the recipe if necessary.

Banana and Cranberry Loaf
Makes 2

4 Ripe Bananas
4 large Eggs
150g Caster Sugar
400g Self-raising Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
30g Bran
200g Sunflower Oil
1 packet dried Cranberries (Whitworths or Ocean Spray)

Whiz bananas in a food processor or mash well until smooth.
Put all other ingredients except cranberries in a bowl, add bananas. Mix well. Stir in cranberries.
Put mixture into two loaf tins.I use liners to make it
easy to turn them out.
Bake at 180C/160C fan oven for 40 minutes.

Serve sliced and spread with butter.

This has been a difficult time for all of us but the sun is shining and the moon last night was wonderful. I caught a glimpse with my camera.

I hope you have been well and kept busy doing enjoyable things. I’ll be with you again in a few days. Feel free to comment. I love to hear from you.

This is the time of year gardeners call “The Hungry Gap”. That is, the gap between last year’s crops and this year’s new ones. With a bit of management though we can spread a few things over the gap so there is always something fresh from the garden.

Last October I planted lettuces in the greenhouse, a kind called “Winter Density”. We are still enjoying them although they will soon have to make way for tomatoes. When I first started gardening many years ago I thought it was necessary to pull up a whole lettuce. Then I discovered you can pick individual leaves without damaging the centre where they grow and leave the plant to produce more. This way one crop can last for ages.

I also grew salad leaves, like the frilly ones you can buy in bags from the supermarket.

They have been really good and lasted all winter in the polytunnel. I’ve just pulled them out because they were shooting up and flowering. They will make good compost.

As the lettuce ends the cabbages are ready. These are delicious in salads. I use them more that way than cooked. We still have some kale as well. The plants are producing flower buds but these are so good to eat, either raw or steamed. I’ve used the first show of buds and left sideshoots to produce some more.

Not such a “hungry gap” after all. Good, healthy and tasty things to enjoy and plenty of other goodies coming along.

The rhubarb was tempting me. It hasn’t grown much yet and there is only a little patch but I couldn’t resist having some of those ruby red sticks for a bowl of Spring freshness.

If you don’t like that feeling on your teeth with rhubarb try my little tip. I bring it to the boil then tip the chunks into a colander and rinse with cold water. Tip them back into the pan and stew for a few minutes before adding sugar.

It doesn’t spoil the flavour but it reduces the acidity and makes it much more pleasant to eat. Nice as it is or made into a pie or crumble. Good with custard, ice-cream or greek-style yoghurt.

The other day I did a little refurbishing job I’ve meant to do for a while. We have a footrest which was filled with awful polystyrene beads. Terrible stuff which is not recyclable. I also hate them because they make an irritating noise when squashed. So I finally bought some soft stuffing, emptied out the beads and got on with the job. Here you can see the result from saggy item to springy, comfy puffiness.

Comfortable and quiet at last!

I’m knitting again

but with this lovely weather there is much to do in the garden so I’m trying to go outside as often as I can. I like to walk around when I’m not actually working in the garden. My camera is busy. Flowers are at their best when viewed close up and I try to focus on the beauty of each individual shape and colour.

The pear blossom looks lovely from an upstairs window, sillouetted against the blue sky. Close-up, the flowers are so beautiful on the tips of the branches. Creamy-white petals with a hint of pink.

The apples are only in bud yet but they are so pretty. Deep pink before they open and the most beautiful delicate pink in flower. Here’s how they look right now.

I noticed some lovely lichen in the garden. I read somewhere that lichen indicates clean air. Not sure about that but it’s pleasing to look at.

Lots to do now Spring is here. A busy time ahead in the garden but what better place to be. There are pleasing scents, birds singing, flowers glowing and good things to eat.

I hope you’re enjoying all that Spring has to offer. Stay safe while you’re out and about. With you again in a few days.

I’ve been writing my blog for 6 months now. My hope was that my experience was worth sharing and that I might encourage others to have a go at the little things which bring satisfaction and meaning to our lives. It must be obvious to anyone who reads my blog regularly that I’m very much a homebody. I enjoy being in my home, the things around me and my garden.

I suppose I’m fortunate that such things give me immense satisfaction and I don’t crave big experiences. I’ve had those when I was younger, of course. Having children, living in another country, going to university as a mature student with a family to care for and many different jobs. But even then I loved to be at home, making things, creating a garden, painting and writing.

So I hope that you have enjoyed the photos, the recipes, poems, paintings and crafts and I can continue to enjoy sharing them with you.

The weather has been very cold and shocked us all out of our belief that winter was well and truly over! It hasn’t been easy, has it? My thoughts took shape in another little poem about the ups and downs of waiting for Spring.

Waiting for Spring

Longer days and shorter nights,
Sunny spells then chilling storms,
Swaying trees or flower delights,
As the earth tremulously warms.
Spring tempts but often teases,
Lifts us up then drops us down,
As warm and gentle breezes
Turn cold and make us frown.
But nothing lasts forever,
The icy wind at last gives way,
Each gardener's endeavour
Blossoms in the month of May.




Here is a photo of lilac buds waiting to burst into flower in May.

Meanwhile the vegs are tucked up inside the greenhouse and polytunnels so every bit of sun is concentrated and makes them grow. The spring cabbages are almost ready. I grow one called “Spring Hero” which, unlike most spring cabbages, forms a ball head. We love these thinly sliced and tossed with a drizzle of ginger syrup. So delicious, especially with an egg and mayonnaise sandwich.

The spring onions are growing well now. The salad leaves are bolting, in other words sending up flower shoots to produce seed, so I must harvest the last few and make space for other seeds. The mange-tout peas are shooting up. I’m growing a different kind this year so I hope they will be good.

Outdoors the kale has stood through the winter with just a bit of a setback when we had the extreme spell of cold weather. I grow “Red Winter”, sometimes called “Red Russian”. They’ve been growing for months so now they’re beginning to flower. I shall nip the flower buds and lightly steam them. They’re really tasty, sweet and tender. A bit like broccoli but I think they’re nicer. Even good raw in a salad.

It’s satisfying when seasonal vegs come along. Later during the summer I try to preserve as many as I can. My store of picalilli is going down but I made more last year because I really enjoy it. Just got out another jar to spice up meals which need a little kick. My easy fish cake, for example. It’s actually very tasty but I love to have it with chutney or picalilli. The sweet and sour piquancy really enhances the flavour. I hope I have enough to last until late summer when I can make some more with beans, courgettes and cucumbers from the garden.

Here are some lovely things which feed the soul.

Meanwhile there is plenty to do and some of it just for fun. Knitting little toys recently, for instance. I gave my tiny knitted doll to a lovely little neighbour. Her mum says she loves it. That is so good to hear and makes the pleasure of knitting it all the better. The pattern called it “Alice in Wonderland” but I don’t think it really looks like Alice. Cute though, so what does it matter? She’s left her little friends behind and gone to a good home.

Next job is a sewing one. Making loose covers for an armchair. Got the fabric but need a couple of big zips. Will be on the case in a week or so when the mood and the opportunity are right.

I hope the weather will be kind to us all very soon. Take care, stay safe. With you again in a few days.

The weather is being very unkind. I’m not a cold weather person. I want the gentle Spring sun on my back as I work in the garden. Can’t be too long now though. Give it a week and hopefully we’ll all be basking again.

The newly opened plum blossom is lovely. We have one big old tree which only bears a few purple plums these days. The other is just a few years old and I hope it will have fruit this year. It grows my favourite Victoria plums, so sweet and flavoursome. I could eat them till I burst. Last year was its first fruiting year and I had one solitary plum! Tasted good though.

The plum blossom is pure white and flowers first. Next will be the pears but they’re not quite ready yet. The creamy white flowers will be open in a few days if we have some sun. After that we have the apples. My favourite blossom. It’s a fabulous pink, so delicate and yet so full of colour with the buds emerging with a deeper tint and petals fading later to almost white.

Meanwhile more lovely sights are appearing. The Berberis is smothered in golden flowers like mini daffodils and the snakeshead fritillaries in pinky purple and white are nodding their drooping bells.

The wallflowers are flowering again. I left last year’s in the border and although they produced lots of seed during the Summer they survived and are so pretty again. It was difficult to take good shots of them because it was so windy. One advantage of the breeze though is that the delicious scent wafts around.

Here are some other treasures making me smile.

So much pleasure in a garden. Flowers lift the spirits and feed the soul.

I was thinking again about alternative recipes. We try to cut down on meat for our health and environmental reasons but it’s too easy to fall into the trap of eating cheese all the time. So many lovely vegetarian meals depend on it but variety is important in our diet. So I try to think of ways of introducing nuts into meals. Here’s my latest nut meal idea. We really like it.

Nutty Sausages
Makes four.

50g Cashew Nuts
60g Breadcrumbs
Onion, sliced
Small amount of Parsley
A few Sage leaves
A small Apple, peeled and sliced
1 Egg
S & P
Small amount of Flour

nb. I used Spring onions because I had some to use up but a small onion will do.

Grind the nuts if you like them fine.
If you prefer texture just crush them a bit.
Remove any woody stalks from the sage and rinse.
Not too much sage or it would be overpowering.
Destalk the parsley and rinse.Pat dry on kitchen
paper.
Put bread pieces or crumbs, sliced onion,sage,
parsley,apple,egg,salt,pepper and nuts
into the food processor.
Whizz until combined.
Put flour onto a plate and have another plate
ready. With floured hands make four sausage shapes.
Put onto the clean plate and put in the fridge
for about half an hour to firm up.
Heat some oil in a frying pan, hot enough to 
sizzle the mixture. Slide the sausages
into the pan. You may need a flat spatula to 
slide them in in order to keep the shape.
Brown on all sides.
Serve with vegs and chutney or your favourite sauce. 

These would be good with green beans, broad beans or even baked beans for extra protein.

Sage, especially the purple variety, also looks lovely in a vase with some pretty flowers.

For a few hours I had more fun knitting another small toy. This time a tiny doll. I will give her to a lovely little girl I know. It’s such a pleasure watching these patterns come to life.

I’ve found plenty to do over the last few months. I know it’s been hard for many people but lockdown is gradually easing. We are having our second jabs this weekend so will feel more confident in a week or two. Meanwhile, staying safe and hoping you are too. With you again in a few days.