Living a contented creative life.

I haven’t put the decorations or tree up yet. Don’t want to peak too soon. I am still busy in the kitchen though with my Christmas preparations.

I made cranberry sauce today. I really dislike that jam-like stuff in jars which is supposed to be cranberry sauce. I love the sharp tang, colour and texture of real cranberries. I can’t get enough of it with my Christmas meals.

If you’ve never tasted homemade you’re missing a treat and it couldn’t be easier to make. Just buy some fresh cranberries, pick them over and discard any mushy ones while you’re washing them. Even easier if you buy frozen ones. Simmer gently with a little water to stop them burning until they’re broken down (about 20 minutes or so) then add sugar, to taste. They take quite a lot of sugar but it depends on how sweet or sharp you prefer them, so taste as you go. Cook for a few more minutes.

Some people like to add orange juice and /or port but I just love the full-on cranberry flavour on its own. When it cools it thickens to a rich glossy gelled texture. Freezes perfectly without any loss of flavour or consistency.

Delicious with turkey of course but also with beef and a special vegetarian pie which I make on Christmas Day ( recipe coming soon).

When I need to relax I like to sit a while but there has been little I want to watch on the telly so I dug out a favourite book of mine to do a little crafting. It’s “100 Flowers to Knit and Crochet” by Lesley Stanfield. It’s a fascinating collection of patterns graded into three levels: basic, intermediate and advanced. I can’t do the advanced. I find patterns very confusing and my concentration span is limited. I do enjoy having a go though.

A few years ago I knitted the little acorns, in the photo on the right, to stitch onto a shawl I crocheted for my daughter. She was born in Autumn so autumnal things are her favourites and I knew acorns would be appealing. This week I knitted some little cherries. Passed a few happy hours keeping my fingers busy although I have to admit it didn’t come easily. The instructions in the book confuse me but then I’m no expert at these things. I usually muddle through with a bit of perseverence. No pain, no gain!

Maybe not the most useful things to have but quite pretty and amusing and keeps me out of mischief. Will make nice brooches or decorations for other things.

Then back to the kitchen and Christmas preparations.

Another little quick dessert I often make is a cream-filled swiss roll. It is quite easy to do with a little care and a variety of fillings make it very versatile. Freezes beautifully and saves time when other jobs take precedence. Looks special too if you decorate the top to make it look luxurious. The one I made today is filled with chopped stem ginger stirred into whipped cream.

There are lots of recipes for swiss roll but here is mine if you’d like to try it.

Choc Swiss Roll

65g Caster Sugar  2 large Eggs
50g plain Flour  2 rounded tablespoons
of Cocoa Powder

You will need a swiss roll baking tin
and greaseproof paper.
Heat the oven to 210C/190C fan oven
Cut a piece of greaseproof paper to
line the tin, with slightly 
overlapping edges.
Grease the tin a bit
and press the paper into place.
Beat the eggs and sugar with an
electric mixer until the volume
increases and the whisks leave
a trail in the mixture.
Sift the flour and cocoa together and with a
metal spoon gently fold into the eggs and 
sugar until it is all mixed in. Don't beat or
you will lose the air in the mixture.
Put into the tin and level if necessary,
then bake for 7-8 minutes.
Put a fresh piece of greaseproof paper on
the worktop and sprinkle with icing sugar
or caster sugar. Tip the cake 
top-down onto the fresh paper. Allow to cool
for a couple of minutes then very
carefully peel the original paper away.
Using the paper on the worktop to assist
you roll the cake up starting at the short
end facing you.
Leave to cool completely. Gently unroll and 
spread with whipped cream then roll up again.
Serves about four.
Fillings are up to your taste and imagination.
Chopped stem ginger is good, toasted pecans 
are delicious, grated chocolate or coffee liqueur,
added to the whipped cream. All these freeze
perfectly.
If you want to eat it fresh, any fresh fruit
can be added. Strawberries, raspberries or
apricots are good. Tinned fruit is fine if 
you drain it well. For a Black Forest gateau
effect use tinned black cherries and
chocolate with the cream.

If you freeze it for another occasion, like Christmas or a dinner with friends, place it unwrapped in the freezer and open-freeze it until firm. Then wrap and put back in. This prevents it from getting squashed while it’s still soft.

Thaws perfectly in the fridge and if you decorate the top with more cream, fruit or chocolate it will impress your family or guests and taste wonderful.

These wintery days with grey skies are the perfect time to enjoy making things for Christmas. All the hard work will pay off when you can sit back a little at Christmas with your efforts behind you.

Don’t forget to give the Christmas cake another drink of sherry in the next week or so.

Happy baking and crafting, until next time. Bye for now, with you again in a few days.

The frosts have kicked in although we have been lucky this year. The weather has been very mild. Even though the plants will finally give up their flowers it’s nice to see those wintery scenes.

Frosty Morning

The crisp, curled leaves
Lie frozen on the garden path.
Their steamy breath rises
In the morning sun.
Silver-edged, their crumpled beauty
Enfolds the icy remnants
Of nature's latent bounty.
Too cold to shiver in the breeze
They stiffly stand guard
Above the sleeping soil.

Now that the nights are colder and the darkness comes early we have started the woodstove for cosy evenings. I have been cutting down the woody stems in the garden and using them for kindling.

It’s wonderful to see the flickering flames and to hear the gentle hiss of the logs as they burn. It took me a while to get the hang of lighting the stove at first. Over the years I’ve developed techniques for easy starting and no need for those horrible smelly firelighters. I found that standing the logs vertically at either side with paper, dried woody stems and small sticks from our trees with another log placed horizontally across the top worked best. Like this:

It makes for a quick blaze and the logs ignite very well. When it’s going sufficiently the top log fits down between the others for a good satisfying fire.Then we can toast our toes for a couple of hours, watch the fascinating flames and soak up the atmosphere of a cosy winter evening.

When we first had our stove I rubbed and scrubbed at the glass door in an effort to keep it clean but it was a struggle. I thought I needed some expensive cleaning product. Then luckily I saw a marvelous tip in Permaculture magazine. Dip a damp cloth in the wood ash from the previous fire and rub the glass with it. Hey presto! Works like magic! All the smoke and tar just dissolve away. Since then we’ve had a lovely clear view of the fire through a sparkling clean window. Thank you Permaculture.

Despite the occasional frost I was pleased to find some late autumn raspberries in the garden. Protected by the fruit cage, the blackbirds hadn’t been able to steal them. I brought them in and enjoyed a small bowlful.

I often suffer sleepless nights but at least I find my best ideas come to me when I lie awake. I thought up a recipe the other night and couldn’t wait to try it. Orange and cranberry buns. I baked it the next morning and was very pleased with the result. Here is my recipe. Very simple and easy. Christmas flavours but good to eat at any time.

Orange and Cranberry Buns

1 Orange  2 large Eggs  100g Caster Sugar
100g self-raising Flour  1 heaped tspn Baking Powder
100g Sunflower Oil  75g dried Cranberries (Whitworths
or Ocean Spray craisins)
Makes about 10

Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan oven

Grate the orange peel. Put all ingredients except the cranberries into a bowl and beat well. Add cranberries and beat again until well mixed.

Put into the bun tins (I use paper cases to line the tins)
Bake for 18-20 minutes.
If you want to double up they freeze well.

Nice with a cup of tea or perhaps a glass of your favourite wine.

Some Christmas cooking ideas coming soon. Enjoy your preparations even though Christmas may be a lot different this year. It all helps to raise the spirits.

Bye for now. With you again in a few days.

I’ve had a few things to do over the last few days. The garden needed attention. The brown drooping leaves were looking sad so I spent a little time cutting down the perennials.

The woody aster stems with their fluffy seedheads are ideal for starting the fire so I save those along with marjoram sprigs with their scenty tops and the big mop-head flowers of the dried hydrangeas. Just need to be sure that they are very dry.

When I was snipping off the dead leaves of the alchemilla I disturbed several ladybirds. Felt bad about it. They’d probably found a nice hidey-hole for the winter and I came along and shoved them out! There is plenty of shelter around the garden though so I’m sure they’ll survive.

I love to see the garden after the rain. I wander around with my camera and catch glimpses of raindrops clinging to the leaves and flowers.

There was a marigold with a tiny green caterpillar nestled in the flower.

The birds and squirrels are making the most of the food we’re providing. Sunflower hearts and peanuts are very popular. We love to watch the antics of the squirrels as they try to open the bird feeder. Not successful but we put some out on the birdtable so they can help themselves.

Yesterday a flight of geese went over in a lovely v-formation, honking very loudly. A wonderful sight. Too quick for a photo and my little camera probably wouldn’t be up to the job. It’s something we see every year as there is a lake nearby. Always thrilling no matter how many times I see it.

I like it if it rains after dark, when I’m snug in the kitchen. The rain lashes the window and glistens on the pane.

When I took this shot I was busy making my cheesy potatoes. Cheese stirred into hot mashed potatoes and spread on top of steamed kale or broccoli, then browned in the oven. Delicious and a good alternative to meat if you’re trying to cut down.

I was thinking again about my kitchen favourites. I have quite a few, as all cooks do. Some are not just essential tools but also make some jobs a lot simpler than they often seem. Scissors for example. Of course we all need scissors from time to time to cut things open but I also find them useful for snipping parsley or chives for instance. Easier than chopping, especially if you only need a bit to top a dish or a sandwich. Saves washing a chopping board. I use them too for trimming the fat from bacon or for cutting out the stalks on kale leaves. Kept just for food and washed up afterwards.

Cake liners are another thing I love, for loaf tins. I make a lovely banana and cranberry loaf ( recipe on a future post) and the liners make it so easy to release them from the tins when they come out of the oven. It’s horrible when a big lump of cake sticks to the tin and spoils a beautiful cake. They tip out perfectly with a liner.

Measuring cups are not only useful but somehow pleasing to look at and to handle. My little set sits on the worktop ready to be used.

My pastry mat is something I bought last year and wouldn’t be without now. It protects the work surface and the measurements on it are brilliant if I need to know the size of a cake tin or a circle of pastry.

I’ve made some mince pies for freezing so that I’m ahead for Christmas and in case of any unexpected events. Not going to post a recipe. There is nothing special about my mince pies. We love them though, especially with a dusting of icing sugar. I use my own mincemeat and always stir in a little extra brandy when I open the jar.

And finally here is a painting of some ducks in an autumnal setting. I painted this with gouache from a photo I took while we were out one day. I hope you like it.

With you again in a few days. Thanks for visiting. Comments are always welcome.

Christmas is only a month away so my thoughts are occupied with seasonal things. I have almost knitted a sixth Christmas cracker from the pattern in Landscape magazine.

Because our son used to work at Christmas we usually have a get-together the weekend before. We have a festive feast and exchange our presents and then we all spend Christmas in our own way. Sadly, this year that probably won’t be possible.

We’ll still celebrate in our own ways so traditional preparations will still go on. Time to put the sherry on the Christmas cake for example. I did mine the other day. Pricked the top of the cake all over with a sharp fork then carefully spooned sherry into the holes. A taster for the cook as well, of course. If you tried my recipe and are doing this, make sure you moisten the edge because it becomes very dry in the oven while its baking. If you prefer brandy, that’s fine. Do it once again in a couple of weeks but don’t overdo it or the cake will be soggy.

With Christmas in mind, I usually make a pecan pie. It’s a great favourite with my family and friends. I adapted this from an American recipe. Here is my version.

Pecan Pie

1 cup plain Flour
1 third cup of Sunflower Oil
1 quarter cup of cold Water
3 large Eggs
three quarters cup of Sugar
1 cup of Golden Syrup
1 cup of broken Pecans
20g melted Butter
pinch of salt
Whole Pecans to decorate. 250g bag

You will need a flan dish measuring approximately 9" or 22.5cm

Put the flour, sunflower oil and water into the food processor. Grease the flan dish with the residue from your oil measuring cup. Mix then turn off the machine and gather the pastry into a ball. Press the pastry into the dish, making sure it is even and no gaps in the base. 

Put the pastry case into the fridge while you make the filling.
Tip out the bag of pecans and use any broken ones to fill the 1 cup measure. Be generous with them.

Then grind them in your food processor or mill.

If you can't do this, put them in a bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
Heat the oven to 190C/170Fan oven.
Put eggs, sugar, syrup, salt, melted butter and ground pecans into a bowl and beat well.
Pour into the pastry case. Decorate with whole pecans. If you drop them gently onto the mixture they will float and look very attractive.

Check the oven is up to temperature. Open the door, then carry the dish very carefully so as not to disturb the pecans and bake for 35 - 40 minutes.
It will go dark brown. That's how it should be but check that the pecans don't burn. It might lift slightly in the oven but it usually flattens again while cooling.
Serve slightly warm with ice-cream or cold with single cream. Freezes perfectly.
This one didn't turn out as perfect as usual. Not quite so neat on top. Wouldn't you know when I wanted to show it off! You win some, you lose some. I'm sure yours will be perfect.

Happy baking. Enjoy your Christmas preparations.

I bombarded you all with lots of ideas and quick tips on the last two posts so I promise to be a little gentler this time. Some mindfulness and a little bit of poetry for you.

We’ve had some stormy weather with the wind tearing the leaves from the trees and the drainpipe rattling. One night it woke me and a poem began to form in my mind. I had to write it down as soon as I could before the words were lost again in my tangled thoughts. I hope you like it. I’m sure you will recognise the feelings which sprang to my mind.

Stormy Night

The wind whipped the house
Relentlessly, it seemed.
A hundred crevices creaked and moaned
While I lay and dreamed.

The sound awoke me.
Listening, I heard
The trees trembling as they bent and swayed.
Every twig was stirred.

It made me ponder
As I lay, snug and warm.
Very thankful that my home and bed
Kept me from the storm.

Today the weather was kinder, mild, damp and full of autumn pleasures. No harm had come from the windy turmoil of previous days. A misplaced watering can here and a few gathered leaves there but the polytunnels were standing strong and protective as ever. Thank goodness we anchored them well when we put them up.

As I strolled around the garden I took in some of the little details. I saw a damp, dark cone lying among the bark chippings on the ground. A Wood Pigeon’s feather lay on the path. It was pale grey and had a few raindrops lingering along its length. I spotted an apple still clinging to the tree. In time it will fall to earth and the Blackbirds will enjoy a winter feast.

There are new signs of life as well. The winter jasmine is flowering with pretty yellow blossoms. Such a cheerful sight on dull wintry days. The hellebores are growing fat buds for beautiful blooms in a few weeks and on one of the green ones today I saw a pair of Ladybirds nestled in among the shoots.

I finished planting my winter pansies and white bellis daisies. They’re safely tucked up in their pots before the frost kicks in. They will slow down when the weather turns nasty but will spring back to life and give us endless pleasure when it improves again.

I hope you’ve enjoyed a stroll around my garden. Stay safe and warm and enjoy your gardens or a walk in the woods if you can. Bye for now. With you again in a few days.

Continuing with my favourite kitchen helpers today because we all feel we need easy methods and sometimes a bit of time-saving. So my next item is the microwave oven.

Of course, the microwave is absolutely brilliant for reheating. Leftover casseroles, savoury bakes, all come back to life after a few minutes in the microwave oven. Defrosting as well is a breeze for bread slices or individual cakes, for example. My individual Christmas puddings (recipe in an earlier post) take only one minute from frozen for an instant dessert.

I also find it useful to soften onions before adding to baked dishes or mixed in with other ingredients to make meatballs or fried patties. It starts off the cooking process if you don’t want the onions to be too crunchy in your finished dish. Chop or slice them, as required, and mix with a tiny drizzle of oil before microwaving for a minute or two, taking care not to brown them.

Making a mug of cocoa in the microwave is easy. No need to boil milk on the hob. In a mug, mix the cocoa powder with a little milk to a runny paste, add more milk and stir, then microwave for a minute. Stir well and sweeten if you want to. I also make a delicious chocolate sauce with this method. I mix the cocoa powder to a thick paste, add just a little more milk to make it runny then microwave for about 30 seconds. It thickens slightly to a creamy texture. Stir it well and serve it hot with ice-cream. I prefer it unsweetened as the bitter chocolate is delicious with a very sweet vanilla ice-cream. Add toasted broken pecans for a sensational dessert with very little effort.

Custard is another easy trick in the microwave. In a pyrex jug heat the milk to boiling point. While it’s heating mix sugar and custard powder with a little milk to form a smooth runny paste. Quantity will be on the tin of custard powder. Stir this into the hot milk (first allow the bubbles to die down or it will froth up and scald your hand when you add the custard mix.) Cook for another minute and stir again. Almost instant custard, nicer than the bought stuff, to serve with sliced bananas or a favourite pudding.

In the summer when we have lovely courgettes in the garden, I slice them and drizzle with a little olive oil, then microwave for 3 or 4 minutes. With a sprinkle of salt and pepper and a spoonful of greek yoghurt it makes a delicious side-dish or nice with a sandwich.

Another favourite of ours is my peanut sauce, cooked very easily in the microwave and so delicious. Here is my recipe.

1 small Onion, finely chopped 6 tablespoons smooth Peanut Butter 300ml hot water juice of half a small Lemon 1 tablespoon soft light Brown Sugar half to 1 teaspoon Chilli Powder 1 tablespoon Tomato Puree 1 Garlic clove, crushed Salt and Pepper

Put the finely chopped onion into a large heatproof jug or bowl. Add a tiny drizzle of oil and mix it around. Cook the onion in the microwave oven for 1 or 2 minutes but watch that it doesn’t brown. Add all the other ingredients and stir well. Cook on high for 6 minutes so that it boils. Turn the oven power down to low (300 on mine) and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir well. Makes about 500ml. Freezes perfectly if that’s more than you need.

If you prefer it completely smooth, blend it. Very good hot or cold with chicken or if you want something a bit different make some sausage meatballs to make a tasty and unusual meal. Use sausagemeat with onion added or chop an onion finely and add it yourself. Mix in a few breadcrumbs to give firmness (never use those horrible things from the supermarket. They’re not absorbent and usually an unnatural colour). Make into ball shapes, brown in a little heated oil. Cool the pan a bit then add some water, about half way up the meat, with a vegetable stock cube. Simmer until firm, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and serve with peanut sauce, rice and vegs.

Here are some other favourite bits and bobs in the kitchen.

The last photo is of a Still Life I painted with gouache of some items in the kitchen. I love cooking and I love painting so here I can combine the two interests.

I hope these tips are interesting. Enjoy your cooking and Christmas preparations, even though Christmas will be very different this year. Bye for now.

We all have our favourite bits of kitchen equipment and tools. One that I find essential is a food processor. Some people buy one when they’ve seen a television chef whizz up some amazing recipe but sadly put it away and neglect it afterwards. Yes, you can manage without one but a creative cook can find so many ways to use one. Not only can you save money but you can use your imagination to combine ingredients to make interesting dishes. Here are some of my own uses.

If you don’t eat the crusts from a loaf don’t throw them away. Whizz them in your food processor to make marvelous breadcrumbs. I freeze them in small amounts, 50 or 100g so that I always have some for so many things. They make wonderful toppings especially mixed with grated cheese, baked or toasted under the grill. You can add them to leftover meat and an egg to make delicious little fried patties. They make lovely stuffed mushrooms combined with cheese and the scooped out mushroom flesh then baked. They can be added to fruit pies to soak up any excess juice, to puddings or vegetarian meals like nut roast.

I always mix sponge cakes in the processor. Just put in all the main ingredients and blend them together for a minute or two. Perfect results. No need for all that creaming, or adding this and that in stages. Easy peasy. You can knock them up in no time and freeze them so you always have some in.

I have used my processor to make pastry for years. I developed my own recipe using cup measures. 1 cup of plain flour, 1 third of a cup of sunflower oil and almost one quarter of a cup of cold water. Whizz to combine. This makes enough for one pastry case for a flan. No need to roll. Just press into the flan dish with clean fingers and trim, making sure the base is evenly covered. If you like the base to be firm after cooking, before adding the filling prick the base all over with a fork and bake for 9 minutes, at 190C/170C fan oven, to crisp it up. Then add filling and put back into the oven.

A food processor helps you to be resourceful and use up leftovers. A little amount of leftover cooked meat can go a long way. You can whizz it up into bits and put it into some tasty gravy and serve with mashed potatoes. Or you can add the bits to a pasta dish with a dash of cream or creme fraiche. Cooked fish can be used in the same way. Also good for making a delicious sandwich filling by adding a spoonful of mayonnaise, salt and pepper, then blending. For beef add a tiny amount of made-up English mustard to the mix.

A simple but really good pate can be made by combining smoked salmon or mackerel with cream or cream cheese and a dash of lemon juice. Served with toast it makes a great starter for a special meal with little effort.

I love using nuts in my recipes but find them easier to eat when they’re ground. Easy in the processor. Some have a little mill for grinding nuts. I find mine really useful. I often add cashews to make a creamy sauce or finely chopped pecans for my pecan pie. Also very good for vegetarian meals which often include nuts for protein.

I hope I have inspired you to use your food processor often and experiment with your own ideas. It really is a most useful gadget.

More about favourite tools and their uses another time.

Sweeping leaves again today. The garden is covered and as soon as we rake them up more come drifting down. One side effect of having fruit trees but I really don’t mind. It’s so worth the effort when we have all that delicious fruit to eat. The leaves don’t go to waste either. We store them to make lovely, crumbly, brown leafmould to use around the garden and for seed compost.

We store cooking apples for the winter but sadly mice have found their way into the shed and are having a great time feasting on them. Hopefully we can save enough so we all have our share. I wouldn’t begrudge a little mouse a bit of food.

The blackbirds are having their share of fallen fruit which were too high in the tree to pick. It’s good to know the wildlife find food and refuge in our garden.

Enjoy the last days of autumn. More recipes to follow for Christmas baking as the weeks go on. Bye for now. Please leave comments. I would love to hear from you.

It’s been a lovely day here. The sky was bright blue, the sun was shining and the warm damp earth smelled so good. The beech tree is looking fabulous with gold and orange leaves and the Ivy clinging to its trunk will provide the birds with berries through the winter.

I was out planting bulbs and winter pansies. Time to remove the pelargoniums and put in some hardy little treasures which will stand up to winter’s blast.

I put orange tulips at the bottom of the tub with yellow and purple pansies above them. Looking forward to a zingy, colourful display in Spring.

Meanwhile the garden is mellowing every day, fading to soft browns and beigey tones. Lovely seedheads, a few fungi here and there and evidence of a lot of bird activity now that the feeders are generously providing a daily feast.

But there are signs of new life even now. The hellebores have lovely fat buds on, primulas are flowering here and there and the yucca has sent up a fabulous flower spike which I hope will open its blooms before it becomes too cold and frosty.

It was a welcome change from being indoors even though I enjoyed making the Christmas cake. I said I would put the recipe on so here it is. There is a bit of fiddly chopping to begin with but once that’s done it’s plain sailing.

240g Self-raising Flour 230gSunflower Oil 225g Muscovado dark Sugar 225g Sultanas 225g Raisins 100g Glace Cherries Approx 125g mixture of Stem Ginger, mixed Candied Peel and grated fresh Orange and Lemon Peel 50g Pecan Nuts Mixed Spices ( I use a tspn of cinnamon, 1 tspn ground ginger, quarter of a tspn mixed spice and half a tspn of ground cloves) 4 large Eggs Brandy

You will need a deep 8″ loose-bottomed tin lined with greaseproof paper ( perhaps a little bit more neatly than I did!) Rub the inside with a little oil or fat.

Chop the mixed peel, glace cherries, stem ginger quite finely, grate the orange and lemon zest (peel). Grind or chop finely the pecan nuts. Combine all these and set aside.

Heat the oven to 150C/130C fan oven

In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs and sugar and beat together. Add chopped mixture and pecans, add sultanas and raisins. Add flour and spices. Add oil. Then beat well, with an electric hand mixer or thoroughly with a wooden spoon.

Put the mixture into the tin and bake for 1 and three quarters of an hour. Let it cool for a while then peel back the greaseproof paper. Allow several hours to cool thoroughly then rewrap in clean greaseproof paper and store in an airtight tin. After a couple of weeks, pull back the paper and prick the top of the cake with a fork. Gently spoon in some sherry, 1 – 2 tablespoons. I do this again before Christmas but take care not to make it too soggy.

Here are some pics to help you along.

Happy baking and enjoy your Christmas preparations.

Here’s an autumn landscape I painted with acrylics.

Be with you again in a couple of days.

I didn’t succeed with growing my squashes this year. They were too crowded and shaded from the sun. I usually grow one called Buttercup, a green skinned squash with bright orange sweet flesh. Delicious roasted but good in many ways.

Never mind, I have a plan for next year. I will plant them in another bed in full sun and allow them to spread and soak up the warmth.

Here’s a painting I did of a lovely selection of squashes and gourds which my daughter gave me. Painted with my favourite medium – gouache – a type of watercolour.

Gardening is always a gamble. Weather, pests, the mood of the gardener, all play their part in how successful you are. When you get it right it’s a joy and the effort is never wasted. Fresh air, exercise, a wonderful sense of working with nature. These things make it worthwhile whether you succeed in producing food or flowers or have a complete failure. Plus, if you make your own compost any failed plants will contribute to the heap for next year’s growing.

The marigolds are still lovely, opening their cheerful, golden faces whenever the sun comes out. I brought a few in to enjoy their beauty before the frosts finish them off.

Apparently you can eat the petals and some people add them to a salad. Never tried this but maybe I should. Meanwhile I shall always have them in my garden. Once you have them they drop their seeds and spring up year after year. Mine are in the veg garden around the polytunnels and growing among the beans. They attract pollinating insects which help the beans to grow their pods. I have painted them before and will do again because the colours are so beautiful and those simple daisy petals are so pleasing.

When I’ve been busy and I’m tired I like to cook one of my one-pan meals, especially with rice. I buy bags of frozen cooked rice which can be heated in the microwave. I don’t usually microwave them though. Instead I open a bag and sprinkle the rice into my one-pan meal. It’s brilliant rice. Everyone I’ve served it to says how good it is. Here’s how I do it for an easy, tasty, quick and versatile meal.

Put a little water into a frying pan which has a lid. Just enough to cook the ingredients but not to dry out. Quantities are variable so you will know from the amount you want to cook. Add half a vegetable stock cube ( I like Kallo organic for best taste) and a crushed garlic clove. Bring to boiling and add frozen peas or green beans and sweetcorn. Sprinkle the frozen rice I describe above into the pan. You can add other ingredients at this point, see below. When it comes back to full heat, turn the heat down and allow to simmer with the lid on for 10 minutes. The rice will absorb the stock for a really savoury taste.

Check that it doesn’t dry out but if you find you have too much liquid just turn the heat up and leave the lid off until it reaches the consistency you want.

You can serve this with grilled bacon or smoked mackerel, for example or you can add to the pan pieces of cooked chicken or meat. Or stir in at the last minute chopped boiled egg. You can add herbs. Basil and parsley are good, so is dried dill especially with fish. Or you can jazz it up with chilli, chopped fresh or a pinch of chilli powder.

For a vegetarian meal, add to the basic rice and veg some tinned chickpeas, cooked lentils or your favourite beans. Good too with a drop of cream or creme fraiche stirred in at the last minute.

I made the Christmas cake yesterday. The kitchen was full of tantalising aromas. Orange, lemon and spices filled the air. A lot of fiddly chopping involved but once that was done it was plain sailing.

It’s tucked away now in a big storage tin until I feed it with booze before Christmas. Delicious! I will post the recipe next time. Meanwhile here’s a little poem I composed about making the cake.

Baking the Christmas Cake

Chopping, weighing, stirring.
A bit of this, a lot of that.
Keep those beaters whirring
And watch the thermostat.

While the oven's heating
The scent of cloves, the scent of spice
My happy nose are treating
And my appetite entice.

Soon it's slowly baking,
Puffing, rising, teasing.
The process of the making
Is so very, very pleasing.

Be with you again soon.

I will be baking my Christmas cake soon but I don’t need to make puddings or mincemeat this year. I made them last year and they keep perfectly. Mincemeat actually improves with keeping. I think the booze helps!

My puddings don’t taste like bought ones which seem to have a lot of citric acid to give them that tang. These are lighter in colour, texture and taste but are still full of lovely Christmas flavours. I make individual sized puddings which freeze well and take only one minute to reheat in the microwave straight from the freezer.

Here is my recipe. You will need a large roasting tin, individual pudding tins and foil. This quantity makes about 10 puddings. You can of course halve the recipe but I feel it’s not worth putting the oven on unless you make it worthwhile. If you’re not strict about keeping to tradition you can pop one in the microwave when you fancy a pudding later in the new year.

200g self-raising Flour 2 teaspoons of spice (mixed spice, or I use a mixture of ground ginger, cinnamon and cloves) pinch of Salt 150g Breadcrumbs 100g chopped Pecans 2 cooking or sharp Apples, chopped small or grated 300g Raisins 300g Sultanas 80g mixture of chopped Stem Ginger, grated orange and lemon rind and candied peel 4 large Eggs juice of 2 Lemons 2 tablespoons Black Treacle 350g of Dark Sugar 150g Butter 4 tablespoons Rum or Brandy or a mix of the two.

Mix flour, spice and salt. Add crumbs, nuts, chopped apple, dried fruit and chopped ginger mixture. Separately mix eggs and lemon juice, add treacle. Gently melt butter and sugar together. Add all these liquid ingredients, including rum or brandy, to the flour mixture. Beat well then stand for at least 30 minutes. Stir again.

Grease individual pudding tins and fill each almost to the top. Heat the oven to 190C/170 fan oven. Cover the tops of the tins with foil and stand them in a large roasting tin. Boil a full kettle of water and pour the water around the tins to about a third of the way up the tins. Cover all with a large piece of foil over the top of the roasting tin.

Open the oven door, then very carefully carry the tin and place on the oven shelf. (You don’t want scalding water slopping around!) Cook for 2 hours.

Allow to cool before removing foil and tins. Slide a knife around the edge of each pudding and tip out. Freeze really well.

Remove from freezer and reheat each one for 1 minute in the microwave.

I serve the puddings with rum sauce. I make a white sauce by heating milk to boiling then stirring in a little cornflour mixed with a drop of milk and adding sugar. When it’s thickened I stir in a dash of rum. Really delicious and so much more refreshing than brandy butter. Everyone has their favourite, of course, so it’s a matter of personal taste.

Planted most of the bulbs today. Crown Imperials, Leucojum, mixed dwarf Narcissi and Snowdrops. Some more to do but the knees were complaining. A lovely sunny day with a beautiful sky and so welcome after all that rain.

The acers are rapidly losing their leaves now but they look wonderful on the ground. Other leaves are mingling. Hawthorn, Beech and Crab Apple are lying damply where they fell in the wind and rain. Most of the plants are going to sleep for the winter and the colour is fading fast in the garden. But I have lots of lovely photos to remind me of summer’s glorious show.

Which brings me to poppies. Remembrance Day is almost here so poppies are everywhere. I am a member of the SAA which is an art club for all artists whether amateur (like me) or professional. In 2018, to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War, members were invited to contribute a small painting of a poppy. These were then collated in an exhibition at SAA headquarters. I later had the image transferred to a set of place mats. Here is my painting.

Let’s never forget!

Be with you again soon. I shall be baking my Christmas cake in the next week or so and will share my recipe with you. In the meantime, enjoy your Christmas preparations even though things may be different this year.