Living a contented creative life.

Not as much colour in the garden this summer. Some plants need replacing and some are not yet ready to put on a show. The phlox, asters and rudbeckias will flower later.

I grew cosmos from seed and they’re lovely plants but not giving me the mass of pretty pink blooms I pictured. Some haven’t turned out to be exactly the colour described on the packet and they’re flowering in dribs and drabs so far. I’m hopeful they will be glorious though by the end of Summer.

I’ve had a lovely plant in one of the borders for a couple of years but I’ve forgotten the name. It has pretty spikes of tiny flowers which are always covered in bees.

The rain has been welcome although I must admit I’m wishing the blue skies would return. Lovely to see raindrops on flowers though.

Indoors I have a cactus. When I bought it , three years ago, it was covered in lovely flowers. I thought it needed plenty of sunlight so I kept it on a south-facing windowsill. No flowers! Just spiky green growths. Then, a few months ago I read that cacti need a cold spell before bringing them into the warmth for them to flower. So I put it somewhere cold for the Spring, and later brought it back into the sun. Now it’s flowering! Beautiful! I’m so pleased that I know what to do in future.

The vegetables have been very good this year. I think they liked the heat as long as they had sufficient water. The yellow French beans have been delicious and generous. I popped some twiggy sticks around the plants while they were small and they’ve supported them very well. Growing happily in the polytunnel they continue to yield their golden treasure.

The tomatoes are swelling nicely. The “Roma” ones are producing more fruit than the “St. Marzano” ones but time will tell whether one tastes better than the other. Both are plum types. I prefer them for their tasty flesh, few seeds and thin skins and also because they preserve well for winter in canning jars. Still green but coming along nicely.

The garden has been buzzing with little creatures. Grasshoppers are jumping, bees are zipping about and I think the dreaded Cabbage White butterflies are beginning to find mates and look for my sprouts.

I used to grow lots of gooseberries but I was tired of their vicious thorns and the tedious task of topping and tailing them. I got rid of most of the bushes but retained one because I enjoy the fruit.

They’re not quite ready. I tasted one and it was still horribly sour and crunchy. Many people think that’s how gooseberries taste but actually if they’re allowed to ripen on the bush they are sweet and delicious. They need to be left until they’re almost transparent and give to a little squeeze. I can enjoy them raw when they’re ripe.

Gooseberry tarts are delicious and so are the jam or jelly. The green fruit turns to a tawny red when it’s boiled with sugar into jam.

Jelly is easier because the fruit only needs to be washed and stewed, without topping and tailing. The juice is dripped through a jelly bag then combined with sugar and boiled until it sets. This also means no seeds go into the jelly.

Jam is trickier because the stalks and blossom end of each gooseberry need to be nipped off before stewing and boiling with sugar. This is called topping and tailing. Tiring if you have a lot of berries.

During Summer I freeze any surplus bits of fruit like strawberries, plums, apples and blueberries and later I make mixed fruit jam. Next to strawberry, it’s my favourite jam. I usually do this on a wintry day. A pleasure to be in a warm kitchen cooking up wonderful things.

It’s very easy to make jam. You need a large pan like a stockpot but not a vintage brass one because they react with the acid in the fruit. Equal quantities of fruit and sugar will make a good flavourful jam. Some fruits like strawberries have hardly any pectin to make the fruit set but pectin can be bought from the supermarket in bottles or as jam sugar. I use cooking apples which are rich in pectin and add them to give a good set. Lemons are often recommended but I can’t see the sense of it because they don’t seem to have any pectin.

If you’d like to make jam, some useful tips are in my Earthy Homemaker’s Cookbook. This link will take you to it if you’d like to find out more. The book is available in a paperback or kindle edition.

https://geni.us/eANQu

My daughter pointed out to me that I’ve been scribbling down tips, recipes, stories and poems for most of my life. In my twenties when the children were young I noted any tips I’d picked up or worked out while I was cooking and economising. Having little money made me very resourceful and the habit has stayed with me to old age. I always wanted to share good ideas and I was probably an intended blogger long before blogs were invented.

Like my daughter, I wanted to be an author when I was young. She has successfully carried out her intentions and now has several books in print. My notes hardly ever became completed stories, although I published several local history articles while I was working. Now I have my blog and I hope to continue sharing ideas and photographs for a while.

That’s all for this week. With you again soon. I hope you’ll join me. Bye for now.

July already. The garden fading one minute and blooming the next.

The campanulas are almost over although they may be generous with a second showing. The roses are glorious for a few days then their drooping heads shed their petals. If I can snip them off in time a few more lovely blooms will appear. I long for glorious cascades of roses but my plants struggle and only give me a few. A precious gift to be enjoyed while they flower.

Time for the lilies to scent the garden with their heady fragrance. Only a couple out yet but a few more to come. They’re not doing as well this year. Time to renew them I think.

The vegetable harvest has been really good. I dug up the garlic from the polytunnel. Dried off the bulbs and brought them indoors to begin using. I’ve only grown a small crop this year because I found that I was throwing some away. Although they keep for months, at the end a few were going mouldy and useless. So, fresh delicious garlic for as long as they last.

The onions were ready after soaking up the sun on the greenhouse bench for a few days. I trimmed the roots and snipped off the dry leaves and put these in the compost bin. The onions will keep well now and provide some tasty meals. A few are small but they will all be used.

These onions are called “Toughball” which might make them sound a bit chewy but in fact the name refers to their ability to grow over Winter, outdoors, and to withstand frost and snow. After sowing the seed I put the little plants into the ground in autumn and they grew slowly until February when the days lengthened and they began to put on a spurt. Sweet and tender, they’re the best onions I’ve ever grown.

The squashes have enjoyed the weather in June and are already forming little fruits. I have grown two different kinds from seed. “Buttercup”, my favourite, produces dark green squashes with bright orange flesh. Sweet and tender, they’re wonderful roasted. The other one I haven’t tried before. It’s called “Bon bon” and produces smaller squashes. Both types will store well over Winter in a cool room.

Time to closely cover all cabbage type plants to save them from Cabbage White caterpillars. Allan has built a domed frame to go over the kale and sprouts with fine mesh to keep the butterflies from laying eggs. That’s the plan anyway, but butterflies will find the tiniest hole and their caterpillars can strip the plants in a couple of days. Fingers crossed that we’ve got them adequately covered.

I’ve noticed there seem to be more grasshoppers this year. Lots of small ones. Not sure if these are babies or a different type than I’ve seen before but they’re bobbing about around the garden. Nice to see.

With so much going on in my kitchen with all this harvesting and so on, I often reflect on how much we value the small things we use everyday. Take spoons for example. Simple things which we hardly ever give a thought to. A perfect example of “form following function”. By that I mean the shape is dictated by what we use it for. The bowl holds its contents with its hollow shape and the handle allows us to hold it as we use it. A different shape wouldn’t be as useful.

I’m very fond of my spoons. I have Allan’s grandmother’s spoon to measure out tea for the pot. More like a tiny shovel but still with that familiar form. I have a few sets of teaspoons. Art deco and other vintage spoons with traditional patterns. Old- fashioned simple ones and a few “apostle ” spoons which are tiny teaspoons with a figure cast on the handle. Here are some photos of a few.

The small “apostle” spoons are ideal for scooping out spices from their jars when I’m baking. Here are my other Art deco spoons.

You might remember I’ve been knitting a summer jumper. Taken me ages because the yarn was cotton and was slow to knit and I lost a bit of enthusiasm. I’ve finally finished it but I’m not entirely happy. Despite my best efforts it isn’t as neatly made as I would have liked. I certainly wouldn’t go out in it. Expert knitters would judge my every stitch! It’s a nice style but I think the pattern was misleading. My excuse, of course!

That’s all for this week. Bye for now. Enjoy the Summer. I’ll be back next week.

At last, I’m back. After three frustrating weeks of technical problems I have finally sorted it. Many thanks to all those lovely readers who sent me messages of support while I was struggling. Your encouragement lifted my spirits and made me determined to carry on.

Here I am again with a catch-up of my news.

Lots going on in June, my favourite month. An abundance of delicious food in the garden and a romantic time of roses, campanulas and poppies. Lingering scents on the air, lovely coloured flowers and blue skies. Mint sauce, new potatoes, peas from the pod and fresh salads: so much to enjoy.

Although some plants are suffering from climate change, roses seem to be doing well. They always struggle in our poor soil but this year they seem to be blooming more than usual.

Other lovely things have been filling my senses.

The strawberries have a fling for about two weeks. Luscious berries ripe for the picking and keeping me busy. Lots to enjoy fresh and plenty to freeze for jam and winter treats.

Last year I made a strawberry mousse. Delicious if you want a creamy dessert.

This looks nice in glass dishes. Here’s my recipe again.

Strawberry Mousse

200g Strawberries plus a few for decoration.
3 tablespoons Sugar
200g Cream Cheese
300mls Whipping Cream
Prepare strawberries and save nice ones for decoration.
Slice into a pan and crush with a potato masher. On a gentle heat cook in the juice for a few minutes.
Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Cook for a few more minutes.
Allow to cool then chill in the fridge.
Beat the cream to a soft peak consistency. (Don't overbeat).
In a separate bowl beat the cream cheese and mix with the strawberry puree.
Fold the cream cheese and strawberry mixture into the cream.
Spoon or pipe into bowls, decorate with the fresh strawberries and chill until served.

I’m spoiled for choice with fresh vegetables now. The peas have been delicious. Half of them go into my mouth before they even reach the pan! Broad beans have been a seasonal treat too. I froze some because I couldn’t use them fast enough. They’re not as nice if they mature.

Freezing vegetables is simple. I blanch them in boiling water for a couple of minutes then cool them quickly. Then I drain them, pat them dry a bit with kitchen paper and spread them on a baking tray to open freeze. When they’re frozen I scoop them into a container and store in the freezer.

By doing this, the vegetables stay separate instead of forming a solid lump. It means I can tip out just the right amount when I need them.

I’ve tried several times to grow cauliflowers without success but this year they have grown beautifully and formed lovely white heads. Thrilled to bits! I only grew six but obviously we don’t want to eat cauliflower every day and I didn’t want them to spoil, so I froze some of these as well.

It’s a busy time but so satisfying. The smell of strawberries is fabulous and makes up for the back-breaking chore of picking, sorting and washing them. The taste of the vegetables is beyond description and the pleasure of nibbling peas from the pod is such a treat.

In between freezing and gardening I’ve been getting on with my knitting, but slowly. It seems to have taken ages but that’s because I haven’t been constant. If I’m honest, I prefer chunky wool which knits up quickly, other wise I’m bored by the slow progress. It’s almost finished and I probably won’t have the urge to get those needles clicking again until winter.

Back on track, so will be with you again as usual next week. Thanks for staying with me. Bye for now.

June already! Halfway through the year and the beginning of Summer. This is a lovely month in the garden.

Time for roses to bloom. They struggle in our poor sandy soil but I have a few flowers and they give me enormous pleasure. More to come.

My clematis “Voluceau” has more flowers this year and looking lovely.

This month the Ceanothus displays its lovely blue flowers and the Deutzia is smothered with pink blossom. The bees are humming as they sip the nectar and collect their pollen. I love the buzz and the beauty.

Pinks and purples are my favourite colours in the garden but the zingy yellow and orange of the Welsh poppies is always a welcome sight in Spring. They are still popping up and looking wonderful.

I was inspired to write a little poem about them.

Welsh Poppies

Meconopsis cambrica, a lovely name,
But if you say Welsh poppy
Its flowers will be the same.
Satin yellow petals with a lovely sheen
Blaze among the foliage
And some are tangerine.
A nectar-sipping draw for each passing bee,
Discovering their silken sweetness
Unlocked by Nature's key.
Then the breeze the rattling seeds will fling,
To begin again their beauty
With each returning Spring.

Other little beauties are catching my eye at the moment.

The bamboo by the pond is enormously tall and beautiful. Useful too for bean poles. It sways in the wind and gives an oriental look to that part of the garden.

In the vegetable garden I’ve sown basil for summer meals. Wonderfully tasty and useful for pesto which I freeze for later. I use cashew nuts, instead of pine nuts, and Lancashire cheese. My recipe is in my Earthy Homemaker’s Cookbook.

The carrots I sowed earlier are growing well now and I have some tiny ones to follow on coming along. I remembered to sow thinly so each carrot has space to develop good thick roots. If they’re too close they don’t thrive as they compete for nutrients.

The cauliflowers I planted in January are forming little white heads. I was about to compost the plants because I thought they were only going to grow leaves. I check most days and, hey presto, success at last.

Indoors I’ve been sewing and have more to do. I’m a great believer in “make do and mend”. A new cotton top I bought fitted well on the shoulders but was longer than I like. I removed a strip from the bottom and pressed a turning to sew a new seam. It would have been a speedy job with the sewing machine but I find it difficult to keep a straight line, so I hand-sewed it. I enjoy stitching so it wasn’t a problem.

I try to achieve a neat finish and when the top is pressed again the stitches will hardly show.

“Making do and mending” includes turning collars on my husband’s everyday shirts. When the collar fold becomes worn I remove the collar, reverse it and sew it back in place. It’s easy to remove the collar with a little tool called a stitch ripper. Then I use the sewing machine to replace it securely. Good enough for working in the garden.

Here’s one I did a while ago but I have two others waiting.

The tatty side goes underneath so that when the collar is folded back it looks good again. A satisfying job and prolongs the life of a favourite shirt.

I’ve removed the collars from two more shirts and will sew them back in as soon as I can.

My knitting is slowly progressing. Seems a big job because the yarn is finer than I normally use and I only do a few rows now and then. It will get there eventually.

I hope you’re finding pleasant things to do and enjoying these warm, dry, days. Bye for now. With you again next week.

May is almost over and the garden is progressing but not yet in full flush. Some things are a bit slower this year because we had a cold Spring. Even so, there are lovely things to enjoy.

The lupins are flowering and I love their peppery scent. They were replacement plants this year and so far only have one spike each. I’m hoping they will do as well as my old lupins and have abundant flowers eventually.

I had a border by an old hedge which never did well because the hedge roots sucked all the moisture from the soil. Last year the hedge was removed and a fence installed. The result is spectacular. The plants in the border are flourishing now. Full of lush growth and sensational flowers. Scarlet poppies, lemon-yellow poppies, purple alliums, forget-me-nots and aquilegias. I’m thrilled to bits.

Other pretty flowers are pleasing me too.

Another border was dry and plants struggled in it. I sowed clover to nourish the soil. It was described as crimson clover, a green “manure”, and was intended to be turned into the soil before it flowered. I liked the look of it so I left it to flower. Didn’t flower last year but it survived the winter and has begun to bloom. The flowers though, are white not crimson, so I’m a bit disappointed. On a more positive note, they’re attracting bees and lovely tiny mint moths.

Clematis “Voluceau” is opening its blooms. It never climbs high but it looks lovely.

The strawberries look promising. Lots of flowers, lovely healthy leaves and bees pollinating. My favourite fruit will be ready in my favourite month of June.

In the vegetable garden I’ve been busy planting. Celeriac is a lovely alternative to celery and I’d grown some beautiful little plants from seed. I’ve put them into one of the polytunnels to produce delicious roots for the winter months.

I planted Kale. I grow “Red Winter”, with slightly curly leaves which are sweet, and tender. Very nice steamed, stir-fried or even raw. Tiny plants now but by Autumn they will be providing good meals.

I’ve removed the bottle cloches from the sprouts I planted previously and I’ve added some seedlings of another variety alongside.

The runner beans are growing at a furious pace and I must plant them soon. Their natural inclination is to climb and wrap around a support. If they’re left too long they will entwine around each other. Then it’s difficult to separate them without breaking the growing point on the stems.

Salads are generous now. A classic English salad of lettuce and tomatoes with added bits like tiny spring onions snipped over and a fresh dressing of oil and vinegar is hard to beat on a hot day. If the lettuce is brought from the garden and immediately prepared and served, it’s crisp coolness is a tasty treat.

I make a simple dressing for lettuce salads. I mix a pinch of salt, a couple of grinds of pepper and a half teaspoon of sugar with a dash of cider vinegar or wine vinegar, then add a little olive oil. I give it a good stir, sprinkle over the salad and toss it gently to spread the dressing. Takes seconds and lifts the salad to a different taste experience.

Sometimes, though, I love an Italian-style salad, made with bread, basil, tomatoes and olives with garlic-infused oil. This is particularly good when I have homegrown basil and tomatoes.

I cut the bread into cubes. I crush a small piece of garlic, place it in a salad bowl, add salt and pepper and a tablespoon or two of olive oil and stir well. Then I toss the bread cubes in the oil to coat them. Works best if I use dry bread and not too much garlic. I add tomatoes cut into quarters, or halved if they’re tiny, with torn basil leaves and black olives. Mixed together, the flavours combine while I grate some cheddar cheese to serve with it. Absolutely delicious and satisfying.

I like to use my old yellow bowl for this. It makes it look even more colourful. I bought it years ago from a charity shop. I love its shape and yellow freshness. I serve the grated cheese separately to be spooned onto the plate.

I love vintage dishes and have several favourites. Glassware is especially nice for desserts. Pink glass for strawberries and cream or my strawberry mousse, and I use my green bowl every Christmas for cranberry sauce.

Lovely things to use and treasure for a lifetime.

I finally got round to finishing my pansy painting. Not profound or full of deep meaning. Not something I aim for in my art. It was very enjoyable to paint. Drawn from a photo I took in the garden. Some of it I outlined with a fine pen and painted with gouache. A pleasant hour or two spent.

That’s all for now. I hope you’re enjoying the warm days and garden beauties. With you again next week. Bye for now.

“N’ere cast a clout till May is out” A very old saying which might mean take care until the month is over. Or does it perhaps mean wait until the hawthorn blossom appears? Whatever it means, May Blossom as it’s also known, is a lovely sight in and around our garden and promises warmer days.

Spiraea “Gold Flame” is living up to its name and lighting up the border.

My peony is a little disappointing this year as it only has three flower buds. They’re still tightly closed and the ants are enjoying the sweet sugar on the surface. This doesn’t harm the plants at all and the ants move on when the flower opens. This peony is called “Sarah Bernhardt” and the second photo shows how fabulous the flowers are once they bloom.

Clematis montana “Elizabeth” is flowering high up in the old plum tree.

It’s not all straightforward in the garden. Slugs and snails cause problems here and there. As an organic gardener ( we should all be organic gardeners now we understand how nature works!), I try to leave them alone wherever possible. The hedgehogs and blackbirds need them and I have no quarrel with them unless they’re destroying something.

I found my potted hosta had some holes. Unfortunately, slugs and snails love hostas . I rooted around the top of the pot and found the culprit. It’s a favourite plant of mine and I’ve had it for about forty years. Such beautiful leaves and they look as though they’re sunlit on the dullest day.

I planted out some little sprouts seedlings and protected them with some large water bottles. This will keep the slugs away from the delicate, tasty leaves.

I found a lovely moth in one of the cauliflowers. How it got into the polytunnel, I have no idea! The door is always shut except when we’re watering. I hope it’s not left any eggs behind. I have had brown caterpillars on the cabbages in previous years. Perhaps this type of moth was responsible. Very pretty though. I gently removed it and put it outside.

I’ve harvested the garlic. Not a big crop but I’m pleased with the bulbs. I’ve spread them on an airy bench in the greenhouse to “cure” them. The sun and wind will harden the skins and wilt the stems so they’ll be ready for storing. There’s nothing quite like homegrown garlic; so fresh, sweet and full of flavour.

Things are growing nicely. Most of my seeds have germinated and look promising. It’s a bit overwhelming at this time of year when there’s so much to do, but I really can’t do without fresh vegetables. The weeds will have to wait although I know the problem just increases if they’re not removed before they set seed. Not a robot, so I will do just what I can!

The broad beans are flowering well. They’ll soon have pods developing and delicious baby beans to enjoy with new potatoes and mint sauce.

My mange-tout peas in the polytunnel also have flowers and tiny pods coming along.

Waiting for more lovely flowers to appear but here are some which are happy to bloom in May.

I’ve been using my fruit supplies from the freezer to make room for this year’s harvest. I had some frozen stewed plums and crusts from a bloomer loaf, so I made a bread pudding in my air-fryer on the bake setting. I put half the crusts in a bowl. I whisked an egg into 300mls of oat milk with two tablespoons of sugar and poured half over the crusts. Then I added the stewed plums covered with the rest of my crusts. I poured the remainder of the egg mixture carefully over the bread and pressed it down gently to make sure it was all soaked.

I baked it for 10 minutes at 175C then checked the centre. Because the plums were very chilled the centre wasn’t quite cooked so I baked again for another 10 minutes on a slightly lower setting. Came out looking really tempting. The top crusts were crisp and delicious and the pudding was moist and tasty.

I love the air-fryer. Such a clever idea. The food cooks quickly but the taste is superb. No loss of flavour or texture and saves a lot of electricity. I might buy a slightly bigger one now that I’m hooked.

I still have some frozen strawberries to use. I discovered that if I let them thaw a bit over the heat and add sugar before they stew, they keep their shape. The sugar syrup seems to prevent them from going too mushy. So delicious hot or cold. Hot with ice-cream, cold just as they are or with Greek yoghurt. Such a treat.

My knitting is progressing and I’ve almost finished my painting. Just a few details to add to the picture. Will share it with you next week.

Bye for now. Enjoy the pleasures of May. With you again next week.

Halfway through May and the weather has been kinder. The garden is full of birdsong and a few butterflies have been dancing about. Even though I’m overwhelmed with jobs to do, it really is time to sit in a warm spot and admire the developments.

A few wet days with sunny spells have brought a lush green look to the garden which makes the flower colours pop.

The Welsh poppies glow in a bright shade of yellow and they are full of pollen for the bees.

I have just three “parrot” tulips which spring up and surprise me in a border full of herbs. How they got there, I really can’t remember! Their frilly petals are exuberant and colourful.

Another pleasing surprise has been the first flower on a clematis which I thought had died a couple of years ago. Last year it suddenly sent up a small shoot but no flowers. Now it’s putting on a little show. One flower has opened and there are some other smaller buds. I think it’s called “General Sigorsky”.

Bluebells, with their white and pink variations, have been lovely and are still flowering. I think these are the Spanish bluebells. I do have some English bluebells which I grew from seed but I think they tend to cross with the Spanish ones if they’re nearby and produce hybrid versions. They’re all lovely and welcome in my garden.

Other beautiful flowers are catching my eye. Some almost over, like the anemones, and others, like the aquilegias and oriental poppies, just beginning to show their flowers.

Because we have an abundance of birds in the garden, feathers appear here and there. One was floating in the pond and a tiny, downy one had settled on a tomato leaf in the greenhouse.

Which reminds me! The tomatoes are doing well. They look very healthy so far, no discoloured leaves and the first flower buds forming.

The greenhouse bench is full of seed trays with various plants coming along at their own pace. Mostly vegetables but I’ve put some sunflower seeds in. My Cosmos are nice little plants now and I’ve put some of them out into the garden. Fingers crossed there won’t be a late frost and the munchers stay away.

There’s always something going on in a garden. Squirrels visit and try to nibble the birds’ food. They don’t do any harm and I love to see their acrobatic antics as they leap from the pear tree into the conifers close by. I managed to snap one as it sat weighing up the job.

When the time is right I’ll sow some basil. We love this for my Italian style salad and in various vegetarian meals. Before mine is ready I buy a potted basil from the supermarket. It’s easy to keep these going for two or three weeks if I feed them with cold tea every day. I stand the plant in a dish and just use the last drop of tea from the teapot after breakfast. I pour the tea into the dish so the compost soaks it from below. Works really well.

I also love mint. So deliciously aromatic and the taste is wonderful. Time to make mint sauce, one of my favourite things. I used to enjoy it with lamb or bacon and new potatoes but we eat less meat nowadays. Just as good with vegetarian meals like my nutty sausages.

Mint sauce is very easy to make and freezes well. It’s just like fresh when it thaws. If you love mint and its scent, you will love making this. The kitchen smells wonderful. The taste is very different than the mint sauce sold in jars and so much nicer, in my opinion.

Full instructions for making mint sauce and my nutty sausages are in my “Earthyhomemaker’s Cookbook”. If you’d like to find out more, this link will take you to it. https://geni.us/eANQu

Another vegetarian meal we like is stuffed mushrooms. The large flat mushrooms are very flavourful and ideal for this. I peel the outer skin and trim the stalk, then gently scrape out the inside into my food processor. I place the mushrooms in a baking dish while I prepare the filling. I add bread, sliced onion, herbs like basil or parsley and salt and pepper to the processor. Then I add either cheese or ground cashew nuts. I whiz them together and fill the hollowed-out mushrooms. I surround the mushrooms with tomatoes, cauliflower florets and oat cream with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. This produces a pleasant sauce as the mushrooms cook.

My recipe for nutty stuffed mushrooms is in my cookbook. Very simple to make and a tasty meal.

I haven’t finished my painting yet. So much to do in the garden and knitting is keeping me occupied while I’m relaxing. Here’s how it looks so far.

That’s all for this week. I hope you’re enjoying your own pastimes and all that the season offers. Bye for now. with you again next week.

It was an exciting weekend with the pomp and ceremony of the coronation. We have a new monarch and whatever you think of that it was a moment in our history. I certainly enjoyed watching it. A new era has begun.

Back to our daily life now. The garden is a bit bedraggled at the moment. The leaves and flowers are dripping. The lovely Meconopsis cambrica, Welsh poppies, were facing the sun a day or two ago but now their drooping petals are protecting their precious pollen for another day.

Two years ago I sowed oriental poppy seeds and the plants are now well-established. Their fat buds are just waiting to burst open and show their scarlet silky petals.

I had an enjoyable visit to my favourite nursery and bought lupins and other perennials to restock the borders. I love everything about lupins; their leaves, flowers and their peppery scent. Next month should be a blaze of colour. They have plenty of flower buds promising a lovely show. I have a pink one, two blues and a yellow.

Meanwhile there are other flowers to enjoy. The apple blossom is out and other treasures look wonderful even in the rain.

Lily of the Valley have pure white, tiny, bell flowers and their perfume is exquisite. I only have a few but I love them.

The strawberries are beginning to show their pretty blossom with the promise of delicious fruit next month. Strawberries are my favourites and I usually have a bountiful crop so I can freeze plenty for winter treats.

It’s time now to sow more tender crops. Things like runner beans, squashes, cucumbers and courgettes need warmth to grow and would perish if frost struck so I leave these until the weather is more dependable. I will have to protect them too from nibblers because slugs and snails love their fleshy leaves. The rain has encouraged them to slither out already.

While I wait for summer crops I have delicious cabbages ready. I harvested one and it made two meals. For the first one I softened the outer leaves with boiling water and filled them with a mixture of cabbage, breadcrumbs, onion, tomato, cheese and basil. I cooked these in the microwave oven but I think they’re better steamed. A tasty vegetarian meal.

For the second meal I did traditional bangers and mash. I steamed the cabbage over the boiling potatoes. Saved more vitamins in the cabbage and used less electricity in the cooking. I cooked the sausages in the air-fryer. Ten minutes, with a turn-over halfway through, left them cooked to perfection.

Although I read as much as I can, I do enjoy an end product from my sitting spells, so my knitting needles are clicking again. I couldn’t resist the new yarn I bought and I had some lilac coloured cotton which was tempting me. I’m making a summer jumper, something for those days when it’s not too hot but a bit warmer. An easy pattern, because I can’t do complicated ones, in a nice simple style with a pretty edging. I can really recommend this one.

Lots to do this month and looking forward to pleasant weather. I hope you will have pleasures of your own and the time flies by. Bye for now. With you again next week.

May – a month of blossom and Bank Holidays! Usually a lovely month, so gently warm and pleasant before the heat of Summer sets in.

The garden continues to produce it’s seasonal treasures but the last frost had some damaging effects. The rhododendron was looking fabulous but a night of frost followed by early morning sun ruined the flowers. In it’s old position it was never a problem but I think its new home at the bottom of the garden presents two extremes. The cold air falls down to that point and then the bush is exposed quickly to the full heat of the sun which thaws it too rapidly. I knew that was a problem with camellias but never expected it to be an issue with the rhododendron. Do we struggle with the heavy pot and splayed rhododendron to put it back in it’s old home or do we protect it next year when frost is forecast? Will think about that one.

Other shrubs are blooming. The Berberis has been a picture, the Skimmia has pink flowers and the Pieris has lovely, tiny bell flowers in graceful clusters.

My clematis “Freda” is a bit reluctant to put on a show this year but she does have a few lovely flowers.

The main apple blossom is only just beginning but the crab apple is just glorious right now. Whereas general apple blossom is an exquisite pale pink, this is a blaze of crimson petals, especially when the late afternoon sun falls on it.

Forget-me-nots are popping up all over the place along with some sneaky dandelions.

Lipstick red tulips are making a splash.

More restrained pleasures are delighting here and there.

Colchicums, known as Autumn Crocus, though they’re not really crocuses, are sending up their large fleshy leaves. It’s a curious plant which grows leaves in Spring, without flowers, and flowers in Autumn without leaves! The leaves are huge and very obvious. Not particularly decorative but the fabulous flowers later make it worthwhile having them.

Butterflies are appearing now. Orange Tip males and tiny Holly Blues are flitting about. The blues are very skittish and rarely land for a decent photo but I managed to capture a shot of a lovely Orange Tip as he rested on a flower.

Other signs of life included a snail with a beautiful shell and a curious insect on the house wall basking in the sun. It had a pointy, raised shape on its back just on the shoulder area. Looked a bit menacing but interesting!

In the vegetable garden things are coming along nicely. I grow purple mustard leaves for salad but they were growing rapidly and I didn’t want them to go to waste. I tried cutting off a bunch and steaming them and they were really good, very much like kale. Easy salad crops and they grow very quickly while I’m waiting for lettuce.

Also plenty to do indoors. I had an idea for a new cake recipe. Tried it out and was pleased with the result, so here it is.

Orange and Pecan Squares

1 Orange
50g Pecan Nuts (+ a few halves for decoration)
200g Caster Sugar
4 large Eggs
200g Self-raising Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
15g Wheat Bran
200g Sunflower Oil

Grease a roasting tin, approximately 30 x 25cm (12 x 10 inches)
Scrub the orange, then grate it. Squeeze the juice from half.
Break the 50g of pecans into small pieces.
Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan oven.
Put the ingredients, including juice, into a bowl and mix well.
Spread in the roasting tin. Drop pecan halves on the top of the mixture to decorate.
Bake for 25 - 30 minutes.
Test centre with a skewer. If it comes out cleanly it's done.

Grating can be an uncomfortable activity! If you hate grated knuckles try to find a grater like mine which has a smoother side. Just as effective but no injuries.

More easy and delicious cake recipes in my Earthy Homemaker’s Cookbook.

You’ll find it with this link.

https://geni.us/eANQu

When I bake cakes I rinse the eggshells and put them at the bottom of the oven while the cakes are cooking. It’s a gardening trick I picked up somewhere a few years ago. I do this so that I can easily pulverise the shells to add to the compost bin or sprinkle into my tomato bed for a calcium feed. I have a wooden tool for doing this but putting them into a bag and bashing them with a hammer works very well. They break down so easily when they’ve baked. I have mentioned this gardening tip before but perhaps worth saying again.

Even though I rinse the egg shells, sometimes the white sticks to the dish during baking. So I fill the dish with warm water and add soap powder; dissolves it all and no need for scrubbing. This works for all baked-on residues after baking or roasting. Works like magic!

Had an urge to paint a picture so I’ve started one. Colourful pansies in a pot. I drew it from a photo I took in the garden last year, outlined the flowers with pen and now I’m painting it with gouache. Enjoyable and absorbing. Will share it when it’s complete.

With you again next week. Happy gardening, baking or relaxing in the meantime. Bye for now.

The garden in late April is a bit in-between! The crocuses are over, the hyacinths have faded and there will be a lull before the perennials put on a show. Here and there though I find some lovely flowers and the blossom on the fruit trees is far from over. Apple blossom is yet to show but pears are shedding their petals like snowflakes. Some are drifting into the pond.

A few late daffodils are pretty, and forget-me-nots are growing where they will. The rhododendron is beautiful and gives a pleasing splash of colour in the far corner of the garden. Pansies and a few other treasures are still giving lots of pleasure.

Spring shrubs are flowering too. The berberis is lovely with its egg-yolk yellow blossom and the rosemary has abundant blue flowers.

We enjoyed the first rhubarb of the year. Brought to the boil, drained, rinsed and drained again to reduce that “bite” on the teeth, then gently stewed with sugar for a few minutes. A delicious Spring treat.

My F1 Hybrid sprouts haven’t germinated well. Only a few popped through the seed compost and those that did have distorted leaves. I suspect it was poor seed because I’ve had no problems with other things. I will have to sow again but with different seed. Can’t do without my Christmas sprouts.

The “Red Winter” kale is over now. It began to form flower buds as the plants matured but these are even more of a treat than the leaves. I can eat them raw, they’re so sweet and tender. When I’m preparing the kale for steaming I’m nibbling them all the time.

Sprout tops are really good too. The small leaves which grow at the top of the plant are far too good to throw away. They have excellent flavour and steam to a soft texture in minutes or good to add to a stir-fry.

The outdoor onions are growing well but need weeding. Unfortunately, I daren’t remove the fine mesh cover to do that or the Allium Leaf Miner fly will get in and lay eggs on them. The resulting larvae just destroy the crop, so the weeds will have to stay. It might be safer next month because the fly lays eggs from March through April.

Finally took the plunge and removed the winter lettuces from the greenhouse bed. They’ve been wonderful, tasty and generous, but I really needed to plant the tomatoes. The bed was refreshed with homemade compost and loam. The loam was made from clumps of grass enclosed in bags and left for a couple of years to break down. Lovely stuff.

Now the tomatoes are in. I planted them a bit deeper than in the pots so that extra roots will form around the base of the stems and I put some canes in place to support them as they grow. They’re looking green and healthy. I will feed them with comfrey pellets or liquid seaweed when they start to produce fruit. Fingers crossed for lots of tomatoes in the summer and preserves later.

I have three “Roma” and three “Lampadina St. Marzano”. Both varieties are plum tomatoes. I like these for their sweet juicy flesh, few seeds and thin skins. Perfect for processing in preserving jars, using my pressure cooker, for winter storage.

Although I can’t keep animals myself I was pleased to hear that our neighbours have had chickens. Three hens and a lovely little cockerel. There is one big brown hen and two pale grey hens with their handsome cockerel who has the same beautiful silver-grey feathers. We’re enjoying hearing him announcing his presence. I took a few photos. Poultry keepers will know exactly what kind they are.

I shall draw some pictures of the cockerel and enjoy painting his beautiful neck and tail feathers. Might paint with acrylics or oils to capture that subtle pale grey colouring.

Here’s a very colourful cockerel I painted a few years ago.

Feeling creative reminded me it was time I restocked my knitting yarn. I haven’t any immediate plans for knitting but I love to have a stash of yarn ready to dive into when the mood strikes. Such wonderful colours and textures stir the imagination and help to pass the time when not much else is happening.

I thought perhaps after the Winter there might be sales on and I could find a few bargains. I found some gorgeous yarns. Acrylic mixed with wool, cotton for summer tops, double knitting and chunky textures. So exciting to see them waiting until I decide what to do with them.

With you again next week, when I’ll have my latest cake recipe to share with you. Enjoy the last days of April. Warmer days next month, I hope, and more to do in the garden. Bye for now.