Well good morning dearest hearts. It has been a difficult few months for the Mr and I. I don't want to go into too much detail but suffice it to say both of my lovely parent in-laws have passed away within four weeks of each other. As they would have wanted it, neither could have born to be without the other.
I wondered whether it was appropriate to mention this on my little blog but in the end it is such a great thing I feel it needed to be said. It is a big event in our lives and surely the blog world should have some realism in it, after all not everything in our lives is joyous. Having said that we will of course be celebrating their long and happy lives, married for nearly 60years, in a now joint funeral.
We are on the cusp of Autumn now, already the leaves are golden and some are falling from our trees. I have been busy harvesting as much as I can. And Morgana has been making the most of her catnip plant.
I have collected huge amounts of lavender all of which will be put to good use. Also a new season chamomile harvest for tisanes which for the first time I'm mixing with marigold petals. It makes for a nice soft gentle tea which has huge health benefits. Thankfully our Autumn fruiting raspberries are producing well, after last year when we barely had any fruit.
Looking after the garden and picking fruits and flowers in the sunshine has been so uplifting in the last few weeks.
Most of my lovely blogging chums know me for the thrifty gal I am. I would hazard a guess and say all of the folk who enjoy my blog do their best by the planet and the amazing animals we share it with. I try not to over consume and I do my utmost not to waste things. When I buy things I really try to look after them so they don't need replacing and money is not wasted. Just recently my little hand whisk finally gave up the ghost. I purchased it in August 1977 in Bognor. I replaced it with a 'new' one from a local charity shop for 50p.
The reason for this preamble is that I want to highlight local Freecycle and Freegle on line sites that enable people to give things away or to receive them in their local area.
I know some of you will be thinking, what's this a newsflash? But I've become increasingly aware not everyone has heard of these fabulous eco friendly money saving sites.
Free to join, easy to use and feature almost everything under the sun. The idea is to reduce waste and stop good usable items from ending up in landfill. Used locally it also means that costs to collect items are kept to a minimum.
I firmly believe that if the whole world stopped manufacturing 'stuff' we wouldn't run out of most things for years.
I know some people don't like the idea of using preloved/second hand items, but really don't you know Buckingham Palace is full of antiques and valuables that have been handed down for generations. And don't we all eat off pre used plates and use cutlery that has been used over and over again? even were we to dine at The Ritz.
I've recently asked for a bain marie and old wooden candlesticks as I have some home steading projects in mind.
Over the years I have donated huge amounts of items, from a massive Laura Ashley Knole sofa to a box of nail varnishes. Recently I even gave away some rather unattractive small succulent plants. A very nice man who was a member of a succulent society took them for new members of the society. Win Win.
These on line sites are such a valuable resource. If you haven't used these sites before, rather than just 'throwing' things away do try them and see if anyone can make use of things you no longer need. Let's spread the love.
I happened upon this little black and white film made by the enfant terrible Ken Russell in the 1960s. It is strangely compelling and reminds me of all the unusual characters that abounded in London. Post war folk striving to be something else to lift their lives from the hum drum.
If you have time grab a cuppa and prepare to be enchanted.
"The past is a foreign country they do things differently there". L.P. Hartley, The Go-Between.
Hello lovely blogging chums. I'm back. Apparently my last post was corrupt, who knew? Well a very nice gentleman in the blogger community did and hurrah he told me how to fix it. I felt that was very kind of him.
Lots has happened since we last 'spoke' some of it not so good but I don't want to post about that just now, possibly later. I think some cheery things are in order instead don't you?
I have finished my rustic fair isle tank top, rustic because it is not perfect, but spot on for country pursuits, a homespun hand made look, rather than galmorous.
This is the blocking process to straighten out any lumps, bumps and curly bits, it works very well. I have knitted the back in the main, navy but with a coral top. The plain knitting has made the back slightly bigger but it was expected and I think I have got away with it. I will post a pic when I wear it and you can decide for yourselves. I have already started on my next much smaller project. A 'lace' patterned knitted scarf, it's to be a gift for a friend. Each row is different and complicated so I really do have to concentrate, it's not terribly wide so I'm enjoying it.
I went to a little local Antiques fair last weekend and despite my best thrifty intentions I made three essential purchases, all adorable I think you will agree.
Monseiur Pompadour
Child's Antique Nightdress
Burmese Laughing Buddha Circa 1870
I also came across a wondrous Pashley three wheeler, I feel it will be a wondrous form of daily transport to the local shops etc once we move. This one was refurbed and was very economical.
You can get large baskets in trailer form to attach to the back. So useful. If only I could get Morgana to travel with me.
Hello lovely blogging chums. Apologies for the lack of posts, I'm having lots of problems with Blogger. I hope normal service will resume soon. Otherwise I may have to shut the blog down and try and create something new?
The harvesting has been continuing at a nice gentle pace. Yesterday I cut some fresh lavender stems from my top terrace, they are longer and more slender than the other lavender stems I'm air drying. I used the fresh stems to make some lavender wands. The stems have to be dry and freshly cut so they are malleable and can be bent into the required shape to create the little cage that surrounds the buds. It's the first time I've made them. I used 17 stems per wand and I used up 4 metres of fine ribbon for three wands. It took about an hour to make all three. I'm super pleased with them and will make some more in the next few days. They were a bit fiddly but easy to make.
This lush roasted nectarine salad with home made pesto is a first for me too. I saw it being prepared on Nicolas Fairford's YouTube channel, he's a real sweetie and loves everything "elegant & cool" and has created a high end lifestyle for himself. Here is his recipe if you would like to make it yourself.
Ingredients:
2 x peaches or nectarines, bunch fresh basil, 2 scant handfuls pistachio nuts, 30gms parmesan cheese, fresh rocket, burrata or mozzarella, lemon juice, large garlic clove, olive oil, salt & pepper.
Preparation:
Wash nectarines, slice into 6 to 8 pieces, place in roasting tin skin side down, with some olive oil, roast for approx 15 mins at 180c.
Make Pesto 3 tbsps olive oil, 2 pinches of salt, half a bunch of fresh basil, juice of half a lemon, 2 scant handfuls pistachio nuts, 30gms of parmesan, large garlic clove and splash of water to create the right consistency. Blitz all the pesto ingredients together in a small blender, until it resembles a creamy yoghurt.
Plate Up
Fresh rocket, warm nectarines, Burrata, basil leaves, few pistachios, lots of lovely dressing and S&P.
My next 'first' will be lavender biscuits, I'll let you know how that turns out
