Early February

Rooks are back in the rookery at the end of our cottage garden.

We have a lovely little spinney of fir trees where they nest each year, I love the noise & business of the birds making their nests.

They are such a chatty bunch, it is almost like they are having a good gossip while doing their work.

The garden is slowly coming back to life, the little blue tits are hopping about giving much amusement to George through the window.

One little animal has disappeared from the garden, all the squirrels must be nestled down somewhere warm.

~

Ginger Snap Biscuits to take with us to a friend for afternoon tea.

Kitty & I had a lovely morning making them, she does like to bake.

~

These are the girls favourite biscuits.

~

George wanting to come with us shopping.

~

Some fabric for patchwork.

I am working on some little Easter gifts for the twins.

We have bought the girls their first little set of knitting needles, some pretty rainbow wool & a learn to knit Ladybird book so I am making little knitting bags for them.

~

Tomato Relish.

I made the relish that Rhonda made on Down to Earth , the recipe was simple to make & smelt wonderful.

Instead of the curry powder & chilli I added paprika & mustard powder, the little ones do not like strong flavours. This way we will use it instead of Tomato Sauce, it has so much less sugar.

~

Six lovely jars for the pantry shelves.

~

Making a birthday card for someone special.

~

The pans in there new home.

~

The girls love making & decorating cakes.

~

Making Date Bread.

This is just a variation to the Tea Bread  recipe but with all dates.

~

Studying The Diary of an Edwardian Lady for home school.

The month of January.

Kitty painting Blue Tits & Great Tits.

~

Tuesday was a beautiful crisp day.

We took a short walk around the church yard, it was so sunny & warm on the face.

These are the graves that back on to our garden. They are very old graves so not visited which makes it a wonderful place for wildlife, we can often hear the pheasants calling.

~

The sun was so beautiful.

~

Flowers appearing, there are so many signs that Spring is on it's way.

~

Snowdrops on the edge of the church yard.

The church & our garden are full of them.

~

This is the old vicarage next to the church which you can see peeping out from behind the tall fir tree.

I do feel a little like Miss Marple some days with our garden hedge next to the church & the Vicarage next door.

~

Another pretty Spring flower.

~

The first crocus we have seen.

~

An old cast drain pipe added t the church in 1876

The church has so many beautiful features.

~

The side gate from the church in to the old vicarage.

~

This is the side door to the church which faces our cottage.

~

More early flowers.

~

Catkins in our garden.

They are so pretty with a silvery sheen.

~

Some of the hens enjoying the sunny day.

They have started laying a couple more eggs a day, sunshine is a wonderful thing.

~

The girls with their finished bow scarves.

I made myself one in a lovely teal colour which was slightly larger than the pattern. The pattern came up small around the neck so I made another navy blue one.

~

Victoria Sponge Cake for tea.

A family favourite.

~

Thank you dear readers for all your lovely comments.

I really enjoy reading them & hearing from you.

Fondly Michelle

~

Cold November Days

The weather has turned now here in England, the north wind is definitely blowing.

How bare the land looks around our village as the last of the sugar beet is harvested & taken away.

Life at the cottage has been full with jobs this week, there is always much to do before Winter sets in.

~

I made cinnamon flop for breakfast.

It is an old Amish recipe from a book I have for many years.

They are very easy to make & very much enjoyed.

~

I have been cooking pumpkins.

Pumpkin Butter.

I have been making this for a few years now, the children love it especially on hot buttered English muffins.

~

The pumpkin butter ready for potting up.

The smell was wonderful, so warm & seasonal.

~

The last of the canning finished for the year.

It always feels so good to see all that your garden has produced for you over the year.

I do not can a large amount but enough for us to enjoy the fruits of our labour for a year.

~

Canning shelves in our pantry.

~

Pumpkin Loaves.

~

Some of the pumpkin went in to bread, two to eat & two for the freezer.

This is a recipe I was kindly giving by a friend 10 years ago that lives in Massachusetts.

~

Our beautiful cherry tree is such a beautiful colour this time of year.

~

Remember remember the 5th of November.

Bonfire night.

This is how a nearby village celebrates the anniversary of the Guy Fawkes plot to blow up the houses of parliament.

It is a very family affair and all the funds raised goes to the upkeep of the little playground.

~

It was so cold, we were glad when the bonfire got going.

The twins in their crocheted scarves I made last year.

~

Sidney enjoying his chips.

~

Mary enjoying the fireworks.

The girls were so happy watching the fireworks.

We had such a special evening but it was so good to get home & get some warmth in to our toes.

~

I finished reading The Cottage Diaries & found it a very enjoyable book that again I didn't want to end.

Now I am reading Larkrise to Candleford.

I have watched the television series & was enchanted by the stories & sets so when I saw this old edition in the old book shop in town I couldn't resist.

This copy is full of pretty country prints which lets you picture times from a bygone era.

I am really enjoying this book & how Flora describes all the little details of a time long ago just before machines came in to the countryside. She captured the countryside before traditions & a way of life disappeared.

This is a book you can disappear into & imagine yourself there in the cottages she describes in so much detail.

~

One of the old country prints in the book.

~

Rice Pudding.

This is such a simple dessert, we had it with home made canned rhubarb.

~

Today it is Remembrance Day, a time to remember our fallen & the families who have lost a loved one. We are going down to the War Memorial Hospital in town to remember those soldiers & read some of the poppy's laid in remembrance.

Keep warm.

Fondly Michelle

~

Warm Days & Chutney.

We have had an unseasonably warm October in our little part of the world, so we have been spending time cleaning up the garden ready for Winter.

I love to admire the outside bare beauty of our countryside this time of year.

Our wonderful holly trees are abundant with berries turning from orange to red, perfect for our little birds & Christmas decorating.

~

These were the last of our pears, now they are in some chutney I made & also the fruit bowl.

~

Garden Chutney.

We emptied the greenhouse of the last of the tomatoes & picked the last pears, rhubarb & apples to make chutney for Christmas.

~

The first batch was made with tomatoes & rhubarb.

~

The rhubarb always makes a smooth chutney ideal for sandwiches.

~

The second batch was made with tomatoes, apples & pears.

~

I do love the jewel colours this combination made.

~

This made a colourful chunky chutney to go with cold meat.

~

The jars cooling ready for the pantry shelves.

It feels so good to use up everything in the garden & to not waste a thing.

~

Fruit Chutney Recipe.

2 medium onions

3 lb of mixed fruit { pears, apples, rhubarb,tomatoes, plums }

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon of spice

1 teaspoon of dry mustard

1 lb of brown sugar

4 oz of chopped dried dates

1 pint of malt vinegar

Chop up the fruit & onion & place in a jam pan with everything else.

Bring to the boil & then simmer until the chutney goes thick, around 3/4 of an hour.

Keep stirring so it does not stick to the pan.

I always test by dragging my wooden spoon along the bottom of the pan to see if it is thick enough.

Pot in to clean jars & top with plastic coated lids or old glass kilner lids.

This recipe gets better the longer you leave it.

~

The hens enjoying the twins sunflower heads.

~

A little rabbit enjoying food in the ground with little robin red breast next to him.

~

I made some pinwheels again & tried cheese & chutney from last year this time.

It is such a good way to use up last years canned goods & find nice combinations for Christmas.

We will have all eight children here with partners too this Christmas so I will have to find easy things to cook.

~

Our dear friends & the twins Godparents had a three week trip to New England.

They brought us back some wonderful gifts, the calendar brought back fond memories of our trip to Old Sturbridge Village 12 years ago.

~

I harvested our hydrangea's, they dry so quick in our kitchen with the warm wood stove.

~ 

We still have an abundance of apples in the garden so I made a pudding with them & also some plums from the freezer.

One tree is still laden with beautiful apples which turn red as the season changes.

It was delicious served warm with cream.

~ 

Thank you dear friends for all your kind words, I really enjoy your comments.

Fondly Michelle

~