Early Autumn Days

We have been enjoying some beautiful sunny days here in the Lincolnshire countryside.

Autumn has come upon us with warm days and gentle turning leaves.

Our garden is still giving us such delights to place upon our table, it has been an abundant year.

Apples are ripening into a beautiful deep red and I have been busy putting them in to crumbles for the freezer. Chutneys are next with apples, pears and green tomatoes.

Our garden has blessed us once again.

This is such a busy time of year with preserving what we have grown and tidying the garden ready for the Winter.

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I made this boiled fruit cake, it is becoming a family favourite.

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We have been using our old 1930's car quite a lot, taking it to a few nearby towns. It is such a fun car to travel in and brings a smile to folks on the way.

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We have apples in abundance so many different types of apple puddings have been made.

This is a sponge pudding with apples and some gifted Victoria Plums.

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4oz's of margarine beaten with 4 oz's of white sugar, then add 4 oz's of wholemeal self raising flour, 2 eggs and a drop of almond essence. Beat well with a little milk and pour batter over fruit that has sugar on. Bake for around 40 minutes in a moderate oven.

We enjoy this with cream.

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We took our old car to a classic car show in our village. The day was glorious and the girls enjoyed it down by the lake, it was a lovely event with some wonderful old cars and a lovely cake stall.

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The twins love the suitcase shelf in the car.

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We had a beautiful day in Lincoln and had a very English afternoon tea up on Steep Hill.

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While putting in a new fence on one side of our garden we found a few treasures. We hired a mini digger for a couple of days as so much land needed levelling. We found the old rubbish dump, whole bottles kept coming out of the earth, it was amazing.

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We also found this old metal sign buried, it took quite a bit of work getting it out whole, we could not believe what we had found.

After a little research we found the shop it had come from 5 miles away.

I love this old photo.

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Some of the many bottles and pots we found all washed up.

They have now found homes all around the cottage.

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A marble cake for Saturday tea with a chocolate topping.

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The beetroot has done so well once again.

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Scones for Sunday tea.

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We purchased a new dresser a few months ago.

The back boards are so wide, it is an early Georgian one.

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The girls helping to make lemon drizzle cake.

They love to bake.

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It was delicious.

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This is a recipe we were given years ago, it makes such a soft cake.

Cream together 5ozs margarine, 6 ozs sugar and grated rind of a lemon.

Add 8 ozs self raising flour, 2 eggs and 2 floz of whole milk.

Bake in a round cake tin for 45 minutes at 160.

Squeeze lemon juice over cake whilst still hot then sprinkle with three tablespoons of sugar over the top.

Leave to cool before removing it from the tin.

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I found these beautiful early 1930's Good Housekeeping magazines the other day.

They are full of beautiful fashions and baking.

I love the old adverts.

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A mountain of apples.

The weather has been glorious these last few weeks.

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I found Delia's Book of Cakes in a charity shop, I was so pleased as I had been looking for it for a while.

I decided to bake the wholemeal Madeira cake with lemon icing.

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All ready for Saturday tea.

It was so beautiful and soft.

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Kitty enjoying this beautiful weather we have been having all dressed up in her flower fairy costume in the garden.

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Apples picked for some crumbles to put in the freezer.

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Harvest Festival in our little church.

The twins made these little decorations to put around the font for the service.

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On the day before the service we went to decorate the church.

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Home picked produce for the Harvest Festival.

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Every year we have a Harvest Meal after the service in the village hall.

I made Eve's pudding to bring.

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My husband bought me these lovely old Miss Read books, some are first editions. 

I am really enjoying reading the Miss Read books and can't wait for my evening read and to get back in to Miss Read's world. Along with H E Bates and Nella Last these are my favourites.

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Sweet George loves to sit on these old flour buckets.

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A fresh bloomer loaf for tea.

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The leaves are starting to turn all around us.

This is the first tree to change colour in our garden, it is such a pretty colour.

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A little hooked pumpkin mat I hooked a few years ago comes out for another year.

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I am on the last section of this 1930's cardigan finally. It has been a long pattern to do, maybe something smaller next.

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Thank you dear reader's for your lovely comment's and welcome to my new followers that have found me through Instagram.

Happy Autumn to everyone.

Fondly Michelle

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Days in Our English Cottage Garden

June is the noisiest month of the year in the garden, from the first light birdsong fills the air giving a true sense of the garden being alive. Thrushes & young Blackbirds are abundant especially after a heavy shower of rain, they scratch about beneath bushes & the large Magnolia tree looking to see what may be found there.

Sweet little Sparrows & young Starlings are everywhere too, along with the young rabbits they give George many hours of amusement at the windows.

The sun barely seems to sleep in June & all through the short nights there is a deep shine to the sky.

We have been in the garden, this time of year there are many tasks to keep us all busy, we feel blessed to have worked a full day & are ready for our beds by the end of the day.

The Gooseberry bushes are doing so well & we have just harvested our first of the year.

Life is wonderfully full at the cottage & I give thanks each day for it.

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A shady spot under the Old English Walnut Tree.

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One corner of the vegetable garden.

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This beautiful climbing rose weaves it's way through one of our apple trees.

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A beautiful day spent gardening & playing in the garden.

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Our special Arthur Bell rose bush.

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The Lupins in full bloom.

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Foxgloves so remind me of Jemima Puddleduck.

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Beautiful sunshine.

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Playing ball, I love how they all play together.

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Sweet Lilly of the Valley.

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Fresh Wholemeal Bread.

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We harvested our first gooseberries from the garden.

Over 7lbs of them from three heavy loaded bushes.

6lbs have gone in to the freezer until I get time to make jam.

Rhubarb as well has been going in to the freezer ready for warm puddings over the Winter.

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The other gooseberries went in to a lovely oaty crumble for tea.

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The Peonies are blooming.

So much is flowering in the garden at this time.

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Ox Eye Daisies flowering around a purple rose I planted last Summer.

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The scent of garden roses.

The yellow rose is called Arthur Bell, everywhere we live we plant one of these roses as both our Grandfathers were called Arthur.

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Mary stirring Date Bread.

The twins love to have a wooden spoon in their hands.

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Date bread ready for Sunday tea.

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Sponge cake with fresh cream & English Strawberries for tea.

This is the basic sponge recipe I use all the time, it is so versatile.

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Special gifts.

Our sweet daughter Amy made this beautiful cross stitch for our wedding anniversary, I am looking for an antique frame to put it in, it is such a special handmade gift.

Another special heart I received was my first Susan Branch book.

Cathy from Morning Musings entered me in her give away & I was so happy to have won this beautiful book.

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I finally finished this 1940's jumper, with being unwell it had been put aside for a few weeks.

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Two little vintage buttons used for each shoulder.

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Thank you my dear readers for your lovely comments.

Fondly Michelle

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