Golden Cottage Days & a Trip back to the 1940's

Our cottage garden has a golden glow about it as hot Summer days turn the foliage into mellow yellowness.  The garden has a sunny silence, the birdsong has now dimmed as young birds have fledged to start their lives soaring the skies.

The purples & creams of the Canterbury Bells fill the flower beds as the Oxe Eye Daisies mellow until another year. Hollyhocks now bloom everywhere, how I love the dear Hollyhock & its many blooms standing gracefully tall, elegantly swaying in the cooling Summer breeze. Honeysuckle fills the air from that same Summer breeze, it has such a heavenly smell.

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The beautiful wild cherry trees will soon be laden with red cherries ripe for the picking as long as we get there before the birds. 

Golden wheat fills the many fields around us ripening unto the near harvest. The wheat stands tall with it's heavy ears waiting for full ripeness. as we walk through the corn fields scarlet poppies are still plentiful. Soon our lanes with be busy with farm traffic & we will be thankful for the harvest.

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Banana Chocolate Muffins.

I make these quite often, the children love them.

Fork together 10 ozs plain flour, 1 teaspoon of soda & a teaspoon of baking powder.

In another bowl mash 4 medium bananas, add 4 ozs sugar, a beaten egg, 2 floz whole milk & 3 flozs vegetable oil.

Pour wet into dry ingredients & stir to just combined. Do not over mix.

Cut up in to rough small chunks a 100g bar of milk chocolate & add to mixture.

Fill tins & bake for 20 minutes or a little more at 375.

These are delicious warm from the oven.

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Andy has quickly put up a temporary fence to keep our little friends out of the vegetable patch.

We hope next year to do a permanent fence.

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Our first potatoes from the garden.

They are later this year.

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A funny little chocolate cake.

This recipe came from one of the books I found at Belton House, it is dated 1952 & you can see from the recipes that rationing was still a big part of people's lives.

It did turn out a funny shape but was a nice little cake.

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Our first raspberries picked.

They topped a cheesecake.

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Last weekend we went to Woodhall Spa's 1940's Weekend.

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This event happens every year & has got bigger & bigger.

It is now one of Britain's biggest's 40's event's & what makes it so special is the many fly pasts from the Spitfires, Hurricanes & Dakota's. The Lancaster is not flying at the moment & she was very much missed.

Everyone dresses up & it is such a wonderful happy weekend.

The air was filled with sunshine & many happy faces.

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The butchers shop all decorated for the day.

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A lovely vintage shop selling many beautiful things, I treated myself to a handbag.

There were stalls everywhere selling everything 1940's with live music & dancing.

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A sweet little caravan made by the owners of the classic car.

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Playing on the swings.

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Some of the many pre war cars that came to the event.

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All dressed up for the day.

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Cherry sponge for Saturday tea.

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I have just started knitting a 1936 pattern for a cardigan.

It has long sleeves & a long body & is knit using 4 ply, so it will take me a while as I am a slow knitter.

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The beautiful photo of the cardigan inside the magazine.

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I have just finished reading The Cranford Companion.

I have had this book for a few years now & have never read it fully, it was a great read with snippets of life & manner's from the 1840's.

I don't know why it has taken me so long to read a Miss Read book, I am hooked & am enjoying it just as much as I do the the Nella Last books.

Now I am on the hunt for the whole set, I do love the first edition one's with the beautiful cover's.

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A couple of Sunday's ago there was an open garden day for the Red Cross at our village Manor House. Sybil is a lovely lady & friend who opens her gardens up many times during the year for good causes. Her son has a large collection of classic motorcars, this car was once owned by Cary Grant.

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Sybil has many acres here, some set to gardens, farm land & a perfect lake with boat house.

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Bantams running around with the sheep.

Can you see the sweet dove at home.

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Going in to one of the little gardens.

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One of the many beautiful rose bushes in the Manor House gardens.

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The twins sitting in a  1904 Cadillac & they didn't even notice that big horn!

A beautiful dwarf wall looking down towards the lake.

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Playing in the beautiful sunshine before we walked home.

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I wish everyone a beautiful Summer.

Fondly Michelle

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Enjoying Summer Days

The Summer days here are full & we are all as busy as bee's.
The vegetable patch is doing so very well apart from an abundance of little visitors which we have had to pop up a temporary fence for this Summer & will surround it with a picket fence hopefully over the Winter months. The rabbits are beautiful to watch playing in the garden but not watching them eating the leaves of your lovely vegetables.
I am a little late doing a new post, Summer is such a busy time & there is not a lot of time for writing.
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To celebrate Father's Day this year we took a picnic to Tattershall Castle, a National Trust property.

This is a lovely 15th century red brick castle set  in the Lincolnshire Countryside.

The castle was built between 1434 & 1447, you can picnic inside the moat where they have lawn toys for the children to enjoy.

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This is the end of a row of cottages as you walk up to the castle.

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One of the fireplaces in the castle.

This one is on the ground floor.

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While the boys climbed the stairs up to the top of the castle {it has 6 floors of stone steps}, the girls stayed on the ground floor & did some spinning.

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The lady was so good with them & they brought a piece of wool that they spun home.

She taught them how to card their wool too.

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Walking out of the castle over the moat to the gate house were they have a small shop.

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Kitty in her pearls making some fairy cakes for Father's Day tea.

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The first Tomatoes of the year.
They tasted beautiful in a fresh Couscous salad.

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The rhubarb is coming to an end now in the garden, we shall miss it but then enjoy the first of next year.

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The girls working in the scrap books, they are writing about their day at Tattershall Castle.

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Daisy all ready to go to her Prom.

She had a lovely evening with her friends.

She turned sweet 16 last week, it does not seem that long ago since she was a toddler, busy & in to everything.

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Mary had an appointment to see the eye doctor at our local hospital. She needs glasses & here are the pretty red one's she chose. She is getting on with them so well, Kitty would have liked some too.

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Cherry & Chocolate Brownies for our Edwardian picnic on Saturday.

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We went to an Edwardian Fayre at Belton House.

They used to hold fayre's during the first world war to raise funds for the troops.

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Soldiers on horseback dressed in first world war uniforms.

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Mary & Kitty enjoying the fun & sunshine.

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Games on the green in front of the house.

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The more cottagey back of Belton House.

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The Lavender has now bloomed since our visit two weeks ago.

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There was a stall selling plants & flowers.

We bought these little Alpine Strawberries for 50p each.

They give little strawberries that are strong in flavour.

The plants will be a  sweet addition to our Strawberry bed.

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Mary skipping on the green.

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Kitty really enjoyed the entertainment.

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Before we left we went to the second hand bookshop run by The National Trust & came home with a bag full of 50p & £1 books.

More recipes & reading.

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I wish everyone a wonderful Summer, I love to read your comments & hear what you have been doing.

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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