The Comfort's of Home

What a lovely few days we have had, the sun has been shining & all in our little corner of the world is happy & contented.

This week has been full of so many beautiful moment's.

I do love being at home just doing simple pleasures like baking, gardening, knitting & just living our simple life.

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 A traditional corn dolly made at harvest time for a sweet heart.

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Glimpses of home.

 

We live in a mud & stud cottage built before 1741, it is a timber framed building with thatched roof & tiles.

This is our hall with original brick flooring.

Some of the timbers are older than the cottage, I never stop looking at the beauty of these old beams.

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A corner of the kitchen.

The brick floors run through the cottage.

They were covered up when we bought the cottage, what a surprise they were.

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Old cast iron range in the hall.

This is one of Bobby's places to lay down, sunshine in the morning & a soft rug.

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Old timber leading in to the kitchen.

Some are still stuffed with Georgian & Victorian newspaper's, I haven't the heart to remove them or the old paint.

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Old lime paint.

With our solid fuel cooker it is a great area for drying flowers & herbs.

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I found a beautiful old cookbook in an antique book shop the other day & baked Fat Rascal's from it. Each recipe gives the history of the food & it said Fat Rascal's were handed out in Yorkshire Inns.
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They were enjoyed for Sunday tea.

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A beautiful old book by Louisa May Alcott that I found in the same book shop as the cookery book.

I love old books & love to read them.

I found the Georgian china teacup & saucer in our small market too.

Our town is full of antique shop's, the cup cost an amazing 50p & the cup & saucer £1, how could I not bring them home to add to my other one's.

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Hanging out the laundry this beautiful morning I spotted this butterfly enjoying the sun.

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It stayed so still for me & was still there when I got the wash in.

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This is our scullery with old sink.

We have a very simple kitchen & do most things by hand.

The little window would have been an outside wall many years ago. In the Victorian period they put a little pantry extension on, I am so pleased they did.

The glass & lead in the window is so old, all hand blown & one piece has been signed with initial's & our village's name.

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We found this beautiful old baker's cabinet a long time ago.

At some point someone brought it over the sea from America.

The large square timber in the wall is one end of the huge beam that is above in the inglenook fireplace in the kitchen.

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Apple butter being made.

This is a recipe a dear friend Suze from Maine gave me a few years back & I do it every year with our own apples. It sits all day in the bottom oven cooking so slowly, the smell is wonderful.

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Plenty of jars for the pantry shelves.

Pumpkin & pear butter's are next on our list.

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The pears in the garden are nearly ready for the pear butter.

I am trying to think of another way of preserving them, maybe a spiced jam.

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Dried fruit soaking overnight for tea bread. This time I decided to add some dried apple pieces.

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We are out for a picnic at the weekend to a 1940's event at a National Trust house.

Tea bread is always a favourite to take out with us.

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The Sweet Pea's just keep blooming, such a heavenly smell.

I think next year I will make a large twig frame for them.

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Victoria Sponge Cake for tea. I still have so much of last's year jam so it is a good way of using it up.

The hens are laying so many eggs at the moment, they must know I love to bake.

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This will not last long, it will all go at tea.

I have some of my Grandmother's china & glass plates, one was my Great Grandmother's, we use them all the time & her cake knife.

Treasured memories off her come to my mind when we use them & even though the twins never knew her they talk about her as if she has just popped round for tea.

Grandma was a very talented lady, in her early life she was a milliner to the royal family. She loved to sew clothes & later in life painted.

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I am really enjoying doing this 1940's pattern, I have to finish the neck & then just the sleeves & ties to do. I found some lovely fabric at a local market last week so plan to make a historical apron with it. I have a lovely pattern that I have not used yet, I was waiting for the right fabric. I might have enough left to make the twins matching aprons for Christmas but don't tell.

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As part of home school the girls made pizza for tea.

We have had an abundance of tomatoes this year in the green house, everyone loves these little ones & perfect for pizza.

Green tomatoe chutney will be made in October, we have so many green tomatoes.

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They are so happy when we all sit round the table & tell them how yummy their pizza's were.

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Have a blessed weekend.

Fondly

Michelle