"With Pomp, Power & Glory the world beckons vainly, In chase of such vanities why should I roam?While Peace & Content bless my little thatched cottage,And warm my own hearth with the Treasures of Home."*Beatrix Potter

Friday 3 October 2014

Glimpes of Autumn at The Cottage.

I love this time of year, all the warm colours & a crisp feel to the air in the early morning's. I do love to walk into the garden early in the misty morning & just take in all the beauty that is around us. Our Old English Walnut tree has lost all it's leaves now & stand's tall in all it's bare beauty with squirrels running up & down it's branches. They are such fun to watch carrying on with their busy little lives.

 
A little rabbit hiding something in the ground.
Our garden is full of rabbits & squirrels this time of year hiding all the nuts from our tree's.
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Where I write.
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I love small old bibles & have them tucked away in the bureau.
The larger one on top of the bureau was sold in Horncastle our nearest small town & dates from 1838.
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Beautiful handwriting.
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Fresh wholemeal bread for tea just out of the oven.
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Gourds & wax corn sitting on Grandad's dresser.
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The mantle piece in the parlour with small touches of Autumn.
I found the little Georgian cup at an Antique shop in our small market town.
They have a big outside yard & a lot of items are 50p.
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This is the back of our garden with hazelnut tree & a small gate which leads to the side grave yard of the church.
It is such a pretty area with so much history.
There is a small pine spinney there were rooks nest.
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Our hydrangea's are late this year, I am watching them to see when they are ready for drying.
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The roses are still blooming, we have so many old varieties in our garden & I have planted some new one's. Oh I do love roses, the old one's smell so beautiful.
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We are overflowing with apples this year, this tree has done so well.
Luckily I have a small cook book with just apple recipes.
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I made a cinnamon apple pudding this week, it feels so good to use your own produce.
It is a simple recipe just sliced apples, sugar & cinnamon then topped with a sponge mixture which is 4 ozs self raising flour, 4 ozs of butter, 4 ozs of sugar & 2 eggs, a little milk if needed.
Bake for around 45 minutes at a medium heat.
We had this with custard as Kitty loves custard.
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Apple slices for tea.
I bought the little apple recipe book when we went to Woolsthorpe Manor last year which was Issac Newton's birthplace & home.
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Apple slices with a lemon glaze.
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I found some check fabric the other week the same as the other two curtains in the sitting room.
We had the fabric in our old house for the hall window so I had cut them in half when we moved to the cottage to make curtains for two windows.
I was so pleased to have found the same fabric & this week made curtains for the long window by the hearth. It gives that corner a much warmer feel.
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I finished reading all the Nella Last book's & found them truly wonderful, I got a kindred spirit feeling from them, in so many places in the book I felt we were so much alike.
My new book to read is The Garden Cottage Diaries 'My Year in the Eighteenth Century' which is full of wonderful photo's.
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The book is by Fiona J Houston.
For a full year she took herself back to the 1790's lifestyle of her rural ancestors.
She wore home made clothes, learned crafts, ate from her garden & cooked on a fire.
This book is full of history, folklore & practical tips.
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I am really enjoying this book, it has some simple recipes in it too.
When this book arrived Kitty could not put it down, she was fascinated with the photo's.
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Thank you dear friends for all your beautiful comments.
 
Fondly Michelle
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31 comments:

  1. Dear Michelle, you have a home and a wonderful garden. Looking at your photos it looks to take a step back in time when life was made ​​up of simple pleasures and genuine things. Thanks for sharing. I embrace you and I wish you a happy weekend. Mirtilla.

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    1. Thank you Mirtilla, I do love times gone by & we embrace our life with them.
      Fondly Michelle

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  2. Loved your post about Autumn in your part of the world.. Such a lovely time of year.. I was so thrilled with your books that I just ordered for myself.. They are certainly my type of read.. Thanks so much.. Your curtains are lovely, too.. xo

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    1. Hello Faye,
      Was it the Nella Last books or The Garden Cottage Diaries you ordered.
      Happy reading & thank you for your kind words.
      Have a beautiful weekend.
      Fondly Michelle

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  3. Dear Michelle ~ how wonderful to visit your welcoming cottage at m most favourite time of year. Apples, sponge, and custard are simply made for each other! I have a feeling I have that very same book in my cook book library so tomorrow I must go and look, for no other time of year is better for it.
    ~~~waving~~~

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    1. Hello Deborah, I hope you find something nice to bake, I have made the dessert apple cake from that little book too.
      Fondly Michelle

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  4. Hi Michelle, I enjoyed your post so much and it makes me yearn to visit all that history. I am going to look for those books myself. They are my type of read also. We picked a bushel of apples yesterday at a u-pick next door to us so I will be trying different apple recipes as well. Take care.

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    1. Hello Mary,
      Happy cooking with your apples.
      Hope you find the books.
      Fondly Michelle

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  5. Dear Michelle, these desserts have to be delicious. I am charmed with the rabbits, I am great his defender, good I defend all you them encourage that they surround us. The photos of his book me resemble Tasha Tudor, are precious, it does not surprise me that they them like to see his girl so much. I am going to try to do the dessert of apples. An embrace for the whole family. M. Carmen

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    1. Thank you for your sweet words, hope you enjoy the apple pudding.
      Fondly Michelle

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  6. Your roses are beautiful. With our cooler weather my roses are looking a little better--not so much black spot. I'm actually getting a new bud ready to open. My hydrangea were killed off with our last bad winter, but the plant itself came back this year, but without any blooms at all. Hopefully, it will survive this winter and give me flowers to dry next year.

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    1. Good Morning Cathy,
      I do hope your hydrangea comes back for you, I do love them dried.
      Fondly Michelle

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  7. Dear Michelle,
    Autumn is my most favorite time of the year. It is when we finally get a break from the Texas heat, which definitely makes life look a whole lot better. :-)
    I absolutely love cooking with apples. I have recently been looking for new recipes, and have just found some on a sweet blog I read by Melissa K. Norris. She talks a lot about canning and preserving them. I am going to try her recipe for canning apple pie filling. It looks easy and delicious. But nothing beats a simple apple cake with a cup of coffee in the afternoon, or warm apple crisp topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream after dinner. Yum!
    I also love the Nella Last books! But I haven't seen the Cottage Garden Diaries book. I will need to look for that. From what you said about the book, it reminds me of Tasha Tudor's life.
    I love the photo of the back of your garden, It looks so inviting and peaceful. It seems like a great place to lay on a blanket and dream.
    :-)
    Have a lovely weekend! xoxo

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    1. Hello Jennifer,
      I will look for the blog you mentioned, I love canning.
      I also love apple crisp so that might be on the to do list next week.
      Thank you for your sweet words.
      Fondly Michelle

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  8. Truly enjoyed your post about Autumn. It's such a colorful time of year. The squirrels and rabbits are busy here as well.
    Enjoy your weekend! ♥

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    1. Hello Anne,
      Thank you for your kind words.
      Fondly Michelle

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  9. Beautiful post! Your home looks so cozy and inviting. The apple recipe sounds wonderful, especially served with custard. Autumn is a lovely time of year. The foliage has been extra vibrant this year in our area.

    Sarah

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    1. Hello Sarah,
      I would love to see the foliage in your area.
      Hope you are well, have you had your baby yet.
      Fondly Michelle

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  10. Wonderful pictures and story !! I love Autumn too. We didn't have a good apple harvest, but received a lot of apples from a friend.
    The books you are talking about sound very interesting. I will have to look into it.
    Have a beautiful day.

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    1. I am so glad you got some apples from your friend, happy cooking.
      Hope you find the books.
      Fondly Michelle

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  11. Oh your writing cupboard is so beautiful, it must be hard to tear yourself away from it :-)

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    1. Yes I do love that corner.
      Thank you for your kind comment.
      Fondly Michelle

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  12. Hello Michelle,
    Once again I am sitting here just completely enjoying all of your home's wonderfulness and warmth! The check material for curtains is perfect! And the bread and apple receipts look so delicious and inviting! ;-) I want to live near you!!!! :-D
    Oh my goodness, I just finished that wonderful book!!! It was soooo very very enjoyable and I went through a sort of withdrawal and a kind of "done with a good book" depression! I loved that book !!

    I just got back from a wonderful vacation with my Hubby and the three doggies in our motorhome. We saw many museums ( of favorite artists) and Tasha Tudor's home and garden. I am still floating and enjoying the memories! :-D
    Thank you for another wonderful post dear one
    Warmth and many many Blessings, Linnie

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    1. Hello Linnie,
      Thank you for your lovely comment.
      I felt that with the Nella Last Diaries, I just wanted to read more of her life. I am enjoying the Cottage Diaries very much.
      I hope you are doing a post about your trip away, to be in Tasha Tudors cottage & gardens, how wonderful.
      Enjoy your day.
      Fondly Michelle

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    2. I do so hope I can soon , but I am not sure how long it will take to get my computer fixed.....sigh

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  13. Good Morning Michelle!
    Greetings from the coast of Maine! I found your blog while visiting a friend's...and I have so enjoyed reading about your cottage and simple life! I will be back again soon...but for now I just wanted to say "hello!"
    Have a blessed day!
    Laura

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  14. Hello Laura,
    So glad you enjoyed your visit.
    Fondly Michelle

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  15. Oh Michelle, it is just gorgeous at your house! Love every photo-- what a handsome autumn garden you have! I've been settling in with baby and knitting and Lark Rise to Candleford lately, and your outdoor photos remind me of those beautiful garden scenes.

    Your pewter pieces are gorgeous and I just love your collection of antique Bibles! What special finds!~

    So lovely to visit you, as always! And thank you SO much for adding me to your sidebar!~

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    1. Thank you so much heather for your beautiful comment.
      I love candleford too, they have such beautiful dresses. I have been watching Cranford in the evenings while knitting. I need to find a new project now as I have just finished the jumper I was making.
      Fondly Michelle

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  16. Hello, You have a lovely and sweet blog. Very calming and I enjoyed a peek into your garden and home. You have been blessed with such a large family.I enjoyed my visit her tonight!
    Blessings, Roxy

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    1. Hello Roxy,
      Thank you for your kind comment, I am so glad you enjoyed your visit.
      Fondly Michelle

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