"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

Thursday 22 January 2015

Early Flowers & a Few Finds

The garden is starting to be awakened here at the cottage, the earth no longer seems asleep & young shoots are pushing their way through the hard ground. Winter has been kind to us so far & the first flowers are starting to bloom. Tiny little delicate flowers, white & pure like snow. 
All along our garden hedge next to the church the snowdrops hang their pure little heads, daring the damp, cold, wintery weather. They bring such joy to watch them flower in the cold days of late Winter. This little flower is the first sign that Spring will soon be upon us & it will not be long before we hear the birds singing & the garden will be an abundance of tulips, hyacinths, daffodils & crocus's.
I love watching the garden come back to life after it's long sleep with the promise of all the good things our Mother earth gives to us.
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A close up of the Early Snowflakes.
I do love these delicate little flowers, they always look like fairy skirts to me.
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We found this lovely set of antique copper pans in a antique centre not far away. They need a polish & then I think I will add more hooks to the scullery shelves to hang them.
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A Georgian miniature I bought with some Christmas money from my parent's.
I saw her before Christmas & fell in love with her painted blue bonnet, so we popped back to the Antique Centre near us after Christmas.
Mary thinks she needs a husband so we are on the hunt for one for her.
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Snowdrops appearing in the garden.
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The rhubarb is popping up it's head,
I can't wait to pick the first stems of the year.
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Snow is in the air.
The old Walnut tree stands stark against the wintery sky.
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Butterfly cakes with home made apple & blackcurrant jam for Saturday tea.
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& chocolate cake.
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I love to collect vintage recipe booklet & have a whole drawer full of them.
Kitty & I chose a cherry cake recipe from a 1930's Brown & Polson recipe booklet & spent Sunday afternoon baking.
The recipe called for an ingredient called raisley powder which I have never heard of before & would love to hear if anyone has heard of it.
At the back of the book there is an advert for Raisley that calls it a raising powder so I used baking powder.
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All ready for Sunday tea & it was very nice, very similar to a Madeira Cake.
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Olde Fashioned Pumpkin Preserves.

I had a small pumpkin stored away in our pantry so when Faye from The Blessed Hearth made some pumpkin preserves I thought that is what the little pumpkin was waiting for.
I replaced the ginger with cinnamon & halved the recipe as the pumpkin was only little. Next year I will make a big batch.
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We found these DVDs in a charity shop in our small town.
We loved the early River Cottage programmes when they were all filmed in the small cottage in Dorset.
I think my eldest Son might be borrowing these.
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This is where you will find sweet George when I am knitting.
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A visit to the wool shop.
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Some finds from our lovely second hand book shop.
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The cottage book is full of inspiration with old cottages all over England.
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So many idea's
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Just settling down now for an evening of knitting & a cuddle from George.
Thank you my dear readers for all your kind words, they all are read & appreciated.
Fondly Michelle
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Early Flowers at the Cottage

62 comments:

  1. What lovely things you are able to find in charity shops and I like the look of The Countrymans year. How young Hugh FW looks in those early videos. His wife and son were there during the filming of the last one but they had to hide all baby things so it looked as if he was still on his own!

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    1. Yes Hugh looks very young, time flies.
      The Countrymans Year is lovely if you can get a copy, it is of times gone by with beautiful drawings.
      Fondly Michelle

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  2. Went to the charity shop on Tuesday and found 4 wonderful books and a Mason Cash baking casserole..hard to find in the US! I grabbed it!
    Snow here but melting...your flowers come on so much earlier than here, even with a mild and dry winter...love your blog!

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    1. Hello Lynda,
      I have a Mason Cash mixing bowl & love it.
      So glad you are enjoying the blog.
      Fondly Michelle

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  3. What lovely copper pans, something I would love to have will have to scout around our local antique shops :-) Your cakes look yummy.

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    1. Thank you Dawn for your kind words.
      Fondly Michelle

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  4. George is just adorable. He looks very content. It's much too early for snow drops here; they are such a lovely flower. :-) I have Nature Notes too, and Country Diary. They are wonderful "nature books".
    Thanks for sharing ♥

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    1. The girls love to copy the drawings from The Edwardian Country Diary which we have. These books were £2 each a bargain & will be used again & again.
      George is such a good sweet boy.
      Fondly Michelle

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  5. Just started reading your blog and have even told my twin sister in California about you x

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    1. Welcome Stephanie,
      Thank you for passing on my blog.
      Fondly Michelle

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  6. Hi Michelle. Wow. I love your blog
    It'd taken me a couple of days to read it all. We have so many similar interests (a few less children)Baking veg & fruit growing, chickens sewing, knitting, history,preserving. So interesting about beamish and all you reading material.I've never heard of Tasha Tudor but reading online was so interesting. Did you home school all your children?I am definitely going to bake the pinwheels and plum puddings.

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    1. Such a lovely comment, thank you.
      Beamish is wonderful, we love it there.
      So glad you have found Tasha Tudor, she was such an inspiration.
      We only home school our twins, I wish I had done the others but life is a learning curve & it just didn't happen in England at that time.
      Fondly Michelle

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  7. I find myself finding quite a bit of those copper pots at thrift stores, but I don't have any room for them, so I just smile and move on! How wonderful that Spring is almost visiting you Michelle... and how lovely to see your knitting, all cozy and warm is George :) mari

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    1. Thank you for your kind words Mari,
      Fondly Michelle

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  8. Great finds Michelle!!
    All things that would surely attract me at my local thrift ;-)
    (and my only form of shopping) ...hmmm more good books to consider
    (aside from the ones that we have in common hee)
    I have watched that Fellow on YouTube and enjoyed! I bet that there are no US dvds available !
    You scored well with the copper pots too! :-)
    And the yummy food looks as good as I am sure it tasted!!

    Many Blessings and Joy and warmth, Linnie

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    1. Hello Linnie,
      Charity shops are our form of shopping too, you never no what you may find.
      I wonder if you can get River Cottage on dvd, he is very popular over here.
      Thank you for your kind words.
      Fondly Michelle

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  9. Hi Michelle, what treasures you have found in the shops--all things I would love too. How nice to see flowers- we don't have a lot of snow here in Eastern Canada right now thanks to a rain storm but it is very cold (-20 C tonight). I did bring in some forsythia and crab apple branches though and they are blooming. What a dear little kitty that George is not to mention a lucky one. Your cakes look yummy.
    Mary

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    1. I love forsythia Mary, we have two bushes in the garden but no flowers yet, the snow drops are always first.
      We are so lucky to have little George.
      Fondly Michelle

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  10. That is beautiful copper-ware, my mother had such lovely pieces as these. The things that come out of your oven are simply delicious...at least they look delicious. I do envy your view of the ancient church , it's so,so English.

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    1. Hello Jeri,
      The church is beautiful, we can see it out of many windows & the bells chime every hour.
      Thank you for your lovely comment.
      Fondly Michelle

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  11. Such a charming post, sweet friend. Your pans are so beautiful - what a wonderful find!

    And how nice that your flowers are popping up and bring with them sweet beauty. Hugs to you :)

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    1. Hello Stephanie,
      Thank you for your kind words, I do love the beauty of flowers.
      Fondly Michelle

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  12. Hello there Michelle, just found your blog via Sue's 'frugal in Suffolk' and may I say what a wonderful blog it is too. I sincerely hope that you don't mind this old pirate tagging along awhile?

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    1. Welcome John,
      Thank you so much for your kind comment, I have only been blogging since last Summer & am really enjoying it.
      Fondly Michelle

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  13. all the cakes that you have baked looking delicious!!!
    the books are wonderful.the book nature notes from a edwardian lady is my prefer book.wonderful colours have your wool. what knitt
    you?
    have a cosy weekend,
    regina

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    Replies
    1. I am knitting my third scarf Regina.
      Thank you for your kind comment.
      Fondly Michelle

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  14. Hello from San Fransico my twin sister, Stephanie, told me about your blog, ironically the same day I discovered you all by my big self. Thats twins for you. Love knitting and all you're treaures. Miss England and its quaintness terribly. Thanks for recommending The Garden cottage Dairies, throughly enjoying it.
    Regards karen s

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    1. Welcome Karen,
      The Garden Cottage Dairies is a lovely book so glad you are enjoying it.
      Are you English or did you live in England, I don't think I could live anywhere else as I get older.
      Thank you for your kind words.
      Fondly Michelle

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    2. Michelle there you go twins reading your blog from 2 different sides of the world x

      Delete
  15. Michelle, I love those copper pots! What a find! I just bought the DVD about the Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady. It is part documentary, part drama and has 12 episodes--one for each month. I also have Learn to Draw Nature in the style of The Edwardian Lady booklet that comes with a sketch pad and watercolor pencils that I'm going to use to start my learning to draw project that I set for myself this year. I wish I could sit at your table with your girls and practice drawing from the Country Diary book with them.

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    1. Good Morning Cathy,
      I will have to hunt out that dvd, it sounds so interesting.
      You would be very welcome to come & paint with us, I hope to start painting again when the weather warms a little outside.
      Fondly Michelle

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  16. Hello Michelle, I want to tell you how much I adore your Georgian miniature on your fireplace mantle. How sweet her blue bonnet is. A husband would be really eye catching together! It is nice you made Faye's pumpkin jam. Anything Faye does is very good. I think I will try it next year as all the pumpkins are gone! Your early snow flakes caught my eye ....so pretty. But I am waiting here for pie. I love your post. So much that interests me. Thank you!

    Susannah

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  17. I meant to say that I am waiting here for our rhubarb to come along as we love rhubarb pie!!!!!! (Got a little mixed up! LOLOLL!)

    Susannah

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    1. Good Morning Susannah,
      Oh we love rhubarb pie, in fact anything rhubarb.
      Thank you for your kind words.
      Fondly Michelle

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  18. Hello Michelle

    What a lovely blog. the first post I read was the Christmas Post and I just knew by your simple decorations that you were based in Lincolnshire. My grandmother used to do similar things and decorations. Looking at your beautiful home and the simplicity brought so many happy memories come back. She had a Rayburn wood range which was fitted new when they first moved into the cottage and which gave over 60 years of sterling service. I have a copper kettle just like the one you have it was one of a set f two - my brother has the other one. Nan apparently used to use both kettles on a regular basis. In later years they graced the fireside. The certain antiques emporium would not be based in Market ....... would it? It gets expensive whenever I go in there as I always find so many lovely things. Nice to see you making teabreads as well - another thing my Nan used to do on a regular basis.

    Take care


    Pattypan

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    1. Welcome Patricia,
      Thank you so much for your lovely comment, I loved hearing about your Nan & have wonderful memories of my grandmother too.
      We got the pans from Helmswell Antiques Centre, they were tucked away in a cheaper stall. We live near Horncastle which is full of antique shops.
      Were abouts was your Nan's cottage.
      Fondly Michelle

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    2. Hello Michelle

      My mother lives in Deeping St James which is on the border between Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire. there is a very good Antiques/Crafts Emporium at Market Deeping and they are open on a Saturday and Sunday. Next village up to my mum. I have been to Hemswell a couple of times gets expensive when I go there too! that's where my antique clothes horse came from. There is always something to have a good rumage around there.

      My Nan lived in a small village called Fiskerton the other side of Lincoln (about 6 miles) and lived in the village for over 60 years. We were christened at St Clements the Church in the Village. The cottage she had was a bay window cottage/bungalow originally with 6 acres mostly put to Apple Orchards but with two big veg plots and they used to keep pigs, chickens, geese and bees not in the same league as your lovely old cottage but still a simple practical home. Where we all used to congregate at Christmas - no one was allowed to be on their own at Christmas and often friends were invited as well.

      Hornsell do not know well - my Uncle lived there for a long time and I only went to his home a couple of times. He died two years ago and his wife passed last year. Although I understand that there are a lot of Antique emporiums there which he used to frequent as he had a passion for collecting. Might have to persuade OH for a trip in the summer to have look around.

      Look forward to your further posts

      Take Care

      Pattypan

      x

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    3. Horncastle is full of Antique shops, we have a wonderful old yard were you can pick up china for pennies.
      I bet you have some wonderful memories of Christmas & getting together with your Nan.
      Fondly Michelle

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  19. I have liked dear Michelle very much the pans. Is not it a real marvel that still snowing and that already the first flowers start appearing? There it is where we see clearly the hand of the Gentlem. George he me resembles our little dog Pipo, he always is on me when I am sewing or doing any other labor, always looking for our fondness.
    An embrace.
    Mary Carmen.

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    1. Hello Mary,
      Yes we are very lucky to have the first flowers.
      Fondly Michelle

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  20. Michelle,

    Such a lovely post! How delightful to have flowers already!! We won't have any flowers where I live until April. I especially liked the photo of your dear kitty and your knitting. : )

    Sarah

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    1. Hello Sarah,
      The girls so like their sewing boards, they have wooden ones too.
      Thank you for your lovely comment.
      Fondly Michelle

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  21. What a lovely post - I really enjoyed reading it and looking at your sidebar found that we have very similar reading and did tastes - I look forward to coming back here and learning more about you.

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    1. Hello Elaine,
      Thank you for your lovely comment.
      Fondly Michelle

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  22. That should read DVD not did.

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  23. Hello from sunny southern California. I just discovered your wonderful blog. It's so fun to read about your collecting, knitting, books and beautiful cat George. I have all the same hobbies! I am signing up as a follower. Lilly sends her meows to George:)

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    1. Welcome in California,
      It is wonderful to hear from all around the world.
      Thank you for your lovely comment.
      Fondly Michelle

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  24. Hi Michelle, Just found your blog through Jean at Shrimpton and I see you already have some familiar names in your followers list :o) I'll look forward to reading more. CT.

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    1. Welcome,
      Hope you enjoy the blog.
      Fondly Michelle

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  25. Another lovely post, dear.. I am so glad you liked your pumpkin preserves.. I am so slow catching up on blogging.. I thing I commented and then realized I didn't. Blame it on old age. smile..We will be a couple of months before we will ever see a snowdrop .. Maybe longer.. Huge storm coming tonight.. Have a great week.. xo

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    1. I had the preserves on toast yesterday, they are so good.
      Our garden & the church is full of snowdrops. We are set to have snow from tomorrow onwards, all our weather comes over from America & Canada, it takes a couple of days.
      Fondly Michelle

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  26. Michelle

    Forgot to mention that there is a craft CD available originally from Joanna Sheen which has all sorts of the Country Diary images available to use in home crafting. I picked mine up secondhand off Ebay - thought it might be useful for paper crafting with the girls. They do not have any on there at the moment but it may be worth looking out for. I also have the 12 months of plates and the Noritake Dinner Service both of which I sourced from a car boot a couple of years ago. Hope you and yours are keeping well.

    Pattypan

    x

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    1. Thank you Patricia, I will search for the craft cd.
      Fondly Michelle

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  27. New follower. You have such a pretty blog! I am enjoying and looking forward to more posts. :)

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  28. Hello, sweet Michelle! I just wanted to say thank you, dear friend, for sharing your post at Roses of Inspiration - I'm glad everything worked out :)

    Hugs to you, my dear!

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    1. So glad I worked it out, thank you for all your help.
      Fondly Michelle

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  29. Hey there, nice blog! Love your finds, and my rhubarb is sprouting too and it worries me since its only January! hope not its the third year so its harvest year for us!

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    1. Welcome,
      We have snow covered rhubarb now but it will be fine.
      Fondly Michelle

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  30. Awe wonderful blog. I love your heading picture.

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    1. Welcome, so glad you like my kitchen.
      Fondly Michelle

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  31. Such wonderful finds !! One of the books with the drawings, A country woman's diary, I have had for years now. I love it. Your baking and cooking looks so very delicious. I loved the River Cottage series. They aired here in The Netherlands too several years ago.
    Have a wonderful day.

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