Quiet January Days

How I love the quiet January days, the frost tipped trees & having time to sit & knit after the business of Christmas time.

The weather has been kind to us in this part of England, yes it is cold but the sun is shinning & we have had some beautiful January days.

You can see glimpses of Spring all around us with daffodils popping up through the hard ground. Forsythia & Spring Snowflakes are flowering so very early in the year in the garden.

As I sit & write the birds are in full chorus, they have been enjoying the strings of cranberries left over from Christmas.

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I have started a wonderfully simple 1930's Bow Scarf pattern that came in the post the other day.

This one is for myself  then I will make two smaller ones for the twins.

I can see this pattern being used again & again.

I love the feminine style of it.

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There was a little mincemeat left over from Christmas so I added some diced cooking apple & made sweet pinwheels for Saturday tea.

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A sprinkling of icing sugar over the top.

They tasted like danish pastries.

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I love books & found this lovely book Crafts of the Countryside in a charity shop in our nearby market town. It is full of things to do, the girls & I would like to make some corn dollies in the Autumn, they have a step to step guide inside to make them.

I finished Cranford & really enjoyed it, the characters are wonderful.

 I am now reading A Country Calender by Flora Thompson. The book starts out with a life story about Flora written by Margaret Lane. 

Once again I am transported back by Flora, she has a special gentle way of writing & describing all the countryside around her in such detail.

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Kitty playing with her sewing boards which George finds such fun.

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Warm fruit pudding with custard.

My parents brought over a large amount of blackcurrants last year which I froze.

They had such an abundance last year, too much for them to use.

Along with some of our raspberries from the freezer & two cooking apples I made a fruit pudding for Sunday dinner.

The blackcurrants gave such a wonderful flavour, I will be making this again.

I use the same sponge recipe for most things, fairy cakes, sponge cakes, tray bakes & so much more.

Just spread it over the fruit & sugar & bake for around 50 minutes.

2 ozs Margarine

2 ozs Sugar

Beat together

2 ozs Self Raising flour

1 egg

a little milk

Beat all these together & use as wished.

I trebled the recipe for the fruit pudding.

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All bubbly & ready to be served.

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After our Sunday dinner we went for a lovely walk over the fields.

It was a truly beautiful day.

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Early snowflakes flowering.

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The field waiting for the sheep in the Spring.

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Finding bare beauty in the trees.

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Little Mary.

I love the way little ones find such happiness in so many things.

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A patched up field gate, we have so many interesting gates & hedgerows around us.

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Looking for Peter Rabbit.

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A pretty little stream that flows in to a river in our nearby town.

I love the way the ivy blankets this old tree this time of year.

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Thank you my dear readers for all your kind words & your New Year wishes.

May 2015 be a happy & healthy one for us all.

Fondly Michelle

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