Springtime is Nearly Here.

New life is shooting up all around us here in the English Countryside this time of year.

It's beautiful to see all those little strong bulbs pushing through the frosty earth wanting to put on their show of colour to welcome in the Spring. 
I always know when the warmer weather is on it's way as the Rooks return to the rookery in the spindly pines at the end of our garden. They are busy building their nest's, I have never seen a more busier bird at the task of nest building.

The villages hedgerow are filled with an abundance of things if you take a while & look closely. The girl's have been doing a weekly nature journal which is not only teaching them but me too. 

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Mary studying the Lesser Colendine which we discovered on one of our nature walk's.

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Birds have come back to the cottage garden to sing their sweet morning song, warm day's do not seem that far away. These day's hold many thought's of flower's & our vegetable garden. The girl's have their own idea's of what they would like to do & grow in the garden, I love to watch them blossom with their imagination & thought's.

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Cottage days are filled with nature walk's, baking, gardening & learning.
Each day holds a new experience.
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Kitty on one of our weekly nature walks, that week was looking for signs of nesting bird's.
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We follow Lynn Seddon's Exploring Nature with Children.
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www.raisinglittleshoots.com
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It's a perfect balance between outside work & written work.
The girl's are doing their journal's in the style of Edith Holden.
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Sidney turned fourteen at the end of February.

He chose Chocolate Cake with as many treat's as I could get on the cake, he always chooses Chocolate Cake.

I rarely get a photo of these two boy's, Danny will be 16 in May I can't believe how the time has flown.

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I finished another 1930's Bow Scarf for the twin's beautiful pen friend in America.

This little girl love the 1930's.

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Custard Pie & two Apple Crumb Pie's.

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Now that the hen's are starting to lay more egg's Custard Pie is ideal to use them up in.

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Recipe for the Custard Pie I make.

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Combine 1/2 cup of sugar

3 egg's

2 cups of milk

Mix these ingredient's with a hand whisk for a few minute's.

Then pour in to a pie case.

Sprinkle top with nutmeg & bake for around 40 minutes at 350 o

I find this recipe quick to mix up.

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I helped the twins make themselves a skirt each out of an old skirt of mine.

They are so happy with the end result & they love practicing their sewing skills.

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Spring flowers are popping up all around our village.

These were blooming on our nature walk last week.

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Apricot cake for tea & one for the freezer.

I like to have a few cakes in the freezer in case of emergencies.

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Hand crocheted dishcloths.

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Oatmeal & Chocolate Chip Brownies.

I used The Amish Cook's recipe from The Amish Cook's Baking Book.

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My love of antique linen's.

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An empty farm worker's cottage on one of our walks around our village.

I love to look inside & see glimpses of the former occupant's.

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It has the same window's as our cottage.

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Beautiful fireplace.

Each room has a faded glory to it.

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Old coat hooks in the round porch.

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Entrance way.

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Another old fireplace with Art Deco tiles.

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Beauty found in old age.

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The front of the cottage with round porch.

Around the property are beautiful old apple tree's.

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I love to make pie's from the many Amish cook book's I have.

One of our favourite's is Lemon Sponge Pie from The Amish Cook Baking Book. This is one of my favourite cook book's.

The twin's made some little jam tart's with the left over pastry.

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Pumpkin & Chocolate Chip Cookies.

These were very healthy, the children loved them so we will be making them again.

The recipe is from Thy Hand has Provided Cook Book.

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http://www.thyhandhathprovided.com/

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Barm Cakes.

These are a very soft roll popular in the North of England.

We ate them with homemade Leek & Potato Soup.

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The girl's love to bake & quite often take over from me.

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I hope you all have a beautiful early Spring.

Thank you dear reader's for all kind comment's, I feel so blessed to have you all following me.

Fondly Michelle

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Spring Days at the Cottage & Mothering Sunday

This has been a beautiful week at the cottage, a week full of sunshine & all those jobs that need doing after the Winter. 
The tree's although leafless are full with buds just waiting to open. Our magnolia tree is full of large buds, how pretty that looks when it is in full bloom. Hedges around the village are springing to life & the cow parsley is coming back on the sides of the lanes around us. 
March carries all the hope for the year ahead with a lovely fresh smell of all things new in the air.

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Some more sweet delicate flowers found popping up near the old pear tree.

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A little baking for the weekend.

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Hearty soup made with the Sunday chicken bones, we quite often have soup on Mondays. This one is a favourite with vegetables, rice & pasta.

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Banana & Chocolate Chip Muffins.

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I sometimes make these smaller as they last a little longer & the larger size is a little too much for the twins sometimes.

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10 ozs self raising flour

1 tsp baking soda

3 large banana's

4 ozs sugar

1 egg

3 flozs oil

2 flozs milk

Add flour to bowl with baking soda & mix with a fork.

In another bowl mash banana's & add sugar.

Mix oil, egg & milk together then add it to the banana's & sugar.

Pour wet into dry mix & stir gently until combined, do not beat.

Pour in to muffin cases & bake for around 20 minutes at 200 c / 375 f.

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We have wonderfully happy hens, these are a few of them.

There are so many eggs at the moment that we are giving a lot away.

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The mother sheep are in the field just waiting for the babies to be born.

Lambing is due to start on around the 1st of April at the farm over the road.

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Amish Spiced Honey Cookies for the Mothering Sunday church service.

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This is one of our favourite cookie recipes, the children love them.

I have all the Amish Cook recipe books & love them, every recipe I have tried has turned out beautiful.

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George loves Geraniums & sunshine.

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The girls love to bake, on Saturday they made some plain cupcakes from a Mennonite cookbook we have.

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Choosing the one they would like.

These are a lovely soft plain cake & great to fill a tin.

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Diary of an Edwardian Lady.

After our studies in the morning the girls choose what they would like to do in the afternoon.

Painting is one of their favourite things to choose & also crafting.

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I have not picked up an artist brush for fifteen years, there has been plenty of other sorts of paint brushes though. I used to love to paint & did so much of it when I was at art college.

Seeing as I was sitting with the girls I thought I would do a little painting too.

I had such fun painting with them & Kitty even gave me a few flicks of paint to add to my work.

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We had a special service at our little church for Mothering Sunday.

During the service all the children went to the back of the church to make cards & little bunches of flowers for their Mother's.

I put my bunches all in an old jug & have them in the parlour, they are full of Spring.

I received some beautiful handmade cards from the children. more memories for my keepsake chest upstairs.

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I was really spoilt on Mother's Day & received some special gifts.

My wonderful husband gave me a beautiful old miniature of an old gentleman, now my lady is not on her own.

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I hope all the English Mother's that follow me had a beautiful Mothering Sunday. We celebrate it at a different time of the year to the rest of the world, it is always in between Shrove Tuesday & Easter Sunday.

Thank you all for your lovely comments, I love hearing & learning from you all.

Fondly Michelle

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Early March at the Cottage

Spring has really sprung here in our small village, the sun has been shining & now the work begins in the garden. How good it feels to be outside working & getting close to nature after the Winter.

The snowdrops are covering the ground all around the village, a beautiful green & white carpet, so graceful & delicate. They grow like they have done for many centuries a pure tender little flower bringing joy to all of us.

New life is everywhere, buds are bursting in the hedgerows, daffodils are nearly in flower & the grass is springing back to life.

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We had strong winds one day last week & one of the huge Rooks nests came down, such a large pile of twigs on the lawn. I felt so sorry for the birds & was hoping it was an old nest no longer used, there was no sign of eggs.
The rooks home at the end of the garden.

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Spring has come to the garden.

We have spent a couple of days clearing & cutting all the dead plants back.

The children love to be outside, it is wonderful to hear them playing in the garden.

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Little flowers tucked under all the dead leaves which we have been clearing.
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The rhubarb is really sprouting now.

The last few days sun has made so much come on in the garden.

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Flowering under the Rose of Sharon.
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Such a bright colour for this time of year & so wonderful to see it.

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Last week we had a day out at Hemswell Antique Centre, it is the largest place for antiques in Europe.

I found a few treasures.

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Cinnamon Flop.

This is an Old Amish recipe I have been making for many years since our first trip to Lancaster County.

Our children love it, it is a favourite birthday breakfast dish.

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All baked & warm ready for Sunday tea.

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My wonderful old Singer sewing machine with knee switch.

Sewing up the girls little knitting bags for Easter.

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I bought a Child's Wartime Cook Book a few weeks ago, Sidney chose to make the Bacon & Leek Macaroni from it.

This is a wonderfully easy recipe & very tasty.

We have Andy's parents coming in a couple of weeks so Sidney is going to make this for his Grandparent's.

We enjoyed it with cabbage.

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Sidney turned twelve last week, he chose a chocolate marble cake for tea.

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My first long sleeved jumper.

I have only knitted one jumper before, so every pattern is a learning curve for me.

I do love the vintage patterns, this one is a simple double rib design.

Daisy chose the deep red wool, I could not make my mind up.

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Our new house keepers cupboard.

We found this cupboard in an antique shop in our small town, we had been after a cupboard for books since moving here & this one was perfect.

The shelves are not perfect inside, they are very old which makes me love it all the more.

I have so many books, some from my child hood that have been read by our children.

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Some of my many books in there new home.

My old Famous Five books are in a back row as the girls are not old enough for them yet, the younger Enid Blyton books are near the front.

It is wonderful to have so many of my books all in one place.

We still need to make more shelves though, we do love books.

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One of my Grandma Betty's paintings.

This one is of the Norfolk Broads.

Since moving it did not have a home as we have very little wall space, this new cupboard has made that possible.

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There is even more business at our cottage as the the twins have their sixth birthday in a couple of weeks.

We like to give each of our children one large party so there is lots of  work to be done for the girls party on the 21st of March in the village hall.

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Thank you my dear readers for all your lovely comments, I love hearing from you.

Happy Spring to everyone.

Fondly Michelle

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