The Last Weeks of Summer

Summer is coming to an end here in the Lincolnshire Wolds, you can feel it in the air some days. Warm winds are gently blowing around the garden & leaves are slowly beginning to turn golden.
The wheat fields will very soon be harvested, a few more days of sun will turn the last few hints of green to yellow. The wheat ears sway in the breeze making a gentle sound as we walk over the fields.
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Summer days here have been filled with enjoying our garden, harvesting, family visiting us & days out with a picnic.

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Sweet little cheese biscuits for  tea using a wartime recipe.
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We took a trip down to Norfolk to view a pre war car & on the way back we stopped off at a National Trust property called Oxburgh Hall.

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The gardens were beautiful even in the English rain.

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A National Trust plant stall, they had a wonderful books shop too, the twins got some beautiful 1950's book's.

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The beautiful interior.

They had so many beautiful pieces of furniture.

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The girls looking at the moat around the hall.

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The beautiful dining room.

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The Library.

There were so many beautiful old books in here, I could have spent all day in this room.

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The wet vegetable gardens with lovely box hedging.

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Wonderful old potting shed & rhubarb forcer.

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We bought the car we went to look at.

Here she is just after being delivered with Andy, Dene & Ellie going for it's first drive.

She is a 1939 Wolseley 10, we plan to use her for shopping & trips locally after we have done a few bits to her.

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Lemon cake for tea.

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We went to a medieval village day at Tattershall Castle.

There were so many interesting things going on.

I love seeing candles being dipped.

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Preparing food.

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Cooking apple & raspberry pastries.

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Our last gooseberries harvested.

They made two crumbles, one went in the freezer for when Grandad visited, he does love Gooseberries.

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Andy's parent's visited from Scotland for five days.

Here they are on a beautiful walk past the farm pond & through the wheat fields.

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A beautiful summer's day.

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We saw this lovely family having a walk around the pond.

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Kitty looking towards the wheat fields.

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Glorious afternoon sunshine.

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We have never seen a lilac poppy before, the girls dresses matched.

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It was such a beautiful day, so peaceful & quiet.

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Kitty playing with a thistle head.

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The cottage garden has been giving us some beautiful blooms for inside.

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We had a beautiful day in Cambridge with Andy's parents & Dene & Ellie.

Dene & Ellie live quite near to Cambridge so we met them there.

The weather was beautiful.

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Punting on the river.

The old college buildings were beautiful.

This is Kings College, Andy's uncle studied here.

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Gazing in wonder.

There were so many beautiful shops, us girls treated ourselves at Cath Kidston.

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Historic streets.

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Beautiful bridges.

We had a lovely picnic on the green under the tree's.

It was such a special day spent with family, we were all tired when we arrived home.

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This is the first year we have grown onions, they are now drying in the sun.

We are so pleased with how they look, I hope they taste good too.

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Muffins made with our abundance of raspberries.

I treated myself to a new tablecloth & oven gloves while we were in Cambridge as mine had worn through .

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I hope everyone is enjoying the last few weeks of Summer.

It is a very busy time for us & this post has been a little late in coming.

I have started a Facebook page & an Instagram account too which I do update more often.

The buttons for these are at the top of the page.

Fondly Michelle

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Golden Cottage Days & a Trip back to the 1940's

Our cottage garden has a golden glow about it as hot Summer days turn the foliage into mellow yellowness.  The garden has a sunny silence, the birdsong has now dimmed as young birds have fledged to start their lives soaring the skies.

The purples & creams of the Canterbury Bells fill the flower beds as the Oxe Eye Daisies mellow until another year. Hollyhocks now bloom everywhere, how I love the dear Hollyhock & its many blooms standing gracefully tall, elegantly swaying in the cooling Summer breeze. Honeysuckle fills the air from that same Summer breeze, it has such a heavenly smell.

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The beautiful wild cherry trees will soon be laden with red cherries ripe for the picking as long as we get there before the birds. 

Golden wheat fills the many fields around us ripening unto the near harvest. The wheat stands tall with it's heavy ears waiting for full ripeness. as we walk through the corn fields scarlet poppies are still plentiful. Soon our lanes with be busy with farm traffic & we will be thankful for the harvest.

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Banana Chocolate Muffins.

I make these quite often, the children love them.

Fork together 10 ozs plain flour, 1 teaspoon of soda & a teaspoon of baking powder.

In another bowl mash 4 medium bananas, add 4 ozs sugar, a beaten egg, 2 floz whole milk & 3 flozs vegetable oil.

Pour wet into dry ingredients & stir to just combined. Do not over mix.

Cut up in to rough small chunks a 100g bar of milk chocolate & add to mixture.

Fill tins & bake for 20 minutes or a little more at 375.

These are delicious warm from the oven.

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Andy has quickly put up a temporary fence to keep our little friends out of the vegetable patch.

We hope next year to do a permanent fence.

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Our first potatoes from the garden.

They are later this year.

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A funny little chocolate cake.

This recipe came from one of the books I found at Belton House, it is dated 1952 & you can see from the recipes that rationing was still a big part of people's lives.

It did turn out a funny shape but was a nice little cake.

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Our first raspberries picked.

They topped a cheesecake.

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Last weekend we went to Woodhall Spa's 1940's Weekend.

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This event happens every year & has got bigger & bigger.

It is now one of Britain's biggest's 40's event's & what makes it so special is the many fly pasts from the Spitfires, Hurricanes & Dakota's. The Lancaster is not flying at the moment & she was very much missed.

Everyone dresses up & it is such a wonderful happy weekend.

The air was filled with sunshine & many happy faces.

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The butchers shop all decorated for the day.

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A lovely vintage shop selling many beautiful things, I treated myself to a handbag.

There were stalls everywhere selling everything 1940's with live music & dancing.

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A sweet little caravan made by the owners of the classic car.

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Playing on the swings.

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Some of the many pre war cars that came to the event.

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All dressed up for the day.

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Cherry sponge for Saturday tea.

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I have just started knitting a 1936 pattern for a cardigan.

It has long sleeves & a long body & is knit using 4 ply, so it will take me a while as I am a slow knitter.

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The beautiful photo of the cardigan inside the magazine.

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I have just finished reading The Cranford Companion.

I have had this book for a few years now & have never read it fully, it was a great read with snippets of life & manner's from the 1840's.

I don't know why it has taken me so long to read a Miss Read book, I am hooked & am enjoying it just as much as I do the the Nella Last books.

Now I am on the hunt for the whole set, I do love the first edition one's with the beautiful cover's.

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A couple of Sunday's ago there was an open garden day for the Red Cross at our village Manor House. Sybil is a lovely lady & friend who opens her gardens up many times during the year for good causes. Her son has a large collection of classic motorcars, this car was once owned by Cary Grant.

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Sybil has many acres here, some set to gardens, farm land & a perfect lake with boat house.

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Bantams running around with the sheep.

Can you see the sweet dove at home.

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Going in to one of the little gardens.

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One of the many beautiful rose bushes in the Manor House gardens.

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The twins sitting in a  1904 Cadillac & they didn't even notice that big horn!

A beautiful dwarf wall looking down towards the lake.

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Playing in the beautiful sunshine before we walked home.

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I wish everyone a beautiful Summer.

Fondly Michelle

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