Early March & a day with James Herriot

The days at the cottage are starting to grow longer, the garden is coming back to life & signs of Spring are everywhere. Daffodils, Grape Hyacinths, Hyacinths & Crocus's are blooming in the garden, it's so lovely to see the sun shinning & the Spring flowers in their full glory all around the village.

The buds are swelling & are ready to burst into life along the hedgerows. This is such a lovely time of year with new growth everywhere, things grow so quickly with changes happening every day.

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With the weather starting to change our daily lives gradually move from the kitchen to the garden. The rhubarb is sprouting up & soon we will be picking it to make the first jam of the year.

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Mary decorating cakes for tea.

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The twins learning to use a sewing machine, they are making little pillows for their baby dolls.

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Pumpkin Loaves.

This recipe was given to me by an American friend many years ago & it freezes well.

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This recipe makes two loaves.

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Grease two loaf pans.

Mix all dry ingredients together.

3 cups of plain flour.

2 cups of white sugar.

1/2 tsp baking powder.

2 tsp soda.

1 tsp cinnamon.

1 tsp ground nutmeg.

1 tsp mixed spice.

Mix pumpkin, oil & eggs together.

1 16ounce tin of pumpkin.

3 eggs.

2/3 cup vegetable oil.

Then combine all ingredients together.

Add raisins of wished.

Bake for 1 hour at 350

cool for 10 mins then turn out.

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!920's Vinegar Cake.

A recipe from an old booklet I have.

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Our two Kitty's playing with an old whisk.

A precious moment to capture.

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A friend on IG gave me this lovely recipe for Chocolate Orange Trifle.

It is made using chocolate sponge, tinned oranges & orange jelly.

With chocolate blancmange on top then double cream & chocolate treats.

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We are great fans of All Creatures Great & Small so a few weeks ago we had a day out in Thirsk, North Yorkshire & visited The World of James Herriot.

We have been there before when the twins were two so they did not remember it.

They love to watch the vintage tv show & also read the James Herriot children's books.

We had a lovely day visiting the museum & pottering around the old market town of Thirsk.

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Inside The World of James Herriot.

The house is the actual home & veterinary surgery were James Herriot worked & lived.

1950's sitting room.

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A perfect little tea cosy.

There was lots of inspiration.

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This was the breakfast room complete with the series running on the vintage television.

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Kitchen table with another beautiful tea cosy.
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We were right at home in this house.

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Pantry shelves

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The twins & myself outside the museum.

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We had a hunt round a few of the antique shops in our local town.

I was so pleased to find this beautiful 1940's or 1950's tea set.

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Some vintage finds found in our local antique shop.

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The hens are back to laying with the longer days.

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Fairy cakes for the children's lunches.

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With so many eggs we have had a few quiches, I always bake the quiche recipe in the Darling Buds of May cook book.

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Sidney had his 12th birthday at the end of February, how the years have flown.

He loves chocolate.

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Sidney's birthday tea.

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Apple Cinnamon Muffins.

These are a family favourite.

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Mix with a fork

9 ozs plain flour.

3 tsp baking powder.

2 tsp mixed spice.

4 ozs white sugar.

Then mix wet ingredients together.

5 floz milk.

3 floz vegetable oil.

1 egg.

Fold into dry ingredients.

add 6 oz of finely chopped apple.

pour into muffin cases, sprinkle with soft brown sugar & bake for 20 minutes at 375/390.

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Rearranging the kitchen dresser.

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I made Delia Smith's Chocolate Almond cake a couple of weeks ago for the first time, the children loved it.

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Saturday teatime.

Crisps are a treat on a Saturday.

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Another vintage tea cosy started while Bobby is enjoying the warmth of the fire.

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My family gave me this pretty Mothering Sunday cake.

So pretty with teapot & flowers.

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A rustic cob loaf for tea the other week, we had it with homemade leek & potato soup.

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Making patchwork dolls quilts for the twins for their Easter gifts.

I am using some vintage fabrics & vintage buttons.

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I am going to end this post with some wonderful news.

Early this morning our beautiful daughter gave birth to a little girl. I gave birth to Amy 22 years ago & now at the age of 22 she has given birth to her daughter. Amy & Dan are going to perfect parents, they have so much love to give to this precious little girl. I am so proud of them both & so happy for them.

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Thank you dear readers for your lovely comments, I appreciate them all.

Fondly Michelle.

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December Days & a Visit to Gunby Hall

The beautiful colours of Autumn have now vanished out of sight leaving behind a carpet of glistening leaves.

The wet earth now sleeps waiting for new growth in the Spring.

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Here at the cottage we have been busy with Christmas preparations.

The decorations are now up, the last thing was to hang a bunch of Holly from our own bushes on the front door to welcome Christmas visitors.

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How I love the kitchen so this time of year, with smells of dried fruit, spices and gingerbread.

All the children have their own favourites so the mixing bowl and wooden spoon has been kept busy.

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I found this wonderful old 1940's WI recipe book the other week & made these little Ginger buns from it.

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Mix 1 lb of flour with 1 teaspoon of ginger & 1 teaspoon of soda.

Then melt 1\2 lb of butter with 1\2 lb of sugar & 1\2 lb of treacle.

Pour over the butter mixture 4 beaten eggs then add the flour.

Bake in a moderate oven until done.

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We all loved them & they made so many, so I froze some of them for Christmas.

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The cottage is looking very festive.

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We have a new 1950's fairy for our sitting room tree.

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The hall dresser gets a little festive touch.

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Filling the cake tins for the children.

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Our Georgian oak canopy cupboard is decorated with fairy lights & my Grandparents Sherry glasses come out.

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I love this vintage 1950's Christmas fruit cake tin.

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Mittens in the kitchen.

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Looking through to the sitting room from the kitchen.

This cottage gives me such a warm cosy feeling.

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Our sitting all ready for Christmas.

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The twins dressed up 50's style for a Christmas disco.

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On Sunday we drove to Gunby Hall a beautiful National Trust house near us.

Each year they decorate the house for Christmas with activities for the children.

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The Christmas tree in the music room at Gunby hall.

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Another photo of the beautiful music room.

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The mantle decorated for Christmas.

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Listening to sweet music in the dining room.

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Below stairs.

I love these wonderful old jars in the scullery.

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Empire biscuits baked & ready for the freezer for Christmas.

I will sandwich these together with some lovely festive jam.

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I would like to wish all my dear readers a very merry Christmas & happy New Year.

Thank you all of you for your lovely comments & for following me for another year.

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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