Springtime & Celebration's

Spring has come to England & not more so than in the country

 with the different greens emerging all around us.

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Our garden is filled with birdsong & the delicate Chaffinch's

 are gently building their nest's of moss, old sheep's wool

 & wood. They weave all this softness to once again

 build their homes to raise their young.

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The Wild Cherry Tree's in the old graveyard next door will soon be in bloom & then once again making a sweet smelling carpet, these blossom's bring such joy to Kitty as she is at her happiest playing amongst the flower's.

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The field's are full of lamb's with their mother's grazing on the green grass. 

How I love England at this time of year.

Springtime bring's many celebration's for our family with our oldest Grand Daughter Charlotte's first birthday & the twin's turning eight year's old.

A couple of week's ago we had our first day of lovely sunshine 

so we packed up our lunch after our morning lesson's

& ate up on the Lincolnshire Wolds. This spot is just 1/2 mile

from us.

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Our beautiful Grand Daughter Charlotte turned one at the end of March,

how this past year has flown.

She bring's us so much joy & is such a sweet child.

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For the twin's eigth birthday we spent the day before 

 at Harrogate in North Yorkshire.

We all loved looking at the beautiful display's in the famous Betty's Tearoom

& came home with a few treat's.

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We had a rare meal out to celebrate in a lovely Yorkshire pub,

I wish I had captured Mary's face when her Ice Cream was brought to the table.

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Apricot Fruit Cake & the Twin's Birthday Cake.

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Apricot Fruit Cake

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We make this recipe often & with out icing freezes well.

Put all ingredient's into a bowl & beat well.

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3 eggs

4 ozs of margarine

6 ozs of self raising flour

3 ozs of light brown sugar

5 ozs of sultanas or raisins

3 ozs of glace cherries

4 ozs of dried apricots chopped

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Pour into a greased & lined loaf tin & bake for just over an hour in a moderate oven.

Once cooled ice with icing sugar mixed with water & decorate with chopped apricot's.

I have adapted this from a Mary Berry recipe.

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Preparing the plates ready for their birthday tea.

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Blowing out their candles.

Eight year's has flown & now these little girl's are turning into young ladies.

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I found this lovely vintage fabric the other day & the twin's

found another Ladybird book for their collection.

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Cauliflower & Broccoli Cheese.

A family favourite.

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Dene, Ellie & Baby Tilly came to visit us last week.

She is such a good baby & we were blessed with lot's of cuddle's.

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The daffodil's are coming to an end now but that mean's new thing's will now be

in bloom, the Magnolia is just beginning to flower. 

This is a spot at the back of our garden where we over look

a field that is full of sheep & lamb's at the moment.

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I made Gingerbread Muffin's for an on the road breakfast.

They were so soft the next day.

I hope you enjoy the recipe, we loved them.

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Fork together 

10 ozs of plain flour

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of soda

1 teaspoon of dried ginger

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

in a large bowl.

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Mix in another bowl

1 egg

3 ozs of sugar

3 flozs of oil

3 flozs of black treacle

2 tablespoons of honey

6 flozs of water

Blend well

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Pour wet ingredient's in to the dry & stir.

Spoon into 12 muffin cases & bake for about 20 minutes.

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I found this recipe in an old book on muffins by Susan Reimer.

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Last week we returned to The Black Country Living Museum 

& had a beautiful sunny day.

There is always so much for the children to learn at this type of museum.

We decided to go because we had just finished our Geography Topic on Canal's 

& this museum is on a canal.

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I am always drawn to the kitchen's, Kitty was drawn to the shelf of book's.

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So much to look at there.

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Kitty's favourite corner.

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A sweet tin picture in one of the cottage's bedroom.

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Preserves in the scullery.

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We were not disappointed with the canal & the boat's.

The girl's were able to step inside the living quarter's of a boat.

There was not a lot of room in there & to think large families lived on these boat's.

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Stepping on to a boat.

The boat man was born on a Canal Boat & has lived all his life on them.

He told us so much & brought all our learning together.

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Stepping into a small street house at the museum.

This felt very much like home.

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Another Victorian Cast Iron Range.

These were used for so much,

cooking, heating, hot water, ironing & toasting to name a few.

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The Grocer's Shop in the small town.

The shelves look so much prettier than they do now.

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I loved the butter dish.

How I would love to still be able to shop like this.

I use an old basket for shopping, even though we still use the butcher's & greengrocer's the shop's just are not the same as they use to be.

Although we are very lucky to have two beautiful market town's near us with weekly market's.

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The Toll House's table.

This is such a pretty cottage with a beautiful cottage garden.

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Sleeping pig's at another cottage.

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& lastly the 1920's house.

I could have started cooking straight away as this room did feel like home.

The oven is the same age as the electric one we have in our cottage.

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Thank you dear reader's for your kind comment's.

I love reading each & everyone of them.

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I hope everyone is having a beautiful Springtime

& that the snow has finally gone in Canada & North America

so you can enjoy the new Spring flower's.

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Fondly Michelle

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May at the Cottage

May brings a beautiful abundance of fresh green shoots & leaves to our cottage garden. Each month of the year has their own beauty but I love the month of May the best of all.

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The garden is scattered with cherry, apple & pear blossom. Each tree awaiting the lovely fruits which will hang from their branches. How truly blessed I feel when you see this blossom each year, nature is a marvelous thing.

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Blue Tits are all around the garden bringing their pretty gentle song. Baby rabbits are back hopping around again, they are so sweet to see but we need to make sure the fence around the vegetable garden is secure.

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Lilly of the Valley, Violets, Lilac & Cowslip are flowering in the garden, the smell of May is heavenly.

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Cottage days are filled once again with weeding & planting up the vegetable garden.

The children find such joy in planting seeds & seeing them grow.

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Ma's Plain Cake

This is a recipe I use again & again, it is a 6 egg mixture & makes a lovely large cake.

The recipe is in Ma Larkin Perfick Cooking.

This cook book is on of our family favourites.

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We have had so many special moments since my last post.

We became Grandparent's for the first time.

Meet sweet Charlotte, how wonderful it was so hold her.

This little girl brings such joy to our lives.

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Another tea cosy finished inspired by the colours of one I saw at the James Herriot Museum.

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The twins celebrated their 7th birthday at the end of March.

Time flies, they are turning in to little ladies.

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We had a new addition to the cottage last month, a 1947 Aga.

It cooks like a dream & keeps us beautifully warm too.

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Lambing is now over in our village farm.

There were so many beautiful little babies born.

We were so lucky to be asked to watch as some were being born & Mary was amazed to be asked to pull a lamb out.

Mary is the type of child to just get stuck in, maybe we have a little James Herriot in the making.

This is Mary's lamb.

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We love to walk the lanes & fields around our village.

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Some beautiful magazine's I found from the thirties & forties.

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A selection of cakes using these vintage pre war recipe booklet's.

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Beautiful Bluebells in our cottage garden.

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Early Spring morning at the cottage.

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The twins making Yorkshire Scones.

They love to get involved in the baking.

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I finally finished this 1930's Bow Scarf, it had been sitting at the bottom of my knitting bag for a while.

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Our scullery & sweet George.

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Making London Buns.

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Recipe.

Beat 3ozs of sugar & 2 ozs of butter to a cream. Then add 2 tea spoons of melted Golden Syrup. Add an egg & beat well. Then add 4 ozs flour, 2 tea spoons of ground ginger, 1/4 tea spoon of soda, 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar & 2 tablespoons of milk.

Half fill little patty tins & bake for 15 to 20 minutes in a moderate oven.

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Off to a 1940's event a few weeks ago.

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Blue & white Forget me Nots in the garden.

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Kitty is rarely without flower's.

Apple Blossom.

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Some vintage finds.

I can't wait to use the 1950's picnic hamper.

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A birthday cake for Danny who turned 15.

He asked for chocolate cake with fresh cream & chocolate treats on top.

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Spring blooms in the cottage garden.

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Making Maids of Honor.

These are little jam tarts with a sponge topping.

Line little tart tins with shortcrust pastry & put a small amount of jam in them  I used homemade rhubarb jam.

The beat 2 ozs of butter with 2 ozs of sugar, 1 egg, 2 ozs of self raising flour & 1 tsp of almond essence.

Put a small amount of this on the jam & bake in a moderate oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

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Homemade rhubarb jam.

Our rhubarb has grown so well, it has been going in to all sorts of recipes.

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Baking a sponge cake together.

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Here is the girl's cake all decorated for tea time.

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A country walk last weekend through the church yard next to the cottage.

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& then a ride out to a party in our 1930's car.

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Thank you to all my dear readers for all their comment's, I have read them & am very sorry I have not replied to them all.

There has been a few things going on these last few months regarding our sweet Kitty.

We have decided to full time home school from September as we feel that would be best for the girls.

I hope everyone is having a beautiful Springtime.

Fondly Michelle

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