Through the Garden Gate

Through the Garden Gate
The sun is shining so come with me through the garden gate and we shall have a look around..... This is the back garden so excuse the signs of work!

This year we took up quite a lot of the lawn in order to grow some veggies. We have already enjoyed lots of freshly dug potatoes and the taste is just delicious. The plants you can see through the fence are courgettes. Hope they are a success as we all love them.

I know the heart is very rusty but I love it.

The green man - very Pagan.

These are some pictures of the front garden.

Bronze fennel - so graceful.

Strawberry plant grown for the gorgeous

coloured flowers - it's called Lipstick.

Creativity in the kitchen

I have two weeks off from work starting today and there is so much I want to do. As the weather is quite showery I thought a little creativity in the kitchen was in order. I love using fresh herbs from the garden. We have several rosemary bushes, one of which is huge, lots of parsley, some lovely bronze fennel and a potted bay tree. I added all of these to a chicken before roasting. The taste is just glorious. I always use Maldon Salt in all my cooking, the flavour is lovely and mild and it is really soft and crumbly. I store it in a salt pig by the cooker. I love collecting and using old kitchen utensils. I have had this flour bin and scoop for years.

I have made a cheese and smoked ham quiche which we all really enjoy in our family. Yum. The food cover was one of those plain net ones that you can still buy and I embroidered the flowers on it years ago. I remember sitting in the back garden one beautiful summers afternoon sewing those flowers. I love how old things bring back memories. Ah, I've come over all nostalgic and earth motherish now.

Just to add a touch of glam to this post I thought I would show you this

which I made a while ago. The base is one of those rustic twiggy things which came free with a magazine. I added a few pretty bits and pieces and it lives on my dressing table at the moment. Anyway, I'm off now to chill out for a while and maybe do a little more creating. Bye for now.

Corners of my home

I do not hold with the theory that "Less is More". In my opinion "Less" is boring.
Just to prove my point I thought I would share a few corners of my home with you.
The stack of books are just a little bedtime reading. Love my books and magazines.

Can never have too many storage boxes or girly trinkets.

My bedside lamp. I like to think this look is ever so slightly boho and seriously over the top. I just love it, after all it isn't every lamp that gets to wear jewellery and a tiara. It sparkles beautifully when lit up. The gorgeous pale blue crystal beneath the lamp is Celestite and was a gift from my lovely daughter. You can also just see one of my fairies peeking out from behind the perfume bottle. The clock is really pretty, the flowers in the centre are embroidered. The lamp base was from a charity shop and it had only just been put on the shelf when I snapped it up. Just my taste.

The crystals hanging down from the shade cast lovely reflections onto the wall.

I have quite a few crystals, the large one is an antique lustre and is quite heavy. I think these look stunning hanging from candelabras too.

They are like jewellery for the house. When the sun shines on them they create rainbows around the room. Magical!

Pearls for Grown-Up Girls

Pearls. I really love them. Especially the ones with the sparkly, gobstopper sized clasps. I have quite a few of them. All I need now is a Royal Wedding invitation.......or six. Champagne anyone?

Darling Buds of May moment

Every now and then I get a Ma Larkin moment. She is the character in the wonderful series the "Darling Buds of May", adapted from the books written by H.E.Bates. She loves to cook for her large and boisterous family and they all sit down together to enjoy her efforts.
I went into the garden this morning and picked a heap of lovely ripe raspberries and used them in this trifle. I whipped lots of yellow Jersey
cream and crystalized some rose petals and lemon balm leaves to use as decoration. The final flourish had to be glitter of course. Edible gold leaf which I bought in a tiny vial.
Love,love,love trifle!

Fairy Frivolity

Here are some more of my creations. I love making these little sweeties as every one is different and each seems to take on a different character. Hope you enjoy looking at them.

Friday night snoozing

Ahhh....It's a tough life for a dog these

days. Been sooooooooo busy today,

now I'm positively exhausted.

Can't possibly manage to do another

thing, it is Friday night after all. Zzzzz.

This very tired pooch is Dante,

he has been part of our lives for 15

months now since we met him at

Dogs Trust, Roden. He is an adorable

character and this is exactly how he likes

to wind down at the end of the day. Or

at the beginning of the day. O.K. to be really,

really honest, this is what he likes to do most

at any time of the day, or night.

He wishes you all a peaceful good-night.