Monday 29 October 2012

at the weekend

Flying kites at Dunstable Downs. It was pretty cold. Luckily there is a cafe just out of shot which serves hot chocolate (for the grown ups) and, erm, icecream for the girl.


And yes more icecream the next day at Ashridge. Hannah had already finished hers. Thomas takes a lot longer to eat his, and has to endure several requests from his sister to try just a little bit.


There was also mud and sticks.

And an excellent Autumn tree.


Sunday 21 October 2012

at the weekend

A very unusual weekend for me this one in that it was fairly child free. On Saturday I travelled to Hitchin for the Peter Phillips singing day organised by Benslow music. On the way I went through the newly refurbished and now very impressive Kings Cross station. A major improvement on the old dark, cramped concourse !


The singing day was fun, if a bit frustrating. We were singing Tallis' Spem in Alium which is a very difficult unaccompanied work for 40 voices. So in a single day, with a choir full of enthusiastic amateurs there was no way we were going to get anywhere near to perfecting it. But now I've had a go at it I would really like to do it properly. I reckon a few days hard work with a choir of good amateur singers and you could get somewhere close. Not sure when I'm going to get this opportunity though. Will have to keep a look out.

On Sunday, the other half and I had a day out. We collected my digital piano from the mending piano man, and paid him a lot of money. However it is now working, it was still cheaper than buying a new one, and it's kept the old one out of landfill. The kids have strict instructions to only press the piano keys and not the other buttons. I do not want it stuck in harpsichord mode ! After escaping from piano mans description of quite how difficult it was to mend the various circuit boards, we went for lunch and a look round of Polesden Lacey. This was the party house of Mrs Grenville, where Edwardian royalty, high society and entertainers escaped for weekends of deals, politics and romance !

We also had a stroll round the gardens where there were lots of lovely autumn colours.






Monday 15 October 2012

at the weekend

We had a nice relaxed weekend in and around Berkhamsted. 

 On Sunday we continued our (short) walks on the Ridgeway, by walking up Ivinghoe Beacon. It was a lovely day, and there wasn't too much moaning. We did however go on a different path on the return to the car park, and failed to go through the mud, which didn't go down well with the smaller members of the party.



Thomas is very keen on my camera. Here are his photos from the top of the Beacon.






Monday 8 October 2012

at the weekend

On Sunday we went to Tring Apple Day at Jeacocks Orchard. This is a low key day out, where amongst other things you can buy lots of lovely apples (which I failed to take a photo of), have a go at making apple juice, watch spinning, and new for this year, watch ploughing with Shire horses. 


They were only ploughing short strips and it took as long to turn the horses around as it did to do the ploughing. Presumably when fields were ploughed like this for real, the strips were much longer.


After the Apple Day we went for a walk around the nearby Wilstone reservoir. It was all very pretty and autumnal.



Surprisingly the kids managed to go the whole way round without (much) moaning. This was our 3rd consecutive Sunday of going for a walk and it is getting easier. Of course we don't just go for a walk, we generally have to be playing some sort of game on the way round. This week it was trains, with Thomas being the engine and Hannah organising the positioning of the carriages (myself and Anthony of course!)






Sunday 20 May 2012

in the garden

We have been having lots of rainy and fairly cold weather here in the UK for the last few weeks, so things aren't growing very fast. However next week looks like it might be hot and sunny (hurrah) so I'm hoping for a growth spurt.

I've planted out the tomatoes here in the sunniest part of the border (now known as TomatoWorld - I think I should get the kids to paint me a sign). They seem to have survived the journey from warmer mini-greenhouse to cold soil, but are not yet thriving. Hopefully next weeks sunshine will help them.


I also planted out my courgettes (I think I had about 4) but the slugs seem to think they are the best thing ever and only one (the one in the raised up bed) has survived. The slugs seem to take particular pleasure in biting (do slugs bite?) the leaves off and then devouring the stalks - grrrrrrrrrr.

Here we have some beans (climbing and broad) at the back, and a cabbage nestled in amongst some flowers (I'm hoping the slugs won't find it......)


The jerusalem artichoke is growing nicely. I'm pleased to have found something that seems to like growing in this dry, shady space under a tree. There are some flowers starting to grow around it. The kids sprinkled a wild flower seed packet here a few weeks ago and I'd forgotten about it until I saw nasturtiums appearing. Not sure how well the flowers will do here but it'll be nice if we get something.


I also planted (one - I'm running out of space!) sweetcorn seed last week, and some rocket. I've got some more beans to plant out, I think they'll have to go in pots, and I'm going to plant some courgette seeds outside and try to protect them from the slugs.

My parents were here for a few days and put some seed potatoes and soil in my giant pot (and scoured the side of the road for more leaf mould and soil to put in once the potatoes appear), so I'm hoping for a good potato harvest.

Saturday 28 April 2012

in the garden

I took these photos last Saturday, after we arrived back from a week away, and in pretty much the last bit of sunshine before a week of rain when I have hardly been out in the garden at all !

Flowers are blooming. The tulips out the front are doing great this year. There seem to be about three times as many as last year and I didn't do anything with them at all. Forget-me-nots are looking pretty too.

 All my plants survived the week. I had them inside by our patio doors in washing up bowls about half full of water. I think they looked healthier when I got back than when I left. I have far too many tomato and cabbage plants for my small garden - time to start giving them away.


I put an ad on freegle for large pots and hanging baskets and got loads of offers, including this enormous pot which used to have a tree in it, and which will be used for potatoes just as soon as I get hold of some more soil from somewhere.


 The mint and oregano are doing well. The oregano just grows happily at the edge of the lawn.


Poking through the ground we have Jerusalem artichoke and a broad bean. I have some other broad beans in pots waiting to be planted out.


 And I rediscovered some rhubarb. I knew I had planted three crowns last year, but had only found one and couldn't remember where the others were. I think one of them may have been lost for good when I dumped a load of compost on part of the border. Or maybe it'll come through and surprise me next year,

And just as soon as this rain stops I have plans for transplanting cabbages, tomatoes in hanging baskets, more lettuce and carrots and getting the potatoes started......Monday might just be sunny according to the weather forecast - fingers crossed !

Wednesday 11 April 2012

yarn along

joining in with Ginny's yarn along

Knitting is going very slowly but I have been enjoying knitting a doll's top, making it up as I go along. 

I found two really good books in the library. The first is World Vegetarian Classics by Celia Brooks Brown. It has vege recipes from eleven different areas of the world. The ones I've made so far have all used easily sourced ingredients and been simple to cook. We've had pastel de choclo, maple-roasted mushroom burgers, spatzle and masala dosa and there are loads more I want to try


The other book is French children don't throw food by Pamela Druckerman. I heard a discussion about this on the radio and thought it would be some lightweight reading about why French kids are better (or not) than British ones, but it's actually a really thought provoking and interesting read. The author is from the US (New York I think) but is living and bringing up 3 small kids in Paris. She observes the differences in behaviour of French (well at least middle class Parisian) children compared with those in New York and sets out to investigate what aspects of parenting bring these about. It really made me think about how some of our parenting rules are so ingrained that we don't even realise we have them. And also that maybe what really matters (at least up to a point) is not whether we have lots of or few household rules but whether we educate our children gently and respectfully about what they are

Wednesday 28 March 2012

yarn along

Joining in with Ginny's yarn along.

Knitting has been taking a back seat recently. I am still working on the gloves which require double pointed needles, but it's knitting which requires concentration and not being interrupted by small people and so isn't getting anywhere fast. I need to start an easy knit I can take around with me, but haven't been inspired by anything yet.


I was knitting a jumper for one of the dolls at the weekend, whilst dreaming of all the things I will grow when I have a bigger garden.

Saturday 24 March 2012

in the garden

Things are growing.

These are cabbage seedlings which have been in our mini-greenhouse.


All available inside windowsills have been put to work. Here we have tomato and bean seedlings. I've moved the beans to the greenhouse as they were getting too tall, but there isn't anywhere inside with more light. Looking at the sunny weather forecast for the next week, they should be ok I hope.


Cornflowers and lettuce have also started to emerge, and I also have a couple more trays of tomato seedlings. I am wondering where I am going to put all these tomatoes when I pot them into bigger pots. Some will just have to go and take their chances in the greenhouse. No sign of the peas or courgettes yet.

I found one of the rhubarb crowns hiding under some dead leaves, and I've covered it with this black pot in the hope of forcing some rhubarb in the next few weeks. I did have two other crowns somewhere but they havent' surfaced yet.

I have planted radishes and lettuce in the black pots, and carrots and spinach beet in the small sections of bed.

We have some lovely primroses brightening up the shady parts of the garden.


I have plans for a few sack gardens, hanging baskets for tomatoes and planters that I can attach over the wall...........


Saturday 3 March 2012

in the garden

Our garden is really rather small (though the rental agency assures us it is medium). Also most of it is lawn and as we are renting we can't dig any of it up. And the border along one side is in the shade and has lots of prickly bushes planted in it. So I have grand garden dreams that have to be pared down to fit to the real garden size. However, as there is nothing I can change about this,  I like to approach it as a challenge to fit as many edible plants in as possible.

This is the sunny border. There are various shrubs in it that I can't dig up so last year I planted stuff in pots. This year I've been adding compost around the shrubs (the garden soil is pretty bad) and am going to plant directly in to that.

These are my two teeny weeny beds. Hannah has planted a pea next to one of the sticks ! I have planted spring onions at the end of the green bed.


Here's a small amount of garlic. Not sure why we didn't plant more, I think perhaps we only had a few cloves left and just stuck them in to see if anything would happen. I've planted some more spring onions in here.

Planted so far:
Feb 29 tomatoes inside on windowsills and beans in the shed with fleece on top.
March 3 spring onions

the makings

It's a long time ago already, but I'm finally getting round to posting the things I made for Christmas gifts.

First some teacup candles for the kindergarten teachers. (I followed the instructions here)



Some quick handwarmers. No finished photo for these. I mistakenly put the edging on the wrong edge, but then decided they fit better that way anyway.


Several jars of handcream. I love making this because it's really easy and quick, and the finished product is very nice.


A baby surprise jacket (I actually started knitting this a few years ago but the baby grew too big before it was finished. Luckily another one came along!)


A knitted crown. I like how it looked after I stitched the letters on.

And a colourful scarf (it's the child's rainbow scarf in 'Last minute knitted gifts' by Joelle Hoverson). I enjoyed making this one, I love knitting in Noro and watching the colours change is quite addictive).

Wednesday 25 January 2012

yarn along

joining in with Ginny's yarn along

I am making these mittens. They are for a Christmas present ...... oops. I thought if I could finish them by the end of January that wouldn't be too bad, but progress is slow - look at all those needles ! Since this photo was taken I've finished the first mitten. I'm not very keen on the flip top as it has a gap around the side. I might have to redo the top slightly differently.



The book is my light bedtime reading. It's 'Look Great Naturally' by Janey Lee Grace. It has a lot of natural health and lifestyle tips, some of which are quite interesting. It is quite lightweight though.