Rain, Rain go away, come again another day....

Hosepipe ban?? Water shortages?

April showers in moderation are seasonal and expected but as I sit here the hailstones are battering my front windows and the trees at the back are almost bent over double with the gale-like wind that is thrashing and howling outside. The sky is as black as can be and, as we live on a slight incline, there is a deluge of water flowing past my house down to the bottom of the Close and creating a large pond of water. It's freezing and the heating has been switched up a notch.

This time last year we had exceptionally lovely weather and were getting ready for the Royal Wedding - and barbecues.  Have we had our summer do you think in those beautiful sunny days back in January and February?

When we were children, many moons ago,  the old saying "Ne'r cast a clout 'till May is out"  was always a reminder that winter wasn't over yet and our mum would always insist on us keeping our cardigans on or not wearing summer sandals too early - for fear of catching a cold!  Nowadays though we do tend to make the most of any good weather when it arrives - I for one foolishly packed away all my boots and heavy winter coats into our loft about a month ago. Mums always know best!

The Little book of treats

I spotted this in our Marks and Spencer cafe at the weekend and at £3 thought it a bargain.

It's a book produced by Macmillan Cancer Support called The Little Book of Treats packed full with mouthwatering recipes sent in by keen bakers up and down the UK as well as some celebrity recipes including Quick bites, Cupcakes and buns, Cakes, tarts and tea breads.

The book is promoting the Macmillan Cancer Support's "World's Biggest Coffee Morning" which takes place every year on the last Friday in September and is published in the hope that it may inspire people to hold their own coffee morning to help raise funds.


I thought I'd have a go at making the Welsh cakes.

500g self raising flour
250g butter or hard margarine
180g caster sugar, plus extra to sprinkle
250g currants  (I used sultanas)
2 medium eggs
1/4 tsp salt

You could add some mixed spice for extra flavour

1. Sieve the flour and salt into a large bowl. Add the butter and rub into the flour. Add the sugar and currants. Bind together with the eggs. The mixture should now resemble a soft pastry.

2. Roll out the dough to about 1-1.5cm thick on a lightly floured surface. Use a cutter to make round cakes.

3. Warm up a griddle or heavy-based frying pan.  When the griddle has warmed up, keep on a medium heat. Cook the cakes so they're brown on both sides, about 5 minutes each side. If you think the cakes are cooking too quickly, turn the heat down further, otherwise they may look like THIS!

They had suggested to do a test run of 1 just in case you don't guage the heat correctly. I cooked four because I'm impatient and ruined them all.

The next batch were a lot better

4. Cool on a wire rack and sprinkle with sugar. Spread them with a little butter or enjoy on their own.


Not absolutely sure whether I'd make them again - I think I prefer the conventional way of baking scones. But hey ho you don't know until you try.  As my dear late dad used to say "If at first you don't succeed, try, try and try again - I must remember that!

I'm hoping to run one of these coffee mornings in September to support this very worthwhile charity.  Have you ever been to,  or been involved with one?

Moment in Time

I'd like to say welcome to my new follower Paula - nice to have you on board.

I've just found this divine little second-hand shop called 'Moment in Time', or more to the point my sister B found it and steered me in the right direction. We both have the same tastes in home furnishings and decor etc and this really fits the bill for both of us - loving anything vintage or shabby chic. B found an old chalk board for her kitchen last week and told me about a few bits that I might like so I found myself winging my way over there today in light of the awful damp and miserable weather.

 Due to personal reasons, the couple who own the shop Jo and Brian turned their hobby of collecting and doing up pieces of furniture into a small business. They've only been open for two weeks and are a real find. I even had a cup of coffee made for me - it's those little touches that add to the charm.

The photos aren't great as I only had my phone camera to rely on

and apologies for this blurred picture

It's one of those shops where your eyes are everywhere - a bit like a child in a sweet shop - you don't know what to look at first.

This is what I bought - to fill a small corner in my guest room

And I couldn't resist these sweet bone china tea cups and saucers

Lots of nice reading

I just want to say that I'm so grateful for all your comments, they mean such a lot and are so appreciated. Thank you also all for your kind wishes for Hubby - he's on the mend and hoping to be back at work next week!

Yesterday I read Rosie's post at rosiepblog.blogspot.co.uk and noticed that she had bought the very magazine which I'd thought about buying. I couldn't decide between the two and couldn't really justify buying them both so I opted for this new magazine for the summer.

I think it's a very good buy and includes lots of 'good ideas' featuring clothes and fashion, glamorous beauty updates, a brilliant menu planner and some clever touches to stamp your own personality on your home as well as a section on gardening about growing your own food. This is the summer edition and it looks like there will be four a year.


Off to my sister B's today for a lunch and a crafty afternoon and hope make a start on something nice and vintage-y, armed with my stash of material and these lovely books I've had as gifts or bought for myself..

I should find something - shouldn't I?

An everyday story of countryfolk..

I've been dipping into my family history over the last few days and thought I'd share a trip I made with my sister to capture what life was like for our great grandfather Francis Wells.

Francis was born in 1852 and brought up at Cucumber Farm in Singleton, Sussex where his father and grandfathers before him all worked as agricultural labourers. Breaking with tradition, Francis went to work for a local family the Burns-Hartopps where he became their Coachman in nearby Pennerley Lodge at Boldre.  He married Hester in 1887 and they moved with the Burns-Hartopps to Little Dalby Hall in Leicestershire where he continued as their Coachman. Dalby Parva is hamlet four miles south of Melton Mowbray and the Hall stood in a densley wooded park of approx. 20 acres.

Francis and Hester c. 1890

My sister and I, with our husbands took a trip up to Somerby for a weekend about 7 years ago in the hope of finding where Francis had lived. We chatted to some locals in the village pub who told us that the family living at the Hall now would probably be more than happy to see us. We took the bull by the horns and drove down their long gravel driveway and nervously knocked on their door. The lady of the house was charming and although she did not take us inside, she gave us a tour of the beautiful grounds and told us a little about the history of the house.

Little Dalby Hall 2005

Little Dalby Hall c.1890

This is the stable block where Francis and his family lived and

where my own dear grandad William was born in 1891

Not far from the stable block were the cellars that ran from beneath the stable area and wound their way undergound for about 3-400 yards to the Hall, where all the household wines would have been kept. Nearby stood the old ice house which was where all the meat and poultry would have been stored. Ice from the frozen lakes in winter would have been collected and packed into the ice house which meant all through the summer months it would remain cold and keep the meat fresh.

Apparently the son of the Burns-Hartopp family was the master of the Quorn Hunt in 1898 which met in nearby Melton Mowbray. People came from far and wide to visit the area in the hunting season. With its close proximity to Melton, the Hall served as a hunting lodge during the season where several members of the Royal family visited often and in later years by Edward and Mrs Simpson.

History has it that the first person to produce Stilton cheese was a Mrs Orton who was housekeeper at the Hall in 1720. She sold her cheese to a  publican in the nearby village of Stilton and that's how it got its name. Apparently because of their handy size, Melton Mowbray pork pies and small pieces of stilton were given to the huntsmen to carry with them whilst out hunting.

Visitors staying at the Hall in the mid 1800s would be entertained by the family who would put on plays for their guests - in a room especially built for this purpose at the rear of the house overlooking the beautiful grounds. These plays would have been both written and acted by the family.

I hope you enjoyed this look into the life and times of a Coachman in the late 1800s. More to come shortly...

Tempus Fugit

The weather is awful today - cold, wet and windy and not pleasant to go out in. So much so that I'm going to indulge in a few of my favourite things - baking  as there is a large amount of bread waiting to be turned into a bread pudding and sewing - a re-vamp of some bunting I made for my kitchen which unthinkingly I made from the same fabric instead of using random designs. And of course reading all your lovely posts.

I looked at Lavender Attic earlier and loved her collection of mirrors that she had been collecting from thrift shops and car boot sales. This inspired me to think about my passion for clocks. Not antique or vintage but just ordinary clocks that I have picked up on various occasions, some of which bring back a wealth of memories.

This was a gift to myself from a little legacy from my late father who passed away 25 years ago in March 1987. I had always wanted a grandfather clock and this reproduction ticked all the boxes. It stood in my hallway for 25 years in the same place, chiming hourly, although we eventually turned the chimes off. However, recent decorating of our hallway and a need for a new look the clock has been relegated to our garage awaiting a decision on what to do with it. Such a shame but tastes do change over the years.

This clock we bought on a family trip to Dublin to celebrate my son J's 18th birthday - nineteen years ago. We had a wonderful time and were accompanied by my daughter E and her then husband R, our good friends J and G together with their son R. The eight of us had so many laughs throughout the weekend all aided by the the obligatory Guiness (not a favourite of mine but you have to go with the flow). The Dubliners made us so welcome and methinks another trip is in order!

This we bought in the Cotswolds about ten years ago - another weekend away with friends staying in Moreton on the Marsh. Such a lovely part of the country and so much to see.

LOVE Cath Kidston and couldn't resist this for my kitchen

This one hangs in my summerhouse - can't wait for summer so I can get back out there!

My husband was given a gift of a Harrods voucher by his company to celebrate the Millennium and this is what we used it for. It does chime quarterly, half-hourly and on the hour but again we turned it off as too noisy. We have to wind it up every five days and it takes pride of place on our sitting room mantelpiece.

We have a lovely shop which I mentioned a few posts ago "Mad dogs and Englishmen" where I bought this. We like anything French or Italian and had to have this for our landing.

A fairly new addition which sits in my guest room.

~~~~~~~

Time is too slow for those who wait,

Too swift for those who fear,

Too long for those who grieve,

Too short for those who rejoice,

But for those who love, time is Eternity.

Henry van Dyke (1852-1933)

~~~~~~

Incidentally take a look at Stand and Stare where Jan has a great Springtime giveaway.

Peace and quiet??

I'd like firstly to welcome my new followers - A Garden of Daisies, Homemade Life, Saphy76 and Little Miss Maggie - it's lovely to 'meet' you and hope you enjoy reading my blog.

It's been a busy and stressful couple of weeks here, firstly I had to get a pig of an essay out which eventually went a week later than it should have and secondly Hubby had to go into hospital for an operation on Tuesday and is now convalescing at home for the next two weeks before returning to work. That being so, concentration and motivation has been all over the place but now I'm looking forward to a bit of 'me' time and get back to posting.

Our last walk before Easter took us to visit a local beauty spot known as Hadleigh Countryside Park.

This whole area overlooks the Thames and the Kent coastline - of course today was not the best of weather so could not to be seen I'm afraid.

It's such a peaceful place and a lovely spot for picnics and family days out in the summer

The main attraction is what is left of Hadleigh Castle which has overlooked the Thames from its hilltop site since the early13th century. English Heritage look after the castle now.

The farm land surrounding the area is owned by the Salvation Army. William Booth their founder bought Hadleigh Farm in 1890 so that he could give the poor and destitute

 from the slums of London a chance to train and learn new skills in farming.

A Farm Colony was formed and by 1891 there were over 200 colonists living on the site. 

Today the farm comprises an employment training centre for people with learning difficulties, a farm and rare breeds centre, a monthly farmers' market and some tearooms which are open to the public.

To reach the castle and surrounding farmland you have to walk down a very quiet leafy lane edged with hedgerows and wild flowers and the odd sheep bah-ing and horses neigh-ing - you get the drift...

 

BUT GUESS WHAT -

our peaceful and pretty beauty spot is about to be shattered with the arrival of

The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Mountain biking events.

"The venue is located in the shadow of the 700 year old Hadleigh Castle and overlooks the Thames Estuary, providing a stunning backdrop for what will undoubtedly become one of the most thrilling of the 2012 Games.

The venue facilities will host 20,000 visitors per day during the London 2012 Events with each spectator gaining an excellent view of the action in the open farmland setting."

Quoted from the official Olympic website.

What more can I say?!!

and to top it all - we couldn't even get any tickets!!!!

Happy Easter

Just a short post to wish everyone a very Happy Easter

Renewal

This is a time of renewal

as it happens every spring,

the flowers now are blooming

the birds begin to sing.

Easter is a time of hope

and a day of rebirth,

it shows that winter's over

and spring has come to earth

Sharon Hendricks

Thank you so much for all your wonderful comments recently they really mean a lot. I'd like to welcome my new followers, Country Girl, Ellens52 and Rustic vintage country, great to have you on board.

Have a great Easter everyone 

 back soon