Garden

In the garden – November 2020

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This was November in our garden!

The espaliered fruit trees needed trimming, the weeds were taking over, beds in the vegetable garden needed to be dressed and prepared for planting, and the list goes on!

Fortunately the flowers were not so discerning and provided happiness both in the garden and in vases indoors.

In the Garden – November 2021
Beautiful Icebergs
Sweet Peas in the Garden
Self Sown Poppies, Pears & Sweet Peas
Iris – Six Pack – A favourite from my late mum’s garden
Sweet Peas in the Garden
Self Sown Poppy
Beautiful Icebergs
Sweet Peas in the Garden
Iris – Social Event from my sister, Sonnie’s collection
Lamb’s Ear in bloom – 27 November.

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Making Changes…

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Since launching our small catering business many things have been neglected, including my blog, our garden and us!

In recent times the hours that we have been working were nothing short of crazy!  Things had to change, but how could we do it, and still look after our clients?  After many late night conversations, we realized that by looking after ourselves, we would actually be looking after our clients.  So we worked out what would work best for us, and in turn how we could make it work for those who ordered from us.  We now work three weeks, have our weekends back and take the fourth weekend off – well that’s the plan!

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We are both looking forward to visiting, and spending more time with our family and friends; having time to get all the odd jobs done around the house and yard, to making the occasional escape to new places; and, just picking up a book or magazine and reading. Continue reading →

Julie your quilt. A gift from Family

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Recently we took a little break and travelled home to be with my gorgeous sisters and to visit our beautiful mum. I say home, because that is still what we call it, it is the home that we all grew up in, and love so very much.

After a five plus hour road trip, we arrived at home to find Sonnie and Jan working hard in the garden, they had arrived earlier in the day and had done some amazing work tidying things up.

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Apricot and Lavender Jam & Beautiful Memories of La Cascade de Saintonge

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I have been struggling to know what to write about since my last post, but recently the inspiration arrived in a couple of plastic bags handed to me by a fellow volunteer at Segue.  When I looked inside I was initially delighted to see apricots, however, upon closer inspection, it was apparent that they were very ordinary looking apricots.

Arriving back home, I walked into the kitchen and put the bags on the kitchen bench while I got on with my work.  It was as I worked that it occurred to me I had been handed the inspiration I needed to write this blog, and also what I needed to do to turn the ugly apricots into little pots of deliciousness.

Dodgy apricots…
More dodgy apricots…

I would make Apricot and Lavender Jam!

With no French lavender growing in my garden, I needed to try and find some, I knew there was a little over at Segue, so hopped into the car and drove over to check it out.  But there were only a few tiny sprigs, simply not enough.  Later that evening I picked up my phone and sent a couple of quick messages to ask if anyone had French Lavender that I could use in cooking…  Bingo!  The same volunteer who had handed me the apricots, had French lavender growing in her garden.

Apricot & Lavender Jam

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Recycle, Reuse, Repurpose!

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I’m always on the lookout for new bits and pieces for the garden, not necessarily always plants though. I recently picked up an old patio chair that someone no longer had any use for and had thrown away. I think that Gary thought that I had lost the plot!!! The old chair had plastic straps across the seat which weren’t really strong enough for what I wanted, so Gary replaced them with metal strips. Then armed with a spray can of metal undercoat and a pot of very pretty blue paint, I got to work transforming the dull old grey chair into a piece for the garden. I love the final result and can’t wait for the ivy geranium to get growing and mingle in and out of the pretty blue structure. On the same outing I also managed to get a small broken base of a metal table that has been turned upside down and secured in the raspberry patch – it is holding a little pot ready to be planted up – and then there was the rack from an old golf buggy that I have pushed into the ground and placed an old baking dish filled with stones on, and then topped it with a pot of strawberries – What a wonderful treasure hunt…

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