A little bit of France

We came back last weekend from Brittany where we stayed with friends K and F who have been living in Plougourvest for ten years. This was our last visit as they are returning to the UK in September. I must just show you a glimpse of their lovely home and gardens. We are in such awe of their achievements in turning this old pig farm into a gorgeous, tastefully refurbished four bedroom house, complete with barns, porkery and outbuildings.

Their property is at the end of a mile long lane outside of the village and very remote

Farm fields surrounding them for as far as you can see

growing produce such as artichokes, cauliflowers and much much more

This is the first view you have when arriving

After our nightly barbecues we would stroll down to the bottom of their garden which is a good acre or more? (not sure what an acre looks like but its BIG!)

To the fast running stream which borders their property from the adjoining farmland

Cutting their huge lawn at the rear with their two sit-on mowers was beginning to take its toll so now they have left the middle to form a woodland meadow, attracting all manner of birds and insects.

 The muddy rings in the cut lawn around the meadow are made by the moles - a nightly and frustrating occurrence - there would literally be approximately 20 or 30 new molehills each morning!

Foxgloves grow everywhere with gay abandon 

Such a delight to wander these beautiful wooded areas

Our gentle stroll down through the meadow and gardens generally took about half an hour and we couldn't believe that it was still light at ten o-clock at night.

And so a return to their more formal gardens behind the house and a welcome glass of chilled wine to complete our evening!

Hope you enjoyed our evening strolls as much as we did

 ************

A big welcome to my new follower Sue at Beach bungalow

Thanks for popping by and see you again soon x

I'm back.....

... and raring to get blogging again.

I have so missed sharing my life with all my lovely blogging friends and can't wait to get writing again as well as reading and commenting on all your lovely posts. I'm so grateful to those of you who contacted me, wondering where I was and your concerns were gratefully received.

Thursday 30th May was the day that I was working towards - my module (and hopefully my degree course) would finally come to an end and the one thing that kept me going during these last six weeks. Stress mixed with sheer relief was how I felt when at last I sent my final essay off from my local post office (the lady must have thought I was a complete and utter nutter when I said I wanted a photo!! Three copies with appendices and bibliography amounting to around over 100 pages all in her hands.

I won't get my results until early August but for now I can just relax and get on with my life again.

Loads to talk about and things to say but for now just a few photos

I thought Spring had almost arrived a few weeks back - and then it turned again. I can't believe how cold it's been today.

The only good thing about all this rain we've been having is that everything is now looking green and lush in the parks and gardens.

 Our own garden is coming along in leaps and bounds too and we even managed to have a sneaky glass of wine in the late afternoon sun on Sunday

Our regular garden visitor popped in to see us too

Bye for now and be back again soon

x

Sunday afternoon garden visit

It was such a gorgeous day on Sunday that we took ourselves off to the RHS gardens at Hyde Hall, a mere 15 minutes drive away.

Such an abundance of colour

I can't believe how late the daffodils are this year. We've had some flowering in the garden but these were wonderful

The gardens were gorgeous and there was plenty to see

This is a 'hotel' for insects - made up of various objects and garden waste

Everything is just that little bit later this year but oh so pretty

 Love hyacinths - the fragrance always reminds me of my childhood 

We had such a lovely afternoon which we finished off with a nice cup of tea in the restaurant and a browse around the shop (like you do). So much so that we decided to re-join the RHS as our's had lapsed many years ago and as we are only about an hour away from RHS gardens at Wisley it made sense. Plus you can go into many other 'partner' gardens free of charge of which there are 145 around the country many belonging to country houses and stately homes.

I'd like to welcome my new followers The silver bunny, Halloween couple and Lanya - thank you for joining me and look forward to getting to know you.

To Snow or not to Snow..that is the question

Hi Everyone. Well I was hoping to post some lovely snowy photos today, but no, it is positively Spring like here. Not a hint of it. Just a very hard frost this morning and very very cold temperatures. To say I am envious of the rest of the country is an understatement. I might well live to regret that statement if we get snowed in and under next week and I can't get the car out. 

However, the photos I took today are giving me some consolation as I haven't had a stroll around my garden for ages and was quite pleasantly surprised.

 

These pansies are on our front porch and were planted last Summer

 

 

How they've survived the battering winds and rain that we've endured

this winter, I'll never know

 

 

This Hebe looks like this all year round and is beginning to flower

(can you see the merest of mere white stuff on the lawn?)

 

 

Another favourite - Hebe with Euonymous

 

 

This ornamental grass has been in a pot on my front garden for donkeys of years

but still manages to put on a brave face - I love the colour

 

 

This evergreen Rhododendron always comes up trumps and looks so pretty in May

 

 

So, that's my non-snowy, unseasonal winter garden. However, as we speak, I've just spoken to my sister Barbara who tells me that the weather forecast is predicting heavy snow showers this weekend -so watch this space.!

 

 

I'd like to give a warm welcome to my new followers - Liz, Vanessa, Perpetua, Joy, Rosemary, Lacy Crochet and Kristie. Thank you for joining me, it's lovely having you aboard.

 

 

Bye for now

 

Have a lovely Wednesday evening and keep warm.

 



Auntie Rosa's Chicken Crunch recipe

A couple of weeks ago my sisters and I visited our much loved Auntie and Uncle (my late mum's brother Jack and his wife). They live near Lymington on the edge of the New Forest in a gorgeous bungalow with a wonderful garden.

 

The sort of garden that I'd love - with little hidey holes and paths leading to secret places

 

and ponds,  and seats tucked away in corners

 and apple trees you can sit under when it's too sunny

 

 

a garden filled with all kinds of insects -  bees, dragon flies and

butterflies - this beautiful one was hovering around us all afternoon

 

 

 

Ooh it was heaven - well a girl can dream can't she!

 

 

Anyway back to the title of my blog. Auntie Rosa is an excellent cook and over the years we have revelled in the delights of her cakes and bakes, with many a recipe hastily written out before departing for home. This is her Chicken Crunch which will serve 4 large helpings.

 

1 lb cooked chicken - chopped

3 sticks of celery

1 large onion

2 tins of condensed mushroom soup (not diluted)

2 tablespoons of mayonnaise

2 tablespoons lemon juice

4 bags of crisps - crumbled

1 - 2 ozs flaked almonds

2 ozs grated cheese

 

Mix the chicken, celery and onion with the mushroom soup and add the lemon juice and mayonnaise.

Place in a dish and sprinkle over the crisps, almonds and cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes at 200c.

 

It really is tasty - enjoy!

 

 

See you soon

 



PS - you wait until you see her coconut and chocolate

picnic slices - mmm they're divine. That's for another time.

Birthday treat and an unexpected surprise

Yesterday was my birthday and I had such a lovely day. John took the day off work and we headed up to Suffolk to a National Trust property - Ickworth House and Rotunda, a Georgian Italianate palace set in the idyllic English landscape of East Anglia.

The eccentric first Earl of Bristol was passionate about Italy and envisioned building a stupendous monument to folly which led to the creation of this remarkable Rotunda.

We've been before and seen the wonderful collection of paintings, portraits, fine sculptures and furniture. But it was the newly established "Ickworth Lives" project which took our fancy. The Rotunda basement has been restored as it would have been at the turn of the century and gave us a sense of what life was like for servants and estate workers up until the 1930s.

First, the kitchen which was the hub of the household and where the cook would have produced meals for the upstairs household and stream of many guests as well as those living downstairs.

where shoes were meticulously cleaned for their owners in the adjoining scullery.

I do believe that is a knife sharpener on the table too.

Possibly the Butler's bedroom

and the Housekeeper's parlour

I have to own up to the fact that I learnt to type on a typewriter not dissimilar to this, way back in the 1960s - to the tune of 'William Tell'. Now that really dates me!

I learnt to sew at school on a hand sewing machine like this too.

The grounds were stunning

and the formal gardens beautiful

But all too soon it was time to leave.

We went out to dinner in the evening with our children and grandchildren to a restaurant called The Boatyard in Leigh on Sea, where we sat overlooking the local fishing boats moored in the harbour and the River Thames beyond. I was thoroughly spoiled with some wonderful pressies, cards, flowers etc and enjoyed my day tremendously.

Just when I thought that things couldn't get better - I had a wonderful surprise this morning - I passed my exams!! Woohoo! Such a lovely feeling and now can't wait to start my final year in September - studying Renaissance Art.  (Remind me of that when I'm tied to my computer this winter and complaining that I've too much to do!!).

See you soon

Patricia x