TARRAGON & THYME

Started with me having a bit of a lay in only until 8:30 am but still a lay in all the same. I then pottered around in the house for a bit and got the animals fed etc. and then I was taken out for my Sunday lunch which was rather yummy roast rib of beef, Yorkshire pudding mixed seasonal veggies ie french beans, kidney beans, carrot, peas and cauliflower cheese.  Very yummy it was too all washed down with some Crabbies Ginger Beer.  It was really lovely. This afternoon I have been working away at the jungle.  My garden has been overtaken by triffids and with me buying new plants recently there is a bit of reverse psychology going on in that I have bought the plants first in order that I make sure that I do get on with the garden.  Not the normal way of doing things I freely admit but it seems to be working.  My plants already purchased are thriving and doing extremely well.  I have a lot of plant pots and planters to use up as well and as I have mention...

Was it really yesterday when I was up early and out of the house very early for me.  OH dropped me into town and I tried to pop into Lakeland but the doors were closed and I did not have time to wait and so I nipped up to the plant store in Cathedral Square where they had a beautiful display of plants.  To my surprise they had French Lavender and being as I had seen some in Wilkinsons earlier in the week at £6 a pot I asked how much and was told £1.50 per pot so I snaffled six.  I have also bought and paid for two fig trees which I am to collect on Tuesday lunch time all being well.  There were lots of other goodies as well and really my timing was off as I was on the way to see my mum so I could not manage much more.  To say I am chuffed  with my acquisitions is an understatement as I love fresh figs and I adore lavender.  Now to locate several English Lavender plants cheaply as I want a Lavender Hedge under my washing line. Well that's the plan and ...

 It has been hot, hot, hot too hot.  Despite me having the blinds down, windows open fans going the heat today has been unbearable and despite the best laid plans of what I was and was not going to do - well it did not happen.  I just flopped in the corner. Well that was a surprise OH rang earlier this afternoon and asked me to be ready and waiting for him when he came home approximately 6:45 pm and to put something nice on as he was taking me to the pub for a drink and something to eat  So I duly did as asked and was ready and waiting for him to come home.  Anything to escape the furnace . We went to a local pub the Fox and Hounds we had not been there before but the meal was very good.  We both had a starter and a main I had crab pate and lasagne with chips salad and onion rings. OH had crab pate, rib eye steak, chips, salad and onion rings.  We did not have pudding but have since had some vanilla ice cream which went down very nicely thank ...

Warning this post is photo heavy. I managed to acquire two beautiful pieces of needlework recently a tray cloth with pretty embroidery on and a tablecloth mostly executed in applique with eyelet lace decoration.  However the execution of this is so fine it looks absolutely gorgeous  I paid  £6.50 for both pieces that is what I call a bargain.  I think both pieces are extremely pretty and I am hoping to turn the tray cloth into a decorative cushion for the bed.   I have also found the following A large vintage glass ground stopper storage jar.  I collect these jars and pick them up where I can.  For the nice big pantry I have not yet acquired and they will be ideal for storing cake decorations and bits and bobs like that. £1 A stoneware sugar shaker a little chip on the top but it will not affect its use and it will go with a lot of other items of a similar nature that I already have and more than useful when it comes to baking. £...

Well I am nearly at the end of emptying my upright freezer part of which is only working  - we think it might be tired but until I can get the freezer well and truly empty  get it unplugged and defrosted we are not too sure (I think it might be terminal OH not convinced). Last night we had  grilled, gammon steaks, mixed roast veg i e potato, parsnip, sweet potato and onion gently roasted in the oven, mixed veg, carrots, sweetcorn and peas and new potatoes and very tasty it was too. I soaked the gammon slices in some water before cooking as the last lot we had was a little too salty but this was just right.  It made a very filling meal.  We had a few strawberries and cream for pudding and it all went down very well. I had some salad leaves in the fridge that needed using up and when I was rootling in the freezer last night I came across some Crevettes with the shell and everything on.  I am rather partial to prawns and sea food generally so I fished...

I know it is the summer holidays but you should be where you can starting to put food up to see you through the winter.  Now is the optimum time when the new crops are coming through is the ideal time to pop something up which give your family a treat later on in the year.  I absolutely adore Cherries and having a bottle of Brandy going nowhere in the cupboard at the moment and so I decided to put it to good use.  I have therefore started off a batch of home made cherry brandy for this year's Put Down 2013.  This is one of those liqueurs that I have repeatedly made over the years and is one of my favourites.  It is relatively easy to make.  Equipment is simple I use a large preserving jar with a rubber gasket to keep out any nasties. You will need: 1lb cherries 8oz caster sugar 2 tablespoons split almonds 1 cinnamon stick 1 bottle of brandy  2 cloves Prepare the cherries by either trimming or removing stalk and then washing t...

For three days  - desperately needed and occasioned by the fact that I had to have the first of three treatments on my ankle which I was very nervous about, but managed to get through okay. I have been warned that I should take things steady and there may be bruising to the ankle, which is all quite normal,  All done with sound waves and I think it has done some good already.  Here's hoping.  So I am pleased I booked the time off as it has given me some very much needed space and its the first real time I have had off this year.  Hasn't it been hot again; the sun has been out most of the day here, and the humidity is very high.  The animals are just chilling I have kept the blinds down and have windows open so that we get an air flow through the house as they are really suffering with their fur coats at the moment.  There is plenty of water to be had for them as well. We have gammon slices, with roasted vegetables, peas and new potatoes for te...

Its been a very busy day at work  - I am on leave for the rest of the week as I have to have some treatment on my leg on Wednesday.  The appointment is slap in the middle of the morning and as I do not drive I have to go by taxi.  For sometime now I have had a problem with my Achilles tendon in that there has been a lump pressing on it and causing discomfort, sometimes the lump is massive or at least appears that way and at other times it seems to shrink, but it is a nuisance.  I am therefore to have ultrasound treatment lithotripsy to try and disperse the said lump which would appear to be a calcific tendonitis or a build up of a calcium deposit.  Wednesday is the first of three such treatments. As I walk literally everywhere and as the instruction is do not drive after the treatment (well I drive a foot pedal at work) I decided to play safe and book the time off and to let things settle down without any extra pressure. I have cooked tonight we have had ho...

Just recently I have picked up one or two books to add to the collection and I have not paid full price for them as they have been picked up from either The Works (also known as Remainders) or the Book man who calls at work. I have paid no more than £5 per book (in some cases much less) but I am pleased with every book that I have acquired. The first is called Abundance by Alys Fowler she of Kitchen Garden Fame but this tome covers all gardening aspects but goes on to explore different ways of storing and preserving and there are definitely some different ways of preserving and some very different recipes some of which I intend to have a go at in due course,  Recipes such as wild strawberry confiture, Rosy Apple Sauce, Kimchi, Saurkraut, Ploughmans Chutney, Jerusalem Artichoke Chutney, Beetroot Marmalade, Pickled Cherry Tomatoes, drying vegetables i.e. veggie chips,Fruit Leathers, dried fruit and needless to say there are lots more recipes in there. The second one is c...

Yesterday I was up at normal time in readiness to make OH his pack up (he worked all day yesterday).  Mum had asked for a couple of things she wanted  taking to her so I walked into town looking for fresh beetroot on the market and some cough sweets.  I went all over looking for the beetroot to no avail and in fact I missed a bus just by a couple of minutes as a result; so frustrating .   Eventually I got the bus to take me to my mum's.  Its a while since I have been on a bus journey, but it did bring back one or two memories of when I was small; passing through sunkissed country villages where life trundles on at its own peculiar pace.  As a child I lived in a hamlet in Rutland and the bus was the lifeline to the local town and food shopping. Cottages used to have pantries too where all sorts of basics were stored.  We always used to go to town on market day when the traders would come and sell their wares and mum used to get stocked up for ...

When we go foraging we usually go for food ingredients but there is a wealth of other material out there to be had for the taking and not necessarily edible.  At this time of year I go looking for fir cones large and very tiny ones.  The fir cones can be turned into all sorts of little presents or used to make garlands and the smaller ones can be used on wreaaths nd in pot pourri.  It seems a shame to pass up these freebies especially when in the run up to Christmas these items become over priced in the shops. I do not have an open fire here at the moment but my dream house does have one or two, but as children we used to be set on at this time of year collecting them.  They make excellent fire lighters or just a few added to the burning flames release the resin which in turn scents the room.  small sticks were also collected and used for kindling and kept in the coal shed or wood store. Equally when tending the herb garden if there are woody stems from...

The past couple of mornings because it has been hot I have been having my breakfast in the garden where it is nice and cool and I must honestly say it is fast becoming one of my personal pleasures to just simply eat one's breakfast and simply just being in the quiet and tillness; of the morning.  I have had  nice big bowl of Muesli with really cold chilled milk and a cup of tea.  However I have been  watching the wildlife we have had crash landings from pigeons on the fence this morning to starlings feasting greedily on the remnants of the cherry tree.  This morning I am being watched by Demetri on the wall and Molly keeping a beady eye on me from the dining room window.  They are never far away. I managed to get all my herbs potted up last night.  A lot of them are in pots so that I can move them around as the soil is not particularly good as it is a heavy clay and the plant roots cannot always gain good purchased but at leat I can stand pots on the...

On Saturday we took Missy for a swim on the way to my mums to a place that we used to go paddling at when we were children.  She was very uncertain at first but OH gently encouraged her in and when she did get in she was swimming round and round. Tonight we repeated the experience for her as it has been so hot and we went in for a paddle as well.  All was well to start with there were other young dogs having a whale of a time too and we got her in and then she went off to play with her mates as soon as they came anywhere close she tried to jump up into my arms; her safe spot.  Trouble was she was in water and her jumping up splashed me and subsequently because I had been holding my skirt up so as it did not get wet with her jumping up I dropped my skirt and then slipped so I got more than a tad wet; but hey its warm and it was just a little bit of water after all. Today I topped up on plants again, another Oregano (I just love the flavour and smell of this m...

What a busy day, it has been non stop at work, and we have been grateful for the air conditioning today.  At lunch after meeting with a good friend, I popped to the plant stall and have come back with parsley, oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage, and Fennel.  I have spent the better part of this evening planting up and watering in and then I have watered up the rest of the border.  Its coming along slowly, although I still need Basil, Chives, some more Oregano, Marjoram. The soil in part of the herb border is not particularly good and so I tend to stick pot fulls of stuff on there.  I would also like to get hold of some Tarragon as I use that quite prolifically, so I intend to have a good look around over the next few days to see what I can locate.  I have plenty of mint and sage in the herb border and bay leaves.  I had seen an offer on for about 40 lavender plugs for about £10, but unfortunately when I applied they did not have any left.  I have an idea ...

Tonight when I get home I have a quick pudding to make for tomorrow night's tea; well it is quick in the actual preparation but you do have to wait for the pudding to freeze. I am talking about home made Raspberry Ripple where you just have good ingredients and then a tasty cooling pudding at the end of it.  And with all this hot weather at the moment we do need something to cool us down. You will need: 8oz/250g fresh Raspberries 4oz/125g caster sugar 2 medium eggs separated 1/2 pint/300ml of milk 142ml carton of double cream Few drops of Vanilla Extract 5-6 sprigs of mint for decorating (optional) 2lb loaf tin/1kg size Taking the Raspberries take about 6-8 Raspberries and set them aside in the fridge for topping your dessert prior to serving. Take the rest of the berries and add them to a saucepan with 1oz/30g of the caster sugar.  Heat gently until the fruit is soft.  Sieve the Raspberries to remove the pips so you end up with a soft puree of fruit. Pla...

Oh boy has it been hot; I have still been beavering away at the herb border and my frog has put in an appearance again, so I am definitely going to put him a pond in the border.  I have been quite taken with the advert encouraging us to put in mini areas where our wild creatures can survive.  That will please my neighbour no end but I don't give a fig.  The herb border is slowly  starting to come under control and I am taking some cuttings as I go along to make more plants hopefully.  The bay tree in the border has sprouted a lot of growth again so I am going to have a go at taking some cuttings from scratch to see if I can get some more plants going, if so it would  make a nice present for someone in the future.  I use bay leaves a lot in cooking so it would perhaps make a good pressie for a foodie friend.  The sage plant has put out runners quite a lot of them and as I have cut what I thought was dead wood on the end I have found a flush of gro...

After being overcast this morning this afternoon the sun has put in an appearance the air is balmy hardly any breeze and the sun is out to play and it is hot.  This was the type of afternoon at my grandmother's home where we would all repair to the back lawn and enjoy the sun whatever chairs could be found including the old fashioned deck chairs; and we as a family would enjoy the summer sun and play games as a family such as bowls or skittles (with my Nan's old preserving jars); half way through the afternoon the teapot would come out and then later on we would have high tea  (all served in the garden) and as an absolute treat strawberries grown in the garden and for which we helped harvest the lush red berries were  served with cream.    In years gone by the old fashioned milk bottles used to have a header of thick cream in the top one inch space and if you had the Jersey milk it was even thicker.  (Nowadays you do not get that so much as the milk and cr...

It is overcast here in Peterborough and still muggy although a lot more tolerable.  We did indeed get the rain but not like we had had on the way home; but at least we got some and it saved me having to do any watering up last evening. Yesterday morning before going to my mum's I went and did some shoping for myself. At the Coop I found a leg of lamb and a piece of loin pork both of which had been reduced I got about £7 off in total off both pieces of meat.  Both are in the fridge at the moment as I cannot make my mind up as to which piece we will be having tonight. I also managed to get a bargain with some more apricots so later on today I will be making some Apricot jam.  I use this a lot and it is delicious served with croissants for breakfast.  We have some dumpling (doughnut) peaches to have as well to eat fresh and I bought another couple of punnets of strawberries to have for desserts or milk shakes.  I am going to look on the market later on in ...

What a lovely day it has been hot hot hot and I have been at my mother's most of the day having been there to bottom out her lounge this week; washing all the skirting boards down, moving out the furniture and really giving it a good going over.  That's room number two done and dusted, and I have also flipped round the rest of the house as well.  Next week it is the kitchen that is going to be subject to my ministrations. Mum keeps water butts full of rainwater in the garden from which she waters the plants in the garden.  As I was there today she asked me to do it to save on her back.  Pattypan was  therefore left in charge of the water butt and the watering.  Things were going well I started with the troughs in the front garden and then started watering up in the back garden.  Placed two watering cans full of water into the greenhouse so that mum can water the tomatoes during the week.  I went to fill up a bucket again and the next thing I ...

Yesterday is the past; Tomorrow's the future; But today is a gift; That is why it is called the present. Bill Keane

Its been a warm muggy night I have had the windows open but still the air has been heavy thank goodness I have a ceiling fan but that makes a noise; you gradually get used to it and go off into that deep far away place where the conscious lurks and where your thoughts are your own.  An altered state to that of our every day waking hours but still very important none the less. Despite being the weekend and having the intention of  a small lay in - it just does not seem to happen.  I awoke before the alarm clock again and decided to rise (once I am awake that is it I have to get up).  The sun is always on the front of the house in the morning, whereas the rear of the house at this time of day is in shadow and much cooler.  This is an old terrace so the cool on a summers day is very welcome, but equally it is cold in the winter. Everything is quiet apart from the odd rumble of traffic going down the road; our road is used as a cut through to get into town....

....In some plants for my garden.  Perhaps I should not have as the garden is not done yet but at the prices I obtained them for I could not really afford to sniff at them. I intend to pot them up for the time being as a temporary measure until I can get them located in  their permanent positions.  The plants I obtained are: Two Loganberries @ £4.00 each, two purple grape vines @ £3.00 each and a Kiwi Fruit @ £4.00 each plant all in all a total of £18 for the five plants. All are healthy specimens.  All from a stall in the centre of Cathedral Square in Peterborough.  They also have a stall on the market.  They also had some gooseberries red ones for £4.00 apiece so I may go back and get some of them if they still have them next week. I am hoping to start on the garden on Sunday weather permitting. Boy is it muggy tonight I am so pleased I have a ceiling fan in the bedroom. I also have my eye on two white grapevines -  they had them earlier...