Its been a lovely day here today

Warm but with a bit of a breeze out of the breeze in the garden a bit of a suntrap.

I have been to B & Q this morning and have some more lavender plants.  I am determined somewhere to have a lavender hedge in the garden.  I had planned on having it where I am going to pop the washing line but I may need a few more plants yet.  The variety is dwarf Munstead and the foliage smells divine.  I may have to go and get some more. 

I am afraid I am old fashioned when it comes to scents.  I love lavender it is so clean and soothing and makes any clothes smell lovely. Did you know that if you have a headache if you pop a little lavender oil on your finger and then place it on your temple moving it around in a circular fashion on both sides that it helps relieve the headache.

If I can get my little lavender hedge in-situ and growing that may mean I will have lots of lavender with which to play next summer with making my own lavender bags and also using lavender in cooking.  Funnily enough the tiny country cottage that I first remember living at as a child had roses round the door and a big bed of lavender.  I wonder if that's why my forever home has to be in a village and have all the old favourites in the garden too.  To this day I just love their scent. Did you know Rose and Lavender Oils are two oils that you do not have to thin down and can use neat on your skin.  Nearly everything else has to be blended with a carrier oil to thin the natural oil down before using it on your skin.

I also love the French Lavender(the butterfly lavender) and I bought six pots of that yesterday also and two Ivy hanging baskets.  Next year I will get back to growing a lot of my own from scratch but I have lots of other things to do this year and I can only do what I can with what I have.

I have also hit their (B & Q) reduction stall and got some more large herb plants at £1 each.  I have more sage, thyme, marjoram and oregano.  I am determined to get as many herbs as I can popped away for the winter months in whatever different formats I can as the flavour of fresh herbs in particular does pep up a meal quite considerably.  I have goats cheese salad where the cheese or crotin is toasted and then melted served with a salad and then fresh mixed herb oil dribbled all over so I am very much looking forward to that.

I also got some chestnut mushrooms reduced from Waitrose so they are going into the dehydrator for storing down and using in stocks and stews during the winter months or indeed whizzing into mushroom powder to yet again add more flavour to meals.

As we speak I have fresh beetroot bubbling away on the top of the cooker so once it is cooked and then skinned I can add vinegar and pop it down also for the winter months.  I have about four bunches.  If they have anymore next week will do some more then.  OH is also partial to pickled beetroot.

The tomatoes are also in the oven being roasted ready for the home made pasta sauce.

Right I had better get on I have quite a few plants to get into the garden as well as weed out as I go along.  Rome wasn't built in a day but I do seriously need to get on.

Catch you soon. 

Pattypan xxx