of apples and blackberries...

I've been resisting the idea of autumn, I needed reminding about what is beautiful about this time of year and I found it: in the orchard picking apples (my, so many apples!), in the fields as the hedgerows fade to yellow and brown, in the woods as the fungi appear and the acorns drop and the leaves turn.

Most of all I found it in the kitchen with the smell of blackberry and apple simmering on the stove... one sniff of blackberry and apple and it doesn't matter that the summer has passed, that the sun is weakening, that the evenings aren't as light as they were. A dollop of blackberry and apple on my morning porridge and all is well....  Hello Autumn, nice to see you again...

purple...

{warning - a ceramics post follows.... (it should really be on my grown up blog - hmmm... maybe I should cross post?)}

 One of my favourite colours is purple. I have far too many purple boots for example - though I would argue you can't have too many purple boots. At this time of year I see purple everywhere - in the hedgerows, on waste land, in the garden.



In ceramics making a purple at high temperatures is a bit tricky so for a while I've had my chemistry hat on. (Chemistry is fun when you are melting pretty stuff)

Now which purple / indigo / inky blue is prettier? Maybe I just make pieces in all of those colours? Maybe it's like owning the same pair of shoes in lots of colours?

{this moment}

Joining Amanda at Soulemama

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. - Amanda Blake Soule

if you're inspired to do the same then leave a link for all to find and see.... 

the year is turning...

... so fast! Last night we had our first frost - I ran round the garden in the dark covering up the tomato plants (those last green tomatoes are going turn red!) There are baskets of apples everywhere waiting to be turned into something lovely. Mornings are bright and just a bit colder. The woodshed is full, the winter duvets are on the beds and the chimney is swept.

Inside the last of the (red) tomatoes have found their way into tomato and chilli relish, the windfall marmalade is made and the gorgeous Raspberry Fudge Brownie recipe from The Simple Things has been made with the blackberries from the wild patch behind my shed.

We're ready (I think) for dark nights, cooking on the fire and being inside...

making me happy....

*  morning mists

*  blackberrying

*  The children singing their own compositions (the ode to the xylophone 'The Plinketty, Plonketty 
    Thing' is my current fave)

*  exploring new glazes - I need to create the perfect purple...

* the smell of fresh bread

* spinning (I'm obsessed!)

* windfall marmalade  (we'd run out. hurrah for autumn!)

* starting the holiday knitting

adventures in bread ~ part one

For a while now I've made bread occasionally with the help of a bread maker but more recently I've been excited by the prospect of proper homemade bread.

We went to an End of Summer Bonfire (any excuse to eat el fresco!) taking homemade bread, chutneys and potatoes to bake in the fire.

I made a tomato and basil tear and share bread. It's like a savoury chelsea bun. Once you proved the dough roll it out fairly thinly into a rectangle on lightly floured board. Then cover with thick tomato sauce or tomato puree (nothing too wet or it makes it sloppy) Then sprinkle over cheese, tear some fresh basil and scatter it over the tomato base. I used a mixture of local mature cheddar and mozzarella (heresy I know to add the cheddar but oh so tasty!) Then de-seed some tomatoes and dice them into small cubes and scatter those over the top too.

Now roll up the dough length ways until you have a yummy sausage  of doughy loveliness then using a sharp knife cut into inch long (2.5cm) slices.

Place these slices cut side up into a well oiled roasting dish, given them a little room to expand. Scatter with more cheese. Cover the roasting dish with a clean tea towel and leave to prove until big and puffy. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 230C.

When the oven is ready put the bread in give it a bit of a spray of water to help it rise and get crusty.
Cook for 20 minutes until the bread is risen and hollow sounding when you tap it.

Leave to cool a bit on a wire rack until it is warm. Lovely with soup, salad or for munching on it's own...

the end of summer

Bye Bye Summer.

Hello meals around the bonfire in the dark. 

We listened to the owls, watched the toads by the pool, gazed at the stars and talked long into the night. It's sad summer is going but so exciting to be embracing a new season. Hello Autumn and all that you will bring us.

seven good things

1. running barefoot in the dunes - even though it's a bit on the cold side
2. listening to the sea breathe in and out
3. being amazed at the bright autumn colour
4. touching frost crystals
5. planning future adventures
6. drawing and making
7. reading real books, made of paper and print (sometimes I'm a closet luddite)

{this moment} halloween

With thanks to Saskia for her wonderful cobweb tutorial.

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. - Amanda Blake Soule

cosy

Walking through my garden at dusk and noticing the lit windows I felt the new season had finally arrived. The clocks have changed, Samhain / Halloween are over, bonfire night is soon and soup is constantly on the menu. There is something magical about going out of the dark into a welcoming home, I love this season...

blowing away cobwebs

The first gale of the season. The sea boils with foam, the wind whistles and the gulls scream. Spray coats everything with saltiness. The energy of this storm is reviving.

Jess and Jago collect handfuls of treasure - gull feathers, driftwood and pebbles.

Once home, our ears still ring with the roar of the Atlantic. As I light the fire, outside the storm brings slanted heavy rain. We pull blankets around us and feel at peace.

apple pressing day

Our press arrived just in time amidst much excitement. With boxes of freshly picked apples waiting to be transformed into crisp refreshing juice we've been reading this book in anticipation. It was a job for everyone in the family with washing, cutting, bashing, pressing and then freezing our bounty. I've never tasted juice like it... Autumn is a wonderful season and winter will be even better drinking our own mulled apple juice. I dream of cider next year.

{this moment} - the magical tomato

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. - Amanda Blake Soule

Autumn

There's a hint of autumn around here. Finding conkers in the park, trying to be inventive with the huge and glorious apple glut, welcoming the sight of blackberries and watching the hazy sun rise in morning mist. Realising that while making Apple and Blackberry Butter that it smells like autumn. I'm mindful that I should grasp at every last bit of summer before it disappears for another year. Yet I know I welcome the change, I love the change of the seasons and that the autumn preparations for winter is just another part of my handmade year.  Jago just loves the fact he has new playthings. Just wait til our new toy turns up.....

Autumn

The chill nights and mornings in these parts tell me it's autumn once more, and though I miss the warmth of the summer there is something about preparing for winter that makes my soul sing. We've been blessed with a mammoth crop of apples (well, it is somerset) and I'm being increasingly creative about how I preserve the crop. We have a full log store and a freshly swept chimney. All that needs to be done is a new sledge, my eye is on this one