hello again...

You can tell it's summer... I've been outside and neglecting my blog. (sorry blog, but the sun was out and it's not been here for so long) I think someone worked out that in the UK we'd had 48 months of winter before the sun came back. It's been wonderful, I've almost been afraid to complain about the heat in case it decided to leave...

What have I been doing???

• gardening
• making
• spinning
• teaching
• designing
• breathing....

in my garden... May

Last year I got a bit despondent with gardening. It was so cold and wet, the only creatures that seemed happy were the evil slugs which munched everything.

This week we got our first Rocket Gardens delivery (we got it as a family Christmas present.) Part of me feels a bit guilty that we're not growing our own from seed but in reality I don't have the space to raise such a variety of plants. When the box arrived - plug plants carefully wrapped in straw - it was like Christmas all over again. The children and I have spent most of half term in the garden planting out, dreaming and sowing a few plants we didn't get (butternut squash and globe artichokes.) We're dreaming of a proper summer - hot sun, breakfast outside, wandering round the garden to pick crops for our meals. If I think positively it'll happen, right?

Tomorrow we're off to the 150th Bath and West Show - an extravaganza of all things agricultural and rural from the West Country. We all have our favourite areas - Jago can't wait to see more tractors, Jess wants to see the moorland and mountain ponies and lots of her friends, Mr Oak is holding out for the steam engines and I want to see the rare breed sheep... We're taking a picnic and a camera - be prepared to be bored to death by pictures of rural things next week...

Enjoy your weekend!

bank holidaying...

I love May for all those Bank Holidays (I'm not so fond of the fact that we have to wait until August to get another but hey, I'm greedy...)

This weekend I have...

• walked in the woods surrounded by sunshine and wild flowers.
• eaten outside as much as possible (who knows how long the sun lasts round here?)
• danced and hunted for goodies at the Pack Horse Fair.
• realised that a friend's birthday is very close so cast on quickly for a pair of mitts.
•  spent valuable time with fellow artists just making... (I'm part of a collective called Stitched - we're exhibiting together as part of SAW in the autumn)

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.

and the year moves on

Now the longest day has passed by it feels like lots of things that need to be done with winter in mind (and it's still summer.)  My preserving frenzy has started already. Opening a pot of strawberry jam in the depths of winter is opening a jar of instant sunshine. The smell alone is enough to transport me back to the warm long days of summer.  Already we've picked our redcurrants (redcurrant jelly), blackcurrants (blackcurrant jam), strawberries and gooseberries (strawberry and gooseberry jam). A well filled preserves cupboard reassures me that no matter what winter may bring it'll be ok.

Strawberry and Gooseberry Jam

1kg Strawberries, hulled and big ones quartered

500g gooseberries, topped and tailed

1175g sugar (half granulated and half with added pectin)

200ml water

100ml lemon juice

Cook the gooseberries in a preserving pan with 300g of the sugar and 200ml water until they soften. Blend the gooseberries until smooth.

Add 200g of the strawberries to the mix, soften over a gentle heat and then mash with a potato masher.

Add the rest of the strawberries then simmer gently for 5 minutes.

Add the lemon juice and the rest of the sugar - allow to dissolve gently and slowly over a low heat.

When the sugar has dissolved bring to a hard boil until the setting point is reached then pot into sterilized jars.

Enjoy on english muffins toasted on an open fire with lots and lots of melty butter. 

when it's too rainy for the beach...

bring the beach home....

rainy days and sundays

Cold rainy days in July call for puddlesplooshing,

comfort food

baking (loving the Scandilicious book)

Kladdkaka - perfect with the obligatory rainy day Scrabblefest...
I would quite like to sun to come back soon though (if the weather is reading this, the sun is welcome back here anytime - we miss it)

sand

The sun is finally out, it's stopped raining, we didn't have Glastonbury tickets (though we could hear it in the distance) so we headed to the beach. Good company, great beach combing and freezing water. What more could you want?

end of summer

It been a great summer. Not such a great one for blogging admittedly but a great one for doing.

We've been loving:

• picnics - whenever and where ever we can
• the beach - come rain or shine
• being outdoors
• the act of making
• The moomins

 Now I'm inside a bit more I may be able to do more blogging....

summer

I'm celebrating summer light (and a new camera with which to celebrate it)