Grow Op

Garden inspiration comes in the form of Sugar Snaps and Strawberries, one of my favourite gardening books for establishing an edible garden.

Last year was our first attempt at growing our own produce.  We had successes and failures, but it certainly hasn't put us off trying again.  We will be doing some things differently, as we have learnt from experience.

 

French beans are one of my husband's favourite vegetables, so I've started a few plants in containers to give them a head start.  The danger of frost has not passed yet, so they are currently in the cold frame. 

 

I'm really excited about the prospect of home-grown rhubarb.  I bought this plant last year, so I had to leave it a year to establish and not pick any fruit.  I was worried that it had not survived the winter, as there was not a sign of it a couple of weeks ago, but look at it now!  After the leaves started to appear, we treated it to some sheep manure and we can almost watch it growing.  I'm dreaming of rhubarb crumble with a hint of orange....

 

 

Spring

 

We are finally seeing signs of spring in our garden.  The crocus were at their best last weekend, but I was away, so did not manage to capture any photographs.  The past few weeks have been hectic and I don't know where the time has gone.  I hardly seem to have had a moment to spend time in the garden or do anything else other than go to work.     

 

I travelled more than 1700 km/1100 miles to attend a one-day course in Toronto last weekend.  I flew in on Saturday as the course was on Sunday and then I had a day to myself before flying back to Halifax on Tuesday. 

 

I took the rest of the week off, as I've not had a break since October.  We spent time in the garden during the past two days tidying and weeding.  It has been good to get outside in the fresh air and see new life appearing.

 

My blog has been very neglected and I'm not sure whether to continue.  I enjoy posting, even though I know that I blog so little these days that I hardly have any followers.  Life has been incredibly stressful in the last few months, especially since my return from the UK in October. 

 

For the time being, I will try to post and visit when I can.  Who knows what the next few months will bring?  Hopefully a change for the better.   

Seashells

One of the craft projects that I've been working on in recent weeks is a seashell sampler.  This was a gift from my friend Tracy at Prana Light and I've had it for quite some time.  I find that I have to be in the mood to tackle such a piece and the opportunity arose when I was recovering from that nasty virus in early March.

At this time of the year, good light has been somewhat lacking, so it has been a challenge, as many of the threads are in very similar pastel shades, plus different areas are working in either one, two or three strands, creating the light and shadow.

Once completed, I'm hoping to get it framed and hang it in our new bathroom, wherever that might be.  Oh, did I mention that we are thinking of moving again?

Happy Easter

As a special treat, I baked some delicious chocolate cupcakes this morning.  Iced with chocolate ganache and topped with mini Easter eggs.  Very rich, so quite an indulgence, but definitely worth it for a little Easter celebration. 

 

Wishing you all a very Happy Easter.

Spring

 

Last week, we had mild temperatures for a couple of days and my thoughts turned to spring, which according to the calendar, was just around the corner. 

 

 

This week, nature had other ideas and the arrival of spring was greeted with a huge snow storm, which dumped about a foot of snow on us in about nine hours. 

 

The garden, which had been reappearing last week (indeed, the whole of the front garden was snow-free), is now buried under drifts again.

 

At least this morning, the sun is shining and I can appreciate the beauty of nature from my kitchen window.

Coast

Just before illness struck our household, we took a drive up to Cape George and Ballantyne's Cove in search of seals.  I had been told that they were clearly visible on the ice, but on the day we visited, they were tiny black blobs in the distance, as much of the ice had blown off-shore.

Still, the scenery was breath-taking, as was the wind.  The snow along the shoreline was quite deep, so we didn't venture far.

The winter landscape looks so different to the view in summer when the harbour is busy with boats.

The narrow channel seen in this photograph is the only access to water and the seals were on the far side.  There were only a couple of them and even with binoculars, it was difficult to pick them out from that distance.

It was great to get out and see the coast in winter.  I hope that next time we visit, the spring will have arrived and the snow melted.  We may then be able to enjoy sitting at this picnic bench and admiring the view.

Comfort Food

There are times when the only thing that offers any comfort is food.  After two weeks during which we have hardly set foot outside the door due to illness, I felt the need for a taste of home.  Nipping down to the local supermarket for a packet of teacakes isn't an option here because they don't sell them.  In the past, I have attempted baking teacakes, but they did not turn out that well.  This time, I tried a recipe from Country Homes & Interiors' Magazine, which I adapted slightly, as I didn't have all of the ingredients.

The results were delicious!  The article suggested eating by the hearth, which sadly, we don't have, but they tasted great with a cup of tea.  Perfect comfort food for a cold winter's day.