stamp love

Have you seen the fabulous new Roald Dahl stamps?

As Royal Mail says: "gloriumptiously collectable"

The Roald Dahl website is rather fun, too.

a study of paws

Why is it that dogs are so effortlessly flexible compared to us humans? My boy contorts himself into all sorts of odd positions, and then snoozes for hours without a care in the world.

This time his paws seemed so perfectly posed, a photo or two was necessary.

renewal

The first day of the New Year, and a favourite time for me. Time to begin!

I have struggled to find time to blog these last few months, and in fact have enjoyed the break. I have to be honest and admit to not even missing this space very much - a sure sign it was time to step away.

I've had a wonderfully restorative and restful Christmas, which was just what I needed. I visited my family up country earlier in December, which in turn gave me some extended time off here in Cornwall these last two weeks. Time for long walks each day with my boy, re-discovering stretches of the coast path I've not trodden in a while, and spending the dark hours of the day knitting or reading, catching up with films and friends, and of course plenty of eating! It's been pretty blissful.

Now a squeaky clean New Year is unfolding in front of me, and I'm feeling excited. I want to dive right in!

Happy, Happy New Year to you all!

a bonfire by the light of the moon

I love a good bonfire. I find the dancing glow of the leaping flames both mesmerizing and meditative, energizing and calming all in one go.

Even better when the evening is shared with a little moonlight, fireworks, friends and a feast fit for a king.

autumnal

Autumn is without doubt my favourite season. There's so much to love:

:: hedgerows abundant with berries
:: cooler, crisper air
:: light fading at the end of the day
:: snuggling up in warmer clothes
:: thinking about the endless possibilities for winter knitting
:: filling the store cupboard with jams and jellies
:: the lingering smell of woodsmoke from autumn bonfires
:: a generally slower pace as the days shorten
:: going to bed early with a good book

It hasn't been very cold yet here in the far south west, and I'm confident I shall hold out until November before I put the heating on. Mostly I'm still getting by with no socks, though I'm looking forward to pulling my boots on!

The leaves are falling off the trees, crunching underfoot as Walter and I go about our daily walks.

I've been raiding the hedgerows for several weeks, supplementing the rich pickings with crab apples from my local WI market and offerings from friends. I recently acquired a fruit steamer (actually, 'invested in' would be more appropriate) and have been making jellies and fruit butters. Nothing goes to waste - and with the fruit steamer you cut out the overnight drip drip through a jelly bag, so you save a little time. My first batch of crab apple jelly was a little sweet for my taste (a ratio of 1:1 so 600ml of juice to 600g of sugar), so my subsequent batches have followed the guidelines in this wonderful preserving book (a ratio of 600ml of juice to 450g of sugar).

I love the jewel-like colours of the jellies. Pink from the crab apples, and pale gold from the pears. In fact, the pear and cardamon jelly is my current favourite, along with its corresponding fruit butter, which is sublime. Rock-hard conference pears have been transformed into something quite delicious and fragrant. However, I still have more jams and jellies to make before I catch up with Sue. I picked the last of the blackberries today - a slow, meditative picking in the warm autumn sunshine. Plenty more sloes too, for another bottle of gin.

What have you been making?

walter turns five

My sweet boy turned five today - a very good reason to sneak off for a long walk around Loe Pool.

The lake was shrouded in mist, so the landscape appeared and disappeared in layers. It was quite beautiful.

Walter was quite happy to go in for a quick dip, chasing sticks, and pootling around in the water. I couldn't get him to keep still long enough for any decent photographs!

By the time we reached Loe Bar, the narrow strip of land between lake and sea, he was ready for a roll in the sand.

Happy Birthday, Walter, you make my heart sing each and every day.

chicken business

Long time readers here will know that my nephew Ben designs and makes beautiful chicken coops. He recently launched a gorgeous new coop design, the Small Dorking, suitable for one to three large chickens (or bantams) - perfect for the smaller garden. You can find out more about it here.

photograph copyright Ben Grist/Oakdene Coops

Would you like the opportunity to win one? Then hop over to the Guardian Gardening Blog to enter. You just need to fill in your details and answer a very simple chicken-related question....it's that easy!

The draw closes tomorrow night, 6 October, at 23.59pm, so get your skates on!

seascape and skyscape

Sea and sky in the late afternoon light.  Perfect autumn weather.

dipping my toe in

Hello.

The first of the month is always a good date to start anything...or perhaps pick up the pieces of something that has lain idle for a while, so here I am. The last few days have finally brought some sunshine to the far south west, and the view from my bedroom window has been rather beautiful just before sunset...

and again just after sunrise.

I never tire of looking out to sea to check the weather.

mizzle

For the uninitiated, mizzle is a word peculiar to the south west of England, and it describes perfectly the weather we had nearly all weekend.

In fact, it was wetter than it appears here, and the visibility was very poor. Despite the mizzle, a flask of hot chocolate was shared whilst sitting on the rocks having a catch up with a dear friend. Not the perfect weather for a bank holiday weekend, but you have to make the best of it. The sun finally appeared late monday afternoon. Better late than never!

One could also argue that mizzle is an 'in' colour as Farrow and Ball have added it to their latest collection.

jammy

Luscious local strawberries are always a treat, and an excuse to make a wee quantity of jam. These punnets yielded two jars of delicious soft-set, not-too-sweet strawberry jam which I've especially enjoyed swirled through some home-made yogurt.

I use the recipe from this book, and it never fails to delight. How do you like your strawberries?

* * * * *

I can see a month has gone by with little thought for my blog. Looking back it seems it's been a time of both extreme busy-ness, and a time of doing nothing much at all. There was also one week where I was over-the-top grumpy, and irritated myself beyond measure. That's just how life goes.... sometimes it's pretty jammy, and sometimes it isn't.

sweet indulgence

When the first of May dawns wet and grey, and frankly seems more like February, it calls for deperate measures. I've been meaning to try this recipe for longer than I can remember.

I can now highly recommend Sophie Dahl's Peanut Butter Fudge. It melts on the tongue and has a delicious crumbly texture. It's rich and indulgent, and goes perfectly with strong coffee.

Pipany, I'll bring some over tomorrow. I can't eat all that by myself.

snippets

All these bank holidays have lulled me in to holiday mode! Here's a few snippets from the last week:

:: Meandering through my local graveyard early sunday morning and seeing this perfectly-framed gravestone.

:: Walter plucking up the courage to swim for his ball.

My boy is not a brave dog - he rarely goes out of his comfort zone, and quite literally needs the security of the ground beneath his feet.

It makes my heart sing to see him swim properly - it happens so rarely. Mostly, he paddles and runs through the water, then lies down to cool off.

:: Rebecca reminded me how delicious homemade yogurt is. I'm back in the swing of making my own, using local unpasteurised milk. Yum!

:: Making pesto with wild garlic leaves - my version is made from sunflower seeds, wild garlic, a garlic clove, olive oil, grana padano (cheaper than parmesan), lemon juice and salt and pepper. It's divine - smeared on toast, tossed in some pasta, in a simple risotto, or in a sandwich.

:: Watching my sweet peas emerge into little seedlings. I planted them a little late, but I'm sure they'll catch up. At the moment they're on the window seat in my bedroom.

:: The wedding. I was planning on ignoring it, but somehow I drifted to the computer on and off all day yesterday to catch up (no tv in my house!). It was so moving, and for all the grandeur I think it retained a sense of intimacy. Two young people setting out on their life together, and so clearly in love. Kate looked quite beautiful, and her dress was stunning. I admit to feeling a little teary with emotion.

walter goes green

Walter likes the simple things in life. Like rolling in freshly-mown grass. He often comes home from a walk covered in grass stains. Happiness comes with a green tinge.

It's raining here today and I've had to retreat indoors. It wasn't part of the plan. Hey ho.

Thanks so much for all the birthday wishes, and a Happy Easter to you all!

birthday bluebells

Today I've turned 47. It seems to me the older I get the faster time flies. It slips through my fingers like melted butter, and I find I want more hours in my day for the simple pleasures of life. I'm not fussed about getting older - it's just a number. I believe what's important is one's attitude and approach to life. And life is good. I looked in the mirror this morning, noted the all-over dusting of grey hairs and knew I would continue to go with the flow. After all, grey is one of my favourite colours!

So today has been blissful - a day off, a day for me to spend with Walter 'just pottering'. It's been a beautiful sunny day, not a cloud in the sky. We went to the beach this morning, stopping at a favourite cafe for some cake to take with us. Walking home, I paused at a roadside stall to buy a bunch of bluebells. A gift to myself.

What's not to love about a bunch of bluebells?

I sat in the garden for a while soaking up the sun, while Walter dried off from his dip in the sea, then headed off to my knitting group for our monthly gathering (and more cake!).

Now I'm heading out for another walk in the early evening sun. I suspect a gin and tonic will be poured on my return, and consumed while I cook my supper. A pretty perfect birthday, really.