St Valentines Day

Well we are 6 weeks into lockdown and I had hoped to blog most days. But even the best made plans dont always work. You dont need to know but when you had good health hold on to it. So aplogises to my loyal blog followers for bearing with me. Snow, well yes it comes most years and social media must think it has just been invented. For people like me, who went to school in the 1960s, the snow we get now a days is just a sprinkling. In those days you could be snown in for 6 weeks so similar to lockdowns of today . In the 70s and in teenegae years it was great as th eschool bus couldnt get through or was later so we used to hang on until the last minute, see the bus coming in the distance and then scarper. Two miles in those days was nothing to walk home.We would get home just in time for dinner,snowballing and sliding along the way. I feel sorry for the white owls as the mice run under the snow and there is not a lot we can do to help them. It has been extremely cold but with good supplies of logs Jack keeps bringing them in by the barrow load every day. So as Valentines Day is tomorrow.I

dont need to be reminded he loves me with a soppy card or flowers. As long as he just keep bringing logs in that is enough for me. Today we sat snuggled up on the sofa with the log burner door open now that was poor Heaven. The heat is so much better than having to wear long john under your trousers. Oh dear they arent called long johns these days they are thermals . Well whatever they are called that extra layer of clothing is so appreciate when you areout and about. The basin in the down stairs bathroom is frozen so glad we have others to use. That bathroom is facing north so really doesnt get any sun on it at all. I went for a walk the other day up into the woods. I would never have thought to take photos but Tom had been up and said it looked like Narnia . I saw 5 deer too. They are coming down now off the moor as there is no food for them and someone spotted 30 last night. With the seasons all to pot there are still some very late born ones about so sadly if the weather continues like this they will not survivie the winter. We feed the garden birds constantly during th edays and sadly keep finding little wrens dead from the cold. The days are starting to lenghten and when the sun comes out it throws its heat around. The aconites were out first and now th esnowdrops and other bulbs are pushing through. My dill and thyme have taken a beating and the early showing of chives well we will see. So try and stay warm everyone ,stay safe and look after your selves till next time . . .

Coming to Life In an English Country Garden

I wonder how many Aprils have been as dry and sunny as 2020.  Every morning we wake up to blue skies . We are totally blessed in this green and pleasant land even in this Coronavirus time .

We love to share our garden with guests so send you a few photos to say it is still here . The sights, the smells ,the sounds. 

I am also helping in my dads garden this year he is way ahead of me with vegetables having got over 100 onions planted they are coming up now. So are his peas and potatoes. 

My tomatoes look miserable specimens next to his but I am trying. 

It is still cold and frosty when the sun goes down and so I reluctant to put my geraniums and other flowing pots  out yet as they have serve me well through the winter and provided us with a  small show of flowers since I bought them in last Autumn. So they are all sitting in the porch way as it would be cruel to let them die now .

The  Clematis well out and another is climbing up a drain pipe It is a Jackmanii which is the earliest flowering one I know of and if rampant growing up the acacia tree too .

The last photo is of my bird of paradise plant but it will only go out in June for a couple fo months. We are lucky to get one flower a year which lasts for weeks but up to now has not obliged by opening

Easter Wishes

No Easter eggs this year I wasn't organised enough .Apart from milk and a quick trip to Mr Waind the butcher in Kirkbymoorside when I went to the vets the other week. `We have managed with one delivery from Hebdon

the green grocer  in Easingwold.

  For lunch today had some very nice lamb from our farm . Thanks to Nicholas. They sell it in the Wass Farm Shop and would thoroughly recommend you get some . They do local deliveries too with meat boxes being very popular .There is a website and also a Facebook page you can contact Annabelle to place your orders.

The cookery books keep coming out and talk about inventiveness. Jack has never had so many different meals although some have been good some I wont be making any more. As those of you who know Jack , he is fussy and every meal has to be a feast less he thinks he has been put on a diet. His cooking skills are more or less zilch and he doesn't like baked beans,  so baked beans on toast would be a proper no no . For me when I was in my 30s I survived on bacon sandwiches, pork pies and chocolate. Other than having vegetables on a Sunday at my mothers I think I racked up 3 jacket potatoes which was the whole of my vegetables intake in 10 years. And I weighed 3 stone less than I weigh now. I still find that habit hard to break.
Sometimes Jack enjoys a steak pie from Auntie Anne's Bakery in Helmsley which gets me out of cooking . We dont really have chips at home either as our Aga never seems to hold the heat long enough to cook them properly. So with this beautiful weather we are having, I sit in the garden and ponder through my cook books to see what we can have next .

I used this spelt flour the other day which was kindly given to me to try by the producers, Craggs and Co. where they say it is lovingly grown, harvested and milled in the beautiful North East of England . It is based at East Close Farm ,Sedgefield if you would like to try it ..  . Maybe it isn't really for making pizzas but I thought I would have a go -Jack doesn't really do pizzas either only the ones from the Grapes in Slingsby. We dont like to do the mileage to pick one up at the moment so he had to make do with a Carr House special instead.  The weather was so nice it even raised in the sunshine .We are very sheltered  and it quite a little sun trap here. It is nice just to sit in the garden and view the world from your garden seat .I dont expect you to have to knead the bread when you come to stay.

Nature and Coronavirus ....Mother Nature doing her best

Just to remind you Spring is with us .

For the last couple of weeks I have been looking out of the kitchen window at tea time . At this time of year we see deers in the orchard at the back of the house. We have seen up to 5 at once before but last night there was 7 . They were too quick for me as I sneaked around the end of the house to take a better photo and just got two. Below is a little video of what you are likely to see in Spring when you are here. The fields are filling up with lambs. The birds are really doing their courting songs,as soon as you walk out of the door you can hear them. The wild garlic is well up now so anyone wanting to take a bag full home are quite welcome .They are now a favourite of young chefs in the area.

The Snowdrops Spectacular 2014 - Burton Agnes Hall

It looks as if Spring has sprung. The days are lengthening and the birds are singing. We have snowdrops too, but not as many as at Burton Agnes Hall. Our daffodils leaves are through and it looks as if we we will have a lovely show of yellow dancing daffodils within a month or so. Not far from us is Farndale where you can go to see the wild daffodils which grow down near the river and even go to the Daffy Cafe for refreshments after your walk. So much to do and see here in North Yorkshire