Apple of my eye

I wonder where the saying apple of my eye came from .So looked to good old Google and Wiki came up with this apple of one's eye.... Special favorite, beloved person or thing, as in The youngest was the apple of his father's eye. This term, which rests on the ancients' idea that the eye's pupil is apple-shaped and that eyes are particularly precious, appears in the Bible (Deuteronomy 32:10). As it was a Sunday and a glorious afternoon I thought it was very apt to having this for my blog heading today. I suppose I was the apple of my Dad's eye I am the youngest and the oldest too. For me, my Dad is very special too. At 98, he loves life,is very wise and does so much. We took the opportunity to go and pick some apples. No chance of me driving. So now it is apple pies,apple crumbles,apple cakes,apple sauce,stewed apples and plenty to eat until Christmas. The ones that had already fallen off we left for the birds to eat. It is days like this when it is good to be alive and so glad we thought to plant those fruit trees. Fruit trees grow quite quickly and you can usually reap the benefits within a year or two. These will have been planted probably 20 years now. 20 years has gone by so quickly. We plant trees every year as my Dad has always said you should plant for future generations to enjoy as his fore elders had planted many moons before. We have owned the same land for nearly 130 years as a family. He has enjoyed trees throughout his long life and I suppose that love has rubbed off on me. My favourite is the mighty Oak probably planted a mere 100 years before. Often thought to be slow growing, the native oak is really relatively quick on good soils, reaching 20m (60ft) in 50 years. It is a remarkably long-lived tree, too; some of the oldest oak trees growing in this country are pollards, up to 800 years old. Many famous named trees have large boles with circumferences up to 14m (45ft) and stag horned heads. We have all sorts of trees and plantations of ancient woodlands that guests are welcome to walk through. Some which are not quite as common, usually bought for birthday and Chrsitmas presents. My "portfolio" of trees include fig, acacia, walnut and a couple of Wellingtonias, a Canadian maple as well as Eucalyptus. On my Chrsitmas present list this year are copper beech and a peach tree. Oh and I forgot I have a mature lemon tree and 9 young ones I have grown from pips. Also a yuzu tree from a pip ...just one so fingers crossed it will florish.

Friluftsliv ... are you up for this .

#Lockdown 2 - We have added the word "Friluftsliv" to our vocabulary . We are also taking "Friluftsliv " to another degree here at Carr House Farm .... more to follow very soon.

Just in case you didn't know what "Friluftsliv" means -open air living, fresh air and embrace what is all around us in the countryside. We are lucky to have mountains of it around here . Offering another choice of what you do when you come to stay with us here in the heart of the countryside.

So as Friluftsliv opens up into our lives more than ever before, we have something else to thank the Vikings for .

We all need something to look forward to and to get us through this trying time. Everyone will have highs and lows until Spring comes again. We always feel better with sunshine and long light days but I always think if you have something to look forward to ,enjoy something new whether it be an experience or learning something or a small gesture of kindness. It is not about huge expense it is about filling our hearts with joy from the small things in life.

Until then I have been down to Castle Stores -Bentleys Wool shop in Helmsley to buy some wool. I won't be knitting socks for soldiers as the saying goes but I actually find it quite therapeutic until the cat decide to commandeer the ball of wool and wont give it up

Halloween next week and Christmas around the corner

 So have you got your pumpkin ready. 

Looking to find yet another pumpkin soup recipe and usually revert to an old faithful.  It isn't that many years ago that Halloween was more celebrated in America than here . Pumpkins were treated a bit like wild mushrooms as if they were only the food of witches on broomsticks and that Pumpkin soup was boiled in a cauldron. 

As social media fills our pages with photos of pumpkins , their bright orange skins seem to brighten many a dull day . I wish I had planted my seeds earlier but I am desperate to keep the one and only plant I have as it has a bit more of sentiment to it than normally . It was 5 years this week since my Mum died  and she was always saving seeds . I found some in a cupboard this year which she had dried and saved me from 2013 in an old pill bottle. Recycling isn't a new word to us . And blow me, I now have a  pumpkin plant  with lots of flowers on.

I was in Helmsley yesterday for a quick shop and parked just over the bridge as you go . I saw "Pip" on his bike heading towards his shop/workshop, but was too far away to shout Hello . I thought I hadn't been in for a while and I really must when I had got my groceries. Pip is Paul Garbutt, who along with his lovely wife Henny have owned and run Bridge Street Framers for over 35 years. Pip formed a band and still plays  and every Thursday in lockdown he cheered up many folks not only in Helmsley where he lives but others too as it went on social media as he stood in the street and with his guitar strummed away belting out the favourite songs many from the 60s. Interesting enough Pip was the front man singing  and playing the guitar, but in the gallery guess who I spied ? Dave yes it was Dave Cook the drummer in the band who was busy making frames . Dave in his young days ran CC Racing and was known for his precise maintained racing cars. So no wonder the frames they build are so noticeable and well made when they have craftsmen like Dave making them. 

 It doesn't matter what time of year you go in there is always something to tempt you . I had heard they had moved from local gossip but was relieved to know they still where they have always been , next to the brewery  and a few yards up from the butchers. 

So why not a bit of early Christmas shopping ..no point in not being organised . You may say we all have our own tastes and it is true .So you either know exactly what would excite someone and snap it up ,tuck it under your arm and feel proud as punch you have ticked the box on the first Christmas purchase for 2020... or wonder. No need to wonder anymore, why not buy a gift token and then they can choice their own and love it forever. Even suggest a trip with them and enjoy a lunch out too. Helmsley is that sort of a place. With being next to the brewery and if you have a husband like mine who hates shopping you could always leave him to sample the local beer and browse the gallery in peace. 

I didn't see any framed works with pumpkins on but I did find this one find this one with an owl on which I thought was very apt for the time of year. As well as buying originals and prints from BSF you can take your own masterpieces in to be framed . 

Oh how Deer ... and precious

 How I love Autumn. 

The trees are looking amazing all warm red,oranges  and some days the skies are too as the sun rises and set. The former I don't normally see as many of you know I am quite a night owl. Although this morning I was up before 4am as we have just been having some new shelves put up in the and I needed to fill them ...well more like I needed to make space. 

I think it looks as if I will be back to writing my blog more often as we are going back into stranger times, so here goes.

I take some of the dogs out during the day when Jack is on the shoots and in fact have quite enjoyed it . I managed to pick quite a gathering of blackberries [before the devil spit on them ]- Some say the 10th October but as I looked this up I feel there is more sense to the date being the 29th September,which is Michaelmas.  After that the early frosts seem to come and make them all mushy . 

 I gathered quite a lot of fungi and we have survived although I left some in their natural habitat as I wasn't too sure.

The longer I walked the more the dogs seemed comfortable to do their own thing and  I liked that too as I wasn't tripping up over them all the time . They are very good and always come back when I shout ...well most of the time .

And look what I came across ... the photo below show a little fawn curled up in the sunshine. probably no more than a couple of days old. I have never been to one so close before and it warmed my heart for days.To begin with I wasn't sure if it was dead or alive .then I saw its ear twitch and a step nearer you could see its tiny body breathing . I went back a couple of hours later  without the dogs  just to check it hadn't been left .By this time it had opened its eyes as I heard a noise high above me .Its mother was calling out as I made a quick exit as I didnt want its mother not to come back for it .

Nature is such a marvellous thing and this last few months as the pace of life has slowed down for many of us we start to see things more or less on our doorstep . 

What to sow in October | Veggie seeds for October | Self-sufficient vege...

Still gathering in the Harvest

 It has been a bumper year for fruit and vegetables,  so the house has had a lingering smell of vinegar over the last few weeks. Cucumbers ..there are only so many ways to eat cucumbers. I have not let any go to waste as made them into bread and butter pickle and not a piece of bread in sight. How it got its name as it is said it is so good to eat you only need bread and butter with it . We like it with cold meat or pork pie. It also went down very well with some Scotch eggs I made .They are easy to make and I think fry better when they are coated with semolina rather than bread crumbs and seem to hold to the sausage meat better. You may like to give it a try. .Also another tip about sausage meat is to make your own with minced pork . Just add some bread crumbs,herbs and an egg to bind it together. Works out it doubles in volume and so makes it a cheaper way to make your Scotch eggs,

Now I am into the hedgerows collecting rosehips, brambles and elderberries .I am concentrating more on picking rosehips as they have a higher value of Vitamin C in and at least don't stain your hands like elderberries. 

This morning Jack said when he was out with the dogs it was trying to snow. Do we really need it yet . It is certainly log fire weather now .

 I am busy saving any paper,  as in the Spring I am hoping to run courses for 6 people here. "A 6 friends get together" and will talk more about it in later postings  . But in the Spring looking to put together courses for you . The idea is to have one party of 6 people who are old school friends , relations - 3 generation parties  or just 6 friends wanting to get away and spend a few days together in a safe environment . We live in a dark sky area and what we take for granted is not what others have. So to enjoy eating a meal under the stars what better way to finish your day off. 

My website is going to be updated shortly and will then reveal all these new and exciting programme of stays that we hope may be of interest to you . And there will be always something you can take home with you too .

So now back to the pickling kitchen .

September is here.

Jack was off first thing yesterday morning back on the shoots. It was the first day of the partridge season. The day sets off just like sending your child to school, but for me it is sending the husband off. Clothes already laid out ,so no last minute rush.  Sandwiches, flask, more clothes in case the weather changed. Even wasp spray incase a dog got attacked. And goodness knows what else he had with him.

It is always strange the first day he is away after having him here since the beginning of February but with no lunch to get ready I was able to crack on with plenty of jobs. I was blanching  and putting beans into the freezer. Skinning tomatoes and putting them in too . I am nearly at the end of my tomato harvest, so started raiding my Dad's greenhouse.

The days are shortening, but with it brings those lovely Autumn smells and colours of the countryside.  Harvest is  a busy time in lots of ways for us .My dad is disappointed he can't go to the sheep sales as he is over 70 . On the 25th, he will be 98 and is still as wise as an owl and as cute as a monkey. He was having beetroot sandwiches for his tea last night as he likes to boil them and says I don't cook them long enough. He has grown enough to keep him in beetroot sandwiches for the winter.

Hope you all managed to watch the first in the new James Herriot series last night. It is great to showcase the area, but coming from a farm I think I could have done a better job of calving that cow. But certainly the best hours viewing I have watched for a long time .

The Harvest Moon was full last night and will shine for 3 nights at least . Marvellous how nature helped the farmers light the fields before tractors were thought of .