A jolly fine weekend (Sports aside)

This weather is absolutely stonking. Like the summers that we used to have when we were little - where paddling in the river and sitting in a paddling pool were expected. For once though, I'm rather grateful for the vast number of trees in our back garden which create large swathes of shadow. When I was a teenager, I used to worship the sun - it was my friend in the fight against the dratted acne - but now, I'm a bit of a wuss and tend to shy away from it with sun factor in the high double figures - I can't believe I used to use an 8...and that was if it was really hot... How times change.

Miss P has been rather beside herself with the heat, but rather than utilise the joy of thick, Victorian walls and bare floorboards that are at her disposal, she has found numerous spots which start out as shady places of sanctuary and become throbbing, hot plates much to her disgust. It's quite fun to play spot the camouflaged cat. Our favourite to date has to be our neighbours olive tree - for Miss P is frightfully nosey (aren't they all?) and she has taken to surveying the neighbourhood noise from up high. All that inquisitiveness can be quite exhausting apparently.
She's not the only one - Mr M had to relocate a snoozing bumble bee who had drifted off on one of the towels whilst it dried (nice and crisp!) outside. Said snoozing bumble bee was only spotted after the towels had been brought into the bathroom and Mr M was brushing his teeth before bed. There was some very grumpy buzzing coming from the improvised rescue contraption (tissue) prior to release.
We always try to eat lunch outside unless the weather thwarts us. Mr M's sandwiches complete with salt and vinegar crisps and a cold lager were just the ticket between the Grand Prix and dratted football match yesterday. Cricket was accompanied by dry roasted peanuts, a glass of rose and rather a few tense moments.
Mr M's veg beds have been coming along nicely. The peas have yet to make it to the kitchen. The winner so far has been the yellow courgette plant bought for 49p and plonked by our front door for maximum sun potential. We had the first courgette on the BBQ in a little foil parcel with oregano, seasoning and a little water. Delicious - the perfect accompaniment to Mr M's special chilli and garlic chicken! We've also become obsessed with halloumi - but I'll save that for another time. There are at least 6 more courgettes on their way, and the squash that we transferred to the front due to it looking particularly sad has finally started to climb - hoorah. Fingers crossed!
We even managed a 20 mile bike ride on Sunday morning. Pretty darn impressive for my bicycle's fifth outing. We were up before 8am (unheard of in this household unless there is a flight or train to catch) and out of the house before 9. We cycled upriver to Walton Bridge, crossed over and missed our turning due to rubbish signposting. The M3, and crossing over it, was a bit of a giveaway. Not a problem, for I had spied an ice cream van along the tow path so we went back the way we came and had a very rewarding 99 (for moi) and a retro mint Feast (for Mr M). There are some beautiful riverboats and cabins along that stretch. With the weather as it is, wouldn't it be lovely to have a little cabin to retreat to and spend lazy days watching the world go by*. There were some people taking a dip from one of their cabins - it looked so refreshing (even more so because we were rather hot from over-cycling). I love the river - I do have a tendency to get all Swallows and Amazons about it. The tow path was pretty busy on the way back - we came across a sponsored dog walk which was more of a sponsored wet dog sit - but we made it home by 11:30 to ensure that no sport was missed. Webber's crash was pretty spectacular - what a lucky, lucky man.
After 20 miles of cycling, lounging was about the extent of activity that I could muster, so I quietly finished reading my book club book - Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett. It was my turn to choose and this looked interesting. It's won awards and has had some amazing reviews but it wasn't really the page turner that I was hoping for. It was rather a so read if I'm honest. It fizzled out like a sparkler. Oh well. 12 more months to go until I can pick another one...To keep track of the book club choices, I've marked them with a BC on my reading list - just in case you were wondering about the Before Christ references...

Gosh, I have gone on rather - I've set up office in the garden under the parasol you see, which has apparently set me off a-rambling. I blame the heat. Or the woodpecker who's currently squawking rather loudly - probably at one of the cats who has clearly set their sights a little too high.

So, that was our weekend - lazy, hot and indulgent. The obvious chores were squeezed in around the edges.

Thank you for your lovely comments about Poppy. Fortunately, my parents are off to Devon which will serve as the perfect distraction. Any tips for Appledore? The house they're staying in backs onto the sea wall which sounds wonderful. The forecast isn't looking marvellous, but hopefully it will sort itself out next week.

*Ha - I just had a quick look at how much a 'little' cabin would cost...£220k for this one which lacks the quaint 1930s look I'm thinking of. This one has the land but at £400k not too sure about the torpedo boat accommodation...

Sunday evening

I am typing this as our sofa gradually consumes me. It has a tendency to lure unsuspecting (and tired) beings from upright to a tilting slump in less than 10 minutes. It is wonderfully comfortable though and I am utterly exhausted after our busy weekend so am happy to succumb to some slump. I am contemplating picking up 'Hug' and persevering with the 'H', for it is far too early to go to bed.

We've had a lovely weekend. Mr M arrived home safely. We went to a lovely pub hidden at the end of a winding lane for lunch with my parents and sister. It was where they had their first date once upon a time.

Lunch was a Ramblers basket - ham hock, potted shrimp, piccalilli, fruit chutney, stilton and cheddar. Delicious.
With full tums it was back down the lane towards Henley to visit Artspace. Such a beautiful setting to display sculptures with hens scratching about and the odd lazy cat.
I fell in love with these glass drops - we concluded that it would probably knock someone out if they weren't careful. The little landscapes that I quite fancied had all sold the night before at the opening event. Ah well.
And today, after a delicious lie in, Mr M's family came over for lunch. Little Miss M opened her birthday present but was far more excited about the real Miss P who sadly wasn't quite as excited. She spent most of the day outside hiding from the excited squeals and sticky fingers, only to be lured in when hungry.

Hope you had a lovely weekend.

The colour purple

Purple seems to be the current hue du jour. The lilac bobbing about on its slender stems outside the sitting room window, the almost black Queen of the Night tulips grown long and leggy and the little delicate violas that are dotted about the garden. On Monday, in the drizzle, I planted two clumps of dark purple gladioli bulbs - so there will be more purple to come.

The purple sensation allium buds are just waiting to go pop at Wisley. I was thrilled to spot that all of the allium bulbs that we planted earlier this year have sent up flower heads - fingers crossed the grey mafia won't notice them.
And it isn't just limited to the great outdoors. Our new storage ottoman adds a delicious dash of purple to our bedroom. Fabric from John Lewis. All credit for covering it so beautifully goes to The Dormy House (there was a fab special offer in the March issue of Country Homes and Interiors). It makes my heart skip a beat when I look at it.

Bleu

From this...
...to this
It has been slightly surreal having a clear blue sky with no vapour trails criss-crossing the view. The silence has only been interrupted by birds flitting about looking after their young or the buzz of a fat bumble bee moving from tulip to daffodil.

Silence belying the chaos.

10 things that make me happy

Oh dear, I'm rather late posting my 10 things that make me happy. There were quite a few.

The lovely Pink Cat very kindly gave me this award yonks ago so, with the aid of Wordle, here are mine...
So my sweet friends, what are the ten things that make you happy? I challenge you to a wordle-Happy 101-off !

Today

A tart made with love on Mother's Day
A journey along familiar roads
A pair of soaring Red Kites
A garden full of new growth for the year to come
A tasty roast dinner courtesy of Mum
A car boot of plants, leeks and lovely things
A truly lovely day

Overdew

Good morning. The sun is out again - making the dew on the lawn glisten and filling the flat with yellow cheer - what joy! In fact, it's been quite a yellow week. I found this wonderful Hornsea mug by John Clappison in a local charity shop for just 50p. It's part of his newsprint/horoscope range and the typography on it is simply stunning. The walrus makes me smile with each sip of tea.

Our little forsythia, one of Mr M's favourite plants, has flowered for the first time and I spotted our first daisy this morning.

My little gold lace primula from my little adventure the other week has been flowering contentedly in the sun, unfurling her to petals to reveal little cups filled with a golden yellow hue.

And the yellow-orange of Mr M's workshop is no more. The unveiling is long overdue - so without further ado here it is looking mighty fine with its first coat of willow.

The colour choice was spot on. The second coat will go on at the weekend. And apparently the sun is going to hold until Monday. Hoorah!

A glorious wake up call

How I love sunny mornings which wake you up before Radio 4 and the manic beeping of the alarm. The ones that bathe you in a golden glow as you indulgently read your book before having to rise. I've never really paid much attention to mornings like these before - my previous routine saw my alarm going off at 6, me ignoring it and then being pushed out of bed by Mr M, before rushing around the flat and sprinting to get my train.

Being out of work, as lonely and disruptive as it has been at times, has opened my eyes to the simple things in life - sleep, trips to the market, tea breaks with a mug (eight years of paper cups, three times a day), flat shoes, the joy of homemade sandwiches and planning meals. It feels as though I've been in hibernation for eight years and I'm finally waking up.

Gadding about

Yesterday was spent gadding around zones 1-6.

The day started with an appointment in Richmond, followed by a quick detour home because I'd forgotten something, up to Piccadilly for another appointment, a peek in the Royal Academy shop, a brief drool over the Laduree display in Burlington Arcade,

a stroll over to Berwick Street and to one of my favourite shops.

Having bought a few goodies, I meandered to the National Portrait Gallery. After attempting, and failing, to get a culture fix due to said purchases, refreshments were called for so I made my way next door to the National Gallery cafe for a small, yet trumpy hot chocolate.

Refreshed, I made my way to Embankment and crossed my favourite bridge over to the Royal Festival Hall, holding tightly to my skirt that was threatening to do a Marilyn Monroe. A ponder at the Sherbet Dab Swivel and a quick look in Forbes, and I was still an hour early for my dinner date with my friend K. Armed with a good book, I decided that a coffee and chocolate brownie would be a marvellous way to spend my time whilst I waited. We finally left Le Pain Quotidien 5 hours later having thoroughly caught up over one or two glasses of wine!

All in all, a lovely day in London dodging Spring showers, puddles and tourists, putting the world to rights and hopefully making some progress on the job front. My travelcard was definitely put to good use, as were my poor feet.

p.s. thank you for all of your lovely comments about the summerhouse. The tin of Willow has been bought and is sitting in the kitchen waiting for a sunny day!

New

March seems to bring with it an air of newness. Longer days, greener gardens, salad rather than soup, fruit juice instead of hot chocolate and the reminder that summer isn't too far away.

New pencils to inspire.
New signs of life on the kitchen windowsill. Clockwise from top left; Okra, pea, purple kohl rabi and yellow mangetout.

New structures. A new summerhouse/workshop for Mr M. Thank you Grandpa and Mr M Senior! It was finally constructed on Saturday having survived February leaning against the fence. It won't be bright orange for long - the tester pots are ready and waiting for the weekend.

Hoo-rah for ranunculus!

Ranunculus have to be one of my favourite flowers. So delicate and yet so solid with their masses of petals, it's hard to believe that they are related to the buttercup. And joy of joys, they were only £1.50 a bunch from the flower stand in the market this afternoon. I have to say that I am more than happy to forego a scrummy cafe au lait for a week of this bunch of joy.

W is for...

...Week. And what a week it has been. The project management course was extreme, expanding and exhausting. I hadn't realised quite how 'hands on' it was going to be and the long days were shattering. But it was entirely worth it. I met some truly inspiring people, learnt a great deal (including how to use Publisher!) and all in a setting that promotes peace and tranquility for women.

...Women. I met some amazing women on my course this week. Women that Florence B. Jack would have been proud of. I mention Florence because I picked up her fantastic book, The Woman's Book written in 1911, from our local Oxfam shop yesterday and it's just darling. More about its wise words another time.

...Weekend. Spent north of the river in Crouch End helping Mr and Mrs H with their greenhouse. Whilst the boys did the manly stuff, the girls made lunch and sampled the wine.

...Wisley. I have been badgering Mr M about going to Wisley to see the butterflies for the last couple of weeks and we finally made it this morning. It was busy, busy, busy - but that didn't deter us. We took a short cut (the benefit of Mr M being an RHS member and a frequent visitor) and fought our way into the glasshouse. I have to confess that I was expecting a few more butterflies, but I still managed to get some photos of them so all was not lost. Oh, and Mr M picked up some peas to add to his seed collection.

So, that was my wonderful week. How was yours? I'm hoping that this week will see me shifting the lurgy that I picked up last week and finding out a little more about 'everything a woman ought to know' courtesy of Florence.

St Valentine

Have a lovely weekend.

Winter wonderland

Childishly excited - we watched the snow fall in the yellow light last night with our grubby noses pressed to the glass and woke up to this.
Any thoughts I'd had of making my 9:30 appointment in Central London were quickly lost when I turned on BBC1 Breakfast - no trains, buses or tube. All systems down. Curses for trying to be clever and buying my travel card a day early. So, with the email cancelling said appointment sent, smart clothes were replaced with jeans and warm layers and we were ready to hit the garden. The snow was 'over the boot' deep - which is unheard of. And brilliant. I spent rather a lot of time laughing at one of the cats wading across the garden. I laughed even more as she walked past our back door flashing some rather unfortunate snow clumps attached to her furry derriere. Mr M refused to make a snow angel so we cleared the snow off the veranda and bird feeders, and had a brief snow fight.

Well, it would have been rude not to.
Still soggy round the edges, I braved the big white world to get provisions - bright white snow until I got to the main road and discovered the sludge. Yuck. With provisions bagged, I made my way home. There's a park at the end of our road so I took a slight detour to take in the snowy scene - children being pulled on sledges, dogs chasing snowballs, family groups out for a stroll, a snowman army in the making - it was just like The Snowman by Helen Bradley. Oh, to be Miss Carter. What a holiday feel. It should be declared National Snow Day. Apparently it's the most snow we've seen down here for 18 years.
Happy snowday!

To quote Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, on the London roads and bus situation - "We gritted, we grat, we grut." It made me snort with laughter!!

Things that made me smile today

1. These stunning anemones I picked up from the market yesterday for £1.50. They are just so very pretty - like a Laduree rose macaroon. I smile every time I look at them. It made me want to pop on a tea dress, pick up my current book club read and have a tray of tea. I smiled even more when I spotted them at the florists for £5.95! Did you know that anemones represent anticipation? Rather appropriate I thought.
2. Waking up in a bed of fresh linen.
   
3. Baking a(nother) marble cake. In a giant cupcake base. Too much fun.
4. Listening to the three parakeets on the bird feeder shrieking at the cats.
   
5. My daily dose of the Gilmore Girls.
6. Mr and Mrs Robin eating my discarded muesli nuts.
7. Spidermonkey sneaking up the stairs outside for a better view of the squirrels and being caught...

Literary loveliness in London

I made a slight detour last week on my trip to London to go to a little shop. A website I’ve visited on numerous occasions and poured over its titles. Pretty endpapers that would make the perfect summer tea dress with a slice of Victoria sponge and a cup of tea. With the ring of a bell as I opened the door, I had finally arrived in the wonderful world of Persephone Books. A tiny shop with piles of books and packing boxes, purchase orders and plants – I could imagine that somewhere at the back a cat was lounging on a battered cushion. They have a fantastic philosophy and I must confess to finding out about them from Jane Brocket’s blog. I can’t quite tell you just how thrilled I am to be in possession of my very own Persephone book. It is currently sitting on the mantelpiece in the bedroom looking magnificent in all its pigeon grey glory. I hope it is the first of many, because they would look super above my shelf of old penguins. Oh to be lucky enough to have a Persephone subscription.

Now, with my new purchase I did have to make an exception to my rule for 2009 of not buying any more books this year (unless it’s for my book club) as we are fit to bursting – the bookshelves are full and little termite book mounds are springing up all over the flat. This is always a bad sign because it means that I need to start speed reading before they take over key pieces of furniture such as the sofa, armchair and bed and that you can’t walk through the flat with the lights off for fear of stubbed toes. We did try the nightclub policy of one in, one out last year and that just resulted in bookcase stagnation.

I have always loved books – it comes from having a bookshop in the family, one with low ceilings, creaky floorboards and a maze of bookshelves. The musty smell of old books conjures up such lovely childhood memories. I scour charity shops for them and my heart always skips a beat when I find a name and date scrawled inside – the oldest I have is 1908. I dream of having a room lined with bookshelves from floor to ceiling. We nearly did that to one end of our sitting room but decided that it would take away too much of our precious space. One day.

A couple of years ago I started to make a note of the books that I'd read - mainly because there is nothing more disappointing than starting a 'new' book only to realise by the 3rd page that you've already read it and had been fooled by the new sparkly cover. I thought I’d pop my 09 list on the blog as an incentive to read faster! Here are the books that I read in 2008 – I thought there would be more, which perhaps explains the book termites...

1. Half of a Yellow Sun - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
2. Fragrant Harbour - John Lanchester
3. Goodbye Jimmy Choo - Annie Sanders
4. The other side of the story - Marian Keyes
5. Hunting Unicorns - Bella Pollen
6. The Unnumbered - Sam North
7. The Virgin Blue - Tracy Chevalier
8. Salmon Fishing in Yemen - Paul Torday
9. The Scapegoat - Daphne du Maurier
10. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
11. Far from the Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
12. The Colour - Rose Tremain
13. I am Legend - Richard Matheson
14. The Interpretation of Murder - Jed Reubenfeld
15. Notting Hell - Rachel Johnson
16. Mister Pip - Lloyd Jones
17. The Savage Garden - Mark Mills
18. Set in Stone - Linda Newbery
19. The Outcast - Sadie Jones
20. Under the Tuscan Sun - Frances Mayes
21. Sepulchre - Kate Mosse
22. Stardust - Neil Gaiman
23. The Rose of Sebastopol - Katharine McMahon
24. East of the Sun - Julia Gregory
25. Last Voyage of the Valentina - Santa Montefiore
26. Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen

So, what did you read in 2008? My top five would have to be - 1, 7, 10, 13, 20.

Have a lovely Sunday, I'm off to limber up for a spot of speed reading and perhaps some hoovering.

One word

Bliss.

Cyclamen, contracts and cake

Aren't these cyclamen just gems? My camera doesn't do them justice. Mr M planted them in pots by the front door a couple of weeks ago and they are just the tonic on a grey, grizzly day. Always there to say hello or goodbye. They're such graceful, swan-like flowers, bowing as though greeting the Queen. I think the cerise ones, below, are my favourite.

The last week has flown by in a blur, and this morning I signed the contract with my former employer with more clauses than Father Christmas. It is finally over and I can now move on. I feel as though a great weight has been lifted and replaced with awe and excitement at the unknown.

To celebrate I decided to bake a cake. I've been craving a pineapple upside down cake for absolutely ages, but really wanted to make a loaf cake. So, here it is...a photo and a recipe.

Pineapple upside-down and round-the-wrong-way loaf cake

112g butter, softened
112g caster sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
100g glace cherries
small tin of pineapple rings, drained and chopped

22cm loaf tin, greased and lined with greaseproof paper

Heat oven to 180C
Beat the butter and sugar together until pale, then add the eggs, one by one. Make sure you mix well after each egg.
Add the flour, milk and vanilla extract and mix until you have a smooth mixture.
[Or stick everything, except the cherries and pineapple chunks, into a food processor - you lucky things!!!]
Stir through the glace cherries and pineapple chunks, and pour the mixture into the loaf tin. Don't forget to bang the tin to release air bubbles.
Pop in the oven until golden, and the knife comes out clean. Takes about 50 minutes, but start poking from 45.

It caramelises on the bottom by itself, so no need for the traditional layer of sugar.

Scrumptious. I don't think it will be hanging about in our kitchen for very long...

A perfect autumn day

Boiled egg and soldiers
Condensation
Blue skies
Local shopping
Lingering in the library
Lunch outside
Polka dot wellies
A multitude of mushrooms
Raking up leaves that sound like waves on the shoreline
Fox poo...
Helping (-ish) to make a leaf bin
Chatting to the robin
Scolding Blue for trying to eat the robin
Bright, bold berries
Steaming coffee
The Rose of Sebastopol
Wood carving
Beef stew simmering
A glass of red, Stardust DVD, knitting and Mr M.

Perfect

Happy October!

Polly put the kettle on!

Yes indeedy. The new kettle has arrived. We picked him out at John Lewis on Saturday using some of our left over wedding vouchers, and I must say - he really is rather fetching.

The only flaw is that he gets incredibly hot - you can only pick him up by the handle. No more holding with both hands or hugging to the chest to warm up in the cold winter months.

We've had a fantastically productive weekend. I even managed to get my sewing machine pedal mended - apparently the electrics had gone, hence the uber-fast setting, which after the initial exhilaration, was wildly annoying. Time to dust off my Liberty fabric and Amy Butler patterns and begin sewing.

Which is great news, particularly as we officially said goodbye to Summer at the weekend. Such a brilliant, bright weekend with just a hint of Autumn chill in the evenings. And so, as if it were only yesterday, we return to raking leaves from the lawn, slow Sunday roasts, cutting sedum in full flower, drawing the curtains early, wiping away early morning condensation from our lovely sash windows, pulling out forgotten knitting projects and digging around the coat pile for our warm, but lightweight jackets - for it's not winter, not just yet.

As a final adieu to Summer, here is a photo of our super fuchsia that flowered again this weekend. We picked it up at the local scout plant sale back in June and, despite the squirrels and lack of sun, it found the energy to put on this bloom .

Such beautiful skirts - what a glorious finale.