Tales from a Cottage Garden

50 words for snow*

2012-02-05T21:24:00.000Z

Woke up this morning to a magical sight: a fresh layer of virgin snow, the first and perhaps only one of the season, at least in our neck of the woods. Glad I took the time to put out some further fat trays, and cheese, apple and pear nibbles on a small table in the lee of the cottage. Regular visitors such as blackbirds, tits, fieldfares were spotted - with a brief glimpse of a little wren - and were able to access this much needed food without having to peck down in the snow. Following a hearty 'Full English' we supplemented their smorgasbord with some tasty bacon rind as well. In return we were blessed with a delightful winter song by the ever trusting Song Thrush who has been visiting us for a while here at Cottage Garden .....

Later in the morning we pulled on our thick socks and boots and set out on a snowy walk in the parkland at Ickworth whilst listening to Kate Bush's CD, the evocative 50 Words for Snow.

Here are just a few of my favourite words - deliciously spoken by the wonderful Mr Stephen Fry.

*No 4 - blackbird braille

No 7 - deamondi-pavlova

No 11 - stellatundra

No 21 - anklebreaker

No 26 - vanilla swarm

No 29 - creaky-creaky

No 32 - shimmerglisten

No 47 - blown from polar bear

No 48 - vanishing world *

Stay safe and warm and enjoy the snow!

* words courtesy of Kate Bush

green shoots

2012-01-19T19:30:00.000Z

January can often feel like something of a let down after the busyness of Christmas and the New Year celebrations. It's a long month, not least of all if you received your salary in advance of the holidays, or like me you are putting off the inevitable in trying to ignore the Tax Return deadline of 31 January for as long as possible. Perhaps like me, you have also been semi-hibernating and hoping to miraculously wake up to a splendid Spring day.

But ...

I hear you say, that would be wishing your life away and indeed that's exactly what it is, but nonetheless we all do it, don't we? Watching the clock and longing for home-time when we are in the midst of a particularly boring or fraught day at work; wishing it was the weekend when we have only just arrived at work 9am on a Monday morning; or counting down the months, weeks or days to a longed-for holiday.

Time - I sometimes wish it away with alarming flippancy. I wish I didn't - such wished-away time is precious and can never be returned to.

On a more positive note I always think each season makes us stop and gather our thoughts, whatever we feel about that particular season. Seasons punctuate the year and go hand-in-hand with traditions, anniversaries and celebrations (Easter being my favourite) and a rich seasonal calendar inspired by nature, such highlights of course go a long way in allaying our urge to hurry things along; but to just live in the moment.

In the meantime, my garden is brown mush and I have yet to summon up any enthusiasm for the horticultural year which should ideally begin in the month of January. I never know when it will come, but I will just as surely be inspired by an incredible urge to throw off the cloak of winter, get out into the garden and dig and sow for England - I always do, but maybe not just yet.

Green shoots? Yes please.

thank you

2011-12-07T20:21:00.001Z

Thank you everyone for your kind and thoughtful comments to my last post about our lovely girl Jess. I tried where possible to reply to you individually by email, but to those of you whom I was unable to contact I would just like to give a somewhat belated thank you also. We took such great comfort from the caring sentiments expressed.

Our little cottage is feeling a little less sad as each day passes, and as the raw emotion and pain of that fateful day abates we will, in time, be able to think of Jess without tears, but with joy and smiles. We have so many happy and wonderful memories of her. She was a beautiful, petite creature with a huge personality, she lived her life to the full and will always be remembered for the fun and affection she brought to our home. We miss her sorely.

Jess - our beautiful adventurer

********************************************

It's a busy time for me with my work commitments so I will be continuing my blog break into the New Year but hopefully I will be posting on Christmas Eve. I also have a birthday coming up this weekend so I'm looking forward to being wined and dined!

Do keep warm and cosy on these cold, and blustery, winter evenings. Log fires are now most definitely called for. Who knows, we may even have a white Christmas ....

Jeanne
x

goodnight sweet Jess

2011-11-12T09:06:00.000Z

Jess

25 September 2003 - 11 November 2011

Shared our life and home since 6 October 2009

RIP

Beautiful girl

It is with the heaviest of hearts and immense sorrow that I have to write of the loss of our sweet Jess yesterday.

We spent a sleepless tearful night and with the morning came the crushing realisation that she was really gone. She will take her final resting place this morning.

Jess was a beautiful free-spirited and adventurous creature that lived her life to the full and would have been discontent had that freedom been curtailed. Her wanderings would lead her far away from home, I knew that, and with her return each dusk I would give an inward, almost imperceptible sigh of relief. She was home and safe and warm. We treasured her love and affection.

In the two years Jess shared our lives she was a beacon of joy, light and pure happiness. Our hearts are broken.

I can say no more.

Jeanne

xxx

Postscript ~

I will leave this post open for a couple of weeks as a memorial to Jess and then I think this blog will turn silent for a while. Just for a while. Maybe until the New Year. We'll see.

Regular readers and blog friends will have seen Bobbi and Jess's Page I'm sure. For any readers who may stumble across this post from the wider blogosphere and may like to read their story, the link is in my sidebar at the top.

Arabian Shawl

2011-11-04T14:24:00.000Z

Arabian Shawl
by Katherine Mansfield

"It is cold outside, you will need a coat --
What! this old Arabian shawl!
Bind it about your head and throat,
These steps ... it is dark ... my hand ... you
might fall."

What has happened? What strange, sweet charm
Lingers about the Arabian shawl ...
Do not tremble so! There can be no harm
In just remembering--that is all.

"I love you so--I will be your wife,"
Here, in the dark of the Terrace wall,
Say it again. Let that other life
Fold us like the Arabian shawl.

"Do you remember?" ... "I quite forget,
Some childish foolishness, that is all,
Tonight is the first time we have met...
Let me take off my Arabian shawl!"

the Other Mansfield Girl

2011-11-02T18:18:00.001Z

..... as in Katherine Mansfield not the 50s bombshell Jayne Mansfield who came to an extremely lamentable demise indeed.

No it is the author Katherine Mansfield to whom I refer, and last year having read her autobiographical work The Journal, a Persephone Books acquisition, I was prompted to find out more about her poetry and posted one of her poems here.

I have now picked up from the library a slim volume of 15 short stories. "Innovative, startlingly perceptive and aglow with colour" The Garden Party and Other Stories promises to be a great read. Many are set in the author's native New Zealand, others in the South of France and England. I don't usually read short stories but the lovely HKatz at The Sill of the World has whetted my appetite with her excellent regular reviews on the genre.

'Kisses, voices, tinkling spoons, laughter, the smell of crushed grass'

.... oh doesn't that just sum up the joy of a 1920s Garden Party on a deliciously warm Summer's day ..... sigh ....

but back to the here and now with a glorious Autumnal image from my garden today ....

..... nice - just look at that sky!

At the beginning of this year I resolved to read/re-read a number of Daphne du Maurier novels starting with Rebecca and I enjoyed her writing immensely. I'm often drawn to early to mid 20th century female writers and plan to kick start 2012 with Elizabeth Bowen, Winifred Holtby and Dorothy Whipple. With the dark winter evenings already upon us my reading list will again take precedence. A favourite cosy reading chair, replete with warm woollen throws beckons ....

What will you be reading this winter?

Jeanne
x

PS I will pop back in a couple of days with a Katherine Mansfield poem.

kitchen sink view

2011-10-21T21:20:00.000+01:00

Have a lovely October weekend full of sunshine and sweet things!

Jeanne

~ late October strawberries ~

heavenly roses

2011-10-18T10:17:00.000+01:00

Rose garden in the Cathedral grounds

The photos above were taken this last Saturday,15 October. The scene could easily be mistaken for June. Yes, I'm glad to say that Autumn is being kind thus far, easing me gently and quietly into the last few months of the year. Regular readers of my blog will know of my aversion to Autumn weather.

I emphasise the word weather. Not the season itself, I actually like the jewel colours of the berries and of course Autumn sees bountiful harvests of apples and pumpkins. I like the crispness of falling leaves in all their russet hues. It is simply the grey weather I oppose. For me a winter's day is far preferable. An idealised day of deep blue skies lit by a sparkling low sun.

So taking advantage of the lovely weather, we took some visiting friends on a walkabout through our town, pointing out buildings of interest and snippets of history (of which this town has much to offer) and stopping for coffee in the grounds of the Refectory to the Cathedral. It was lovely to sit outside in the south- facing and still verdant garden. A rampant passion flower grows and extends all along one wall and heaves with soft orange fruit, delicious looking but entirely inedible of course.

Back home I'm enjoying these dried hydrangea heads as they turn from vibrant cerise to a lovely dusky mauve - with just a hint of completely dried yellow as the petals slowly turn and drop...

Jeanne

Apologies for the different typefaces of my last few posts. I'm trying to find one that is easiest on the eye - which do you prefer - this one or the previous? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Paris + midnight = magic

2011-10-14T14:35:00.000+01:00

..."how can you not like Paris in the rain? ..."

Asks Gil, our baffled protagonist as his fiancee rushes for shelter in the back of a cab.

Well, I’m not too keen on city rain myself but I loved this film. The OH and I went to see Midnight in Paris at our lovely little local cinema and almost skipped all the way home, we were so entranced.

This is Woody Allen at his sparkling best. The humour is all there in bucket loads but this film is lighter on the angst. Even so, you can hear the director’s voice coming through in the character of Gil Pender played by the lovely Owen Wilson, a disenchanted Hollywood screenwriter visiting Paris with his fiancée Inez and her insufferable parents. He is without doubt the best Woody proxy by far!

Anyway Gil has been writing his first novel and dreams of moving to Paris and living the Parisian dream. The social-climbing Inez will, of course, hear nothing of this and what transpires afterwards is pure magic.

This film is a warm, funny and romantic homage to the Paris of the 20s, a wonderful fantasy where our protagonist, each night at the stroke of midnight is whisked away by vintage car back in time to the 1920s. Here he meets all his literary and artistic heroes, including Cole Porter, Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Man Ray, Dali, Picasso and the great Gertrude Stein played magnificently by Kathy Bates. Gil is welcomed with open arms by these characters and although completely baffled and bewildered, as you would be, he becomes completely enamoured and falls in love ....

If you can get to the cinema this weekend, put this film at the top of your list, you will not be disappointed. Loved it!

Have a great weekend.
Jeanne
x

quince

2011-10-13T11:05:00.000+01:00

My friend Sue popped round yesterday bearing gifts. Plenty of apples – both eating and cooking – some lovely peppers from her greenhouse and a basketful of quinces. Now I have to confess to not knowing very much about these strange but beautiful fruit so I thought I would do some research.

Originally from Persia they were very popular with the Greeks and Romans and as the symbol of love and happiness were dedicated to Aphrodite in Greek mythology. It is also said that in the Garden of Eden the serpent tempted Eve with a quince not an apple.

Quinces were being grown in England as early as Medieval times with records showing that Edward I planted four trees at the Tower of London. Their popularity grew from the 1600s onwards when a merchant by the name of John Tradescant brought the ‘Portugal’ variety to England and in fact they remained popular well into the 1900s when for some reason they fell out of fashion.

Happily the quince is now making a comeback and there a number of varieties available for lovers of unusual garden fruit. Sue was lucky enough to find several well-established quince trees in her new plot at Meadow Cottage. The tree is long-lived with lovely knotted branches, erupting into beautiful pale pink blossom in the spring. The fruit ripens from green to yellow and looks like a strange shaped pear. As part of the rose family it has a distinctive aroma which is permeating the kitchen right now and is indeed quite pleasant.

So what to do with these quinces? Well apart from the ubiquitous Quince and Apple Jelly I found some lovely recipes in one of my favourite books here.

I will try this one at the weekend ~

Quince and Polenta Upside Down Cake

Serves 6

175g, 6 oz caster sugar

4 quinces, peeled, cored and sliced

Juice of half a lemon

2 tbsp honey

100g, 4oz butter

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence

100g, 4oz self-raising flour

50g, 20z instant polenta

Caramel Sauce

225g, 8oz light muscovado sugar

2 tbsp milk

15g, half ounce butter

Grease a 20cm, 8in round cake tin and sprinkle two tablespoons of the caster sugar over the base. Arrange the quince slices over the sugar and sprinkle with lemon juice. Drizzle with the honey. To make the sponge, cream the butter with the rest of the caster sugar, beat in the eggs, vanilla essence and flour with the polenta. Spoon over the quinces and spread evenly. Bake in the oven at gas mark 4, 180C (350F) for about 40 minutes. Turn out on to a serving plate. To make the sauce, heat the sugar, milk and butter together and boil all the ingredients together for 7 minutes. Serve the cake with the sauce.

Sounds yummy!

If you have a penchant for historical and traditional recipes - take a look at this fascinating website here.

Jeanne

changes

2011-10-12T10:09:00.001+01:00

Each year as summer transcends into autumn I’m often enveloped in a mist of melancholy. The shortening days and encroaching dark evenings bring with them a feeling of loss. Not least the loss of long carefree summer days kissed by sunlight and warm breezes.

So it was with some gratitude that I revelled in the recent Indian Summer. Cotton dresses and sandals were retrieved from their winter hiding place, sun-tan lotion applied for walks and sojourns by the sea. At home lunch was invariably enjoyed outside in the garden amongst the second flush of lavender and roses. Cosmos and Fennel literally towered in gigantic proportions, vying for attention with the already abundant berries. It was strange to see the sun, already low in the sky shining for all it was worth like a June sun, casting unfamiliar shadows around the garden.

This was just over a week ago and the heatwave has now broken but a weak remnant of the warm continental air is still felt, albeit in the freshening wind. I’m currently wearing a strange combo of summer/semi-winter clothes. But no tights yet Kate!

Thank goodness for those wonderful couple of weeks, I may not be embracing autumn with open arms just yet but at least I feel ready to accept it.

Jeanne
x

Italia - bellisimo ...!

2011-09-17T17:04:00.001+01:00

It seems ages ago since I last posted. Anyway we are back from our holiday and had a lovely time in Italy - here is just a taster of our Tuscan adventure ~

The drive up the mountain to our casa in the tiny hamlet of Buchignano took us up a single-track road winding its way through dense forest. We passed a few houses on the way precariously built into the side of the mountain. It felt like a white-knuckle ride at first but by the end of our holiday we had kind of got used to it. Nonetheless I sighed with relief as each journey safely deposited us at the top, and indeed the bottom! The views from the house were stupendous so it was more than worth it.

To the right of this photo we could glimpse a view of the sea.

Olive trees below the lower terrace to 'our house' ~

The iconic image of an Italian beach with its regimented lines of sunbeds and umbrellas at Lido di Camaiore was just a 20 minute drive away. We discovered a lovely little cafe on The Pontile - a modern art deco style pier.

Viareggio is a charming laid-back seaside town with a great restaurant called La Darsena which served excellent seafood.

We took a tour of the composer Puccini's lakeside home at Torre de Lago which was wonderful and also the gardens and gallery that make up the outdoor arena where the Pucciniano Festival takes place each August.

Don't forget to click on the collages for a more detailed view ~

Another day we drove to La Spezia and took the hop-on hop-off passenger ferry to the Cinque Terre beaches. We managed to squeeze in three of the five - Riomaggiore, Manarola and Monterosso. They have a tangible old-fashioned feel - like something from a 1950s film or a vintage Campari advert!

Having a great interest in the Romantic Poets, a trip to Portovenere was a must. Percy Bysshe Shelley lived with his wife Mary Shelley in the village of San Terenzo, and tragically drowned when his boat was hit by a storm on his way home late one night. His friend Lord Byron (a very strong swimmer) would often swim to visit the Shelleys on the other side of the gulf. The grotto from where Byron would set off on his frequent swim across the gulf is at the base of the gothic church of San Pietro. The cave has sadly partly collapsed but the OH managed to scramble down and take some photos.

Virginia Woolf and George Sand were also frequent visitors. However it was the dramatist Sem Benelli who in 1919 referred to the gulf for the first time as the 'Gulf of the Poets'.

Portovenere is beautiful with a real sense of history and atmosphere.

We had two days in Lucca taking in all the sights and stopping for coffee and cake at the lovely Art Nouveau Caffe di Simon - once patronised by Puccini who would tinkle the ivories at the piano in the dining area. Lucca is a wonderful gem of a town, perfectly well-preserved and completely surrounded by wide, grassed and shady 16th century ramparts. You enter the town via four portas, its tantalising vias and piazzas welcome you in and wrap around forming a perfect circular grid of streets. Lucca is the only town in Italy to be completely enclosed by walls. Before entering through the Porta St Pietro we hired bikes for a leisurely ride around the walls, just like any self-respecting Lucchese!

There are so many wonderful medieval and Renaissance buildings it was difficult to choose which photos to upload from the dozens of photos we took.

We also went to Bagni di Lucca, a Regency spa town with some lovely buildings flanking the River Lima at the foot of the Appenines. Just down the road is the unusually shaped hump-backed Ponte della Maddalena majestically spanning the Serchio - you can't really get the sense of how steep this bridge really is from the photo but I can tell you it was a hike getting up there - especially in 37 degree heat!

We had a wonderful time in Tuscany and in between all the sightseeing took time out to just relax, enjoy the warmth, eat good food, read and listen to music. As with all good holidays we felt a tinge of sadness when it was time to leave such a wonderful place but with our batteries re-charged and happily sun-kissed, return home we did. We had a trip to North Norfolk to look forward to and tickets for an outdoor theatre production of Sense and Sensibility at Holkham - so all was not lost!
I hope everyone has enjoyed the last days of summer despite some inclement weather recently. With Autumn rushing headlong towards us I look forward to days of mellow sunshine and misty mornings ....

Links:
Information on Lucca
The Cinque Terre
Puccini Festival

Hope to catch up with everyone over the next few days.

Jeanne
x

favourite things in the garden ...

2011-08-29T21:57:00.000+01:00

... at the moment are ~

lemon verbena

panicum grass

Verbena bonariaris - with bee

Ladybirds!

Fennel flowers

We're off for a holiday to lovely Tuscany tomorrow. See you in a couple of weeks.

Jeanne

that special light ...

2011-08-25T15:10:00.001+01:00

I'm sitting at my desk looking out at the rain - again.   It seems like no two days are the same this summer. After last night's rosey sunset glow I thought we were heading for a lovely day (as the old adage goes 'red sky at night shepherd's delight') but no - it's raining and I have bought some logs in for the fire this evening. It's August for heaven's sake!

Anyway all this got me thinking about light and how a bright day always makes us feel alive and energised whereas a grey and drizzly day can affect our mood and energy levels. I know I'm certainly affected by the weather. I don't mind cold - as long as its a crisp Autumn/Winter day. I don't do summer cold! I don't mind rain - so long as it gets on with it and then the sun comes out afterwards.    No, its the level of light that is crucial, particularly the quality of light near the sea ...

We were in France last year and decided to drive from our gite here to the seaside resort of Royan on the Gironde estuary where the combined flows of the Dordogne, the Lot and the Garenne flow out to sea.   I love the Atlantic Ocean. It was quite a drive, but worth it.   I wanted to see the Belle Epoque villas so after an early lunch we walked along the seafront at La Grande Conche, a tree-lined promenade lined with the most amazing villas and with a great view across the Gironde. At the end of the 19th century sea-bathing became very fashionable and rich Parisians flocked to Royan to spend the summer. They built the most extraordinary villas along the seafront and in the area known as 'le parc'. Former residents include Picasso, Sarah Bernhardt and Emile Zola.

Anyway, during our walk the sky rapidly darkened and the most amazing cloud formations began to gather over the horizon, forming a funnel-like shape almost like a tornado and it was heading inland. Everything went eerie quiet, you know - like it does just before a storm. Suddenly and without warning the heavens just opened and it poured. I have never seen rain like it! We were about a mile from where we had parked the car and with no shops or cafes to offer shelter we just had to dash for it. By the time we reached the car we were like drowned rats - absolutely soaked to the skin. We were so relieved to be out of the storm however that we collapsed into hysterial laughter as we dried ourselves, taking off any article of clothing that we could whilst still remaining decent!

We decided to leave the town and head north of Royan to the beach at Conche de Gilet. Further along the coast is the Marias, low lying and criss-crossed with ditches, the cultivation of oysters using the flooded beds or 'claires' has been a source of seafood for centuries.

As we drove northwards the black clouds disappeared and and a pale yellow sun appeared. The light was incredible - it literally sparkled.

We sat on the beach and dried our clothes in the sun ...

lovely fishing huts on stilts ...

Yes, that special light is hard to beat....

Jeanne
x

sunny Sunday ...

2011-08-21T22:49:00.000+01:00

... relaxing at home ~

... the cosmos and sweet-peas that I sowed way back in March are looking lovely and with regular picking the cosmos will keep flowering well into September ~

.... we have had lots of runner beans! I have been picking them small when they are at their best. Steamed or in a stir-fry they are such good value! I love their pretty orange-red flowers ~

...just-ripening tomatoes - we have Tangella, Gardener's Delight and Sungold. The Tangella seeds were donated by Jo from The Good Life. They are yet to ripen Jo but they received a good dose of sunlight today ~

... the arbour is a temporary structure created this year for the runner beans and barlotti beans to scramble over - it has worked really well ~

Well those were some images from part of our lazy day. We did manage to drag ourselves away from our little haven with a brief visit to Homebase where we bought some paint for the shower-room. The window frames desperately need some attention. We also bought some Farrow & Ball paint ( Pavilion Grey - the same shade we used in our bedroom) for me to paint a boring old pine mirror currently hanging on the upstairs landing. If it looks good I may bring it downstairs and place it in a more prominent position in the back lobby - we'll see. Needless to say we did the shopping only and not the painting. That will keep for another, less sunny day!

We have been really busy just lately with lots going on but I hope to have a good catch up with everyone this week.

Hope you all had a relaxing sunny weekend!

Jeanne

The River Lark

2011-08-19T23:09:00.000+01:00

Sunny days have returned and a stroll along the river was called for. This stretch of the River Lark is so pretty and always looks its best in August. Rising south of Bury St Edmunds, The River Lark is a tributary of the River Great Ouse and flows gracefully and quietly through the town, most notably at Eastgate Street and the Abbey Gardens.

Further still it flows through Mildenhall and Prickwillow until it joins the Great Ouse south of Littleport in Cambridgeshire.

Oh and I just have to post this photo of the wonderful cactus dahlia blooming in sis and hubby's garden.

Thank you both for a lovely day last Sunday!

Jeanne

petal perfection

2011-08-07T23:20:00.002+01:00

A beautiful pure white lily - one of many gracing Cottage Garden at the moment ~

Don't forget to click on images for a more detailed view ~

Nigella love-in-a-mist - a work of art ~

I scatter the seeds freely and they pop up everywhere - I love them.

Just a few pics today ~ a more 'wordy' post will follow shortly ... !

These stocks from the garden smell gorgeous ~

Have a great new week!

Jeanne

The Bee

2011-08-02T22:50:00.000+01:00

Like trains of cars on tracks of plush

I hear the level bee:

A jar across the flowers goes,

Their velvet masonry

Withstands until the sweet assault

Their chivalry consumes,

While he, victorious, tilts away

To vanquish other blooms.

His feet are shod with gauze,

His helmet is of gold;

His breast, a single onyx

With chrysoprase, inlaid.

His labour is a chant,

His idleness a tune;

Oh, for a bee's experience

Of clovers and of noon!

By Emily Dickenson

The Tree of Life - a review

2011-08-01T17:22:00.003+01:00

Just recently we went to see this film and I just cannot stop thinking about it.

The Tree of Life has had its critics and it is sometimes difficult viewing but it's also a magnificent, toweringly ambitious and visionary piece of cinema. I was mesmerised by the sensory experience of the first 20 minutes of the film but at times bewildered by the narrative.

The scenes set in 1950s Texas are beautifully filmed and acted - a dreamlike-scape of images from the idyllic childhood of three brothers – poetic but also sometimes harsh, and interspersed with terrible grief and the unchangeability of the past. Brad Pitt gives the performance of his life as the father of the family. All the while the screen is taken up with gigantic scenes from a kind of secret life of the cosmos and giving a spiritual dimension to the dramas that the family are going through.

In the present day Jack (Sean Penn) briefly forces himself to consider his own negligible place in the universe. It is hinted that this is maybe the anniversary of his brother’s death – 20 years perhaps – and Jack struggles on an existential, spiritual and religious level to find meaning in his brother's death. These scenes I found most baffling. They just didn’t work for me. But others may find them consoling depending on their own personal beliefs.

Whatever the critics say, this film is totally unique and a visual feast of momentous proportions. Go and see it without preconceptions and I guarantee you will be thinking about it for a long time afterwards too.

Jeanne
x

link: Cinema City Norwich

cafe culture and a big thank you!

2011-07-29T13:16:00.000+01:00

I thought it was about time I gave a heartfelt thank you to all my regular readers, blog friends and loyal followers for making this blogging journey such a wonderful and refreshing place of discovery. You are all so talented, encouraging and appreciative and so very generous with your time and comments. Thank you, thank you! Welcome also to some new followers - its always lovely to see new faces in that little box.

As we all know, a post is not complete without at least one photo, so gratuitous though it may be, here are a couple of photos from our holiday last year in south west France.

We came across this very chic establishment in the village of St Esteph - rural and peaceful and a haven for walkers. However, on entering we discovered a wonderful Bohemian cafe and shop which would not have been out of place in Paris or Amsterdam (note the map on the wall). We spent a happy hour or so rummaging through vintage luggage, china and object d'art followed by coffee and a delicious crepe.

Happy days!

Have a lovely weekend!

Jeanne
x

Le Petit Baigneur - Cafe Brocante in St Esteph

pretty, but deadly

2011-07-27T19:12:00.001+01:00

On my walk today I was confronted with the sight of masses of waist-high ragwort. Needless to say I took a detour ~ after taking a few photographs ~

Ragwort - Senecio jacobaea - is extremely toxic. When eaten by grazing animals, particularly horses, the plant causes severe liver damage and is often fatal. These toxins pass from the gut direct to the liver, where they destroy cells until there are too few left to carry out vital functions. Liver failure is then inevitable.

Deadly indeed but on a dull grey day its bright yellow flowers look almost cheery, and so it is, from a distance. It's a sight that once stirred John Clare to write:

"Ragwort thou humble flower with tattered leaves, I love to see thee come and litter gold."

The contempt of country people for what is seen as a pernicious weed is evident in the names they once gave to it. Around the country it was variously named as Staggerwort, Stinking Willie and Mare's Fart!

Though it's of little comfort to horse owners, the onward march of ragwort has a number of environmental benefits. Its leaves provide food for dozens of insects, including several species of moth and beetle.

A promising new strategy for curbing the weed makes use of one of the insects that feed on it. The caterpillars of the cinnabar moth feed only on ragwort. A sudden dip in numbers of the cinnabar moth in the late 1980s is thought to be a reason for the subsequent build-up of ragwort. Scientists are now looking for ways to re-establish a predator/ prey balance between ragwort and the moth. This would offer hope of a long term curb on ragwort numbers.

Pollen from the flowers is collected by bees: there were dozens of them on these flowers. This presents a problem in that if bees visit too many ragwort flowers they will no doubt produce honey with measurable amounts of the plant's toxins. So while no one would argue for the eradication of ragwort, there is most defintely an urgent need to control it.

On the up-side, this ~~Cow Parsley~~ Wild Carrot was a welcome sight (thank you Celia and Lesley!) - their seed heads appear like tiny nests ~ just beautiful.

Researched with the help of this article

a poem for Norway ...

2011-07-25T18:49:00.000+01:00

at this most tragic time and for the utter senseless loss of life ~

"The times are nightfall, look, their light grows less"

by Gerard Manley Hopkins

The times are nightfall, look, their light grows less;

The times are winter, watch, a world undone:

They waste, they wither worse; they as they run

Or bring more or more blazon man's distress.

And I not help. Nor word now of success:

All is from wreck, here, there, to rescue one -

Work which to see scarce so much as begun

Makes welcome death, does dear forgetfulness.

Or what is else? There is your world within.

There rid the dragons, root out there the sin.

Your will is law in that small commonweal ...

with love,

Jeanne

rainy day garden

2011-07-22T12:14:00.000+01:00

After the prolonged drought we had here in East Anglia in the Spring, I remember longing for rain. Now, after days and weeks of relentless, and often torrential, rain I find myself eagerly anticipating just a glimpse of sunshine. It would be nice. It would also be very nice to venture out in my sandals again instead of my wellies!

However, the garden is looking very lush and from the potager we have been harvesting broccolli, courgettes, green beans, ruby chard, beetroot, the sweetest ever peas, French beans and lettuce a-go-go! We have only just seen the last of the strawberries until a further flush later in the summer and the gooseberries have done better than ever.

Hopefully we will get some more settled weather soon to ripen the tomatoes and peppers which I grow outside. This rain has to stop some time ....

Backtrack to a brighter day earlier in the month -

Come rain or shine, have a great weekend.

Jeanne

fun fayre

2011-07-21T16:16:00.000+01:00

There was a great turn out for our Village fete a couple of weeks ago. Thankfully we were blessed with a lovely day in a week of wind and heavy rain.

A new spin on the traditional sack race with the use of black bin-liners !

All proceeds from the stalls and games were donated to a very worthwhile local charity - the

St Nicholas Hospice

Thanks to everyone involved for making it such a grand day!

Jeanne

... remember those sunny days?...

2011-07-18T15:56:00.000+01:00

All gremlins are banished and my PC is now behaving itself.

Finding myself 'computer-less' was not at all conducive to running an internet-based business, the result of which is a stack of work which I'm diligently ploughing through. I was however fortunate enough to have a booking already in the diary which allowed me to work in-house for one of my clients for a couple of weeks, so that was something at least ...

Thank you for your comments on my last post and for your patience. I seem to be apologising on a regular basis for my lack of activity on this blog due to extended blog breaks etc etc - I'm beginning to sound like a broken-down record so no more apologies and on with a post!

At the end of June I went on my annual pilgrimage to the feverishly awaited event that is Chelsworth Open Gardens. Some of you may remember my post of last year when Sue and I went along on a blisteringly hot day, well guess what, it was another blisteringly hot day but this time ~~I dragged~~ - was accompanied by - the OH. He doesn't quite share my obsession but did actually enjoy some of the gardens - and who wouldn't in my opinion - he did however question my intention to visit all 20+ gardens.... No stamina that's his problem!

There was so much to see and do this year. Some lovely plant and foodie stalls set up in one of the paddocks, several musical interludes including madrigals in the park area opposite the Peacock Pub and a Victorian style horsedrawn carriage to carry the less able-footed up and down the village, setting passengers down at each garden - a great idea and one that the MIL would have enjoyed.

We took several refreshment pit-stops for both of us to take stock, peruse the many photos already taken and rest our weary feet. Whilst ordering tea and cake at the refreshment stand in Garden Number 20, I overheard one of the ladies turn to her colleague and say "if you need to arrange any other outside activity in our precarious English Summer, make it for the day of Chelsworth Open Gardens because it's always sunny and hot - you can depend on it!"

And do you know, she is so right. The last Sunday in June does seem to defy the prevailing weather forecast and offer up a perfect day; it may be raining, cold and windy either side of the big day but come Sunday - the sun is guaranteed to shine.

Long may it continue for the good people of Chelsworth and their stunning gardens!

Jeanne
x

computer problems ....

2011-06-28T13:17:00.000+01:00

Just when I was getting back into blogger mode my computer has decided to throw a spanner in the works and is refusing me access to any of my programmes - just a tad inconvenient when working from home ... gggrrrhhh - so off to the menders it has gone.

Managed to log on elsewhere in order to pop on this very brief post .... hopefully service will be resumed shortly ... look forward to catching up with you.

Jeanne
x

one very contented kitty ...

2011-06-23T11:24:00.000+01:00

Jess is so sweet. She regresses back to kittenhood with this favourite cushion.

It's a ritual she performs every morning without fail. After a few minutes of pummelling and 'kissing' she settles down for a nap - sometimes just a 20 minute power nap - but more often she sleeps the whole morning before embarking on yet more feline adventures outside. Listen carefully at the end for a very contented purr.

... oops - apologies for the audio quality (i.e. my heavy breathing) of this film:-))))

Jeanne

Absences, gardens and aching feet ...

2011-06-20T19:39:00.002+01:00

Apologies for my unintended absence. As my dear mum used to say ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ and on that trail of thought I've been wondering what everyone has been up to do during this fine month of June – did I say June – already!!!. An enjoyable diversion is called for, cuppa in one hand whilst clicking on those tantalising thumbnail icons with the other. There is something so very tantalising about those little images appearing down my sidebar, stressing the advantages of adding a beautiful photo and snappy title to any post. They draw you in, those tiny images, and before you know it, four hours have passed! Time is devoured by blogging but there we have it. The addiction can be put aside for a while until we can bear it no longer and fall, once again, off the wagon!

I have been a golf widow this past week. The OH having said goodbye to the deluge that was early June in Suffolk and hola to sunny Spain. However I’m surprised he got there at all, on the day of departure he unwisely slipped a disk and was carted off to the osteopath for some ~~torture~~ treatment. This did the trick, so he informed me, not wishing to put a dampener on his trip. I wasn’t entirely convinced, as we said our goodbyes and I waved him off, watching his lopsided frame slowly disappear into the distance. A phone call the following evening assured me that all was well and that indeed Andrew the ~~magician~~ osteopath had worked his magic once again.

The third weekend in June heralds The Hidden Gardens of Bury. A garden tour around our historic Town Centre, unearthing (!) hidden treasures behind mediaevel and Georgian doors. Refreshments and delicious cakes were offered at many of the gardens and an almost garden party vibe at another by the addition of a singing quintet. Lovely. The sun shone all afternoon and we ‘gardeneteers’ smiled and nodded knowingly at each other as we wandered around the town, identified by our stickers and bright yellow leaflets.

My girlfriends and I walked from one end of town to the other. I have to say by the end of the day I was pretty exhausted (I also walked home, another couple of miles or so outside the town - why, oh why did I do that!!). It was a lovely evening though and my frazzled feet were estatic following a refreshing and fragrant soak.

Here are some photos. Sadly, some gardens didn’t allow photography.

Happy Midsummer's Eve

Jeanne

rain + sun = happiness ?

2011-05-26T18:18:00.000+01:00

It rained today

Lovely refreshing rain....

my garden was happy.

And then the sun came out, and I was happy!

I hope all is well in your corner of the world.

Jeanne

growing!

2011-05-20T18:47:00.002+01:00

Some of you have very kindly enquired as to my kitchen garden so here is a brief (in words if not pictures) update.

The very warm temperatures of the last couple of months has resulted in amazingly rapid growth in my little potager. Flowers are popping up in the borders at least four to six weeks in advance, I do wonder what will be left come mid-summer.

Precious water has been reserved for the raised beds and pots, leaving the rest of the garden to fend for itself in the dry and sometimes windy conditions.

The various shapes of the leaves in this salad mixture are wonderful!

Pea Misty - a First Early variety

Swiss Chard Galaxy

Lollo Rossa

Brussell sprouts

Purple sprouting broccolli

I love herbs, especially the mediterannean ones. The Thymes in the dry garden are doing very well. Absolutely perfect weather conditions for them. Their evocative fragrance wafts around the garden in the warmth of the evening sun.

Santolina or cotton lavender 'Lemon Queen'

Common Thyme 'Silver Posie'

Rosemary

Lemon Variegated Thyme

Thyme 'Archer's Gold' (lovely lemon scented) to the right together with more lemon variegated!

This evening, we are off to see 'Nocturne: The Romantic Life of Frederic Chopin'. This production, as part of the 2011 Bury Festival, promises a romantic evening of words and music with Young Musician of the Year Lucy Parham playing piano and actors Harriett Walter and Alex Jennings.

I had better get my glad rags on!

Have a great weekend.

Jeanne

sunny days

2011-05-16T18:52:00.002+01:00

A little while ago the lovely Charlotte from A Cottage in Totteridge very kindly mentioned me for an award on her blog. Now as regular readers of my blog will know, I’m unable to accept awards. I simply don’t have the time to give enough thought into passing them on, but thank you Charlotte for thinking of me. Charlotte's blog is a delightful on-line diary following the transformation of her period house into the perfect ‘country-in-the-city’ cottage. If you haven’t already discovered her blog why not pop over and say hello - you will be hooked!

I would also like to welcome some lovely new followers to my blog. I apologise if I haven’t got around to visiting your blogs in return but welcome, and thank you for finding me in blogosphere.

I’ve been off the blog radar just recently. The garden has been keeping me busy, not to mention the gorgeous weather we had during April, way too nice to be sitting at the computer. So instead, we have been out and about and I was amazed to find that I had over 70 photos to download!

A couple of weeks ago we took MIL to Flatford Mill. It was a warm and sunny day and MIL was on good form after all her troubles of late. It was good to see her enjoying herself.

There is an interesting exhibition on John Constable in Bridge Cottage and a tea-room and shop next door.

Willy Lott's Cottage

The views that inspired Constable’s paintings almost 200 years ago are still discernible ...

Boat-building yard

John Constable wrote to a friend in 1821

‘I associate my careless boyhood with all that lies on the banks of the Stour. Those scenes made me a painter, and I am grateful ....’

His famous paintings The Haywain (1821) and Boat Building near Flatford Mill (1814) are such iconic and well-known scenes. I remember we had a copy in oils of the Haywain in my childhood home in London. It took pride of place over the fireplace in the Sitting Room.

From Flatford Mill there are some marked and easy walks through Dedham Vale. On previous occasions the OH and I have walked to both Dedham Village and Manningtree – only a couple of miles apiece, following the river for most of the way. Obviously too far for MIL to walk, so instead we sat and soaked up the atmosphere.

Links:

The National Trust
Flatford Mill
Dedham Vale
The Fountain House and Dedham Hall
Manningtree
You can read a biography of John Constable here

ancient woodland walk

2011-04-24T23:53:00.000+01:00

Carpets of wildflowers are a joyful sight at this time of year in the ancient woodland at Wyken Vineyards, sparkling clear sunlight creating a beautifully dappled canvas beneath the low canopy of trees.

The scale of the woodland feels intimate and calm as we meander away from the main trail, stepping amongst thick leafy undergrowth to reach swathes of bluebells and Greater Stitchwort.

A slight aroma of garlic permeates the still warm air as we come across a mass of Ransomes wild garlic.

Not a single soul is encountered on our walk. It feels as if this place is just for us - so peaceful and special. Our voices are in harmony with the accompanying birdsong and the occasional gentle rustling of undergrowth a reminder of the myriad unseen creatures who live in this idylic environment.

And then in the distance we hear the faint low hum of a glider. Slowly growing in intensity as it approaches directly above us on its journey through the pure blue sky.

Above the canopy enclosing us in this timeless place.

We can only imagine the stunning view from that glider on this perfect day.

This lovely cottage, along with three others on the estate are rented on long term leases. It's perfectly placed, with woodland to the rear and facing southwards over the 7acre slope of vineyards.

Imagine having this view from your window!

We make our way back through the woods out into the paddock and head to the Leaping Hare Restaurant for an early lunch of Eggs Benedict and a cooling glass of Elderflower cordial. We sit on the sun-baked terrace, under the shade of a huge umbrella - by this time the termperature is around 27 degrees! Unbelievably warm for April and I don't know about you, but I find myself yearning for some gentle Spring rain ....!

We then have just enough time for a wander around the small Farmer's Market to pick up some provisions before the traders pack up at 1pm. A pretty perfect Saturday morning.

Happy Easter! Enjoy the lovely sunshine.

Jeanne

spring clean

2011-04-21T22:09:00.001+01:00

Sitting Room

I've never noticed the nearly identical swirly pattern on the carpet and cushion cover!

Kitchen

The cottage had a little bit of a spring-clean today, and its looking all nice and sparkly. Just look at the shine on my beloved SMEG fridge!

the first lilacs

2011-04-18T10:18:00.000+01:00

"In the dooryard fronting an old farmhouse near the white-washed palings,
Stands the lilac-bush tall-growing with heart-shaped leaves of rich green,
With many a pointed blossom rising delicate, with the perfume strong I love,
With every leaf a miracle - and from this bush in the dooryard,
With delicate-coloured blossoms and heart-shaped leaves of rich green,
A sprig with its flower I break."

~ by Walt Whitman ~

On my walk through the woods I found the lilac shrubs in full beautiful bloom. There are a bank of them along the perimeter of the wood, they look out on to open fields; south-west facing onto a very sunny aspect. I just couldn't resist picking a bunch for the cottage. Unusually for me, I didn't have my camera with me so sorry but no photos in situ. Next time.

The lilac in the garden continues to tease me with its tiny dark buds ....however one morning, and very soon I think, I will step out of the door to find it flowering and wafting its evocative and heady scent around the garden .... its beauty short, and very sweet.

Lilacs and my copy of Persephone Biannually - perfect partners for a coffee break before I start work.

It promises to be a warm and sunny April morning.

Jeanne
x

garden notes

2011-04-07T19:37:00.000+01:00

Newly planted Honeysuckle Lonicera x tellmanniana

Vernacular name : Woodbine

I have just planted a Honeysuckle in the garden. I love their fragrance, quite heady and wild, and attractive to bees and butterflies of course and moths too, attracted by the evening warmth and the Honeysuckle's fruity fragrance which is particularly strong as the sun sets.

I've always loved walking alongside the hedgerows and breathing in their intoxicating scent! I'm looking forward to summer and its only the beginning of April!

Being woodland edge plants Honeysuckles prefer to have their roots in cool, moist shade but with their heads in the sunlight, so I'm hoping that I've chosen a suitable place in which to plant it. Any woodland climber is instinctively climbing through the shade to reach for the light making hedgerows the perfect location, their new growth sprouting out in purple-stemmed tendrils above the rest of the hedge with the main stems tucked away in the cool shade.

An hour or two of sunshine in late afternoon, to heat up the oils in the flowers, will capture the evening fragrance and attract those moths!

Elsewhere in the garden, its really greening up with shots of colour here and there like these lovely little beauties. The tulips are getting ready to bloom also.

In the potager I have sowed Pea Misty, the remaining Winter Salad leaves, Red Sun shallots, Onion Karma, Swiss Chard Galaxy, Lollo Rossa lettuce and Spicey Salad leaves (looked interesting on the packet!), all interspersed with lines of nasurtium. Runner Beans and sweet peas are planted at the base of the central arbour and will hopefully be scrambling up and away by June; hard to be believe right now with the raised beds covered in netting to deter the wood pigeons as well as you know who!

I lost a Rosemary during the very cold winter but this one survived and is thriving. I plan to add more thymes throughout the summer, they seem more than happy planted in the gravel. This part of the garden is very hot and dry, the perfect place for even more lavender as well. As far as I'm concerned a garden can never have enough lavender!

Here are just a few views from around the garden today. It was very bright so apologies for the bleached out look of some of the photos.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Jeanne

Gooseberry

Campanula

Climbing rose

Rose and lavender

Welcome April

2011-04-04T14:26:00.000+01:00

I have seen the Lady April bringing
the daffodils,
Bringing the springing grass and the
soft warm April rain.

~John Masefield ~

a tight squeeze ...!

2011-03-31T08:46:00.001+01:00

"This ~~box~~ bed looks interesting, and its time for a little snooze ....

oh no! it must have shrunk in the rain ...

whoooaa I'm falling out! ...

where can a girl get some decent zzzzz's?

... oh well, I suppose this table will just have to do and it seems like a nice sunny spot - see you in 40 winks!"

~~Jeanne~~ Bobbi

xox

Monday Poem : From Blossoms

2011-03-28T12:56:00.000+01:00

I know many of you continue to be in the icy grip of Winter, and even possibly under several feet of snow, but I'm posting about blossom again today - apologies in advance! Here in the UK we are enjoying somewhat of a blossom-fest at the moment and Blogland is brimming with wonderful images of blossom and Spring flowers.

Anyway, I watched Eat Pray Love at the weekend. Blossom will become evident shortly! I read the book some time ago so I was familiar with the story, but wasn't sure that I would like the film and reviews had been fairly mixed, so I didn't bother seeing it at the cinema. However we watched the DVD on Saturday evening and I really enjoyed it. Mostly for the scenery I have to say, as the film is visually stunning. Set in three iconic countries, amongst them Bali; so lush and green, and fragrant.

This lovely poem also transports me to somewhere else - as such undefined, but with a sense of place that could easily be somewhere in south-east Asia. The poem's imagery brings to mind scenes in the film. Like this one in the market.

- By Li-Young Lee -

From blossoms comes
this brown paper bag of peaches
we bought from the boy
at the bend in the road where we turned toward
signs painted Peaches.

From laden boughs, from hands,
from sweet fellowship in the bins,
comes nectar at the roadside, succulent
peaches we devour, dusty skin and all,
comes the familiar dust of summer, dust we eat.

O, to take what we love inside,
to carry within us an orchard, to eat
not only the skin, but the shade,
not only the sugar, but the days, to hold
the fruit in our hands, adore it, then bite into
the round jubilance of peach.

There are days we live
as if death were nowhere
in the background; from joy
to joy to joy, from wing to wing,
from blossom to blossom to
impossible blossom, to sweet impossible blossom.

You can read about the poet here

Photos from Google images

blossom walk

2011-03-24T15:07:00.000Z

They blossom, and then
we gaze, and then the blooms
scatter, and then ...

Japanese Haiku - Onitsura

The sweetest of blossom enjoyed and captured as I took my lunchtime walk past the church and around the trim-trail of our village playing field.

It's a fine day for so early in the season; the sky is clear blue with just the faintest trail of wispy cloud. The gentle warmth of the early Spring sun feels good on my face.

I hope this fine weather holds for a while ...

Are you gazing at the blossom on a lovely Spring day too?

Jeanne

Monday Poem : The First Spring Day

2011-03-21T11:31:00.001Z

I wonder if the sap is stirring yet,
If wintry birds are dreaming of a mate,
If frozen snowdrops feel as yet the sun
And crocus fires are kindling one by one:
Sing, robin, sing;
I still am sore in doubt concerning Spring.

I wonder if the springtide of this year
Will bring another Spring both lost and dear;
If heart and spirit will find out their Spring,
Or if the world alone will bud and sing:
Sing, hope, to me;
Sweet notes, my hope, soft notes for memory.

The sap will surely quicken soon or late,
The tardiest bird will twitter to a mate;
So Spring must dawn again with warmth and bloom,
Or in this world, or in the world to come:
Sing, voice of Spring,
Till I too blossom and rejoice and sing.

by Christina Rossetti

for Japan

2011-03-18T09:41:00.000Z

Along with many other bloggers, today will be a day of contemplative silence, in support of the people of Japan.

I am supporting the work of The British Red Cross. You can find out more and perhaps make a donation, however small, here. Thank you.

roses

2011-03-17T16:59:00.000Z

Thank you for your comments and encouraging words on my last post. Dear MIL went home unscathed but with a story to tell of how the NHS in Suffolk is SO much better than in London ... bless her!

Arrangements are in hand for her new accommodation which may take some time but, it's a start at least.

The roses she gave me look very elegant on the windowsill of my study and have made a busy day seem a little less stressful. Just looking at them makes me smile.

Jeanne

the kindness of strangers

2011-03-16T10:43:00.000Z

My plan at the weekend was to do some gardening. I wanted to buy several shrubs for the Winter Border that runs alongside the tall brick and flint wall partially surrounding our garden. We decided to go to Simpsons Nursery, an excellent nursery at Fordham in the Cambridgeshire countryside. It was a lovely day and makes for a nice drive.

I ought to mention at this point that MIL was saying with us for a long weekend. Up until a year or so ago she was a sprightly lady and despite a lifelong asthma condition, she had energy and a zest for life belying her 80 plus years. Several great-grandchildren and her beautiful garden were twin passions and almost every Saturday she would go with her friends to the Tea Dance held at her local social club. She was hardly at home, such was her social life!

All was well until osteoarthritis set in. Since then it has been one thing after another, details of which I won’t go into here as they will take up a post of their own! On arrival at the nursery our first port of call was to have tea in the cafe, of course, when suddenly she complained of feeling very hot. The OH took her outside for some air and she promptly fainted in his arms – poor dear. Everyone was so kind. A chair was swiftly brought out for her to sit on; a blanket appeared from somewhere else, a glass of water and soothing words from a lady who just happened to be a carer for elderly people. An ambulance was called by the carer’s daughter. Everything was taken in hand as me and the OH looked on, shocked and worried. I thought it was a stroke. A paramedic arrived within ten minute as MIL was drifting in and out of consciousness. It was awful.

Soon we were on our way to hospital where she was checked over and given the best of care. I know the National Health Service gets a lot of stick and bad press lately but we cannot find fault at all. She was never left alone wondering what has happening. We were kept informed at all times and the nurses and doctor were friendly and attentive.

Despite her medical conditions the resulting tests showed nothing sinister was found to have taken place. It was a faint – pure and simple. Thank goodness. MIL was now in good spirits, sitting up in her hospital bed, a wonderful smile lighting up her once pallid, ashen face. We came home and in her relief she laughed and joked about what happened. But things have changed now. A shadow has passed over. She reluctantly feels her age and these various conditions are taking their toll as she enters this other phase in her life. However, she faces the future with humour and great stoicism, as do many of her generation.

Here she is in happier times, at her 80^th birthday weekend at this place along with her friend J who shares a May birthday with her.

Jeanne

Monday Poem

2011-03-14T10:49:00.001Z

Very Early Spring

by Katherine Mansfield

The fields are snowbound no longer;

There are little blue lakes and flags of tenderest green.

The snow has been caught up into the sky --

So many white clouds--and the blue of the sky is cold.

Now the sun walks in the forest,

He touches the bows and stems with his golden fingers;

They shiver, and wake from slumber.

Over the barren branches he shakes his yellow curls.

Yet is the forest full of the sound of tears ...

A wind dances over the fields.

Shrill and clear the sound of her waking laughter,

Yet the little blue lakes tremble

And the flags of tenderest green bend and quiver.

Monty's back ...

2011-03-11T13:19:00.000Z

Photo by Marsha Arnold for the BBC

Monty Don makes a welcome return to our screens this evening, as he once again takes over the helm as presenter on BBC Gardener's World. The new-look programme will be coming from his own 2 acre garden in the glorious Herefordshire countryside - hurrah! Friday night TV is definitely back on the agenda!

Whatever you are doing this weekend, be it gardening or just thinking about gardening, have a great one!

Jeanne

gnarled

2011-03-10T12:31:00.000Z

I popped by the library this morning to pick up my ordered copy of Jamaica Inn.

Although breezy, it was a fairly bright morning with a watery sun peeping valiantly through the white clouds. I had some time on my hands before a planned meeting so I decided to grab myself a takeaway coffee and croissant from this place and make my way downhill to the Abbey Gardens. I found myself alone in a rather bare looking Rose Garden and sat down on one of the wooden benches to read the introduction to my newly loaned acquisition.

Ah - The Rose Garden in June - so pretty!

I'm really enjoying reading du Maurier again. She is a master story-teller and a sense of place permeates through her books. Lesley I haven't forgotten your request for my view on the ambivalent nature of My Cousin Rachel and, Bee, I rather think that with each book I discover or re-discover, that will be my favourite, so its imossibe to choose, at the moment.

On my way through the Gardens and back into town I couldn't help but marvel at this gnarled beast - an ancient wisteria that looks divine in full bloom during the summer, cascading in all its glory down the ubiquitous brick & flint wall. However, on this somewhat stark early-spring morning it brings to mind an image of a Tolkien-like creature as it winds and snakes itself across and over the mossy wall.

Jeanne

welcome March

2011-03-03T15:50:00.002Z

The weeks have flown by since my last post and apart from indulging in some layout tweaking (well spotted by the lovely Marcheline) I have been blog-free - quite a feat when we all know that blogging is totally addictive! Although I've been very busy with work; conversely I seem to have gained more time.... mmmmm, time that would have been spent blogging has either been used 1) wisely and/or 2) productively, in fact, it was relatively easy to forget all about my blog for a while!

That is until I logged on today and realised how much I love it so who was I kidding! I guess its a guilty pleasure for all of us really. I think from now on I may post more often but spend less time commenting, which is the time-consuming part. But then again, we all love to comment and receive comments so I imagine that all my good intentions in better time management will come to nothing - *smile*.

Spring isn't officially here for another few weeks yet and with grey skies and cool temperatures it certainly feels, in my little part of the world at least, that it may be quite elusive this year. We shall see...

In the meantime I'm enjoying a very pretty white and green 'woodland garden'. The snowdrops and crocuses are still doing well. This time last year they were fading fast.

The hellebores I planted last year are beautiful and I love this charming little primrose.

This is such a great season for a walk in the woods. Such promise and optimism - nature - looking all young and fresh. You never quite know what you will come across ...

Have a great weekend!

Jeanne

Splash of Colour : February : breezy seaside

2011-02-03T18:06:00.000Z

Primary colours at The Brudenell Hotel in Aldeburgh

This month of February signals the last entries for the Splash of Colour posts, helping to keep a smile on our faces as we trundle through the dark and gloomy days of winter! The good news is that already there are signs of life bursting forth in the garden and in the woods and I hope to be out and about chronicling these wonderful changes with my trusty camera very soon.

Thank you Emma at Silverpebble for hosting.

You can find lots more wonderful splashes of colour over on the flickr group page.

A wearying head cold and chesty cough, swiftly followed by a deluge of work have conspired to keep me away from updating my blog for a couple of weeks. Thank you for all your interesting comments on my last post, it seems we are all of the same mind where libraries are concerned. I was in my local library this afternoon and was struck by the amount of people who were using the facilities. Long may it continue!

Jeanne

Manderley dreaming ...

2011-01-19T13:03:00.001Z

"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again. It seemed to me I stood by the iron gate leading to the drive, and for a while I could not enter, for the way was barred to me. There was a padlock and a chain upon the gate. I called in my dream to the lodge-keeper, and had no answer, and peering closer through the rusted spokes of the gate I saw that the lodge was uninhabited." ......

These have to be among the most famous opening lines of any novel. They invite the reader in and the paragraphs that follow not only give the story a sense of romance but also lends the novel a tangible gothic aura. Rebecca is one of my favourite novels by Daphne du Maurier and one that I have read over and over again. I am currently reading it again, a copy that I borrowed from my local library. Jamaica Inn and My Cousin Rachel are on order for further reading and during this year I intend to read, if not all of DdM’s novels, then at least Frenchman’s Creek, The House on the Strand and The Loving Spirit. The latter two my not having read before. Yep, it’s going to be quite a du Maurier-fest but I have no doubt the books will stand up admirably to the test!

Photos of Daphne du Maurier borrowed from the internet

My interest in the novels has been whetted by a wonderful book that I read over Christmas. Daphne by the lovely Justine Picardie. I was given a Waterstone’s voucher for my birthday and having spotted the book on both Justine’s blog and in my local store I didn’t hesitate in procuring a copy! It is a fascinating book and explores who people are, and who they think they are .... a student who models her life on the character of du Maurier’s Rebecca, another character imagines himself a great collector of the age and novelist Daphne, the title character, in turmoil over her adulterous husband. Their stories come together on the subject of Branwell, overlooked brother of the Bronte sisters, whose reputation they seek to restore. The narrator, unnamed to the end (echoing the narrator in Rebecca, the second Mrs de Winter who is never named) becomes obsessed with the ensuing correspondence between all three. Fact and fiction converge in a brilliant story.

Talking of libraries I heard this morning on the radio that many are threatened with closure in the Government’s attempt to cut back on public spending. I can only hope that our local library is unaffected, having only recently re-opened after a major 6 month-plus refurb! Bad timing or lack of foresight who’s to know. But the library is a much loved institution and serves the local community in so many ways. My fingers are crossed for a reprieve. I hope the same goes for your local library too.

Jeanne
x

January obsession

2011-01-16T19:57:00.002Z

Well we’re half way through the month already and January hasn’t seemed so bad really. I’m not a great fan as noted here; mostly because I’m too darn impatient for spring but this year I’ve decided to sort of go with the flow and take January for what it is - the month following all the excitement of birthday and Christmas celebrations right? Ummmm, well actually it could be the time for more positivity, renewed energy, fresh resolve and plans. Definitely plans. This is what I have been telling myself anyway. As thoughts turn to all things 'garden', the seed catalogues have of course been a godsend. As have the 2011 brochures of a myriad of things to plan for in the months to come, from our lovely local Regency theatre, to The National Trust to the Invitation to View and NGS schemes. I just want to soak them all up and in the process I’m busily filling the calendar and sending off for tickets like a woman possessed. The OH tends to be more spontaneous and was shocked to see almost a full diary already (slight exaggeration)! “Time to put the brakes on”, he said “and stop spending money” I muttered ruefully to myself. And he has, we have, a point.

The weather has been fairly kind to us so far in our little corner of the world. We’ve had a few lovely sunshiny days and it has certainly turned milder if somewhat windy, but that’s OK so long as its bringing lovely warm air from somewhere like the Azores *smiles*.

It was a mild day yesterday and I took the opportunity to tidy up the garden, clean out the bird feeders and generally potter about. I also had a good sort out of The Shed. The OH was away on a golfing weekend and I sprang into action with glee. It was nice not to have his golf clubs in there – so much space. One of my aims this year is to organise the shed properly and keep it tidy. I dream of neat orderly shelves and stacks of pots, gleaming forks and spades and neatly tagged seed packets in rustic boxes and drawers. I dream of having to hand all the various composts, grit and top dressings I will ever need, decanted into containers as seen in Carol Klein's potting shed the other day. I have a dream or maybe obsession ... !

What are your obsessions in January?

Photo borrowed from the Internet

Have a great new week.

Jeanne
x

flotsam and jetsam

2011-01-10T16:57:00.001Z

Driftwood by Sara Teasdale

My forefathers gave me

My spirit's shaken flame,

The shape of hands, the beat of heart,

The letters of my name.

But it was my lovers,

And not my sleeping sires,

Who gave the flame its changeful

And iridescent fires;

As the driftwood burning

Learned its jewelled blaze

From the sea's blue splendour

Of coloured nights and days.

I have recently been inspired by the evocative poetry of Sara Teasdale (1884 - 1933). Her poetry is beautifully lyrical if somewhat tinged with a sadness and a sense of loss.

Throughout her life, Teasdale suffered poor health and was 9 years old before she was considered well enough to begin school. In 1913 Teasdale fell in love with poet Vachel Lindsay. He wrote her daily love letters, but nevertheless she married wealthy businessman Ernst Filsinger in 1914 when she was 30, but the two remained friends throughout their lives.

Sara's major themes were love, nature's beauty, and death, and her poems were much loved during the early 20th century. She was greatly influenced by poet Christina Rossetti, and from 1905 visited Europe often. In 1918 she won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry and the annual prize of the Poetry Society of America.

Sara was very much a product of her Victorian upbringing, and she was never able to experience in life the passion that she expressed in her poetry. She was very unhappy in her marriage, and she divorced Ernst in 1929, against his wishes. Sara's health further declined. On the morning of January 29, 1933, in her New York City apartment, Sara took an overdose of sleeping pills, lay down in a warm bath, fell asleep, and never woke up again. Her last and finest collection of verse, Strange Victory, was published posthumously that same year. A sad story as so many great poet's lives are.

Her poem Driftwood is illustrated here with my photo of Maggi Hamblin's shell sculpture, which sits somewhat controversially on the beach at Aldeburgh. Personally, I like it. But many locals do not and there was an incident a few years ago when it was set alight!

We took our first steps on the beach this year (yes I know its only January!). It was a lovely day, crisp and sunny with a crystal blue sky. I love the clarity of light by the seaside and the salty tang in the air. We took a long brisk walk along the beach towards the shell sculpture and beyond, the deep shingle giving our leg calves a good work-out.

Thankfully, Aldeburgh still has a small but niche community of local fisherman. We bought some live fresh mussels from The Fish Shack for our seafood stew for later, I was looking forward to my supper all day!

The town was busy with visitors and locals out and about enjoying the sunshine and at the old Guildhall we came across this merry band! Some Morris Men from Peasenhall, a nearby inland village.

Here they are doing the broomstick song (?) ...!

They were lovely; chatting with the crowd and entertaining some rather bemused children after their performance.

Our walk made us a bit peckish so we just had to stop and buy some chips from here. The queue for what are considered the best fish & chips in the country can often stretch around the corner and down the street. Everyone sits on the sea-wall and tucks into their bounty, despite numerous attempts by pesky seagulls from making off with them!

Hope your weekend was a good one.

Jeanne

Splash of Colour: January : Summer brights

2011-01-07T14:41:00.001Z

I have been desperately casting around for some colour to photograph for this month's Splash of Colour but to no avail! So in haste and in desperation I've resorted to trawling my archives to come up with some much needed colourful hues. And here they are. Some sunshine summer colour. Cheating I know but nonetheless they achieve the desired effect and have cheered me up no end!

There are lots more bright and cheery photos to be found over at the Flickr pool. Thank you Emma at Silverpebble for hosting. More next month!

azure blue shutters, Brantome

cheerful golden sunflowers, Cottage Garden

vibrant red poppy, Cottage Garden

crystal blue sky with colourful kite, Norfolk

Happy weekend

Jeanne

a wintry day in Clare

2011-01-04T00:02:00.002Z

There is no doubt that one of the joys of a cold winter weekend is time spent at home by the warmth of a cosy fire, reading, listening to music and in our case playing old board games - which can keep us occupied for hours! There may even be some garden and potager planning if so inspired. But aside from the housework (which alas always needs doing) our weekends can be quite lazy and often only punctuated by a brisk walk through the woods or across the fields before heading back home once again for the warmth of the hearth! Occasionally a drive out is definitely required to feel like ‘we’ve done something’ before a new busy working week takes over.

There are some wonderful villages and small market towns well within a 30 minute drive from our cottage and I love exploring their tucked away alleys and lanes, looking in lovely shops and admiring the eclectic mix of architecture - from Medieval to Georgian . One of my favourite places is Clare which currently holds the accolade of Suffolk Village of the Year 2010 -2012. The village, which feels like a small town, boasts a very popular cafe & deli at Number One and a very good antiques emporium here. But more of those another time.

This weekend we headed instead to Clare Country Park and more specifically Clare Priory, on the banks of the beautiful River Stour.

There remained some snow on the frozen ground but a thaw had started to take place before temperatures had once again plummeted below zero the night before; shown to dramatic effect by the ice ‘sculpture’ we found on this spiral staircase above.

Clare Priory has a long and interesting history. Established in 1248 at the invitation of the Earl of Clare, Sir Richard de Clare, it was the first house of the Augustinian Friars in England. The Augustinians originally came from northern France and later became known as the Austin Friars.

Following the Priory’s suppression in 1538, the house passed through many hands and uses until the Austin Friars once again purchased the house in 1953. It is now the home of a mixed community of friars and lay people and open to both men and women seeking to live their lives according to the Rule of St Augustine.

The plaque above commemorates Joan of Acre, daughter of Edward I, her son Lord Monthermer, Lionel of Antwerp, Duke of Clarence, Elizabeth de Burgh, Duchess of Clarence, Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March, and Lady Margaret Neville, all of whom are ancestors or relatives of Richard III and Queen Anne Neville, and all of whom are buried at Clare Priory. The sense of history is palpable.

The priory and gardens are really peaceful but had a distinctly other-worldly feel to them today. I felt touched by remnants of times past and long ago memories. Mists swirled and lifted and then quickly descended again. We were the only visitors leaving our footprints on the snowy ground this day, watched by birds and squirrels from atop the high flint walls. We glimpsed a lone blackbird on this ancient archway below and listened to his sweet and plaintiff song, a welcome sound in the piercing silence.

a New Year, a thank you and some fab socks

2010-12-31T23:39:00.001Z

Link: Selina's Goat Socks

I'm a little late with this I know, but I received the best'est ever present this Christmas in the form of some fab socks.

Firstly, two pairs of the softest, cosiest and prettiest bed socks I have seen in a long time - in 'Bluebell' and 'Petal Pink' of course ! AND two pairs of stunningly warm, breathable and feminine walking socks in 'Cow Parsley' and 'Lichen'. The flower-themed colour names will make the wearing thereof even more enticing!

It will be heartening to know that I am wearing a little piece of British reared Angora goatee mohair inside my walking boots as I traverse the fields, lanes and forests of Suffolk, and yonder, safe in the knowledge that my toes will not only be toasty but as fresh as a daisy too. Thank you, thank you to my OH for such a lovely and thoughtful gift.

Disclaimer: I did of course receive other wonderful gifts, for which I am truly thankful of course, but these socks have found a special place in my affections - you could say I'm easily pleased of course, but hey its the simple things that will always mean the most - *smile*!!

We're off now to settle in front of the TV in the company of Jools Holland's New Year's Eve Hootenanny and a bottle of chilled champagne.

However you see in 2011, have fun!

And to all my lovely regular readers, friends and followers, faithful and recent, and whoever may happen to pass through this little space in blogsphere, I wish you

A HAPPY, HEALTHY AND PEACEFUL NEW YEAR!!

Jeanne

xox

In the Bleak Midwinter

2010-12-27T11:56:00.000Z

Words: Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)

Original Music: "Cranham" by Gustav Holst, 1906

This version: Loreena McKennitt "A Midwinter Night's Dream"

In the bleak mid-winter

Frosty wind made moan,

Earth stood hard as iron,

Water like a stone;

Snow had fallen, snow on snow,

Snow on snow,

In the bleak mid-winter

Long ago.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T16:17:00.000Z

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and may the coming year bring you Happiness in abundence!

Thank you for your friendship and for all of your kind and thoughtful comments throughout this past year. I appreciate and value each and every one of you. Have a wonderful time!

See you very soon.

Jeanne

* Warmest Festive Greetings from Cottage Garden *