Monday Miscellany

August in the Garden

The weather has been so weird lately.  Yesterday it was so windy that the trees and bushes in the garden were whirling around just as they do during a late autumn storm.  Yet, kneeling down whilst weeding, it seemed as if I was below the gusts of wind and I could hardly feel them and it was so warm too.

We saw quite a few butterflies whilst out in the garden but they were too skittish to take any decent photos.  The birds are still around but not feeding at the feeders as much as usual.  There are many sparrows, a couple of robins, blackbirds and of course the ubiquitous wood pigeons.  Mr Fox visits us every night and we've spotted him early morning too. One evening he brought three friends with him.  Mr Badger has been digging up our potatoes.  We didn't know what had been digging in the raised beds but our next door neighbours saw a badger on their lawn late one evening so we think that he or she the culprit.  The squirrels are still doing all they can to pinch the sunflower hearts in the bird feeders, shinning up and down the pole and hanging upside down shovelling the hearts into their pouches. 

 I was particularly pleased to see the little bug house we fastened to the fence has been in use.  We seem to have several leaf cutter bees in residence.

The bees also love this plant which grows near the pond.  It has been there since we moved here and I've no idea what it is.

 The grass has been cut which makes the garden look a little bit tidier as some of the bed and borders look a little overgrown at this time of year.

Most of the flowers are shades of pink and lilac now with the occasional shot of colour from the dahlia flowers, crocosmia and what is left of the nasturtiums in a hanging basket.

I bought some local Staffordshire grown plums from the supermarket and made a crumble which I forgot to photograph but it was delicious.

 The plums on our tree will take a lot longer to achieve crumble status.

 The hazel tree next to the plum tree has some growth too.

We always hope to get to those nuts before the squirrels but it is a battle we seem to lose every year.

Stir-up Sunday

What better excuse to stay indoors now that the weather is colder and the snow from Friday evening's downfall is still lingering across the gardens and pavements around here than to enjoy 'stir-up' Sunday.

 Photo taken from our bedroom window on Friday night

above - what was left of the snow on Saturday morning - the grass is green again today but it is still bitterly cold.

Stir-up Sunday is the day when traditionally puddings and cakes are made for the festive season ahead.  We had the ingredients, we had the time and we had the inclination to cook as there is no better way of keeping the chill at bay than cooking and baking in a warm kitchen filled with wonderful spicy, seasonal aromas.

Firstly we made a cake using the well used and trusted recipe from the BeRo book, the hardest part of this processes is lining and preparing the tin and then timing the baking.

 Then we made a pudding which is still steaming on the hob as I type again the recipe was from the BeRo book.  Stir-up Sunday is a tradition that harks back to Victorian times when the whole family would gather to make the Christmas pudding, each stirring and making a wish and at this point coins or charms would be added to the pudding to be found by a lucky family member on Christmas Day. 

I really have to venture out tomorrow as I lost my mobile phone when I visited the library on Friday;  a very kind person handed it in and I'm so grateful for that.  Whoever you are - thank you.

The First Drops of Snow........

........and the first Snowdrops

I'm taking a break from blogging for a while I will still visit your blogs when I can.  See you soon!

Just a bit on the damp side

What a morning it's been! 

Wet! Wet! Wet!

 Paths under water

Garden steps broken, I trod on the corner as I went out to feed the birds earlier and hurtled forward but managed to stay upright.   It's not a flood of biblical proportions by any means but it has entered the house, well garage,  which is connected to the rest of the house.

I did have a dental appointment this morning but they rang last evening to cancel so I don't have to go out except to post a birthday card which I can do just round the corner on the next street, when and if it ever stops raining.   In the meantime to cheer up the day I've made a cake, a chocolate cake.  It's not the most attractive cake in the world but it smells wonderful - just hope it tastes as good.

Put the kettle on!  Care to join me for a slice?