In an age of steam ...

The South Devon Railway opened for the season this weekend ... nostalgia rules, OK?

Hidden Away

Hidden away among the side streets and ancient courtyards of Totnes is an architectural practice



One of those places that catches your eye - but you have to look twice ...

Wood Pile

I came across this wood pile while out walking recently. Although fresh cut, the moss and lichen indicate how healthy the growth had been and how unspoilt the area.

I leave a pile of wood in my garden as a site for insects and small animals, and I wondered how many species already inhabit this haven ... I may return later in the year and see if it's still there (if so, I shall avoid the temptation to lift a log and see!).

Sunbury Park

I paid a visit to Sunbury Park recently, and to the walled garden in particular. It's a quiet place, despite the new gallery and tea shop ... the gallery was built to house the Millennium Tapestry and only opened last summer, but is well supported, even at this time of year.

The plants are beginning to bud, and the birdlife is making it's presence felt - we heard a woodpecker, but couldn't catch sight of it, as well as various tits and the usual garden birds.

The walled garden is an oasis so close to the bustle, although the village itself is relatively unspoilt. It was a warm day, warm enough to sit out and listen to the quiet ... to be still.

Next Move

The broad beans I planted a month ago have mostly sprouted now, although the seed was old. So have the lettuce and cabbage (Primo) seeds I planted last week ... it's looking good so far!

Trimmed some of the strawberry plants - there is already a flower on one in the greenhouse. And DD1 planted the potatoes (Marfona) in what used to be her plot ... we didn't trench them so will have to be careful about covering them as they grow. So many little jobs to be done ... the weather has been co-operative, but we've not had much time this week. Hopefully it will last a little longer.

Getting going

I've been ready to do stuff in the garden for a couple of weeks, but time and weather have conspired against me ...

Today was sunny and warm, and not too wet. I concentrated on repairs to the greenhouse, while DH began to dig over this year's potato patch. Then we worked on filling the two new raised beds ... one for carrots and beetroot (I find it so hard to get them to germinate in our sandy soil and windy garden) and the other probably for celeriac. I also planted up some cabbage (Primo) and the first lettuce.

Much more to do ... and no time to take photos today!

Soup

When we were away last week, I had a number of disappointments regarding soup. When on holiday, we eat our main meal at home in the evening, but we may have a snack when out during the day and I often choose the soup as something light for a change from sandwiches etc. All three soups I tried last week were too thick, too peppery and overwhelmed by one ingredient
The trouble is, I like my own cooking too much. It's a wonderful treat to go to a restaurant for a meal, don't misunderstand me, but I try to choose something from the menu that I don't cook myself so I have nothing to compare it with. I'm not a cordon bleu cook by any standard, just adequate, but wholesome, and nearly always cook 'from scratch' with real ingredients.

We often have soup for lunch - today I made broccoli and Stilton (well, Danish Blue, anyway!) with the calabrese from the Organic veg box that arrived yesterday (I have supposedly given up cheese for Lent - and my health - but I don't count that!). It's the first time I've tried it, and was relatively pleased:

soften one chopped onion in a little oil
add a shredded leek and a peeled, diced potato, cover and cook slowly to soften
add some stock and broccoli (don't use the stalks), bring to the boil and simmer for 15-20 mins
take off the heat and blend
stir in some crumbled Stilton and a little cream to taste

(if reheating, do not allow to boil)

We also have an excess of mushrooms (careless shopping, forgot what I already had) so I might make some cream of mushroom later in the week:

soften two or three finely chopped onions in some oil
add finely chopped mushrooms and stock
bring to the boil and simmer for 15 - 20 mins

in the meanwhile, make 1/2 pint white sauce (I cheat and use cornflour, but you could do it properly and make a roux with flour and butter), when the mushrooms etc are cooked, blend in the pan and add the white sauce. Season to taste.

Easy!

Stained Glass

The first sowings ...

Early February, and it's warm enough and dry enough to start digging the veg patches ... I've put out the two new raised beds- we'll slowly fill them with old compost from pots used last year mixed in with worm compost, manure and any of our own compost pile that's ready. We'll not need to plant them for a month or two, they're for root veg (carrots and beetroot) and salads. In the raised bed where I grew carrots and beetroot last year, I'll try some celeriac. The first year we moved here I had a great crop, but it's been disappointing since then. The other raised bed is set aside for herbs, although there's a bit of room for salad crops, too.

Once the raised beds were in place, I was able to dig over the bit of ground nearby, and I've just planted out some old broad bean seed ... some of them will sprout, depending on how many I'll then know if it was worth it, or whether to start again with some new seed. There's plenty of time.

While I was busy, I heard a cockerel crowing ... in the back lane! It hopped up onto our back wall, but opted not to come on in ... the cat was rather perplexed but obviously discretion overcame impulse and he made no move to investigate

A long winter

I've not been using my camera much these past few months, and in fact, today's picture isn't mine at all ...

We are in the process of redeveloping the church site, demolishing the old church and rebuilding with flats and a new, smaller church. So this week, we were invited to bring our cameras to the service and take pictures of the church as it is ... to remind us of it's glories and also why we need to move on from it (it was badly damaged during the war, and the repairs were of a very poor standard ... there's not a lot of option but to start again!). This is a picture of part of the stained glass (see next post for more of the same window) ... we'll try and reuse a small part of it, for continuity ...

Herb Bread

I had some left over feta cheese in the fridge that needed using up, so ...

Sift together 6oz SR flour, a pinch of cayenne and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Stir in a peeled, grated potato, some cubed feta cheese, some chopped herbs and 3 or 4 chopped spring onions.

Beat together an egg and a teaspoon of whole grain mustard. Add to the mixture and mix to make a firm dough (you may well need to add one or two tablespoons of milk).

Shape with floured hands and place on a greased baking tray. Bake at gas 5 for 35-40 mins. Allow to cool for a short while before serving, delicious with butter and served with soup.

You can vary the recipe by using goats cheese and thyme, feta and rosemary ... any combination really

If you should have any left over (rarely, in this house!) it toasts well, too.

A Winter's Day

A friend sent me this picture ... along with a promise of a walk there when I go to stay - I only hope the weather is as sunny!

Clear view

I found myself at Sandbanks recently ... it was a regular haunt a few years ago. Although it was October, the weather was clear and warm.


Afterwards, we took the chain ferry across to Studland and drove onto Corfe Castle for tea at the National Trust tea room ... a perfect day!

A Rant ...

... about modern architecture.

We used to live in Essex and often crossed the river to visit Bluewater. It's the cathedral of modern consumerism, was built with great attention to detail and convenience, and as a result is worth a visit for the sake of the archtecture alone.

Plymouth have recently opened a new shopping mall, Drake Circus. Externally it's a hotchpotch of clashing styles, internally it's uninspiring and drab ...


... and it's a total waste of the opportunity to improve the city's facilities.

Autumn in the Garden

Autumn brings out the spiders, and on a morning when there's a chill in the air, the garden is decorated with webs sparkling in the dew ...

Autumn approaches

Although it's October, it is still unseasonably warm, day and night. So I'm still cropping courgettes (although they are beginning to rot occasionally), and the greenhouse tomatoes are still going strong, with a handful of 'Gardener's Delight' every other day or so. I have lettuce (Little Gem) still growing, although rather more slowly now, and have started pulling carrots and parsnips (grown this year in a bottomless dustbin - they are amazingly straight and long!).

There are so many figs still on the tree - but they are not ripening. However, we are still picking strawberries! Enough every two or three days for each of us to have three or four with our pudding, although many more are rotting due to the rain.

We are picking apples, too. I've no idea of the variety - they are versatile cookers/eaters ... cooking to a mush very quickly, but sweet enough to eat from the tree. They are only just ripe these past couple of weeks, and if the gales don't bring them down earlier, we shall be picking for the best part of October.

We had so many runner beans, that in the end I left them unpicked and DH removed them this last week. That's when it begins to feel like autumn in the garden - once the runner beans are taken down and the garden is once more a large and empty space.

Brown Betty - tried and tested

I somewhat simplified things and layered bread crumbs with slices of apple, ground cloves and brown sugar, starting and finishing with a crumb layer, topped with knobs of butter and then poured over a cup of water ... and it was delicious (with oodles of double cream)! I was suprised just how successful it was ... I thought it might be rather stodgy but it was like a light apple crumble.

Baked Stuffed Pumpkin

Here's an idea from a column in today's Independent (by co-incidence called From Garden to Plate - should I sue, do you think?!) ...

Baked Stuffed Pumpkin

Cut off the lid of a small pumpkin, scoop out and discard the seeds. Cut out the flesh, dice and keep to one side. Chop three leeks and fry gently in some olive oil together with some garlic and tumeric for about 10 minutes. Add the pumkin flesh and continue to cook gently until soft. Cook some long grain rice and drain. Skin, seed and chop 3 tomatoes and toast some cashew nuts under the grill. Add the drained rice to the pumpkin mixture, and stir in the tomatoes and cashews and some grated cheese. Spoon the mixture back into the pumpkin shell, replace the lid and bake at 180 degrees C for 90 minutes, until the pumpkin is softened and the skin turning colour. Serve in wedges.

I'm not sure when to try it ...

Rock Formation

The layering of the rocks here is amazing, creating the perfect fire place on the beach!

Stoke Beach

I love the coast round here, but this is an area I hadn't explored before. It is rugged and remote, yet only a short drive East of Plymouth.