Enchanted Places

It's no secret that my brother and I are tree huggers. When autumn arrives, each of us goes around picking up the reddest, goldest leaves we can find, I press them in books or my flower press. I don't know what Terry does with his. We try to find tree places that have the best displays to ooooh and ahhh over. This weekend, Bri and I went to Shugborough, nothing grand there, but today on our own doorstep, in Sutton Park I found an enchanted spot in the woods by Henry VIII's old hunting Lodge at Bracebridge. I also found the reddest holly berries by the side of Blackroot Pool. Our Park has so many hidden gems in autumn and, in winter, jewels of a different kind, frosty spider's webs, watching the ducks skate on the frozen ponds in fact, lots to look forward to.

'and there would, she knew, be crumpets'...

this is a quote from Jan Struther's Mrs Miniver, it is about her return home after the summer has finished and winter is arriving. I love this book, it is almost poetry in her wonderful descriptions of daily life in the late 1930's. On turn - the - clocks - back -Sunday I appreciate it even more and always read the bit about tea. It is cosy comfort on a page.
Last week was my birthday and I had a quilting frame, which I absolutely love, It will be a joy this winter seeing my almost finished Bear Paw quilt in the frame waiting for me when I come home to crumpets for tea after toiling down the plot , muck spreading or cleaning out the shed, or harvesting the last squash, leek, swede, parsnip or collecting my well dried out onions. Ooooh! how I love long evenings with things to do.

Plum's Little Hooligans

Hooligans come in all shapes and sizes and mine are no different. We had Molly two years last week so I decided to take a photo for posterity, a nice one I thought, one that shows her true nature I thought. Well did I get a surprise when I looked more closely. There she was sticking her tongue out at me as she leaned over the edge of next door's trellis. Was this a coincidence or was it the real Molly? I will never know. The other little hooligans that came in from the cold was twelve little one meal sized pumpkins from our plot. I guess they are called hooligans because, although the seed packet says they are mini pumpkins the vine itself sprawls all over the place and I couldn't control it... Now to cook these little gems you just take the top off, scoop out the seeds, pop 'em in the microwave for four mins and then fill the centre with butter, cheese and bacon bits, just like a jacket potato, but apparently they taste nutty. I will let you know.

Rock On!!

Yesterday, when we went to the plot to do some tidying up and check on our mini pumpkins and squash, I had a nice surprise as Julie (second best in Bham) had kindly brought me some pink rock back from her trip to Barmouth. She has even offered to do this on a regular basis from the famous Barmouth Rock shop (pictured) am I looking forward to that ..thanks Julie, rock on!!!

Bri's New Adventure

Bri, aka Ramblin' Robbo, has decided that listening to, reading about and playing blues is not enough so he is on a quest to change everyone's mind about blues music being sad and miserable. I have to say after living with it since I was eleven and hating it, even I have become a convert up to a point. I really like country blues. I hope you will give his new site a go, it may be just up your street and you didn't know!!! There is a link to his new blog in our blog list.

Who Stole September?

I can't believe, as I am sitting here with the smell of Christmas wafting through the warm house, that we are already into October. It was so cold yesterday, that we decided to put the central heating on early and start our Christmas cake which is cooking as I write, so it will be well fed by December, which, at this rate, won't be long.
I was still waiting for an Indian Summer when all the signs say it is well and truly Autumn, such as the rust coloured carpet of leaves covering the pavements, the squirrels collecting and burying conkers everywhere followed by the magpies who are busily digging them up again. Our resident hedgehog is getting fatter by the day ready for his long nap and the low flying geese who have made their long journey, plus our dear Molly, who we have had two years this week, asking for the fire to be switched on. I want to know why the months are suddenly passing a lot faster - are there still thirty days in September?
Where's my camera, I don't want to miss October!

Reminder Days

There are certain days that just shout out to remind you of a certain time or place and certain things that go with those days. For me, it is a day like today; overcast, still and quiet. It shouts TOFFEE APPLES. When I came out of school on an October or November afternoon, there used to be an old man selling toffee apples at the gates and for an old three pence he would sell me a wonderful dark golden crack toffee apple. I saved my crisp money for this treat and it was always a grey day. These days are known to me and my family now as 'Toffee Apple Days'. I love 'em toffee apples and quiet, still, grey days such happy memories come to mind like soon to be bonfire night with woodsmoke filling the air...


Now there are other treats that provoke memories too, such as Butterkist. This always reminds me of snowy mornings walking with my Mom, snow up to my knees, to the nearest shop to buy me a bag of the lovely crispy sweet candy. We never walked to get any at any other time. I think it was an excuse to go out in the snow. I love snow and still buy Butterkist but I can't be trusted with a big bag...


Now Bri, on the other hand, can't be trusted with Pink Rock. He begs on his cell phone and pleads with anyone packing a case going away to any seaside town in England, preferably going Oop North as this is the hottest, to bring him back a stick - a big stick mind, not a tiddly one and it has to be pink. He doesn't seem to have memories to go with it he just loves the stuff. When he text Yvonne to say R O C K spells rock, he got a text back saying T E E T H spells teeth, our dentist can't believe his luck that he still has almost all of his teeth.

Hot doughnuts, lovingly called by us 'duffnuts' always remind us of quilt fairs as we never leave without having a hot doughnut drenched in sugar and cinnamon. This is a real treat for both of us...

I wonder how many people have these special days...

Tomorrow, according to the weather forecast is going to be a right 'Winnie the Pooh! ( a blustery day)