My Garden Sings in Raindrops

Hello Friends!

I am sitting in my cottage window, sipping a delicious mug of Constant Comment tea, watching the garden sway and dance in the gently billowing breeze, and listening to the early morning music of the raindrops as they pitter patter on the panes, and splitter splatter on the stones outside. The timpani section echoes from the chimney, and the chirruping birds provide the most delightful chorus.

The birds have been singing their hearts out since early morning, just before the dawn, but for now they take the side line as today centre stage goes to the rain ~~~ my garden sings in raindrops!

What a difference a few days makes! Just last week, over the long Easter weekend, we basked in a mini heatwave with gorgeous sunshine, gentle breezes, and brightly blue skies. People swarmed to the beaches, slurped on ice creams, and I am sure much chocolate was devoured on the plethora of Easter Egg hunts across the land.

I took photographs of my garden in the sunshine, which you can see here.  Today, with the rain, the blooms look so different, and even though the skies are grey the flowers glisten and glimmer with shiny pearls and crystal raindrops.

Here are a few.

I disturbed a nest of newly hatched spiderlings ~~~ shudders! And away they scuttle!

However much we gardeners wage war on snails, it cannot be denied that in the rain their shells glisten and glimmer, and beautiful colours and patterns emerge on the self contained homes of thes voracious predators of lettuce and lupins.

and finally, a few more flowers and seed heads from the garden.

A positively purply pink party of synchronised swimming swans

The simplicity of a single blade of grass, elegantly decorated with pearls of water

and my favourite seed head of them all, the wonderful Pulsatilla vulgaris

I wonder what surprises will be flowering soon?

Until next time~~~
Deborah

Dear Little Robin ~~~

Hello Friends!

When I was a child, I remember my dear mother singing a lullaby to me, and later I would sing it myself. I wish I knew the name of the tune, and maybe you know it yourself, here is the opening line ~~~

Dear Little Robin waiting so patiently, outside my cottage door ~~~ 

So, imagine my utter joy and delight upon opening my own cottage door to discover a Dear Little Robin waiting for me!

He's quite the obliging poser, don't you think?  He is a juvenile, one of this year's fledglings, and such a happy chappy. You can just see the beginnings of his red breast feathers coming in ~~~

but then, I think he'd had enough! "what do you want" said the cute little fellow, before he flew away ~~~

I look forward to many happy hours with him alongside, routing around in the freshly turned soil as I dig and pull out earth~bound juicy worms and bugs for him to feed on ~~~ they are such friendly, trusting souls ~~~

Until next time ~~~
~~~Deborah xoxo

A Kiss of Frost

Gentle Reader ~~~ the sun is shining brightly in a clear, blue Winter sky and the storms have moved on ~~~

Thank you to everyone who took time to reply to my recent question.  You have given me much food for thought, and some of the replies have surprised me in that the font is easy to read on small devices.  I am not going to reply individually {as I usually do} but I have read everything you have said and am now sifting through the pros and cons.  I think the search will be on for something that is  more easily read ~~~sighs and moves over, once more, to the drawing board~~~ but in the meantime, for the next few entries, I am reverting to something more simple ~~~ and it is now more like my own handwriting ~~~ oh, don't you just love an indecisive Libran?

For three days, a Winter storm raged over our heads, with gusting winds of up to 80 mph.  We did not have snow.  Instead, we had rain, rain, and more rain, with some hailstones thrown in for good measure.  The chimney rattled and shook, the rafters in the roof rafted, ~~~ and my rosemary plant of twenty years was rent in two.

We learned a new word.  Thundersnow.  This is the new buzz word I'm hearing or reading it everywhere, or so it seems. We did not have thundersnow, we just had a lot of thunder and lightening with plenty of rain. No snow.  I would love to see thundersnow, for I know it would give an interesting light for photographs.  I see such beauty and possibility in even the most adverse weather conditions, as long as everyone stays safe and free from harm.

We did have some frost! Not very much, but here are a few quick snaps for you ~~~ this first one fascinates me with all the puddly bits underneath the grass ~~~

This one is just frosty kisses on a delicate moss {the current scourge of my lawn} ~~~

After Hallowe'en, I put my pumpkins {the ones that didn't get eaten} in the garden for birds to peck, and this is what it looks like with a dusting of frost ~~~ I see so much in this and I'm itchin' and twitchin' to do some print making from this ~~~

I do not dead head until the Spring, leaving berries and seeds for the birds to forage naturally, as well as supplementing their food from the feeders. It is important for them to forage too ~~~

Tiny speckles of glistening frost on what I think might be a daisy plant ~~~

One of my favourites ~~~ rosy red and orange rose~hips with a backdrop of a frosty pumpkin ~~~

It is time for filling comfort food, and one of my favourite dishes to make in the depths of Winter is my Broccoli and Cheese Casserole.  It is very simple, and quick too, deliciously tasty, and warmly filling ~~~ here is the recipe ~~~

Ingredients ~
10 oz frozen {do not use fresh} broccoli
1 tablespoon flour
1 egg
3/4 cup cottage cheese
2 ounces Cheddar cheese, grated
1 teaspoon grainy mustard {optional}
salt and pepper to taste
1 oz butter

Method ~
Blanch the frozen broccoli in boiling water for two minutes. Remove and plunge into cold water to prevent any further cooking.  Drain well and set to one side.
Pre~heat your oven to Gas Mark 5 {375F or 190C}
Place the butter in an oven proof casserole dish and put in the oven to melt.
In a bowl, beat the egg and stir in the flour and mustard, salt and pepper if using, adding both the cheeses.  Stir in the cooled, drained broccoli.
Tip the mixture into the melted butter in the hot casserole dish and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the mixture is hot through and the cheeses are bubbling and golden brown.

Serves two with hot with crusty bread as a vegetarian main dish or four as a side dish. It is also very good cold, and reheats well.

I have also been using up the Christmas left overs and made some delicious marzipan mincemeat palmiers and will share those with you next time!  In the meantime, remember, despite the Wutheringly Wild Winter Weather ~~~

~~~A Gardener's Work is Never Done~~~

Where does the time go?

Gentle Reader ~~~ It has been so long since I last made an entry.  I do not know where the time goes, but it does, and today I wrote these few lines ~~~ 

Spring is nearly spent
And Summer’s nearly here
How quickly days are moving by
We’re half way through the year

Trees in full leaf and flowers bloom
With colours full of brightening cheer
The cuckoo soon will change her tune
We’re half way through the year

In Summer’s heat we’ll wilt and wither
As to the beach we all draw near
Cooled with an ice cream treat to eat
We’re half way through the year

Soon Autumn days will be upon us
Bringing cooler weather
Leaves will turn and bonfires burn
We’re over half way through the year

Then Winter frosts descend upon us
With weather cold and grey and drear
The days have gone so quickly by
We’re welcoming a brand New Year

Over the winter, which was horrendous and I will not dwell on it for it is in the past and we can only hope not to see such a winter for many years to come, I did much thinking about my garden, and how I need to make it work for me.  This summer I am starting to put some changes in to practice but they are still being tweaked and will take time, maybe a couple of years or more, so I must be patient.   First and foremost are changes that will make the garden easier to maintain and work with in case my back gives on me again as it did for eight weeks last year.  I am planning a pretty seating area, in a shaded north facing aspect so I can sit comfortably.  The rockery is to be flattened and replaced with grasses and Japanese wind anemones.  A paved area at the side of the house is being readied for lined raised beds which will be used for salad vegetables and maybe strawberries.  All the borders around the lawn are to be widened giving less grass to mow, and the trees in the centre of the lawn cut down so that I can mow back and forth instead of steering around them.  I'm sure I've got more ideas and changes, but this will give you an idea that the whole garden is in a state of change.

Here are a few photographs to share, for although I have not been here I have still been taking photographs ~~~

A deadly predator ~~~ a sparrowhawk swooped in one grey day in winter 

Apple blossom time ~~~

Mother blackbird gathering nesting material ~~~

Wild ferns growing in a shady corner ~~~

Osteospermums bright and beautiful in the spring sunshine ~~~

A Great Tit stopped by and sat on the stone frog's head ~~~

Apple tree bark with unusual markings ~~~

Shudder ~~~ a spider's nest full of baby spiderlings ~~~

A beautiful double daffodil in a bouquet of flowers picked fresh ~~~

A full moon shines down on the Garden in The Shire ~~~

Until next time ~~~

~~~A Gardener's Work Is Never Done~~~

Autumn Harvest and Braised Red Cabbage

Gentle Reader~I am at that dangerous stage now, where my back is almost healed, and my fingers are a itchin' and a twitchin' to get out there and dig that soil!  I must be strong!  I must not sally forth with undue care into the garden to do these jobs before my back is ready, for I do not wish to pay the price of rushing.  The work will still be there when I am fully able.

I managed a turn around the lawn pushing the mower, last week, and that was enough.  Pruning is happening where I am able to do so without reaching and bending, and I am gathering seeds from all the many flowers of Summer, so I will have free seeds to sow and share for next Spring.  There is much joy in the harvesting of seeds to set aside for future displays.

I'd like to welcome the new followers to my blog~~Croeso! Welcome! Thank you for following and I do hope you enjoy reading my ramblings and photographs.

First, I must share some sad news.  My neighbour has desecrated the ivy and honeysuckle along my Pembrokeshire stone hedge.  I think he thought he was doing me a favour, but he did not tell me his exact plans and I came home one day to find the entire section hacked into non~existence by a machete.  As one friend pointed out~at least he waited until after the birds had finished nesting and the young have fledged!  Even my two Elder trees are matchwood.  Here are some of the disturbing images~and I know you will share my distress~

Two splintered stumps are all that remain of my magical Elder trees~

I have been told the Elders may recover.  I can only hope they do, for I prize and value the berries and flowers.  I know nature has a way of healing and recovering, and this damage will soon be restored, it is was such a shock to come home from a day out to this sight.  I grieve and am concerned, not only for the damage, but the removal of shelter, for many small birds fed and sheltered in the tumbled growth of ivy and honeysuckle.

Gentle Reader~shall we move on? 

The weather is changing, Autumn chills the air, and there are now many small birds in the garden, foraging for seeds and insects, and one of my new friends is this adorable juvenile robin.  Do you see how his red feathers aren't quite full, there is still a vestige of the downy new fledgling about him, but he is more adult than baby now.  I call him my Teenage Robin!

This week, I have seen woodpeckers, blue tits, chaffinch, goldfinch, sparrows, and many more.  I must settle down to getting some photographs, mustn't I?

The raspberries are fruiting again!  They did the exact same thing last year.  They flowered and fruited (and were greedily devoured) in the expected time frame, and then, two months later cropped again!  The only difference is that in both years the second crop, although much smaller in quantity, is producing much bigger, firmer, and flavoursome fruits.  They are altogether a far superior berry to the earlier crop produced~~how strange is this?  Here is a photograph to show you the quality fruits~

Don't they look good?  Luciously red and deliciously juicy jewels of plumptiousness!

Here is my recipe for Braised Red Cabbage.  I devised this vinegar~free recipe because my mother is unable to eat anything containing vinegar.  I hope you like it~~

Ingredients~
1 head red cabbage
2 medium onions
750 ml good quality apple juice
Seasonings: salt, pepper, 1/4 teasp each cinnamon, clove, freshly ground nutmeg, juniper berries, 1 tablesp grainy mustard. {all seasonings can be adjusted to taste}

Method~
pre~heat oven to Gas Mark 3
Remove outer leaves of cabbage and slice as thinly as possible. I use the finest blade on my mandolin. Finely shred the peeled onions.
In a large, oven~proof lidded casserole layer the cabbage and onions, adding seasonings to each layer. Pour over the apple juice.
Slow cook in the oven for around 3 hours, until cabbage and onions are buttery soft.

This freezes very well and is great for people who cannot take vinegar. When reheating, I add a tablespoon of loganberry or redcurrant jelly {optional} which gives a lovely glaze if serving the dish to company. 

Three hours later, this is what you should be removing from the oven~a casserole dish full of ruby red delicious goodness~~

Of course, it would not be Autumn if the Dreaded Giant Marrow Courgette did not rear it's fearsome head, and here is the one for this year~

Not as big as some I know, but big enough!  Until next time~~~

~~~A Gardener's Work Is Never Done~~~