August - Autumn arrived early

Butterflies in the garden

Combining in the village

Eddie enjoying the seaside

Our first apple

In August I was mainly:

- working in all weathers, even a thunderstorm!  You've never seen me weed so fast.

- walking the dog in clouds of dust - see combining.

- killing flies.

- making courgette soup (after washing one's hands).

- filling the freezer with beans (various).

- trying to get a bat out of the bedroom at 5am.

- spotting three barn owls, one hare and a polecat!

- reading in my steamer chair at the end of the garden under the lilac tree and then falling asleep.

I had a self indulgent trip to London on the train to meet up with Maisie one Saturday.  We had our favourite vegetarian fish and chips in the Chelsea Potter pub on the King's Road.  Apparently the pub was built in 1842 and Jimi Hendrix and the Rolling Stones were once visitors.

Chelsea Potter pub.

Nice pint.

We strolled up Bywater Street

We then went on to Notting Hill

Love this shop!

It was very busy

By the end of the day we were exhausted.

Back in Salisbury for a very grey, cold picnic outside the Cathedral whilst listening to big band music.

Swing Unlimited Big Band with dancers dressed in 1940's gear

The weather has been so changeable that we haven't sat outside as much as earlier in the summer. 

Summer colour

Echinacea

Oi!  Get off!

Cosmos - Pied Piper Red

Achillea brightening up a grey day

I was determined not to waste a single home grown courgette, no matter how many we had!  The freezer is full of soup for the winter.

Courgette and lemon soup

Courgette and Parmesan soup

Courgette and ginger soup (favourite)

I made a (stiff!) batch of marmalade.

We took Eddie to Hengistbury Head again

It was freezing, windy and raining but it didn't dampen Eddie's enthusiasm

I picked a few things to identify once back home in the dry.

Pink Sea Aster - common on salt mashes, cliffs and rocks

White flower is some kind of mustard, cress or cabbage plant.  Forgot to bring a leaf home so couldn't identify it!

Rock Samphire - not very common plant of rocks and cliffs by the sea.  You can use the thick, fleshy leaves for making pickles and the carroty taste makes it good in salads.  The leaves really smell of lemon oil.

I've also been in the hedgerows at home.  This is Old Man - before the beard

Basil brought over delicious chocolate brownies and had a cuddle with Frank

We have been inundated with house martins.  One morning there were hundreds in our tulip tree, on all the telegraph wires, even on our washing line!  The next day they were all gone, back to Africa. They've got the right idea.

House martins getting ready for the off

The roses seem to have survived being moved when we had the front garden re-done.

Gertrude Jekyll

Alderley Park rose

We have been arty farty whilst listening to tunes.

Esme helped with the 'cuttin and stickin'

Oliver came over for a gossip over a massive dish of maccy cheese

A typical August sky!

Autumn has arrived early - I don't mind in a way as there's more to spot on my walks.

Rosehips

I would love to try making rosehip syrup.  Add to long list of things to do!

The strange Bedeguar Gall or Robin's Pincushion on a Dog Rose

I'm now on the lookout for fungi and looking forward to woolly cardy and scarf wearing - yes!

Looking down in to the valley and I've lost the dog.....

'A nomad I will remain for life, in love with distant and uncharted places.'  

- Isabelle Eberhardt (from Tristan Gooley's 'How to read water')

February - A Hygge month

Embracing all things 'Hygge'

New buds on the lilac

Snowdrops

Early birthday pressie - a new hand knitted blankie

In February I have:

- Learnt the meaning of the Danish concept of Hygge (pronounced 'hoo-guh').  It (loosely) translates as the ritual of enjoying life's simple pleasures.  As Denmark can have up to 17 hours of darkness in winter with temperatures hardly exceeding zero degrees C, Hygge can help to make the most of the gloom.  So..... I have worn woolly jumpers, eaten by candlelight, snuggled under cosy blankets and warmed my feet in front of the fire with a hot mug of tea.  Nothing new there then.

- I have visited the Sea Life Aquarium in London this month.

Sea Life do a lot of conservation and education work.  They also have breeding programmes for endangered species.

Jellyfish

Did you know - sharks have lived in our oceans for more than 420 million years!  The Sand tiger sharks at the aquarium look ferocious with their mouths full of teeth but aren't dangerous to humans. Don't think I'll test that though.

The two male sharks are called Bungle and Zippy

There were originally two female Cuban crocodiles at London Aquarium - Sugar and Spice.  Cuban crocodiles are one of the most intelligent and most endangered species of crocodile in the world. Their brightly coloured skin is highly sought after to make bags.  The two lady crocodiles at Sea Life had grown up together and got on really well until one day Spice got a bit territorial and ate Sugar!

(Scary) Spice, the naughty Cuban crocodile

Turtles

A lesser spotted Esme on the underground

As we have just finished watching our 'Mr Selfridge' box set, we thought we would make a quick trip to the shop whist in London.

In 1931 Selfridges unveiled the Queen of Time clock on the front of the building.  It was described at the time as 'London's newest meeting place'.  Now, most shoppers pass beneath and barely notice it.

Queen of Time clock

'Dolly's' art deco inspired cafe is named after the Dolly Sisters, a pair of glamorous identical twins who performed in the 1920's and entranced Harry Selfridge.

Looking down on to Dolly's Tea Rooms

The original dark wood revolving doors at the entrance of Selfridges

We enjoyed (despite the icy cold weather) delicious chocolate and salted caramel sundaes with a hot chocolate at Carluccios on Waterloo station.

Esme and Maisie at Carluccios

- We have ventured back in to the garden 

Could spring really be on its way?

My grandfather's primroses are up in the cold frame

Frank, on a rare outing outside

Crocuses in the greenhouse

The amarylis is showing signs of life

I look at my rather pathetic tiny cacti and dream of Spain and the sun......

Tulips on the dining room table

- We have relaxed in front of the fire

Feeling Hygge with my new blankie

- We have baked and souped

Cheese and bacon loaf in the belly

Dipped in to curried lentil soup

February has not been the best of months as we had to have one of our rescue dogs put down. We only had Sophie 3 months but she was an adorable girl and we are heartbroken.

Sophie understood the 'no pets on the furniture' rule

We are so glad that we have Eddie and he is enjoying the extra fuss!

Eddie seems to enjoy sitting in the car, even if you don't go anywhere!

Training is ongoing

Well, I've had enough Hygge, inertia, darkness, cold, eating heavy food and wearing heavy clothing this winter. What I want now is sunshine, open doors and windows, birds, bees, flowers, weeds, dirty knees and coffee outside....  Bring it on!

Evening walk around the village

"......perhaps the chiefest attraction of a garden is that occupation can always be found there.  No idle people are happy, but with mind and fingers busy cares are soonest forgotten."

- Alicia Amherst 1902 (from The Virago book of Women Gardeners)