1st October.....a good day for anything which moves as it is apparently Wolrd Vegetarian Day - and by total conincidence I haven't eaten anything non-vegetarian today.
1870 The first official issue of the post card was made in Britain by the Post Office together with the introduction of the halfpenny postage stamp.
1908 The first Model T Ford was introduced by Henry Ford.
1974 American fast-food chain, McDonald's, opens its first British outlet in London.
2000 Last commercial Hover Craft flight across the English Channel.
I can't really believe the nights are creeping in already! However they are and there is no getting away from the fact that if I don't get those springies and potatoes started soon they won't get the soil warmth to germinate. However it does have to be said that we are still heavily cropping the greenhouse tomatos and carrots. The crab apple seems to be quite happily settling in (finally) although the elstar is startingt to lose its leaves. The Christmas I would really like an outdoor tap fitted so we can water the garden - i know we are on a meter but the garden can't go through another dry summer like last year.
Thursday, 1 October 2009
Tuesday, 29 September 2009
Sunday, 27 September 2009
Lazy Sunday
Sometimes domestic bliss appears from the most unplanned sources.
This morning we got up late - we haven't for ages and when we did eventually stir we discovered just enough ingredients in the house to make a pretty decent brunch which even included fruit juice and fresh coffee.
Then we headed out to find pine cones, (part of my christmas craft endeavors) and went up to the plantation by Wyevales garden centre where we wandered through the trees and again i really wished I had my fast camara to capture the birds and squirrels which were everywhere. The trees were amazing and it was very peaceful - leading me to conclude my tranquillity research was right describing even small places can truly be oases of calm.
As is happening so frequently at the moment I saw something amazing in the woods. Picking pine cones is a very peaceful activity and involved scouring the ground carefully but also moving carefully so as not to cruch any good cones. I noticed a squirrel jumping down a tree which seems to be moving oddly so I watched a little more carefully, in the mother squirrels mouth was a small baby squirrel with small ears and a little tail which was waving around as the mum bounced along the ground before bouncing up another tree. Lovely.
After collecting a few cones (will photograph tomorrow) and after he'd nibbled at a few sweet chestnuts we headed to the garden centre round the corner where we spent an hour browsing and eventually bought some cut price flower seeds, and some shallots, garlic, winter peas and green manure for the veg match as well as a fleece cloche. I am hoping to spend the next couple of days tidying and preparing the garden for winter.
I then had to go off and run a few errands and he stayed at home to wash the car and managed to fix the oven too. Getting back I put a beef casserole on and made a crumble from mums apples, did some recipe hunting, and checked on the sloes before we make sloe gin & sloe vodka tonmorrow evening. It really is the little things which count - fresh food & good wine!!!
Tomorrow I promise - I will spend some time in my garden!
This morning we got up late - we haven't for ages and when we did eventually stir we discovered just enough ingredients in the house to make a pretty decent brunch which even included fruit juice and fresh coffee.
Then we headed out to find pine cones, (part of my christmas craft endeavors) and went up to the plantation by Wyevales garden centre where we wandered through the trees and again i really wished I had my fast camara to capture the birds and squirrels which were everywhere. The trees were amazing and it was very peaceful - leading me to conclude my tranquillity research was right describing even small places can truly be oases of calm.
As is happening so frequently at the moment I saw something amazing in the woods. Picking pine cones is a very peaceful activity and involved scouring the ground carefully but also moving carefully so as not to cruch any good cones. I noticed a squirrel jumping down a tree which seems to be moving oddly so I watched a little more carefully, in the mother squirrels mouth was a small baby squirrel with small ears and a little tail which was waving around as the mum bounced along the ground before bouncing up another tree. Lovely.
After collecting a few cones (will photograph tomorrow) and after he'd nibbled at a few sweet chestnuts we headed to the garden centre round the corner where we spent an hour browsing and eventually bought some cut price flower seeds, and some shallots, garlic, winter peas and green manure for the veg match as well as a fleece cloche. I am hoping to spend the next couple of days tidying and preparing the garden for winter.
I then had to go off and run a few errands and he stayed at home to wash the car and managed to fix the oven too. Getting back I put a beef casserole on and made a crumble from mums apples, did some recipe hunting, and checked on the sloes before we make sloe gin & sloe vodka tonmorrow evening. It really is the little things which count - fresh food & good wine!!!
Tomorrow I promise - I will spend some time in my garden!
Saturday, 26 September 2009
Perfect Day
We have spent the last few weekends exploring Norfolk and avoiding the city centre crowds, we didn't really need anything and with the heat of the summer gone then September has been very pleasent for bike rides and general outdoor things, not much gardening has been going on but that is all about to change. However there comes a point where work shirts need to be purchased and we had to source some borax to improve the ecoballs.
We headed into Norwich to attend the Japanese Day at the forum which was a tenting and also really good fun. We watched a sushi demonstration and got to eat some too, and 'he' was lucky enough to actually get his food at Wagamama while in actual fact they forgot mine which I wasn't too impressed with. I do think that Wagas is a great place to eat but the Norwich franchise is appalling and i seriously recommend that people try Shikis if they are after a traditional Japanese menu.
The lunchtime hiccup was forgotten once we got on our bikes and headed 11 miles out of the city to South Burlingham for afternoon tea with family. The ride was glorious and fairly traffic free, cyling through Brundell, Strumpshaw and Lingwood I realised I had never ever visited these villages. After tea and cake and looking at wedding pictures we headed home through reds and oranges, it was a truly fabulous sunset and I wished I had my camara with me.
Stopping at Thorpe St Andrew by the river we ate fish and chips watching the sunlight fade and as the houseboats started up their woodburners a pall of pale smoke weaved across the river. Cycling slightly more slowly home we made it just as the light went completely - looking on the map we worked out that we had in fact cycled 25 miles!
We headed into Norwich to attend the Japanese Day at the forum which was a tenting and also really good fun. We watched a sushi demonstration and got to eat some too, and 'he' was lucky enough to actually get his food at Wagamama while in actual fact they forgot mine which I wasn't too impressed with. I do think that Wagas is a great place to eat but the Norwich franchise is appalling and i seriously recommend that people try Shikis if they are after a traditional Japanese menu.
The lunchtime hiccup was forgotten once we got on our bikes and headed 11 miles out of the city to South Burlingham for afternoon tea with family. The ride was glorious and fairly traffic free, cyling through Brundell, Strumpshaw and Lingwood I realised I had never ever visited these villages. After tea and cake and looking at wedding pictures we headed home through reds and oranges, it was a truly fabulous sunset and I wished I had my camara with me.
Stopping at Thorpe St Andrew by the river we ate fish and chips watching the sunlight fade and as the houseboats started up their woodburners a pall of pale smoke weaved across the river. Cycling slightly more slowly home we made it just as the light went completely - looking on the map we worked out that we had in fact cycled 25 miles!
Friday, 25 September 2009
Carpe Diem
Following my redundancy in April, I have been re-employed in the Suffolk coastal town of Lowestoft - the 12 hour days were starting to get too much so I now only work three days a week and today was one of them. I leave at 7am and get home at about 6 if I work through my lunch hour, it feels as though I lose touch with the outside world and so enjoy the walk to and from the station through the city up through the Cathedral. Today however we decided that we would walk the 'Riverside' walk which starts by the Complete Angler and winds its way under willow trees to Cowgate past Pulls Ferry.
The first section was peaceful, but the often forgotten section from Bishops Bridge through to Jarrolds mill past Cow Tower (seen above) was really beautiful and it made the whole world ok and was a wonderful start to teh weekend - we saw a family of swans and found a fabulous hidden pond which i never knew about. Turning to take the photo above we thought we were having something thrown at us when we realised we were standing under a conker tree! Never one to look a gift conker in the mouth we gathered a few up and i might try to use them in Christmas decorations. Seeing as how my hunt for pine cones is going really badly, they used to be everywhere when i was little, where oh where have the little cones gone?!
The first section was peaceful, but the often forgotten section from Bishops Bridge through to Jarrolds mill past Cow Tower (seen above) was really beautiful and it made the whole world ok and was a wonderful start to teh weekend - we saw a family of swans and found a fabulous hidden pond which i never knew about. Turning to take the photo above we thought we were having something thrown at us when we realised we were standing under a conker tree! Never one to look a gift conker in the mouth we gathered a few up and i might try to use them in Christmas decorations. Seeing as how my hunt for pine cones is going really badly, they used to be everywhere when i was little, where oh where have the little cones gone?!
Thursday, 24 September 2009
CPRE Food Event
We spent yesterday evening at a very fascinating workshop about local food and the impacts it has on the area which was hosted by the CPRE at the Workshop on Earlham Road - its all to do with Mapping Local Food webs click here for more info!.
This was partly a tenting in terms of us getting out and doing things together, but it was also very interesting to meet people who might think along the same lines as us and my lil sis came along as well so it was great to catch up. There were structured activities to gauge people opnion on how local food affected the environment, society and economy and the buffet was stocked with local produce. Which was delicious.
This was partly a tenting in terms of us getting out and doing things together, but it was also very interesting to meet people who might think along the same lines as us and my lil sis came along as well so it was great to catch up. There were structured activities to gauge people opnion on how local food affected the environment, society and economy and the buffet was stocked with local produce. Which was delicious.
Sunday, 20 September 2009
Indian Summer Part II - Sloes!
Today we (nearly) lept out of bed in search of the elusive sloe. We have come to the conclusion that we will be having a traditional Christmas and celebrate all we love about Norfolk & English winter traditions. My Sarah Raven Christmas book has been well read and we've decided that we would try and make sloe gin & sloe vodka for Christmas, and having been told in some quarters that they were over, and other quarters that they wouldn't be ready yet we weren't sure if we'd missed the Sloe boat.
It was a cool start to the day but by the time we got up to Itteringham where we had asked a friendly farmer to help us to locate some sloes it had got really quite warm. In fairness I didn't know what a sloe looked like and so once the townies had been dropped by a hedge bursting with sloes we were left to get stung, scratched, prickled and generally made to work for our sloes. I was really surprised by the size of the little beggars and also the tenacity with which they clung to the hedge, the sheen on them was translucent and they are really pretty.
After picking some rosehips (not enough as I discovered when we got home) we headed up the Wolterton Park Harden open day where we immediately sought out lunch. The garden is rented out by the owners to a couple who grow enough to run Barker Organics. After lunch we toured the organic garden learning quite a bit about biodynamic gardening in the process. Growing up we were taken to almost every estate kitchen garden in England (well it felt like it sometimes) and while the Barker garden does not resemble one tiny bit the traditional national trust tidy type kitchen garden I can honestly say I have never been in a kitchen garden with so much wildlife. I saw a goldfinch for only the second time, robins, bees,(honey and bumble), and the various sunflowers were amazing, although they didn;t have any black ones like we grew this year.
After wandering around the stalls where we saw a whole host of amazing produce and crafts made in Norfolk we meandered home to an amazing supper of organic sausage, apple (mums tree), and Norfolk onion casserole. With it we had mustard mash made with our potatos - i can honestly say it was the best mash I have ever tasted! We had carrots plucked from the ground moments before going in the pan - he has to go and pick them by torchlight as the evenings have started catch us unawares.
By next weekend I hope to have my cloches which i'll need for winter growing - because of the veg patch dimensions then I have to cut accross my normal beds but if thats what it takes to get veg over the winter then so be it!
Oh and the sloes? 2.85KG - about 6 75cl bottles worth - Roll on Christmas!!!
It was a cool start to the day but by the time we got up to Itteringham where we had asked a friendly farmer to help us to locate some sloes it had got really quite warm. In fairness I didn't know what a sloe looked like and so once the townies had been dropped by a hedge bursting with sloes we were left to get stung, scratched, prickled and generally made to work for our sloes. I was really surprised by the size of the little beggars and also the tenacity with which they clung to the hedge, the sheen on them was translucent and they are really pretty.
After picking some rosehips (not enough as I discovered when we got home) we headed up the Wolterton Park Harden open day where we immediately sought out lunch. The garden is rented out by the owners to a couple who grow enough to run Barker Organics. After lunch we toured the organic garden learning quite a bit about biodynamic gardening in the process. Growing up we were taken to almost every estate kitchen garden in England (well it felt like it sometimes) and while the Barker garden does not resemble one tiny bit the traditional national trust tidy type kitchen garden I can honestly say I have never been in a kitchen garden with so much wildlife. I saw a goldfinch for only the second time, robins, bees,(honey and bumble), and the various sunflowers were amazing, although they didn;t have any black ones like we grew this year.After wandering around the stalls where we saw a whole host of amazing produce and crafts made in Norfolk we meandered home to an amazing supper of organic sausage, apple (mums tree), and Norfolk onion casserole. With it we had mustard mash made with our potatos - i can honestly say it was the best mash I have ever tasted! We had carrots plucked from the ground moments before going in the pan - he has to go and pick them by torchlight as the evenings have started catch us unawares.
By next weekend I hope to have my cloches which i'll need for winter growing - because of the veg patch dimensions then I have to cut accross my normal beds but if thats what it takes to get veg over the winter then so be it!
Oh and the sloes? 2.85KG - about 6 75cl bottles worth - Roll on Christmas!!!
Saturday, 19 September 2009
Indian Summer Part I
We have had a lovely day relaxing with the amazing weather which I feel is giving us a second chance to get a crop out of the veg patch, I have decided on Carrots, Potatos, Onions, Garlic, Shallots, Broad Beans and early sowings of a few companion flowers. I spent the morning on a few errands, stopping at the HFG (Horstead Farm Group)Farm Shop at Beeston where I bought some Pinneys Smoked Salmon for a few luches, some blueberry lemonade (which was 'interesting'), cheese scones for him and some corn thins for me which are truly delicious. The food is good value and we like to buy local, it will be this which I think pushes us into getting a freezer.
When I got home we ate lunch in the garden, and surveyed the last of our crops. The tomatos are still going strong, as are the carrots, and the onions are storing ok in the ground. I picked up the last of the shallots to keep indoors and discovered that teh sweetcorn should probably have been eaten last weekend as they have now started to turn. Never mind - they did remarkably well given how little water they had and we got 9 cobs which could have been eaten. The beans, courgettes and peas were a HUGE dissapointment this year and next year I intend to keep a much closer eye on them.
The day was rounded off by an early evening BBQ at a friends - local food at theirs too and it tastes just so good. I know scientific studies have shown that there is no difference between organic and non-organic but the taste is just outstanding. And its noce to think it hasn't had to travel. Had we been a little more organised we would have biked over there but perhaps another day.
When I got home we ate lunch in the garden, and surveyed the last of our crops. The tomatos are still going strong, as are the carrots, and the onions are storing ok in the ground. I picked up the last of the shallots to keep indoors and discovered that teh sweetcorn should probably have been eaten last weekend as they have now started to turn. Never mind - they did remarkably well given how little water they had and we got 9 cobs which could have been eaten. The beans, courgettes and peas were a HUGE dissapointment this year and next year I intend to keep a much closer eye on them.
The day was rounded off by an early evening BBQ at a friends - local food at theirs too and it tastes just so good. I know scientific studies have shown that there is no difference between organic and non-organic but the taste is just outstanding. And its noce to think it hasn't had to travel. Had we been a little more organised we would have biked over there but perhaps another day.
Sunday, 13 September 2009
Splish Splash
After yesterdays outing we had a lazy morning sorting out food for the week (which we have found significantly cuts down on food waste) and deciding on plans for the day. Plans for a paddle on the river in my cousins canoes were decided upon and I went off in waterproof trousers to do a couple of hours on the River Bure down river of Belaugh.
The river was a nice height and we had decided before setting off to try and find the entrance to the Crostwick Beck but this was twarted by gates accross the entrances to lots of interesting inlets. We did however discover Nortons Broad which had very unsportingly had a huge gate instaled accross the channel to stop us reaching it. We are fairly certain that tidal water cannot be owned so I might write to ask the Broads Authority and ask about Dobbs Beck.
On the trip we saw a kingfisher which was so very beautiful and two herons which were remarkably tolerant of our presence. We saw fish glide under us as we set off and as we paddled closer to Wroxham we duly thanked the fishermen who pulled in their lines so we could pass. Canoeing is a very eco friendly way to travel - and so quiet that even the most easily spooked wildlife will allow one to paddle quite close.
The river was a nice height and we had decided before setting off to try and find the entrance to the Crostwick Beck but this was twarted by gates accross the entrances to lots of interesting inlets. We did however discover Nortons Broad which had very unsportingly had a huge gate instaled accross the channel to stop us reaching it. We are fairly certain that tidal water cannot be owned so I might write to ask the Broads Authority and ask about Dobbs Beck.
On the trip we saw a kingfisher which was so very beautiful and two herons which were remarkably tolerant of our presence. We saw fish glide under us as we set off and as we paddled closer to Wroxham we duly thanked the fishermen who pulled in their lines so we could pass. Canoeing is a very eco friendly way to travel - and so quiet that even the most easily spooked wildlife will allow one to paddle quite close.
Saturday, 12 September 2009
Green Build
The dawned bright and dry and after getting up early to make the picnic we set off for the 10.45 to Sheringham from Norwich station with our bicycles. The train was very busy & we were pleased we had booked our bike reservations yesterday.
Getting off at Roughton Road we were struck by the incredible peace of the station (the platform is effectively a bridge over the road), and checked the map before heading off to Felbrigg. We met up with family when we arrived and toured the event discovering a HUGE tomato, owls made from milk bottles and after checking out the norfolk food stall we decided it was lunchtime and sat down to eat some cheese rolls, pepper crisps, homegrown tomatos, fresh fennel tabbouleh and REALLY delicious cakes!
Post lunch we investigated the owls and after discovering the bird box stall we decided to make some bird boxes for £3 each. Then we asked some pertinent questions at the Edwards cob tent (we both love cob/glass deisgns) see http://www.edwardscobbuilding.com/, and spoke to a lovely person on the NNDC pledge tree who is currently building her own house and had useful ideas as to how we could get the land we want to live in. We saw recycled wooden kitchens, picked up some really fun cardboard cut outs which I'll post the link up for when I pick up the leaftlet http://www.mini-scrapbox.co.uk/.
Pedelling back to the station I was struck by the surrealness of the platform, I put a few ladybirds who were in danger of getting squashed on some bramble bushes and 'him' was so struck by teh quiet he stated that it was this kind of quiet he wanted. There were birds singing and I suspect roughly twice an hour the silence would be broken - but it was a glorious day out and definately a tenting. Coming home we tok the last of the tomatoes for dinner and I think we'll have the last of the carrots tomorrow.
Next week - foraging!
Pictures to follow :)
Getting off at Roughton Road we were struck by the incredible peace of the station (the platform is effectively a bridge over the road), and checked the map before heading off to Felbrigg. We met up with family when we arrived and toured the event discovering a HUGE tomato, owls made from milk bottles and after checking out the norfolk food stall we decided it was lunchtime and sat down to eat some cheese rolls, pepper crisps, homegrown tomatos, fresh fennel tabbouleh and REALLY delicious cakes!
Post lunch we investigated the owls and after discovering the bird box stall we decided to make some bird boxes for £3 each. Then we asked some pertinent questions at the Edwards cob tent (we both love cob/glass deisgns) see http://www.edwardscobbuilding.com/, and spoke to a lovely person on the NNDC pledge tree who is currently building her own house and had useful ideas as to how we could get the land we want to live in. We saw recycled wooden kitchens, picked up some really fun cardboard cut outs which I'll post the link up for when I pick up the leaftlet http://www.mini-scrapbox.co.uk/.Pedelling back to the station I was struck by the surrealness of the platform, I put a few ladybirds who were in danger of getting squashed on some bramble bushes and 'him' was so struck by teh quiet he stated that it was this kind of quiet he wanted. There were birds singing and I suspect roughly twice an hour the silence would be broken - but it was a glorious day out and definately a tenting. Coming home we tok the last of the tomatoes for dinner and I think we'll have the last of the carrots tomorrow.
Next week - foraging!
Pictures to follow :)
Wednesday, 9 September 2009
Sunday, 6 September 2009
Autumn?
The weather has changed this week - it is cooler and has been wetter but most noticeable is how windy its been. In addition our food has changed, we have had a couple of casseroles and tonight we had our first crumble with the apples foraged from my mums garden - I picked them from the tree at mums we used to have a treehouse in, and the bramblebries from the railway yesterday.
However our crab apple is really greening up with even a few blossoms, and i'm going foraging either this week or at the weekend after Green Build 2009. This is a fabulous source of information for green builds and although I've not been to it at Felbrigg I hope it'll be reasonable weather and we'll be going up by train.
However our crab apple is really greening up with even a few blossoms, and i'm going foraging either this week or at the weekend after Green Build 2009. This is a fabulous source of information for green builds and although I've not been to it at Felbrigg I hope it'll be reasonable weather and we'll be going up by train.
Saturday, 5 September 2009
Foraging by Bike (Not really a gardening post!)
We went on a bit of a cycle ride today..
35 miles!
We decided to get out for the day and explore some of what Norfolk has to offer using the old Marriott's Way line from Norwich - Themelthorpe - Reepham - Aylsham then Bure Valley Cycle Path from Aylsham - Buxton - Colishall - Wroxham. This was definitely a tentings expeditiona to get out and enjoy the countryside and I am pleased to say it was really fabulous.
Starting out at half ten (the result of a few beers the night before) we joined the Marriotts Way proper at Halfords Roundabout at ten to eleven, a bit later than planned! We were amazed at the clearness of the river at the first crossing and only the fact that we were meeting someone further west stopped me from some serious poohstick fun. Cycling on we quickly left the traffic and at twenty past eleven we stopped for a drink on the bridge before drayton to admire the conservation work on Costessy meadows.
We then had quite an adventure of getting the bikes up and down on and off the old railway to navigate gaps where the line had been built on, this didn't pose any serious problems but care did need to be taken on eth stony slopes up and down from the trail. The stretch through Thorpe Marriott was really a wide tree lined avenue, the feeling of being in a forest with the ghosts of trains going past seemed more real here and all the way through to Attlebridge where the line came to an abrupt halt opposite a campsite set up in the old station. The map we had was the OS 134 25000 and not detailed enough for us to realise we had to go slightly north, then west to rejoin the trail, signage wasn't good at this point.
Coming up through Lenwade there was a real feeling of landscape conflict with wide open lakes next to massive industrial sites with vast gantries and enormous waste tailing's. Pushing on we stopped for a drink and to meet up with my cousin at WHitwell Station just before the "Themelthorpe Curve" . By this point we had almost cycled halfway and my legs were really beginning to tire, after another couple of miles on reasonable track we stopped to eat lunch in a field, the tomato's I had picked from eth greenhouse this morning were delicious in our rolls. Although it was indeed warm in the sun, there was a cool breeze and most of the railway was covered in green making the cycle way something ever so slightly mystical.
Moving through Reepham we came off the trail for a few meters before cycling a very diferent landscape up to Aylsham, the ground was much sandier and we could tell we were crossing between river valleys rather than up or down one. Looking around the hedgerows were groaning under the weight of sloes, berries and rosehips (AKA sloe gin, sloe vodka, rosehip syrup & bramble wine) and had I been better prepared I would have brought much more back with us. Getting to Aylsham my cousin left us and we took a slightly reduced pace around Aylsham before suddenly arriving at Tescos where we stocked up on more liquids.
We then started on the Bure Valley, we just missed a train as we were leaving and kept hoping for another to pass us but as the miles were eaten up this seemed unlikely, I used to live at Burgh and we paddled the river from Dunkirk in Aylsham to Mayton Bridge for my hen day so its a stretch i know very well. I spent much of this section looking for familar buildings and really enjoyed the totally different perspective we got from being high on the embankments. We crossed the mermaid and looked down on its clear waters where fish could be seen basking, and we admired the little station at Buxton. There were lots of butterflies and dragonflies and just past Haubois we saw a train - wow they move!
Soon after we stopped for a breather, although the Bure Valley section was shorter we were quite tired and so I collected bramblebries and he sat in the shade and watched me! We decided to then really push on to try and catch the 16.27 from Wroxham back to Norwich, riding the bikes back up from the station was done cautiously as we were both a bit saddlesore by this stage!
It was a lovely day which was even better for my cousin being able to join us for part of the route and we also managed to find a whole tub of bramblebries - or blackberries to the uninitiated, these were intended for a blackbry and apple (from mums garden) crumble but after resting for a bit there was no way on earth i was fit for cooking. I shall instead cook them for supper tomorrow evening - a reminder of our day on the railways.
35 miles!
We decided to get out for the day and explore some of what Norfolk has to offer using the old Marriott's Way line from Norwich - Themelthorpe - Reepham - Aylsham then Bure Valley Cycle Path from Aylsham - Buxton - Colishall - Wroxham. This was definitely a tentings expeditiona to get out and enjoy the countryside and I am pleased to say it was really fabulous.
Starting out at half ten (the result of a few beers the night before) we joined the Marriotts Way proper at Halfords Roundabout at ten to eleven, a bit later than planned! We were amazed at the clearness of the river at the first crossing and only the fact that we were meeting someone further west stopped me from some serious poohstick fun. Cycling on we quickly left the traffic and at twenty past eleven we stopped for a drink on the bridge before drayton to admire the conservation work on Costessy meadows.
We then had quite an adventure of getting the bikes up and down on and off the old railway to navigate gaps where the line had been built on, this didn't pose any serious problems but care did need to be taken on eth stony slopes up and down from the trail. The stretch through Thorpe Marriott was really a wide tree lined avenue, the feeling of being in a forest with the ghosts of trains going past seemed more real here and all the way through to Attlebridge where the line came to an abrupt halt opposite a campsite set up in the old station. The map we had was the OS 134 25000 and not detailed enough for us to realise we had to go slightly north, then west to rejoin the trail, signage wasn't good at this point.
Coming up through Lenwade there was a real feeling of landscape conflict with wide open lakes next to massive industrial sites with vast gantries and enormous waste tailing's. Pushing on we stopped for a drink and to meet up with my cousin at WHitwell Station just before the "Themelthorpe Curve" . By this point we had almost cycled halfway and my legs were really beginning to tire, after another couple of miles on reasonable track we stopped to eat lunch in a field, the tomato's I had picked from eth greenhouse this morning were delicious in our rolls. Although it was indeed warm in the sun, there was a cool breeze and most of the railway was covered in green making the cycle way something ever so slightly mystical.
Moving through Reepham we came off the trail for a few meters before cycling a very diferent landscape up to Aylsham, the ground was much sandier and we could tell we were crossing between river valleys rather than up or down one. Looking around the hedgerows were groaning under the weight of sloes, berries and rosehips (AKA sloe gin, sloe vodka, rosehip syrup & bramble wine) and had I been better prepared I would have brought much more back with us. Getting to Aylsham my cousin left us and we took a slightly reduced pace around Aylsham before suddenly arriving at Tescos where we stocked up on more liquids.
We then started on the Bure Valley, we just missed a train as we were leaving and kept hoping for another to pass us but as the miles were eaten up this seemed unlikely, I used to live at Burgh and we paddled the river from Dunkirk in Aylsham to Mayton Bridge for my hen day so its a stretch i know very well. I spent much of this section looking for familar buildings and really enjoyed the totally different perspective we got from being high on the embankments. We crossed the mermaid and looked down on its clear waters where fish could be seen basking, and we admired the little station at Buxton. There were lots of butterflies and dragonflies and just past Haubois we saw a train - wow they move!
Soon after we stopped for a breather, although the Bure Valley section was shorter we were quite tired and so I collected bramblebries and he sat in the shade and watched me! We decided to then really push on to try and catch the 16.27 from Wroxham back to Norwich, riding the bikes back up from the station was done cautiously as we were both a bit saddlesore by this stage!
It was a lovely day which was even better for my cousin being able to join us for part of the route and we also managed to find a whole tub of bramblebries - or blackberries to the uninitiated, these were intended for a blackbry and apple (from mums garden) crumble but after resting for a bit there was no way on earth i was fit for cooking. I shall instead cook them for supper tomorrow evening - a reminder of our day on the railways.
Monday, 31 August 2009
The C word...
Yes - I'm sorry - I have already started to think about Christmas - its four months away and yet I am beginning to think about veg we could have with our christmas dinner and how I can best use the space which I have to grow some winter crops. Part of this comes from the Rocket Gardens winter Veg plants - but the other comes from a great book called "The Diggers Diary" in which discussions are had about growing potatos for Christmas dinner. The main concern seems to be frost damage and insufficient shelter, the Guardian Organic Spetember allotment diary is well worth a read.
The orange potato bags we bought to grow the charlotte earlies in seemed to work very well and they would fit inside my greenhouse which with some fleece lining would slmost certainly be frost proof. I think it would be fun to serve up homegrown potatos on the (almost) shortest day of the year - along with the cabbages, kale, sprouts and maybe carrots. Apparently "Autumn King", Berlicum" and some Nantes varieties can be planted in early autumn ready for winter but need overwintering under cloches when the temperature drops. Beans are also apparently possible.
This has got me thinking about the veg patch & ways in which i could perhaps make it more seasonally suitable. There are still plants growing in it so I can't make too many changes just yet but I am wondering about changing the access onto the plot & putting up a better 'fence' which would give more wind shelter - also which I could use to build winter protection in the form of fleece cloches.
And I haven't even started on the things i want to make for christmas such as chutneys, jams and preserves, cushions and recycled gifts. By which I don't mean giving away presents I've received - I mean making things from other things. I really want to decorate the house and I dont want to use lots of plastic and paper - bit of a spoilsport really!
The orange potato bags we bought to grow the charlotte earlies in seemed to work very well and they would fit inside my greenhouse which with some fleece lining would slmost certainly be frost proof. I think it would be fun to serve up homegrown potatos on the (almost) shortest day of the year - along with the cabbages, kale, sprouts and maybe carrots. Apparently "Autumn King", Berlicum" and some Nantes varieties can be planted in early autumn ready for winter but need overwintering under cloches when the temperature drops. Beans are also apparently possible.
This has got me thinking about the veg patch & ways in which i could perhaps make it more seasonally suitable. There are still plants growing in it so I can't make too many changes just yet but I am wondering about changing the access onto the plot & putting up a better 'fence' which would give more wind shelter - also which I could use to build winter protection in the form of fleece cloches.
And I haven't even started on the things i want to make for christmas such as chutneys, jams and preserves, cushions and recycled gifts. By which I don't mean giving away presents I've received - I mean making things from other things. I really want to decorate the house and I dont want to use lots of plastic and paper - bit of a spoilsport really!
Sunday, 30 August 2009
Tentings and Tagines
While on our honeymoon in the deepest darkest depths of Cornwall we decided that we should come up with 10 things (or Tentings) which we each wanted to do, and then a seperate list of things which we wanted to do together. The speed with which we arranged our wedding was amazing but it had meant everything else (including the garden) was put on hold for 5 months. That pretty much meant civilised conversations about anything other than weddings wer a thing of the past as well.
It was fun coming up with the ten things, one which 'he' put down was to try a new recipe every fortnight - this started out quite hard but in fact became easier to the point that we now only repeat a recipe if we really really liked it rather than becasue we couldn't be bothered to look up a new option. This has meant we have been getting the most out of our fabulous tagine which it would be fair to say has revolutionised the way we eat and big bonus is that 'He' has really got into cooking as well. The tagine has been used on average five nights out of seven, a lot of mediterranean dishes and british stews/casseroles do very well in it. So much so that I am thinking of asking for another ornate ones for Christmas this year.
Another upside of the tentings has been our visits to museums and places we wouldn't normally go. We are off to the Norfolk Heritage Moveable Feast in a few weeks which should be awesome, not least because the first course is served at Dragon Hall where we tied the knot 3 months ago today. We have planned picnics and cycle rides and we have at long last sorted out the junk room into a TV den where we can relax and chill out. WE took an afternoon off last week and went to Wroxham Barns, amazing locally sourced food for lunch, followed by a trip around the Junior Farm where we watched calves be fed, eyed up the delicious piglets, looked after the breeds of chickens, talked to the donkeys and stroked the sheep. The highlight was cuddling a guineau pig which was ginger and adorable, so much so even he stroked it!
I recommend it - sit down with tea, cake and no distractions and write a list of ten things you would like to do. They don't have to involve changing your entire life, (from small acorns mighty oak trees grow), i have put on mine that i want to bake an edible loaf of bread - at the other end of the scale I want to travel Japan. We are overall more positive and moving in a better direction due to that rainy afternoon in Cornwall where we hit upon the idea of tentings. We have new cusions in our TV room and a table runner with gorgous beads to match (handmade), we have ruby sunflowers brightening up the dining room and a fresh spiced banana cake which was made today for afternoon tea. I have red, pink, blue and purple fowers in the front garden along with a myrtle which symbolises Love and Marriage.
It was fun coming up with the ten things, one which 'he' put down was to try a new recipe every fortnight - this started out quite hard but in fact became easier to the point that we now only repeat a recipe if we really really liked it rather than becasue we couldn't be bothered to look up a new option. This has meant we have been getting the most out of our fabulous tagine which it would be fair to say has revolutionised the way we eat and big bonus is that 'He' has really got into cooking as well. The tagine has been used on average five nights out of seven, a lot of mediterranean dishes and british stews/casseroles do very well in it. So much so that I am thinking of asking for another ornate ones for Christmas this year.
Another upside of the tentings has been our visits to museums and places we wouldn't normally go. We are off to the Norfolk Heritage Moveable Feast in a few weeks which should be awesome, not least because the first course is served at Dragon Hall where we tied the knot 3 months ago today. We have planned picnics and cycle rides and we have at long last sorted out the junk room into a TV den where we can relax and chill out. WE took an afternoon off last week and went to Wroxham Barns, amazing locally sourced food for lunch, followed by a trip around the Junior Farm where we watched calves be fed, eyed up the delicious piglets, looked after the breeds of chickens, talked to the donkeys and stroked the sheep. The highlight was cuddling a guineau pig which was ginger and adorable, so much so even he stroked it!
I recommend it - sit down with tea, cake and no distractions and write a list of ten things you would like to do. They don't have to involve changing your entire life, (from small acorns mighty oak trees grow), i have put on mine that i want to bake an edible loaf of bread - at the other end of the scale I want to travel Japan. We are overall more positive and moving in a better direction due to that rainy afternoon in Cornwall where we hit upon the idea of tentings. We have new cusions in our TV room and a table runner with gorgous beads to match (handmade), we have ruby sunflowers brightening up the dining room and a fresh spiced banana cake which was made today for afternoon tea. I have red, pink, blue and purple fowers in the front garden along with a myrtle which symbolises Love and Marriage.
Saturday, 29 August 2009
Where did August go?
When I started this blog I was decided that I would try and write in it as much as possible and that the time spend it my garden would be documented and I could then use this to show progress over the year. Ho Hum! Haven't been up to much in the garden in July and August other than just keeping it ticking over. We have have a few successes along with some failures this year. mainly because of the dryness and also because my office moved to Suffolk and teh travel has been wiping me out. I did make teh grand decision as of teh 1st August to go freelance two days a week and this has been working well but in fact I have been rushed of my feet so where my husband and I though it would reduce working hours they have actually increased!
Apart from the success of working for myself a few days a week at least, Garden Successes are the regrowth of the passion flower, the amazing growth of the Vine and rose around the pergola, the random squash which a collegue gave me to grow and tomatos - not the big fat moneymaker tomatoes but the rich sweet delicious harlequins which have done even better outside than they have done in the greenhouse - this is the same variety which sainsburys sell at £1.99 for about 10 and we have tonnes of them. They don't keep so have to be eaten quickly and I have been wondering about making some into chutneys. The little tumblers have also done well perched up above the ground in hanging baskets.
We have also done magnificently with our shallots which are potent little fellas, the red onions are scrummy if a little small and our Spring Onions are also on the hot side, the early charlotte potatos and carrots (Chantenoy not Atlas) id well and were delicious. The sweetcorn have grown well having about 12 cobs on 8 plants, I only lost one after planting out.
Definate regrets surround other plants where the lack of water was a problem. The Roosters potatos have done better in the tub than in the ground where slug damage and scab took their toll, a similar problem with the beans which had only a few flowers although they are another story. The Acer and Crab apple have not done as well as we had hoped, and the pumpkin never really recovered from a terrible aphid infestation. The leeks never made it into the ground and teh courgettes have been appalling! Afetr they are supposed to be teh easiest things to grow and yet i have no use for the courgette recipes I have put together after last years glut. Very odd - I think I'll leave 'fancy' varieties alone next year and stick to the basic varieties which i think can cope better with less experience, water and poorer soil.
We have been very Bee friendly this year, part of the reason for the garden being neglected was the quanities of bees we brought onto the plot with our borage (big plants - 2m tall!) and the hyssop. The poached egg plant brought hoverflies and the cornflowers have been a continual remider of our wedding as they were a big part of my bouquet. The led to it being rather difficult to get access to the plot as we had bordered it with all the bees favourite flowers.
The digging over of the plot happened today when husband got the fork out. With many of the spent plants taken out we realised that to leave it fallow until next spring would be a cruel waste and so we're going to get a Winter Rocket Garden, although I could start off many of the plants my greenhouse is rather stuffed with toms and peppers and so we'll give this method a go.
The other positive which has been evident of late has been the development of ten tings (I'll do a seperate post) and us really finding our feet with cooking. I am beginning to realise how unusual our little family (2 at present but watch this space over the next year) is in that we sit down to a home cooked meal every single night. Admittedly there was a very delicous portion of chips and scampi one evening last week however that was all the more delicious for it being unsual! Helpng us in the kitchen is a fabulous book published by DK called Healing Foods for special diets. Ignoring the fact that it is for special diets it is awesome! Full of quick and interesting foods, most of which go very well in our tagine which is another fabulous kichen cookpot. In fact thats another whole post! Maybe I'll catch up woth my postings this weekend!
http://www.rocketgardens.co.uk/
Apart from the success of working for myself a few days a week at least, Garden Successes are the regrowth of the passion flower, the amazing growth of the Vine and rose around the pergola, the random squash which a collegue gave me to grow and tomatos - not the big fat moneymaker tomatoes but the rich sweet delicious harlequins which have done even better outside than they have done in the greenhouse - this is the same variety which sainsburys sell at £1.99 for about 10 and we have tonnes of them. They don't keep so have to be eaten quickly and I have been wondering about making some into chutneys. The little tumblers have also done well perched up above the ground in hanging baskets.
We have also done magnificently with our shallots which are potent little fellas, the red onions are scrummy if a little small and our Spring Onions are also on the hot side, the early charlotte potatos and carrots (Chantenoy not Atlas) id well and were delicious. The sweetcorn have grown well having about 12 cobs on 8 plants, I only lost one after planting out.
Definate regrets surround other plants where the lack of water was a problem. The Roosters potatos have done better in the tub than in the ground where slug damage and scab took their toll, a similar problem with the beans which had only a few flowers although they are another story. The Acer and Crab apple have not done as well as we had hoped, and the pumpkin never really recovered from a terrible aphid infestation. The leeks never made it into the ground and teh courgettes have been appalling! Afetr they are supposed to be teh easiest things to grow and yet i have no use for the courgette recipes I have put together after last years glut. Very odd - I think I'll leave 'fancy' varieties alone next year and stick to the basic varieties which i think can cope better with less experience, water and poorer soil.
We have been very Bee friendly this year, part of the reason for the garden being neglected was the quanities of bees we brought onto the plot with our borage (big plants - 2m tall!) and the hyssop. The poached egg plant brought hoverflies and the cornflowers have been a continual remider of our wedding as they were a big part of my bouquet. The led to it being rather difficult to get access to the plot as we had bordered it with all the bees favourite flowers.
The digging over of the plot happened today when husband got the fork out. With many of the spent plants taken out we realised that to leave it fallow until next spring would be a cruel waste and so we're going to get a Winter Rocket Garden, although I could start off many of the plants my greenhouse is rather stuffed with toms and peppers and so we'll give this method a go.
The other positive which has been evident of late has been the development of ten tings (I'll do a seperate post) and us really finding our feet with cooking. I am beginning to realise how unusual our little family (2 at present but watch this space over the next year) is in that we sit down to a home cooked meal every single night. Admittedly there was a very delicous portion of chips and scampi one evening last week however that was all the more delicious for it being unsual! Helpng us in the kitchen is a fabulous book published by DK called Healing Foods for special diets. Ignoring the fact that it is for special diets it is awesome! Full of quick and interesting foods, most of which go very well in our tagine which is another fabulous kichen cookpot. In fact thats another whole post! Maybe I'll catch up woth my postings this weekend!
http://www.rocketgardens.co.uk/
Friday, 26 June 2009
Down to Earth with a Bump
wow its been a long time since i posted, over six weeks - and what a six weeks they've been. The wedding was lovely, the weather was gorgeous and apart from a couple of hiccups then it all went as we'd hoped. The weather in Cornwall was fabulous and although it took a couple of days for us to chill with the still we did have a great time and the luxury of the first week blended into the holidayishness of the second week really nicely. We went to eden again which was even better this time, and it reaffirmed my feeling that to be happy and healthy and in love are so important. Anyway there were a few spritual moments as we wandered around cornwall and the eden project on the last day was entrancing. I even adopted a lobster called star :).Back to the garden, our very loevly next door neigbour kept it going for us so when we returned the plants were all doing well. The peas have overall been a dissapointment and teh broad beans haven't given me anything like eth crop i had hoped for. The runner beans i started in teh greenhouse are now doing well, but i'm pleased i planted some additional ones as well. The carrots are so far ok, can definately tell that there are two types in there, springie are almost ready to start eating and teh courgettes are doing well - they had a ucky break before we went away when i planted them ALL out - 8 courgette plants, what was i thinking!!!
potatos are a bit of a mystery. the roosters in the ground have flowered & produced ball shaped fruit. The roosters and charlottes in the tubs however have produced no flowers and look 'thin' which is the only way i can describe it. Neighbour suggested dugging one or two up - might just try that. Note to self - BORAGE - grows BIG - like really really big! Bees love it though, they are buzzing away everywhere!
the other surprise was returning to work - the company started up again just before we got married but we have had to relocate to lowestoft which is over an hours travel away and £40 a week on the train. It'd be cheaper to car share but my car is now pretty much dead after its amazing road trip to Cornwall and won't make lowestoft and back - although we're getting a new car i don't want to have to put such a heavy milage on it in such early days. so train it is - choo choo.
Tuesday, 5 May 2009
Unemployed.
The plug was pulled on my company last Thursday, we were given a few days grace and expected a rescue plan which had been promised but it seems that isn't going to happen for some time if ever and so as of about half past four today I don't have a job.
Three weeks before the wedding.
I got very very stressed about it over the bank holiday and felt very odd about everything, as my little sister will testify to. I think now that I'll put all my energy into the wedding because there are a hell of a lot of things to sort out, and also into the house and garden which now needs to really pay for itself.
All very strange. At least we had rain today and I'm going to be brave and leave the greenhouse roof open tonight to try and harden some of the plants off a bit. Going to plant some beetroot tomorrow, I know its late but reading my Victorian Farm book last night the pickled beetroot recipe looked oh so good!
Three weeks before the wedding.
I got very very stressed about it over the bank holiday and felt very odd about everything, as my little sister will testify to. I think now that I'll put all my energy into the wedding because there are a hell of a lot of things to sort out, and also into the house and garden which now needs to really pay for itself.
All very strange. At least we had rain today and I'm going to be brave and leave the greenhouse roof open tonight to try and harden some of the plants off a bit. Going to plant some beetroot tomorrow, I know its late but reading my Victorian Farm book last night the pickled beetroot recipe looked oh so good!
Sunday, 3 May 2009
A Hard Days Work
Sun was shining today but it has definately been cooler overall, the beans, pumpkins, cucumbers and honesty had a good night outside. It was just as well that I hardened them off because there is a ground frost predicted for tonight and I only discovered this after I put half a dozen in the ground to mark out a line between beds.
I have had a busy afternoon - after we went up to the garden centre for lunch and to get a few pots (Acer and Hibiscus were potbound) some more compost and some other bits and bobs then we HAD to do the food shopping which I did as fast as I could. Got home and wrapped wire around one of the pergola posts and then trained the rose up the post (annoyingly found a much better rose pot up at the garden centre today) which was a painful exercise as teh rose did not want to be trained! While we were up at the garden centre i did get some organic slug pellets because they are decimating my crops. I am pretty certain we don't have hedgehogs and any slugs i do find i put outside the garden under a cherry tree and few doors down where the birds tend to gather. I saw a female blackbird on the fence the other day so I know we do have birds in the garden.
I needed a polytunnel for the salad bed but being an awkward gardener my beds are not 3 meters long and 1 and a half foot wide, therefore i decided I wouldn't spend fifteen squid on one of those extendable cloches but try to make one at home. When I got back I delved around until I found three old curtain tracks (the plasticy sort) which when bent have a nice dome shape to them and then spend a happy hour constructing a cloche which is tied at each end, one side is buried in the soil and the other side weighted down with rocks/wood. I've planted more Chantenoy carrots, Springies, Niche Salad Leaves and orange radishes underneath, I might use it as a halfway house for some of the veg to harden off. Will have to be careful to water enough.
And also repotted the Acer, the Hibiscus and the Camilia which through my own faukt has not had a good year. I was bought it in Jaunary and I think it had been very sheltered in its previous home, it was doing ok then caught a frost so as the greenhouse was finished by then i put it in there. This seemed a good plan until one day it got scorched and then when i put it outside we had a very severe frost - the one which killed off my stunning trellis passion flower. So the plant doesn't really like me! I managed to leave the garden centre with just 1 living addition to the garden - An Aubergine - which i managed to drop on its head as i got out of teh car - so it probably doesn't like me either!!!
I have had a busy afternoon - after we went up to the garden centre for lunch and to get a few pots (Acer and Hibiscus were potbound) some more compost and some other bits and bobs then we HAD to do the food shopping which I did as fast as I could. Got home and wrapped wire around one of the pergola posts and then trained the rose up the post (annoyingly found a much better rose pot up at the garden centre today) which was a painful exercise as teh rose did not want to be trained! While we were up at the garden centre i did get some organic slug pellets because they are decimating my crops. I am pretty certain we don't have hedgehogs and any slugs i do find i put outside the garden under a cherry tree and few doors down where the birds tend to gather. I saw a female blackbird on the fence the other day so I know we do have birds in the garden.
I needed a polytunnel for the salad bed but being an awkward gardener my beds are not 3 meters long and 1 and a half foot wide, therefore i decided I wouldn't spend fifteen squid on one of those extendable cloches but try to make one at home. When I got back I delved around until I found three old curtain tracks (the plasticy sort) which when bent have a nice dome shape to them and then spend a happy hour constructing a cloche which is tied at each end, one side is buried in the soil and the other side weighted down with rocks/wood. I've planted more Chantenoy carrots, Springies, Niche Salad Leaves and orange radishes underneath, I might use it as a halfway house for some of the veg to harden off. Will have to be careful to water enough.
And also repotted the Acer, the Hibiscus and the Camilia which through my own faukt has not had a good year. I was bought it in Jaunary and I think it had been very sheltered in its previous home, it was doing ok then caught a frost so as the greenhouse was finished by then i put it in there. This seemed a good plan until one day it got scorched and then when i put it outside we had a very severe frost - the one which killed off my stunning trellis passion flower. So the plant doesn't really like me! I managed to leave the garden centre with just 1 living addition to the garden - An Aubergine - which i managed to drop on its head as i got out of teh car - so it probably doesn't like me either!!!
Don't Water the Dandelions!
I love this picture! It reminds me of Alice when she was gardening rather than being in Wonderland. I found it the other night when i was trying to find a cartoon to illutrate ny thirsty plants when they had got back in from a grand day out. I did ask the authors permission to link to it and he (Craig Houghton) has said yes, so enjoy the detail and remember that although they are weeds Bees and Hoverflies think they taste great.
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