September...ing

September has been a month so far of harvesting and preserving. I know this kind of activity is a rarity nowadays but I love the way it punctuates my year and reminds me of my farming grandparents. So here goes...

Picking - Autumn Bliss raspberries. The canes are only one year old and last year we had a few but now we are picking a bowl full every night. I have made raspberry vodka, jam, muffins, pavlova... you name it, we are eating raspberries with it.

Receiving - some specimen stems from my flower growing friend every few days. These are the 'seconds' that don't quite make it to a bridal bouquet but always make it to my window cill.

Taking - a photo of a bee on one of her dahlias. It is dahlia central round here. 

Collecting - apples from lots of my neighbours. I purposefully did not plant a cooking apple tree when I chose my fruit trees because there are always plenty to be had.

Processing - is the only way I can describe using this round courgette that I missed when picking. I had a cooking session and made courgette and apple chutney, courgette cake and then soup. All delicious.

Filling - my table vase with this week's garden blooms from my own garden. I have cosmos, roses, dill, kanutia, gaura and the most beautiful snap dragons.

Deciding - to step away from the sewing machine for a while. I sewed for 7 hours yesterday for work and the sitting position made me a bit stiff today. I went for a good walk up a hill with my dog. 

Returning - to a small bit of knitting. After suffering with tennis elbow for eight months I can feel it easing a bit lately. I have been strict with myself and done 2 rows a night for the last two weeks. This curly caterpillar needs a good blocking to turn it into a butterfly of a shawl. 

Fixing - the handles on my favourite knitting bag which I bought in the South of France a few years ago. It looks as good as new with new handles.

Starting - a craft group in our local hall. The village requested that the hall be used more often so we have been meeting every week. I have taught four neighbours to crochet!

Sewing - up some lovely things which are all secret for Minerva but always keeping my hand in with our day to day wants and needs. At the weekend I made eight pairs of knickers for my girl. It started out as a lockdown need thing and now she won't wear shop ones!

Brewing - lots of homemade wine. I have bottled rhubarb and strawberry, blackberry, raspberry and bloke has had a go at cider. It may be getting slightly competitive!

Waiting - for the damsons one or two days more. We picked a few which are good for eating but the softer ones are better for wine. I am hoping to get my plum port brew on. It won at the local show but I have a habit of never being able to quite recreate the same wine twice. 

Leaving - you with the view as always. Life is treating me kindly.

Thanks for dropping in. Jo xxxxx

Last week of holiday...ing

It is the last week of our school summer break here so it is time to indulge and indeed share the last bits of fun from our holidays. I missed my August...ing blog post because we were busy holiday...ing. So let's run with that shall we!

Relax...ing with a break on the east coast with my aunt and uncle: Long walks, scones, paddling and days out. The perfect relaxing break.

Eating - all the garden has to offer: courgettes, tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber and peppers. This was one of my favourite meals of summer.

Watching - Meg get to grips with yeast cookery. The rise on these cinnamon bums was amazing and they tasted pretty good too. 

Picking - what is on offer for free. These plums made excellent jam as well as puddings and fruit snacks but they never taste as good as when they are cooked.

Treating - ourselves to an art session at ArtShack. Heidi did some gel plate printing to put in her GCSE art portfolio; Meg did some lino printing and I went on a busman's holiday! My normal job is spent in front of a sewing machine then I chose to start some machine embroidery on my day out. It is a work in progress which will be worked further with hand stitching when my tennis elbow is better.

Baking - scones to eat with my heavy raspberry crop.

Refusing - to tidy this part of my girls bedroom. It is above my paid grade! I gave their rooms a good muck out generally and we sorted all of their clothes passing on the small ones to a friend.

Winning - Our local show. I was show champion (again!) It was tricky to get the perfect veg but I really enjoyed the flower arranging.

Rolling - over our Folk festival ticket from last year which we had to postpone because Heidi had covid. It was great weather and we enjoyed some live music, dancing and street food.

Filling - my table vase with yellow and orange this week. We have dahlias, sunflowers, alstroemeria and fennel.

Sewing - up a collared tunic. I wasn't sure when I started but I really like the feel of the soft draping fabric with the length of the over-sized shirt. It is called the Melody Tunic from StyleArc patterns.

Celebrating - that the big girl in our house is 15 and is as tall as me! We went to our local agricultural show at Burwarton then she had a sleepover in the field cabin with two of her friends. She is entering her last year of school so things will change a lot for her over the next 12 months. 

Leaving - you as always with the view. This one is through the other kitchen window where the sunset has gradually started to drift towards as the nights draw in. 

Happy Summer! Jo xxx

Sewing up some Summer

 I love making my own clothes but I am always aware that making lots of dresses doesn't always suit a UK climate. However I have chosen a few key things to make lately which have been much worn and feel like real keepers.

This is the Freedom Dress by Wardrobe by me. It is made in a Minerva Exclusive fabric in viscose which was the perfect fabric and pattern pairing. I have worn this dress so much and am completely in love with it.

This is a new style of top for me and I was not sure at first but when it was made I really liked how I could layer it up for sunny and not so sunny days. It comes from a pattern called Alison Glass Knit Essentials. It appears an expensive pattern but I was fully hooked when I received it making all six items from the jersey wardrobe...

...finished up with my knicker pattern so all of my knit fabric was has gone.

Other makes have included this top called the Jain top from IAM patterns. I think I need to go down a size but it was good to make a solid colour top. I gave it to my friend who was pleased.

More of Minerva's new viscose was used to make a puff sleeved top by Assembly line patterns. Again it is a pricey pattern but this is my third one since I got it two years ago so I am measuring value in quantity.

Finally, another dress with a slightly shorter shelf life in terms of UK weather but this is the Poppy dress from Atelier Jupe pattterns. Really easy to make with good bra coverage, this dress has been great for holiday weather both here and abroad. Yep, it is the same viscose range which has lovely movement and drape.

That is me finished for summer sewing, my mind is switching to more autumnal makes now. I just wish my tennis elbow, which I have been struggling with since January, would go away so I can knit and crochet. I have knit half a tank top since January. Boohoo!

Lovely view tonight though to cheer me through the knitting blues.

 Jo xxx

Height of Summer

 My three word gardening post this month shares warm colours, plentiful bounty and fading blooms in the height in summer. Some things didn't make it through the heatwave but others have hung on.

My Lilly pots were buds as we went on holiday but they showed us their beauty when we got back. I had no idea what colour they would be, they were in a mixed bag my mum gave me for my birthday way back in January, but they are mighty. All gone now though.

My table vase has continued to delight. This week I am still picking sweet peas but with a new addition of cranberry cosmos and delicate gaura, this one is called 'The Bride'. This vase is scented with some bronze dill which has started to fill out.

My friend Beth did a sterling job of keeping the veg patch going over the heatwave. We came back to tomatoes, French beans, courgettes and potatoes.

I picked nine jars of beetroot but had to compost quite a few because they had bolted. Otherwise it was a good harvest.

We are on our next variety of lettuce. I love this type of lettuce with homemade salad cream - it feels like a taste from mt childhood.

We used the last of the smaller strawberries to make smoothies. Yum.

Our hay is all in.

It is the height of summer and time to enjoy the sunny moments.

Jo xxxx