One
A wonderful surprise visit, a weekend spending quality time with my eldest daughter making plans for the christening of Hector. It was wonderful to be included in her preparations, we spent some lovely time together in the craft room sourcing materials she wanted for the décor.
Two
The whole house has been given a declutter, regretfully some of it has had to be taken to the tip which is the one thing I do try to avoid and recycle as much as I possibly can. The area under the stairs is now full of things ready to do a car boot sale. Unfortunately the weather forecast is not looking good so there is it going to have to stay until the weather picks up.
Three
I have once again spent time in the kitchen, batch cooking for both the freezer and for my parents. Dad's appetite is not good at the moment but he does like soup so I did make him a batch of tomato and red pepper and a carrot and sweet potato one. Cottage pie is always a firm favourite and a orange jam sponge pudding freezes well for unexpected guests.
The dessert cut into 6 portions, perfect with custard.
Four
We have had a mixed bag of weather, with only one day of sunshine where it actually felt warm. I keep reading everyone's blogs and am envious of the summer sun. I did however manage to get into the garden and made a great start on weeding the copious amounts of pots that we have on the patio. We do a lot of container gardening and grow a wide variety of flowers, herbs and vegetables. We also have a couple of raised beds at the side of the house which we have fun growing vegetables in.
Living so close to the sea our gardening is affected by the wind which can be quite damaging at times. The sea fret causes damp conditions and the salt in the air is corrosive but we have learnt over time to work with Mother Nature and we do manage to reap the rewards of our labour most of the time. We are already eating lettuce and spring onions and we have a constant supply of herbs.
Five
Finally I have spent some time in the craft room preparing list for Christmas. I spent a lovely afternoon browsing books and patterns so that I could make a start on some gifts. The list has been made...
As always I wish everyone a wonderful weekend and hope the weather is a lot better than it is here, at the moment it is raining and that is predicted for the next week.
See you soon.
We've had some lovely weather but it's on the turn now, it absolutely bucketed it down this morning and we've got rain forecast every day for the next week. I do some cooking for my parents too and cottage pie is always on the menu, it's so easy to prepare in advance, isn't it? So tasty too. I haven't made many Christmas gifts for the last couple of years, I end up getting bogged down with everything so it's a great idea to make a start now, that way it's not all left till the last minute. It'll be here before we know it!
ReplyDeleteMy DH makes a wonderful cottage pie so it's always on our menu too. I saw that you're growing lettuce in pots and I think I'll try that too as I'm rapidly running out of space in my potager. Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteI loved everything about this post. I got a real sense of home and family from your writing. What an uplifting Friday read :)
ReplyDeleteIt makes such a change for us to have good weather, I am usually envious of other people's posts, it is on the wane now though. We live by the sea and I never thought about the effect that the salt and wind might have the garden. I wonder if that may explain a few things. I love the first picture of your daughter and the boys, they are very cute. Have a great weekend and you have me thinking about Christmas too now ha! x
ReplyDeleteChristmas, dear me, I thought for a moment I had slept for five months. You are so well organised, I should really come for a weeks training at yours. Have a lovely weekend. x
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos of your garden. Hopefully if the weather stays dry ours will get a bit of a tidy up this weekend.
ReplyDeleteI'm still working on the Christmas quilt but will be starting on some gift items myself once it's done. Things I can make in between bigger projects-x-
We had a lot of steady rain this morning - I could almost hear the gardens breathing a sigh of relief; I hope the rain was as steady at the allotment. I have Christmas gifts planned - I just need to get the Summer birthday ones finished, then I can make a start on them.
ReplyDeleteI love your garden and your dessert. Have a beautiful weekend!
ReplyDeleteA busy and yummy week !
ReplyDeleteTha rain ended in the beginning of the week but we have some clouds playing with the sun...
Have a lovely weekend !
Hug
Anna
You are so organized, can't believe you're getting started on Christmas already. My husband likes the bench you have some pots sitting on. How good of you to cook for your parents too.
ReplyDeleteMmm, some delicious things there, especially that orange jam pudding. Well done on getting a start on the festive crafting, I'm impressed! It's just started tipping down here, and I was actually quite relieved as it means I won't have to water anything outside. I hope it's drier with you though. Have a great weekend. CJ xx
ReplyDeleteThe potted plants are looking good. Wishing you better weather.
ReplyDeletexx Beca
So glad you could spend time with daughter and participate in the planning of the Christening. The food all looks so wonderful especially that pudding with custard. Makes me quite hungry just looking at it!
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend
I love your little Garden boxes. Isn't it lovely to have a surprise. Enjoy your weekend x
ReplyDeleteGosh you have been busy, you put me to shame with all your cooking and freezing. Hopefully the weather will be kind enough for you to get out into your lovely garden. B x
ReplyDeleteI love your mixxed bag. I admire your batch cooking, we have a really tiny freezer, so its not possible for me to do. I want a slice of that cake, looks so yummy. I am hoping the weather is nice this w/e as I would like to get more gardening done too. Lets hope.
ReplyDeleteYour plants and produce look wonderful and I love all the pots and planters. How organised to plan your Christmas makes now, I always have good intentions but never quite manage it. Have a good weekend and I hope your weather improves.
ReplyDeleteC c c c Christmas?! Well I suppose that after next week the nights start drawing in again so yes, time to start preparing :-) I feel the need to declutter again too, so may just start this weekend. Have a great weekend, if the sun shines!! xx
ReplyDeleteMy goodness, you HAVE been busy. The children are so very precious. Your crafts...and choices, amazing. Such ambition. The container garden looks neat and tidy...no matter the weather. And your cooking. Wow.
ReplyDeleteYour plantings are looking so healthy despite your weather and your cooking looks so delicious! I can't even think about Christmas....you are so organized! I hope you get some sunshine soon - we are getting rain for the next week or more.....although I prefer the cool weather. Take care xx Karen
ReplyDeleteYou are so industrious with your cooking, gardening and tidying up for a boot sale, which we call "garage sales" over here in the U.S. I, on the other hand, have sat around with this headache all week. And Christmas plans in the making too! My goodness you are a busy, busy lady. I hope your weekend is a beautiful one.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Betsy
A good mixed collection! I cannot believe that you are thinking of Christmas already, although I know you are so organised I shouldn't be surprised at all! I hope that Hectors christening goes really well. Enjoy your gardening time too! Thank you for taking part in Five On Friday. I hope you have a great weekend! xx
ReplyDeleteA perfect five mixture. your lettuce would make a lovely salad right out of the bucket and you make soup sound so good right now, even though we are hot here in Texas.
ReplyDeleteWe have had a week or two of warm dry weather but it is changing now and we have had two downpours of rain over the last couple of days. I love all your garden photos and your cooking too:)
ReplyDeleteYo are always so busy! Wish I could send you some Florida sun and heat, I would love a cooler day.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Meredith
Oh my...I am so impressed with your productivity! I am sure that your parents appreciated those yummy dishes you prepared (my mouth is watering!). Decluttering, gardening, and preparing for Christmas too? Yes, I am impressed! :)
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend to you!
I really enjoyed today's post... gardens and food... especially soup and that yummy looking orange cake. I wonder if you make soup using a recipe or are you more slap-dash!! I have looked for recipes for a dessert similar to your sponge cake but haven't found one that uses measurements I'm familiar with.
ReplyDeleteThat's really neat that your daughter and two grandson's came by for a visit. Our house is full of kids and grands now. Only for 4 more days now. We had fun at the beach, though! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful week you have had. Your garden is looking gorgeous. I love all your pots and especially the wooden 'garden' trays. I'm very tempted to make a cottage pie now that the weather has cooled slightly here. This girl cannot live on salads alone. X
ReplyDeleteYou have been so busy you out my week to shame. So glad you had good time preparing ideas with her. And all that cooking! Wow. I too should think about Christmas but know I have not the head space yet. X
ReplyDeleteA lovely productive week. Your garden always fills me with a great desire to fill tubs and pots with delicious things, but I never quite manage it. It's not going to happen here, so I shall just have to enjoy watching yours grow. Wishing you a warmer weekend. Cloudy but still warm here in Liverpool. South Liverpool had severe floods yesterday but we missed it completely - it's amazing how localised the weather can be.
ReplyDeleteYou have been busy this week, and I am envious that you have a head start on Christmas...I need to push my ready set go button a little earlier than I did last year..if for no other reason than to just lesson the stress. Have a lovely weekend, and I hope the weather improves soon.
ReplyDeleteHi Mamasmercantile, your five is really great! I love soups and yours soubds scrumptious!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I'm not the only one with Christmas books out. Lovely selection of photos x
ReplyDeleteLooks like you have had a busy but fun week. I woke up to drizzle this morning although the weatherman never told us we would get some rain. I love the idea that you are already getting things ready for Christmas! I did write myself a note on my calendar reminding me to make my Christmas cake :) I hope you're having a good weekend even though your weather is not pleasant. Hugs, Pat
ReplyDeleteYou have been busy and such productive days! I like to see your garden. So many pretty flower pots!
ReplyDeleteYou have been busy and such productive days! I like to see your garden. So many pretty flower pots!
ReplyDeleteYour grandsons are just beautiful and growing by leaps and bounds. How wonderful that you're going to be crafting for Hector's Christening celebration!! You've given me an idea to do some container gardening for my herbs. We started planting the vegetables last week. The dogs are having fun digging along with us unfortunately. Haha!! I hope your weather gets better for you. It's been much cooler than normal for this time of the year which has been quite lovely actually. Now it's headed back up to the 80's for today and that pool is beckoning. So happy it's finally up and running. My honey is a wonderful pool boy!! ; ) Have a beautiful Sunday!! xoxo
ReplyDelete~ Wendy
http://Crickleberrycottage.blogspot.com/
Your garden pots certainly look productive. And you do sound like you have been busy with your decluttering and your gardening. I look forward to seeing your Christmas gifts!
ReplyDeleteCaz xx
aren't you busy! I am hoping your husband is feeling more relief. I am happy to report I think my metho increase is starting to work :) This makes me quite happy!
ReplyDeleteOh the baking looks so good!!! It's lovely to see all of your projects.
ReplyDeleteBlessings