Cookout

Our first cook-out of 2014 went in predictable style, it usually takes us a while to get a feel for it again. We don't really have the best kit and often make do with whatever we can glean  from around the estate, in this case a grill with rather large spaced bars which meant that the sausages fell through at least one time each. However no matter how ashy and gritty the food it always tastes brilliant when eaten out of doors after a morning of hard graft.
Shandy also had a busy morning which finally resulted in her catching and devouring a baby rabbit, quickly followed by the worst of the gritty sausages, this was obviously as much as she could take, as she spent the remainder of the afternoon sitting on the tractor in a sort of "when are we going home" sort of way!

"An empty belly is the best cook"
Estonian proverb

January Sunrise

More slashing and burning in the woods yesterday, but now we have moved down to the lake again. I was just in time to catch the sunrise before our work began. It is surprising how much growth has returned after our attentions last year, the elder in particular shoots away with great rapidity if not checked, so we concentrate on removing as much as we can to allow the new native saplings to get a better start. we have decided that we will have a camp fire cook out on Thursday, as much to save our legs as anything else because it is about a quarter of a mile down to the lake and back again, and we made the trip three times on top of our work! Time then to perfect the art of weeing in the woods again, not the easiest of skills when you are wearing waterproofs, you live and learn as they say!

"What is the good of your stars and trees, your sunrise and the wind, if they do not enter into our daily lives?"
E.M.Forster

A Strange Find

It was a stunning day today after a wet start first thing, most unlike January. We gathered in crow wood to continue with the clearing and soon had a good blaze going, the only trouble being the heat which was quite uncomfortable in such mild conditions. We managed to cut a swathe through the debris by the end of the day that proved that girl power is still as good as ever!
Alyson made another discovery today which caused some amusement as we opened and shut the jaws to comments of "sausages" even though we haven't started our camp fire cooking yet. Seriously though we would like to know what small mammal the skull belongs to, so if anyone out there knows please drop me a line.......

Back To Work We Go

Back at work on a drab January morning, we did what any self respecting bunch of gardeners would do and built a bonfire. Down on the old tennis court which is normally the domain of bunnies and brambles, we proceeded to burn a years worth of rubbish, including this old door frame which made the whole thing look rather like a fire place. Then whilst Shandy did her best with the rabbit problem we tackled the brambles, vicious monsters with thorns like knife tips, it was satisfying to consign them to the flames despite incurring a few injuries on the way.
Later we moved up to the house for some cutting back, this should have been done earlier but was overlooked so all the foliage had been reduced to mush, most unpleasant. Still at least we weren't as wet as Giles who was jet washing the flags and unblocking the drains! As we neared the end of the task Alyson discovered a hibernating hedgehog amongst the detritus, so she carefully placed his nest of leaves back around him hopefully leaving him to slumber on undisturbed until spring. The Grahams taking pity on the bedraggled band outside invited us in for a cuppa and a warm around the Aga just before home, so all in all not a bad first day back after Christmas.

I'm fast asleep in here!

"One kind word can warm three winter months"
Japanese proverb

Staithes Windows

We spent Christmas week in the fishing village of Staithes , it had long been our intention having had an association with the community there when Dave lived at Spindrift cottage for a couple of years. Many of the cottages had decorated their windows for the festive season and this had the effect of making the village more magical than ever. On the big day itself the whole village gathered in the Royal George for a joyful celebration pre lunch where we were lucky to greet many of our old friends, all of whom exclaimed upon how grown up the children were, remembering toddlers with buckets and spades on the beach! Even Chumdog enjoyed himself, especially after he found he could push open our bedroom door and avail himself of the pleasure of jumping on the bed, strictly off limits at home!
Happy New Year to you all, gardening will resume on the 6th Jan.

"Friends are like windows through which you see out into the world and back into yourself"
Merle Shain

Merry Christmas Everyone

We have been busy today at Norton Conyers making wreaths for our doors. It is nice to be creative with the produce from the garden and we think they are so much better than shop bought, they cost us practically nothing too!
So the gardening year has finally come to a close, we will be celebrating on Saturday with a party in the orangery and then returning with renewed vigour to do it all again in the new year. On behalf of all us gardeners we wish you a merry Christmas and a happy and peaceful new Year, see you in 2014.

"Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas"
Peg Bracken

Unlikely Appreciation

Inevitably after Thursdays storm we were back collecting leaves again first thing Saturday morning. The wind had almost done our job for us having created deep drifts, but only in certain places, making collection of them easy if long winded due to the amount, but at least there will be no more to do as there are none left on the trees. Whilst tidying the courtyard in front of the house I noticed a wasps nest, now they're not my favourite beasties but even I must admit to the beauty and industry shown there. We debated as to whether wasps will reuse an old nest but none of us had an answer, so we decided to leave it there just in case.  Lunchtime saw us celebrating Alyson's birthday, not only with cake but also the first taste of the Norton Conyers cider lovingly made by us in October, astonishingly it's really rather good! This bodes well for the Christmas party scheduled for the 21st where I have a surprise for everyone one up my sleeve too, more then........

Norton Conyers "No Problem" vintage cider!

"By appreciation, we make excellence in others our own property"
Voltaire