Bach remedies
Last year I was working in a friend’s house when her husband suddenly rushed past me, opened a kitchen drawer and grabbed some Bach Remedies. He applied several drops of each under his tongue and as he flashed past my step ladder he explained. “Difficult conference call coming up.” This was a top businessman. A normal guy. I was amazed. Years ago I spotted Bach remedies in Health Food shops. I loved the complete set of them, sitting in rows in a pretty mahogany case. I wanted to believe that they were effective. Occasionally...
read moreEasy squid, sweet Romano pepper and Basmati rice salad recipe
Supermarkets are clever. They mark down their soon to be out of date produce. Someone might buy it before it is swept off the shelf and banished (hopefully to a homeless shelter). Danny haunts these shelves when he does the final post run down to Newmarket in the evening. I often return home to find a few bargains on the kitchen table. Last week he had found a fat bag of previously frozen squid, “They were such a bargain that I grabbed them.” There is always a posse around the Tesco shelves. The next evening I returned to find him...
read moreChristmas presents
Danny and I have never been ones for lavishing the credit card on each other when it comes to Christmas. We decide the ceiling in November and work around that. “Does this ceiling include our stockings?” “Of course.” The limits are then raised by £10. A good £10 stocking can put the Main Present in the shade. The secret is to start looking early. Nothing beats a good stocking. It is the heart of Christmas for me. Like a secret kiss. An extended moment of indulgence without the formality of opening a present with a...
read moreCottage Smallholder & Farming friends Interblog Guinea Fowl breeding event update, nearly six months of fun
I am growing fonder of my 19 week old Guinea Fowl by the day. They are the progeny from the Farming Friends & Cottage Smallholder Interblog Guinea Fowl Breeding Event. This event was started six months ago when Sara, from Farming Friends, sent us an egg box of six guinea fowl eggs in the post (next day delivery) to put under a unhappy and bullied broody hen. This hen has now become an international superstar and even though she is unaware of her fame, Mrs Boss is finally a happy and contented bantam. Nurtured by Mrs Boss, five out of the...
read moreGuest spot: How to make your own homemade butter by The Mildred Mittens Manufactory
When Mildred mentioned that she made her own butter I was intrigued. Was it easy? What did it involve? Could anyone make their own butter? Mildred assured me that it was easy. She has a churn but she reckoned that butter could probably be made in a food mixer. The only problem seems to be that “Once you have made your own, you won’t want to go back to ‘bought’!” Mildred uses it, “In croissants, puff pastry and all my cakes and on toast of course, under the jam!” Mildred’s instructions are as...
read moreDogs and poisoned rats
Last night I returned from work and found the dogs squabbling. I suppose our three and Great Aunt Daisy Beatyl make up a pack. A flock of hens can be tricky to manage but a small pack of dogs can be a nightmare if you are tired and just want to chill. If they are not dozing in their baskets they are sorting out their pecking order. Inca, the youngest, challenges each dog in the pack regularly. It is not restful. Yesterday The Contessa growled and snapped for far longer than usual. The key dog beds are two small cat igloos that sit under the...
read morePlanting broad beans in the winter
I was up earlier this morning than usual. To clear a bed in our kitchen garden so that John could dig it over and we could plant the broad bean seeds. This is the second year that we have sown broad beans in November and already it has become something of a ceremony. Discussed and planned for weeks. “Shall I dig over this bed? There’s nothing but weeds.” John had said a couple of weeks ago. “Don’t worry. I’ll do it. Next time that you come the border will be clear.” Unfortunately, I had fallen at the...
read moreSmart Wife’s leek and potato soup recipe (vichyssoise)
Even though the room was dark, the rustle from the bed indicated that Danny was awake. I shot in, spoon in hand. “I think that I’ve finally got the vichyssoise right! I just need you to taste it.” “But I’ve just cleaned my teeth.” Danny tasted it anyway, gave it the thumbs up and fell asleep. Years ago Smart Wife taught me how to make vichyssoise. I made gallons of the stuff and we would drink it throughout the long hot Chelsea summers. This was Smart Wife’s favourite soup and I must admit I never...
read moreIsolde the self propogating Dendrobium orchid
Isolde, our Dendrobium orchid has had five babies this year. The quintuplets didn’t come all at once. They have developed gradually. Initially I noticed that she was developing a cluster of leaves on a stalk, with very fine roots, about ten months ago. The roots thickened up. I decided to leave the baby orchid on the plant and wait to see what would happen. Gradually more babies appeared. Isolde continued to throw up flowering shoots. Just as one would expect from an orchid named after a Wagnarian heroine. About a month ago I found the...
read morePiquant Apple chilli Jelly Recipe
My friend Margaret has a glut of apples. Mainly cooking apples. She has given me loads and the cottage has that sweet smell of ripe apples when I open the front door. I have been simmering great vats of apples – 3 kilos fit just nicely into our marmite and makes about six pints/3.5litres of strained juice. Perfect for experimenting with apple jellies. This juice keeps well in the fridge for a week or so and also will live happily in the freezer until I feel in the mood for making jelly. I plan to try mint and apple, scented geranium and...
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Recent Comments
{ I was thinking the same as Magic Cochin but then like you I don't have my phone attached by an umbilical cord wherever I go.... } – Wed 8 :47 pm
{ Good point but I don't tend to take it about with me everywhere 
} – Wed 7 :25 pm
{ Doesn't your mobile phone have an alarm setting? C x } – Wed 6 :32 pm
{ I would put it towards a bbq, it's just a shame you can't purchase some sunshine from b&q } – Wed 12 :04 am- { Hi Lesley The clucking means that she is brrody also plucking her own feathers is a sign too. } – Tue 11 :58 pm
- { Hi Lesley They have to stay in the broody coop 24/7. Could you put in a garden shed or garage? } – Tue 11 :57 pm
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