The Cottage Smallholder

  The Contessa our senior Min Pin bitch is nearly ten years old. She is a beautiful dog and would have been a perfect show dog if her temperament was a little more grounded. Early trips to the vet meant that Dr Quito came too. She would only be examined if I was ‘examining’ Dr Read More »

Print Gallery I’ve always been interested in art. Our summers as teenagers were not spent on the beach – but in Paris. Where we spent most of our holiday in galleries. Trips to London would include time spent in The Academy and the National Gallery. When I lived in London I’d regularly visit galleries – The Read More »

  I love ham, bacon, salami – well most processed meats actually. They get the thumbs down from the nutritionists due to their high salt and fat content. Having found out how easy it is to cure bacon at home using far less salt than traditional cures I decided to have a go at curing Read More »

  Today is my mother’s 90th birthday. She was born at home in a lovely old house in Kentford. When ever I drive past this house I look up at the large bedroom window and imagine her opening her eyes in that room back in 1919. The window overlooks a walled garden. Were the birds Read More »

  “Wow £4.19 for 15 strawberry seeds. Is it really worth buying these?” Danny shook the seed packet pensively. “We couldn’t buy 15 plants for £4.19. Even at the church fete. I want to grow enough for wine and jam this year.” “Won’t we get enough from the 12 plants that arrived yesterday?” I am Read More »

  My food dehydrator is turning out to be a winner. For years I’ve often had the frustration of running out of an essential ingredient and having to adapt my cooking plans. I now have access to a large range and choice of ingredients. I can do off the cuff cooking which is fun. As Read More »

  Working in the vegetable patch is muddy. There is also a long grassless path straight down the lawn – this is where the Min Pin gang pounds up and down. It’s the most direct route to the mouse hole village in the pond garden. They peer into the small round front doors and sometimes try to dig out Read More »

  I dragged in the thoughtful gift from Anne Mary’s Caledonian pine tree and started to pull off the needles. They came off reasonably easily but they had a little brown husk on the ends that attached to the branch. As far as I could remember Robin Harford’s pine needles were green from tip to tail. Read More »

  One of my earliest activities as a novice beekeper was also my scariest few hours. I had been helping out on the Cambridge Bee Keeping Association stall at a country fair. One of my co-helpers suggested that I might like to collect a free new colony from his apiary after the fair. “That’s if Read More »

  I can be a bit of an ostrich when it comes to animal cruelty. I’m happy to donate but I can hardly bear to see or read about the plight of animals trapped in a hellish world. So many humans can get very worked up by a pet being mistreated but are still happy Read More »