On the brew......

What an amazing day out here in the countryside, was a sunny but cool day here allowing for fun and laughter picking elder flowers to make elderflower champagne was the mission today. The kids and the dog really enjoyed hunting for our flowers, and even Stewart joined in after being told he must and it wasn't and option not to. He ended up enjoying it and really getting into getting the best flowers possible, with a bit of manly force involved. Summer here at the cottage is starting to get into full swing with BBQ's every other day and the veg patch starting to provide excellent crops, as today was the first day potatoes from the veg patch were on our menu, they were fantastic like small balls of thick cream with next doors mint and a garnish. I don't think I have ever had potatoes so fresh and it has ended the worry that the veg patch is going to be a disaster, everything is coming on just fine. and I have also made a few villagers jealous with how good it looks as a raised bed rather than just dug into the ground.




As for the recipe for the elder flower champagne that was from here...............http://www.channel4.com/food/recipes/chefs/hugh-fearnley-whittingstall/elderflower-champagne-recipe_p_1.html

lets just hope it goes as well, as ever being thrifty I am using old cola bottles, there is no way this year I can afford the fancy swing top bottles, but instead I plan to check it and for the first 2 weeks maybe keep the caps slightly unscrewed to let any over fizziness out.

With warmth in the heart......

Summer is here, I haven't done a posting in a while so here is a giant catch up.

The garden is looking stunning, the veg patch is starting to feed us if even a little at a time with the radishes and early lettuce leaves, the rest is growing and at amazing rates, the potatoes and broccoli's have gone bonkers and the carrots are at about 2 inches long. every thing is going great though I did have to give in and buy some strawberry plants I just don't think mine will be anywhere near ready till next year.

The Wisteria and Laburnum were beautiful but now past there best are making way for the Delphiniums and Roses of which have come into full bloom, smelling amazing climbing up the house and hiding the sparrow nests from sight. We have 3 nests on our house all making a noise and chirping away unfortunately we have had 3 dead babies on the ground and meg caught an already injured fledgling that I had tried to save a few times over. We have also had an influx of bunnies they are doing well, to well really and have out grown the horse field and are getting to close to my garden for my liking, but still really cute to watch the babies run up and down the drive, until they hear meg thundering up to them. The wildlife in general has been fantastic to witness and when someone asked "Are you watching spring watch this year?" my answer was " I am living it!"



For a photographer I couldn't think of a better environment, And the children are really healthy and happy and also learning about
the world around them. Everything is lovely here even if I do get a bit lonely in the day times, I don't even get to window shop anymore, there are no shop windows to look in. And I cant remember the last time I went to a cafe with a friend, But I get visitors people want to come and spend time here at this house which is lovely, I don't think our last place was so inviting.

As I sit here and listen to the evening bird song, I think about where I have been in the past and where I am now and where I might go, I just hope I don't ever end up back in a council estate and carry on witnessing such amazing things. I hope no one would ever consider me ungrateful but I feel right now in mid summer that this is a piece of perfection very few have the opportunity to see with such detail as I am doing now.

The scaring of crows.......

Yesterday was the village scarecrow competition, and I had been asked to be the photographer for the day. I was extremely happy to do so, it meant I met quite a few people I hadn't met before and got to see some of the lovely houses here that are tucked away, some of them you wouldn't know were even there.

The scarecrows themselves were fantastic, only a few, I had expected a bit more, but we had 11 in total not bad for a little hamlet of houses, you couldn't even really call it a village. They were all very different, some very humorous with boobs, and bling, skeletal forms, and fatties, more modern designs, and traditional. Ours is guarding the veg patch now, and has become affectionately known as jack. The winner was one that had been made to traditional specifications and was actually quite a handsome scarecrow.

The seedlings are doing so well in the green house, and some of the early potatoes are planted for salads in the summer, I will soon be planting/potting things on and making room in the green house to put the melons in the grow bags.

A nice spring visit......

This Easter weekend has been awesome, everything at this house seems to be at a more relaxed pace, and people hopefully enjoy themselves as much as they appear to. My cousin came down and stayed for her first time at the house, it is nice to finally be able to have people stay over in a place they actually want to be, and enjoy my house with me. Liz has been a best friend and faved family member all my life, just like a big sister to me really, and the boys both call her auntie Liz and I wouldn't have it any other way. They love her and get her to do loads of drawings just like I used to when we were kids ourselves. We had fantastic Easter egg hunt in our huge garden, that went down a treat and was another dream come true as I watched the kids have all the room they needed for finding and running. The Easter feast was also awesome the meat was beautifully tender and the veg's well tasty, I was also pleased with my chocolate cake, even though it did try falling apart more than once.

My raised veg patch is built, the soil I think has been the biggest cost, it isn't as full as I would have liked but will do for this year and will get more full as the years go on. Though even saying that I don't think it would have been built at all with out the kindness of my neighbours that donated some scaffold boards.

Things are finally coming up in the green house, beetroots, carrots, broccoli and onion have all sprouted, and I have also planted my first batch of chitted potatoes for first early baby news.

The photos today have been pinched from my cousins flickr pages....cheers Lizzie, lovely to see ya hun xxxx

http://www.flickr.com/photos/staticgirl/

It hurts.....

Oh gods I am in pain today, I ended up digging the whole 8sq meters of veg patch over and pushing hard before the rains came in, it is getting there though, and by next week should be fully built with all it's nice new soil and fertilizers in. The garden is looking very pretty right now, all the daffodils are out and the fruit trees are beginning to have some lovely big shoots, the raspberry bush I planted last week has done really well, it looks like it is taking and has new growth on it.

Zack has been a little better today, at least he was awake all day. He is still very tearful at times, and still has spots on the inside of his mouth which is making eating most things really uncomfortable. I phoned the school today apparently they have 4 children off right now with it and a few have just come back from having it a few weeks ago. He wont be back to school this term. so it is a mega holiday for Zack, and to be honest it is lovely to have him at home for once.

Hope the weather gets better tomorrow it is so rainy and windy right now, all I want to get on with right now is sorting this garden out, so I can then enjoy it and relax a bit more.

The bee photo is one I took the other day after saving the poor thing from megs water bowl.

The first turf.....

...of many, I dug a patch up 4 meters by 2 meters It took all day but was easier than I thought, I didn't think I would get it done on my own in one day before I had started, but just as Stew pulled into the drive I was getting the last line of turf done. Just in time for a slap up fry up, just what was needed after a hard day in the drizzly rain. But it is done now, I have to dig it over still and I am hoping the bad weather forecast is yet again going to pass us by in the day time, even though we have just had a thunder storm tonight. Still some of my seeds have not turned up, it is the potatoes I am missing and salad veg, also delphinium and other pretty flowers. The melon seeds seem to be doing really well, I can't wait to sample some of them home grown, they should taste amazing and so much lovelier than the shop bought ones.

Zack's spots are looking like they are drying, he slept most of the day again though, but made an appearance just before Josh got home, got dressed and came out in the garden. I hope he is back to his bouncy self soon, he hates having chicken pox he tells me he "doesn't want chicken pox". Maybe tomorrow he will feel much better.

Seeing spots........

Zack's spots have spread today he now has hundreds all over his little body, even in his mouth and hair on his feet and hands. He has been quite poorly with it sleeping alot, and not really wanting to do much. Needless to say I haven't done much with the garden today, I have been making sure Zack is as comfy as possible.....I was however a good little house wife, and made a home made sausage roll for dinner with Yorkshire puddings, which was very yummy, well just four working days to next week then a lovely long weekend with my cousin from Watford staying over. I am looking forward so much to this Easter the egg hunt is gonna be a good one, here's hoping for good weather.

I thought I would upload a photo of my Dad, as I said I haven't done much today, but it gave me chance to go through some old photos and edit them, this was taken in the summer last year at a local wildlife conservation park......looking forward to summer days again, they will soon be on their way.

The weather forecast over the next few days is not great I don't think much outdoor stuff will be happening, I think I will just try and stay warm inside my lovely house.

decorating people.....

Today was spent away from the house at the old estate with all the people I actually miss a fair bit, I had some work for once at a children's party as the face painter, always a popular bet. It was lovely to see some of the gorgeous little people I have known since tiny dots, and great to see their parents. Working as a face painter is always nuts, everyone wants to be next and children (some of them angels) can be very fidgety, and not like you touching their faces to much. You can understand why, most of them don't like having their face wiped with a flannel at bed time by mum, let alone a stranger painting it. Then you have the bossy ones that know exactly what they want, and then the quiet ones, that never know what they want really and are to shy to tell me. I think every one was dead happy today, and I got every ones faces done, and even had time for people that wanted a bit of body art like trailing flowers on their arms, or skull tattoo ones....A brilliant day.

Poor old Zack has chicken pox (chicken spots as josh used to say), apparently most of the village has it, lucky we have a local chemist that knows everyone's business, was fantastic with advice it's the kids that have it so next week at school will be quiet for josh, he had it years ago. Maybe the fail with the Easter egg last week will be looking up for the egg rolling competition...he wont have many rivals. Hopefully all the kids will be well for Easter, it will be a very long holiday for some of them now they are all spotty and itchy. Zack's back is covered, and he has a few on his hands to, luckily so far there are none on his face. Telling a 4 year old not to scratch doesn't work to well, so it is calpol and calamine lotion for the next few days. oh 'eck!!!!

Today was a dream....

I was asleep for most of it, one of those days that is completely wasted.

The Easter egg josh made didn't make it into the school doors but was smashed as he was getting out of the taxi, I feel for him but we will make another over the weekend for him to take in for the egg rolling competition.I did take some photos of the eggs for the album, I think it is only fair to share now it is smashed...RIP Jack'o'egg.

The green house stood up to it's first test well, it was really windy last night, and it was still standing and everything was where I had left it with nothing being knocked over or damaged at all.

Tomorrow I plan not to sleep quite as much and maybe make a start on the raised beds for the veg to go in. I had a great bit of news today from Marion next door, apparently where I am planning to do my beds there was a veg patch there years ago, a huge one. So here's hoping that the ground is easier than first though to dig, and the veg will do really well.

There is no place like home......

Today was the dreaded first inspection day, I really shouldn't of worried so much, The house always looks great. Pity the weather was so grey and has been raining constantly but it didn't get me down, I potted some more seeds, and the boys let rip with the sun flower seeds, I think we may have about 20 specimens to grow now.

My mum visited today we of course went shopping and bought nice things, a new apple shaped bird feeder and peanuts for it, it is already proving popular with both the birds and the family, also new pots and seed trays and some more compost, I seem to be going through that quickly.

Later on in the day I spotted the buzzard out hunting, it is brilliant to watch it circle high in the sky, we've had a long tailed tit in the garden also, fantastic wildlife here everyday.

It is Easter time as all parents probably well know, I have spent my evening trying to make an egg into a dragon for Zack, not easy when all you have is glitter glue to stick stuff, but we managed and now he looks quite awesome. josh chose an easy design making the egg into a pumpkin, and is completely made by himself along with his dad there just for guidance.

It is already 10pm, I still have to make the chicken soup ready for tomorrow, and wash the boys uniform, humpphhhhh!!!!

On the grow......

Today was a lovely day, I haven't seen a single other person until the boys got home from school.

First thing I moved the new green house which wasn't to level where we had put it yesterday evening, now I think its new home is much nicer it looks alot better there. I cant believe I have finally put some of my own seeds in, years of waiting for this day. I have had such a good time. labelling all of them in the hope I stay organized, I also made my own propagators out of clingfilm, cuz lets be honest who can afford it all and cling film will do just as good. so today I planted, some beans (purple dwarf french) and runners (enorma) the courgettes ( yellow 1ball and normal) some carrots (nantes and red samurai) some tomatoes (sungold and albenga) some beetroot and some cabbage.


I sat in my own little world and potted away to my hearts content, and Megan played with her toy duck, now it is slightly raining the kids are home, an early post to my blog today and now I am gonna get on with dinner, I still haven't figured out what we're having yet.

Things sprouting......

As hoped today was indeed a new day and I managed to get a fair bit done, I planted a new raspberry bush and some summer bulbs (gladioli and Dalia) also put the lavender in the ground from the pots it has been in for a while now and planted nasturtiums around the fruit trees (apparently keeps bugs off).

Would you believe my green house arrived with other bits like the propagators and pots, seeds trays and other niknaks.......My seeds also turned up, I now have :

carrot, beetroot, cabbage, parsnip, courgettes, tomatoes, melons, sweet pepper, marigold, sprout, broccoli, onion, and beans, by the hundreds ....I have pretty much everything I need....well I would have if the compost had turned up that I had ordered. Bit of a let down but hey it wasn't like I didn't have enough to do getting the place cleared up for our first inspection by the lettings people.

I went out and took some spring photos, being slightly inspired by my bee photo yesterday, and the fact it was a nice day when it had been forecast rain, that is the sunniest rain I have seen I think. Well just a short post today, I am quite sleepy now, hoping tomorrow brings 30litres of compost for my seeds.....and then the fun really begins.

Waiting.............

For what is the problem, today I have felt a little deflated. I was hoping my new cheap as chips plastic green house would be delivered along with other potting sundries, It wasn't. It seems winter is still clinging on with a bitter wind, I am completely fed up with it some days, the week days are worse because I am here on my own mostly and to make matters worse we have found a leak under the kitchen cupboards and I hate having to whinge at the letting agents.

So to brighten my mood I went through some of my spring images from years gone by and came across one of my favourite photographs that I have ever taken, I still remember having to prod the bee to get it to do something. It also makes me think I should be out right now taking spring images. But it has been so grey and I am completely uninspired after the amazing images I captured this winter, grey and muck doesn't seem as appealing as crisp and white.

Perhaps I chose the bee image because today I can empathise with it...yes it is spring and we should all be busy but sometimes it is nice to just hang on in bed and keep warm rather than do the jobs that need doing.

.....after all tomorrow is another day and I might galvanize into action then!!!

to see my spring images set please visit....http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinkfluff/sets/72157594564431887/

A change in seasons.....

So perhaps now I have started a blog I should give people some background on us to elaborate on my profile info a bit.

As it says we have moved from a council estate in Dover, a lot of people would think is quite a rough estate, We had lived there for 6 years and is the only place My two Boys Josh (7) and Zack (4) have ever lived. Recently Stewart my husband got a very good job and we have found ourselves able to afford to get out of what I called the hell hole and move. We were lucky enough to find a peace of heaven, a gem hidden in the countryside close to Deal and closer to my parents which is an added bonus. we have woodland and fields surrounding us and only 3 other houses close by. So we have lived here since November 2009, We have had a fantastic winter, here with a lovely family christmas round a log fire with great food, and excellent but cold weather, to say it can be extreme here is an understatement.

Something that is also really really lovely, and along time sort after, is my neighbours after living with teenage arguing next door and all sorts happenings in the street outside our old house. It is wonderful to perhaps be the noisiest of the lot here, with the boys and dog playing in the garden of which for the last year because of anti social dogs next to us has been impossible.

It has been a bit tough for me, I don't drive and for the first 4 months I had to walk the boys 3 miles into school everyday, and then a transition of sending them in a taxi made me feel a bit redundant, but now I have found my self things to do that fill the time, like the fabulous garden that is here and now it is spring seems to need a lot of work doing to it, it is taking over!!!.....ohhh and the walks with Megan, that to me is when I am truly happy I can just walk out the gate with her off the lead head down the lane and walk for miles.....complete freedom, and my lovely next door neighbour Marion who really helps to keep me company along with her brute of a chocolate lab, who is actually staying over today whilst Marion is in London.

Well I hope you have gained insight to how we have happened upon the place where we are and feel you know a little about us......I wait with anticipation as to how this year will go, weather I will still be in love with this place this time next year....we will wait and see.

Welcome to the hill........

First of all I would like to say big welcome to my life and where I live to all that come across this little blog. Thankyou pixie for the insperation.

After a very harsh winter here on top of our hill it is fantastic to finally be a little warm and be able to go out with out donning the usual 3 pairs of socks and 5 jumpers. Today we went kite flying in the spring wind, It was a classic and one we'll probably remember, After Zack let go of the string and the kite went flying off over the Kent countryside, and then me having to clamber into a horse field where it's string got tangled in a tree and rescue the kite (which was still extremely high in the air), whilst fending off very skittish ponies with a very wavy arm shouty dance right in front of the few neighbours I have (that had come out to watch), embarrassing myself completely.....I now can't wait for my home cooked beef stew with dumplings (another adaption of a river cottage recipe) http://www.rivercottage.net/SeasonalRecipes/ ( find something seasonal there).

We are also waiting for the delivery of my green house and other gardening paraphernalia to start what I hope will be a good and productive veg patch, I am trying to not think of what can possibly go wrong...nothing can go wrong can it?!?!?!!?.....other than the bunny hole we found under our fence earlier, they will be in the oven soon enough if they venture into my veg patch. I have never had a veg patch before so this year is truly going to be a learning curve...I hope it is successful.....of course I will keep you updated on that.

So an eventful day I must admit it is nice to be able to walk out the front door straight into a field perfect for kite flying!!!!