Winding Up

I haven't put out as many decorations as normal.     Candles, pomanders, greenery and this little snow scene have made the cut, along with my large golden kitchen angel/cherub - she oversees my festive cooking endeavours, as she has for over twenty years.



The snow scene is special to me, only because of the little girl in blue, she was used to decorate the top of my mother's Christmas cakes, for many years.   We don't like sugary icing, so she had become redundant and was in danger of being lost.    Luckily I found a wooden board complete with a very tall glass dome, at a jumble sale (one pound) it seemed like the ideal way to display her.

I made some wreath bases from the pliable vines of my honeysuckle plants.    By the time I had finished, they were twice as thick as this and ready for action.    In the past I have paid a ridiculous amount of money for wreath bases, much better to use free garden clippings, plus a few minutes of effort.

I trawled the gardens for greenery.   Holly, of course, ivy from Owl Wood, lots of rosemary and the big bay tree provided the rest.  The wire is left over from when I made my Christmas angels, I used it to make their wings.

One of the nicest things about working with these simple things was the smell, especially the rosemary!

By the time I got to wreath number three, I must admit that I had had enough of it for one day!


I found some red hessian and made some rather inexpert bows, to finish them off - I love red and green at Christmas time, it makes me happy.

The main gates are huge, so I made this large one for there, the others went onto the house doors.  They are rustic, very inexpensive, they do the job.

Our grandchildren have spent the night with us, their parents have taken themselves off to Lincoln ,for a bit of peace and quiet (and last minute shopping) before Christmas.   

Yesterday afternoon grandchildren and I made some more 'natural' firelighters - this time we used dried orange peel, cinnamon, cloves and star anise, they smell really good.

I got the old wind-up gramophone out and the old pile of 78's which had belonged to my parents.    I treated us to some carols, as sung over 60 years ago by the St Martin's Choral Society.  The quality of the sound was impressive, considering the mistreatment those records have received over the years.

I had better head off and make some breakfast preparations, it won't be long before my little elves wake up for a morning of mischief.   We should be able to hand them back to their parents by early afternoon.    I may need a jolly good nap then!

Enjoy your weekend.

After the Rayburn

All the dire warnings and predictions about how much we would miss the Rayburn have proved to be largely wrong, thank goodness.        I do miss it as a handy place to stand and warm my back, while waiting for the kettle to boil, but we are finding that the new double-ended wood burner is doing exactly what we hoped it would do.

As you can see from the photograph, a hole was knocked through a kitchen wall and into the sun room.     Dire warnings about how cold and draughty it would all become have proven to be unfounded, we have had some bitterly cold days/nights, wild, wet and windy days and the stove has kept us warm and snug.   It also makes the animals happy.    They have two firesides to choose from so they can be sociable, or not.

The piece of string isn't normally there but I am drying out some apple slices for a little project.  Similarly the brown paper bags are in the hearth because I have pomanders and orange peel drying out, as you do.

The blue saucepan contains spices and water, at this time of year I always used to have a pot of them quietly simmering on the Rayburn - they really scent the house beautifully.   The fan just wafts the heat around a little.

When it gets really cold the gas central heating gets flicked on, to heat the other areas of the house.  So far it all seems to be working as we hoped it would.     Needless to say, the cats enjoy being able to take a shortcut through the hole in the wall.

The log basket is one which I have had since the early 1980's and it is still going strong.    It is enormous, the pine cones are very large and not for burning, I just thought they added a bit of texture to the photograph.

As for the cooking side of things, well it all still looks pretty much as it did when the Rayburn was there.   I intend to change the tiles at the back of the cooker, but other than that everything remains pretty much the same. 


I enjoyed cooking on the Rayburn, particularly on the hotplate, but the oven was always a little unpredictable.  I am saying nothing about the mess and the soot, I have covered that in full, in far too many posts.


The new cooker is a real pleasure to use.     Quick to heat up, predictable and steady heat in the electric ovens, instant heat on the gas hob.   

I am happy.    The mess, hard work and expense was worth it.     (Thank you, Sue, you said it would be fine, and it is.)  Life has become a little easier.

The wind is still blowing hard, branches have been falling in Owl Wood.   I don't mind branches falling, much safer than falling trees.   There will be plenty of kindling waiting to be collected when the weather improves.

Little Things

Sometimes the smallest changes can make such a difference.   The kitchen at Parsonage Cottage pretty much remains the same and yet there have been many changes over the ten years we have been here.

First came the major renovations to turn this end of the building from a rat-infested old cart shed, which was packed to the rafters with the previous owners' possessions (including an urn full of their Grandpa's ashes) into a family kitchen.

I wanted a comfortable, homely room.  I don't like wall cupboards, so we don't have any.   I have the dressers and a very large walk-in pantry in the Boot Room.   It works for us, but everyone is different.

We used to have a large, squishy sofa in the room, which was nice, but Dobson (the dog) began to regard it as his own because no one really used it as we tend to gather at the kitchen table.     The table was orientated the other way to accommodate the sofa.

For the last 9 years I have been suggesting that the table should be turned.   Nine years of the broken record technique later.... I am happy to say that the table has been turned, the sofa loaned to Miles and Poppy (permanently, I hope) and the room is as I originally envisaged it.

Everyone likes it.  Life flows more easily around it.   Such a simple change.

There is one more simple change in the kitchen and that has made life much more comfortable for everyone.   Out here in the countryside we are greatly bothered by flies, great numbers of them, especially when the fly-screen doors are left open to lure them inside...dogs and grandchildren are the main culprits.

Fly papers help sort out the nuisance, but there were always a number of the pesky things whizzing around.   We had to find a solution.   Neither the grandchildren, nor the dogs, were going to change their ways.

Max came up with this solution.    A door closure device.    We thought about having one of those dangling chain door covers, but that would have meant the cats could come through with their half-dead victims, so that was out.   We've been there and it isn't nice.

This little device means that the screen door always closes.   The number of flies which come inside has fallen dramatically, the fly papers are almost redundant.   Life is becoming more pleasant.

I wish we could find a similar solution for the outdoor eating areas!

ps  I took the urn of 'Grandpa's ashes' to the vendors solicitor.  It felt a little strange having him on the passenger seat beside me.

Christmas with a Rayburn

This is one of the ways in which we prepare for Christmas...it involves a lot of hard work and many dustsheets.    Oh joy!

This is the reality of living with a solid fuel Rayburn - the flue and inner workings of the beast must be cleaned out every so often.   Not many people tell you about that.   It is a hidden horror.

I adore my Rayburn, there is nothing so comforting on a cold wintery day, just ask the cats and Dobson, they fight for the prime position near the Rayburn and ignore the log burner.   We get the whole house heated, unlimited hot hot water, and it also a cooker.

This ritual of cleaning is the downside.    The pluses far outweigh the minuses but only once the job has been done and order restored.

Once the dustsheets have gone and the surfaces have all been cleaned down, etc. it is time to play around with the Christmas decorations.

Most of them are pretty ancient and are showing their age - like my beautiful kitchen angel/cherub.   The wing has crumpled a little over the years, but I am very fond of it.   The pointsettias, greenery  and pine cones are ancient, definitely past their use by date, but they remind me of Christmases past for they used to adorn the all staircases in a previous home, when my parents lived with us.  Treasured memories.

This wooden platter is filled with very old pomanders, they are at least 15 years old, shrunken and losing a few cloves, but they still scent the air.   I must make some new ones to add to the stash.

Gradually, the room begins to look festive.   I could throw all the old stuff out - but new and fancy things wouldn't make my heart sing.

So, this is how the kitchen at Parsonage Cottage gets trimmed for Christmas.  Everything is up high, out of the way of mischievous cats, although new girl Miss Pinkerton will probably jump up at some point.    Photographs can be so useful, I can see a painting which needs to be straightened, flypapers (countryside essential) which need to be taken down,  and I spy a dog who has sneaked up onto the sofa, taking advantage of my distraction.

The tree goes down the hallway to the main bedroom.   No animals are allowed into that wing of the house - doesn't stop them trying though, especially Miss Pinkerton!   Our grandchildren are enchanted with it and race down there to check out the tree although I think their main aim is to check for presents underneath the tree.

So, a tale of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmases yet to come, as I hope the grandchildren will remember the fun they have at Parsonage Cottage, but more of that another time.
xxx

Saturday at Parsonage Cottage

(This post is for Miles and Poppy in Shanghai.)

While I stayed home and tried to get on with a few household chores,  Max went down to your cottage to check on things - all was well down there.     No sooner had I got the hoover out, than Alice brought young Merry across, to borrow some eggs for making a cake...  which was not a problem as the hens keep us well supplied.  

The problems was that Merry decided she'd rather stay with Gran than go home!

How could I resist?   The housework won't run away, but little girls grow up and change.

After lunch Max and I went out to pick our first batch of elderberries.   We got two large carrier bags full.   That's plenty to get going, we'll get more through the week.  

Can you see the large plastic bowl on the table - that's about half the haul, they have been cleaned and stripped from the stalks.  Max is busy working on the rest.

Ha!   Just looking at that photograph of the kitchen shows me that I really should have a tidy round next time I decide to post a picture.    Poppy, can you see Miss Pinkerton?   She is curled up on my chair, next to the Rayburn.    It has been another cold day - cold, as in there is a very cold wind blowing.

This is where we went to pick the elderberries, right up on the Lincolnshire Wolds,  just across the A16 and around the corner from these old ruins..

another mile down the road we passed this wonderful church..

which has a fascinating churchyard and also has a door which was rescued from the ruined church.    I'll tell you the story and share the photographs some other time.

There was one more wonderful surprise for today.   As I was photographing the beautiful old ruins I became aware of the sound of an old aeroplane.  

I grabbed a couple of quick shots.   Max identified it for me, it's a Dakota.   Perhaps there was an air show on somewhere.  

Right, enough for today.   I have to get sterilising some bottles and brewing some rob.   Recipe to follow tomorrow.
fliss&max

My Kitchen in Autumn

Come on in and see my kitchen.   This is the cooker, it also provides endless hot water and heats the radiators.   It is a real workhorse and I love it - although it does have some quirks as it is fired by solid fuel.    This means that on days when there is little or no wind, it often struggles to draw properly. Max is pretty adept at getting it going though.

The weather today is much cooler than of late and I have felt cold, so Max lit the Rayburn.  Now the  kitchen feels warm and welcoming.  

A change of weather means a change in my cooking habits.   We both really like simple meals - home made soups and home made bread being a favourite.     So, those two enormous saucepans have been brought out of the pantry, one has a ham shank simmering within, the other has onions, celery and some potato softening.

Max adores pea and ham soup - I love pea soup, but I don't eat meat.   So I'm making both.    I have an enormous bowl of dried peas soaking,  I could use garden peas, but we prefer the old fashioned dried sort  

Traditionally, these dried peas had to be soaked overnight, nowadays you can buy quick-soak ones which are ready for cooking in only two hours, which makes for slightly more spontaneous soup-making!   Even so, the soup won't be used until tomorrow evening, by which time the flavours will have developed and melded.

I'm also roasting some bulbs of garlic ready for making roasted garlic bread.   I use an Andrew Morton recipe which recommends leaving the dough to prove in the refrigerator for 12 hours.  Then I'll continue with the bread making tomorrow.   Last time I made it, it got the thumbs up from everyone who tried it.

I'll also be making a couple of apple and blackberry pies with a soft crust.   This is a bit of an experiment, it's a recipe I haven't tried before.   I hope it turns out okay, because the second pie is for our dear old neighbour, Oscar.   He is 98 years old and still going strong(ish).

Max had to take him to the dentist today, so I took the opportunity to pop round to see Benedict, the old horse who lives in Oscar's paddock.    I haven't seen him for a few days, which means that no one has been there to give him his treats.

He was decidedly grumpy with me at first.   However, the juicy apple, followed by three peppermints soon had him eating out of my hand.

Oscar had urged me to pick the blackberries along one side of the paddock - there wasn't much on offer though, so I took a detour on the way home to supplement supplies of them.

Tomorrow I'll make two pies,  one for Oscar and we'll have the other one.  Benedict will no doubt be happy to make do with apple and mints.

Now, had the weather been milder, I would not have felt like doing any of this cooking and baking.  I love seasonality and I like to ring the changes.

This enthusiasm won't last long!
fliss&max