Saturday at Cowslip Cottage

Our journey  home from your cottage was not without incident, but more about that later.

Poppy, Miles, here are some of the photographs which I took today.   Your cottage is taking shape - although there will still be plenty for you to do yourselves!  Time is running away from us, we'll do as much as we can.

The first change is that your front lamp has been fitted, so has the doorbell.

Once we get the outside of the cottage painted in bright pink... it will all look splendid.  ;)

Step inside, most of the channel has now been filled, such a relief after all those months of having to remember to step across it, or twist an ankle.

Here is the first shot of your kitchen spotlights, three sets of three.  They look primed and ready for action.

Meanwhile, the floor tiles and adhesive are taking a bit of time to come off, but Max has been working on them today.

Out in the conservatory, the little hatch into the chimney is awaiting a coat of paint, as are the walls and ceiling.   I love that room!

Back into the living room, here are your wall lamps - they look really lovely in situ, as you can see.

Upstairs, in the bathroom, your mirror has been wired in - although it will be the middle of next week before the house is 'good to go'.

Sorry about that woman, she just wouldn't get out of shot!


I spent most of my time applying paint stripper (to the beautiful old bathroom door) and then sweeping and tidying.    It makes such a difference when all the detritus of the week is swept away and the house is clean and tidy again!

We made our way home around five o'clock, taking the route past the fruit farm.   On a grass verge opposite one of the farms we saw an elderly man who appeared to be lying on the grass, inspecting it quite closely...

We stopped, reversed, and got out to have a chat with him.

It seems that he had somehow just found himself down on the ground, although he couldn't remember feeling faint, dizzy, etc.  We sat him up, chatted a little, found his shoes and helped him on with them.  A little more chat, a few jokes, and then he felt well enough to cross the road to his house.   Just at that moment his son (a man in his fifties) appeared and seemed quite unsuprised!

We helped the older man home, settled him in his conservatory, told his son what we knew and then left them to it.

He is a lovely old man, has lived there since 1957 - and I hope he has a good long while left in him yet.  Yet another wonderful, old, local character.

xxx

Snapshots of Progress at Cowslip Cottage

Work continues apace at Cowslip Cottage, it has to, but there is still much to do.

The living room still awaits the electrical boxes and lights, Graham should be back on Friday to continue with them, skirting boards have to be fitted and then the carpet.    Although we have plonked the sofa in there, the covers and cushions still need to be fitted, that won't be done until just before you move in.   The leather armchairs are in the dining room, tucked away to the right.

Not so bad, so far?

Brace yourselves for a glimpse of the rest.

This is the view down the stairs and into the kitchen - the channel will be filled soon.

This is the front side of the landing.  Lots to do here but I am having to bide my time on the decorating until the  electrics have been done and the floorboards can go down.

I imagine 'Boy' will enjoy watching the world go by from that little window - although goodness knows he has plenty of choice!

Here you can see the bathroom floor - all sanded and ready for the flooring.   Max has put a lot of work and effort into that floor.   Once the flooring is down we can do the skirtings and have the bathroom fittings completed.

It is all about schedules and timing, but all the strands are coming together now.   Four weeks - plus one week to fix snags.   We can do it.

These two tiny bunnies were playing in the garden this morning.  Quite often there is a squirrel, too.    Very Beatrix Potter.

xxx

A Watermill and a Dovecote

Lincolnshire was bathed in sunshine today - it was hot and sunny and finally felt like summer.


I had been left at Parsonage Cottage, to wait for the delivery man - a rather large and heavy pack of sample floor tiles.  Delivery slot 10.30am-12.30pm,  I got the short straw and had to wait in for it.

By midday, I was free!    I abandoned housework, baking, ironing, etc and decided to take my camera and walk.

Just like the old days.

Down the lane, turn left, and this is what I saw.   The plants of the right are the enormous leaves of the Butterbur plant, bog rhubarb.   It was used in old medicine to treat the Bubonic plague.   These days I believe it is being used to alleviate migraines..

This wonderful old watermill is on the other side of the lane - an increasingly popular tourist attraction, deservedly.   Mike and Rebecca have worked hard to make it so.

A short walk up the hill and round the corner and these beauties were resting in the meadow, getting used to life outdoors.   The young ones were finding it difficult to stay awake in the hot sunshine, several of them had flaked out and were sleeping soundly.

Five or ten minutes later and this is the sight which greets me.   The beautiful dovecote is early 16th century single storey, octagonal and built in red brick.   It is a delightful landmark in the beautiful countryside around here.

I took a moment to stop by the church, whenever I pass this way I either mooch around the old gravestones, reading the inscriptions and saying the names of people long dead but today I popped into the church.   It is small, beautiful and very peaceful.  The whole church was scented beautifully by the simple vases of flowers on every windowsill.

Back down the hill, past the dovecote and on through the farmyard.   This is the dovecote as I looked back towards the tiny handful of houses which make up the village.

This is the path through a barley field which leads on to the 'main road' through our village.

Parsonage Cottage is away to the left, way off picture.

Home again, home again.  

I decided to knuckle down and do some work, so I got the lawnmower out and set to work.

Renovations as normal tomorrow!   I'll be painting the landing ceiling and bedroom 2's ceiling, then I will give the pillars in the livingroom their second coat.   No rest for the wicked.

xxx

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Poppy, Miles, your garden is definitely growing!   I need to get out there and mow both the lawns, tie back the daffodil leaves and do some weeding.   I have been so busy decorating the cottage that the gardens have been neglected for a week or two.

Still, all the hard work is paying off, it looks less like a building project and much more like a home-in-the-making.

This is down by your back gate, it is looking really beautiful.  A garden which was created with love and care by the old couple.    The first roses are blooming, they are yellow, the scent is a delight.


After a week of  dull skies, rain, and unseasonably cold weather the sun has finally come out and we have gone from freezing to very warm.   Hurrah!  What a difference the sunshine makes to everyone.

This little one has been helping Grandpa in the gardens.  When it cools down a little, I shall be out there mowing our own lawns, they are well overdue for cutting.

As I am writing this, Max and Richard are down at your cottage, they are dropping off a trailer load of furniture.   They will be back soon for another load... bed, dining table, sofa, leather armchairs, side tables, the large BBQ and some white goods.

It is a start!

Five weeks!

We are counting it as four weeks, with one week left blank to sort out snags

and finish off any loose ends.

 Love,

Mum

xxx

One Man Show - Aldridge Haddock

Strong colours, amorphous shapes, vigorous in execution are just a few ways to describe Aldridge Haddock's pantings.   They have also been described as 'distillations of his life experience'.  

His dates are 1921-1996.    He started his career in the R.A.F. where he became a fighter pilot during the Second World War.    I have written about him before, on my original blog, Pear Tree Log, just click on the link if you would like to read his story. Some time after his death a large number of his paintings were put up for auction.   I bought as many as I could afford, without being too greedy.

I have just pulled out a small selection to show you.

These paintings are extremely large.  Unfortunately my photographs don't show them to advantage and they don't show the textures within them.

The depth of colour in this one just doesn't show at all.

If you had read the background stories you will understand me when I say that I think this red one is probably telling something about the days when he was being interrogated and tortured.

Big, bold, wonderful with amazing colours within.

Again, fabulous colours, especially that blue.

From about 1963 Dr Aldridge Haddock had his work exhibited in  Paris, New York and Florida, as well as lots of London galleries.

Alas, his popularity has declined somewhat, but not with those who know his work and the story behind them.

Miles, Poppy,  you have huge wall spaces at Cowslip Cottage.  I think you could quite easily accommodate two or three Haddocks.   There are plenty more to choose from if nothing here takes your fancy.

xxx

The Merry Month of May

This old body of mine is rebelling at the  hard work and long hours of renovating and decorating the old cottage in time for Miles and Poppy's return.   In just seven weeks' time they will be home and living in the place.  That thought certainly spurs me on to do more and try harder.

It must be more than eight months now, since they bought the place and I do sometimes wonder what on earth we have been doing all that time.   Then I trip across a folder of photographs like this one...

..and I remember the enormity of the job!

I love the month of May as all the verges and hedgerows suddenly burst forth in a froth of cow parsley, buttercups, daisies, speedwell, plantain, borage, dandelions and a whole host of seasonal delights.  The trees are clothed in fresh leaves and blossom falls like confetti in the breeze.  

Unfortunately the same rampant abandon is true of the gardens and I just don't have the spare time or energy to maintain them, other than a couple of hours spent mowing our own gardens and then again, of course, at Cowslip Cottage!    

At least the woodland looks fabulous although grandchildren, dogs, cats and hens get swallowed up by the cow parsley - it is over five foot high in some places.  They love it, of course, and so do I.

Weeds rule in my vegetable beds and the polytunnel sports just a few cucumber, tomato and courgette plants.    The strawberries are romping ahead, thriving on neglect.  The rhubarb is prolific and the Bramley apple tree has masses of blossom.  

We'll enjoy the basics and get back to our normal routines for next year.

xx

All Work and No Play

This morning we headed off to the small market town of Horncastle, we had to run a few little errands so we decided to make the most of it.

I took a mooch around my favourite charity shops and struck gold.   I found a huge (and very heavy) mountain of old Lincolnshire Life magazines, dating from the mid-sixties.    By the time I got back to the car my arms had stretched by almost three inches under the weight of them.

I've only had time to flick through one or two of them, but already I have found lots of interesting articles.

One of them has this centre-fold.  It is so familiar to me, it is our nearest little market town to Little Bunting.   Anyone who knows the town will recognise it almost immediately, it has scarcely changed at all.   The traffic is heavier, the cobbles have gone and the road which the car is turning out of is now one-way, in the opposite direction, but that's about all.

We had a leisurely lunch and spent time in the gardens.  It has been so relaxing.

As I wandered around the gardens I was stalked by the cats.

The Bramley apple trees are in full blossom, promising a heavy crop.

The lawns have been neatly mowed but the gardens could do with a weed, so I picked a few to take advantage of their beauty.

I'll be back to work on Cowslip Cottage tomorrow - and very happy to be working there - but just for today it has been fun relaxing.
Mum
xxx

Beaming!

Yesterday I spent several hours applying a thick paste of paint stripper to the huge beam in the living-room of Cowslip Cottage.    It had been painted with thick, black, treacly paint but I was keen to see what the wood underneath was like.

It is a huge chunky piece of wood and I found myself wondering how many years have passed since the tree was a sapling.   It must have grown for many years, the beam is about four and a half metres long, so it was quite a big oak tree when it was harvested.

Given that Cowslip Cottage is more than 160 years old, then add on the age of the tree and it takes it back to vastly different times.

I love the metal detail at the window end, I'll work hard to get it cleaned up properly.

This is the underside of the beam, the one side which really worried Max, he thought it may have been an add-on, made from some cheap wood...but no, it is of the same age and beauty.








I worked on scraping and washing the beam until lunch time.  I'll do the same again tomorrow.   It is so exciting, the wood is golden and glowing and the grain is fabulous.   It is a joy to be revealing it again.

Once I had cleared up for the day I needed to take a few minutes of fresh air, any excuse to enjoy your pretty gardens.

They are difficult to spot but the Estate cattle are chewing the cud in the area through the trees.

I can't wait to see what tomorrow reveals.
x

Picnic with a Queen

I packed a wicker hamper full of delicious treats and loaded up the grandchildren with picnic blankets and cushions.   We were bound for Owl Wood, which is where Queen Mab and her ladies-in-waiting live.

Dragons, unicorns, bears, fairies and trolls all live in the woodland, along with our six free-ranging hens, including our Queen Mab, pheasants, squirrels, mice, rats, moles, and on one occasion there was a deer.  It is a magical place.

Queen Mab is definitely one of the cheekier hens and is not averse to jumping up and snatching food from the unwary hand.

The fairy Queen Mab may also live here, in the magic tree which has a real fairy door... Imagination is a wonderful thing and my grandchildren use that little woodland to the full, so do the hens.

The hens were filled with curiosity and a desire to share our picnic.   For some strange reason Queen Mab the Hen lagged way behind this time, which is quite out of character.



We had kept our food simple - manchets, cheese,  radishes, olives and apples.    Easy to eat and easy to share with the hens, they are especially fond of cheese.

The main event was the pudding.  

No ordinary pudding, for I had recreated a really old recipe which had long intrigued me.    

Queen Mab's Pudding!

It was a very simple egg custard, studded with strawberries and decorated with pieces of angelica.  I scattered a few fresh raspberries on top and a small drift of icing sugar.

I have no idea who came up with the recipe but it is another one which I found in one of my really old kitchen journals.   I'll post the recipe, when I have time, over on my other blog.

Meanwhile, Poppy and Miles, I am heading off to Cowslip Cottage to do some more painting.  This time I'll try to remember to take my camera.xx

Chinese New Year Feast!

My lovely Chinese daughter-in-law, Poppy, has cooked up quite a feast to celebrate Chinese New Year.

A feast for the eyes - even the cat agrees, just as well he has very good table manners.

Lamb, pork, beef balls, tofu strips, spring onions, radish, potatoes, mushrooms, soy bean puff balls, bone soup, dipping sauces, peanut sauce...you get the idea.

A magnificent feast, one for sharing with family and friends.

Centre stage of it all was the 'hot pot' which cooked the meat in ten seconds, so it really was a hot pot.

Everything was so beautifully prepared and served with love and happiness.

I hope that this time next year will see a feast such as this being prepared and shared at Cowslip Cottage.  Poppy and Miles are hoping to move back to England in the early autumn.

I can't begin to tell you how happy that makes us.   The whole family is excited about it.  Come to that, even the new neighbours are looking forward to meeting you both.   We'll be looking forward to some feasts and celebrations then, Poppy.

Miles you are a lucky man!

Max and I are off to the pub tonight - quiz night, a special one to raise funds for charity.  Wish us luck!

Love you,
Mum
xxx