lately in the garden

Abundance.  The raised beds are full to bursting with vegetables, we have been enjoying lots of home grown goodness and gifting some to family and friends.  The beetroot, my favourite is just ready for harvesting.

Courgette flowers.  I have been cooking courgettes at least every other day. The plants are producing them at an extraordinary rate.  Any recipe suggestions gratefully received.

A green veined white butterfly enjoying the flowers on the thyme.

The palest pink rose.

A sunbathing butterfly.  The leaves of the potato plant, the perfect lounger.

A snapshot of our garden taken today while wandering around in the sunshine, still enjoying summer but feeling change in the air.

I am happy.  Autumn is my favourite time of year.

Are you looking forward to the change of season?

52 weeks of happy (44/52)

I'm really not sure where this past week went in such a hurry.  I am on auto pilot most of the time now. Enjoying the remaining days of the holidays in a haze of exhaustion.  Nine weeks is a long, long time when you're looking after three busy little ones who seem to have an endless list of wants.

I'm not complaining though.  Summer has been wonderful and I am happily exhausted.   But, I may be running out of steam.  Thankfully Mr F is off for a few days next week.An extra pair of hands will make me very happy indeed.

We were invited to my uncle's 80th birthday party last weekend.  A lovely sunny day and a party in the garden.  An opportunity to catch up with my large extended family.  Happy smiling faces all around.

A visit to Mellon Fun Farm on Sunday with the little ones.  A happy day out, a picnic and lots to see and do.

Watching my second little boy conquer his fears.  Whilst his big brother revels in handling insects and animals, he has been unsure.  At the farm he found, picked up and played with a ladybird, nervous to begin with, but gentle and relaxed as he became more confident.  So lovely to see.

Joining in as always with lovely Jen from little birdie for 52 weeks of happy. It feels good to stop and take stock of the simple happy things.

52 weeks of happy (43/52)

Joining lovely Jen for 52 weeks of happy.  Late, as is becoming my habit.  I really must try harder. 

Beautiful red flowers on our runner beans. Even if they never produce beans, they have been worth planting for the flowers alone.

I am officially frazzled.  I spent a hectic day today, running from one shop to the next, gathering necessities for returning to school in two weeks time. New uniforms, school shoes, vests, pants, socks, the list goes on and on.  But I am very happy to have it all sorted and in good time, leaving the remainder of the summer holidays dedicated to having fun. 

Our new houseplant, a maidenhair fern, brightening a corner.  I love its lacy green fronds and the blue of the pot.  Two of my favourite colours.

The apples on our tree.  Autumn is on its way.

I hope you are having a happy week enjoying the simple things.

magpies eye

I love necklaces.  I rarely go a day without wearing one.

Bracelets however I could live without.   They are always in the way of getting on with things.  I can't be bothered taking them on and off.

Recently while browsing in a charity shop, a sparkle caught my magpies eye. Little aqua faceted glass beads strung on a stretchy bracelet.  As I said earlier, not really my cup of tea.

But the beads were so pretty I was persuaded to part with my pennies.

I had a plan.  I snipped the elastic and released the beads.  I found a sterling silver chain in my jewellery box and strung three beads on to it.

Et voila.  A pretty new necklace and lots more sparkly beads to play with.

lately

Busy summer days crammed full of simple pleasures.  The weather has been great. Cooler now but with sunshine most days and very little rain.  Just infrequent showers which blow over quickly.

We've been pond dipping, bug hunting and butterfly chasing.  We have enjoyed countless walks and picnics.

We've made some new friends this summer.  The little ones have two new playmates and I have found a lovely friend in their mum.  They live really close by and we have spent happy days, out and about.

Yesterday we all went to the local county show.  An annual agricultural event. The little ones had a great time visiting the animals.  We saw rare breed cows, sheep, pigs, poultry and pet rabbits.

We watched the competitive judging of the pedigree cattle.  The animals are so impressive and very beautiful. We watched one getting a shampoo and blow-dry before it was shown in the ring. They are so well cared for by their handlers.

We had a wander around the exhibition hall marvelling at the competition entries.  So many cakes, vegetables and flower displays and the children's craft entries were amazing.

We finished off the day with the most delicious ice cream from tickety-moo, a local dairy farm which milks jersey cows.

We are now well through the holidays.  School starts again in September so we plan to have a few more easy-going summer days before routine takes over again.

The little fairy starts playschool and for the first time in seven years I will be home alone for a few hours each day.  I will miss her constant chatter but I think it will be good for me.  I just hope I won't be too lonely.

I hope you are all enjoying your summer break and cramming in lots of fun.

52 weeks of happy (42/52)

Linking up with Jen for this weeks happy things.

Little mushrooms and toadstools appearing in our garden.  They are amazing, so delicate and perfectly formed.  I am a little fascinated by them.

Making blackcurrant jam.  I had convinced myself it was going to be very difficult but happily it was fun, although topping and tailing the blackcurrants did try my patience.  I'm hoping it doesn't resemble cement when we eat it.  I love the way the jam stained my wooden spoon.

Beautiful coloured threads.  One of my aunts was having a de-stash and thought of me.  Embroidery skeins, tapestry wool and crochet hooks were gladly rehomed.

A gift from my mum.  She saw me admiring this little brooch on a day out recently and went back to get it for me.  A really thoughtful surprise.  My mum is lovely.

Wishing you all a happy week and thank you so much for your comments.  I love to read them.  They make my day and you make me happy too.

goodbye july

July has been a beautiful month full of sunshine and happiness, spent outdoors enjoying the garden.  What summer should be.

Our garden has been blooming happily.  New flowers appeared as the temperatures soared.  Honeysuckle, marigolds, pansies and sweet william are all helping to add colour to our garden.

The colour appears in pockets here and there amidst a sea of green, so next year the plan is for bigger colourful displays.  I will enjoy seeking inspiration over the winter ready to act next spring.

The vegetable garden deserves a mention too.  It has exploded with growth this month.  The rain showers over the past few days seem to have amazing powers. Courgettes are appearing overnight, the cabbage are enormous and there is lots of lovely little blooms on the rocket, potatoes and herbs.

I love to sit and watch the bees and butterflies merrily flitting from one plant to the next enjoying the bounty.

Joining in with Karin and Asa.

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Just a quick aside relating to butterflies.  I have a lovely friend who is involved with butterfly conservation and she asked my little ones to take part in the Big Butterfly Count.  You can still take part and it isn't just for little ones.  Follow the link to find out more.  It is a really worthwhile and fun thing to do.  My eldest was in his element.

flapjacks

At the request of the lovely Lazy Daisy Jones here is my flapjack recipe and a warning.  These are the flapjacks of my youth.  Delicious, sticky and sweet.  

They have a distinct lack of seeds, nuts and the like but feel free to tinker with the recipe if you would like to add some.  I do, sometimes but usually I stick to tradition and use the recipe of my childhood.

flapjack recipe (makes 16)

ingredients

150g butter

75g soft brown sugar

3 tbsps golden syrup

75g quick cook porridge oats

175g jumbo porridge oats

method

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celsius ... grease a 30cm x 20cm baking tin and line with baking paper

Put the butter, sugar and syrup in a saucepan and melt together over a medium heat until combined

Add the oats and mix until coated and turn out into the baking tin and spread evenly over the base

Press the mixture out with the back of a spoon

Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes

The baking time will depend on your oven but the delicious smell and golden coloured top usually give the game away.  A shorter baking time means a stickier flapjack.

Remove from the oven and trace cut lines into the flapjack.  I get about sixteen out of a tray this size but you can divide it up into as many as you like.  Then leave to cool in the baking tray.

When cool cut up into squares using the guidelines and enjoy with a hot cuppa.

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Sometimes the outer edge can be a little overdone.  I trim this off and eat it with natural yoghurt.  Very moreish.

We are partial to a slightly sticky flapjack but if you prefer them crunchy, put them back in the oven after switching it off.  This allows the stickiness to dry out a little.

The flapjacks keep well in an airtight container for up to a week.  They never last that long here though. I can't even get a picture they disappear so fast.

Hope you enjoy them Daisy. 

52 weeks of happy (41/52)

We're almost half way through our summer holidays.  Most days we don't have a definite plan.  Free and easy, we let our mood dictate what we get up to.

The sun is still shining although we have had some amazing thunderstorms.  As our summer days roll into weeks we are loving every minute.

Joining Jen for 52 weeks of happy, my four simple happy things.

Blackcurrants.  Gathering the shiny, ripe fruit alongside the little fairy as she said 'just the black ones, not the red ones, leave them for birdies'.  I think I will make some jam.

My new bowl, a bargain find.  I love the blue flowers around the rim.

Making flapjacks, sticky and sweet.  Another childhood memory to share with my little ones.

Meeting up with my cousin and her three girls.  A catch up and an opportunity for our wee ones to become firm friends.

I'm off to a car boot sale tomorrow.  Fingers crossed I find some treasure. Wishing you all a lovely day whatever you get up to.

52 weeks of happy (40/52)

Enjoying another happy week of summer, joining in with Jen for 52 weeks of happy.  Like many of you, I've been outdoors enjoying the garden.

Bug hunting with the little ones.  They love chasing butterflies around the garden and are entranced by the bees, trailing them from flower to flower and asking all sorts of questions about how they make their beloved honey.

I've loved watching my eldest riding his new bicycle.  He has now mastered a big boy bike, riding without stabilisers and is pleased as punch with himself.  He was so determined to learn. 

The vegetable garden after a late start has just exploded with growth. Beetroot, potatoes, courgettes, rocket and cabbage are thriving.  I'm looking forward to cooking with them soon.

The ease the summer sunshine has brought to the school holidays.  Past summers have been a frantic dash between rain showers, trying to organise wet weather fun.  This year the gorgeous sunshine has ensured the first few weeks of the holidays were stress free and I have been a very happy, chilled out mama.

For all of you just starting the school holidays, I hope you all have a lovely break filled with long days of sunshine.

summer days

I have been a lazy blogger of late.  Finding the lure of the sun hard to resist and so spending less time with technology.  I expect a few of you are in the same boat.  Gently enjoying summer days.

The last proper summer we had was in 2006.  The year our eldest was born.  I can remember him sleeping peacefully in his pram by the open french doors.

Seven years on, I think we deserve this perfect summer.  My sleeping baby has grown into a little boy who loves being outside enjoying the sun with his younger brother and sister.

After playing in the garden on Saturday with a makeshift sprinkler, the garden hose tied to a tree, the little ones wished for a visit to the seaside.

  

So on Sunday, we packed a picnic and set off for a day at the beach.  We visited Murvagh Blue Flag Beach in Donegal.

The weather was lovely.  Not too hot with a welcome breeze.  We paddled in the water, built sandcastles, collected shells and watched kites swirling through the sky.

Later, my insect loving boys searched for crickets in the grass behind the sand dunes.

All in all, we had a fun, easy going day.  The kind of day we hope to enjoy many more of before summers end.

52 weeks of happy (38/52 and 39/52)

Joining Jen for 52 weeks of happy, a double dose of happiness this week.

Our school holidays are well underway. Just one of many happy things right now.

The weather. Glorious sunshine and blue, blue skies and in the evening skies marbled with pink hued clouds promising a beautiful day tomorrow.

Adventures in sugar paste.  I had an evening of fun creating decorated cupcakes as gifts for the boys teachers.  They are a little amateur but I was pleased with how they turned out.

Reading Roald Dahl books in the sunshine with my boys.  I loved these stories when I was younger and iI  I have enjoyed their familiarity.  Reading outside in the shade is a great way to while away an hour or two when the sun is hottest and energy levels have taken a dip.

I do love summer, especially summer bathed in sunshine.  Maybe it's a case of rose tinted spectacles but weren't our childhood summers just like this.

Hope you are all enjoying yourselves and to our friends in the southern hemisphere I hope winter is mild and equally enjoyable.

weekending

What glorious weather, a truly gorgeous weekend.  We have been spending as much time outdoors as possible.  Breakfast, lunch and dinner on the patio.  Why is it that food always tastes better outside?

We had a lovely afternoon yesterday at a family fun day organised by our local community hall, a beautifully restored stone schoolhouse.  The little ones bounced on castles, played with balloon swords and flowers and enjoyed a vintage tractor parade.

The big ones watched a skittles game, while enjoying a barbeque and a few beers.

This morning I decided to paint the play house.  It was in dire need of freshening up.  I am so taken with the pretty new colours I think I might move in.

A touch exhausted, I collapsed into an armchair to watch Andy Murray win Wimbledon, catch up in blogland and now I am set to be unnerved by tonight's episode of The Returned.

Hope you all have had a lovely weekend and are all set to enjoy more lovely sunshine this week.

nature in the home

My red nature in the home contribution. 

Apples are a favourite here.  The fruit bowl empties as quickly as I can fill it. Every shopping list has apples on it.

Red varieties are our favourite, braeburn, royal gala and pink lady but we are partial to the odd golden delicious or granny smith.

Do you have a favourite?

Linking up as always with lovely Lou at littlegreenshed.

mile a minute

Thanks to Jane's investigations I can now reliably inform you that my climber is a russian vine, also known as mile a minute or fallopia baldschuanica.

If you pop it into a search engine you will find lots of articles about Russian vine.  It is often problematic in urban areas due to its spread and growth speed.  It grows incredibly quickly and is often used for screening buildings or garden eyesores but when left to its own devices it can invade neighbouring gardens causing problems.

In our garden the vine is growing on a trellis which screens our fuel tank and behind our garage.  The climber isn't a problem here as we live in the countryside and have no immediate neighbours.

Mr F has given the plant a very ruthless cutting back each year and so far it has been easy to manage.

This is how it looks at the moment.

Despite its faults Russian vine is very pretty and providing you have the room and motivation to cut it back, it really serves its purpose and more importantly, the bees adore it.  So for now it is here to stay.

Thanks again to Jane for her help in identifying the climber and also Sabrina for taking the time to search. I really appreciate your help.

goodbye june

Another month gone, half way through the year.

We are on school holidays now and hoping against hope the sun does what it should in summer. Shine all day.

June was a good month.  Mild, fairly dry weather with a little sunshine most days.  Not to be sniffed at when remembering recent summers.

Our garden is thriving in the warm weather and when the rain comes the plants seem to appreciate the dampness, producing beautiful blooms and vibrant new growth.

Our lawn is lush, green and covered with red and white clover.  The bees are having a ball, buzzing busily from the lavender plants, to the flowerpots and on to the clover.

Roses are in flower and the elderflower blooms are scenting the air.  I love their scent.  It transports me back in time, to chatting my grandfather for hours in summer sitting on a lime washed stone wall underneath an elder tree. Precious memories.

Linking up with Karin and Asa.

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Thank you for the lovely words on my last nature in the home post.  I am not ignoring those of you who would like to know what the climber is but I do need to come clean.  I don't actually know but will endeavour to find out and let you know.

nature in the home

My contribution to Lou's nature in the home series this week are these tiny white flowers which grow in clusters on a climber in our garden.  They dangle delicately against the green leaves.

The little flowers are minute but beautiful.

Each one has a solid centre, bordered in green and surrounded by three tiny white petals.  There is a little pink cluster at the very tip of each frond.

I knew they were pretty in the garden but inside on my mantelpiece I think they are beautiful.

I love taking part in nature in the home, taking time to seek out garden treasures.

52 weeks of happy (37/52)

Week 37 and as always linking up with lovely Jen for 52 weeks of happy.

School's out for summer here at the end of next week.  I think I am more excited than the little ones. Breaking from routine.  Thoughts of lazy summer days, fun and sunshine are making me very happy indeed. Nine long weeks, I can't wait.

Like Gillian in her lovely post I am so proud of our two boys.  They both received excellent school reports and are thriving academically for which I am really grateful.

But what pleased me most were the comments regarding their behaviour, their positivity and helpfulness and the eldest setting a great example for others by being well behaved.  So lovely to hear.

This little plant arrived home from school this week with my littlest son.  A surprise for me.  He chose Sweet William and sowed the seeds at school a few weeks ago.  It is ready now to be transplanted to the garden. I am looking forward to seeing it bloom.

Receiving this thoughtful little gift reminded me how simple gestures can create much happiness.

Linking up with Lou for nature in the home this week.  A gift.

nature in the home

This week Lou asked us to choose our favourite plant to feature in this weeks nature in the home.

I adore plants and flowers of all kinds.  Narrowing it down to just one favourite would be impossible but this week I am enjoying this pretty clematis which is flowering either side of our garage door.

We planted them last summer, too late for flowers but the blooms were worth waiting for this year.

I have mislaid the plant information so don't know which variety they are. Maybe some of you know.

The blooms are large, as big as my hand and they vary in colour from a deep purple to a beautiful shade of faded blue.

So there it is.  My current favourite.  What's yours?

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Update: Thanks to Lou identifying it as a double variety I have discovered it is a clematis multi-blue.  Thanks to Lou and Google.

victoria sponge

To my lovely husband Mr F, wishing you a wonderful, happy 40th birthday today.

I have baked a cake, a favourite, Mary Berry's Victoria Sponge.  The recipe came from her book The Baking Bible but it is also available at the link above.  It is very moreish and the fresh cream really makes it.

My lovely man will be spoilt this weekend.  A special birthday and father's day. He has lucked out.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend and try the cake.  It's gorgeous.

52 weeks of happy (35/52 and 36/52)

A double dose of 52 weeks of happy this week owing to the gorgeous sunny weather here and my need to spend every available second enjoying it.

As always linking up with the lovely Jen at little birdie.



A visitor to our garden.  A very curious pheasant who often wanders across our patio step although when I produce my camera he takes off at olympic speed.

My little fairy.  She is fascinated by insects, squealing with delight when she finds a ladybird or spider. Her love of nature is infectious.

A birthday gift from the little fairy, 'because you're lovely Mama'.

Fields of gold.  The meadow of buttercups over our hedge.  Apologies for the rather unfortunate view of the cow's rear.  It was so busy eating it didn't want to pose for my photo.

There were many more happies I could have chosen but these are a few I managed to get some pictures of.

Happiness is so easy to find in summer don't you think?

Wishing you all a very happy week.  The rain has returned here but hopefully not for long. 

nature in the home

Linking up with Lou for nature in the home.  This week's theme was hedgerow.

So a hedgerow posy.  Buttercups, tufted vetch, red clover and some grasses.

I really enjoyed collecting the flowers from the hedges along our lane, spending ages watching the bees buzzing and butterflies flitting amongst the gorgeous blooms.

I have cheated a little with my photo though.  Not strictly in the home but on our patio table.  Very close though, I promise.

The sun is still beaming down here and we are loving it.  I hope it is shining wherever you are too.

lovely things: our garden birds by matt sewell

Too good not to share.  One of my birthday presents received last week.  This book is really special.

via amazon

The illustrations in the book are gorgeous.  Each bird's characteristics have been described perfectly by the artist.  Matt Sewell obviously loves birds and describes them with humour and detail.

The watercolour illustrations are quirky and are useful for identification.  The descriptions are great fun however they may not be scientific enough for seasoned bird watchers.

However, it makes a beautiful gift for bird lovers who enjoy art and illustration too.  I am completely enamoured with the book and am delighted my family know me so well.

Take a look I promise you won't be disappointed.

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Lately I've been enjoying the gorgeous weather we've been gifted.  You've got to live in the moment here. Irish weather is often inclement so the wise among us take full advantage of sunshine when we can.

I've decided to leave 52 weeks of happy this week and double up next week.  Less screen time equals more sun time.

Thanks for all the lovely comments recently.  They make my day.