London's winter sunshine

After five days of entertaining family, neighbours and friends, and feasting on a succession of Christmas dishes, we decided we needed a change of scene. So on Saturday morning we drove down to London, from the motorway we could see the sun illuminating the distant sky scrapers of Canary Wharf, the Gherkin and Tower 42.



We walked through the deserted streets of The City towards St Paul's Cathedral, the windows of the offices reflecting shards of sky and architecture, and joined an international throng crossing the Thames on the Millennium Footbridge and admiring the quintessential London view of Tower Bridge and the boats on the river.


The South Bank had a bright and breezy atmosphere – everyone seemed to be stretching their legs and striding out wrapped in warm coats and Christmas present hats and scarves. We strode past the gigantic Louise Bourgeois spider looming over the entrance to Tate Modern and on to Gabriel's Wharf (one of my favourite corners of the South Bank). Sensing a definite fall in the temperature we decided to turn back – stormy clouds we racing down from the north and the dome of St Paul's was shining against a dark backdrop of rain clouds.


On Friday evening we had checked out the 'what's on' listings and found that a few seats were still available for Saturday afternoon's concert at The Barbican – we booked online for "The Four Seasons by Candlelight" a concert of baroque music performed by The Mozart Festival Orchestra in full 18th century costume. There was just time for a hazelnut brownie and cup of tea before we took our seats in the concert hall to relax and enjoy a beautifully performed concert of music by Handel, Purcell, Bach, Albinoni, Pachelbel and of course 'The Four Seasons' by Vivaldi including some virtuoso violin playing by David Juritz (all the more amazing as he was wearing a heavily embroidered coat and a yak-hair wig!!).


Before driving home we decided to look around the newly renovated St Pancras station. Having watched the TV series following the building of the new extention and restoration of the splendid Victorian gothic station building, we were curious to see it for ouselves. The exterior still looked like a building site – scaffolding and cladding very much in evidence, and as there was no lighting to show off the outside of the station, it loomed darkly over the Euston Road. Inside we followed signs to St Pancras International and emerged into the lower level shopping mall area. A few shops were open – Accessorize, Body Shop, a selection of coffee shops and sandwich bars in an area much smaller than it had seemed on the TV. I was interested to see the 9 metre tall statue by Paul Day 'The Meeting Place'. I think this must have been a incredibly difficult commission – with so many people to please and a deadline and budget to meet, it was inevitably going to be controversial.


I'm not sure that I like the finished sculpture, but it does seem fitting for a station – it reminds me of 1930's poster art.

The other new statue in the station is a bronze of John Betjeman by Martin Jennings , I think this is a joyful depiction of the poet and lover of architecture who campaigned to save the Victorian station building. Slightly larger than life size the bronze Sir John holds onto his battered hat and his crumpled mackintosh looks as if it has been caught by a gust of wind as he gazes up in boyish wonder at the sweeping arched roof now re-painted in sky blue. The statue stands on a circle of Cumbrian slate beautifully carved with a quotation from Betjeman's poem Cornish Cliffs:

And in the shadowless unclouded glare
Deep blue above us fades to whiteness where
A misty sea-line meets the wash of air

If you have never seen films of Sir John Betjeman or heard recordings of him reading his poems, this statue perfectly sums up this national treasure.

Merry Christmas!

Magic Cochin Productions present a seasonal slide show to delight and entertain you at this festive time . . .

Wishing you all health and happiness
Celia x

A mouse-free zone

In the time honoured tradition of pre-Christmas newsapers I'm selecting my top digital accessory . . .

My top gadget is this. My office is a mouse-free zone - and that's not just because the studio assistants have been meeting their objectives, they only focus on furry rodents! This small but essential part of my desktop kit ensures no mice - electric, wired or bluetooth - are residing on my desk. Over the past few weeks I've spent long hours working on digital illustrations and without my trusty Intuos pen my fingers would have siezed up by now. This is a life saver – if you spend your working day clicking a mouse and making little accurate moves with an electric rodent – treat yourself, you're worth it.



Another tradition at this time of year is the awards ceremony, and some generous bloggers love to hand out prizes. Today Fiona, The Cottage Smallholder has handed out her True Blue Awards, and I'm thrilled to be a recipient. Thank you Fiona - your daily blog is a joy to read as I eat my breakfast porridge. Always amusing and often useful (the "last minute Christmas cake" recipe looked so delicious I baked one today!) The Cottage Smallholder is a cornucopia of information.

I'm passing on the honour to all those True Blue blogging friends who add their comments to my postings - I enjoy reading them all :-)

Quick! - we've just got time . . .

Yesterday I suddenly realised that if I didn't go to see the Richard Bawden exhibition at Gainsborough's House in Sudbury right away I would miss it! Richard Bawden is well-known as a skilled printmaker and designer – I love his strength of line, pattern and witty observation.

Nearly 3.30pm and we'd been shopping for most of the day, but if we're quick we'll have time! It was dark and rainy as we drove into Sudbury town centre, the traders were packing their vans in the market place, but hurray! there was a free parking place in the street right outside Gainsborough's House it was just after 4pm – almost an hour to enjoy the exhibition.

I felt revived and inspired - those joyful images of cosy cats on patterned rugs and rambling Suffolk gardens; glass bowls engraved with prancing cats and swooping owls; a garden bench with dodos beak to beak; subtle shaded etchings of trees and fading flowers. If you have the time the exhibition continues until Christmas Eve.


Back home – time for tea (dinner? supper?) - whatever – we're hungry and need food quickly! I'm sharing this recipe with Freddie and Charlotte of The Great Big Vegetable Challenge, for their Q is for Quick Veg Quest.

My favourite Friday view

On Friday mornings I often drive along this road and this is the view I look forward to seeing. My route has followed the turning twisting lanes of Suffolk and into the south-western edge of Cambridgeshire, but after cresting a rise (I would say hill but non-fen dwellers may question my use of the word!) the view suddenly opens up and swoops downhill over the Cambridgeshire fens to the horizon. Today the low winter sun made my favourite view extra special, so I stopped the car and took this photo.

I like to imagine what the view may have been like centuries ago - I would have been looking across to the fen edge and the undrained waterlands beyond. Maybe, if sea levels rise, next century this will be a coastal view again?

When did you last wash your tree?

One of the most inspiring gardens is The Winter Garden at the Cambridge University Botanic Garden. If you think winter is a drab season then this is the place to transform your view.

When the sun is out on a crisp winter day there's nothing like a beautiful silver birch, its trunk a composition of subtle pastel shades. If you have a silver birch in your garden, is it beautiful? And if it's covered with dusty greeny-grey dirty grime, when did you last wash your tree? Yes, that's what those cunning gardeners get up to when we're not looking - they go out and give the trees a wash and brush up!

This lunch time my 'garden workout' included washing the silver birch.


BEFORE . . .


TREE SCRUBBING . . .


SEE THE DIFFERENCE!


TA-DAAAH!

Eight happy thoughts meme

I've been tagged by Fiona, The Cottage Smallholder to list eight happy thoughts. This week my thoughts are focussed on keeping illustration projects on schedule, but I try to take a break at lunchtime, today I recorded my "happy thoughts". . .



The rules for this meme are as follows:
When tagged, you must link to the person who tagged you. Then post these rules, and list 8 happy things about yourself. At the end of your list, you must tag and link 8 other people . . . here are eight bloggers who generously share their happy thoughts on gardens, creativity and food . . .

Sand to glass, word cafe
Spirit Cloth
Louise @ home is where the heart is . . .
Petunia's Garden
The Illustrated Garden
Fan My Flame
Quu's Garden
Maninas: Food Matters

It's a peckathon!

I've been trying to take a special photo of the under-gardeners to use on a Christmas card. They weren't being co-operative, so I had to resort to bribery!


The card is to send to EACH with a Christmas gift. Since May, the under-gardeners have been producing one egg each every day (well . . . they do have the occasional day off), this means that there are many more eggs than Cliff and I can eat, so we supply boxes of eggs to family, neighbours and friends in return for donations to EACH. Today the under-gardeners sent £100 to the children's hospice at Milton near Cambridge.
Thank you everyone!

Weather forecast . . . -5C tonight!

Get out the hats, mittens, scarves, winter coats, thick knitted jumpers, boots . . .

It's getting chilly!

Herbs

On this posting I will record the herbs & edible plants and flowers which I grow for their scent and flavouring.


BASIL
Violetto (Italian seeds – Semeurop)
20.04.08 sown in seed tray in heated propogator in the greenhouse

Foglia di Lattuga (Italian seeds – Magnani Sementi)
20.04.08 sown in seed tray in heated propogator in the greenhouse


CORIANDER
(home saved seeds)
15.04.08 sown in a long row outside in the vegetable garden


DILL
(Mr Fothergill's seeds)
01.04.08 sown in a short row outside in the vegetable garden


PARSLEY
Gigante d'Italia (Thompson & Morgan – The Taste of Italy seeds)
01.04.08 sown in a small seed tray in the frost-free greenhouse
08.05.08 largest seedlings planted outside

and also in a short row outside in the vegetable garden
germinating under glass cloche 07.05.08


SAGE
(Thompson & Morgan seeds)
01.04.08 sown in a small seed tray in the frost-free greenhouse
04.05.08 pricked out into cells


SORREL
Buckler Leaf (Thompson & Morgan seeds)
01.04.08 sown in a small seed tray in the frost-free greenhouse
looks like Broad Leaf Sorrel to me!!!!!


THYME
Old English (Thompson & Morgan seeds)
01.04.08 sown in a small seed tray in the frost-free greenhouse
04.05.08 pricked out into cells

Fruit

On this posting I will record varieties of fruit in the garden, with updates and notes about how well they are growing (or not), harvesting, flavour, etc


STRAWBERRIES
'Gariguette' early, superb flavour
'Cambridge Favourite' mid-season, heavy cropper
original plants from Ken Muir, stock increased by growing some of the runners each year

BLACKCURRANTS
one original bush planted by a previous owner of the garden - variety unknown
all other bushes are cuttings grown from prunings
very large fruit, heavy cropper

REDCURRANTS
one original bush planted by a previous owner of the garden - variety unknown
all other bushes are cuttings grown from prunings

RHUBARB
'Victoria' young plant bought from Oakington Garden Centre 08.02.08
planted in a newly dug bed next to the green house door

Vegetables

On this posting I will record varieties of vegetables planted in the garden, with updates and notes about how well they are growing (or not), harvesting, flavour, etc


ASPARAGUS
(1 year old crowns from Ken Muir 2000)
21.04.08 the first two asparagus spears are visible, about 20mm high!!!
first cut 03.05.08
stopped cutting end of May


BEETROOT
Crapaudine (Vita, French Seeds)
sown outside 29.04.08


BROAD BEAN
Bunyard's Exhibition (Unwins Seeds)
sown outside 21.11.07
about 60% germination, shoots 3cm 31.01.08
some seedlings transplanted to infill the rows 04.02.08

Crimson Flowered (home saved seeds, originally from the HSL*)
sown in pots in the greenhouse 03.02.08 all germinated and grew rapidly
no frost this week 04.03.08 put outside to harden off
planted out 08.03.08


BROCCOLI
Purple Sprouting
sown summer 2007 and planted out, much too late, September 2007
Only two plants survived. Tasted very good April 2008


CARDOON
established plants in the vegetable garden originally grown from seed
as these are decorative rather than productive and they are now huge woody plants I decided to dig up all but one plant (note: really MUST blanche stems next autumn)
09.04.08 transplanted the two largest young side shoots with good roots into the circular rose bed – I hope that they make huge feature plants visible from the studio
smaller side shoots potted up to grow on as small plants for the mixed borders or for sale!


CARROT
Autumn King
sown outside 11.03.08 under glass cloches.
Hopeless! Maybe one seedling?

29.04.08 another go now the soil is warm and moist – two short rows sown outside.
success!


CHARD
Bright Lights (Johnson's 'Cook's Garden' Seeds)
sown outside 29.04.08


COURGETTE
Gold Rush (Johnsons Seeds)
sown in pots in the greenhouse 29.04.08
3 plants planted out 31.05.08

Nano Verde Di Milano (The Taste of Italy, Vita Sementi Seeds)
sown in pots in the greenhouse 29.04.08
3 plants planted out 31.05.08



CUCUMBER
Marketmore (Mr Fothergill's Seeds)
sown in pots in the greenhouse 04.05.08
excellent germination


FENNEL
Finale (Organic Gardening Catalogue)
sown in a seed try in the heated propogator in the greenhouse 29.04.08


FRENCH BEAN
Climbing
Lazy Wife (home saved seeds, originally from the HSL*)
seed more than 5 years old
sown in large cells in the greenhouse 20.04.08
old seeds - no germination

Veitches (home saved seeds, originally from the HSL*)
seed more than 5 years old
sown in large cells in the greenhouse 20.04.08
old seeds - no germination

Mrs Fortune's (seed swap with Rebsie of Daughter of the Soil)
sown in large cells in the greenhouse 20.04.08
11.05.08 planted out around large rustic wigwam

San Antonio (HSL* selection 2008)
sown in large cells in the greenhouse 20.04.08
only 4 plants planted out 11.05.08

Poletschka (home saved seeds from HSL* selection 2007)
sown in large cells in the greenhouse 05.05.08

Borlotti (?) (climbing bean with red striped pods, seeds originally from Anna Pavord)
sown in large cells in the greenhouse 12.05.08 old seed - fingers crossed!


FRENCH BEAN
Dwarf
Royalty (seed swap with Matron of Down on the Allotment)
sown in large cells in the greenhouse 20.04.08
planted out 05.05.08

Emperor of Russia (HSL* selection 2008)
sown in large cells in the greenhouse 20.04.08
planted out 05.05.08

Negritos (HSL* lucky dip packet 2008)
sown in large cells in the greenhouse 20.04.08
planted out 05.05.08

Fagioli Nana / Bush Bean Creso (Vita Sementi/Thompson & Morgan - The Taste of Italy)
sown in outside in a long double row 05.05.08

Vermont Cranberry (home saved seed originally from HSL* 2007)
sown in outside 12.05.08


KALE
Dwarf Green Curled and Rubibor (Organic Gardening Catalogue)
sown summer 2007 and planted out, much too late, September 2007
the plants are still small but there were enough leaves to pick for our dinner on Valentine's Day 2008. The rest picked for Easter Sunday lunch 23.03.08

Cavolo, Tuscan Kale (Vita Sementi Italian Vegetables)
sown in a heated propogator 04.02.08
germinated quickly, seedlings 10mm - moved out of the propogator 09.02.08
24 seedlings transplanted to cells 26.02.08 the remaider will be eaten as micro-greens
14.03.08 potted on into 8cm pots – I'm hoping large strong plants will do better when planted in the veg patch.
01.04.08 pots transferred to a large plastic cloche on one of the vegetable beds
planted out in vegetable garden under netting 20.04.08
crushed eggshells scattered around plants to deter slugs


LEEK
Musselburgh (Unwins)
sown in a deep pot in frost-free greenhouse 12.02.08
11.03.08 germination just started

Lyon (Unwins, Heritage variety c.1881)
sown in a deep pot in frost-free greenhouse 12.02.08
11.03.08 germination just started

Porvite (Autumn Giant 2) (Thomson & Morgan, RHS Award of Garden Merit collection)
sown in a deep pot in frost-free greenhouse 12.02.08
first to germinate
11.03.08 full pot of seedlings


LETTUCE
Black Seeded Samara (HSL selection 2006)
sown in a seed tray in the greenhouse 20.04.08
08.05.08 largest seedlings planted outside
and the rest 13.05.08

Bronze Arrowhead (HSL selection 2007)
sown in a seed tray in the greenhouse 20.04.08
12.05.08 largest seedlings planted outside

Bunyard's Matchless (HSL selection 2008)
sown in a seed tray in the greenhouse 20.04.08
08.05.08 largest seedlings planted outside


LIMA BEANS
Chestnut lima Bean (picked up from the path at Clumber Park!)
sown in a deep pot in the greenhouse 12.05.08
germinated, but leaves damages and distorted


MICRO-GREENS
I'm experimenting with growing herbs and vegetable seedlings for salads

21.02.08 Nabiças(Portuguese greens)/Cavalo Cappuccio Rosso (Red Cabbage)/Rocket/Sorrel sown on vermiculite in a seed tray in a heated propogator.
11.03.08 not a great success, only the rocket has grown and is rather weedy!
only the sorrel seedlings looked really healthy – tansplanted these to cells 20.04.08
the other seedlings composted!

21.02.08 Red Orach sown on vermiculite in a small plastic tray in a heated propogator
moved to the green house bench and growing well 11.03.08
not a success – I think sowing on vermiculite needs much warmer moister conditions!


ONION
Red Baron (loose sets, Oakington Garden Centre)
planted outside 12.02.08

Sturon (loose sets, Oakington Garden Centre)
planted outside 12.02.08


PARSNIP
unknown variety (saved seeds)
sown in small modules in frost-free greenhouse 12.02.08
14.03.08 no germination – could be they needed cold to trigger germination?

Avonresister (Unwins seeds)
seed chilled in fridge for 2 weeks – sown in modules 27.03.08
08.05 08 no germination – I give up!

Tender and True (Suttons seeds)
seed chilled in fridge for 2 weeks – sown in modules 27.03.08
08.05 08 no germination – I give up!


PEAS
Purple Podded (home saved seeds, originally from HSL* member Chris Knight)
sown in cardboard tubes and a deep plant pot in frost-free greenhouse 26.02.08
12.03.08 all germinated, 2cm tall
moved to a plastic cloche in the vegetable garden 25.03.08
the pot grown seedlings planted out around a 2m wigwam 27.03.08
cardboard tube grown seedlings didn't grow as well as those in the pot – might this be due to fungicide in the cardboard? these remain under the cloche.

Carouby de Mausanne (The Organic Gardening Catalogue)
sown in a deep plant pot in frost-free greenhouse 26.02.08
12.03.08 all germinated, 2cm tall
moved to a plastic cloche in the vegetable garden 25.03.08
planted out around a 2m wigwam 27.03.08

Golden Sweet (home saved seeds, originally from HSL* 2006)
sown in a deep plant pot in frost-free greenhouse 12.03.08
good strong young plants with roots emerging from bottom of the pot
moved to a plastic cloche in the vegetable garden 09.04.08
planted out around a 1.5m wigwam 24.04.08

Victorian Purple Podded (HSL* selection 2008)
sown in a deep plant pot in frost-free greenhouse 12.03.08
good strong young plants with roots emerging from bottom of the pot
moved to a plastic cloche in the vegetable garden 09.04.08
planted out around a 1.5m wigwam 21.04.08

Clarke's Beltony Blue (seed swap with Rebsie of Daughter of the Soil)
sown in a deep plant pot in frost-free greenhouse 12.03.08
good strong young plants with roots emerging from bottom of the pot
moved to a plastic cloche in the vegetable garden 09.04.08
planted out around a 1.5m wigwam 24.04.08

Carruthers' Purple Podded (seed swap with Rebsie of Daughter of the Soil)
sown in a deep plant pot in frost-free greenhouse 12.03.08
good strong young plants with roots emerging from bottom of the pot
moved to a plastic cloche in the vegetable garden 09.04.08
planted out around a 1.5m wigwam 21.04.08

Salmon Flowered (seed swap with Rebsie of Daughter of the Soil)
sown in a deep plant pot in frost-free greenhouse 12.03.08
good strong young plants with roots emerging from bottom of the pot
moved to a plastic cloche in the vegetable garden 09.04.08
planted out around a 1.5m wigwam 21.04.08


PEPPERS
Red Chili Peppers (seed from a neighbour's plants)
sown in a heated propogator 04.02.08
pricked out 12.03.08
potted up into larger pots 25.05.08

Guindilla Blanca de Vinagre (Clemente, Spanish seeds)
small white (pale green) peppers for pickling in vinegar
sown in a heated propogator 04.02.08 – none germinated, old seed?


POTATOES
International Kidney (seed potatoes from Oakington Garden Centre)
planted 17.04.08

Ratte (seed potatoes from Oakington Garden Centre)
planted 17.04.08

Nicola (seed potatoes from Oakington Garden Centre)
planted 24.04.08

Pink Fir Apple (seed potatoes from Oakington Garden Centre)
planted 24.04.08


ROCKET
Rucola (Ortaggi, Italian seeds)
sown in a large pot in frost-free greenhouse 12.02.08
germinated amazingly quickly - 5cm tall now 11.03.08


RUNNER BEAN
Salford Black (home saved seeds, originally from the HSL*)
sown outside around giant wigwam archway 05.05.08


SALAD LEAVES
Lattughino da taglio misto (Magnani Sementi, Italian seeds)
sown in a large pot in frost-free greenhouse 12.02.08
11.03.087 excellent growth.


SHALLOTS
Pikant (loose sets, Oakington Garden Centre)
Planted outside 13.02.08


SQUASH
Marina di Chioggia (home saved seeds)
sown in pots in the greenhouse 04.05.08
one plant planted into 'Three Sisters' bed 31.05.08

Winter festival (home saved seeds)
sown in pots in the greenhouse 04.05.08
one plant planted into 'Three Sisters' bed 31.05.08

unknown round dark orange variety, with grey-green central boss (home saved seeds)
sown in pots in the greenhouse 04.05.08
one plant planted into 'Three Sisters' bed 31.05.08


SWEETCORN
Honey Bantam (Thompson & Morgan Seeds )
sown in pots in the greenhouse 08.05.08
excellent germination
17 plants planted into 'Three Sisters' bed 31.05.08


TOMATOES
Marmande Temprano (Clemente, Spanish seeds)
Sown in a small pot in a heated propogator 26.02.08
pricked out into modules 24.03.08
potted on into small pots 14.04.08
05.05.08 moved outside during the day to harden off (greenhouse too hot!!)
11.05.08 4 plants planted in a large tub in the courtyard

San Marzano (Semeurop, Italian seeds)
Sown in a small pot in a heated propogator 26.02.08
pricked out into modules 24.03.08
potted on into small pots 14.04.08
05.05.08 moved outside during the day to harden off (greenhouse too hot!!)
11.05.08 4 plants planted in a large tub in the courtyard

Liguria (Magnani Sementi, Italian seeds)
Sown in a small pot in a heated propogator 26.02.08
pricked out into modules 24.03.08
potted on into small pots 14.04.08
05.05.08 moved outside during the day to harden off (greenhouse too hot!!)
11.05.08 4 plants planted in a large tub in the courtyard

Sub Arctic Plenty (HSL lucky dip packet 2006)
Sown in a small pot in a heated propogator 26.02.08
no germination – old seed?

Salt Spring Sunrise (HSL lucky dip packet 2007)
Sown in a small pot in a heated propogator 26.02.08
pricked out into modules 24.03.08
potted on into small pots 14.04.08
05.05.08 moved outside during the day to harden off (greenhouse too hot!!)
11.05.08 4 plants planted in a large tub in the courtyard

Madame Jardel's Black (HSL selection 2008)
Sown in a small pot in a heated propogator 26.02.08
pricked out into modules 24.03.08
potted on into small pots 14.04.08
05.05.08 moved outside during the day to harden off (greenhouse too hot!!)
11.05.08 4 plants planted in a large tub in the courtyard
2 plants, one with 'potato' leaves, planted in pots in the greenhouse

Golden Jublilee (seed swap with Matron of Down on the Allotment)
Sown in a small pot in a heated propogator 26.02.08
first to germinate
pricked out 12.03.08
potted on into small pots 14.04.08
05.05.08 moved outside during the day to harden off (greenhouse too hot!!)
11.05.08 4 plants planted in a large tub in the courtyard


*HSL = Heritage Seed Library

A nice dile-emma we-e have here, that calls for all our wit, for a-all our wit!*

The ginger studio assistant's dilemma . . .

He popped out in the rain to (you know) and returned to find alien beings called 'plumbers' clanking about with tool boxes and bits and stuff on the other side of the cat flap!

What should he do?


Answer:



Caption: ______________________________________________


* with apologies to Messers Gilbert & Sullivan

A Potato Pagoda for Freddie

I'm not one for dressing up a baked potato, so when I was invited by Freddie and Charlotte to join The Great Big Baked Potato Challenge I wasn't inspired. But as my systematic advance through the tidal wave of work in my studio was going well and on schedule I had time to be creative with my supper of baked potato and Sunday leftovers before I go to the Tai Chi class.



Here's how to make a Potato Pagoda . . .

Cut a wedge shape out of the baked potato and carefully scoop out the cooked flesh from both pieces. Stir fry mushrooms, cooked guinea fowl (chicken will do fine), shredded fresh ginger and chopped spring onion. Gently mix in the potato flesh and season, I used my favourite Japanese 7-spice 'Shichimi'. Cook through and season with soy sauce. Fill the potato skin and the wedge with the mixture and balance the wedge on top. The calligraphy on the plate was intended to read 'Tai Chi' - but it probably doesn't!

And after that deliciously warming supper it's time to go to Tai Chi . . . Step-back-and-repulse-the-monkey . . . The-golden-cockerel-stands-on-one-leg . . . Box-the-tiger's-ears . . . I feel calm, balanced and grounded :)

Backstage

Behind the display on my stand at Saturday's Arts & Crafts Fair in Reach Village Hall, my supply of small change was efficiently tidy and I was sustained by the delicious (and nutritious) flap-jacks and the unbelievably delicious mulled fruit juice*.

Thank you to everyone who came along!


LATEST NEWS:
In two weeks time on Saturday 1st December I will have a stall at the Arts & Crafts Fair in Saffron Walden Town Hall.
So if you're in the area why not get in the festive spirit in this historic market town - lots of lovely shops, delis, cafés and the traditional market in the square outside the Town Hall.


* The girls in the kitchen told me it was equal quantities of apple juice and orange juice with some thinly peeled orange and lemon skin (peel? zest?) and sachets of mulling spices. Heat through and serve. Other versions they recommended use black grape juice with the apple and orange and an orange studded with cloves, cinnamon sticks and fresh ginger.

Celebration treats!

The under-gardeners are one year old this week (we don't know the exact date they hatched - but they were 17 weeks old when they moved in). Today we enjoyed an enthusiastic lunch time gardening session which involved me digging ground elder roots from the border near the Dragonfly Pond and the under-gardeners pouncing on any unsuspecting creepy crawly that had been disturbed.

Afterwards I decided they deserved a special birthday lunch . . .



Director's Notes:
Never work with animals! The corn was all set up ready and then Phoebe decided she just had to lay an egg (sigh!) so I decided to do some more gardening with the other under-gardeners until she'd done. Almost an hour later and rain clouds threatened - so I checked the hut and Phoebe is sitting there playing with bits of straw. I gently lifted her out (no egg yet) and herded all four hens towards the veg garden and the film set. Just as they got to the garden door the regular flight of Apache helicopters arrived for their daily low-level fly past - good timing chaps! The hens froze and backed out of the veg garden. Eventually got them calmed down and back on set - this was a one-take movie!

Christmas Arts and Crafts Fair

I've been busy getting everything together for my stand at next Saturday's Christmas Arts and Crafts Fair at Reach. I will be selling Festive Tree Decorations, gift tags, hand bound notebooks , framed and unframed prints and cards.

Emma has been working hard planning this event and has invited a fantastic range of talented artists and makers to take part. So as well as my prints and designs and Emma's beautiful silver jewellery there will be baskets, indigo dyed textiles, photographs, pottery, stained glass, paintings and much much more! And if you can come along you get to enjoy some of Cambridgeshire's best home baked cakes and biscuits accompanied by steaming cups of tea or mulled wine - all in the lovely renovated Village Hall right in the heart of the historic village of Reach at the end of the ancient earthwork, The Devil's Dyke. A local legend is that the Devil came unannounced to a wedding at Reach church and was chased away by the guests. In anger the devil ran away and formed the groove of the Dyke with his fiery tail!

STOP PRESS . . .
opening soon - my online shop - details on the blog very shortly.

Fireworks display

The English love to discuss the weather and 2007 gave us lots to talk about . . . 'Summer' was in April; May to the end of August was . . . er . . . well . . . let's put it politely . . . dull and wet; but now the garden, and countryside, is putting on a cracking early November display with dazzling bursts of colour - a fizzing zingy end to the gardening year.

Clockwise from top left:
• wild bullace trees in our boundary hedge
• red flower spikes of polygonum amplexicaule and wisteria leaves
• a cactus flowered dahlia
• cornus sanguinea 'Midwinter Fire'
• spindle berries (euphorbia europeans)
• fuchsia 'Thalia'

Kicking up leaves

The summer is over,
The trees are all bare,
There is mist in the garden
And frost in the air.
The meadows are empty,
And gathered the sheaves,
But isn't it lovely
Kicking up leaves.

John from the garden
Has taken the chairs,
It's dark in the evening
And cold on the stairs.
Winter is coming
And everyone grieves . . .
But isn't it lovely
Kicking up leaves.

by Rose Amy Fyleman 1877-1957

URGENT! for your immediate attention . . .

She's soooooooh busy this week! What does a studio-assistant need to do to get some attention around here? :)

Pumpkins. . . Squash. . . Cucurbits. . .

Whatever you call them they are the vegetable of the season. This is our 2007 Squash Harvest. The huge dark green one is the fabulously tasty "Zucca Marina di Chioggia" (and with a name like that so it should be!), such a shame there's only one. The lovely stripy yellow ones are "Winter Festival" - not quite as flavourful but a good size to cook stuffed. The lovely dark orange one with the grey/green centre was a bit of a surprise! Either I lost the label or it was a rogue seed. If anyone recognises it, please let me know.


On a cold dark autumn evening what could be better than squash risotto, or squash and potato mash, or squash soup, or squash added to a curry or tagine, or these squash, raisin and pecan muffins.



Hannah has requested that I post the recipe (I'm in awe of Hannah's baking skills, so if you want to see some treats visit her blog). So here goes, I haven't time to unscramble the mixed measurements - this is just how I do it!
In a bowl sift 5 oz plain flour (I used half wholemeal/half white), half a desertspoon of baking powder, 1 and a bit oz caster sugar and a sprinkle of mixed spice.
In another bowl put 2 eggs, a third of a cup of sunflower oil, two thirds of a cup of semi-skimmed milk, about two cups (I didn't measure this) of cooked squash (I bake squash in the oven then de-seed and skin). Beat together with a balloon whisk.
Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ones. And fold gently together, add some raisins as you do this, you must not stir too much, leaving bits unmixed is good.
Spoon into muffin tins and decorate with pecans. Cook at about 190 C until they have risen and smell delicious and a bamboo skewer stabbed into the middle comes out clean! Enjoy!

On 30th October 2007 that amazingly talented gardener, Matron of 'Down on the Allotment', is hosting a Squashblog, a chance to see cucurbits of every shape and colour from garden bloggers around the world!

31st October 2007 . . .
And this is our Halloween Pumpkin - a "Winter Festival" squash baked whole in the oven. Carefully cut off the lid and scoop out the seeds and fill with the flesh from the lid . . . and . . . izzy-whizzy!!!*!*!*!*!*! An instant ready-filled pumpkin tureen!

'Leaf Doodle' papers

It's intriguing how marks made by tools are like handwriting - the identity of the maker is displayed. It's the use of favourite tools in a specific satisfying way that results in a personal visual language. I've been doodling on a block of lino, a quick scribble with a pencil then cutting with my favourite little cheap chinese cutting tool. Last month I saw some stunning eighteenth century crewel embroidered hangings at Nunnington Hall in Yorkshire and I think they must have been in the back of my mind; first I cut the large leaves, then the little seed shapes, I filled the background with flowing lines letting the tool make the tapering shapes like a calligraphy pen.


I used the block to print Indian and Japanese coloured papers in pink, orange and indigo.


And this is why I needed printed papers - endpapers for some little books bound in Sudbury Jacquard Silk. A good excuse for enjoying using my Victorian Copy Press to press the covered book boards.

20 years ago today . . . it was a bit windy

October 16th 1987
I had slept through the sound of the biggest storm to hit Southern England for 300 years, even though my flat was on the top floor. But I knew something was up when I turned on 'Today' on Radio 4 and they seemed to be broadcasting from a torchlit studio in a bunker in an apocalyptic wasteland! I was working for a publishing company in Harlow, Essex and I decided to take the main road to work rather than my usual countryside route, in case of fallen trees. Huge branches dangled precariously over the cars and terrified horses galloped around the commuter traffic jam. At the office the power was off but in true "spirit of the blitz" fashion the canteen staff had somehow made bacon sandwiches for the plucky few who made it to their desks!

It was far worse south of London, an estimated 15 million trees had been uprooted by winds gusting to over 100 miles/hour and the parks, gardens and countryside had been changed forever.

Do you have a Great Storm memory?

An intruder in the vegetable garden

There are signs that an intruder has been walking over the raised beds in the vegetable garden. Neat triangular hoofprints.


The studio assistant was keen to show me that her paws could not have made the prints - she has been ruled out of the inquiry.


This is the main suspect.

Shhhh! we're hiding!

The studio assistants had arrived for 'work', but had disappeared. I could hear Chester snoring, and had briefly searched the office without success (he sometimes sleeps behind the printer). The weather has suddenly changed from glorious Autumnal sunshine to drippy grey drizzle and the forecast says it's set in for the rest of the day, it's the sort of day when a cup of hot tea is essential for creativity. On my way to the kitchen I spotted two furry tassels* at the bottom of the sashiko throw that's covering a small bookcase!



I discovered Sashiko on my visit to Japan a few years ago. While in Takayama I found bundles of indigo dyed fabric remnants for sale in a market; later, in a street of traditional wooden buildings I came across a shop specialising in sashiko - so I bought some thread and a folder of patterns. Back home I transformed the fabric remnants into a sampler of sashiko stitching - my Takayama holiday souvenir.

* For those of you who have read the tale of the tail, you may have noticed that Chester now has a magnificently fluffy ginger tail of which he is very proud.

Sculptural Romanesco

There's a vegetable stall in a farm gateway on the outskirts of one of the fen-edge villages I often drive through, and this is my favourite place to shop for fresh local veg. The stall (a converted shed) has been closed for the summer (holidays and harvest time), but today it was open. For £5 I bought a bag of large red onions, a bag of parsnips, a huge bunch of extra long leeks, 3 giant sweetcorn and this - a beautiful Romanesco Broccoli or Summer Cauliflower. What a fantastic geometric sculpture of a vegetable!

I've just finished reading Seed to Seed: The Secret Life of Plants by Nicholas Harberd and as I drove home I began to think about the sequence of growth that must have created the Romanesco flower head. I'd picked the book up in a bookshop which had a "3 for 2" offer and needed another book to add to the latest "Number One Ladies' Detective Agency" story and a wartime romance for my mother; it looked intriguing and the blurb on the back had enthusiastic reviews by those respected gardeners Penelope Hobhouse and Anna Pavord. It's written as a diary over the course of one year and is an insight into the thoughts of a research scientist and his discoveries about how plants grow. Anna Pavord sums this up far better than I can:
'It's another world. Another language. But Harberd has the gift of connecting us with it . . . What Harberd's book gives us clueless amateurs is a huge sense of awe at the extraordinary and brilliant machinery that regulates plant growth'.

It's grand and wild up north!

We've been on holiday to the South and East Ridings of Yorkshire - starting off in Wakefield (not a place that springs to mind as a holiday destination, I admit). The reason behind this was to visit the Yorkshire Sculpture Park during its 30th birthday year and while the Andy Goldworthy exhibition was on. The magnificent parkland is a perfect setting for large scale sculptures like this one by Henry Moore; it takes over four hours to walk around the park and the galleries which are on opposite sides of the park two miles apart. The experience of walking up the steady incline to the Longside Gallery is like following a pilgrim route to a shrine, Andy Goldsworthy's work spanning the past 30 years is exhibited in all the galleries and there are three new outdoor installations in the park - including the "Hanging Trees" built into the sunken ha-ha wall along Oxley Bank. It's hard to pick out favourite works by Andy Goldsworthy because they are all uniquely intriguing, but the "Leaf Stalk Room" with its dividing curtain made of leaf stalks held together with thorns - beautiful and fragile like a perfect spider's web, and the vast self supporting structure "Stacked Oak" were the highlights for me.


We stayed at the Waterton Park Hotel, chosen for it's convenience for the Sculpture Park and they had a 'Special Offer'; we assumed we would have a room in the modern annexe but on arrival it was announced that our room was in the Georgian mansion on the island, the only access via a narrow bridge over the lake and when we entered our room we had another surprise - a grand four poster bed! (Unfortunately, no nice surprises with the food.)

Between the Hotel and Wakefield, tucked behind suburban streets is Sandal Castle - we saw a postcard in the Wakefield Tourist Info Office and decided to take a look. This was Richard III's dad's castle - and local tradition says he was 'The Grand Old Duke of York' and his castle stands at the top of the hill he marched up and down with his ten thousand men before losing the Battle of Wakefield to Margaret of Lancaster (all described by Shakespeare in 'Henry III part iii').

We sheltered from the wind in the Sandal Castle Visitor Centre where the knowledgeable man at the desk recommended that we should visit Wakefield Museum as they have a gallery about Charles Waterton and Waterton Park where we were staying. I have to admit I'd never heard of Charles Waterton before last week, but as we were staying in his house we thought we'd find out more. Squire Waterton had ideas well ahead of his time - which gave him the reputation of being a complete nutcase - today he'd probably be on TV co-hosting 'Spring Watch' with Kate Humble! He travelled to South America to manage his family's sugar plantations and while there saw the amazing birds and animals of the rainforest, on his return he built a wall all round his estate to keep the poachers out and make a wildlife sanctuary; he enlarged the moat around his house to make a huge lake for water birds; he paid local children to bring him live hedgehogs to live within his estate; he planted dense hedges, left hollow fallen trees in the woods and was the first person to build nest boxes for birds of all kinds to nest in; he also invited the inmates of the local asylum to come into the estate to enjoy watching nature and he served them tea in a grotto.


There is now a Waterton Trail - a circular walk from Waterton Park following the route of the Barnsley Canal, through woodland and farmland to Anglers Country Park - this area was once one of the deepest open cast coal mines in Europe, now landscaped (the massive lake has a pond liner!) it is a haven for wildlife and open for anyone to enjoy. In the grounds of Waterton Park we looked for the grave of Charles Waterton and eventually found it overgrown with ivy and fallen branches - a squirrel has left the husks from his lunch of nuts at the foot of the cross.
In the 'Suggested Places to Visit' folder in the Waterton Park Hotel there was no mention of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Sandal Castle, Wakefield Museum or the Waterton Trail and Anglers Country Park (right on its doorstep).



Another reason for the location of our holiday was a visit to Scampston Walled Gardens near Malton and a chance to see the work of plantsman and designer Piet Oudolf - a master of modern design and exuberant perennial planting - and how a ten acre walled garden has been transformed into a series of nine 'rooms' each with a different character. All the plants are numbered and listed in a booklet (there are 1333 named plants!) - top of my list to plant in my own garden is Sedum 'Matrona'.

This is the 'Drifts of Grass' garden with wavy drifts of Molina grass constantly moving and rustling in the breeze.


The 'Perennial Meadow', with the yellowing leaves of the 'Katsura Grove' as a backdrop, was a mix of fading colours and complex textures.



We moved on to stay at a B&B at the Stained Glass Centre between Scarborough and Filey on the coast (warm, comfy and scrummy full English breakfasts). The Yorkshire coast is being constantly nibbled away by the surging North Sea, last week it was probably being munched in huge chunks! We escaped inland to a walk we knew well - Rievaulx Terrace. Orchestrating the landscape on a grand scale isn't new - 18th century Yorkshire landowners were keen to show off their wealth and the picturesque views they could create. In 1758 Thomas Duncombe III built a terraced promenade along an escarpment overlooking the ruins of Rievaulx Abbey (no need to build a folly - he had the real thing!), walking the length of the meandering terrace backed by woodland a series of vistas open up revealing a view of the Abbey in the valley below, each view like a perfect Claude Lorrain picturesque scene.



Wrapped up warm in hats and coats we went for a evening walk on the front at Filey - high tide and the waves are crashing into Filey Bay.


The next day we drove to Flamborough Head - a jagged headland jutting out into the North Sea and sculpted into stacks, bays and caves. Holding onto our hats and fighting to stand against the force of the wind we walked along the cliff top near the lighthouse - a plaque displaying a map of the coast noted "Here fought the British and American ships in 1779", good grief! Almost 228 years to the day since The Battle of Flamborough Head in September 1779, when the people of Filey and Bridlington gathered on the cliff tops to see the Continental Navy (French and American) under Commodore John Paul Jones, attack a British convoy of 44 merchant ships and two escorts - 520 British prisoners were taken, the merchant ships got away.



Along the coast south of Flamborough Head, Bridlington Old Town is enjoying a revival, it's Victorian High Street is a hive of creative activity - galleries and workshops side by side with the little bakeries, pubs and shops. This is the home town of David Hockney's family and his base when working on his Yorkshire landscapes. Fish and chips is the traditional fare (and served with excellent mushy peas) - but for a change we had lunch at Bean There where we had a huge platters of wholesome salads and quiche. The fantastic array of cakes on the counter looked very tempting - but we just couldn't fit them in!
In the evening we searched for a good place for the final dinner of our holiday - driving through the rain along the Scarborough to Pickering road we spotted an inviting looking inn, The Coachman. Taking shelter from the wild weather we realised we'd stumbled upon a charming jolly bar, full of people enjoying a Friday evening drink and the food was delicious - with a creative twist, the venison with lavender and blackcurrant was superb and the strawberry and port jelly was served with little meringues studded with pink geranium petals, dried fruits and nuts. We certainly dined in style!

Shades of indigo

At the Harvest Lunch in the village the conversation turned to the weather (inevitable in an English social situation) and its effect on our vegetable gardens. We agreed that it had been a very bad year for outdoor tomatoes and that no-one had a glut of courgettes. We also agreed that beans had done very well, but that the season for green beans was just about at an end – when I suggested using the mature beans shelled from the pods there was a pause in the chatter "Oh, can you do that?" someone said. Maybe I had overstepped the mark and alluded to a peasant style of cooking that civilized people had left long behind?


These beautiful shiny beans in shades of indigo are the semi-mature Poletschka beans (a climbling bean from Ukraine from the Heritage Seed Library) grown in our vegetable garden. Impressed by the tender and sweetly flavoured green pods I decided to save lots of seed for planting next year. But I had to try the flavour of the beans before they dried, after all flageolet beans - fresh haricot beans - are a gourmet dish in France traditionally served with lamb.

Supper last night was my nouvo-peasant recipe, "Chicken Poletschka":
Two large spring onions (scallions) chopped and cooked in a little olive oil in the trusty Le Creuset shallow 'buffet' casserole. Add skinned chicken joints, two whole unskinned garlic cloves, sliced mushrooms, cubed aubergine - home grown :), fresh shelled Poletschka beans, cook on a gentle heat until chicken is browned and the mushroom and aubergine lightly cooked. Lay slices of tomatoes over the top - home grown Marmande tomatoes :), and sprinkle with finely chopped fresh savoury, THE herb for beans, and black pepper. Add some boiled water to just below the level of the tomatoes. Cover and cook in the oven for about 45 minutes or until the veg has been prepared and cooked and "The Archers" has finished. Excellent accompanied with mashed squash and rainbow chard.

Poletschka beans cooked in a casserole or soup are plump and delicious, and the indigo colour turns a warm pinky brown. Don't knock peasant food!

Tree decorations

I usually start thinking about Christmas in November (at the very earliest) and try to ignore the plethora of yuletide acutriments that take over the aisles in the supermarkets. But this year I've been making early prepartions and have made these hand-printed tree decorations for my stall at the Reach Christmas Arts and Crafts Fair on Saturday 17th November. And these decorations aren't just for Christmas - they'd look good decorating branches and twigs at parties and celebrations all throughout the year. So put a note in your diaries now - and escape from the madding crowds on high streets for a civilised hour or two in the historic village of Reach, between Cambridge and Newmarket at the end of the Devil's Dyke. There will be an array of locally made arts and crafts to buy as well as some delicious seasonal refreshments.