Snug

The room next-door to my studio has a multitude of uses . . . study, gallery, meeting room, bedroom, breakfast room, guest room. We call it 'the book room' – er, because it it full of books . . . and maps, many many maps!

But I don't think it ever looked loved, it was usually a dump for stuff in transit between other rooms.

For years I've had a plan, but never actioned it . . . what the room should be is a 'snug'.

____________________________________________

Snug, noun
British English : a small comfortable room (usually in a pub) with seats for only a few people

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Last week Cliff and I drove over to a nearby furniture store to see what was in their sale, and now – ta-daaah!!!!

 The studio snug :-)

The pale gold velvet upholstery wouldn't have been my choice, but it was a bargain and it's a sofa-bed too. It is also the perfect place to use my crazy patchwork quilt . . . I made it over many years and has hardly ever been unfolded since I finished it about 10 years ago.

So, now I have a convenient cosy place to sit when I'm planning ideas, or packing cards, or just putting my feet up for five minutes.

Surprise, surprise! of course the studio assistants think this has been done just for them! The trouble is they aren't very good at sharing (with each other or with me).

Celia
xx

Blending in

Has anyone ever done any experiments investigating the domestic cat's camouflage instinct?

The studio assistants have decided that my studio is too scattered with stuff for them to find a place to blend in and settle down for the day, so they've selected the room next door – also rather 'junked-up' with the things brought home from the Pick'n'Mix Market.

I didn't spot them at first!

 

The ginger one has selected a folded piece of hessian on a faded yellow Lloyd-loom chair.

and the tabby one picked the bundle of black cotton sheeting.

I've just returned from a trip to the post office and it looks like the tabby one has disappeared, perhaps she has decided to go outside in the sunshine . . .

or has she?

Celia

x

New Flat Cap!

The studio assistants have a new door – hopefully it will stop an intruder nicking their biscuits in the night!

The SureFlap scans their micro chips, so when there's an 'unknown cat in the bagging area' the door stays securely locked.

The tabby one 'got-it' right away; the ginger one was suspicious . . . but the biscuits were on the other side . . . no-brainer!

New Year's Day treats

Did you see in 2011 in style? Did you join the crowds by the Thames to see the fireworks? Or were you tucked up in bed? Cliff and I were at a Murder Mystery Dinner Party and got back very very late . . . this morning I didn't feel very lively! But my green metallic finger nails and blue hair reminded me that we'd had a good time.

There was no time to lounge around, we had an invitation to join The Cottage Smallholder for lunch. We arrived at Fiona and Danny's cottage and were immediately made welcome in the cosy kitchen with the Min Pins. After toasting the New Year with bubbly (or Elderflower cordial for those – me – feeling delicate) we tucked into a sublimely delicious roast chicken and vegies followed by bread and butter pud . . . yummy yummy and there was a lot of laughter – the best therapy ever invented!

Fiona has been busy with her sewing machine and as well as lovely scented lavender hearts she has developed a new product . . . a scented toy for cats. I volunteered the studio assistants to review The Catnip Bird . . .

"we could smell the catnip before we saw it"
the ginger one

"the plastic wrapper is difficult to undo without
human paws to assist"
the ginger one

"the catnip scent gets transferred onto the carpet
and is lovely to roll around in and get it on my fur"
the tabby one

"the fabric is strong and keeps its shape
even after it's been chewed"
the tabby one

I think they like it Fiona! Thank you so much for lunch and for making two cats very very happy.

Celia
x

PS: The music is of course "What's new pussycat" by Mr Tom Jones, but you all knew that anyway ;-)

You can purchase Catnip Birds from The Cottage Smallholder Shop.

The forecast for today . . .

. . . over to the tabby one in the studio –

it's a bit nippy out there this morning,
what's on the cards for the rest of the day?

Oh! how I wish I could snuggle down in a woolly blanket in a basket! But I've got to venture out into the big wide icy world (not snowy around here yet) I hope there are some nice things for me to discover today.

See you later!
Celia
x

Woodland creatures

Today, the studio assistants have chosen to sleep 'en plein air'.

Some advice on chillin'

The studio assistants would like to pass on their advice about coping in the extreme heat we are experiencing here in south-west Suffolk and large parts parts of the south and east of England this summer . . .

During the day . . .

. . . find somewhere shady . . .

. . . and do as little as possible . . .

. . . got it?

On the edge of The Wild Wood

A few weeks ago I noticed some unusual leaves unfurling in The Wild Wood. The plant grew bigger and bigger, buds appeared near the top, this week delicate custard yellow flowers opened . . .

The plant is Greater Celandine (Chelidonium majus), readers in North American may know it by the old English name the first settlers brought with them: Swallow Wort. Confusingly Greater Celandine is in no way related to the Lesser Celandine (Ranunculus ficaria) which flowers much earlier in the year and is a member of the Buttercup family and has small narrow shiny golden petals like this . . .


Look closely and you can see that the Greater Celandine is in fact a kind of wild poppy, and like other poppies it has a sticky poisonous sap in its stems. The sap of the Greater Celandine is yellowy orange and is very toxic – in fact it burns! So best to look and not touch! In the past it was used to burn away warts and rather alarmingly for burning away cataracts from the eye! It is associated with old walls and stony pathsides in places that have been inhabited for centuries – maybe a relic from an ancient physic garden.


Yesterday lunchtime I took my lunch over to the opposite bank of the stream behind our Wild Wood and sat in the corner of the field beyond, there is a wide uncultivated field margin which hopefully helps biodiversity and the local wildlife.

As I wandered through the garden on my way to The Wild Wood I'd picked herbs and salad leaves a and added them to my lunch – you can't get a much fresher salad . . .


It wasn't long before the ginger studio assistant sniffed out the aroma of paté and tracked me down!

"Have you left some for me?!"

Time for tea (and a slice of cake)

Today the studio assistants helped me to empty the cupboards in the studio. You would not believe the stuff I'd accumulated over the years, much of it I don't use any more – suppliers' catalogues for instance, I now look at what's available online.

The blue wheeliebin is already full to the brim, so we've made a big pile of stuff to go in the bin once it's emptied tomorrow morning. All my inks and printing bits and pieces now have a home inside cupboards rather than on surfaces. There's still a bit of tidying still to do, but already my studio feels twice as spacious, a good days work!

The ginger one has done quite a lot of dusting,
so deserves a nap . . .

And his tabby sister is taking a break

to wash her whiskers . . .

I need a cup of tea and . . . I know!
A slice of that lovely cake I baked last night.

Just the ticket – delicious!

The recipe is from Jacqui's blog, so if you'd like to make her Lemon Yogurt Cake pop over to Henrietta - life in the dome where you can also meet her gorgeous chooks.

. . . and after the Bazaar

On Friday I stepped out of my usual routine and drove down to Saffron Walden to rendez-vous with Carole at The Riverslade Gallery in Saffron Walden - I was to 'shadow' her for a day to learn how to look after the gallery for when it's my turn to be on duty. There was a lot to learn! We had an enjoyable day, after a quiet morning (I had time to learn about the till!) we had some enthusiastic customers in the afternoon and some good sales - so it was a successful day. With the gallery all packed up and left spick and span, I trudged through the dark lanes to my car and drove home trying hard to remember everything!

So then it was Saturday and the Christmas Bazaar - I'd iced the carrot cakes I'd made earlier in the week, on Friday evening, so once they were packed in cellophane bags I sped up to the village hall to deliver the cakes for the cake stall and teas and to bag a pitch my stall. Then it was back down the hill to home to pack all my stuff in the car, get it into the hall and my stall set up.

The time flew past and with everything set out the first customers were arriving through the door!

The hall ebbed and flowed with people, a first wave looked at all the stalls and considered without buying, there was a lull as most people tucked into the delicious cakes before a flurry of spending. All in all a pretty good day, even without record breaking sales. And it was fun to have two lovely neighbouring stallholders . . .

To one side was one of my neighbours from the village, Christina Friel with her stylish selection of new and vintage costume jewellery and accessories. Christina has a expert eye for what's in fashion, you can find her stall on Cambridge Market every Sunday.

And on the other side, the lovely Mrs P, aka Silverpebble with her array of shiny silver and bead jewellery. She was even beavering away behind her stall with her pliers and silver wire, creating a gorgeous oriental style pendant!

So, that was lots of fun and great to catch up with the gossip too! With all packed away, cars loaded up, we said goodbye and headed off into the dark blustery night. I'd just got everything in from the car to my studio when Cliff pointed to a note on the calendar "Church Flowers" - oops! I'd clean forgotten! That's the trouble with living in a small village, you get put on rotas! So on with the boots and mac, and torch and secateurs in hand I walked to the church, lucky I know where the light switches are! And lucky too that there had recently been a wedding and all that was needed was a bit of pruning and tweaking. Can I sit down now please?

This morning we woke early, Cliff was leading a walk of 15 miles and I loyally said I would join the group for the morning (9 miles). I could hear wind and rain outside :-(

But by the time I'd eaten my porridge the sky was cloudless and blue! Fingers crossed the forecast squally rain would be in the afternoon (when I'd be back home in the warm!). We strode out along the Devil's Dyke, squinting into the low winter sun and trying to avoid slipping on the treacherous wet exposed chalk. All was going splendidly! We saw a herd of over twenty Fallow Deer, including a couple of pure white ones - what a treat! But the sunshine didn't last - at around midday the heavens opened and the wind lashed us with gale force gusts soaking us in next to no time! I was a tiny bit relieved that I had opted out of walking in the afternoon and my car was at the lunch point for me to hop in and drive home! But it was a very good walk - if it had been dry I would have carried on to complete the full distance ;-)

There was something I had to do before getting out of my wet clothes and boots - tidy up the hen-house and collect the eggs . . . Oh!! that's not a hen . . .

Hope that you too had a good weekend! I'll be back soon, but I've one or two deadlines to meet this week, so no blogging until they are done.

Celia
x

Remembering and celebrating

This morning Cliff and I remembered Charlie. Charlie the cat lived with Cliff (and later, also with me) for over sixteen years, in five different houses and after a very happy life he passed away four years ago today.

As you can see, Charlie had bags of personality . . .


He was an out-doorsy, boysy, rough and tumble sort of cat, but in his retirement he sometimes spent a few hours with me in my studio sitting on my drawing board in the sunshine and that's when I painted his portrait - a Renaissance cat sitting next to his favourite plant - catmint.



Charlie could never really be described as a 'studio assistant', I think he saw himself as senior management! But my studio was so quiet and empty without Charlie checking up on me and we knew that there were cats and kittens out there needing new homes so in May the following year we adopted 'the ginger one' and his 'tabby sister' - the studio assistants.

As regualr readers of PPPs know, the studio assistants spend all day sleeping in baskets next to my desk, but when the light fades they stretch their furry catsuits and make it known that it's time for tea :-)



I know that many of you, like me, have a studio assistant or two (or many!) – mainly cats, (many ginger), some dogs. Today, in memory of Charlie, lets celebrate our studio assistants for their support, companionship and inspiration.

Core activities

We are lucky to have a Bramley apple tree in our garden, it is low and spreading and very productive. This year the crop is exceptional; Cliff has picked and stored lots for later in the winter but the tree is still laden with beautiful apples. The ones that fall off will attract a visiting Muntjac for a midnight feast.

The autumn sunshine has given the Bramleys rosy cheeks this year. They make perfect baked apples, with their tummies stuffed with sultanas, brown sugar and a knob of butter - can there be a more perfect autumn treat!

The leafy greens and herbs I sowed in early September have been a huge success. Last night I picked greens to accompany salmon steaks. Mizuna, Pak Choy and some gorgeous Dill. I think fresh Dill is one of my favourite flavours, this year the late sowing has produced lots of blue green feathery leaves. I don't think it will survive the frosts so I'll have to eat lots or maybe put a cloche over it for protection.

In the studio I've been printing stripes. I had a sudden idea and just had to try it out. The plan was to complete the prints on Monday, then the phone rang - a design studio I've been doing some work for - a major crisis - all hands on deck - please - please . . . oh, OK then. That's what it's like when you're freelance . . . the stripes will have to wait. I'll show you the finished prints one day.

The weather has been splendid and my cold is much better (not 100% but getting there) so I couldn't resist getting stuck in to a new gardening project. I got an idea when Cliff and I were dismantling the fences that were around what is now our Wild Wood; we had gained lots of wire netting. My enforced rest last winter and the enthusiasm the under-gardeners have for UGPs* has resulted in the garden borders being out of my control. I need to put my foot down and the wire netting was just what I needed to make boundaries to separate plant from hen.

During my lunch-time garden workout today I completed the first border boundary fence - Sylvie inspected it. I know the under-gardeners are quite capable of hopping over the top, but my cunning plan is that this will stop them from a favourite UGP, merging the border with the lawn.

Meanwhile back in the studio my two assitants have been hard at work all week - they never get flustered even when there's a deadline crisis and the editor changes her mind at the last minute. What would I do without them?

The Tabby One

The Ginger One

* UGPs = Unauthorised Gardening Project

Piccalilli

summer•shorts no:04

The cat got up and stretched
herself, and came and
sniffed the basket.
Perhaps she liked the smell
of onions!
Anyway, she sat down upon
the top of the basket.

She sat there for five hours.

from 'The Tale of Benjamin Bunny'
by Beatrix Potter

From the vegetable garden, I've just gathered the ingredients to make Piccalilli – cauliflowers, green beans ('Lazy Housewife' and 'Bridgewater'), gherkins and . . .

. . . shallots – if the tabby one lets me rearrange her day-bed!

Sunny Sunday morning

. . . so, what are you doing?

I've been assembling The Three Sisters mound. It should have been completed weeks ago so it had time to settle down, but – hey ho! things don't happen perfectly in the real world. But, I see that exactly a year ago I posted about planting out The Three Sisters. So this year they will be planted out a few days later – it probably won't make a jot of difference :-)

The mound is not quite ready for planting yet – another layer of well rotted compost will be the finishing touch – but with the thermometer in the shade next to the kitchen door reading 27C, I've decided to retreat to a cooler spot! The robin is taking advantage of the worms I've dug out and is busily feeding his (her?) family – no chance for him to put his feet up.


Like this . . .

Mmmm? Cats are so very, very wise it's scary!

Spring!

Today is the Spring Equinox, when day and night are of equal length and in the Northern Hemisphere it is officially the start of Spring.

This morning I put on my Village Magazine Editor's hat and walked through the village taking photos to cheer up the April issue. The morning mist was just clearing and although it was cold at 10.30am (I could see my breath) I could feel the sun's power. Along the grassy verges were clusters of violets - in fact white violets are more common along the village roadside than purple; I wonder if because they are unusual people have encouraged patches to spread. Where the white and purple grow together there were a few 'milk and water' violets.

Back in our garden the senior under-gardeners and Spice Girls had a jaunty confidence as they surveyed their foot-work along the garden borders.

The greenhouse has had a major spring-clean last weekend and it's all systems go for 'Veg-season 2009'.

I hoped to show you pictures of the inhabitants of the wild-life pond, but my attempts at night-time under-water wildlife photography failed miserably. I wanted to show how amazingly beneficial the pond has been for the local Common Newts - when we moved here ten years ago there was a tiny pond in the garden, one of those preformed plastic ponds in a bright shade of turquoise which I nick-named 'Barbie's swimming-pool'. After a few years we got round to digging a larger shallow pond next to it and lined both ponds with a black pond-liner. The liner extends under the surrounding garden to create an area for pond-edge planting. We moved nine newts from 'Barbie's swimming-pool' into their new 'wild' environment and bought them a Water Forget-me-not as a moving-in present, within a few days we noticed the newts had laid eggs, neatly folding the Forget-me-not leaves over to protect them. Now is the time when newts get amorous, so a trip down to the pond in the dark with a torch is rewarded with seeing them doing their flirtatious underwater dances; I was amazed to count sixteen newts in one corner of the shallow pond - it just shows how a small change to the garden can be beneficial to wildlife.

While failing to snap frisky amphibians, I noticed a movement on the far side of the water - a nocturnal huntress on the prowl . . .

We think she's forgotten something . . .

The ginger one: "Play attack! Play attack!"

The tabby one: "You do and I'll bite your ears!"

The ginger one: "Just a thought..." (thinks: boring girls!)

The tabby one: "Last one to the top of the wigwam is a fat ginger sissy!"

The ginger one: "Don't care! Why doesn't the boss come out to play with us in the garden?"

The tabby one: "She's too busy with stuff called 'deadlines', she hasn't even cleared up the mess the under-gardeners have made. She hasn't picked these old dry beans – I'll have to do it for her – and she's even forgotten it's that blog-thing's second anniversary tomorrow!"

To do today . . .

1. Write a checklist of things I must not forget to take to the Saffron Walden Arts Fair on Friday.

2. Write a list of prices of all the things on my stall.

3. Write a list of things to do before Friday.

4. Make the Christmas cake*.

* I intended to make the Christmas Cake at the weekend, there was a delicious sounding recipe in the newspaper the other week. I'd bought all the fruit and spices from Daily Bread and appropriately on Stir-up Sunday** I weighed out all the fruit as discribed in step one of the instructions. Step two was "leave for a minimum of two days" . . . oh! So I changed that to read: "add to Wednesday's 'to do' list". The cake is now in the oven, and as my cake tin is slightly smaller than the one recommended in the instructions, the mixture has already risen right to the top of the tin! The uncooked mixture tasted divine :)

**Stir-up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people;
that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works,
may of thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen

The collect for the last Sunday before Advent in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer

The dragon slayer

PPP-lite . . .

In the still, early-autumn, evening garden the dragon hunted – to and fro.
Then the dragon hunter leaped and danced and pounced
with strong ginger paws, sickle-claws and strong jaws –
he slayed the dragon.

Afternoons

PPP-lite . . .

I found a stash of embroidered pieces stitched years ago and packed away.
Now I have time to embellish them and make them into cushions.

Summertime