Autumn In Full Swing

Arghghgh I'm so rubbish at posting! It was the beginning of August when I last updated :-/ apologies. Anyone who works outside will forgive me though I'm sure; trying to squeeze those long heady days of summer as the daylight rapidly declines means I have spent September on a permanent back foot! It's been lovely weather so my bees have been foraging long and hard on the remaining garden flowers - Cosmos are still going strong and the hardy geraniums have put out a helpful late flowering thanks to my 'Hampton Hack', a later variant of the 'Chelsea Chop' which coincides with Hampton Court Flower Show.

The allotment has provided me with numerous squashes and runner bean beans (I don't collect them frequently enough to eat them fresh). I took the ducks up with me to eat some slugs but they were more interested in the view and messing about in an upturned lid full of water but that's nothing new!

Some produce displayed uncharacteristically neatly on
the uncharacteristically clear dining room table

So, now that the poultry are in bed by 5.30, I have been able to get on with some drawing and others such creative pursuits in the evenings. I've been running some sustainable beekeeping courses here at my house and and wanted to do some illustrations for the handout that my students receive so I've been doodling with my lovely sepia pens:

I do love sepia ink and as such I am steeping some walnut husks in water so that I can boil them up, strain them, reduce the liquid and use it as ink. As my wonderful Ma pointed out, I could go and buy a bottle of walnut ink but hey I love a challenge...! I'm also going to give some of the dye to my friend Nicky, of WarpsiDaisies fame so that she can use it to dye some yarn - it's a wonderful rich brown according to Pinterest, although I've come to view Pinterest with suspicion since nothing I ever try to recreate looks even half as good as my pinned pictures :-( Anyway I'm quite pleased with my doodle so far, but I'll probably add to it as the mood takes me! I keep photographing it so that if I mess up I can go to the last best version. 

Twelve Years Old

My youngest turned 12 recently, and because her birthday fell on a Sunday, we could extend the fun across the weekend. Friday involved a sleepover, Saturday was Stagecoach and then tea with grandparents, and Sunday was a day of treats and time with my daughter.

Thankfully, Rose was happy to be dragged come along to a Poultry Show and Sale on the Sunday morning but alas, no hens were suitable to join our flock, although we did have tea and cake and admired the Pekin bantams who were all very cute. Lunch consisted of vegan burgers in home-made buns with oven-baked potatoes, at Rose's request. In the afternoon, Rose asked if we could go to the allotment (she really did ask) as we have just become new tenants of a plot in the next village. The shed was painted and weeding was done and we found lots of worms as we forked through the soil. The allotments are situated on a fruit farm so we're all looking forward to spring blossom time as the view will be spectacular! Once the flask of tea had run out we headed home for vegan carrot cake with cashew frosting which was just absolutely delicious! Rosie's decision to explore veganism has been challenging at times but we've made some great finds and it's been good for me to get out of the rut of baking and cooking the same old stuff all the time.

So, it was low key and understated, but we had a lovely weekend, celebrating in our own inimitable style!