Magic

Magic

There is alchemy in baking. Unimpressive ingredients combine to make something truly delectable and sinful. I am drawn to bake because it is cathartic, creative and everyone loves you for making the house smell wonderful. Plus there is something to go with a cup of tea.

My Pinterest boards are crammed with bakes I plan to make and so far, every recipe I have tried hasn’t failed. There is so much versatility in baking, so many ways you can tweak and develop.

I am by no means an expert. This year I aim to master icing on Christmas biscuits. Something which all Americans seem instantly perfect at. My style is more rustic and wholesome with an occasional flurry into OTT. The picture above shows my daughter’s 15th birthday cake (s). She requested coffee cake which only she and I like and only then in moderation. So I made a trio of mini loaf cakes; coffee, chocolate fudge and Victoria sandwich. There are two left if anyone is hungry…….

Long Time No Blog

It’s been a while since we last uploaded a proper blog and now we have a heap of followers it’s only right we give you all something to read about. So why the long pause? It was summer, it was sunny, we were outside – a lot. There has been a lot of this…

Today is a very grey day however and as it has been raining most of the morning it’s been a good opportunity to go through the hundreds and hundreds of photos from the past few months and put them to good use.

Autumn has hit Wiltshire this week. Our first frosts and properly cold days that never seemed to warm up. The heating has been on and meals are hearty and filling again (hooray). However, since the weather has taken a turn the garden has not. We still have many, many flowers. This is such a wonderful thing for us as last year we planted with Autumn in mind. Our wedding was the focus, we needed October flowers and we got them. This year we got them again and more besides. I am stunned by the amount of vibrant colour we have, something which we have never had in a garden before.

We have spent the year gardening but also visiting gardens, going abroad, buying plants, collecting seeds, planting hundreds of bulbs and in addition, work and family have had their place. There also seems to have been a lot of baking if the photos are anything to go by. So what will follow will be a swift round up of the past few months in tiny bite sized blogs. Mini blogs, blogettes.

Topics will include; Kew gardens, Croatia, the Boat Seat, the allotment, cut flowers, the Isle of Wight, Stratford upon Avon, the great dahlia debate and much much more. So put that kettle on and cosy up by the fire.

Next time on Sowing, Growing and Cups of Tea; Every Garden Needs Cake

Tiny

Most of the photos I take appear to be close ups. I like detail. This image was taken at Charlecote, a National Trust property outside Stratford upon Avon. If you need a culture fix and an overload of Shakespeare, come to this part of the world. You will not be disappointed. As much Tudor as you can take. Anyway back to the lichen. Teeny tiny plants gripping onto a barren surface totally oblivious to the fact I am bearing down on them with my camera and about to have a cheese scone and coffee in the NT cafe. A world within a world.

Weekly Photo Challenge – Partners

Partners

It’s quite impressive how four old boats can look appealing. I love how smooth and flat the water is, almost as if they are resting on a sheet of glass. This was taken on a gloomy afternoon in Mevagissy, Cornwall and the comforting smell of chips and pasties was heavy in the air. Most of Cornwall smells of chips and pasties.