Glorious offerings from the garden

How remiss of me not to have blogged for so long. My excuse is having a new granddaughter who is of course the apple of our eye - 10 months old already where does the time go.

Talking of fruit it is the season for jam making and so far this week Les has picked over 8lbs of gooseberries, 10lbs of blackcurrants and a lot of raspberries. So I have had a couple of days jam making to ensure that there are plenty of supplies for breakfast.

 Have made the gooseberry and blackcurrant ( 2nd batched boiled over though - woops) so far, but am debating whether to try making raspberry jam as I haven’t tried it before. I have a recipe for ‘no cook raspberry jam’ but it doesn’t keep longer than 2 months so I may just freeze them and enjoy them through the year in puddings.

If anyone has a good recipe for raspberry jam I would love to hear from them. 

Oh well that has been my ten minutes sitting down at the computer, back to the cooking now. Evening meals tonight for four guests.

Spring is on its way

 

I am sure I have said this before but Spring is my favourite season.  The hope and anticipation that you feel when the snowdrops start blooming and the daffodils and crocuses are peeping through always fills me with joy and the sure knowledge the circle of life continues.    It’s so reassuring to see the new growth.  When the trees are bare and lonely, they look so sad, as if they have been forgotten and neglected.  But then Spring starts its slow journey and in time all is renewed again. 

The B&B is not too busy at this time of year which gives us the chance to do any decorating or repairs that are needed.  It also gives us time to enjoy our home.  January and February are not really the months for gardening and I look out most days and ‘see’ what needs attention.  However last night’s guests departing words this morning were ‘you have a lovely garden’.  Such a nice thing to say at a time when it is probably at its least colourful – so looking again with fresh eyes this morning I can see that Spring is indeed arriving.

All dressed up

And nowhere to go – thank goodness – we are staying at home this Christmas, which I always love. The family are coming and having a new granddaughter to spoil is going to be wonderful.   I have always loved Christmas but it is so much more magical with young children around.     In our family we have like most, our own little traditions that we enjoy every year which make the festivities extra special. 

I think my favourite is ‘Christmas tree presents’.  We have our main presents when we get up in the morning and then have ‘tree presents’ after lunch.  My mum started this tradition when we were little because in those days we only had a couple of presents – normally one from Father Christmas and a few from family.  The anticipation for the big day was just as exciting as it is now but having opened our presents very quickly, my mum always felt a bit flat – all that planning and preparation for just a few minutes of fun.

So she started ‘tree presents’;  just a small, normally silly gift, worth only a few shillings then and even now only a couple of pounds (although some naughty members of the family spend more).  The sillier the gift the better for added fun. Everyone buys a ‘tree present’ for everyone in the family and they are all piled onto the dining table after lunch.  This year we will be eight so that means there will be a minimum of 64 presents just from us but as all the family buy tree presents I make that about  290  'tree presents’ to be opened!!  Little did my Mum know back then what a tradition ‘tree presents’ would become in our family and how it would grow into such an important part of our Christmas Day?

 

Merry Christmas everyone and a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.  

A magical moment

 

On Tuesday I had the privilege of watching my first grandchild being born.  Little Florence arrived just before 5.30pm very happily into the world.

Needless to say Les and I are on cloud nine and are already in love with her.  The excitement we felt during all the months of knitting, sewing and helping her parents prepare is nothing compared to how excited we are now.  I am sure it is the same for all new grandparents – but to us she really is the most beautiful girl in the world.

Drawing with my sewing machine

 

My 'drawn' Robin

On Friday I spent the day at Abakhan, a craft centre close by that sells all types of sewing, knitting and craft goodies. They also run craft courses and this is the second one I have attended.  I so loved it I want to do some more.  I have spent the past few months or so  knitting baby clothes for my first grandchild that is expected any day now so it was lovely to do something different.  

I have always loved crafts of all sorts and was lucky enough to learn at both my grandmothers and my mother’s knees: Knitting, crochet, dressmaking and embroidery as well as at school. In fact anything to do with crafts. In recent years I have been more interested in painting, mainly because for years nobody wanted 'home made' stuff.

Well now that we have a complete renascence for all things ‘crafty’,  it was great to go along with a group of like minded people and spend the day learning a new skill.


Just started this one at home

Combining drawing and sewing seems obvious –although the process isn’t quite as simple. Getting to the actual drawing takes a while. You must find a suitable subject in this case it was birds. Find the right scraps of fabric and stick them onto calico with bonding web prior to adding the 'drawing' with thread on your sewing machine.  With a special  craft foot you can 'draw' in any direction making up the picture with lines of tread. Fabric paints can then be added for more details.

It was a great course and has opened up a whole new world of creativity for me. I shall certainly be doing some more. Abakhan’s new brochure will be out in November so I am told but check out their website for more information. I know I will be adding to my range of crafts next year.

What did you do in the war granddad?

Yesterday we commemorated 100^th anniversary of the First World War.  Such a long time ago in one way but only yesterday in another.

Last night we sat by candle light watching the service from Westminster abbey at 10pm on the TV.

It was a moving service as had the coverage been recently of those momentous years of horrible war.

For us to sit and watch TV by candle light it tended to romanticise it.  However it did make us think about how dreadful it must have been to live through those times, never knowing if  your loved ones would live or die.  The light of the candle was just a gesture but with all the trappings of the 21^st century around us it did seem a little insignificant in comparison to what really happened 100 years ago.

Nevertheless the centenary has meant that Les and I have revisited our own family’s involvement in the war, talking about it quite a lot.

My Grandfather with my father and uncle at the beginning of World War II

Personally I know very little apart from the fact that my grandfather (paternal) was in the Cavalry – something I only learnt when our daughter took up horse riding as a young child. My father just mentioned it in passing at the time.  The recent film War Horse certainly made me think a bit more about his time in the war and for the first time the impact it had on the horses and there owners.   My maternal grandfather was a farmer which was a reserved occupation and as he was also deaf he wouldn’t have been allowed to go anyway.

Les's Grandfather Ellis on his wedding day in uniform

However Les’s paternal grandfather had a much more dramatic story.  He was in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers and was deployed to Gallipoli, one of the worst events of the First World War. He lay on the battle field left for dead for three days.  Whilst collecting bodies he was found to be alive and was sent to the field hospital and then on to St Thomas’s in London. He had lost a lung and the other one was seriously damaged.  However he went on to live a full and happy life; married and had three children. He died aged 83.

 Some years ago whilst on a cycling holiday we found the grave of Les’s great Uncle John who died on his 18^th birthday during the battle of the Somme. We had been the first, and as far as we know, the only family to visit his grave.  It was in Abbeville and we went back a few years later with our daughter who was about 2 at the time.  In fact Les’s mother and one of his cousins were both christened with the middle name of Abbeville – shortening it to Abbey in both cases.


On our cycling holiday in France

Uncle Johns Grave in Abbeville

So these are just our tales of heroic family members and if every family with such memories thought about them yesterday then I hope it reinforces our determination never to go to war again.  However we are still living in a world of wars and conflict and it seems that due to greed, selfishness, land, religion and what can only be described as madness wars will never be a thing of the past.   Back then 100 years ago men and women gave their lives selflessly and they still are in many parts of the world today.  I for one don’t want them to have to do it anymore.



Newspaper cutting

Holywell - full of history



St Winefreds Well

Old Cottages at Greenfield Herritage Park

Les and I have spent the day learning more about the history of Holywell - having lived close by in Carmel for nearly 30 years it is true to say that we do know a lot about the town and the area.  But as you would expect there is so much more to learn.  Today not only have we gained more knowledge about the 7th century shine St Winefrides Well – where Holywell gets its name: Holy Well, we have also found out more about the town itself. At one time Holywell was the most important town in North Wales and because of the profusion of lead mines at that time, the ‘World’ price of lead was set in Holywell.  The industrial heritage of the Greenfield Valley and Docks is fascinating and as well as copper goods for the slave trade and a cotton mill there are fascinating stories about the ruins of Basingwerk Abbey. Prior to the dissolution (thanks to Henry V111’s ) Cistercian Monks lived and worshiped there for 400 years.  If you are planning a stay with us in the future there are free guided walks around Holywell, Greenfield and Basingwerk Abbey.  Let us know if you would like any more information or you can contact the Holywell Town Manager via their website which has a lot more local information.



Ruins of Basingwerk Abbey