Day Trip to Teignmouth

Weeks ago we had booked a day out on one of John Martin's day out by coach.  We walk to the bus station starting our trip at 9:30 a.m. arriving in Teignmouth just after 11:30.  We had viewed Teignmouth from just across the estuary at Shaldon when we were driving home from friends in Torquay a number of years ago.

Luckily the day was calm, with no rain.  It was overcast, a little misty at first, and high tide when we arrived. We had a walk along the front to the Point and along the estuary looking for the little restaurant Catch 22 where we hoped to have lunch.  It looked really lovely, but sadly it was fully booked.  We asked where we might find something and they suggested Trade Winds.

We explored some of the little streets, however being Sunday most places were closed, but we did find Trade Winds there and settled down for a good enough dinner both choosing Steak and Kidney pie and vegetables.  The service was excellent and the Patron was obviously well liked as he knew many of the clients by name.  The portions of steak and kidney pie which were delicious were more than ample and I was very pleased that he suggested I opt for the smaller portion. I couldn't possibly contemplate dessert, but later on our walk had an ice cream each.

View of The Ness from Teignmouth Point

After lunch we decided to walk along the promenade which later turns into a walk along the railway.  It was the sort of day where the colour of the sea so closely matched the colour of the sky with the slight mist you had to guess where the horizon might be. The sound of the gentle waves along the beach were calming and soothing as we enjoyed the air, looking out for the few wild wild flowers that grew along the path.  Other promenaders and their dogs were also enjoying the day, and it was amusing the watch the dogs on the beach.  Along the edge of the sea there was not much to look at but I did manage to find three pleasing pebbles.

Looking towards the Parson and Clerk at Holcombe

As you approach Holcombe where the train enters the tunnel, it looks as if the path ends, and there we intended to turn back on ourselves, sometimes walking on the beach and sometimes on the path, as we did on the way down.  However, an old gentleman engaged us in conversation and towards the end, he suggested we went down the steps at the end and under the railway, then after a short walk we would find a nice place for a cuppa and restbefore turning back.

The Salty Dog Kiosk is a little treasure. With a coffee there was a bonus cake, of which I chose a delicious rock bun, but since none came with the tea, I shared mine with Mr S.  It was made by the lady running The Salty Dog, and I would say it would have won first prize at a Village Fete! We sat amongst other walkers some with lovely dogs, chatted, and rested, then got up for our return walk, around four miles in all.

When one books a day out, weeks in advance, the one thing that cannot be counted on is the weather.  If you are going under your 'own steam', then you can postpone your trip.  We considered ourselves lucky in that Sunday it didn't rain.  The day before, for the Summer Fête at the Bishop's Palace , itwas a wash out, and it also rained heavily on the Sunday night through to mid morning Monday.

 

Charisma - In a Vase on Monday

 These roses in the Timeless Series called  'Timeless Charisma' are probably the most colourful and strong of the rose trees I planted just a few years ago.  They withstand rain, sun and wind very well, but just before the downpours I decided to pick for this vase all the one variety  

As I was very busy I put just the roses in this large pewter biscuit barrel, but the next morning when I looked at them, they really did look like one of the stark 1960s arrangements that housewives may have put into a cut-glass vase. I went out early and picked some white Nigella aka Love in the Mist.  Well Charisma and Love probably go together! 

Another day passes and I nipped out into the garden to do a little cutting down of spent flower stems during one the drier spells, and rather that disposing of the seed heads, I thought they could be added to the arrangement.  Charisma and Love drew in Pimpinella major 'Rosea' seedheads and stems from the purple Verbascum phoeniceum violetta...So Charisma, Love, Pimpinella and Violetta form a charming arrangement.

Yes, I was happy with that....no more need be added. I am joining in with Cathy for this week's get together. 

Six on Saturday - 6 June 2026

The start of June has been cool, wet and windy, but with a few hours of sun as well.  The water but is now full and at least with this rain the soil is more moist making it easier to garden, move plants, and seedlings etc.  Our band of gardeners heads over to Jim's with our six each Saturday and there should you fancy joining in you will also find how to do it, as well as links to other SOSers posts.

Let us get cracking:

1.  Starting off with a view of my garden shelf as it is this week:

The succulents have made their way out of the conservatory, and some of the smaller ones are in their summer location on the shelf.  I tend to change what goes on this shelf purely on a whim. They usually are the smaller plants with intricate details, that I like to observe close up. The larger pots are on the ground, and more about them another week.

2. In the taller studio pot is our 'plug plant for the year' from my gardening club.  This year we were all given the same one to grow which we are then to take for judging at our Summer Party.  

It has taken a few weeks to grow from a plug plant to this colourful specimen of  Bidens 'Bee Happy Orange', and at the level on the shelf one of the surprising things to discover is its lovely scent. 

Talking about judging, I am off to day to judge a section at the Garden Fete at the Bishop's Palace in Wells today. 

3.. This  small hover fly was attracted to the bidens. This week I was relieved to find hover flies visiting flowers.  I think they are late this year, was it my lack of observation or was a hiatus in their life cycle?

4. I was checking out the front garden and noticed that the clump of Rhodiola pachyclados sometimes known as Sedum pachyclados, was ready for 'rejuvenating' as it had grown wide with the middle dying out.  I removed some of the side growths and have placed them in one of the old bonsai pots, making a 'Kasamono' style planting. I like the smaller dainty rssetts of blue green to silver leaves.  At this level it is so easy to love at their wonderful detail.  I have never had these flower for me but I am quite happy with that.

5.  With a week of very heavy showers and also strong winds, the roses shrubs have had a battering. Rose Grace and Rose Munstead Wood definitely came off worse, and I have had to trim off some of the heavier flowers whilst dead heading, and will need to find some supports.

Over on the other side of the seating circle the four Timeless bushes with their strong stems are still upright.

This is a close up of Timeless Pink the closest in the above picture.

Rose Timeless Pink

6. This is a view along the Shady Border path leading towards the Gooseberry bush.

Towards the back, a little in front of the gooseberry bush, the patch of Valerian with its tall flowering stems is wafting its lovely sweet vanilla scent. It currently has loads of blackfly up its stem, with a patrol of ants travelling up and down, but there are also loads of ladybird larvae and pupae around the garden and they will soon be under control.  For some reason loads of white Love in the mist has come up but no blue ones this year, and the pale pink froth half way down the path on the right hand side are the flowers of the lovely ground cover plant Saxifraga stolonifera.  Once it flowers, the plant dies off, but there are plenty of little plants forming at the end of their stolons, a little like strawberries. Is there a name for a plant that is hardy, lives through the winter and dies after it flowers, but has in the meantime propagated itself through stolens? Also does this saxifrage set viable seed?

AI tells me that they are called stoloniferous monocarpic and produce vegetative clones called pups or runners.  I'll be exploring my lovely old books later to read more about this and understand a little more about this form of plant.  

So it is best bit and tucker to go judging and helping out for the day.

Apricot, Almond and Orange Fruit Loaf

Unusually for me, I set to and watched the June instalment of Bake with Jack Homebaker's Club almost as soon as it was live.  One of the bakes for June 2026 is the Apricot, Almond and Orange Fruit Loaf.  Two loaves are made from the 400g flour recipe.  

Apricot, Almond and Orange Fruit Loaf

This morning Mr S and I enjoyed  a fabulous guided tour of Chancellor's Farm by Somerset Wildlife Reserves Manager, James Ozolins and  Kate Lawrence, the Wildlife Trust's tenant farmer, who grazes the land with her herd of Ruby Red Devon cattle.  After a light lunch at home, the afternoon was free so I decided to tackle this recipe. Watching Jack really lifts my mood, and I learnt a few tips along the way.  I was also in between the various stages, working out in the garden.

This loaf is slashed just after shaping, with egg wash  applied just before they go into the oven.  As one loaf is going into the freezer, it didn't get its orange sugar glaze, and I have kept the balance of the glaze to apply when we eat that one at a later date.  As you can see here, I didn't quite get the egg glaze down to the baking sheet level of this loaf.  Tomorrow is Bun Friday, and this is what we shall be having for our breakfast, along with fruit and coffee for me, and tea for Mr S. 

As many of my local friends and others further afield may be aware, over the past couple of weeks there was an 'iced bun story' in the media, following the announcement by local baker Burns the Bread, that they were to call an end to their Iced Buns. Several years ago our WI went for an evening visit to Burns the Bread. Behind the shop front, the bakery, which serves a small number of their local shops, including one in Wells, is situated in a warren of rooms  on the High Street in Glastonbury. We we shown round the bakery, and show various lines of bread being kneaded, and I can confirm that their bread undergoes the long overnight fermentation. We all had a go at making our pasties too.

Yes, I have made iced buns, and they really are delightful when they are fresh.  On our trips out, when passing a good bakery, Mr S's choice is often an iced bun.  Of course he was 'weaned' (not really) on Butter Buns, as he was a Cirencester lad.  Sadly Whiddetts closed, and it is also one of those buns loved by those who knew, that have passed into the annals of time. The lesson both from the passing of Whiddetts and very nearly passing of the Iced Bun from Burns the Bread range, is that unless we buy specialities from good local bakeries, the products and the bakeries may disappear!

Just how do you tell AI that they are wrong when they quote that Butter Buns are coated with caster sugar when it was definitely coated with icing sugar?  All those who loved these buns knew of the techniques for eating these involved avoiding breathing in the fine dust of icing sugar when taking a bite! If you fancy making Butter Buns I wrote about them with my recipe some time back: https://noellemace.blogspot.com/2012/07/butter-buns.html

Being a person who likes to get things done, and even if I have to learn how to, I have just contacted AI and effected the change to their description of Whiddetts Butter Buns. I rather enjoyed my various corrections and their response.  How strange: I am communicating with AI as if they were a person, and I must say it is very polite!

One of the original sources for AI's original mistakes was from a Scandinavian source Dan Sukker, which I visited: they have a good range of excellent Scandinavian recipes well worth a try.

If you read this post, why not leave a comment, I would love to hear what your favourite bakes from a craft bakery might be, whether it is a currant/current one or one from years ago.

Six on Saturday - 30 May 2026

 What a week of heat and sun, roses have moved forward at double quick time.  The following is going to be linked into Jim's post where other gardeners posting six things from their gardens link in.

1. It is as if three weeks have passed in five days the roses jumped from being just starting, and are already past their peak. Quelle domage! I'm not a hot weather fan. 

I am already dead heading Patio Rose 'Shine On', Rose Grace and Rose Munstead Wood in this conservatory border.  Along the back fence Rose 'Open Arms' and Rose 'Ghislaine de Feligonde' on the side fence are fully open, and Ghislaine is somewhat bleached.  

2. Tropaeolum tricolor is one of the unusual plants in the garden which I enjoy growing and follow its many stages with interest. This year it stayed outside all winter, and when it was placed just outside the conservatory, I enjoyed watching the early bees visiting. I had not noticed this previous years, but then we had a very mild spring here with lots of different bumble bees in the garden.  It is the first time that the plants which I had bought as tubers have set seed. In its native habitat it is fertilized by humming birds, which reminds me of the Hummingbird Hawkmoths which were feeding on the Salvia in the garden on Thursday.  

I took this picture a few weeks ago of  Tropaeolum tricolor and it shows the little green seeds on the fading bloom.

Tropaeolum tricolor setting seed

During the week, I placed the plant on a large piece of garden fleece to catch the seeds as they dropped.  It will be some time before sowing time and maybe you would like to gen up on how to do this, and then let me know.  I shall have other seed to offer later on, and aim to send out seed some time in September, but will start a list of takers in my garden book.  

Tropaeolum tricolor seed

3.  Have I mentioned before that I do like poppies.  I let seedlings  come up around the garden of all sorts of different plants, and weed out what I don't want.  This one was growing close to the apple tree, and I think this one must win the prize for the largest ever grown in the garden.  There will be enough seed for all the bread making this coming year, and what a shame it is not one of the prettiest.

4. It was the blackbirds, pigeons and the squirrels on the wall in the part of the garden often called 'Gooseberry Corner', that alerted me to check out Gooseberry Invicta.  There was definitely evidence of 'others' having picked fruit already.  I set to, wearing my thick cotton fisherman's smock and my best 'protective' gloves, and picked 5.75Kg of fruit from my one and only Invicta Gooseberry.

5. A plant doing very well, but not quite in the right place, is this Zantedeschia aethiopica or Arum Lily.  Because it is within the drop zone of the Holm Oak, given the winds, its lovely blooms got filled with the staining spent catkins as well as thick brown oak leaves.  This picture was taken just before the drop a couple of weeks ago.  Now I would cry just to look at them,

Zantedeschia aethiopica or Arum Lily

I think a major reshuffle of plants and editing of plants in the garden is due.  

6. The drop zone for the Oak due to the hot weather and strong winds from the east early this week spread the catkins much further and as far as the gravel garden.  Last year I placed some of the South African winter dormant Rhodohypoxis there, and despite the wet winter, they overwintered very successfully. A soft brush will be needed to remove these or else I shall pick these off by hand, and then rake the gravel with a small hand tool to clear all the leaves and catkins.

My work this coming week is just to get the garden back in order, deadhead and water....

In a Vase on Monday - The Florist Roses - 25 May 2026

It is really hot today, and after getting up early and throwing open the windows just to refresh the house, before closing them and the blinds and curtains on the sunny side of the house, which normally happens just after breakfast, I went for my usual early morning tour of the garden.  The first roses are fully out on the four Home Florist Rose Shrub collection with a lot more buds to come.  Early this morning I picked three one each from 'Timeless Pink', 'Timeless Cream' and 'Timeless Charisma'.

Rose Home Florist in a Vase

These remind me of my Parents who grew in addition to all their tropical plants and flowers, rose trees and the roses were a great attraction for bouquets in the tropics.  My father was a botanist entomologist and plant pathologist and run the growing side of things, whilst my mother was the business woman and florist, helped of course by a number of talented people. 

I myself favour the more relaxed form of domestic gardening and flower arranging.  When I was once looking at the rose bouquets from David Austen and saw 'Florist type roses' rather than their more floppy stemmed varieties, I thought they also sold those type of rose trees, it got me searching, but their roses for their bouquets are sourced from Kenya, so loads of air miles! A  few years ago the 'Timeless Collection' came to my attention, and their blooms really are like the long tall stemmed roses you buy as cut flowers. In bud and open too, they are superb, and the rose shrubs strong and healthy. To get the large terminal rose I find that a little disbudding helps.  I used to love helping my dad do this job on the flowers destined to be used as cut flowers.

These roses with strong thornless stems are in a large white jug, together with Sedum Hylotelephium  erythrostictum 'Frosty Morn', aka 'Alison's sedum', and some flowers from an unnamed heuchera. The heuchera has pretty leaves too, but not featured here. Since it so hot I have included the old elephant and my Mum's little crystal watering can.

Yesterday was definitely a 'getting out the deckchair day'. I has worked in the garden till lunch time, and afterwards started on my current Reading group book: apt really as it called The Gardener.  This month's book was my choice.  I do like her style of writing, topics and have read several of her other books.  Even only three chapters in I love it.

The previous two book were also interesting and worth reading: The Wrong Sister by Claire Douglas and The Names by Florence Knapp.

I'm linking this with Cathy's post called 'Stately Spanish Galleon': the creator of 'In a Vase on Monday'.

Six on Saturday - 23 May 2026

At the start of the week, it was cool the sort of temperatures that make you want to do some heavy work in the garden , and now it is as if we been thrown under a solar lamp,  It was like that on Friday afternoon, but this morning it is cool again.  Perhaps it will warm up.  To find out what other gardeners are up to, Jim's post is the place where several of us link in. 

Here are my six for this week:

1. 

Ladybird poppy with a fine white edge to the petals

What's not to like about poppies? Last year the Wells WI 'Blooming Fun' group visited a private garden in Bristol, which was delightful.  I particularly liked that the owner went to find scissors and an envelope when I asked whether I may have a couple of seedheads from his Ladybird Poppy.  I sowed some seed in modules last autumn, and the came up rather like mustard and cress. I kept moving the sown seed in and out of the shed so that they got cold but not too wet .  I didn't thin them out, but planted the whole plugs in various places, primarily to hide the dying snowdrop leaves. I think just the fittest plant in each small section has grown up. Around 90% of the first flowers to open have this fine white edge to the petals. 

2. Last year I received some aquilegia seed from Catherine Wood who is a Six on Saturday contributor.  There are four different types, with more than enough seedlings, and some seed kept back just in case they failed, still left in envelopes. Later this week, I will need to pot them on, both for myself and I am sure there will be more than I need, to share with others later in the year.

3. Was it three or perhaps four years ago that I took cuttings from my friend's rose tree which her husband winds through their front boundary railings? Sue doesn't have the name anymore.  However it is rather lovely and someone may just recognise the rose and perhaps let me know if my hunches are right.

Even from where the squirrels nibbled the top shoots, more shoots are emerging. From Google Lense and the description of the plant, I feel it may be Rosa Alberic Barbier. Let me know what you think. Since I first wrote this post, I have had the name confirmed.

4. Last year, I grew Omphalodes Linifolia, a small plant of which my friend Alison brought when visiting.  I liked it so much, I saved seed, which were autumn sown, and took care of little seedlings so that I could have several plants this year. Another name for this plant is Venus's Navelwort, I'm not sure whether it is the flower or the seed that inspires this name.

This is a view of the border with some of the poppies and Omphalodes.

5. Toona sinensis 'Flamingo' or sometimes commonly called Chinese cedar was on the point of being given away during the week, as several friends came round to pick up divisions of the dwarf bearded Iris Fuzzy, and other divisions which interested them.  It was left behind, and has been finally 'allocated' a spot in the garden. We shall see if it thrives or flounders!

Toona sinensis 'Flamingo'

It certainly wasn't happy in its pot!

6. I had to dig up my large clump of Iris Fuzzy and hence divide it.  It was ready for it really, and in addition to my replanting it, it provided plants for six other gardens.  Close to where it was growing I now have room for a recent purchase.  I love a plant that changes through the seasons and is evergreen plus I rather like Pittosporum.  It is therefore not surprising that I picked up this Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Bannow Bay' from my friend's plant shop Thomas D'arcy 'The Garden House'. It was not at all rootbound, so I hope it will send its roots nicely into the surrounding soil.

Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Bannow Bay'

It is one of the smaller pittosporums, and hopefully will get established in time to brave the winter.

I could have shown you more roses this week, but I need to keep some things for next week.  It is a small garden but I try to cram in as much as possible by spreading interest right across the year. 

I've just watched a great video about growing roses from cuttings, and since I lost one of my two Rose Grace shrubs last years, I shall prepare some more.  I do love my rose bushes and they are now coming to the fore, so it may well be a rose week next week.  More home work about choosing and growing roses I feel. 

 

Holiday - Secrets of Buckinghamshire - Day One: Hughenden Manor

 We feel that we have landed on our feet recently, having found a local coach company who organisers a wide choice of holidays that we enjoy.  With no driving except on some occasions such as this one, when we drive to their depot, we are both able to enjoy the countryside on our journeys, and I can see over the hedges. On this long weekend, we visited Hughenden Manor, Bletchley Park, Waddesdon Manor and Oxford.

We are not long back from our holiday, and looking through the pictures I took brought it all back.  On our outward journey our first visit was to Hughenden Manor which was once the country home of the Victorian Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli.  There was so much to see both in the building itself, the grounds and the church. What an amazing man: Disraeli has so many facets. It is definitely on our list for a return visit, and  I'm looking to read one of his books soon too.

Hughenden Manor - Statuary

We started with the grounds, and enjoyed the classical statuary along the main lawn, the formal gardens, as well as the walled garden. Even from when we stopped with the coach, I was particularly impressed with the apple orchard and how well the trees had been pruned over the years. 

Hughenden Walled Kitchen Garden

Looking at the estate map and the time we had before our Introduction Talk, we decided to walk down to  St Michael and All Angels which as many older churches, was restored during the Victorian Period.  Unusually for a Prime Minister,  Disraeli is buried here as he left instructions that he wanted to be buried quietly at Hughenden alongside his wife Mary Anne. When visiting the house later we came to read about their close and supporting relationship.  

Coincidentally only recently I found out that the 19th of April was celebrated for many years as National Primrose Day, marking the death of Prime Minister Disraeli, and although it was not form for the Queen to attend a Prime Minister's burial, she did visit several days later to pay her respects. Since both her and Disraeli's favourtie flower was a primrose, it was a primrose wreath which she sent from Osborne House for his funeral.

Inside the house as well as the furnishings, there was a room dedicated to Disraeli's literary endeavours, and I rather like this strapline.

May I add is that for me the best way to review things and enjoy them later is to post on my blog! With many visits to other sites for further private reading.

Hughenden Manor has been occupied over the years by a number of people. Thanks to a exhibition in one of the wings the story of  the top-secret mapping unit codenamed Hillside which only emerged in the early 2020s,  was well worth visiting and fascinating. The property was requisitioned by the Air Ministry in 1941, and over 100 men and women worked there.  There were touching descriptions of the effects of the work on the cartographers. The manor’s secret wartime role was only revealed when a volunteer guide overheard a visitor telling his grandson about his wartime service there.

Top secret unit codename Hillside exhibition 
Target Maps

The creation of these maps and the many copies printed helped to improve targeting of bombing during World War II.

Books I would like to read: Mr and Mrs Disraeli: A Strange Romance

Plump Breakfast Buns

 We were out of breakfast buns this Friday, so for our special Friday morning breakfast I made spelt thick/fluffy pancakes with bananas in a toffee sauce zinged up with a squeeze of lime.  We are not easily deterred from 'Friday Bun Day' and that is now postponed till Sunday.

Floating around on my desk has been a printed out recipe for Perfectly Plump Hot Cross Buns by Darryn Bruton, from Bakery Bits.  This recipe was floating around in my head, and I felt they would make an excellent breakfast bun, especially as I had missed out on baking my own hot cross buns this year. I hadn't read the recipe at all,  really, until getting down into the kitchen with the sheets.  The first hurdles was that it was written with a mixer in mind, and that the Tangzhong was made with Crème Fraîche.  Did that deter me? Did I give up?

Plump Breakfast Buns

I liked the ratios of fruit, and in this batch I used chopped crystallised lemon peel, sultanas, dried cranberries, and currants.  For sure I shall use a Tangzhong when making other sweet buns.  I kept back a little of beaten egg as egg wash, meaning I didn't use more than two eggs in total, no crosses were added since the moment as passed, and I didn't glaze with extra sugar and apricot jam, since they were heading for the freezer, neither shall I glaze them when getting them out. I'll fold the printout and place them in one of the cookery books called 'The Book of Buns'! The reason is so that I can find it quickly next time I am looking for a recipe for fruited buns.

Six on Saturday - Mid May 2026

To join in or just to view what a few of us gardeners have to say about the past week in our gardens, head over to Jim's for his Garden Ruminations.

Here are my six:

1. I have just found out that the lovely pink Pimpinella major 'Rosea' is also called 'Pink Cow Parsley' but the botanical names tell me it is not a form of the white cows parsley that is edging our country lanes at the moment. It was the stand out plant for me on their terrace, when I visited Wyndcliffe Court Gardens, and now I have a clump worth showing. 

It really does want to grow: I moved it last year and I must have left a little bit, as it has come up flowering in its original place as well, and of course that will have to be cleared away at some time as it is a little too close to the Ginkgo.

2. Another plant which I thought I had dug up and moved to the back garden, must have had some smaller bulbs left behind.  This is from the original patch: a fair few Tulipa sprengeri 'Trotter’s Form' flowering on the shady side of a shrub.

Tulipa sprengeri 'Trotter’s Form'

The larger bulbs that I moved and dotted around the back garden are somewhat taller and sturdier, and I hope they get to self seed around.

That self seeded poppy is hardly the plant to establish scale as it is growing larger than any poppy I have ever seen.

3. A more demure little plant. that self seeds around. is the short lived perennial Semiaquilegia ecalcarata.  It comes up nicely, hiding the remaining snowdrop and crocus leaves, but at the stage when the spring bulbs are flowering, their pretty low rosette of leaves are hardly noticeable. Next week the foliage from those early spring bulbs will be withered and ready to be cleared away.

Semiaquilegia ecalcarata

Close up of the dainty flowers

4. Although we have no lawn, this beetle was found on a leaf of the ivy that we are currently cutting back.  I have read up and believe it to be The European Chafer Beetle.  

5. Deadheading little spring flowering plants: a lovely spring flowering plant which is easily increased, such that there are now four clumps in the garden is this pale purple Polemonium 'Lambrook Mauve'.  It has a fairly long flowering period if you take the trouble of dead heading it. It also holds itself nicely in little vases of spring flowers. 

Polemonium 'Lambrook Mauve'

6. Another plant that benefits from deadheading, is also n that same conservatory bed, This Heuchera which I acquired as a little plant on a charity stall had no name, but it sure is living up to its alternative name of 'Coral Bells'.  There are so many different varieties of heuchera that unless someone can name it for me, I rather not spend the time trying to identify it.  

Even though we have had forecast for rain, during the past few days here, as the clouds passed by and from time to time it grew very dark, the potential for rain moved on and  we have missed any meaningful rain. Next week it is supposedly going to get warmer and drier.  The most notable effect on the garden has been the strong winds, which has meant a lot of picking up of leaves blown from the Holm Oaks. 

This week I went to visit Erika who I have recently met.  We share a similar interest in nature and gardening, she very kindly gave me a bowl of  the mouse tail plant (Arisarum proboscideum), and a piece of a beautiful pink hardly Chrysanthemum  'Dulwich Pink'. I also learnt from her about soaking of mealworms for birds.  The male robin is still coming to my hand to be fed, with the female being happy to come fairly close on the ground. We haven't seen the juveniles but they are close by as the female mainly goes off with food just over the garden wall.

Snittsidan Bullar

 It is over ten years since I first baked this bun.  I had any number of buns I was going to bake this afternoon. I had a picnic in mind and Mr S reminded me of the delicious Stone-baked Semolina Rolls I made a few weeks ago.  These were from the Bake with Jack Home bakers' club, but I didn't have sufficient semolina.

Here are the buns out of the oven.  I increased the listed ingredients by 50% as I wanted some larger buns this time. I used a mixture of Matthews stone ground spelt, and Stoneground strong bread flour a Traditional White from their Regenerative Farmed Wheat, and a whole wheat Rye flour.  

It just shows that when following a recipe it is important to real the whole recipe right to the end...this time I forgot to brush olive oil to glaze the hot buns.

Snittsidan Bullar is a Swedish bun where the dough with rye is cut from a long roll, and the sticky side is then pressed into mixed seeds. The recipe is from The Book of Buns by Jane Mason. 

One other person has posted about Snttsidan Bullar and when I look through some of Rose's recipes I found a lovely one for a roasted cauliflower and hazelnut pesto pasty, which I am hoping to try soon.

Six on Saturday - 2 May 2026

 It is Saturday, and the days are just whizzing by, but now, should I wake up at the crack of dawn I have time enjoy a saunter round the garden before him indoors wakes up and it is breakfast time.   I'm joining in with others over at Jim's and look forward to reading what others share. 

1. Living up to its name and trying to make me happier is Cistus hybridus 'Little Miss Sunshine'.  Do you remember I bought three last year?  If not,  I do, since they are still not planted into the garden but were potted up into large ceramic pots and are on the edge of the gravel area. Even without the flowers the yellow margin gives these little shrubs a certain presence.

Cistus hybridus Little Miss Sunshine

2. Yes, more yellow is coming from the rambler on the back wall of the garden, when earlier this year Mr S put up some very nice wires properly tensioned with stainless steel. Rosa banksiae 'Lutea' is looking wonderful after being first planted in September 2023.

Rosa banksiae 'Lutea'

The squirrels spent time nibbling the topmost buds, but the plant seems to have recovered from that.

3. Yes, another yellow: this time in the gravel garden, courtesy of the cuttings I rooted in 2023.  You can see that I have been checking back on my blog to find names etc and came across the little note of triumph. 

Helianthemum Golden Queen

I have some others around the seating circle and they can certainly withstand the sun and dry windy conditions, which I am finding very taxing indeed.

4. Taxing conditions indeed in the garden even in the shade, and to think this was taken on Thursday mid afternoon still in April. In the shade 24.3 C and only 11% humidity..and where does it get the forecast of rain?  The weather forecast on TV said rain in the far southwest, but perhaps there has just been a big drop in barometric pressure. We did have a very little shower on Friday, but just enough to dampen the foliage.

The plants are stressing out, spring foliage is turning brown. The evergreen oaks are shedding heaps of leaves as well as pollen and the constant breeze from the north/north east which is an unusual direction has meant the whole garden is now covered in leaves, which have to be removed as they take several years to break down unlike softer leaves. You can understand why I need to focus on detail to help lift my spirits. The male robin continues to take feed from my hand, with the more timid female just being brave enough to take food from the ground just by my feet. Yellow is my happy colour this week. 

5. Trying to focus on a few of the beautiful open blooms on Rosa Canary Bird, which again is a lovely yellow rose in the back garden....

Rosa Canary Bird

It became clear that one little Flower Crab Spider (Misumena vatia) is lying in wait to ambush  some unsuspecting insect visiting this yellow rose, the colour of which it is mimicking.

Flower Crab Spider

6.  I used to grow Auriculas in long toms and such like terracotta pots singly, and have even been known to enter them into local competitions.  Those times have past, and during the last year I was somewhat disappointed by how they were attacked by insects and also suffered with either too much heat, or too much rain etc.  The remaining ones I have grouped together finding keeping just one cultivar in a large pot more to my liking.  I suppose I really ought to bring out some little sticks to keep the stems on the flowers upright. 

Primula auricula Sarah Millington

Seedlings are up, cuttings continue to be taken, primulas are being divided and yet the leaves have only started to be collected.  Hopefully it won't be so hot next week, and I can start to clear the leaves.