Six on Saturday - The last on the last day of the year.

1.  With a small garden, most areas need to have something of interest, and these shrubs can light up with a little low sun. Soon spring bulbs will be on. The old raggedy wall behind, though not beautiful, is still a wall along which the squirrels with their tails held high defiantly proclaim the garden theirs.  Are there any sonic devices out there that really work, in which case please let me know. 

 Cornus sanguinea 'Midwinter Fire'.

2. I had to cover up my pots on the potting table,as  squirrels had attacked a pot of crocus, they did of course try the best ones first! A length of plastic mesh lurking in the bottom of my pot bin came to the rescue of the remaining pots.  A few shoots are starting to show, and to think we shall be able to see some colour in just a matter of a few weeks.

3. A couple of the most advanced pots have been dusted off and been moved to the new shelves.

4. My seed allocation from the Cyclamen Society arrived yesterday, I hope to have a few new graecums, some different hederifoliums,but will be growing intaminatum, mirabile and pseudibericum for the first time. 

I like to look back at notes and find live links on this blog helpful, as it saves me looking through my messy handwritten note books.  Next job on the list is to prepare labels, and search out pots for sowing the seed.

051	Cyclamen graecum subsp. graecum ex CSE	1	004
055	Cyclamen graecum ‘Glyfada’	1	052
056	Cyclamen graecum ‘Rhodopou’	1	53
068	Cyclamen hederifolium ‘Fairy Rings’	1
076	Cyclamen hederifolium ‘Tilebarn Greville’	1	078
091	Cyclamen intaminatum mixed leaves	1	090
099	Cyclamen mirabile ‘Tilebarn Nicholas’	1	097
100	Cyclamen mirabile f. niveum (pure white flowers)	1	09
101	Cyclamen mirabile f. niveum ‘Tilebarn Jan’	1
111	Cyclamen pseudibericum	1

5. Yesterday it was dry enough, ie not pouring with rain, and still 10 C when the light was failing when I came back in from the garden after two hours of pottering.  What a great feeling it is to be outside.  You can't take a picture to describe that feeling! All the storm bedraggled stems and foliage were cut to the ground on the Clematis Bill McKenzie, almost a month earlier compared to last time. Snowdrop noses were observed, as well as other spring beauties, but they have been warned, the worse is still ahead.

6.  Sometimes I am apt to cut back some shrubs in a rather harsh way, Mr S knows that mostly happens with shrubs that are really being considered for 'despatch'.  Maybe it is in the wrong place both visually and also for itself since I am usually totally disappointed with its flowers, but in the midwinter light, it does at least show willing to bounce back and beg a stay of execution.  The jury is still out!

Mahonia Sweet Caress 

There will be reviews no doubt of the past year, and other interesting and witty posts from other SOSers linking into Jim's, I hope you will have time to appreciate your own garden or at least one or two plants, Happy New Year to you all.

© Noelle Mace and her blog. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of any material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Noelle Mace and her blog,  with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Boxing Day Walk

 Just stepping out from home for a walk to Wells, a coffee in The Swan, a walk round the Cathedral with a little window shopping on the way home.

Wells Cathedral Organ

This arrangement reminds me of the ones Mum used to make with the Anthuriums grown in the shade houses in both the garden and out in the shade houses.

The oldest mechanical working clock with face in the World.

My favourite Christmas decorated shop window this year in Wells.

I love popping into Cadeaux & Co and this year relinquished my claim to be a 'one bag woman' and succumbed to the appeal of Roka Bags..

Christmas wreath for the In a Vase on Monday spot

 Each Christmas I aim to make a wreath to place either on the front door, or as at this house hanging from the light by the front door. I am joining in with Cathy as usual this week and I am sure there will be Ivy and Holly on offer.

I offer up this wreath and my angst, and subsequent reconciliation for finding and being content with new rituals suited to the situation.  Christmas has started to become a problem for me, but going forward, since we have now dispensensed with an annual tree, I am going to embrace the wreath as my contribution to celebrating the winter solstice and add a festive air to our home for the Christmas period.  It was most helpful reading a post by Sel Calderbank,  giving a viewpoint from another country and I now feel happy with a calmer viewpoint towards this period. 

Here is this year's wreath.

It grew by accumulation with no plan whatsoever.  The thin few strands of willow twisted into a plain circle were reclaimed from last year's wreath and stored in the shed over the year.  From our workshop lead by Alison where we made table centres, I salvaged a couple of stems of conifer and green eucalyptus, and the variegated ivy comes from that growing on my side fence.   That is how it remained for a few days. The ribbon came from my ribbon box and has been used of many Christmases.

It went slightly against the grain to add a few silver sprayed seed heads, but we had had the can of silver spray paint which miraculously still worked after so many years, and the seed heads were remnants from a vase made up for our reunion. 

When we unpacked our Christmas tree with all the decorations we took the decision to dispense with the tree.  That and several of the decorations were given away in time to be of use to some family or person.  At this stage the wreath looked noticeably bare.  Our neighbours really go to town with houses light up and Pippa across the road makes up the most glorious of wreaths.  Inspiration then came and a few of the retained Christmas decorations were then added to the wreath, including the lights which we have had for several years.  They are quite simple, not flashy meaning they don't flash, or have a timer, and require me to pop out and flip the switch on and off, no not to make them flash, but just to turn them off later in the evening to conserve the batteries.  

I hope you have all had a Christmas to remember, and maybe a few lessons about how to be happier with what you achieved, and plans to find simple pleasures in the coming year.  

Six on Saturday - Twas the day before Christmas

I'm beginning to come out of 'my dormancy', we are past the shortest day, I know there are days with longer light coming, that is the main thing, it may well be colder ahead of us, but I know I can weather that. I'm not so sure about the severe conditions in North America, which make the recent run of cooler days here seem balmy in comparison.  Maybe in another life I will be or was a snowdrop, a crocus, or a cyclamen but somewhere wild on a mountain side with wonderful views.  I know that Jim is probably a member of the Camelia family or may even be a fern, but on this earth at present he is also our leader, and I shall therefore be anchoring my post to his. 

Less about such things are over to six things relating to the garden.

1. The shelves are complete and up, and now labelled 'your birthday present' by Mr S. They are just perfect and will never need painting: hurrah!

2. This February at the HPS Snowdrop convention, I bought a bit pot of snowdrops which were not in flower and not one I knew anything about, but were divided into three and now they are up. It was worth taking a risk, not so much a big one as I was assured they were lovely, and had just grown in a large pot for several years,  The descriptions for Galanthus J. Haydn which is a form of G. Elwesii does say it is an early flowerer.  So until I acquire Three Ships, this is my Christmas day snowdrop.

3. I didn't get round to clearing the Hardy Geranium x Magnificum leaves on the plants that line the driveway, but hey a bit of colour is welcome.

4. Now that most herbaceous plants are resting, the evergreens are playing a staring role. I have three of these delightful Euonymus shrubs slowing increasing in size.  They are from some attractive shrub somewhere I don't remember, from which I took several cuttings.  It may well be
Euonymus japonicus 'Golden Maiden'.  

This one is not quite in the right position being too close to the wall,  which means early spring, it will be moved to its final position.  The two in the back garden are now doing nicely where they are.

5. By my front door currently I have two pots set up on sturdy pedestals, which were former speaker stands, which by the way need painting...might sneak that task onto Mr S's list.  

On one side a pot of trailing Clematis Moonbeam around which I sneaked a couple of Cyclamen coum bulbs, primarily for their attractive variegated leaves, the flower is a Christmas bonus.

6. On the other side is a cheerful pot of winter beauty, for which I need to give full thanks to Graham from Tadham Alpines,  He has moved from his nursery and pending rebuild of his collections is turning to succulents and this type of pot to keep up his appearances at the local markets. There are seven different plants with daffs and a good heather on the back which can't really be seen here.  The plant will be twizzled round so that each plant gets their fair share of light.

I have a dodgy knee and even going down the stairs is painful, so we shall see just how much I am able to do.  I need to give it a bit of a rest, and what better time of the year than this! No steep hill descents for me for a few days!

A Merry Christmas to you all, I shall be raising a toast to all my friends out in the garden something before lunch tomorrow.

 

The Cheat's Way for In a Vase on Monday

 I learnt from Cathy last week, that this time of the year a little cheat can be excused.  Cathy each week is the cushion against which our arrangements snuggle in cosy formation even if we have been caught out as 'cheaters'. Cathy is very sweet and I am sure that her sticks and stones are not meant to be hurled my way but enjoyed!

I have dug deep and I believe others and I have used the following ruses:

Dried flowers and Seed Heads: three hydrangea heads not from our garden.

The lovely aqua coloured dried Hydrangea Seed Heads were kindly given to me by a fellow WI member when we attended Carolyn's home a couple of weeks ago.  We all made table centre arrangements with a workshop from Alison who used to post on our get together regularly.  Alison now runs Floral Acre full time. I was surprised to hear that the Hydrangea has deep red flowers, and have been promised cuttings in the spring. The Poppy Seed heads come from my garden.

Props consist of a pretty silk and silver decoration I made at our WI Kenilworth craft group under Kay's guidance back in 2008..I embroidered the date on the back in silver and it is brings back fond memories of our weekly get togethers.  The stars are beads on pipe cleaners a present many years ago from my daughter in law, and some little wooden robins in a naïve style reminiscent of the Folk Art which I used to admire greatly when we members of Compton Verney

No water...none required, and the arrangement will last well and will be refreshed with other props later.

Not a Vase but a platter.  A beautiful hand crafted repoussé Arts and Crafts Brass with Copper decorations 

Flowers not from our own garden as explained above

Flowers featured before as per the poppy heads.

There, I now promise to be good, to tell the truth and not to cheat expect if I have to!

Happy Christmas everyone, and a big thank you to our dear Cathy.

My Best Flapjacks

 Several people recently have asked for the recipe for my flapjacks.  It is difficult to give you the ultimate or exact recipe as each time I vary it a little depending on the occasion or the time of the year. I started off with Mary Berry's Fast Flapjack recipe several years ago when I bought 'Baking Bible', and over the years have adjusted it adding on the main more oats and several handfuls of 'other things'. (I shall take more pictures next time I made and update this post with them)

You can look up the tips and understand what can go wrong, and on line the recipes have different ratios compared to the book.

These flapjacks only two pieces remaining, were made for Mr S to take to his session playing trains on some large layout in Dorset, he even took flapjacks to Pete Waterman when he 'played' with him on his layout several years ago when we lived in the Midlands.  They are similar to the ones I sent for Julie and Colin to enjoy with their tea after the lovely delivery of Apple Juices, a couple of days ago. 

These had diced ginger, cranberries and pumpkin seeds.  I'm just having one piece with half an apple for my afternoon tea as I write this.

I use goat's butter which behaves a little differently from cow's butter.  Sometimes I use half rolled oats which are the larger ones and half porridge oats but have also successfully used all porridge oats or all rolled oats, when these were all that I had.

Ingredients

255g Butter

200g demerara sugar I use Billington's

100g Tate & Lyle's golden syrup

350g Porridge oats/rolled oats

In addition I have used all the following, sometimes altogether 

Grated Orange Peel from one orange. Eat the orange for your breakfast!

*Five or size knobs of preserved ginger in syrup, chopped small

A handful of pumpkin seeds/sesame seeds or poppy seeds /chopped pecan nuts/walnuts/pistachios(just one handful either one of these or a mixture, more than two types is too much of a hotch potch)

A handful of dried cranberries/chopped dried apricots/raisins or sultanas/crystallized orange peel(one handful of either one or a combination)

I use an oblong 12 x 8 x 2 inch loose bottomed baking tin by Silverwood, which is ALWAYS lined with baking parchment.

I have one of those useful scales with a glass top, which can be zeroed as each ingredient is added. 

Weight the butter, sugar and golden syrup into a largish pan.  Heat gently till the butter is just melted, and remove from the heat. Stir whilst melting to prevent sticking to the base of the pan.

Use the lined baking tin to weigh the oats in and add to this your extra ingredients.

Tip the dried ingredients into the pan, and mix well, then pour everything back into the lined tin.  Level well with the spatula you used to mix everything.  This means less washing up!

I bake at 140C in a fan oven.  Bake for 35 minutes or until light golden.

Cool in the tin for a few minutes then carefully transfer to a cooling rack.  If they bend a little wait a little longer and they will firm up. For cutting place on a large level board or surface and cut using as long a bladed knife as you have.  When I want to freeze the flapjacks I just parallel lines to the short side of the tin, and freeze lengths, and cut them into individual pieces when they are thawed.

I remember the Tate and Lyle Tins from my earliest years, and very much enjoy looking out for new limited edition tins.  

* In the background is my jar of preserved ginger in syrup which sits on my worktop all the time.  I buy the large bags of crystalised ginger from our Grape Tree Shop in Town, fill the jar add a couple of tablespoon of golden syrup and then top up with boiling water.  It takes a day or so for the ginger to absorb, swell and for all intents and purposes is the same as the ginger in syrup.  Since I reuse the same pretty and sentimental jar each time, no glass needs recycling, and I have two types of ginger on hand.

I've just visited the Tate & Lyle webpage and found an array of delicious sounding flapjack recipes!!!!!

Six on Saturday - 17 December 2022

Baby its cold outside!  Even in the conservatory. It is probably a little bit warmer in Cornwall where Jim has his patch, under his guidance we gather each Saturday for Six things from our gardens. He may have had a sprinkling of snow, but it has been perfectly dry here.

1.  The week has been the coldest since we moved away from the Midlands.  Things appear to be standing still.

2.  Roses arrived from Van Meuwen earlier in the week bare-root and in good condition.  As the place they are to occupy also has a number of bulbs, the answer given the frozen ground was to pot them up in fresh compost.  I am sure Mr Austen won't mind that I have used some of the pots I have saved over the years from his roses to plant up the collection of Home Florist Timeless Roses.

3. Allium seed but which type is it? Earlier in the week, I gathered seeds from the little Allium thunbergii ozawa growing in and flowering in October.  I wonder whether the seed will be viable as it matures so late in the season.  I'll sow them in the March.

This pretty late flowering Allium was bought from Edulis Nursery when they were at The Bishop's Palace Wells in September 2021.  When I look at the descriptions on line, I fell that mine were not quite as described being smaller with finer leaves.  It occupied a few minutes of reading and I may have Allium thurbergii ozawa nana or Allium virgunculae instead. There are several varieties but it may take some more detail and further checking to see which one it is.  It will probably be some time next year when I can get some closer views of the flowers etc to finally nail the name! Or I may just enjoy the pretty plant!

4. Too cold even in the conservatory! We never meant to have the dining room act as a conservatory...but the plants needed 'conserving'!

5. The Cyclamen have turned green with cold! This is Cyclamen hederifolium Lysander.

Above 2 C when they have thawed a little, and since I took this first picture at the start of the week, it has not silvered up much!

Below 0 C all the silver has disappeared!

6. If it is too frosty to work outside no doubt there will be other things to get on with, but in a quiet moment, why not listen to something on the radio?  I came across Olivia Laing talking about Christopher Lloyd on Great Live on BBC radio 4.  Here is the link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001g35g

Wrist Warmers or Fingerless Mitts

 In this cooler weather, whether inside or outside keeping one's wrists warm makes such a difference.

Felicity Mitts for my sister

Last year my sister was delighted with the pair of fingerless mitts I sent her, and then my nephew asked for some as he was a 'computer professional' and his hands got cold.  These were made to my design and knitted in pure wool which is machine washable.

As I type this post I am wearing something similar to the ones I knitted for my sister except I forgot to add the eyelet row required for the fancy tip at the top, but did make both to match. Both pairs were knitted in fine Alpaca 4ply, which I had in my stash! 

Once you get the hang of knitting in the round which I do on fixed circular needles, they are really easy to knit.  On the back of 'parading' my mitts at a gathering of WI friends making a lovely Christmas table centre decoration, demand was such that someone suggested setting up a Knit and Natter group but not just to knit wrist warmers I ought to say!

I've just asked a non knitting friend and Queen Bee of the WI here, if she would like me to knit her a pair of wrist warmers she said yes.  And after she said what her favourite colours would be, I couldn't believe it that she chose colours which just matched a pair I have in my 'Stashed Box'!  I won't post the picture until she has been given them though.

I've have just found a resource which gathers together a number of  patters for Fingerless Mitts and Gloves: some for free and some you will need to pay for,  so do go there to choose a pair to knit!

Annual 'Works' Lunch and enrichment activity

 We remember well all those business lunches and office parties....

Now it is just him and me, so we have our 'Christmas Business Lunch' and this year it featured something a bit different.  

First it was 'use your initiative' to find the Park and Ride, and (not to worry if it is not the one we used before), and get yourselves into Bath.  

Second:  visit the lovely Kitchen Shop to get at least one of the three items on the list.  Sadly we failed there.  The Kitchen Shop which was an Aladdin's cave has now been replaced by a very standard ProCook which did not have what we were looking for.  We enjoyed looking in several other shops. Next time we visit Bath we shall head to Nisbets.

Third Find your way to that Restaurant you booked yesterday.  Remember you chose something different, somewhere there would be no 'Traditional Christmas Set Menus'.  Yes it was 'The Coconut Tree' on Broad Street. Glitch No 1...no booking found but plenty of space at the time we arrived. (They had just changed their system and maybe it was a 'systems' error, and there I was trying to be techno savvy and book on line rather than using the old fashion way of using the phone1).

Sri Lanka Beer and Cocotail

Now a works Christmas doo without a cocktail is unthinkable particularly when there is a 'Cocotail Menu' .  I think the last time I had a Cocktail out was on our honeymoon. I went for the Rio Rumble which tasted lovely, but being an old fashioned girl, will ask for a glass next time!

Bowl shaped Ho Ho Hopper

This was died with beetroot for a pink festive touch, and then came along the assortment of dishes we had selected.

Both the Jaffna Goat Curry and the Black Pork were delicious, and we both loved the way they cooked the chickpeas...as for the Kotthu with egg, the piled high dish towards the back, I reckon just that and a beer would go down a treat on a normal day!  

I forgot the mention the Roti...Oh my **** heaven!  Just like the best ones from my youth!

There was just room to squeeze in a shared portion of Sri Lankan style Christmas Cake with sublime vanilla ice cream.

 The only downside was that their heating wasn't working and it was pretty nippy!

As a lover of curries and 'exotic' dishes I was particularly excited to hear that they are a considering a cookbook..and really hope they include the recipes for some of the dishes we enjoyed.

After that the 'enrichment' section of the Works outing...a visit to often visited Victoria Art Gallery, where extra time was spent enjoying some choice pieces

Ceramics by James Tower

I start with my favourite, and checking on line, all I can say is that James Tower's ceramics are Magnificent!

This sculpture with a nearby seat was viewed from several angles. 

Since this was a December Meeting, I found the right picture to share on my Facebook page too!

Painted around six hundred and fifty years ago, I wonder just how many people have viewed this painting?

With the walk back to the Park and Ride Bus Stop, a little detour was made to pick a 'goody bag' of baclava and Turkish delight, from LoQum Bathazar situated in The Corridor.

A really good Company Party this year!

Six on Saturday - Well and truly Frosted

It is cold and the garden seems to be at a standstill, but with a sharp eye, you can see the tips of snowdrops piecing the surface frozen crust, oh joy, not long before they start to emerge.  With no greenhouse, our conservatory is gradually becoming a refuge for plants.  The succulents have migrated to windowsills in the house, to make room for plants being moved from 'The Shed Shelf' etc.  No doubt gardeners in the northern latitudes at least will be considering the best ways to protect their plants, and I am sure Jim and others will be describing some in their posts this week.

1.  This Saturday the garden is well and truly frosted over.  The rime has a certain beauty best observed early in the morning before the thaw sets in.  Here on the hydrangea it lingers without the warming rays of the sun.

2. The soil has not experienced such a freezing now for a couple of years, with the surface soil lifted it builds up a friable top layer.  The plants of course are affected but I find lifting of the soil interesting to look at.

3. The bird bath is frozen solid and needs warm water to give the garden birds something to drink.

This cheeky squirrel will probably come over for a drink once it has had fresh water added.

4. At last the Acer is finally  acquiring its autumn colour quickly, no doubt in readiness to shed its leaves within the next few days.  

5. Ready frozen herbs...

Origanum vulgare compactum

6. The second snowdrop which came home with me last week, and bought in the absences of Three Ships was Remember Remember. 

Galanthus elwesii 'Remember Remember'

(Note added 28 December: Galanthus Remember Remember has been planted close to Apple D'Arcy Spice).

That's it folks!

Six on Saturday - Early December

Cold and damp, with mists sums up the weather this week, though today the mists have lifted and we still have the cold.  This is December and finally I can say most of the Autumn is behind us and we are in winter.

1. The yearning for some snowdrops shoots got hold of me this week.  I suddenly needed some early flowering snowdrops!  I even dreamt about them.  I still had a large washing up bowl of Ophiopogon Little Tabby without takers, and suddenly wondered whether Jackie at Triffids Nursery would like to have them to pot up and sell.  Now that would be my excuse to visit and see if she had any snowdrops.  A swap was negotiated and I came back with Galanthus 'Peter Gatehouse'.

(Note added 28 December.  Galanthus has been planted in the garden at the left hand side close to Pear Beth).

Described as one of the earliest clones of elwesii, often starting to flower in mid-November and usually in full bloom weeks before Christmas, just as the soft, silvery-greyish leaves are starting to emerge. These leaves later lengthen but are never long,  floppy or untidy. Height 10-12cm at flowering, with good sized, symmetrically triangular flowers marked with a substantial amount on mid green on the inners (the green extending beyond the mid point of the inners) in the shape of a pair of scissors with paler handles; both vigorous and dependable in growth and flowering and it makes a good and dependable display every year. Flowering in a gap in the seasons and making such a good show. Originally given by the late Peter Gatehouse of Kent, to Elizabeth Strangman of the wonderful Washfield Nursery at Hawkhurst in Kent. Although noted and accepted as a clone of elwesii, we have noticed, that over many years and many hundreds of flowers, we have never had so much as a single pod of seed set and most pods turn yellow and die, before even swelling, perhaps indicating hybridity. (Source Rare Plants).

I did buy a second one but I'm keeping that to show next week.

2. We had our first frost in the back garden on the evening of the 30th November, and would otherwise be showing a picture of the flower today, but instead all the leaves are drooping.  One of the jobs this weekend will therefore be the final clearing up with removal of all the second flush of nasturtium seedlings. The garden will then be truely ready to watch the bulbs emerging.

3. Reviewing my old photographs before trying to discard a whole lot, I came across my picture of the arrival of Pulmonaria Sissinghurst from my dear friend Kay.  That was back in April 2004.  I still have it in my latest garden.  It does so well that I keep dividing it, and I must have made at least fifty divisions shared amongst numerous friends.

4. This week Maggie arrived with a division of Stachys or rather as it is now called Betonica officinalis 'Wisley White' which is growing well in a pot.  I need to think about its best position.  I love the leaves and it likes sun, so it will be towards the front of a border.

5. A few weeks ago, early October, one of  the WI Book Clubs was meeting here and it wasn't surprising that as many were also members of the gardening group, there was a little tour of the garden.  Salvia 'African Sky' was much admired.  A quite cuttings demo,  plunging into some compost all together in a small pot. For the fist few weeks they stood in a shady spot, and since then they was have on the table by the window in the shed.

 This morning whilst out checking the bottom of the pots for slugs etc., what should I see but these roots peeping out from below. The cuttings have taken, but ought I to wait till spring to pot them up individually?

6.  Another little beauty joined the 'congregation' of succulents this week.  Andromischus Cooperi Festivus. 

Several of us are continuing with the Six items from the garden post which is now lead by Jim, and you are very welcome to join, or dip in and view lots of plant/gardening related posts.