In a Vase on Monday - Some of the white stuff

 For this first post of 2025, I am joining in as usual with Cathy, with Best Wishes for 2025.

We missed out on the white stuff, whereas up on the Mendips I believe they did have some snow or else Bristol Airport would not have been closed. Here on the south facing slopes the snowdrop bulbs are early, and I have two clumps of Galanthus elwessi Godfrey Owen with the one higher up the garden catching more sun is a couple of weeks ahead of the few bulbs growing in the conservatory border.

To accompany the blooms I have a little spring of Pittosporum Tom Thumb, and leaves of both the almost black Ophiopogon planiscapus Nigrescens and the stripy Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Little Tabby'

Galanthus elwesii Godfrey Owen is a little different and therefore easy to spot snowdrop as it has six outer petals.

and six inner petals...which have a small green marks close to the edge with some paler green smudges near the base of the inner segments.

I bought this little round bevelled edged mirror after seeing a similar one several years ago on IAVOM, and during the few years I have had this one, it has really been worth while for using under vases with flowers that hang down.

All the decorations came down yesterday and with a friend we enjoyed a slice of Pinza di Pane, with a cuppa and also a glass of Madeira, with all the festive decorations put away, this is a lovely small fresh arrangement now in the middle of the dining table. 

12th Night - Why not start a tradition which involves cake as they do in Venice?

 Although I am lucky enough to have a fair  number of recipe books, I can't help myself but want to see what inspiration other books may hold. When I read that Jane Swayne a local chocolatier gains inspiration for some of her flavour pairings from The Flavour Thesaurus, I ordered the more flavours version by Niki Segnit, and being reminded that the book was due back as someone else had requested it, I decided to have a quick dip into it on 11th Night.

In the Pine nut section Niki describes a cake she and her husband enjoyed in Venice called Pinza which is traditionally eaten on twelfth night, and probably more often too.   Although there is no recipe for Pinza di Pane given there I soon found a version given on Nigella's site.  Sadly the library system does not feature Cinnamon and Spice by Emiko Davies whose recipe it is and who was a guest writer on the site.

Pinza di Pane

There was enough time yesterday evening to make this equivalent to a bread pudding: after all what is not to like about a bread pudding? Apparently there are many versions of this some using polenta or other grains.  As I was making this I was reminded of the Polenta Shortcake I made back in 2020.

Most of my cake tins have loose bottoms, except for a couple of 7 inch sandwich pans.  As I had halved the recipe and substituted many things, it fitted perfectly.

As I had just 120 grams of stale seeded sourdough left in the bin, I selected the other ingredients around this.  For the techniques I followed Emiko Davies, including the baking times, which as it was wet turned out to be just right for the smaller amounts.  To help ease the cake out I base lined the tin with baking parchment.

Starting off with120g Stale Bread soaked in 230ml milk, whilst the 75g of sultanas were soaking in some of my prized Mauritian Vanilla Rhum, I prepared all the other ingredients halving the amounts in the recipe.  Oh no I didn't have an orange so I got out some lovely candied orange peel chopped it fine and added that.  The little dried figs were a beautiful site cut into think slices. Although not given in the recipe I sprinkled a few pine nuts over the top just before they went into the oven.

Today after we have cleared the house of decorations and I have undone the wreath and stowed away the willow base in the shed for another year, what nicer thing will it be to sit down and enjoy a slice of Pinza de Pane and a little glass of Marsala from Sicily, as a fitting end to 12th Night.

Trial drawing of an apple

Following one of the monthly tutorials from Linda Hampson at The Old Kennels, even before I have the listed pencils, I had a try at a pencil drawing of an apple.

and tried to add a water drop but didn't have a milky pen to give a good reflection at the top of the drop.  Even though this may be lodged in file 13, I learnt a lot.  When I get the right equipment, I shall have another go.

Six on Saturday - Even when it is freezing

 Happy New Year to all my gardening friends.

At last we are having cold weather, and it would have been easy to settle down, and just concentrate on making some lovely home made bread and soup, but knowing the gang will have convened this morning, I went out to brave the cold.  These is plenty of time to do all of these. Jim our hero is the first of course to post each Saturday and the rest which may include you, are led by his example.

1. The first thing I went out to do was to put fresh water in the bird drinking bowl aka as bird bath.  I was unable to remove the ice, but hopefully some warm water on the top will mean when I have finished writing this, I shall be able to shift it.

2.  The soil is in the 'heaved' position I know that when it thaws it will collapse down, and a sure indicator of the temps are whether the snowdrops are bent over or not. . By the afternoon or with the warmth of a little sun, they will be standing up again. I showed this snowdrop a week ago, yes there are other special snowdrops up, but am saving them for another week.

Galanthus Godfrey Owen 

3. If it has 'frost' in its name, and it hasn't yet been shown, now is the time, don't you think?  Just by Godfrey is Heuchera 'Mint Frost'.  Frost or not the foliage is lovely but I have yet to see what its flowers are like.

Heuchera Mint Frost

I've also just noticed some crocus noses showing.  

4. Around the base of the roses the cyclamen coum give that little spot of brightness, and can easily be seen from the house which is a bonus when you don't necessarily want to go out...

Unlike the C hederifolium from which I collect seed to share or sow myself, I leave the coum seeds to the ants to disperse, and then maybe choose better forms to transplant.

5. It is certainly the doing of ants which has led to Corydalis cheilanthifolia finding its own position up the stone wall. It is doing so well there with probably half a dozen plants up the wall that I have removed the ones on ground level.

6. Down in the shady border even though it is still winter, there are stirrings as evidenced by this little bit of yellow.

Yellow Hellebore

I had a real chuckle reading my SOS sister's post today, what a turn of phrase she has.