Rainy Day Baking

What a fabulous summer it has been and so much worth celebrating. The start of the summer was filled with the excitement of the Olympics and we were very lucky to have the road cycle racing and time trials come virtually past the door. Like so many others we were out waving the flag and glued to the TV, feeling proud to be British and thrilled that 'we' pulled off the whole event so well! And this week another excuse to keep checking the TV as the Paralympics take place.

We've had lots of  reasons to celebrate in this house too. We've been to two beautiful weddings giving us the opportunity to dress up in our hats and heels and reunite with family and friends. My eldest son turned sixteen and passed his GCSEs so a big sigh of relief all round! We've had another fun photo shoot with Vicki Knights Photography and I look forward to sharing  the results with you over the next couple of weeks.

And in amongst all of this, we've been busy with some lovely homely activities that we never seem to have time for during the busy school term time: Baking, blackberry picking, sewing, walking the dog together. 

I've always loved baking with the children. It keeps them busy and there's always a yummy treat at the end. (My teenagers are only interested in the yummy part now) All this rain over the summer has meant plenty of baking opportunities though! One baking session on a grey afternoon was the perfect opportunity to test out our lovely aprons too. 

We always have some lovely vintage style aprons on the site and this ruffly one is gorgeous! You can view it here. It also comes in orange or green.

I hope you all enjoy the last few days of the holidays. They have come round far too quickly for me.

Janne x

Sweet pea

I'm not the most enthusiastic gardener between November and March. You'll find me pottering inside whilst everyone else is happily busying about outside painting fences, sweeping up leaves or tidying the shed. Once April arrives though, and the days are a little longer, dryer and warmer (in theory) I'll be out in my wellies, living the 'good life' and wondering if I should invest in chickens and goats!

I love planting vegetables and especially peas. I like constructing the twiggy pyramids for them to climb up. The seeds are a good size for little hands to hold and make for a happy afternoon of parent/child activity. They are so easy to grow and as soon as they start to peek through the surface there is very little to stop them climbing. No input is needed from me until harvest time 8 weeks later.

 This year I went for the cottage garden look and planted sweet peas in amongst the peas and so ended up with a delicious scented tangle on each  pyramid.

We've got a great little 'Giveaway' over on facebook at the moment. The lucky winner can choose a  gift wrapped box full of surprises suitable for the age of their child.