Buttons, books and goodbyes

A lot has been happening over the past few weeks and I am behind on my blogging as a result, which is a shame because I have a rad (does anyone still say that?) dress post to write up. However the main reason for my absence is largely due to a chain of events that have been put in motion following my decision to take a new job *insert excited squeal here*! My departure from my current post is imminent and today I had cause to have a final meeting with two very close colleagues, M & K. I'm not going to lie, I did cry pretty much the whole way home and it really got me thinking about relationships and the things that make you click with some people more than others. 

There's few of us who can spend all our days pleasing ourselves, sewing, gardening, drinking cups of tea etc. Whilst that would be my idea of heaven, work is a necessity for most of us and we end up spending around a third of our waking hours each day working for 'da man'. As I get older, gulp, I realise I've been pretty fortunate in my time to work with some truly fabulous people. Some have come and gone over the years and we've drifted apart. Others have become permanent fixtures in my life who I couldn't imagine being without.

Saying goodbye to M & K today left me feeling quite empty in one way but I know have become a better colleague (I hope) and a better person for having worked with them. M bestowed on me a truly thoughtful gift which cheered me up immensely and will remind me always of the wonderful woman she is and how lucky I've been to know her. I was presented with a beautifully wrapped antique box adorned with two chickens (she knows me so well) and filled with gorgeous, old buttons!

The other gift was a 1946 edition of the Charles Boff book, How to Grow and Produce Your Own Food. This is truly fantastic and really relevant nearly 70 years later. I've chosen some of the coolest images to share below.

Cool inscription

Ties and moustaches are clearly standard gardening attire in the Forties

Full of handy tips on dispatching chooks and dealing with the tricky issue of being egg-bound

So as one door closes, another opens and if my new colleagues are even half as wonderful as the ones I've just farwelled I'll be incredibly lucky and happy.

Holding on to summer

I am trying and slowly failing to hold on to the end on summer. We're technically in autumn now but I'm hopeful there are still plenty of sunny days left to enjoy yet (note the twinge of desperation in my voice?). Normally I'm never bothered about the seasons changing but as my interest in the garden has grown, so has the work associated with it. I need a few more sunny days to do last bits of tidying and planting spring bulbs.

I ran round the garden today during my lunch break quickly feeding and watering the chooks and I took the chance to get a couple of snaps of Cleo who was enjoying the sun and life in general. I also grabbed another bowlful of blackberries and some apples from the tree at the bottom of the garden. In an effort to vary from the sponge I made recently I decided to make a loaf cake instead. Happy days!

Can you spot the waspy bug thingy on this blackberry?

Cleo never fails to bring a smile to my face - she's truly a joyful creature and finds pleasure in the simplest things. My mum has grand plans to knit her a customised coat for winter and I'm certainly excited about it, even if Cleo is not!

Chewing on some rawhide, as you do.

Hmmm I think cutting the grass is long overdue.

Free and fruity

After a lovely Sunday lunch with friends in Edinburgh I was getting ready to journey home when I spotted a heavily laden apple tree in my friends garden. Quick as you like I was out there filling a bag and seeing visions of my pudding future. I was not only going home with apples but also a generous haul of fresh vegetables from my other lovely friend's allotment. I in turn had bought them each half a dozen eggs from my two lovely hens and a homemade pudding. I think there's something so satisfying and heartwarming about sharing something of your own creation, be it food, drink or something a little more long lasting.

This evening I set to work peeling apples and collected another crop of blackberries from my garden. Being a good Kiwi girl at heart I turned of course to the Edmonds cookbook for the sponge recipe that would perfectly complement my stewed fruit. I'm sorry to say I don't have a snap of the finished product since I forgot to take one in my haste to tuck in.

As autumn rolls on I am still hoping to enjoy a few more crops of berries, basil and cherry tomatoes from the garden before the weather starts to turn. I'm also hoping to try my hand at crab apple liqueur and I'm already thinking of what next summer will bring.
 

The interloper

Precisely one week ago I awoke to find a visitor in the garden. This visitor was feathered and very frightened and caused quite a stir amongst the neighbours and resident pets. It was a very young cockerel who I suspect may have been callously abandoned once his previous owner discovered he was not a she.

Francois and his slightly lopsided tail feathers

I must admit I was not thrilled at the prospect of a cockerel waking up the village at the crack of dawn each morning and the ensuing animosity that would be directed towards my house. However I couldn't bear the thought of turfing the wee man out into the big wide world to fend off foxes and cars. I resolved to let the situation unfold naturally over the next few days and just see what happened. Every morning without fail he was bopping around the garden when I looked outside with my morning cuppa. He was quite interested in my two hens, Edith and Petunia but they studiously ignored him. I put the call out after four days for name suggestions and eventually settled on Francois.

Edith and Petunia doing their thing this morning

This morning I took the next step of letting my girls out to wander around the garden with Francois. Any interest on his part was violently rebuffed by the girls who chased him away but other than that, they are fairly harmonious. I'm not sure how this tale will develop but for the meantime it really does cheer my heart to see these lovely creatures enjoying the garden.

Summer harvest

Is there anything more satisfying than growing your own food?
This summer I've grown strawberries, rhubarb, basil and for the first time, cherry tomatoes. I'm wearing a rather big smug grin as I sit down to dinner tonight!

First post

Today after much deliberation (and procrastination it has to be said) I finally got round to getting this blog started. I have discovered the majesty of blogs fairly recently and decided rather than to simply be envious of all the crafty genius I have spotted in the blog-o-sphere, I am going to get into it! Please bear with me while I figure this all out.

For my first post I have decided to share a few pics of things that make me happy: flowers in my garden, one of my two chooks, Petunia, and my beloved pooch, Cleo. I took all these snaps this morning while the rain held off.
More to come soon!