I was given this, less anyone should forget the importance of my decision making. 

And set to work judging the crafting and knitting.  Unfortunately I couldn’t take a photograph as the cakes were still being judged.  I actually started to feel sorry for that particular Judge as the cakes and biscuits stretched the full length of the tent.  Getting back to my judging it was more difficult than you might imagine, but eventually I settled on what I deemed to be a fair decision. 

 I managed to take a few snaps of the vegetables with my iphone. 

 So pretty. 

Loved the sunflowers. 

I had a lovely time chatting about vegetable growing and allotments. 

 He certainly launched himself into the role by dashing out to buy a suitable suit, shirt and shoes!

 note the use of a cardigan, 

 and the wearing of coats by others, 

 but in true British style, there was Pimms.

 One afternoon was spent in adoration of a certain Squire.  Our names were mentioned in comedic fashion during the show, which made us giggle. 

 I loved this, 

 the detail was inspiring. 

 I thought I had stepped back in time some 23 years when I saw this quilt. This quilt is the absolute image of Suki and Pippa, our lovely Whippets long since gone to rainbow bridge. I think the artist captured the whippety features and characters a treat. 

 Just so pretty. 

As I say not much in the photographic department this year. 

But there was shopping. (you knew there would be) 

A brand new pair of dressmaking scissors, some fabric for a skirt for Christmas/New Year. And then there was two lengths of linen, and a length of cotton for skirts and two lengths of silks for tops.  

Enjoy. 

p.s. feeling much better, fingers crossed. 

 and very nice it was too.  He then went out with is mates…  he’s 23 what can you do. 

 And the next day we took him to one of our favourite chinese restaurants which has just been refurbished.  We had a lovely time. 

 Hubby looking like he was being presented with the bill.  (why do men pull funny faces?) 

 And me, pretty in pink, (I am trying this colour, I have never tried this colour before, it would have clashed with my hair, but it seems to go quite well now!) 

 Son no.2 dislikes the camera coming out. 

 And gets rewarded with a hearty laugh from hubby, whilst son no.1 is saying, ‘don’t be a knob, just get this over with’. 

 And so it goes on.  We are seriously (tongue in cheek)worried that he is going to be a psychopath or a genius child. Its going to be one way or the other. 

And this was the best family shot I can get.  Never work with children or animals, oh and did you notice the sideburns?  

Getting back to son no.1 whose birthday it was, I can’t quite believe that twenty three years have gone so quickly, it does make you emotional no matter how hard you try and as you know I can leak at the drop of a hat.  He is starting a new chapter of his life very soon and one we all wish him well on, after all, I am hoping for my sewing room back by the time I am fifty.   It was all going so well… 

My boys, I love them so. 

 I am sure you can see this cat smile. 

I think all sick beds should have the addition of a warm purring cat at least for a few minutes a day. 

We are having to keep the Golden Retriever away, I couldn’t have him land on my poorly tummy at the moment, rest assured I get up for a little while to say hello to him and find him laying across the bottom of the stairs, lest it should escape his notice that I have escaped from my bedroom. 

I am doing all right on the knitting magazine stakes, The Knitter came on Thursday, Interweave Knits came today and is still unwrapped waiting for the most delightful of moments to unwrap it and a new wool shop has opened in Leamington and hubby went to it on a spying mission and bought me a couple of lovely Rowan magazines. (more on that another day)   Actually I don’t know what I would have done without hubby in the last week, he took the week off work and became Florence Nightingales understudy and has helped me in all manner of uncomfortable situations. 

I would like to say I am getting better, but I am clearly not, although I am holding my own on the hydration stakes, diorolite has become my best friend and today I woke up without the cracking hangover dehydration headache and without the right hand side kidney pain.  

Samples have been taken as we ended up in the out of hours doctors clinic looking for extra help last night.  

I am allright really, as I said, I have become a bit of a whinge bag. 

 So vibrant. 

and doughy 

 and glittery. 

 Ready for the oven

 Glossed to perfection,

with a sugary crust.  

Packed up for tea in the afternoon with my parents as chief tasters. 

And the verdict, was yum yum from my parents but I can taste where they need another tweak or too. 

This is an intriguing recipe, I didn’t expect to crack it first time,  but I know I am nearly there. 

When hubby tasted it this evening he proclaimed it was the best bread he has ever tasted.  My husband is not one for either bread or praise, most of my culinary adventures are met with ‘its tasty’. 

There have been times I’ve nearly lamped him with my rolling pin after spending hours on some culinary expedition when it has been met with a ‘its tasty’.

But today was different, today he was almost giddy about the bread. 

And when I tasted it I thought Wow. 

The recipe came from Flavoured Breads by Linda Collister called Focaccia with rosemary and sea salt. I added a little bit more water as my flour must have been very dry, I knead for ten full minutes, (I timed it) and then followed the rest of the recipe, the dough rises three times in this recipe. 

I’ve used six recipes out of this little book, they have all worked out beautifully and I intend to bake them all, eventually. 

  nasturtiums, which I planted to have with salads. 

 The parsnips (middle row) are doing well and the beetroot is coming along, although its germination has been a little patchy. 

 The Autumn rasberries we planted last year have come along in leaps and bounds and are starting to fruit well. (If a little early because of the weather) 

A few raspberries picked from the summer variety. 

 Blue lake icebergs, yum, yum.

One tidied up ready to come home. 

 Blackcurrants, raspberries and cherries (buried underneath) and mint, sage, rosemary and oregano.  There is only one way to pick blackcurrants, sitting on a chair. The pesky little things hide really well and it takes me a good three quarters of an hour to find all the fruits off one bush.  

We are trying celery in the greenhouse this year and it seems to be coming on very nicely, which will please my Father as it is one of his favourite foods. I have failed to provide him with any since we had the allotment having one failure after another, maybe this year he will be lucky.  

 The runner beans are coming along nicely. 

And I have several yellow courgettes in my fridge just waiting to be cooked. 

The cucumbers have failed, having endured one cold day too many they curled up and died. Cucumbers are known for being very temperamental.  Our tomatoes are well behind this year, and don’t even talk to me about the peas, I may just cry. 

But as always, nature provides and we are having a bumper crop of Globe Artichokes. 

 I grew these plants from seed a few years ago and they have loved this damp weather.  I am always very amused by them because you cannot get the seed to grow true, so on one plant you will have the rounded ended leaves and on another plant they may be spiky.  It is said if you get a plant that grows and produces very well the only way to propagate from it is to take cuttings. 

There are about twenty artichokes here, we have already eaten thirtyish and there are over twenty left on the plants.  

 I love their greens and purples and all the shades in-between, they are so pretty. 

Tomorrow I may well be making garlic and rosemary foccacia,  garlicky artichoke hearts, iceberg leaves becoming cups filled with a fried up garlicky courgette mixture (must check hubby hasn’t got a meeting on Tuesday!)  and something to do with eggs, adding some spicy potato wedges for the hungry boys all gaily sprinkled with nasturtium flowers!  They are going to love it. wink