Thursday 11 September 2014

Winter & Spring 2014 - A Catch Up

HELLO!!!

Are sleeping blogs revivable?

I have been thinking about starting again since the beginning of the year and have finally decided to give it another shot. As a sort of catch up, this is what has happened at September Cottage these past few months......

Have also been debating whether to switch to English. As I am writing on an English key board, this might make things just that tiny bit faster for me....but then again I have been enjoying writing in German as I hardly ever do it anymore... So - this one is in English, another one might well be in German, mood depending....You don't mind, do you?



JANUARY...

...started healthy. The book "I Quit Sugar" came out and I got bored with it very, very quickly...


Frosty winter morning impressions... sadly, we saw not many of them at all. Winter, really, was a bit wishy washy....


Isn't this a cozy kitchen? Cathy, owner of The Boule-in (more later), brought spring indoors early by setting up lovely French garden furniture by the Aga and adding lots of fresh flowers.




 FEBRUARY

I LOVE parsnips!



When I came across this Parsnip Soda Bread recipe, I just had to try it...DELICIOUS!



A huge plus with not having a proper winter....the terrace was enjoyed early on....



MARCH

I belong to a gardening group -The Suffolk Gardener's Guild - sounds very serious, dosen't it? They are a very friendly and sociable bunch, one does not need to know all the Latin plant names to be allowed in:). All outings begin with coffee (and often there is lunch too) - The first visit of the season was a trip to Angelsey Abbey, Gardens and Mill near Cambridge -VERY inspiring!


As much as I enjoyed the gardens and the history of the place...I LOVED the house and the story of it's very eccentric owner, Lord Fairhaven...

Lord Fairhaven loved to entertain, he also loved routines and strict time keeping... As a guest one would have been served a Salty Dog - apparently quite unpleasant (gin, grapefruit and salt) - and at 8pm sharp everyone would make their way down to the dining hall, where dinner would be served at precisely 3 minutes past 8  - it takes 3 minuets to get from the drawing room to the dining hall... I love little stories like this! Our tickets asked us to present ourselves at the front door, ready for the house tour, at 11:03.... :)



At the end of March, The Boul-in, right here in our village, opened it's gates for it's "Printemps" exhibition - the first one this year. This, over the past few years,  has become something to look forward to 4 times a year...



Lots of lovely French things...




APRIL

Hydrengea Love! When I lived in Germany I never liked Lidl much ...now, here in the UK,  I LOVE it  - and I have found, their flowers and plants are not to be sniffed at! £6.99 for this lovely hydrangea! You also get a glimpse of a beautiful, handmade Hydrangea cushion and the latest addition to my little picture collection - cushion and picture both by the very lovely and talented Kate Nicole, take a look here! And the beautiful frame came from here...



Crumbs is having THE most AWFUL time, no one plays with her, no one walks or cuddles her 24/7, so all she can do is snooze in the April sunshine and dream of beaches, balls and Bonios....




And then, one sunny Saturday, we went to explore a new beach in Essex...the beach even came with it's own balls - perfect!!!! See! HOW difficult was that!



Cutting tulips from the garden, one of the joys of spring!





MAY

I love kitchen gadgets and unusual, interesting - and in some cases - totally unnecceasry kitchen utensil, baking tins etc... I might see something, read something and then think 'Oh, I would love to do that'....This happened with the Ebelskivers pan...I got all excited, found it a home in a kitchen cupboard and then...nothing... I cannot remember why or how but suddenly I had to give it a go...and OH!, HOW good are those little doughy, cakey things - maybe not a bad thing that I had forgotten about it for a few years..... Have you made them/tried them?




Garden impressions right at the very end of the month - I love a spring garden!



Well - and that was my winter/spring....I will be putting Summer together next.

With much love

nicola x

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