Inspiration for Block Two

Lock down continues for us because, even though restrictions have been lifted, husband is in the high risk category. Somehow life has become move difficult as we try and avoid contact with people who have been released and feel free. Our garden is still my sanctuary and we also have a stable block not far from home where my husband and I have a workshop and storage.  My daughter keeps a pair of beautiful Dartmoor ponies there and I manage a great vegetable plot.  We have
put up our Bell tents, one of which has a huge french double bed in it, and our restored stock trailer which also houses a cute little bedroom. We spend evenings around a camp fire, cook the odd sausage, wake up to birdsong and swallows and come back home to start a days work, all a bit blissful, so as you can see lockdown still does have it advantages for us here.

For the first time ever I covered my cherry tree when ripening, which saved the cherries for us instead of the birds. Tonight I will be making a clafoutis. Nothing tastes like fresh cherries and I used to always stop on the road side to buy Kent cherries which are the very best, whenever I could but not this year, never mind!

My little allotment has with one red currant, one blackcurrant one raspberry bush, Will not be producing enough for me to make pots of jam this year (you just wait until next though). So, instead, I will raid my friend Gloria’s garden and fill those lovely jars I have been collecting with wonderful jams.  I have found a lovely book called Do Preserve: Make your own jams, chutneys, pickles and cordials and it has really inspired me!

I have one raised vegetable bed in the garden and preen it too much loosing many self seeded seeds so this year I left a quarter of it to see what would occur. I returned after a weekend away to find these lovely poppies open and buzzing with bees, such a treat!

I have a huge Rambling Rector rose, my grandson calls it rambling rectum!!! It is a beast and has a habit of attacking my husband at every opportunity so, without me knowing, he attacks back – with the shears! But this year he has been forbidden until it finished flowering, but our gorgeous blackbird (who hasn’t stopped singing during lockdown) has chosen to this rose to make another nest, so hee hee, can’t chop it down now, it’s a win win all round!

Enjoying sewing your block and think of me and my garden antics with every stitch!

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