Snow on Saturday

 We woke up to more snow this morning

This was the view across the garden from our bedroom wndow.

The school's trees on the other side of the hedge were covered in soft snow, they looked quite magical.

The snow keeps melting a bit then fresh snow falls, softy and gently to top it up again. 

 

I did some baking instead of going for a walk.  We did have a good walk in yesterday's lovely sunshine.

Scones for lunch with homemade jam.

Plum crumble for tea.  It will last a couple of days, unlike the scones!

 

What more is there to do on a cold, wintry, January afternoon.  I'll read a bit - the latest Ian Rankin Rebus novel, watch a couple episodes of 'The Bay ' I enjoyed the first series and am now enjoying the second which is available online.  Occasionally I drift to the window to watch the birds.

 

We've had lots of birds visting the garden in this cold spell.  Mostly goldfinches, we had a visit from two male bull finches, of course my camera wasn't handy. Also blue tits and great tits.  Lots of blackbirds too.  Collard doves, wood pigeons, magpies and crows up in the trees.  I wonder how many will be around for next weekend's Big Garden Bird Watch?  We'll see.

In and Out of the Garden

In the garden strange things are happening.  In the top corner the Rhododendron which started to flower last month and then suddenly stopped has started to flower again. 

When we had the warm spell at the end of May (I think!) we noticed that the flowers weren't opening and gave the shrub a good water but still the flowers didn't fully open and some dropped off. 

 

 Since we've had all the rain over the last week it has come into flower and with more flowers than I have ever seen on it before.

 

The white flowered shrub which is in the same corner has done exactly the same thing.  I mentioned the plant a few weeks ago when I said we'd bought it at Clumber Park and couldn't remember what it was called.

I later found out that it was a Deutzia Magnifica and it has just come into full flower after slowing down at it's first attempt. 

Meanwhile in the kitchen I had a few strawberries, a nectarine and an orange that needed using up.  We also had some apple pieces in the freezer left over from last year.

I cooked the apples and added sliced nectarine and chopped strawberries into the mix.  I then made some sponge mixture and placed a small amount on top of the fruit to make an Eve's pudding.

This went in the oven whilst I grated the zest of the orange and then juiced it.  I added a bit of juice and the grated zest to the rest of the sponge mixture and placed it in a loaf tin.  When it was cool I used the rest of the juice with some icing sugar to make an icing for the top.  Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of the final cake.  Both were delicious.

On my Kindle

I have Maggie O'Farrell's book Hamnet.  I'm looking forward to reading it when I've finished reading Lucy Worsley's book on Queen Victoria.  

Sunshine and showers today and it's too wet to work in the garden. Perhaps if it dries up later we may go for a walk.

Scavenger Photo Hunt - February

 The word prompts for this month's Scavenger Photo Hunt which is organised by Kate at 'I Live I Love I Craft' blog are as follows

Sound/Hearing

Smell/Scent

Feel/Touch

Taste

see/sight

own choice

All my photos are from my archives as I haven't been out and about very much this month to collect some new ones.

Sound/Hearing - this photograph was taken at Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire in October 2012. The sculpture was one for four from an exhibition entitled 'Hear, Here' they were all to do with hearing the sounds of and connecting with the wildlife around the estate.  The one above was for hearing the sounds of insects buzzing in the air.

Smell/Scent - the photo above was taken in May 2017 at Little Moreton Hall in Cheshire.  The display was part of an exhibition about the use of herbs and flowers both for medicinal purposes, to induce calm and sleep and also for keeping illness and germs at bay.  Sweet herbs were strewn on the floors and bowls of potpourri and nosegays used to good effect.

Feel/Touch - the feel of the sand on my bare feet the warmth of the shells as I lift them up and place them on the sand.  Photo taken last July on Morfa Bychan beach just along the coastal path from Borth-y-Gest, Porthmadog, Wales.

Taste - all the wonderful tastes of  produce from the summer garden.  Tomatoes, potatoes, courgettes and plums.  Basil, parsley, sage and lavender.  I include lavender in taste as it is delicious in cakes or scones.  Photo from a couple of summers ago.

See/Sight - from the turret window of Plas Mawr you can see the roof tops of the town and the castle in the distance and what a wonderful sight it was.  Photo taken at Conwy, North Wales in May 2017.

My own choice - my first though was that this photograph could be used in the smell/scent category as the smell or scent of bluebells in the woods is so wonderful.  It could also have been used for see/sight as the sight of carpets of bluebells is one of the wonders of Spring.  It won't be too long before we see them again.  This photo was taken last April in Hem Heath Woods, Stoke-0n-Trent.

Click on the link below to find other bloggers who are joining in this month.

RSPB's Big Garden Bird Watch

Each year we join in with the RSPB's Big Garden Bird Watch.  This year was no exception and we enjoyed taking part. 

Saturday was very wet and windy so we decided, as the recipe came with the pack we received, to make the Bird watch Bites to eat with coffee whilst sitting for an hour counting birds today.

They were quite easy to make once all the ingredients were assembled.  I used dried cranberries instead of raisins and desiccated coconut instead of flakes as they were in the cupboard.

They came out quite well the photo above is of the first batch.  

They soon cooled down enough to try one with morning coffee

The ingredients made fifteen in all so plenty for the next day or two.

We sat down around eleven o'clock today and saw quite a few birds but not as many as usual because of the rain and wind.  No sign of the group of goldfinches which usually visit our feeders nor as many sparrows as usual.

Paul managed a few photos whilst I was busy in the kitchen baking cakes for my next door neighbour for an afternoon tea following a funeral tomorrow. 

 Robin

 Male Blackbird

Dunnock

Then we started the count

In our chosen hour we saw:-

3 Blackbirds
1 Blue Tit
1 Chaffinch
1 Dunnock
8 House Sparrows
3 Robins
13 Starlings 

also 1 Wren and 1 Goldcrest which weren't on the main list but could be recorded elsewhere.

Where were the wood pigeons, goldfinches and magpies that we usually see? Perhaps they were on a day's outing somewhere!

Did you do the bird count?  How did you get on and what did you see?

Snow Days

Days at home due to the snow concentrate the mind into doing the festive 'need to do' jobs you've been putting off, like writing Christmas Cards.

We now have a pile of them to post and hopefully tomorrow we can don our hats, warm coats and wellies and walk down to the post office to send them on their way.

 Whilst I was sitting at the kitchen table writing the last few cards, held back to put letters or notes inside, Paul made Welsh Cakes and they were delicious with afternoon tea whilst watching a silly but entertaining Christmas film.

 This morning we woke to another fall of snow.   Paths were cleared to the bird feeders which needed topping up ready for the cold weather ahead.

 The garden looks wonderful in the snow and it's so quiet and peaceful too under its fluffy white blanket.

No animal or human footprints as yet.

First bird at the ground feeder is old Mr Blackbird with his white feathery neck markings, he's been in and around our garden for a few years now and entertains us with his melodies in Spring.  I hope he makes it into next year.

Next to the feeder is the fearless one legged Robin.  He or she does have a second leg which hangs loosely under their body.  It often comes close to the kitchen window and stares in as if to say 'come on! you are late with those breakfast buggy nibbles this morning.'   Perhaps he/she would like a side order of meal worms too.

When the Goldfiches come in every perch on the feeders is taken and the one in the middle starts to form an orderly queue for a perch to get at the sunflower hearts which the finches around here seem to prefer to niger seed.

The next visitors were a pair of Greenfinches.

and a Chaffinch, it's definitely a Finch day today.

 Of course there are also Starlings. 

Who fight to get to the window feeder

 Another Robin peering to see what is left after the Starlings have visited.  Most of these photos were taken through the conservatory windows which had steamed up slightly due to me ironing......

..........and Paul making cheese scones for lunch.  We've had homemade soup for lunch for the last couple of days carrot yesterday and celery on Friday and I've really enjoyed those and cooking and baking certainly keeps the kitchen warm.

Later this afternoon I'll sit with a good festive book, I can't say what it is as I've bought a copy (mine is from the library) as a present and I know the person who is to receive it reads this blog.  In complete contrast I also have a book on my Kindle called 'One Summer in Tuscany' by Domenica De Rosa who as Elly Griffiths writes the wonderful murder mysteries set in Norfolk featuring forensic archaeologist Dr Ruth Galloway and the equally entertaining Stephens and Mephisto novels set in 1950s Brighton. 

This novel is a departure from those mentioned above and is more romance/humour in the vein of Judy Astley and Trisha Ashley but it is an escape to sunnier climes which compensates for the snow outside and it is about a creative writing course held in a castle near Sienna. 

Staying in on snow days isn't so bad but I will be glad if we can get out and about again tomorrow.

If Neighbours give you Parsnips.......

........ Make soup!  Yesterday there was a knock at the door which, when opened, revealed one of my neighbours clutching two huge parsnips.  'A present', she said!  We had bought a few parsnips the day before but I didn't like to say we didn't need them so, of course,  I accepted them.

 Adding three of the smaller parsnips we had bought as well as an onion, Paul made a lovely soup  for lunch.

 

 It was warm and tasty on such a cold, wet and sleety day.  There is enough soup in the fridge for another day too.

 After lunch we made biscuits and cut them into heart shapes ready for Tuesday.

 They are cooling on the rack as I type this post

 A baker's dozen! They might need a bit of decoration, perhaps?  I'm sure a few of them will find their way next door to say thank you for the parsnips.