Found some fresh cranberries I had forgotten about in the fridge so anyone for a slice of cranberry & orange cake? #HomeCooking 🍽

As Seville orange season is ending soon I have bought a bag of organic Sevilles to make into candied peel. I love homemade candied peel for use in cakes & baking. It is easy to do & the peels can be water-bath canned (in the juice from the oranges) to preserve them. 🍊🍊🍊

In World War II rationing of resources & losses due to bombing meant that the UK Government created the Utility Furniture Scheme. I still own a 1940s Utility bed & was delighted to find a CC41 Utility wool blanket for sale (£5). Look at this lovely note that arrived with it. 😊

Candlemas. The light slowly returning. Grey with a gentle breeze ruffling the trees. A mistle thrush is singing his slightly disjointed song up high somewhere down in the village, the sound echoing down the valley. At ground level primrose flowers peek out of the undergrowth

A beautiful vintage cotton quilt. Second-hand but in pristine condition. It has Nelson's seal of approval

It is very dangerous to find an email from Trevor White #roses saying 'be quick' 10% off bareroot roses ends tomorrow. So I have ordered Damask 'Amande Paternotte' (Vibert, 1845), Gallica 'Belle sans Flatterie' (Godefroy, 1806) & Rambler 'Ayrshire Splendens' (Rivers, 1835). 🌹

Twilight. The end of a sunny & bright day at long last

Rain. I had hoped as I glanced at the barometer last night that this morning would see a rise in pressure but the needle still stubbonly points to rain. Please make it stop!

Anyone for a slice of Blood Orange Upside Down cake?

A few of the pint jars of pressure-canned bacon offcuts & beans heading to the pantry for shelf-stable meals. I used two types of pre-soaked beans: Coco de Paimpol Haricot beans (light coloured ones) & Rosecoco Borlotti beans (dark brown). Should be yummy 😋

Frosty. Small birds singing in the trees. A watery winter sunlight is slowly taking hold though it is peaceful & cold. I need to find my mittens as I can't feel the ends of my fingers. In the near distance a clattering of Jackdaws are hunting through the crisp grass for breakfast

If you need a calming antidote to the chaos & trauma in the world right now may I suggest settling down with a nice cup of tea (or equivalent) & spending a peaceful 20 minutes off-grid in Norway. It is delightful (& very snowy ☃️❄️ youtu.be/S6g6Nqh9eic?...

Dreaming of spring 🌱

Savouring the first coffee of the morning. Tea first, always. In bone china. Then a dark roast from Java freshly-ground. A little chilly. The radar suggests it has snowed but little has settled ☃️❄️

Very much enjoying my new canning book. So many lovely recipes 😋 🍽

Sunset sky. A bitterly cold end to a lovely day ❄️

Frost inside the windows this morning ❄️❄️

Full moon rising over the Rutland snowfields

The beautiful muffled quiet of freshly fallen snow ☃️✨️

Sunset sky

As the last embers of the dying winter sun drop below the horizon I remain as unconvinced as ever that 1st January should start a new year. Lady Day, 25th March, was for six centuries New Year's Day until 1752. To me, late March & the first signs of spring makes much more sense.

It's that time of year when I start dreaming of hot summer days & making lists of seeds to order. This morning I will put up my seed starting stand, set up the heat mats & grow lights & sieve some compost to bring in & warm up ready to sow chillies & sweet peppers. 🌶🫑🌶🫑🌶🫑🌱

Queensland Blue squash heading into the oven to be roasted. The last of the pumpkins I harvested this year - it hid from me for weeks in the undergrowth & survived a frost. Such a pretty & tasty vegetable 🎃 🌱🍽 #HomeCooking

A little sparkle on a dull day 🦚

Well this is a little early. First goose egg of this season (which usually occurs in February).

With forecast models suggesting a shift to bitter cold & even some snow possible in the New Year I will have to put some thought into patching up gaps in hen houses & lagging drinking water pipes. [Road to the Spring by Ilya Filatov 🎨]

Sunset sky. A short break in the drizzly rain

Emu bedtime 💤

Two bird roast. I have brined the heavily discounted turkeys I bought on Christmas Eve overnight using Nigella's recipe which keeps them nice & moist. Now they will be cooked on the outdoor grill. Some will be eaten for supper, the rest deboned & chopped for pressure-canning & making bone broth.

St Stephen's Day. Frosty ❄️. Early fog has burnt off to leave a chilly sunny morning. Channeling the warmth & fruitiness of autumn I am going to drizzle homemade rosehip syrup over my porridge. 😋

Christmas Day sunrise with bitter east wind

The church bells are tolling in Christmas as the sun sets on a cold night ✨️🎄🌟

The perfect Christmas present arrives here every year on this day to fill the house with a hint of spring & make me think of longer & warmer days to come. Scented Narcissi fresh from the Isles of Scilly. This year it is the heady aroma of Paper Whites from Tremelethen Farm 💐🎄🌱

Christmas elevenses from my favourite bakery 🎄🌟

I have just been shown this 3 minute Winter Solstice film with the very marvellous Ruth Wilson. It is astonishing! Do have a look (full screen mode recommended) 📽 🎞 🎬 ffern.co/cinema

A quick trip across the border into Leicestershire to collect a mid-winter bargain. A man now unable to garden due to recent medical condition getting rid of his garden tools: 2 forks, a rake, dutch hoe, heavy mattock, huge shovel, spade, shears & pruners. £15 the lot. ⛏️

Sunset sky (just before I removed the bird feeder for the night 🌙)

Sunset sky

Farm shop sprouts on a sunny morning 🌱

Flooding in the River Welland this morning as the water meadows do their natural job of slowing the flow downstream. View from Red Hill towards Shotley & Harringworth

Nearly Home by Craig Everett, 2024. Oil on board 🎨

Tris enjoying a fleeting view of the sun before bedtime. A very gentle emu she is currently top of the pecking order much to her & my surprise. I think she'll enjoy it while it lasts

Interested in making your own Irish cream liqueur? Me too. Guess what I will be doing this week 😋 youtu.be/HVP-2StG4hc?...

A few treasures from the rescue hens. I find it hard to eat commercial eggs now, they have no flavour (probably reated to cold storage & transport). Fortunateluly I have a few gallons of my own water-glassed eggs to use in winter baking so I can eat these ones fresh for breakfast 🍽

Gaudete Sunday 🎄✨️ youtu.be/EDc2FD-vy8M?...

Twilight sky

Somebody couldn't wait for me to finish filling the feeder before tucking in. There is something incredibly restful about standing in the drizzle listening to the sound of a few dozen contented sheep quietly chomping accompanied by the repeat stanzas of a melodious song thrush 🎶 #SkySheep

Really enjoying my Sow Your Own Advent Calendar from the Little Trees, Bees & Seeds Co. Such a lovely idea: a daily packet of hierloom variety vegetable, herb or salad seeds (today is Rhubarb Chard). I bought it late & 45% off which is a bargain for that many packets of seed.🎄🌱

Sunset sky

A Time For Reflection by Nova Scotia artist Mark Grantham, 2017. markgrantham.com/shop