Of pots, pans and preserving ....

I love this passage from Susan Hill in "The Magic Apple Tree" ...

"Down Fen lane, the moonlight shows up the bramble berries, pale green, but fully formed, and the elderberries too, and there are nuts on the chestnut trees and bunches of keys on the sycamore and the ash, and acorns on the oak....... We are approaching the year's turning. I can see autumn just ahead and yet, in the middle of the day, when the early mist has cleared, it is still high, high summer."

She describes this time of year so well and, although it IS still summer I have brought down my heavy cauldron-shaped preserving pan ready for the autumn crop of blackberries, elderberries, apples, plums and sloes.

And, as a "thank you" to everyone who reads my blog, I'd like to share my preserve labels with you (image above). They're based on vintage American fruit crate labels, and have been altered to give you room to write your own description and date. I adore their lovely colours and great artwork and I hope you like them too.

Simply click here to download the free A4 size pdf. Then just cut around them and affix to your jars with some PVA glue. A pretty fabric cover for the lid would look great too if you're planning to give your preserves as gifts at Christmas - now there's a thought!! How many shopping days? OK I'm going now!!

Of cabbages, kings and thrift shops!

From "The Pleasures of Gardening" by Angela Stanford

I love thrift, or charity shops, the pleasure of going in and never knowing quite what I'll find, the thrill of spotting something special (well special to me anyway), knowing that I won't be charged the earth for it and the little I do pay will go towards supporting a good cause. We have 2 or 3 in Kingsbridge and I patronise them all. Some very wealthy people live, or holiday, in the South Hams and so there are often real finds to be had.

I search for vintage textiles, old shirts, pillowcases and blankets, all of which can be cut up and remade into DevonBears products as I adore patchwork and applique and have recently been moving back towards "painting with fabric" rather than watercolours, after all, fabric has always been my first love ....

Country Cottage Big Bag

As well as textiles I adore books of all kinds and was fortunate enough to come across a real treasure in Oxfam earlier this week. It's called "The Pleasures of Gardening" by an enormously talented lady called Angela Stanford - and my copy is signed by her too!! Sadly, after checking on Amazon and the publisher's website it would seem that the book is out of print, and I haven't been able to find anything out about Angela, but I would urge you to look for this book - it's wonderful. I love the way she combines beautiful detailed watercolours with flawless calligraphy and still manages to impart some useful facts. The pictures below (and the one at the top of this post) come from the summer section ...

Not that I've been in the garden very much this month. June was glorious, but July has been every bit as bad as the last two years and I don't think we've been promised much improvement in August. The fig tree at the top of the garden loves all this warm damp weather though and is busy creating its own rain forest, together with the hydrangeas which are romping away and the rambling rose which has rambled over everything creating a sort of jungle effect. I really must do some pruning - last night Ben woke me up 3 times convinced there were tigers at the top of the garden - and who knows, he could well have been right!!

The world has gone mad!

When I was a very small girl - probably even a baby - many many moons ago, I was given a set of Noddy figurines. I can't remember a time when I didn't have them, they stood on my bedroom windowsill throughout my childhood, and have remained with me through the traumas of adolescence, 25 years of marriage and my own motherhood - although Rosie was never allowed to have them! Here they are ....

... and I have just seen Big Ears alone on Ebay for £125!!!!! Yes, £125!! Somehow I've never thought of my own possessions as becoming vintage collectables, but I guess they are ... as Rosie says .. "You're just soooo last century Mum."

At last the Newfies can stand proud!

Because they've seen snow!! At last they're in touch with their Canadian heritage!! Ben has certainly never seen the white stuff in his life and as a Devon born and bred girl I don't think Amy had up until now either. Last night was cold, clear and crisp. Their outdoor water bowl was frozen over and their breath emerged in clouds of vapour when I took them for their evening walk. But it was clear and still - the stars were bright and there was no wind at all, so we thought that the snow had passed us by ... until we woke this morning to a white white world.

Amy, wild snow-newf of Chillington!

This fluffy stuff wasn't here last night!

Ben makes sure passers-by are OK!

Of course, this is the South Hams and in reality there wasn't much more than a sprinkling of snow. By the time Ben and I set off on our morning walk it was already beginning to disappear.

Inside all is much more springlike with indoor bulbs and haberdashery in beautiful spring pastels. Outside there are masses of snowdrops ....

.. I love the way they appear in the same places each year. I've never been lucky with snowdrops though, they just won't stay in my garden. Primroses - masses; daffodils - overrun; hellebores - too many to count! But snowdrops - I just can't grow them! Here's a simple verse by Mary Vivian that I loved as a child:

I like to think

That, long ago,

There fell to earth

Some flakes of snow

Which loved this cold,

Grey world of ours

So much, they stayed

As snowdrop flowers.

And it will soon be Valentine's Day. Over on my other blog "Bustle & Sew" you can find the tutorial I promised for making heart-shaped brooches from fabric scraps - perfect cost-conscious chic for loved ones this year (having just had an oil delivery I'm currently extremely cost-conscious!).

Daughter's visit brings chaos!

"Let's have a photoshoot!" said Rosie.... none of my friends at Uni will believe how big the newfies are." So we did.

She invited Ben onto the sofa - this is normally TOTALLY forbidden. He became a little over-excited ....

and tried to sit on Rosie....

had to be restrained ....

..... then became totally hysterical.

Meanwhile Amy sulked as she adores having her photo taken and hates not to be the centre of attention. When sulking turned to petulant barking the photoshoot was cancelled and all canine participants removed for a cooling-off period.

Rosie also wreaked havoc with my little knitted mice! Now I'm not the fastest knitter, but had managed to complete 3 mice ready for the Yuletide Fair at Saltram House next weekend. I'd hoped to take at least half a dozen with me. But Rosie fell in love with them. Above you see Ralph, Alice and Fred. Rosie has now rehomed Ralph into her bag to take back to Bristol, together with a personalised hot water bottle cover, lavender heart, spiral bound DevonBears notebook and assorted sundries.

At least she didn't help herself to a needlebook - my answer to using up all the vintage blanket scraps ...

But she has thought of lots of things she'd like me to make her for Christmas!

Only a month to go!!