Summer Fruits

The rain had eased off yesterday so I was able to go into the garden and discover that the various fruits crammed into such a small area are at long last showing signs of ripening. I have a well established plum tree that never disappoints; red and white current, raspberry, strawberry (somewhere) and a grape vine. The grapes are getting larger each year but sadly taste just as vile. I discovered that the black birds actually devour them with ease and now I put uneaten bought grapes along with apples on to the lawn.

Faithful old plum tree that was already in situ when we moved to our Edwardian house 10 years ago.

Grapes: just visible as cluster of tiny green spheres to the right

I do adore birds and their chirpy way of life. The garden although never planned as such is very bird friendly. The Ivy (and growing on the dining room outer wall) is home to a very gregarious and noisy bunch of house sparrows that can be heard enjoying their own party well into the late evenings.

The clematis rambling up another wall (although sadly not bloomed this year) is home to a blackbird family. One particular youngster found the open door of our garage far too irresistible on more than one occasion and had to be gently escorted out (much to the relief of one very anxious dad)! 

Young blackbird sitting on the garage door 

Last winter we had over twenty redwings stripping the holly tree of its berries (presumably they came into the town because the pickings were lean in the countryside). I also bought apples and grapes to supplement their feed as they didn’t seem to be interested in the seeds that were left out for the finches. The redwing is a beautiful bird belonging to the thrush family and rarely found in gardens. Last winter was the first time that I have ever encountered it at such close quarters and I look forward to welcoming the flock back later in the year and hope that this winter will not be as harsh. If you would like to support the bird population in your garden or simply to encourage birds into your garden then the RSPB website is an invaluable source of information (www.rspb.org.uk).

I almost forgot my first roses in bloom that smell so divine and making the most perfect fragrant display.

A Taste of Twitching

We have just got back from a fabulous morning with the RSPB at Blacktoft Sands in East Yorkshire.

Many thanks to John and his wife, Anne for all their excellent bird guide knowledge.   We all had a thoroughly enjoyable morning.  My daughter said afterwards that it was nothing like she had expected as the birds were free.  I think she was expecting a zoo! We Townies definitely need to get out more into the wilds.

Dressed to twitch!

The highlights of the morning were the magnificent Marsh Harriers and the warblers. There are so many different warbler types and they are far too fast to easily identify, particularly for the untrained eye. We did spot one of the “star” birds, the Black Cap but we were far too slow to photograph it!

I was really looking forward to a glimpse of the Bitterns that have been sighted at the reserve along with the avocets, but they remained elusive. Perhaps we may have better luck next time.

Marsh Harrier being mobbed by Black headed gull

Beautiful yellow Flag Iris and plentiful at the site

I spy with my little eye my gorgeous twitcher

An extra surprise was a glimpse of the recently introduced konik ponies. This is a hardy Polish breed originating from the extinct Tarpan horse which roamed Europe in prehistoric times. They are extremely self-sufficient and luckily they can survive extremely low temperatures and will help control the habitat through grazing.  Pity we just got a rear view of these beautiful creatures and another reason to visit the reserve again.

I highly recommend a visit. For more info visit:

http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/b/blacktoftsands

Loving the roses!

In the utterly romantic blowsy bloom stakes the rose has to take the crown.  One of the most ancient cultivated plants, the rose is rich in symbolic meaning and associated with passion and love....A relationship that developed from-and the earliest known reference to the rose, Homer’s epic the Iliad. Here it is told that Aphrodite, on rushing to the aid of her wounded lover, Adonis, scratches herself on the thorns of a white rose, her blood turning the white petals a deep red.

I adore roses and can never pass on the opportunity to inhale their wonderful fragrance.  Even in death, the shrivelling browning petals still have much appeal.   I have just started to grow my own plants, ramblers chosen for their fragrance as well as their blooms. One is Swan Lake, a beautiful subtle pinky white climber that is yet to bloom. Another I purchased is a yellow climber, (I can’t remember the variety) but I have just learnt (thanks to the illustrated language of Flowers, compiled by Mrs L. Burke) that yellow roses are associated with jealousy!

Beautiful vintage fabric, probably by Sanderson.

Another Sanderson print on heavy linen and simply divine.

section of an antique English quilt

My gorgeous vintage Colefax and Fowler curtains with the most amazing duck egg backdrop.

My home is filled and I'm still filling it when funds permit with romantic old fashioned blowsy rose blooms, often found nestled cheek by jowl with other quintessentially English floral delights.  Sanderson, Colefax & Fowler along with Warner have to be my favourite design houses and famous for their traditional Country House style.

Beautiful rose-adorned Colefax and Fowler curtains currently available on eBay

Family reunited

I have had this trio of Georgian prints for sometime but have never been able to find a suitable spot for the three of them (adding a simple nail to any wall in my house requires a power tool and a very steady firm hand, which I don’t have). The lady of the family has therefore been sadly estranged and mostly forgotten about until recently when after painting a utility room I discovered that I had three existing nails to work with! Voila! Family reunited (at least I think they are a family). The prints were purchased together in the same battered gilt frames that work beautifully with the teal of the paint. I just wonder who they were.




It is almost a year since I hung up my white (well not so white) lab coat to establish my vintage interiors business. I miss the day job in many ways, especially the lovely people that I have met along the way but I don’t miss the long commute. I also now have the much needed time to give my home a huge makeover. I have been battling with the different style possibilities for far too long (I love them all) and as much as I love the idea of living with minimalism and white walls and furniture a plenty (well not so plentiful), a look that always looks fabulous in the glossy magazines I do have a passion for colour, the trouble is there are just so many to choose from!

I adore greens and blue...a strong reminder of my other world.  Please enjoy a glimpse of my previous life  while I, in the words of Loyd Grossman, ruminate and cogitate a little longer over colour and Interior style possibilities.

Highly motile cyanobacteria and why the photograph is slightly blurred .

Poles apart from the world of vintage interiors......the fascinating and beautiful micro-world! I wonder if our paths will ever cross again? The images show free-living cyanobacteria, often called blue-green algae and are widely distributed on land and in water and perform plant-like photosynthesis. They are very environmentally significant.

The beautiful multicellular Anabaena~each cell interconnected just like beads on a string.

From plant pot to fork......My Country Living rhubarb crumble.

I have had this recipe for rhubarb flapjack featured in the April 2010 edition of Country living in my mind for far too long.

We live in a town house with a relatively small garden so I plant a lot of items in terracotta pots and amongst these is my rhubarb plant that somehow has managed to survive the last two harsh winters.

The plant was looking lush so I decided that it was at very long last time to bake!

Gorgeous buddleia & works well as a posy in a vase

I couldn't find the firm oats that were recommended so I decided to use the honey granola from Dorset Cereals instead and black treacle (if you love bonfire toffee then you will love this crumble) rather than the suggested golden syrup.

Having chopped the ripe rhubarb stems I realised that there was not enough to bake with and added some lovely autumnal coloured apples to the mix.

Honey granola  from Dorset cereals

Instead of ginger I used cinnamon (so much for following the recipe). 

I scooped into bun cases to create mini crumbles (blackened because of the treacle).