A beautiful harvest display at a local stately home.  Stunning colours.

Fellow Foragers

I decided to put some photographs of my foraging fruits on after a couple of days browsing for what's next in the hedgerows.  Some are not as clear as they should be but I've tried to capture the blackberries, the elderberries, the sloes, the rosehips (black and red), the nuts and hawberries.  However, I found a fellow forager whilst out and about in the sun after work when I went for a walk.  You won't miss him !!

Quote for today

"The ordered disorder of nature is more beautiful and wonderful than the designs of man" WF

Such a long time!

Well what a few weeks.  Starting with a wonderful camping holiday with my sons plus extras (Coast of mid Wales), followed by a week camping with best friends and my goddaughter (Pembrokeshire).  The weather was kinder the first week than the second, c'est la vie.  Unfortunately the planned short trip to Spain did not take place due to illness of a close family member and to compensate for the sad feeling of the end of another poor summer I have thrown myself into foraging.

Needless to say the freezer is full of fresh raspberries and have picked over 40lbs of hedgerow blackberries - of which there is an abundance this year.  The jam is in the pantry and I made chilli jelly to warm things up on the cold winter nights.  The nights have already started to draw in as we approach September.  It was pitch black at 9pm twice this week. 

I went to pick sloes yesterday to make some sloe gin for Christmas.  However, the sloes - unlike the blackberries - are very poor this year and are going to be late, if I can get to them before the birds!  So picked more blackberries and made two apple and blackberry pies with sweet pastry.  Not having a sweet tooth myself I did try them and have to admit they were very tasty with a good twang.  I spent some time making the pies look pretty with decorations on the top only for them to scoffed in a moment.  However, they looked beautiful and I found it therapeutic.

Am now waiting for the crabapples so that I can make more varieties of jelly and will again make a good batch of blackberry and sloe gin jelly which is truly my favourite with any meat hot or cold!

The following photographs are of the Pembrokeshire coastline, the flowers in the camping garden and a couple of Port Meirion - a visit I never refuse! 

Well one more day and I have two weeks leave.  One week camping with my grown up sons +2 and one week camping with best friends.  A time to reflect and breathe.   A time to look and stare - at the sea, the hills, the sunsets and my beautiful boys.  Planning menus for week one and week two - different diets (healthier week two!).  Am busy baking and making and planning to feed.  Hoping the weather is fine enough for barbeques.  I am adding my winter photographs though we are supposed to be in summer but as it's raining I thought some crispy snow and sun photos may cheer the heart.

A day with my god daughter

What a wonderful day in picturesque South Shropshire, England at Acton Scot Farm Museum (feature of the BBC's Victorian Farm).  The weather was kind and I breathed.