My pre-breakfast morning walk is a push for power; for a fast-paced, heart-pumping, energizing surge where battling against the wind and weather helps me to reclaim some of the adrenalin driven lifestyle I once had. Yes, I rise when the bats are still following their flight paths home to roost and with a torch strapped … Continue reading
Many, many days from now, when the spiteful rain beats sharply on the window panes, the cold wind rattles all the sash windows and when someone you love has a cold, you will be so pleased that you have a bottle of this magical, pure and natural potion in your store cupboard. Raspberry Vinegar and … Continue reading
Cocooned under duvets and blankets, the bed piled high with books, packets of seeds, boxes of tissues and Josef the cat, I cough and sneeze my way through a winter cold. In the night, when I can’t sleep I slip into the world of Victorian England through the eyes of Mrs Beeton’s book of Household … Continue reading
Their mopheads drooping and dipping as they grow heavy with rain, I gather these pastel shades of Hydrangeas and bring them indoors. As if the colour has washed from one petal to another, I lose myself in their water-colour tones and set about preserving them, by letting them dry naturally in an inch or so … Continue reading
“Get in touch with your inner hippy” The hedgerows in Devon are full of the scent of Elderflower blooms, those magical mille fiori blossoms which speak of Summer and blue skies. Time to make Elderflower Champagne! It’s easy to make and requires just a few simple ingredients. Go on; get in touch with your inner … Continue reading
“Happy and dirty beneath a canopy of fragrant flowers and petals” Did you know that I have been a perfumer? As a toddler I would shuffle on my bottom down the garden path with a little plastic pail with some water at the bottom and into this I tumbled scented rose petals which had fallen … Continue reading
The sweet piquancy of this CUCUMBER AND DILL PICKLE turns smoked salmon, mackerel, trout or a simple tuna and mayonnaise sandwich into a fabulous treat! Quick and easy to make, its fresh taste is perfect for right now! Why not try it? Run the tines of a fork down the length of a washed cucumber, … Continue reading
These tiny Brussels Sprouts seem to grow out of the painted leaves in this soft and serene still-life. This accidental pastiche takes this scene from flat to spatial and gives a most humble nod to the fabulous transformational work of- Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898-1972) http://www.mcescher.com/about/ HAPPY WEEKEND!
Rooting around in a dark and dusty corner of the attic I re-discover my ever- happy, sweet faced Russian matryoshka doll; a memento from a pre-glasnost trip to Leningrad. One thing leads to another, a shot of iced vodka here, a few blini there and before you know it I am calling my friends ‘comrade’ … Continue reading
My best friend Janet and I walked together for miles as children; we walked to buy fireworks and sparklers in November and in the Summer we would make the long walk over the allotments to creep up and listen to the homing pigeons coo-cooing in their lofts. Janet’s Dad was the Winder at the Pit … Continue reading
Dartmoor Flower Shed 