Heading for the Hills

Sunday was a crisp and cool autumnal morning. 

A few essential jobs to do before we are free to play out.

A quick visit to Settle town.

Then  on to the hills.

Over the Dales, with snowy topped hills all around

Had a smile at car sticker-humour

in the village of Langcliffe

We stopped by the river Ribble,

sitting the the sunshine

drinking tea

drinking in the view

And,

when we returned off the hills

the sun was disappearing behind the skyline.

Time to head back - the boys were hungry (mind you so were we!)

Today is Monday - another start to another week. hey ho... 

Hope you had a lovely weekend where ever you are xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx hawthorn

Harvesting

It's been a good weekend - we've been harvesting - both from our garden and greenhouse and wild harvesting from the hedgerows.

The last couple of weeks have yielded tomatoes a plenty! The courgettes are finishing and we took off the last few little 'uns so that we could clear away the fading plants. The onions are looking good and tasting even better.
Unusually this year, potatoes haven't done as well, but the ones we have eaten are delish!!  Our garlic have garlicked very nicely and the grapes are just beginning to be ripe enough to eat without making us screw our faces up when we pop a sour green fruit in our mouths.

I am finding my restricted mobility (my *!//* knee) really depressing. The boys all went out for a walk on Saturday and I felt bereft, I kept busy by baking a cake and cooking a lasagne but it certainly didn't feel right. Himself knew how I felt and today organised a wild fruit hunt.

We packed a car-nic, camera, crochet (of course!) and set off over the hills to find some blackberries. What a wonderful autumnal day, all the fresh air I could breathe (and breathe it in I did!) We parked and I pottered like a peg-legged pirate while Himself, the boys and the dog bumbled about picking brambles and sniffing out rabbits (boys - brambles, dog - rabbits in case you were confused......)

We did really well, not only finding just under 4 lbs of brambles but we found an old apple tree with small but delicious apples and elder trees covered in delightful small fruits.

Once we were home, the boys carefully washed and picked clean all the fruit ready for freezing then Himself made two wonderful bramble and apple pies - yum yum :)

I feel better for my airing.......... Much happier than I have been for a few days. I also have some crochet ta daa news soon - can't wait to show you all my blanket - it is about 20 stitches off finished Woo hoo!!

All for now, off to finish my blankie, hope you have a wonderful start to your week and have a marvelous Monday - love and happy wishes

hawthorn xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Lovers, tears and cascading leaves

Entwined and twisted into each other, long limbs clasping tight, 

wrapping the other closely. 

 Never to be separated until death.

 Linked. 

Timeless. 

Lovers in an ancient track watching as the world passes them by.

Beautiful.

We've been walking today - Sunday. A quiet valley nestling against a wild moor land. A cutting breeze seemed to slice through our fleeces and gloves, giving a sharp reminder that summer had gone and autumn reigns supreme. Colours of orange and reds were splashed across the hill sides and thick swathes of fallen leaves banked up again the lane edge.

When we had almost completed the walk, we meet two tearful women, a mother and daughter, each clinging to piebald cob. The older woman asked if we had seen another piebald and his mate - a dark bay horse as they had been fruitlessly searching for the missing pair.

We told them that had seen their horses at the far side of the huge field we had just walked through. Their relief was palpable. They began to babble an explanation to us as well as reassuring themselves about their worry that the bay had been shot before they could say their last goodbyes.

There were tearfully bitter comments about man who was to shoot their beloved animal, angry and hurt words.
He is not fit to keep the horse, he did not understand their  pain and love for this horse. He did not have a right to shoot this animal as it was not his......


'He' was the younger woman's father and the older woman's ex-husband. Oh what misery this divorce had created.

We left and they turned back to where we had pointed out the horses, determined to see the animal one last time before it's destruction and to find and comfort it's mate. Our happy walk seemed sullied by their sadness.

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Autumnal Recipe - cascading leaves

• Take one 'almost teenager' (but in self denial)
• Collect various autumnal leaves - making sure they are brightly coloured and differing sizes
• Have in your stash of sticks a particularly knobbly and interesting one
• Find a reel of white cotton

Tie leaves on to the cotton
Arrange the lengths of cotton then tie to the interesting and knobbly stick
Hang the stick above the glass doors so as the sun streams through, the leaves catch the light.

Stick the few remaining leaves with tape to the glass and down the wall to continue the cascade downwards.

Voilà - autumnal cascading leaves

And if you enjoyed this 'recipe' - you might like to check this one out too!

Autumn

The colours of autumn

fiery reds

acid greens

rusty oranges

chocolatey browns

The smells of autumn

wood smoke

crisp air

sweet scent of ageing leaves

damp tang of the earth

The sights of autumn

fallen leaves

bright berries

seed heads

leaf skeletons 

The essentials of autumn

collecting acorns

looking for the most beautiful leaves

wearing favourite scarves

making more mittens

Walks then cakes, makes and bakes

Saturday - the sun shone (erm above the clouds methinks) but at least it was dry and bright, so we grabbed our walking boots, a young friend and set off. We went over the tops to Wycoller. We older wiser (ok - less agile) walkers chatted as we went along whilst the boys hopped puddles, cleared streams, hid in the bracken and ran through the woodland. It was a lovely cathartic walk where we could breathe in that beautiful clear autumnal air.

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A really wet and rainy Sunday ................Perfect!

Perfect for making a model house for a school project

Perfect for baking brownies and flapjacks.

Perfect weather for staying in, having the fire on and finishing homework.

So that's exactly what we did.

I have neglected my 52 recipes for a while now so thought with the boys hindrance help I'd reduce our egg mountain with a bit of baking and improve my new recipe tally.

Or so I thought.

I ended up the bottle-washer to their 'chef' status..... so, I don't think I can really add their baking to my list.....but I am going to anyway!

Peanut Butter Brownies

I often linger, longingly, at Smitten Kitchen's web site, which has the effect of sometimes inspiring me, sometimes shaming me but always making me hungry for more. Recently I've not had the inclination nor the weather for cooking but as I said earlier - today was perfect.

Eldest quickly commandeered this recipe, and with Gallic style flourishes he took over the kitchen and I was left translating the American weights and measures and washing up for him. Still the kitchen, then the house was filled with the warm scent of baking.

Now, if one son bakes, by the law of the universe and all that is good and great - the other one has to do too (aargh!)
SO, after lunch, Youngest had the chance for a bit of baking and tasting and smacking of lips and licking of fingers and made Flapjacks

We've made a variant of this biscuit often which we know as  'Viking biscuits'  but as this recipe was different enough for me, I added it to my 52 new recipes. The recipe came from 'Cakes & bakes from my mother's kitchen'  which is absolutely sinful and tempting all in one drool making book.

So this baking session has with the help of my boys has brought up my tally to 32 and 33 in my challenge to reach 52 new recipes cooked this year!

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15.11.09

What to do?

The eldest is submerged, nay drowning in his homework, himself is rebuilding the bathroom and youngest?
Well youngest needs entertaining.

So we headed for the kitchen to see what supplies we had and what we could make.

Below for your ocular delights, are the results of his efforts.

Eldest and himself thought them fine and ate several.

gingerbread teds and gingerbread men

Kneading and rolling (by eldest who just could not stay away)

more finishing touches

Please note the several different versions - including a hammer head version, a cyclops and some with no eyes at all!

They all tasted good though.

A larch in autumnal colours in front of a stormy sky

01.11.09

With a change of month, a change in the weather.

Autumn's benign mood changed to one more unkind.

She has been hell bent on tearing off all the leaves,

making the trees bare.

Their twig fingers rake the grey sky as clouds hurry by.

Bark is wet and glistening and boughs creak and groan as they are ripped clean.

Leaves flurry and whirl on the wet roads,

clumping up on corners as if trying to hide from the winds.

Through rain spattered windows

we have watched and marvelled at her fickle moods,

yesterday she was feeling benevolent.

Today Autumn is definitely feeling 'under the weather'

31.10.09

Samhain

All Hallowtide

All Hallows Eve
The Day of the Dead
The Feast of the Dead

The beginning - not the end

We, still in the quest of entertaining youngest son 

whilst eldest is away,

went sloe hunting

it is traditional in our house

to collect the fruit after the first frosts to make Sloe Gin   (link)

The last few years have been poor picking 

but this autumn has been generous

we picked two tubs-worth.

While the youngest and giddy dog explored the woods 

for dragons and monsters

we picked and reminisced about past harvests.

May all monsters, big and small 

enjoy trick and treating 

tonight

30.10.09 Recipe of the day - Autumnal wreath

Ingredients
1 x bored 9 yr old,minus his brother
1 x autumn pile of leaves
1 x giddy dog
1x camera
a pinch of time
a pinch of persuasion (yes you really do want to do this....)
Loads of patience
Vine wreath
Cotton thread


Method:
Take one child and one dog and visit the libary.
Can I take my bike?
Can you leave it behind?
Can I take my scooter?
If you want to....
Can I leave them at home?
sigh
Collect leaves
Can I roll in the leaves Mum?
Take photos
Can I throw this for the dog?
Grit teeth
Can I roll down the hill?
Brush off mud and wet grass
Can I run down to the river?
Walk down, with camera, handfuls of leaves and reduce amount of patience
Simmer - quietly - whilst youngest and giddy dog run round in circles

Return home with muddy son and giddy dog, shedding leaves as you walk along

Wrap leaves around vine wreath
I am going to get my skateboard...
keep adding leaves
I need my shin pads.....
keep adding leaves
I need something to skate around - what can I use?....
keep.......adding.....leaves.......
Can I get my bike out?
stand back and look at wreath
I can't reach the lock can you open the garage for me so I can get my bike out?
Return to wreath, add more leaves
I think I've had enough of my bike - what shall I do next?
Help me hang the wreath up? I ask hopefully
ok - said in a very non enthusiastic 9 year old way
Attach to door, stand back and admire.
Why are the leaves falling off the wreath Mum?
sigh.

Youngest - before the rolling and the running and the mud...

Giddy dog - notable for it's giddiness ..........

Leaves - just need a few more

Finished!

29.10.09
The colours of autumn.
The symbols of samhain.
The fruits of the season.

One a flavour filled globe of fruit, the other a woolly impersonation.

The saying goes -  that imitation is the highest form of flattery.......

Can you spot the difference?

28.10.09

Our boys were playing with the dog out back,

when suddenly he noticed a bumblebee bumbling along.

'Careful' he called out as he reached down to rescue her.

She sat on his hand, not defensive or afraid.

Just tasting him.

Gently, gently she tasted his fingers.

Whilst he gently put her somewhere safe from games and dogs.

Somewhere she can hibernate.

22.10.09

A celebration of life

A marking of a death

A meeting of the families from far and wide

A chance to catch up

A Quaker funeral - with quiet words of love and memories and stories

A few discreet tears

A sharing of tissues

A mutual handshake to commune accordance to life, to love and family.

A wake that remembered her gentle look on life,

 her love of the countryside, her family, her cooking,

her enjoyment of music, her love of the arts, her open door.

Then a drive along her favourite lane,

to take pictures of places that will always hold her memory and whisper her name.