Apples on an Autumn Day

So, this is how to spend a very enjoyable, very tiring, Sunday afternoon.


Take some good friends, with a few sacks of apples....



and one Scratter, ready to go.....



Place the apples in a barrel of water, a mix of varieties is always best....



Constantly feed said apples through the Scratter....



Buckets (and buckets and buckets!) of apple pulp result......



This then gets put through the Press, a little muscle power here helps.....


Phew! Now what is needed is more friends with more apples and another press



Oh and more friends with more apples!!!!!



The resulting apple juice (lots of it!) now ready for cider making, wine making (my choice) and for freezing to be savoured through the winter months.


Of course lovely food, good company, a lovely autumn day and lots of glasses of refreshing apple juice make for a perfect combination.

Bits & Pieces

There has been much talk in blogland about homemade cleaning products. Some talk of being 'greener' and with some it is a cost issue. At the same time though I have read a few bloggers comment that they could not use homemade washing products because they cannot believe it cleans as well as bought box powders, or that they like a fragrance. Well this is what I have used for ages, it's cheaper, convenient - and it works!

The M27 rootstock apple I planted earlier this year has given me 7 apples this year which I am very pleased with, hopefully it will go bananas next year (not literally!) It is 'James Grieves' and a very nice apple to pick of the tree as I walk past.

Last night tea was delayed as I caught a glimpse of a balloon coming very close to the house. We get them all summer but this one was close. The photos are taken after they have skimmed over our house - over the hills and far away.

Christmas - The countdown begins!

1st December - the day of our Christmas fete. Lots of the stalls were inside the church and it was too dim and far too crowded for photos. I did manage to get a photo of my lovely friend Rachel striking a very silly pose, she makes 100's of wreaths every year and she had a table in the entrance taking orders.

The Bell Inn Brass Band played jolly festive music, Cath (in the Christmas hat) played and then had to do a quick change in the ladies loo to join in the Crooked Steeple slot. It was sooo cold today!

Poor Rob could hardly play, his hands were numb with cold!

Santa was in his grotto, and was going to turn the lights on at 4pm, we didn't stay this year though. We needed to get in to the warmth.

Here is the view down the street to the Market Hall and church, past the local butchers.

Punch & Judy and various stalls were in the Market Hall, but again I didn't take photos. However, here are a couple of photos of our Millennium Embroidery - isn't it fab? Every organisation in the town took part in supplying something for this piece and it hangs in the Market Hall. I did the black and white paper shop in freestyle cross stitch. Soon afterwards the owners retired and it closed, so it is already a little piece of history. I love the Church and the view underneath.

Did I mention it was cold today? So glad we got a fire in, and just as we got home it started to rain.

And finally, I saw the lady who organized the Christmas box wrapping - she told me the final number we managed to ship was 1,325!!!!!!!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend.

Shrewsbury

The summer holidays will soon be at an end and already there is a hint of autumn in the air, especially in the mornings, yesterday was quite misty until the sun burnt through. Hopefully we will have an Indian Summer through September, I think we need one after the wet summer.

Finding time to blog is difficult ~ and I often find that I have forgotten to take the camera with me on our days out! On Thursday I went with daughter number 2 to Shrewsbury for a day out. We let the train take the strain - only a 1/2 hour journey - and spent a really enjoyable time together. She is getting serious one to one at the moment with daughter number one on holiday in Paris.

As you can see, Shrewsbury is well worth a visit, although too much to see in one day with a wonderful Abbey (do any of you remember the Cadfael series on TV?), Castle, Museums, a gorgeous park and some smashing shops.

The photo above is of Castle Street, the walk up into town from the station, it's only a couple of minutes.

This is Grope Lane (I think were the Butchers used to trade), there's a Fish Street as well - one can't imagine how smelly these places would have been in medieval days!

Above photos from http://www.pbase.com/
One of the main shopping areas. Just along from here was the cafe we went to for lunch. It was very 'Victorian' with flowery wallpaper, a dresser full of china knick knacks, lacy table cloths and pretty pictures. The food was not so dainty - a chicken tikka baguette for daughter and a BLT for me, together with a pint of coke each!!

On our way to lunch I suggested I showed her the oldest building known as Bear Steps (1300's). It is now a little gallery and tea rooms. I was very pleased to discover that they had an exhibition taking place by the Shrewsbury Spinners and Weavers. Lunch was slightly delayed whilst I had a brief chat with the ladies, and purchased a drop spindle from them for £2.50.

Above is the Bear Steps front and back.

One place we did not have time to visit was the Dingle. The Dingle. set in the park is a 'quarry' which many years ago was turned into a spectacular floral garden. This is a picture taken in Spring but it is an amazing place year round

Alas on our way back to the train station I noticed a shop that stocks Cath Kidston, I think a return visit is necessary.

So anyway, today I got the drop spindle out and had a go, amazingly I managed to produce a passable yarn - finer than I can on my Ashford for sure! Daughter 2 took this 'action' shot.

O Dear, back to work today after a wonderful week off. We didn't go away, just days out, but what beautiful days they were. After Aberdovey we went to the Stiperstones to pick Whinberries.



Now you may have gathered that I do not like my photo being taken, but Ian managed to catch me with my bottom in the air! Click on the photo for a lovely view = ha! ha!



Whinberries (Bilberries) quite simply make the most delicious pie. They are small, fiddly and take an age to pick, but in this sort of surrounding that is ok.





Back home I sorted out all the little bits of twig and dried leaf, and found I had enough for 2 pies and one crumble. As a kiddie I loved to stick my tongue out after eating pie as it turns purple for a while!





I am soooo pleased to have been given this award by Gill at Lucy Locket.

Started by Bella-Enchanted, the award is to be "awarded to those that are just nice people , good blog friends and those that inspire good feelings and inspiration! Those that care about others that are there to lend support or those that are just a positive influence in our blogging world". Thank you so much Gill for thinking of me, and I agree with you in that I am also in awe of many blogs I have found in recent months, there really are some inspirational, kind and lovely ladies out there.

The following 7 blogs are being awarded the 'Nice Matters Award' by me. I only wish I could choose more!

Deb

Rhonda

Kelly

Ruth

Rowan

Rosevintage

and Rubyred

These ladies all have lovely blogs for different reasons, be they gardening, craft, thrift or interesting hobbies, but as well as this they are all nice people, I visit frequently!

I like to shop as locally as possible. This has not been as a result of the new trend in sustainable living, traceability, air miles, carbon footprints etc, it's just how I have always done it, as did my mother and hers before her.

My fruit and veg come from a small farmshop, Richard there stocks produce as locally as possible. Milk comes from our nearest farm (which is wonderful enough to do a whole post on!). Any groceries come from a small independent grocery store in Tenbury. I try to stay out of supermarkets as I do not generally like the way they operate (~of course I do understand that others do use them, each to their own).

Today I did my meat shopping and Clive kindly let me take some photos.......

Here is Heath Farm Meats in Bagginswood (sounds like something out of 'The Shire'!) . Clive and Clare own it, they produce all the beef, lamb and pork themselves, the chickens come from another local producer, and their dad provides the eggs. The 'shop' is in the farmyard and opens 4 days a week. Nothing is too much trouble for these lovely people and their meat is superb. They take their animals to the abbatoir one or two at a time and send them off with as little stress as possible, this improves the texture of the meat.

It's nice to pull up a chair and have a natter while they are preparing your meat, it makes an occasion out of shopping.

This is the rebatched soap (well some of it, I couldn't wait!) mentioned in my last post. It is very, very easy to make. I got the recipe from Rhonda at Down to Earth. I have been really impressed with this lady's blog, lots of sensible thinking going on over there! Anyway here is the post soap

They look a little 'rough' but I like them. I used lavender oil and next time I shall use more because the scent is not that strong. The hearts were cut using a biscuit cutter. I have some nice cellophane bags and ribbon so later in the year I will be making Christmas presents!

Another blog I have discovered recently is bean-sprouts, I like this girls attitude! One day I shall keep bees and her accounts of bee keeping have had me in stitches.

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

A Small Confession or two - and Poppies

#1 - I do not like my windows, would much prefer diamond panes to look out onto the world through. They are much too big and modern. I have therefore let my virginia creeper drape itself down over them, but should I cut it back a bit? - or am I just too lazy?

#2 - I was going to do this hexagon blanket to single bed size - but I have got tired of it, and anyway the colours are much more suitable for a baby blanket, don't you think? that is how I justified doing a small border around it and saying 'enough'. It shall be washed and stored away for when a grandchild comes along

#3 - Ian got up early on Sunday and went photographing things - like barley fields and poppies. My confession here is that I did not want him to because we were having company for lunch and I was busy and needed some help. When I saw the photos though I could understand his point. They may have been nicer with blue skies but this was early with the mistiness just burning off. Don't you just love poppies? With more set-a-side and fallow around here they are becoming a familiar sight once again - along with the White Campion in the second photo. Enjoy:-

Precious Bane and Shropshire

Now I am not the most eloquent soul though I wish that I were because then I could fully express my love of Shropshire. This largest inland county has a quality to it all of its own, with plains, hills and valleys so beautiful it can make your heart crack. To the north is the Shropshire Plain with meres and vistas quite different to the south. My passion though is for South Shropshire. I was brought up here, my father was a true countryman who worked all his life in the woods and was only truly at home outside amongst nature. As a child I went with him and roamed about absorbing the spirit of the woods and valleys.

A woman who really knew how to write was Mary Webb, and she also had a great love of this area.

Her most famous work is 'Gone to Earth' which was made into a film in the early 50's with Jennifer Jones playing the lead role. It was filmed on location and my sister in law had many relatives who were extras. A few years ago they showed the film in Pontesbury Village Hall and she was amazed to see her now elderly (and in a few cases deceased) relatives from before she was born!

My favourite Mary Webb has to be 'Precious Bane'. Briefly it tells the story of Prue Sarn who has a hare lip and by country supersition is cursed and 'hare shotten'. If I can persuade one person to read this book then I will be delighted. It has the most beautiful ending of any book I have ever read and the narrative is in the old Shropshire dialect.

'Tabor on, owd nag!' says Kester, and we were going at a canter towards the blue and purple mountains. 'But no! I said. 'It mun be frommet, Kester. You mun marry a girl like a lily. See, I be hare-shotten!'

The hills were she set her masterpieces are my hills, Callow, Stiperstones, Linley, Rhadley, Corndon. Here they are.

Looking from the left is Bent Hill, Rhadley, Linley and Corndon.

Corndon from the Devils Chair, Stiperstones.

Bent Hill. The little blob (you can click and enlarge) on the left is a small circular wood, planted by my father to commemorate his employers wedding anniversery one year, it's called 'Clares Ring'. Dad passed away 11 years ago, his ashes were buried in the woods in the valley below, amongst his beloved oaks.

Me - walking down from the Devils Chair, deep in memories, shedding a tear for dad, not knowing Ian was taking my photo.

I live further south now, which is very very pretty and a gentler landscape, but my heart is here and always will be.


If anyone is interested here is a link to Mary Webb country.