We are trying to make the best of summer - you just have to disregard the rain (I didn't say that when I tripped and fell in a muddy gateway last Sunday). The seasonal pleasures of the moment include walks across the fields where we have seen deer and lapwings. Both of these sightings and the wild flowers in the meadows won't continue to exist if we don't cherish the small local farmers, growers, stall-holders, shop-keepers etc. We will do our best to get a photo of the red deer for the blog - reckon we'll have to do a "Johnny Kingdom", and hide quietly in the bushes!
N&M

In most charity shops there's a rail of clothes that's discounted and, even in charity shop terms that makes them very cheap indeed. You could say the next stop is rags.
Recently, riffling along one such rail produced a shirt, virtually new, but obviously not much loved by its previous owner or potential wearers of shirts. I liked the fabric though as the fresh bluey gingham would be perfect for lavender bags. Possibilities started to form; what could be made from all this fabric?
Well, so far the tally is: one bag for Georgia (age 10), the reverse side of a cushion, and two lavender bags...and there's plenty left yet.
A bag from shirt sleeves may not be to everyone's taste and I have to admit, I did have doubts about how it would turn out, but in the end, after a bit of fiddling, it did seem to work. The handles are made from the remnants of a wool scarf as the colours matched well. In the end, it's fine for girly essentials.
Now, what about the rest!

I have mentioned our late neighbour, Dorothy. She grew a peach tree from a peach stone and gave a cutting to Brian several years ago. And now we have a peach tree in our rough old greenhouse - that should be taking over the greenhouse!! We often have a good lot of peaches, enough sometimes to make wine, preserve in brandy etc. Of course eating them fresh is best...but there are only so many you can...like most fruit and vegetables you get a lot together. Will show you these again when they are a proper peach colour.

Isn't it obvious that Wimbledon fortnight has started...there's rain and now we have strawberries. Unfortunately, not ones we've grown ourselves yet - one ripe strawberry wouldn't make our flan - so we have to await that pleasure.
It's a bit indulgent, this flan, with its creamy layer of mascarpone on top of a buttery base. And the strawberries were delicious.
I've just been reading that wild strawberries are now available to buy, like the fraises de bois that we've enjoyed in France. They have such an intense flavour. Some little wild strawberries have seeded themselves in a corner of the garden and I know from previous years that they do taste really strawberryish - unlike some of the watery supermarket offerings. We think strawberries are like tomatoes...they should be warmed by the sun a little to bring out the flavour.
So we're celebrating with local strawberries and some exciting tennis (maybe) to come.

Well, we are not planning to take on the might of the supermarkets with our little efforts at home growing! But it is good to have a go, even if we just produce enough for a few good bowls full. At least we know they are not sprayed, and it's a joy to watch them flower, develop and change colour. Very therapeutic,
non-commercialised and we would highly recommend it. The only drawback is that you are compelled to keep checking on them all the time.

Thinking about pink foxgloves and Carltonware reminds me of this little pram quilt. It was one of my first attempts at patchwork and is made up of hexagons measuring one and a half inches across. I cut the paper patterns from the pages of old magazines and oversewed the patches together by hand before removing the paper. The border's green and it's backed by a plain cream fabric. I shall always keep it as a reminder of happy times spent stitching.

There are lots of fetes, carnivals and agricultural shows that take place in local villages and towns during the summer. But there are none we enjoy better than the well dressings. At the weekend it was the turn of Litton. This is the quintessential Peak District village, with traditional pub and seats outside on the village green.
For the blessing of the wells that takes place on the Sunday, a local brass band entertains and the children dress up in Victorian costumes. Luckily. the sun came out for the procession and blessing...which is as it should be.
The well was decorated to show local groups and activities. It reminded us of the most intricate patchwork quilt, Afghan carpet or stained glass window...quite stunning!

There is incredible detail in the wells that this photograph doesn't really capture...nothing really could. Every time we visit we could always spend much longer looking at the pictures. Each square in this depicts an activity that takes place in the village and the village hall is obviously at the centre of village life.

Isn't the children's well beautiful? They must spend such a long time designing and assembling it. Although the weather on Sunday wasn't wonderful for June, the colours just sang out...and what a wonderful message they're promoting.

The children have such talent and what brilliant colours and detail they've included. They should be really proud of their artwork.

We were talking about scents earlier, and I got it not quite right...been nagging me ever since. Surfinia smells velvety, yes; but what it really reminds you of is the smell you get when you go into an old country church...that is the elusive scent.

Well,the elderflower here which is blooming just now, also smells sweet. It grows wild in the hedge-rows and is part of the honeysuckle family. We are both hoping to make elderflower (or maybe, later,) elderberry cordials, wines and jellies.

It's taken quite a while to gather a small collection of Carltonware and originally it was started quite by chance. A favourite great auntie gave us two little cups, saucers and plates that we had once admired (these are the most precious to us because of this) which set us off in a search for more. Some pieces were bought for very little - the best bargain was a jam pot spotted at a local fete for 25 pence. At first it was relatively easy to find cheap pieces but soon became rather popular and a bit more pricey.

The Art Deco cabinet came from a junk shop and saves loads of dusting.

It's such summery pottery...pink foxgloves, yellow sunflowers and the fresh greens of June.

Aren't foxgloves amazing? Their markings are fascinating. At the moment there are lots in the garden in all different shades. Some are just ordinary wild pink foxgloves but others are flamboyant cultivated ones with much bigger flower heads. I like them all, as do the bumblebees.

I suppose the dog must be a bit puzzled by these strange smells! We both find that having pots of herbs as near the house as possible does mean we use them a lot in cooking. It sounds dreadfully lazy but sometimes just going up the garden is too much effort. But, also having them near the house just jogs your memory and you do start thinking of ways to use them. This lot includes basil, oregano, sage, thyme and something called mint ginger which is an unknown quantity, but interesting - not sure about it really. Oh, and there is also a curry plant - never knew there was such a thing, it is stronger on smell than taste though. We also find that having boxes of salad leaves near the house means they are used nearly every night.

It's raining hard now, but that's not all bad because rain releases the beautiful scent of the honeysuckle which we have plantd as near to the house door as we could. Honeysuckle reminds me of hay-making as we also have some near one of the meadows. In the book we have talked about bringing the smells of summer into the house...particularly lavender (we are both making loads of lavender bags at the moment) and later sweet peas, but it is also a good idea to have sweet scented plants as near to the house as you can. The velvety (can a smell be velvety!?) scent of surfinia in a basket brings an instant's pleasure as you walk past. One of the most memorable gardens I've been in was a garden especially designed for blind people, in Brighton, where obviously scent was the main theme.

Now I know it looks a complete shambles but this workshop is the first improvement that we made when moving to our cottage. It's been the place where new windows and doors have been made for the house, concrete and plaster mixed and tools and paint stored. Without it, all the jobs would have been so much more difficult.
As no doubt you've noticed - you could hardly fail to - it does tend to be used as a dumping ground. Anything that needs to be recycled or is waiting for a visit to the charity shop is left here, sometimes for quite a while...hence the laundry bin packed for dispatch.
It's a bit of a nuisance that everything gets covered with wood dust and shavings. Sometimes it gets a big clear out, but then of course, we can never find anything. It's only tidy for a short while...the next project sees to that.

This geranium has just come out in the last week. It reminds me
the instant I see it of our late neighbour Dorothy who gave me a couple of little cuttings of it about 7 years ago when I admired the intensity of its' blue colour. Dorothy's husband is not too far off 90, now. He first met Dorothy when he came to work for Brian's grandfather about 60 years ago. He always says it was the best thing he ever did when he asked her out. I reckon that sentiment and being remembered by this lovely plant is a nice a legacy as anyone could leave.

The hanging baskets are all displayed from their allotted brackets now. What I hadn't realised was that I'd planted up one too many (numeracy not being my strong point).
This is the little old basket that was left over. After a good rummage under a load of junk in the greenhouse I managed to unearth a bracket which Les (the resident joiner and all round craftsperson) fastened up on the corner of the greenhouse. I think it looks OK, especially as it is filled with the least healthy and robust specimens that I grew.
The only downside, apart from having another basket to water, is that I keep knocking my head on it when I want to walk along the path.

Writing the book continues to resemble a strange journey, with many many diversions along the way. The trouble is you get side-tracked down a particular road, say with lavender...or chillies, because the more you learn, the more you experiment, the more ideas suggest themselves. Sometimes the diversions prove frustrating, but more often they lead to pleasant results. We keep coming back to the theme of time though. Time spent in making things is very often time spent well. But as a friend who looked at our blog commented...someone's got to pay for this slowed down living. And of course that is true. Not many of us have the luxury of time; and ironically many of those who do have the time and the money choose to spend it in pursuit of instant gratification. Gosh, this is becoming a bit heavy!

It is hard to imagine now, but a few years ago lavender was about as fashionable as camphor moth balls. Its image was associated with old age and nostalgia. But as a result of the popularity of aromatherapy and our ceaseless search for rest and sleep, it has seen a bit of a revival. And the plant itself is beautiful. We thought these bags had a rustic charm which was not too twee and not too pretty. They are really easy to make, and bring the smell of summer into the house. Oh, and we saw in one of these chi-chi shops that are springing up...lavender linen water selling at about £8 a bottle. Mad. We just did our own - surely it is no more than spring water with a few drops of essential oil added in?

Our lavender is just beginning to flower and we are really trying to make the best of it, last year's and what we've had new this year. We've putit in the garden and in pots. The good thing about lavender is you can bring it into the house, dry it...put it in pot pourri...even cook with it (just as long as it hasn't been sprayed).

One of the reasons we try to make so much of this and other seasonal pleasures is...guess what came through the post the other day, on the 14th June?...a card from Alton Towers promoting their Christmas parties. As we may have said we're both big fans of charity shops and for the last 2 years have noticed Christmas cards making a tentative appearance in August. That seemed bad enough, most people are just about having their summer holiday...but the 14th June. Honestly. No wonder we're always hearing the expression, "time is flying"!

Now we know these butterfly cakes are very traditional and some may say, old-fashioned, but don't they look good enough to eat? Cakes have moved on since the days when these were commonly made. But they have such an innocent charm about them. They remind us of local fetes that are enjoying a revival in interest. Just think of the marquees with tables laid with homemade jam and lemon curd, apple pies and fruit cake...all entered into competitions, of course.
We had these for tea as it's father's day...and not just the children enjoyed them.

Open doors and a soft breeze...doorstop required.

Are you a lover of blue and white? Every day we use blue and white pottery in Asiatic pheasant design. This was bought from the seconds' shop at the Burleigh factory in Burslem. If you ever have the opporunity it makes a really interesting visit. It's a traditional potbank where they still make pots using original designs and methods...those skills for which the Potteries are deservedly famous. The factory shop is a cornucopia of blue and white bargains and even has an open fire.
So I couldn't resist this remnant of blue and white material from a charity shop and decided to make a doorstop - much used during hot days. I'm sure you could buy special plastic beads as a filling but I decided to use rice as it's cheap and has enough weight. Roll on the hot days - we're ready!
Do forgive the dust on the door...life's too short. Oh, you didn't notice - how kind.

Lily was born on the 17th August '05, and we were a bit surprised at her colour. Because she pretty unusual we paid her a lot of attention and named her - we don't always. She was fairly tame and friendly as a result, but since she's been out with the others she has become quite haughty and disdainful as you can probably see from her expression. I suppose we should consider ourselves lucky she condescended to be photographed. Her mother came from the neighbouring farm to us Franklin's farm and was called Snowflake, partly because of her white and black speckled colour and partly because she was born when it was snowing. What's that I hear you say about a limited imagination when it comes to names? Though funnily enough Lily seems to fit into our milk and cream theme. We'll move on from it now!

While we're on the theme of milk and cream, how about this? Good enough to eat!
It's a clematis called Marie Boiselot that's at its best just now. With velvety petals like full cream milk and deep clotted cream centres, its a beauty. At dusk it shines out with an eerie luminosity. Shame there's no scent, but then it's growing close to a pale cream rose of a similar colour that does have a wonderful perfume...delicious.

This picture reminds us of all sorts - apple pies, cornflakes aeros...but it is probably an image we don't really visualise as we put cream in our coffee or milk in our tea. Last Sunday was "farm Sunday" where some farmers opened up their workplace to the public; and next year all school children are to visit a farm; and there are now 600 farmers markets where a few years ago there were none. Is all this a flash in the pan or a sign of more awareness of our where our food comes from? Anyway, enough preaching! Enjoy the picture.

Running water adds a special dimension in the garden. The stone trough that Brian made specially for this spot under the lion's head caused quite a lot of interest amongst visitors. It was a bit of a challenge to persuade our little relatives not to fill the trough with stones until the visitors had left(it's their favourite game normally and keeps then occupied for ages). Its our favourite corner of the garden as well.

Have you ever wondered what lies behind a house you really like? We love the opportunity to catch a glimpse of a back garden through a gate inadvertently left open. Sometimes it can be a real surprise...who would imagine it looks like that! This urge to explore places otherwise out of bounds and fullfil our natural curiosity helps to explain the popularity of the open gardens afternoon.
So this weekend we had our garden, along with those of others in the village, open to the public. I hope that those who came were a little suprised to see what lay behind our little cottage...only a little garden but putting on a bit of a show at the moment. Chatting to other enthusiasts was great fun and a real social and community event. Next year the garden will be even better...but then, we always say that.

At last, following the success of our prototype cotton shopping bag, I've managed to complete a rather fetching little number from some left over curtain material. A fashion statement, or what? Well, Ok not that...but no-one else will have the same. At least there's a sense of satisfaction in doing this.
Let's see.

It's certainly cheap to make, with bits of leftover fabric, and there's pleasure to be gained from creating something from scratch, rather than buying it. Not least Of course, is being able to do our bit for the environment by not using plastic bags. All positive points as far as we're concerned. The fact that it's immensely strong and will hold several bottles of wine with ease can only be a bonus.
A fabric covered with bright red roses next, I think.