8.10.10

Little Harvests


The garden is gently decaying into autumn dishevelment. It's been a good year; we've experienced a steep learning curve with the polytunnel and grown a staggering amount of tomatoes. We've had disappointments; too few green beans, a whole packet of Dumpling Squash which refused to germinate, not enough space to grow as many potatoes as we need. Slow Acorn Squash which are only just flowering - too late. Made mistakes; garlic which we misplanted and failed. Put courgettes in the tunnel when they didn't need to be. Planted them out once the broad beans were over and we had the space.


But these are part and parcel of gardening and no year is perfect. We hope to learn not to make the same mistakes twice (but often do). It's good to look back and see how our year went. Our once yearly pea indulgence - one whole packet scattered and grown closely in a small square.


Broad beans - we were ambivalent about this type, the Sutton; they didn't grow tall enough and the pods could have been longer. Nonetheless, fresh broad beans are heavenly, no matter what.


Growing a minuscule crop of round carrots in a tub.



They were quite small, a bit holey in places and funny shaped. Only enough for a few each, but they were the carrotiest carrots we've had since the last time we grew carrots.


Finally managing to grow one of my favourite flowers, sweet peas, in a big pot; they don't grow well in the garden and we need the space for veg. I luxuriated in having a regular posy of them to sweeten the air.



From August we have had mostly our own potatoes - not huge amounts, but just enough to keep us going. Duke of York reds -


Salad Rattes - a somewhat mean crop I thought, considering we planted two rows.


And good old reliable (not to mention delicious) King Edwards.


Our Boston Marrow squash were a big success. If a certain LB is reading this, then here are the results of your seed packet from America - thank you for the pleasure we've had with them.


We were rather proud.


There isn't really enough storage space to preserve these beauties safely, so they rest in majesty on the stairs.



We picked modest batches of strawberries all summer long.


And my new fig tree came complete with one magnificent, succulent fruit.


Tomatoes we had plenty of! What a beautiful crop it is to grow. From over-ripe sweet 'chezzers' -


- to big, bold beefsteaks. German Strawberries, golden orange and perfect for roasting -



A bountiful crop of Principe Borghese plum tomatoes - one of the best types we have grown, very prolific and one to remember for next year.


Buxom, blushing Brandywines, grown from seeds sent from the USA by Janet -


All these - and one small cucumber which somehow managed to grow in their midst, despite being crowded out.


However we grew far too many - we didn't have to dedicate the entire 14ft polytunnel to them. I think we've exorcised the memories of the last few years of blight now. Split tomatoes have their uses though.


Waiting for a cold winter's night when we will need some bottled summer.

1.10.10

Toy books and glass dogs

Are these not adorable? Beautifully ugly glass bauble dogs; they are a wonderful gift from my extraordinarily talented friend and cartoonist Chichi Parish, one of the wittiest, most delightful people I know. They are from this year's Paperchase range and I think Chichi knew that although I love them, I would never venture into a large town to actually buy my very own. Thank you so much, Chichi - they have been keeping me company this long, wet Friday while I have been treating myself to a browse of my toy making book collection.

I've been picking these up for a couple of years now, but sadly my pattern making has not improved. It's so much easier to pick up a felting needle and stab a wodge of merino into shape. However they are full of useful tips and one in particular is my favourite, as I used to own a copy when I was about seven years old. I was just starting to sew doll's clothes and make things when I found a copy of 'Toys for Your Delight' at a jumble sale and it soon became on of my best loved books. Seen here open with the photo of the extravagantly embroidered felt dragon.


The projects then (and now) were way beyond my meagre talents, but true to form, I always aspired to make the most difficult thing - the dragon. Sadly my first copy was *disposed* of, along with most of my other books and treasures, by people who were supposed to be looking after them when my parents died.


I have longed to find it again and found it last year on ebay - as soon as I saw this plate I knew I'd struck gold - it is so good to have it again, even though my sewing skills are still not up to making this chap.


I am not one for reading a reference book from cover to cover - I prefer to dip and dive into my favourite ones.


They range from 1920's/30s editions up to the early 1980's and show that there is nothing new under the sun. Things come around and come around - I know that there is often much fretting about whether making such and such, one will be seen as copying - but there are only so many ways of making, for instance, giraffes...

...or dear little birds with wire legs...

...in fact looking through them is a rather like looking at an Etsy front page treasury of softies. Which is not to say that everyone is copying, but doing what artists and crafters have been doing for centuries - adopting and adapting. Owls, mushrooms, birds in cages, matryoshka dolls, little houses, fish - they have their trends in the ebb and flow of crafting and design.


But it's hard not to get hung up about making things - a couple of years ago I held off making a shoal of stuffed fish, fearing that as there are so many variations on this, I'd be accused of stealing ideas. But here we are circa 1957, a Christmas decoration idea of - a shoal of felt fish.


So I think I will make some little textile birds with wire legs, as they seem to be part of a time honoured toy making tradition. Maybe I'll even be able to do my own take on them. By the way, there are many toy makers that I admire hugely who stamp their own personality all over their work; here are just a few;

Just a few, mind!


I was terribly pleased to be featured along with other great UK needle felters on the UK Handmade blog - needle felting is still a fledgling craft over here, so we need to spread the good word of stabbing little bits of wool.

27.9.10

Violets and Camellias

Back to some kind of normality at last and a final deadline to clear; this year's order for
Teddy Bears of Witney. Sadly, due to the silly amount of work I had on, I was unable to do as many editions as I did last year and only just managed to get these two sets ready in time for the 2011 catalogue.

Rather stupidly I didn't order in a large batch of pink wool when I made the first Camellia and when I re-ordered from the same stockist the dye batch had changed. Only slightly, but enough to make me grind my perfectionist teeth with frustration. See how the righthand merino is slightly bluer than the lefthand one?
Thankfully I spotted what looked to be a better match on the
Tigerlily Makes blog and after a few emails, a sample was winging it's way to me in the post. It was, happily, almost identical to the original pink and I was able to order enough to finish the two remaining models - thank you Lisa for such super service and good luck with your new online felt making boutique.
And a finished trio of 'Sweet Violets'. Despite the simplicity of the design, these actually take far longer to perfect than my other creatures.
Naturally, this being me, I was somewhat late in making the remaining models and spent seven days needle felting like fury. But in the end, we were all ready for delivery.
Boxed up and raring to go.
It is always such a pleasure to visit the shop and see what new bearish treasures are in stock. My little girls are going to be in distinguished company.
And they have their own slot in the beautiful catalogue. As far as I know, they have not sold out yet - but this is the only shop I am able to supply and at present I am so busy catching up with back orders that they are all that is available at present, so if you do want one of my creations now, then they are the people to
contact.
I quite forgot to tell them - and you, lovely readers - my other snippet of news, that a couple of months ago I was accepted into the
British Toymakers Guild after submitting an application which was judged acceptable by the committee. Which is nice.

17.9.10

Bearing cakes


Yesterday an old (and recently rediscovered) college friend came to visit- we know her as Natasha, but on the internet she is a
cake baker of Excellent Repute - and gaining fast in popularity. With such a guest I was not even going to attempt my own very homely home baking, especially as she had already asked me what cakes I prefer. We hadn't seen each other for 17 years since graduating, but frankly it made no difference. And she brought with her a magnificent box containing lemon drizzle cake and six wonderful blackberry and apple cupcakes. Alas, the cupcakes are now a faint but fragrant memory. We chatted for England and after tea (and cakes) we went over to the woods where I happily took photos of dear little mushrooms. This sweet Tawny Grisette -


- and a comfy-cushiony baby Blusher.

When the Blusher grows up it will flatten it's cap and the stipe will tinge a dull pink (which you can just see in the fallen specimen in this picture). It is edible, so the books say, but it is also in the same family (and to the untrained eye looks very similar to) the poisonous Panther Cap. Although I know these are what they are and what they aren't, I would not risk it.

Later we headed home for soup and rolls, a simple meal made extra special by one of my favourite local
Cerney Pyramids - a prince of cheeses into which we made good headway and a fitting end to a lovely day.


Natasha comes from a family of professional artists and her mother has recently taken up blogging - rather wonderfully as well - at The Potter's House Penketh.