Brass and banners

I've been to the market again today at Stoneleigh Park (I do like it over there), but I didn't buy anything, however, my dad did buy 4 new chickens and they are settling in well. The girls are also laying eggs like they are going out of fashion and I have had a basket outside the front of the house with a little honesty box for people to leave their money!

I expect to be baking in the next couple of days so I will have some recipes to share, I haven't decided what to bake yet but I can guarantee that it will be very tasty. I made a simple tea tonight of plaice, peas and potatoes, the potatoes were fresh out of the ground and let me tell you they were delicious! As it was a nice evening we were able to eat outside again which was a bonus, I have a feeling that will be the last time this week though as the weather looks quite unsettled for the rest of the week.

We are having a quick trip to David's home town of Durham City at the weekend for the 127th Durham Miners' Gala (also known as The Durham Big Meeting), it's a wonderful occasion, very colourful, and full of nostalgia - lets hope we get a nice day as we are really looking forward to it.

I've posted a link to a story about the Gala that appeared on the BBC website today, and also a couple of photos from the Gala in 2005 (which is the last one I went to).

Chilean miners will visit 127th Durham Miners' Gala

Me in front of the Trimdon Grange Colliery banner

The Lumley 6th pit Lodge banner marches through the Market Place

The brass bands and colourful banners are quite a spectacle and if you have an interest in the mining industry then you should definitely visit Durham for the Gala, and why not go and see Billy Elliot the musical as well next time you are in London, you'll love it!

Cindy xx

Pimm's o' clock

Well that was a busy and interesting week, lots of fruit picked, lots of flowers planted, and a few jugs of Pimm's consumed (I do like a drop of Pimm's!). I was up early this morning and went straight over to the plot so I could pick a large basket of fresh, juicy strawberries. That's because I had agreed to help my sister Sally with the village school fete, and I had only been asked to run the Pimm's stall ... what a great job for the afternoon!

The strawberries were to go into the Pimms, so I chopped them up with some fresh oranges and lemons, some cucumber, and of course some fresh mint from my plot. It was a beautiful day today so I expected to sell a lot of Pimm's and I wasn't disappointed, I sold the lot! The fete was well attended and everybody seemed to enjoy it, especially the kids as there was plenty for them to do, and I also won a coconut (I love fresh coconut).

Pimm's o clock

This afternoon we found a baby sparrow in the garden which was not strong enough to fly, and was not making enough noise to attract it's mother, we left it for a while but this evening it was sheltering under my lavender bush so we brought it in. David did a quick bit of research on the internet for some tips then we were able to feed it with some crushed up meal worms mixed into a paste, and make a nest for it in an old shoe box. It has settled down for the night now, and seems OK, so we'll keep it warm and feed it again in the morning and fingers crossed it will soon be strong enough to fly.

I'm still sat outside in the garden with David as it's such a lovely evening, and we are listening to the boxing on the laptop, it's so nice to be outside as we spend too much time cooped up indoors during the winter when it's dark and wet. Let's hope we can have a prolonged spell of nice weather and then we can all have a few more nice evenings in the garden.

Cindy xx

Cherries and some new chickens

I've gone a bit mad with the photos in this blog, and the first one is of some of the lovely fresh cherries and gooseberries that I picked earlier today, I think it's time for me to make some cherry pie! I'm picking cherries everyday now and if I can stop eating them then I will definitely make a pie (or two) before the weekend. 

Freshly picked fruit from my plot - do I get some commission David for my AGA product placement?

Since my last entry on Friday I have been rather busy, and I had a very enjoyable trip to London on Saturday to see The Wizard of Oz at the Palladium with the family, it was amazing, we had great seats and it gets 10 out of 10 from me!

The Palladium

Sunday was glorious, and we had our first real taste of summer, it was also a day of rest after all of the walking on Saturday, although I did find time to rustle up a little something for lunch using a couple of pieces of Dexter sirloin steak.

Dexter sirloin with all the trimmings

On Monday I went to market as Annette & Gavin were taking some geese to sell, I loved it, it was over at Stoneleigh Park, and not only did Gavin treat me to breakfast, but I came home with 2 new Rhode Island red chickens as well ... they are settling in nicely!

There is lots to do on the plot and the rest of the week will be busy, although I will be sneaking off to meet David for a coffee at lunchtime tomorrow.

Cindy xx