Monday 30 September 2013

Weekend Stories - A collection











After our very traditional Sunday breakfast of B's pancakes now in their 8th year! we headed off to our local stream to forage and splash. We found hazelnuts, spotted dogwood berries, blackberries and elderberries. The rest of the day was spent at B's parents house where we picked conkers and played in the garden. My mother in law made a delightful nursery tea with apple pie, Victoria sponge, scones, little sandwiches, pickles and crisps, utter perfection.   

All of my photos from this weeks collection are from Sunday. Saturday I spent apart from my dear men, I rested after having my tooth removed earlier on in the week while B took them to our favourite park for the day.

Hoping your weekend was filled with happiness too



Sunday 29 September 2013

Autumn treasures






Today has been filled with all that autumn time has to offer, hazelnuts, conkers and beautifully sweet grapes given to us from my parents in laws neighbour.

Thursday 26 September 2013

Weekend Stories - A collection



 
 



 
 
B and I have been discussing lately the need for the boys to have dedicated Mummy and Daddy time, A asks for it regularly and J is always a bit more settled when his brother is elsewhere. So on Friday afternoon J and I headed into the city, I managed to grab a little "me" time and have my hair cut while J played on my iPhone and watch Padge my hairdresser perform a miracle as I had not had my hair cut for 9 months!! We then headed to the Bristol Museum for the last hour choosing to run to the dinosaur bones and go and visit A's favourite exhibit, the Giant Irish Deer. By 5pm our tummies were rumbling, we crossed the road and headed into Jamie's Italian for dinner.
 
B took A wild camping, had a campfire, hot dogs, coke! and went to bed late. The perfect Daddy time
 
The rest of the weekend we baked, ate pancakes, and walked round the Nibley Scarecrow festival stopping for cream tea. Such a happy weekend and one I really do cherish
 
 

Monday 23 September 2013

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Jasper - Blackberry picking again! this time with Grandma and Aunty Margaret. After school time with my little man

Asa - Sticks are still his number one!

Pizza




My family and I are pizza lovers, we love to visit our local pizza restaurant where the boys get to make their own while B and I chat lazily over cold fizzy drinks. I also love to make pizza for my family. I have tried several recipes over the years and have finally found a simple but great little one. The dough is soft and tasty and with a fresh zingy tomato sauce it epitomizes my favourite kind of pizza. You can make the tomato sauce ahead, I make double then freeze half.

Pizza dough
700 g strong white flour
1 rounded tea spoon salt
1 table spoon sugar
50 g butter
15 g packet (2 x 71/2g sachets) fast-acting yeast
3 table spoon olive oil, plus extra for brushing
350-400 ml lukewarm water
 
Place the flour, salt and sugar in a big mixing bowl. Rub in the butter, add the yeast and mix together. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, add the oil and most, but not all, of the warm water and mix to a loose dough. Add more water or flour, if needed.
 
Take the dough out of the bowl and let it sit on a lightly floured worktop, covered with a tea towel, for 5 minutes. Then knead the dough for 10 minutes or until it feels smooth and slightly springy. (You can also do this in a food mixer with the dough hook – it takes half the time. Let the dough relax for a few minutes again)
 
Place in an oiled bowl in fridge until ready to use. I make this quantity into 3 pizzas and use anything we have in the fridge. But my absolute favourite is figs and pancetta.
 
 






Tuesday 17 September 2013

Beauty





This past weekend we went to find the last of the blackberries, having found a perfect spot away from traffic and quiet enough for the boys to run around without me having to worry about where they were, I was in bliss. The berries were big and juicy, the biggest I have ever seen.

Walking back to the car we spotted a field, full of such beauty we stopped to admire it and soak it in. Pops of pink, yellow, green and blue with sunflowers smiling made for such a sight. We picked a few flowers heads to take home and enjoy.




Monday 16 September 2013

Weekend Stories - A Collection




Our weekend was full of my favourite things, simple pleasures and lots of family time. Den building, woodland walks, shooting bows and arrows, swimming, American pancakes, shepherds pie, home made pizzas, blackberry picking, flower picking, film nights, the occasional nap and lots of time with my favourite men. I even managed to do a little housework in between, cleaning the windows has really made the house so much brighter.

Friday 13 September 2013

September

I knew you were coming from the start of the summer
Showing yourself with the dulling of colour
Both my boys now at school
Counting down the days till they close the pool
Cheltenham college for me soon, getting ready to learn
The wood burner on, making my toes burn
Every leaf that falls slowly taking our summer away
For it's been the best year yet, how I wish it could stay


Hello September


 
 

Monday 9 September 2013

Learning

 
After a morning at school J and I scooted home. He tells me what he has been leaning and I tell him about my morning with year 5. He has learnt the letter S, what it sounds like and finds 26 S's on our journey. We've decided to challenge his brother to find them all on the way home this afternoon.
 
Natalie

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Asa - Year One! O love the way you already know what you love and enjoy. You are so thoughtful about what you do and how it makes others feel

Jasper - Reception! Water off a ducks back, you love Alex your buddy and look forward to seeing him everyday. Today you have leanred the letter "s" and found 26 on the way home

Sunday 8 September 2013

A memory





Today I spent a little time following my weekly routine of stripping and re-making all our beds, taking in the fresh linen smell as I pushed the edge of the sheets under the mattresses and held the pillows under my chin while I pulled the pillow cases up. I was thinking of my nan and how much I miss her, I remembered how she showed me the best way to put a duvet cover on when I was a young child and how we used to sit on my bed and talk then go and have digestives spread with butter. How I miss those days

Natalie






Saturday 7 September 2013

Preserve Preserve Preserve

 





This summer we have been bottling, jarring and freezing like little squirrels getting ready for winter. I get a deep satisfaction knowing our cupboards are full of jams & cordials, with the freezer holding tupperwares full of blackberries, cooked apples and strawberries for ice-cream.

Now September is upon us and I have just a little more time on my hands I think elderberry foraging is in order.

Natalie





Friday 6 September 2013

Fallen



The autumn leaves are falling, after heavy rains and winds during the night the soft green grass outside the school gates is now scattered with dry brittle leaves. As J crunched through them on his third day of school he asked me to look after the snail shell he had found. Then, I was alone again for a few hours with the precious treasure tucked away in my pocket ready for 3pm when I get my boys back for the weekend

Natalie
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