{ my december }

The quietest of months.

I wonder what next year will bring?

{ have a happy day }

{ my november }

I have been sitting here staring out of the window wondering how to sum up November. I'm failing miserably at finding the words. It was a month of being busy, but there were also moments of quiet. It was a month of feeling productive, and yet at the same time feeling that things had somehow stalled once more. My running mojo returned, my creative mojo seems to have disappeared. There have been days when Autumn felt it would stay forever, yet more recently it feels Winter has already arrived.

{ knitting }

The first few days of November were spent in a flurry of knitting and readying myself for my first festive market. Blankets were adorned with bobbles and beanie hats topped with pom poms. It was exciting and scary all at once, but I loved every minute of it.

{ selling }

The thrill of making my first sales was on a par with running my first Half Marathon. And anyone who knows me even slightly will know how much that meant to me. Life has taken over in a rather annoying way since the market and has meant that the long planned Etsy shop is not quite up and running yet, though an afternoon spent photographing these, now finished, beanie hats sparks a glimmer that it may not be too long. 

{ hibernating }

I have enjoyed being a bit of a home bird this month. Autumn days are made for hibernating at home, keeping cosy under blankets, and making the most of the dark mornings, and nights, by lighting the many candles dotted around the house.

{ feeling festive }

Whilst you will never find me even contemplating putting the decorations up until December is well under way, I have been enjoying a few Christmas markets that have started to make me feel all festive. The Paperdoll's Handmade Market on Saturday was particularly lovely, and keep an eye out for a blog post coming very soon. In the meantime I will leave you with these beautiful blooms bought from Bloom Collective, soon to be turned into a wreath, and decorations for gifts.

And so, onto December.

{ have a happy day }

{ my august }

And so the year continues to fly along at a frightening pace. It may be a little too soon to mention the C word, but go on, admit it, you've had a few thoughts already haven't you? 

August has been a slightly strange month. I've been wrapped up in cardigans and contemplating all sorts of lovely autumnal things, and yet, isn't this supposed to be the height of summer. And then, all of a sudden, we get the most gorgeous Bank Holiday weekend weather, all blue skies and sunshine, and we feel silly in our cardigans, until just as suddenly as it appeared it disappears again, and I don't feel so bad returning to all those autumnal musings again.

{ knitting }

Thankfully this un-summery weather is perfect for sitting knitting cosy big blankets, and snug as a bug bobble hats, so for that I am most grateful. No sign yet of anything for sale, but this month has been far more productive than others, and we are getting closer to popping a few things up on Etsy.

I had some lovely reactions to my knitted wallhangings when they were posted on Instagram, and they've been a lovely way to use up left over yarn, and are a lot quicker to knit than those cosy big blankets.  I have one more waiting to be blocked and hung, and once I have a few more ends of balls left I'll be knitting a few more.

I can't wait to show you those snug as a bug hats I've been working on. Super snuggly and cute, and perfect for those autumn days that are already knocking on the door.

{ eating }

The extremes of this month was perhaps most evident in what I ate.  I finally ventured into the garden and tackled the greenhouse, which had started to resemble Sleeping Beauty's castle.  On the upside to this was a lovely haul of blackberries growing amongst the brambles.  I have a new found respect for anyone who goes foraging each year for blackberries.  The deliciousness of the blackberries made up for the numerous scratches and prickles, though I may stick to buying my fruit from the farm shop.

August is a birthday month in our family, with my Dad's on the 9th, and my Mum's falling on Bank Holiday weekend.  Traditionally a homemade birthday cake is made for all family birthday's, and as my Dad is rather partial to dark chocolate this year's cake was a Chocolate Mud Cake.  Filled with raspberry jam, rather than the ganache, and topped with flowers it was handed over with much love, and eaten with much enjoyment.

And whilst there has been plenty of summer berries, there has also been plenty of soup and stew making.  It seems wrong to be wanting comforting bowls of soup and stew, but I'll take being warm over eating salads just because it's summer.  My go-to favourite soup is a spicy butternut squash and carrot, topped with chilli roasted seeds, though I think perhaps I need to extend my soup repertoire this autumn and winter, so any suggestions and favourites are welcomed.

{ visiting }

It really has been a month of home sweet home for me, the only exception being an outing to Hay on Wye.  It had been year's since I had been, though it's an annual trip for my book loving parents. I'd forgotten quite how many bookshops there are, but also how many vintage and antique shops too.

Khoollect's wanderlust post on Hay provided some useful tips on where to brunch and lunch, in particular the great cafe at the back of Richard Booth's Bookstore and Cinema.  I breakfasted there with the yummiest selection of breads which turned a simple breakfast of toast and blackcurrant jam into something just that little bit more.  The Old Electric Shop was an eclectic mix of loveliness for you and for your home, supporting local artists and makers, also with a rather lovely cafe at the front of the shop. 

If you haven't been, and have even a passing interest in books then pop it on the list of places to visit next year.

September is off to a super busy start with a weekend full of musing over The Trouble with Goats and Sheep at The Little Book Club, and meeting the makers at the Quartermasters Market in the Jewellery Quarter, and at Pop Up + Hustle over at Tur Langton.  After which I'll be staying home as I'll have probably spent all my money at those two lovely events!

{ have a happy day }

{ my june }

June has been a somewhat puzzling month. We've had the most glorious of sunshine, yet also had some grey, drizzly, wet and windy days. It felt as if Summer had arrived, then left as quickly as she came. It has not been the super productive month I'd hoped it would be. Perhaps next month, instead of hoping for a super productive month, it might be better to plan and prepare for a super productive month. Then again, I do like to feel I'm doing my best to support the #slowliving mantra so popular at the moment.

{ blooming }

The mix of sunshine and showers has proved a winning combination for the garden, and I've tried my best to fill this month with as many flowers as possible. The peonie season is short but oh, so sweet and the blooms lingered for many many days, brightening many corners of my home, as I couldn't resist moving them to places I could enjoy them most throughout the day. My garden is more of a haven for wildflowers than anything else, but I've enjoyed pottering around my mum and dad's garden, tending to their geraniums, and whispering words of encouragement to the stocks seedlings, so tentatively planted by my dad, who believes he never succeeds with anything grown from seed. Happy to report the stocks are thriving and proving him wrong.

{ reading }

The second meeting of The Little Book Club discussed The Little Paris Bookshop. Unfortunately the overwhelming feeling was a book which promised much, yet disappointed. I enjoyed it in parts, loving the descriptions of Paris and the journey the book takes down to Provence, yet the story seemed one of too many different story lines, ones that never quite came together. Earlier in the month I'd read The Bookshop, by Penelope Fitzgerald.  A much gentler, slower read, set on the East Anglian coast, telling the  story of Florence Green, who, despite opposition from most of the town, decides to open a bookshop. It has one of the saddest last lines I've ever read, but was a wonderful short read. I'm currently intrigued by the going's on in Peyton Place. Set in New Hampshire, it tells of small town life, of the secrets and hypocrisy that takes place.

{ painting }

The knitting has been put to one side for now, as a little design work has trickled in over the last few weeks. It's so lovely when a client wants a print or design that is hand worked, and it's been the perfect excuse to dig out the watercolour paints and paintbrushes, and sit quietly painting, instead of the usual pen, tablet and laptop.

{ picking }

As well as the flowers blooming, June has been a month for the Summer fruit and vegetables to ripen ready for picking.  Broad beans freshly podded, were enjoyed in a Summer salad, and tayberries, or loganberries, we can't quite decide which, have been enjoyed with a simple dollop of yogurt on top. After finding a local PYO farm, strawberries were picked and quickly made into jam, and the beginnings of a strawberry wine, with a few making their way into a cake, drizzled with champagne, to form a rather delicious, edible, Strawberry Bellini.

I'm not sure if I should make any promises for July.  At the moment it looks a rather quiet month, though it has the loveliest of starts with the Derbyshire Summer Market, hosted as always by Fabulous Places. After that, we shall have to wait and see what the month brings.

{ have a happy day }

{ my march }

Once again at the end of a month.  One of the interesting things about documenting your life through Instagram, is that you realise how much you do.  If you'd have asked, I would have described March as another quiet month, mostly spent at home.  Then I look back, almost in surprise, at what the month held.  

{ planning }

After a few months feeling in limbo with my work, this month was a month of decision making and planning.  lily&Bloom was finally given the makeover I'd been promising it for far too long, and I'm looking forward to seeing what new clients may come forward this year.  The plan, for a very long time, has been to develop something of my own alongside this.  Lists have been made, so many ideas talked about,  ideas I've talked myself out of as quickly as I've talked myself in to.  To the point, where I was, in all honesty, driving myself to distraction.  Until earlier this month, when something, The thing, seemed to fall into place.  It's still very early days, but the month has been full of business planning, research, and most exciting of all, buying things ready to start designing and sampling.  It still feels too early to divulge too much, but safe to say, the knitting needles and yarn just might be a bit of a clue.

{ baking }

Bread, bread, and a bit more bread.  This may have been the month where Spring sprung, but I can't quite break my habit of soup for lunch, not just quite yet.  And neither can I break my habit of a slice of freshly baked bread to go with that soup.  Or with the freshly made rhubarb and ginger jam.  I also tried my hand at Cardamom Knots, which weren't quite the success I was hoping for.  A little more practice needed there I think.

I usually bake something for my mum for Mother's Day, and this year I delved into my childhood baking memories, to bake a batch of Rock Cakes.  A cross between a scone and a cake, not quite one, not quite the other, we'd spotted them in the window of a bakery in Bath the day before Mothering Sunday.  They may not be the prettiest, or most difficult bake, but they are super quick to make, and to bake, and in the words of my Dad, very very moreish.  

{ reading }

One more month of kitchen delights in Nigel Slater's Kitchen Diaries.  Somewhat serendipitously he shared a recipe for banana bread, in a week where I happened to have banana's blackening nicely in the fruit bowl.  Sometimes the universe gives you a sign, and that week the sign was to bake Chocolate Chip Banana Bread.  Thankfully, for my waistline at least, this weeks sign seems to be to make his Lentil & Spinach Cottage Pie, a recipe I'd found a few years ago on-line, and have loved ever since.  I think that should help redress the balance of all that banana bread eating.  Well that, and a fair few miles of running!

As one of the things on my Fifty before 50 list is to read all Agatha Christie's novels, I felt I'd better start to make headway on those many many books.  So this month's reading began with The Secret Adversary, the novel is Agatha's second, and the first to feature Tommy & Tuppence.  After reading so many novels written in more recent years, what struck me most reading this, was how the writing, language and general tone, was so of it's time, and so very different from today.  And completely different to my next book, Jenny Diski's In Gratitude.  Written by Diski following her diagnosis with incurable cancer, the book is part diary, part memoir, part musings and thoughts of hers, though is mostly about the time she spent living with the author Doris Lessing.  Whilst not a particularly upbeat read, it's intriguingly honest and has made me curious to read more of both hers, and Doris Lessing's books.

{ visting }

Catching up with friends I'd not seen in a while meant an opportunity to try a couple of new places.  Middleton Hall, on the outskirts of Tamworth, and Gorilla Coffee Cafe, in King's Heath, saw my friends and I trying to put the world to rights over several cups of coffee.  Gorilla Coffee in particular, is now on my list of favourite coffee shops to escape to / read books in / take my laptop to / just sit and watch the world go by in.

And then, the start of all the lovely Spring fairs & markets.  First there was the Spring Market, hosted by Fabulous Places, at the Roundhouse, and last weekend, the Spring Fair, hosted by selvedge, in Bath. An opportunity to discover new makers, and revisit old favourites, buying a few lovely bits and pieces for me and the house.

Looking forward to a couple more Spring Fairs in April, not to mention copious amounts of Easter bunnies, chocolate, chicks and eggs.  And a little more of that lovely Spring sunshine.  Oh, and possibly a bit of knitting.

{ have a happy day }

{ my february }

One more day of February to go.  A month of wonderful contradictions;  snow showers, spring flowers, gloomy days, rainbow days, happy days, not so happy days.  If January felt a quiet month, then the silence of February has been truly deadening, and at times I've felt, almost, hermit like in my contentment to stay home.  I'm sure this will change once Spring starts to show her face, if only to entice me out into the garden, to tidy away the Winter weeds and to make plans of flowers, fruit and vegetables to grow.  

But, that will not be for a little while yet, so back to the sweetly short month of February.

{ buying }

I can't resist the small bunches of tulips and daffodils on my local flower stall.  Not too expensive, they've become an affordable, weekly treat.  Buying the tightly budded daffodils and watching them bloom overnight, they never fail to make me smile as they greet me in my office each morning.  Their season may be short but sweet and I'll be making the most of it whilst it lasts.

{ baking }

Whilst there might be signs of Spring in those beautiful blooms, in reality the wind, rain, storms Doris & Ewan, are a reminder that it is still Winter.  And that has been reflected in this month's baking and cooking.  Soups are still my go-to lunch, particularly when there's a homemade loaf of bread in the pantry.  My favourite this month has been a Roasted Tomato Soup, Colm's Soup, from What Katie Ate.  Tomato's are roasted with slivers of garlic and a slight sheen of olive oil, for a couple of hours, filling the house with a wonderful aroma, and you will be tempted to skip the soup and just pile those tomato's on slices of toasted sourdough for a wonderfully simple bruschetta.  So, roast a few extra and enjoy that bruschetta whilst your soup slowly simmers for another hour or so, then enjoy your soup, topped, as Katie suggests, with { a few more } slices of sourdough, topped with slices of goat's cheese.  Comfort food, that also counts as a few of your five { or is it ten now ? } a day.

Speaking of comfort food, a surfeit of bread, left over from some meditative bread making, led me to make some mini bread & butter puddings for this month's Bumpkin Betty Baking Club.  Topped with a slice of blush orange, that caramelised wonderfully in the oven, they were then drowned in home made custard.  A proper pudding to make you feel all warm & fuzzy inside.  In balance to this mini indulgence, I'm still enjoying an equally comforting, and slightly healthier, bowl of porridge most mornings.  I think I will forever be grateful to whoever decided that porridge deserved to be pimped with a myriad of toppings.  Amongst my favourites this month, a seasonal baked pear, on top of cinnamon spiced oats, with a good dollop of greek yogurt and a scattering of chopped pistachios.

{ reading }

Continuing my reading of Nigel Slater's Kitchen Diaries, whose marmalade making partly inspired the addition of oranges to my mini bread puddings, and whose virtuous stew of mushrooms and spelt made me feel I could justify the said mini bread pudding.  I've several more February recipes bookmarked to try as soon as I can, particularly his recipe for Butter Beans with Mustard & Tomato, eager to see if this can better my current go-to baked bean recipe.

I finished "Tony and Susan", though after a good start, I felt it floundered in the middle, and for the first time I preferred the film over the book.  Happily, I'm now reading "The Green Road" by Anne Enright, one of those books that you carry everywhere, hoping to find a quiet few minutes to read a little more.  The story of an Irish family, a fractured family, their individual  and collective stories, as they are scattered around the world, then brought back together by the selling of their family home. 

{ visiting }

Despite my hermit tendencies this month, there have been a couple of notable outings, both involving cake.  I think I have proven my love of cake, with the battling through Storm Doris, to make a return visit to H&F Vintage Tearooms in Chesterfield.  Luckily this gem of a tearoom is a convenient half way point between a friend and I, and has now become our regular meeting spot.  The fact that it has the most amazing cake selection is a wonderful added bonus.  You can read my review of the tearoom over on The Clandestine Cake Club, along with a few more tempting pictures of cake, afternoon tea, and all other sorts of loveliness.

And speaking of The Clandestine Cake Club, this was my other outing of the month.  My first as host of the Birmingham group, and held at the Creative Coffee Hub.  As with every other cake club event I've been to, it was a lovely couple of hours of cake, coffee, and lots of chit chat, and a general sense of putting the world to rights.  A medley of sweet inspired cakes saw a table heaving with Lemon Sherbet, Rhubarb and Custard, Cadbury Caramel, Crunchie, Jelly Baby and Liquorice cakes.  A lovely afternoon, but I'm thinking perhaps my March outings should be to something a little healthier, or at least something that feeds my soul, rather than my tummy.

Make the most of the last days of February.  I will be curled up on the sofa finishing my book and plotting those, slightly more healthy and soulful, March outings.

{ have a happy day }

{ hello February }

{ hello February }

. have a lovely day .

. hEllo nOvember .

{ we all have magic inside us }

hEllo nOvember

. welcoming the month { literally } with fireworks .

. spending time reflecting & remembering .

&

* whispers *

. starting to get think about christmas .

with

. visits to lOts of christmas markets .

. in a roundhouse . in the city . in a walled garden .

. have a mAgically hAppy dAy .

. hAppy fridAy .

. 1 . this weeks style crush . via . pepperPics .

. 2 . the cUtest conkers . via . happiestCamper . & . sogoodineveryway .

. 3 . i have sUch very talented friends . the darling doodles of heidi .

. 4 . the cUtest image . via . the OneJumperProject . 

. 5 . a Winter Play Date . by . Vanity's Edge . with . Fleur+Dot . { just lOve } .

. 6 . the Chicken Story Stories . the . Field Maple . by . a Bookish Baker . { just lOve } .

. 7 . moody & mysterious . cosy & comforting . gorgeous grey / gray .

. 8 . yAy . it's sweater weather .

. 9 . so . yAy . to these beautiful british made sweaters . via . Peregrine .

. & . finally . very tempted to try baking pumpkin pie for the first time .

{ you had me at gingersnap crust ForkKnifeSwoon ! } .

. have a hAppy dAy .

. sydnEy squAres . smAll cake No.28 .

when Bumpkin Betty announced that this month's baking theme was to be Family Favourites i had a feeling that it was going to be an interesting bake . i asked my family { mum . dad . & . little sister } what they thought our family favourite had been and everyone had a different answer which made me realise that a) as a family we are fairly fickle . b) our memories of our childhood years are all very different from each others .  & . c) it would appear that baked goods in general were our favourite . which answers the question of where i get my sweet tooth from .

i reached the conclusion that our true family favourite . the one that has remained a constant through the years was actually my mUm's Christmas Pudding . but . it's jUly . as much as i love christmas . & . as much as i love christmas pudding . i couldn't quite bring myself to start baking that just yet . 

i had a look through my mUm's lovely recipe books . the ones she collated & wrote in & stuck clippings in out of magazines . the ones that brought back such lovely memories of learning how to bake . the familiar sponge cakes . the lemon drizzle cake . caramel squares { two recipes for that ! } . my favourite cheesecake made with Philadelphia cheese that was topped with tinned apricot halves that we only ever seemed to have when people came to tea .

then i remembered the recipe box . Margueritte Patten's box of recipes . { published by Paul Hamlyn way back in 1967 } . my sister & i would spend hours flicking through this box . especially the Small Cakes & Biscuits Cards . & . one recipe in particular jumped out as one that we've talked about quite often .

Sydney Squares . my sister & i have long reminisced about this recipe . one that we remember firstly my mum, then as we learnt to bake, we would bake them too . but each time we go back to this recipe we aren't quite sure why we liked them so much . a slightly strange combination of a sweet pastry base . with a sultana filled sponge filling . topped with grated chocolate . i was convinced that we had been lulled into viewing this cake through those rose tinted glasses that you often remember your childhood through . however . it did seem that this might be The recipe for this months baking club . was this going to be as good as we remember . or . was it something that we'd finally put to bed as something best left in the 70's ?

i resisted changing too much from the original recipe . but . hadn't any sultana's { not my favourite } . & . decided to soak the raisins i replaced them with in a brew of chocolate & vanilla rooibos { not something i think you'd have found in my mum's pantry but there you go . . . } . but apart from that i made it as the original recipe .

so what did we think ?

i was so expecting to taste these & go . it's ok . but . i'm not sure why we liked them quite so much .

but .

they are so very oddly lovely . & . tasty . & . moreish . & . well . i ate two . &  then very quickly drove them over to my sister before i scoffed the lOt !

and her verdict ?

the same .

p.s. i'm still a little bewildered how a seemingly strangish combination of things should be as good as they were . but . they were !

it's been so lovely reading about everyone else's family favourites . & . the stories behind them . & . how many of us have such fond memories of baking with our mums .

. Jaclyn { aka . Bumpkin Betty } made a classic Chocolate Tiffin .

. Angela from Only Crumbs Remain baked a delicious looking Date Slice .

. Jennie of Scarlet Scorch Droppers made Chocolate & Vanilla Marble Cake baked in her mUm's kitchen for added nostalgia .

. the NineGrandStudent baked a beautiful Peanut Butter & Jam Bakewell Tart . 

&

. if you pOp over to the Baking Club's facebook page you can also drool over Catherine's Millionaire Shortbread . Nadine's Chocolate Hob Nobs . Linda's Battenburg . Caitlin's Peanut Butter & Honey Cake . Helen's classic Scones { with lots of lovely cream & jam } . Virginia's Blondies . & . Chloe's comforting Rice Pudding .

if you love baking & would like to bake along in aUgust then you can join the club here . & . you can read Jaclyn's lovely write up of last months " Free From " theme over on her blog .

. have a sweet and hAppy dAy .