Pairs: A Change of Light

Today to join in with Helena's Pairs I have chosen a series of pictures that I took at sunrise and then paired them up with a similar shot taken later in the day. We have been lucky to have some beautiful sunrises lately and some crisp bright days.

Frosty!

Yesterday was the first real frosty morning of the winter. It was a need to scrape the car kind of day and I was glad that it was not my turn to do the school run. Instead I sneaked outside in my dressing gown to take some sunrise pictures and while I was there a few frosty ones too. It was very evident in the vegetable garden.

Many gardeners will tell you that certain vegetables taste better for a good frost on them. Is this an Old Gardener's Tale?

Socks was busy watching my activity at this early hour of the day.

Meanwhile Margot was well wrapped against the cold and had some haylage to eat until the frost was gone. It is said that frosted grass is not good for horses.

Me on Monday: A Mixture of Happenings

Another weekend has passed by and I am waving to Sian at From High in the Sky and all the other Monday bloggers on this crisp bright Monday morning. I can't say that the weekend has been exactly quiet and uneventful. Friday evening found me returning from a visit to see my parents to find I had made a bit of a mistake. I had made a quantity of Leek and Potato soup for a charity event on Saturday. It was only when I came to blend it that I realised I had added double the amount of liquid needed........ So early Saturday morning was spent cooking more vegetables to add to it. Result a LARGE amount of soup!

Saturday morning was also a time for stories to be told. It seems that while we slumbered the other half of the farm (my brother in law and family) were busy pursuing intruders. They had returned late to find a suspect car in the road and then spotted the intruders hiding in the drive. The suspect car was hemmed in, the police called and fortunately nothing has gone missing. Their technique for hiding reminds me a bit of children hiding by sticking their head under a blanket.

It was all go on Saturday. I went off with my soup to the Winter Warmer lunch at the church to serve soup and puddings and to do endless washing up. The girls meanwhile went off to market to see older daughter's cattle being sold. They were sold as store cattle which means that someone will buy them to do the final fattening up to make them finished cattle. She was very happy with their sale and is looking forward to the cheque! Here they are being sold taken by younger daughter. Older daughter can be seen stood by the auctioneer on the right while he takes the bids.

Saturday evening was a time for us old ones to take it easy while the girls were out socialising. It was not surprising that I awoke on Sunday with a banging headache so I treated myself to a bit of a lie in till 8am! There was a frost overnight and the day was bright so it was outside to shift my headache and take a few snippets in the sunshine. Leaves clinging on but only just.

Beech hedge

And cherry tree.

Then back to the kitchen to prepare and eat roast pork with sage and caramelised onion yorkshire pud    before getting out in the garden to work it all off! I managed an hour or so of gardening while younger daughter rode her pony. Her new riding socks which have recently arrived in the post from her cousin Lauren certainly helped to keep her toes warm as the day chilled off.

                  

Meanwhile older daughter sorted lambs with the boys ready for another trip to market today. That should be another cheque coming all being well! It makes all the hard work worthwhile and this one will be to share between our two girls and their cousins who all own the sheep.

So the week is starting bright with another wonderful sunrise. I nipped out in my dressing gown to take this one.

Wishing you all a good week.There is a birthday treat ahead for two in the family tomorrow and yet another birthday coming up too. Guess who it is this time!

Berries

The pyracantha is covered in berries this year.

                                     

They give a vivid orange colour. Unfortunately most of them are on the field side of the wall rather than the garden. The cotoneaster along with the winter jasmine is also giving a good show.

Memories from a Photo

I am joining in an idea created by Louise H at Life in the Scrap Lane. She took an old family photo and drew old memories from it.

I have chosen a photo taken at the bottom of our garden with my mum and brother. That's me in the front and my brother peeping round mum's head. I wonder if my sister took the photo with the little Brownie camera I had.

We moved to this house when I was five and the bottom part of the garden remained fairly untamed for some time. We had an Elder tree in this wild area long before anyone thought of making their own elderflower cordial but my uncle did come and pick them for Elderberry wine. We children were far more interested in the small "den" we made under the roots of the tree. 

This area was our jungle where we played for hours. No computers and iPhones for us! There were old creepers hanging from the trees which we would swing on and play Tarzan! I was the middle one so had the privileged position (not that I thought it at the time) of having an older sister and younger brother 2 years and 4 months apart from me. What amazing family planning that was mum! I therefore had two great playmates. 

My sister and I spent HOURS excavating the garden when we first moved there. The house was new and the garden in the process of being developed. We had an amazing stash of pieces of china and clay pipes. We were going to make our fortune. We would piece these valuable items back together and sell them! Imagine our horror when mum threw the whole lot out!

We made the most exotic perfume from rose petals collected around the garden. Only ones that had tumbled off, never shaken from the bushes or pulled off of course (don't tell mum!). We stored our fragrance in bottles in the shed. Alas within weeks it sadly turned to the aroma of rotten cabbages. Bang went another opportunity to make our fortune!

My brother and I often made camp fires. I think we were a little older by then. We collected piles of stinging nettles to make a gourmet dish to eat. We boiled them up but we're not over impressed by our smokey spinach.

Focusing back on the photo I smile to see mum's anorak.

She and dad had virtually matching anoraks that they both wore for years and years. Both navy and padded. If you look closely you can see mum is holding her glasses in her hand. Mum wore glasses for as long as I can remember but off they came when the camera came out!

My brother Andrew is waving something which I can't identify. I would guess it was a toy. A car or something similar. He always had some kind of toy next to him on the dinner table or not far away. He hasn't changed today except that nowadays it's the latest gadget!

Happy carefree days in a wonderful safe environment. How lucky we were to have what many children today just don't experience.

The Test

Something that all cattle farmers are anxious about is the TB Test. This is carried out annually in most high risk areas then in addition to this there may be extra tests if it is judged that any animals have been in close contact with any outbreaks. It is also necessary for cattle to be tested before they move off the holding. It is time for older daughter to sell some of her cattle so this week these cattle had a test.

The test is done one day and then the results read 3 days later. Fortunately all the cattle were negative. It can be a serious matter for farmers if they are unable to sell their stock due to a positive reading.

She can now sell the cattle at market.

A Bit of Colour for the Tables

Some time ago I had rather rashly offered to help with a monthly lunch for the elderly held in a local church hall "if they are ever stuck". Back in May I was asked to help out as the organiser has a serious illness. Within a month I was 'in charge'. Each month between us we cook a two course meal for approximately 30 people. 

Yesterday I raided the garden for a little bit of cheerfulness to put on the tables. I am no flower arranger...

It's surprising what I could find even if it was a little weather beaten.

Hopefully we helped to brighten up their day. The ham and parsley sauce went down well with some good old roast potatoes from the farm. Nobody could resist the Bread and Butter Pudding either.