Lockdown Activities

It's a struggle coping without your family and friends. This is something that most people are experiencing at the moment worldwide. I have been keeping in touch with friends and family in many different ways. This includes telephone, letter, food parcels, Whatsapp groups, Zoom sessions including book club and a family quiz. I also through my church have a group of people that I periodically ring, the oldest of these being 102!

Today my family has taken things a step further with a Lockdown Family Bake Off. This was led by Farmer Daughter. We were given a recipe for a Victoria Sponge and had to make it and present photos by 5pm. So we all set to work in our kitchens baking away. Luckily we all had enough flour. I have recently purchased a 16kg bag from Amazon so I shan't be running out for a while!

A few adaptions had to be made along the way if ingredients weren't available. There is no popping down the shops for individual items during lockdown! I had no cream so made butter icing and no strawberries so found a few cake decorations.

  

Farmer Husband was on hand to sample my offering!

Throughout the baking we were in contact via demonstration videos and photos.

The finished product was photographed and submitted to Farmer Daughter. They were then forwarded on anonymously to one of her friends for judging. Obviously judging was entirely on looks and presentation.

A Zoom session was called to give the results.

The fun was definitely in the participation but I have to admit that I won with my niece as a close second. I'm not sure I really deserved it but I think the addition of a serviette and cup of tea in the picture may have helped!

A Close Up on Tulips

Most of the tulips are now nearly over but they have given a great display. Farmer Daughter bought quite a few for her garden ( our old garden!) and she chose quite a few unusual ones. I have already posted a few but if you are anything like me you won't tire of seeing a few more.

This first one is particularly curious.

Some are frilly.

This one appeared as a bit of a rogue. It was one variegated in a packet of plain purple but I think it's rather pleasant.

Then some are a bit wonky!

These red ones at the top of our drive reappear every year.

Any favourite?

Avoiding the Showers

Fortunately by the time I set out for a walk yesterday the rain had briefly stopped and the strong breeze had dried everything off. Farmer Daughter had not been so lucky earlier in the day. She had decided to cycle to the Post Office which is several miles away and was caught in a hail storm!

This photo shows the beginning of my regular circuit which I walk with Poppy particularly when I am short of time.

It leads out to some arable feeds where she can run around. The potato ground is on the right here. Not a brilliant photo but it shows that the rain has encouraged the growth of grass and weeds. The trick now is to get out there and spray off the weeds before the seed potatoes begin to shoot.

I usually cut through this short patch of woodland. There is a public path through it. It's not easy to see because the rain and wind has blown the cow parsley over.

I think this is Blackthorn in flower.

Poppy definitely enjoyed the long cow parsley.

This ash tree in an arable field frequently appears on my blog.

Then it was out across the sheep field with the neighboiur's dairy cows behind. You can also see the Mendips on the sky line.

The horses happily graze alongside the sheep.

A lovely old oak tree in the corner of the field.

The next field is also lined with trees just coming into leaf.

There is also quite a lot of gorse in the hedge dating back to when both of these fields were originally scrub land. They were reclaimed by Farmer Husband's parents.

Finally it's back across another sheep field.

The farm house and a cup of tea are now in sight.

A Rain Refresh

The weather is something that as a nation we have a reputation for talking about quite a lot. It is certainly preferable to the other topic of conversation which we are all currently talking about at. Well I am currently sitting in our lovely Breakfast Room as it gradually becomes dark. The wind is whistling around and the rain is pattering on the windows. What a difference to just a few days ago! 

It has been raining on and off for the last two days which quite honestly we need. The garden and the fields are looking much better for it. I did manage to get out for a walk late afternoon in the dry. Everywhere was looking suitably refreshed.

Suddenly there is an array of different greens. The wild garlic is still everywhere and the bluebells too.

There are more Cow Slips out in Holey Ground.

This Red Campion was looking particularly bright and breezy.

A walk around the farm is definitely a real tonic and I hope you will find it so too.

A Close Up Look at Spring

It ia lovely to see so many different flowers as Spring progresses. I have remembered to take my camera with me on a few walks and particularly to take my telephoto lens so I now have a few photos to share with you to help raise your spirits.

Wild garlic or Ramsoms as it is also known grows profusely in our woods. It has a very distinctive onion smell which is particularly evident as you step on the leaves as you walk through it. I remember as a child picking some to add to my flower press for my pressed flower collection. It nearly stank the whole house out! 

The leaves are currently popular to eat in salads. A local vegetable box delivery service were adding them to their boxes. I have a pretty good idea what Farmer Husband would say if I added garlic leaves to his dinner plate!

Then there are of course lots of bluebells, hopefully only the English Bluebell and not the Spanish variety which is infiltrating a lot of woodland.

The beautiful delicate wood anemone which is found in many ancient woodlands. Not the easiest to photograph.

Damper darker parts of the woodland have a variety of different ferns emerging.

I have recently mentioned the cowslip which favours unfertilised, undisturbed meadowland. It grows liberally in our field called Holey Ground, name because of it's many dips from past surface quarrying, not a religious connotation. This pasture is on part of the farm that is not cut or grazed until later summer to encourage the growth of wild flowers and grasses. It is consequently a haven for butterflies in the summer.

There quite a lot of violets around. These are more than likely the Common Dog Violet again very small and tricky to photograph. These were fortunately on a sunny bank so easy to capture.

Just Emerging

Outside my kitchen window on the wall we have an old stone trough which we have planted with Alpines and succulents. I showed some photos of some of the plants in this post from last year. It is looking a little sparse at the moment but everything is just beginning to wake up.

The flowers are really quite small. A few gentian flowers emerging.

I had forgotten until I saw on my old blog post that I bought this pink one in Cornwall last year I think at Trerice House. 

There are some house leeks that are struggling along and then a couple more succulents. This yellow one is grown from a piece of a plant in an arrangement that my younger daughter was given in a graduation present.

I'm hoping for a lot more growth over the summer.