Me on Monday: Around the Farm

               Morning everyone! Giving a wave to Sian and all the Monday bloggers.

                                

I hope everyone is safe and dry after this windy and for some very wet weekend. I am thinking this morning of all those poor people who have had their homes flooded . We are lucky here in the South West that we had very little rain.

The weekend started for us on Friday evening with a trip to the theatre. Every year we like to go and see the Christmas play at a small intimate theatre in South Bristol. The Tobacco Factory Theatre is based in an old building that was part of the Imperial Tobacco Company. This year the play is The Light Princess and is brilliantly performed by a small cast of about 7 energetic players who play several characters each. This was for me an unknown Scottish fairy tale but it is well worth a visit if you are anywhere near Bristol. Photo courtesy of their website.

Saturday morning was more of a rush than we had  intended with Younger Daughter having to get to school for an unexpected mock interview. She had been let down on Friday by her head of year ( the less about that the better) and her form tutor kindly offered to help out at short notice. All this being in preparation for the real thing this week. Her first University interview. 

It was therefore "several hands make light work" to get her pony a little tidied up before we left. She had only had minimal attention all week and was looking a bit muddy. I brushed while daughter did the more fiddly bits.

Then off Margot went into her field to try and find a bit more mud.....

Older Daughter took a bit of time off from her farm work to cook our lunch trying out the burger maker she had given me for part of my birthday present. Very good they were too!

Then it was time for a windy walk with Monty in search of photos.

As I mentioned on Saturday trying to find that Windy day photo was proving elusive. I came back with cold hands, a windswept hair do, unpleasant nose symptoms that I won't mention and lots of photos of everything and anything apart from the wind. I liked this one though of a fallen tree covered in little red feet marks from the sheep and other animals.

I came back to find that some of the rest of the family had been out Christmas tree searching in the woods. More about that tomorrow. Then it was texts and phone calls from younger daughter who had gone shopping in Bath with her boyfriend. They had left their car at my parents and travelled in by bus. Bath is extremely busy with the Christmas market and parking is a nightmare. All went well until the return journey. They had managed to get the correct bus number but in the wrong direction! So after a lengthy trip across Bath they eventually ended up back at the correct destination. My rural girls don't get a lot of exposure to public transport!

Sunday was a Roast Lamb lunch. Stollen making ( and sampling) and generally catching up on garden jobs day. Catching up on Strictly results. It is always at this stage that the public voting goes a little bizarre and this year is no exception. Being a Call the Midwife fan I was sorry to see Helen George voted off.

So here we are  back at Monday. Wishing everyone a good week with hopefully some better weather for all.

A Sunday Pud.

Last Sunday I tried out a new recipe that my mum had given me. I am always looking for different ways to use some of our store of apples. This new recipe is taken from a magazine although I am not sure exactly what one.

Upside-down apple and maple cake has a caramel topping made with sugar, maple syrup and then butter. 

In my haste I added the butter too early and had to fish it out until the caramel had been formed. Once the butter has been added  and melted the caramel is poured into a well greased cake tin. This is where I made mistake number two as I used too small a tin which I then realised at a later stage. The slices of apple are then arranged on the caramel before adding the cake mixture on top.

The cake mixture includes pecan nuts which not having any in the cupboard I omitted. It was when I added the mixture that I realised the tin was too small and so kept some mixture back.

The result was pleasing and certainly seemed to go down well.

5 in 5 : Late Afternoon Walk

The last few days have been quite busy and I had completely forgotten about Sandie's 5 in 5 until first thing this morning when I saw Helena's Post. I had nothing up my sleeve so this afternoon I went off for a walk camera in hand. I also had in mind perhaps some opportunities to find some pictures for Eileen and Joy's Winter Photo Hunt.

I stopped in one field to see what I could find.The weather was windy so ideal for No. 10 A Windy Day.  The walking was hard going against the wind. The grass was flattened and the trees were waving but I soon realised to actually depict the movement isn't going to be that easy. This wool was waving frantically in the breeze but it is barely noticeable in the photo.  I can see I will have to keep trying.

The low light made a remarkable difference depending on which way I pointed the camera. The lush green of the grass and this fallen tree.

Then looking the other way the silhouette of this Oak tree against the darkening sky.

The ewes had all grouped together and were keeping a close eye on me as passed by with Monty.

Meanwhile in the sky above the crows were making some final circles in the sky before it was time to roost. They frequently pass over the farm morning and evening coming and going from their roost.

It was good to get back inside with hopefully a few possibilities for the photo hunt.

Value for Money

I bought this Agapanthus called Charlotte in a local greengrocer's shop back in July or August for £1.99. It has flowered continually since then which I call good value for money. It throws up one flower after another unlike the other agapanthus I have which had all its flowers together. It may now be a little scruffy but it shows a variety of flowering stages.

I am planning on leaving it outside over the winter so fingers crossed that it survives.

Another Photo Hunt!

QExciting news! Eileen and Joy have launched their Winter Photography Scavenger Hunt so the search for photos is on!

These hunts are great fun so do think about joining in. Here is the list for this year.

1.   A robin redbreast

2.   Tinsel

3.   Outside lighting

4.   A star

5.   A snowman

6.   A puddle

7.   Berries and/or nuts

8.   A wreath

9.   A tree that has lost all its leaves

10.  A windy day

11.  Your favourite pudding

12.  A fancy button

13.  Street art

14.  Afternoon tea

15.  Candle light

16.  A chimney

17.  A ladder

18.  An arrow

19.  A fountain

20.  Cutlery

21.  Your own handwriting (this one is compulsory and cannot be substituted)

If you find any of the above hard to get you may substitute one or both of the subjects below, except No. 21 which is compulsory.

Alt A  A supermarket trolley or basket, filled with shopping

Alt B  An animal statue

Alt C  Metal railings  

So why not make a start straight away?

I think No. 7 is an interesting combination. There are lots of berries around but nuts? Not sure of my chances of finding some outside so here is a start from the supermarket.

Then while I am in the supermarket here is Alternative A. My shopping trolley.

Everyone is always very interested in my trolley which I find mildly irritating. I get a lot of comments on how full it is. Do I have a large family? Am I having a party? The answer is no I just save up my visit and only shop every 2 to 3 weeks. 

So who has spotted it? Yes you are right that is some ready made puff pastry hiding between the kiwis and the paracetamol! 

Have fun every one joining in and I look forward to seeing all the results.

Pairs: Tree ZIZO

I had noticed some beautiful young trees when I was walking down the path to the chapel hall where I help with the lunch for the local elderly. When I returned a few days later for the soup lunch I made sure I had my camera with me. I was lucky. It was a beautiful sunny morning.

I could see an ideal subject for Helena's Pairs. These little crab apple trees were laden with shiny orange fruit. Just right for a zoom in and out. I am afraid I have as usual broken the rules with a middle shot too but I couldn't resist it!

Zoom In

Zoom Out a Little 

Zoom Out Some More!

I don't think they have been there very long. They will look lovely as they grow and I shall certainly be keeping my eye on them!

Apples and Plums

Doesn't it seem a long time since this fruit was on the trees? Yet it really is only a matter of months.

These photos were actually taken a couple of years ago and although I had an abundant crop this year the quality was actually better when these were taken.

I found this photo when I was searching through my files which I thought would amuse you. Definitely a picture of Monty being Monty!

Now that there is not much fruit around I tend to rely on some of my stored fruit for some good old winter warmer puddings. The apples I have stored in an outside building but a lot of the plums are in the freezer. I freeze them whole in bags and then just fish some out when I need them. I don't defrost them but just pop them in the dish as they are. A favourite is plum and apple where the apple nicely compliments the plums.

Even though the plums are frozen and the apples are fresh I just put the topping on and cook. I do like to add some oats to the crumble after the rubbing in stage. It makes a good texture and somehow makes it feel a little more healthy even if it isn't.

Whoops! I didn't manage to photograph this one before it was tucked into. Bon Appetit!