Further bean progress and garden

Hello again! Cor, I've been slacking on the blogging front for an age! Tsk tsk. I have, since my last post, started a new job, and by golly what little time a 5 day working week leaves you! However since then, the garden has sprung into bloom! In just over a month, the beans have really shot up and the garden is alive with bees, berries and herbs...

Sowing beans...

This afternoon I sowed my runner beans! The last time I grew beans was when I was a kid at school! Tsk tsk, so hopefully my first attempt since will be a success! Once they've grown big enough in their pots, I'll transfer them out into the garden and train them to grow up the trellis! I shall be documenting their progress...

Sam the Shepherd's Hut

Happy New Year everyone, I hope you all had a great one!! We very much enjoyed ours and I can now tell you where we decided to spend it - Sam, the Shepherd's Hut at The Old Forge Bed & Breakfast, Compton Abbas, Dorset.

Peace. And. Quiet. Wonderful!

Sam is a wonderful restored shepherd's hut, beautifully equipped with all the necessities - double bed, wood burning stove, table and chair, wine glasses, homemade rock cakes, lanterns and board games. At first we thought it was a bit mad to go at this time of year but once we got the fire going it was really warm and cosy inside.

Simon in Sam -

It was so nice being on the farm too, the Old Forge has free range black hens, 3 dogs, 2 horses and a donkey, Scrumpy Jack -

The breakfasts Lucy, the owner of Old Forge cooked were delicious and hearty. All ingredients are locally sourced, eggs from their hens, apple juice pressed from apples in their orchard and mushrooms, tomatoes, bacon and sausages (although being a veggie mine were just Quorn) from local organic farms. Lucy also makes her own marmalade and relishes, which were also delicious!!

Some more photos of Sam -

The views.

The inside.

Across the field from Sam is Rosie, a lovely old red wagon that is also available to rent out (if there are 2 couples, you can hire both the hut and wagon for a discount). You can see more photographs and read about it on the website, but I took a peek in just before I left - here it is!

Taxidermy

This weekend I discovered Walter Potter, a Victorian taxidermist from Sussex.

Here is The Kitten Tea Party!

20 Things To Do This Autumn

I saw this article in a local newspaper and thought it were great !!

20 things to do this Autumn -

1. Go apple picking
2. Make a leaf pile and jump into it
3. Buy or knit new jumpers and wear them
4. Start evening classes or teach yourself a new skill
5. Use cinnamon in your cooking
6. Go out into the woods for a walk and enjoy the colours of Autumn
7. Celebrate Halloween
8. Stay at home for Sunday roast
9. Fly kites
10. Wear big scarves and mittens
11. Wear thick, textured tights
12. Make hot chocolate
13. Carve a pumpkin
14. Then roast the seeds
15. Drink more tea to stay warm
16. Eat homemade soup for supper every night
17. Make hot mulled cider !! (my favourite)
18. Crack open the windows at night so you can bundle up under the duvets
19. Roast marshmallows on a bonfire
20. Wear wellies

Equinox Tide

Also whilst we were in Brittany, we were lucky enough to witness the Autumn equinox tides! The particular place where we were staying has the third most lowest tides in the world next to somewhere in Canada and the south of France! During the lowest tide we experienced (rated 116 on a sliding scale, with 120 being the lowest!!) we were able to pass several beaches and harbours. It was such a surreal feeling to be walking on what is the seabed, and all underwater for most of the year.

The locals also make the most of this time of year to walk out and dig or literally scrape (with rakes and claws) for all kinds of shellfish - scallops, razor clams and mussels. There were so many people out gathering and it was so amazing to see them all returning home with their bags and baskets full of their daily catch!

Some photos of our walk below - you can just about make out where the sea begins on the horizon!