Time To Stand And Stare

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

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...

Seedy bread

My friend Chloe has been raving about the above book for a while and I am always excited to see what she has been rustling up from it. For my birthday back in April, she presented me not only with my very own copy, but also a delicious lemon drizzle cake that she had baked from the book!

Yesterday I tried my hand at baking this seedy (cumin / fennel) loaf...


Click for larger image of recipe...


I would definitely recommend this recipe to anyone! I'm now enjoying it for breakfast! Mmm!!!

Further bean progress...

Bean progress...

The bean patch...

At the weekend we prepared the patch in the garden for to grow the beans in. It started off as a messy, forgotten about corner... So we cut back the surrounding bushes and pulled out the weeds... Dug in and turned and loosened the soil... Created a boundary from old bricks... Filled the bed with new compost... Fixed some garden string for the beans to grow up... All ready for the beans to go in!


I have to admit, we got a little impatient and bought one (ready for planting out) bean from the local Farmer's Market and popped him in, so he's just waiting for the others to join!


But here's how the beans from seed are coming along in their pots! They've literally just pushed up through the soil over night! Just a little way to go yet before they're ready for planting out! Exciting!

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...

Textiel Museum

Whilst in Tilburg, we also visited the Textiel Museum which is housed in a wonderful old wool mill that dates from the late 1880's.


The building houses a fully restored steam engine that dates from 1906 which was used in a nearby blanket factory and is still in good working order today (although now powered electrically.) Originally the engine would have been used to power the blanket weaving machines in the factory by a network of shafts and cogs. It was so lovely to watch and hear it working and clicking away.


In addition to all the old machines and examples of how fabrics and blankets would have been made in the past, the museum is also working one and is still used for modern textile making. There is a 'Textiel Lab' at the back of the main building where new fabrics and ways of weaving, embroidering, printing, knitting and dyeing are still being discovered. Anyone can book in to use the machines and there are a number of technicians on hand to help. There are also a variety of courses and workshops available from their 'Textiel Academie', specialising in programmes about textiles, design, materials, techniques and history.


Some examples of modern fabrics created in the Textiel Lab...


If you ever find yourself in this neck of the woods, I definitely recommend a visit!