A bit of Spring colour.

At long last I can go into the garden and find little patches of colour.

It seems to have taken a very long time for bulbs to pop up and release their cheerful flowers.

There are deep purple crocus all along a bed in the front garden, mingling with primroses and tiny miniature daffodils. I've forgotten the name of the daffodils.

And the Hellebore that I brought back from France as a seedling is flourishing. I was warned that it might not come true to colour, but it is perfect.

The photo below is of the parent plant...with seedlings all around.

Was that only three years ago?

Fairy Tales.

Following the theme of my last post slightly, I discovered that the 26th is National Tell a Fairy Tale day in the USA.

What a delightful idea!

Apparently, and correct me if I'm wrong, friends over the sea, families tell the lovely old traditional stories on that day. Schools arrange a day of storytelling and even dressing up as favourite characters.

How nice to think that more of the traditions are being kept alive.

Are you telling a Fairy Tale on Thursday?

Singsongs

I watched a most interesting programme last night on the roots of folk music in America, with reference to slave songs, Appalachian folk music, square dance music  and so on.

It made me think a little about traditional singing in England. Singing, as a child with my Aunt who was a wonderful musician. We didn't have Television so there were no pop songs to know.

The old songs we sang are maybe not well known now. One of my favourites was 'Dashing away with the smoothing iron', and even now I can sing it through.

Another favourite was 'Cockles and Mussels' (alive, alive o), an Irish folk song dating from the time when seafood was sold off a stall or a barrow on the street.

I wonder if anyone sings 'Polly Wolly doodle' now, or whether it would be regarded as politically incorrect? I loved it!

How about 'The Minstrel Boy', a sad song about a boy going off to war?

Or 'Bobby Shafto', about a young man going off to sea and leaving his love behind.

Or 'Drink to me only with thine eyes?'

I could go on and on, but of all the old songs I think I like to remember two especially.

'Early one morning'

and

'In an English Country Garden'

Did you sing as a child?

Children today sing, but it tends to be pop songs or advertising jingles.

Should schools make space for the old traditional folk songs?

I believe so.

Apple sauce cake.

I have a cookbook called 'Canadian Living's Best Muffins and more'. I think my daughter sent it to me some years ago, and it has been well used.

I felt like making a different cake, not just the traditional English Sponge or chocolate cake, so searched the pages of my book.

I came across Applesauce Snacking Cake, read the recipe and realised that I had everything except molasses. 

So I used half golden syrup and half black treacle...hoping I'd got it right.

(I've now discovered that black treacle is actually molasses....)

The cake is absolutely delicious, very moist, probably because I put far too much apple sauce in, but the taste....MMmmm!

Definitely one to 'snack' on, with a cup of hot coffee, or for my husband a steaming mug of Lapsang tea.

The recipe is as follows.

3/4 cup flour (175 ml)

2/3 cup whole wheat flour (150 ml)

3/4 tsp baking powder

cinnamon, ginger, pinch salt.

1 cup apple sauce (250 ml)

1/4 cup brown sugar (50 ml)

1/4 cup molasses    "

1/4 cup vegetable oil  "

2 eggs

1 cup raisins. (250 ml)

Stir the flours, baking powder, spices and salt in one bowl.

Whisk apple sauce, sugar, molasses, oil and eggs in another bowl

Pour over flour mixture along with raisins.

Stir till just combined.

Pour into 9 inch cake tin and cook at 350 F (180 C)

for about 20 to 25 minutes.

You can ice the cake but I didn't bother.

Pancakes and things.

It's Shrove Tuesday here today, otherwise known as Pancake Day.

I've made a bowl of batter ready for lunch, found our favourite Maple syrup, and fondly remembered the days when my eldest son used to 'flip' the pancakes. He tossed them into the air with great aplomb. I seem to remember that one or two didn't go where they should have!

Shrove Tuesday is always the day before the beginning of the season of Lent, and is a day when people reflect on their sins,and repent. The word Shrive means to confess. The rich indulgent foods were used up in pancakes before a time of fasting.

In France it is a very jolly occasion known as Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday). Carnivals are held in various cities.

I just discovered that the word Carnival comes from the Latin 'Carne Levare', which means to remove meat.

That's what a bit of research does for one!

The Cornish recipe book (of which I had two copies) go to Lorrie and Frannie.

Look out for more giveaways next month.

Happy Valentine's Day!

My beautiful Valentine's Day flowers.

It means so much to me that even when my husband cannot go out shopping, he organises flowers for me

My home seems to have a few hearts here and there!

And here.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Alex has kindly told me that as she already has the Cornish recipe book, I can draw again for another winner, for the book only. Let me know in the comments if you would like to be included.

Giveaway Winner

The winner of my little giveaway is Alex

at

Honeypot cottage.

I'm sorry that you couldnt all win, but there will be other giveaways, as I am gradually letting my collection of table linen go now. Some was handmade by my grandmother, and I shall keep a few pieces. But what does one do with lace tablecloths designed to grace a twelve seat table, when one now lives in a small bungalow!

I think that this is one of the few times that the winner has lived in England. Please contact me Alex, with your address.

Here's St Valentinus for you, a priest living in Rome in the third century.

Performing marriages even after the emperor had forbidden them, he was put to death.

Legend has it that he left a note for his jailer's daughter, saying 'With love from your Valentine'.

This is the sort of card I remember from the 1950s.

And this too. So much prettier than some of the brash designs of today.

Have a lovely weekend.

Delayed Giveaway

I'm sorry to have delayed over my giveaway.

Thank you for all your very kind comments.

It has been a week of helping a friend through her mother's sad death, of visiting funeral directors, of choosing a reading.......

At last.

These are three traycloths, all of an age.

They are not perfect, but they are pretty. I think the crochet work would all have been hand done.

I know there are many crafters who collect vintage embroidery and lace to recycle.

With them comes a Cornish recipe book,

a National Trust Tea towel

and a selection of fabrics to inspire your sewing.

There may be a couple of little extras too.

I will post anywhere.

This is open to followers and I will draw on Friday 13th February.

Just leave a comment.

Snow.

Compared to New York and other parts of USA and Canada this is a very feeble snow offering.

But it's what we have today, and for Cornwall it's quite exciting!

The bulbs are buried in a blanket of snow.

It will probably all be gone by midday.

Delay

There will be a slight delay with the giveaway.

I heard this morning that a very dear old friend, whom I have known for nearly thirty years, had died in hospital.

Sadly, she had been sent home from the Carehome she was in, and within two days had a fall, broke her hip and died of pneumonia.

There are times when I despair of our Social/Health service.

I will take a couple of days out, to see if I can be of any help to her daughter.