17h25.... Well I can't possibly choose a winner so Sharon, Sarah and Katie, email me at [email protected] with your likes, dislikes and address, and i'll get a little something off to you in the next few days :)
Hello, Eleanor here as usual, with a minibook and an allotment update.
We had hoped to have started planting in March, but it's only just beginning to warm up in the North West, so we are behind our planned schedule, having to run with Nature's schedule, but, if you've ever sung this song (recorded by Pete Seeger, the Byrds and others)
To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven
A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep
etc
I wonder if you knew its origin?
Ecclesiastes 3. Probably written by King Solomon. Son of David and Bathsheba (she who is said to have bathed on the roof, her beauty overthrowing David, as fans of the recent xfactor/not so recent Leonard Cohen (and others) hit will know).
But much as I love these stories, I am straying from the point - which today is that the soil is ready when the time is right, no earlier. So we have waited.
Not idly though, for our choice of vegetables for planting has had to be rethought, following a recent new addition to our family. A girlie who particularly enjoys:
Spring greens
Spinach
Curly kale
Pak choi
None of which were in our original plan.
I made a hutch book to celebrate Penny's arrival:
The covers are painted with crackle glaze, and popped up on foam tape to leave a space for mesh and some hay.
The faux hinges are made entirely with cardstock, scored and scribbled around the edges and in the indented circles with a versamark pen, brown embossing powder sprinkled on and off and heat embossed for a rusty look.
It joins the first 2 minibooks in the handybag,
together with the recipes for March. I delved down in the freezer again, and this time I found bags of blackcurrants and Bramley apple pieces.
So here we have fritters and tart:
The fritters work well made with frozen apple, as the coating batter sticks easily to the ice-cold fruit, and the apple is not overcooked when the batter is well done. (Bramleys have a tendency to puree away and drizzle out of the batter if you cook them too long.)
The tart is very tart, needs lots of custard or cream. And cream, even.

Hi from Caz!
April 2008 was a sad one for us. Our neighbour and friend, Ron, passed away. He was 83, and had had a great life, he was our friend for a little over 3 years and had burrowed very deep in DHs heart. My heart was sore for his wife of over 60 years.
Nothing else of importance happened in April 2008.
March 2009 has been lovely. With the arrival of Spring and the garden coming to life. A visit from a very special little lady and the winning of the NLD cup for C's team.
Oh and of course the arrival of DHs beloved R1.
I've not journaled my layout yet, because sometimes I really need to think about what to write. It's odd how sometimes the words just don't come.
A final reminder that all comments left on this post by 5pm tonight will be entered into a draw to win a RAK. If you make a card using the sketch you double your chances and will be entered twice!
Thanks for visiting!
And haPPy creATing!!
IACW
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