Ridgeway Cottage anyhow

Last week I broke my spade trying to dig over my allotment, the ground was so hard but after a week of rain, I've managed to get almost three areas, weed free and ready for next season. There is always something that you need to be thinking about way in advance with an allotment or in fact growing anything. So with the autumn sun shimmering through the leaves of the trees, I picked a spot which is currently shaded by sunflowers but in the winter months will be in pretty much full sun and planted my daffodils ready for the spring. Although I usually have my plot completely to myself apart from the birds and insects, over the past couple of days, I have being sharing my little spot of nature and sharing what I have learned. I think that it is my leeks that I am most proud of because there is not a single moment in the year that I don't have leeks on my plot in whatever stage of their life cycle they are in.  I truly get a sense of pride when someone else digs up one of ...

I inherited a large patch of raspberry canes with a rotten old wooden frame around them that used to be a fruit cage when I got my first allotment a few years ago. This was followed by a whole barrage of advice from the old boys about what I should do with the plot. "I could burn all that wood for you" said one, "Dig 'em all up and start again" said another and "I saw a rat the size of cat run through there the other day" (I don't think this was advice as much as a test to see whether I was really the kind of person to have an allotment). Like most advice that I have been given by this gang of boys with a wealth of knowledge, I have left them be. I chop them a bit in the spring, try my best to prevent them from becoming too over grown and have had more raspberries than I could ever pick every year. I let the birds help themselves, I drop plenty and today I even had a lovely grown up friend to help me (I tend to find my younger helpers eat as many ...

  As well as having a go at some website design, making changes to my blog and doing all the other day to day stuff, it suddenly occured to me that little hats for the big knit need to be in on October 1st which is Monday. After missing the opportunity last year, I really had very good intentions of making several rather lovely hats but totally forgot until earlier this week. I am hoping to have recruited some helpers in the form of the lovely ladies of our WI knitting and stitching circle which meets tonight. Hopefully we will make loads more to go with the two that I've done already. Please check back for pictures later in the week and click on the link or picture for details of how to get involved yourself. I would love it if you could leave a comment. Please give it a go, I'm working on making it easier

The Women's Institute is turning out to be everything that I hoped it would be. The knitting and stitching circle is a twice monthly treat, I have met so many fascinating and incredible women, made new friends and last night Judi Knight kindly shared her wealth of knowledge with our Jubilee WI. Dressed in a pinny, with ritzy victory rolls, Judi was a master at the art of public speaking. She clearly had a passion for Make do and mend but there was no glamorization of the WW2 Home Front fashions. The thought provoking talk made me once again question why our world today has become such a 'throw away' society. I would not do well living in a time where food and clothing were rationed however I can't help wondering whether having whatever we like at our disposal makes us forget not only how truly lucky we are but stops us really appreciating what we do have. I am all for the War on Want and hope that my thrifty and make do and mend fascination is not part of a passing fad...

  Here they come again! Along with the colder mornings and the slight chill in the air, the winds of change are whipping around my blog.  Changes to be revealed and explained in full when I don't have a right proper headache. I might even have a bit of a blog give away to celebrate, if I can find anything worthy. I would love it if you could leave a comment. Please give it a go, I'm working on making it easier and it does make my day.

My Dad had so many sayings, little phrases and automatic verbal responses that I often almost hear him saying them. I suppose that his memory is forever in my heart and his quirky words are etched into the way I see the world. Despite the weather, he would always say that if there were enough blue sky to make a pair of sailor's trousers then the weather would turn out fine. I remember him saying this most often as we huddled behind our windshield, under our sun umbrella and towels as a tropical storm blew across which ever beach we were braving. "Get in the sea," he'd say, "there's enough blue sky to make a sailor a pair of trousers, the sun will be out in a minute". I would ask how he knew that there was enough to make a pair of trousers and his response was always the same. "How long is a piece of string?" I never knew the answer to that so conversation over. The National Trust look after The White Cliffs Coastal Site and it is one of...

This really is a simple way to turn some cheap earrings into something much more special. They can be made in less than an hour to match a new outfit, would make a lovely present and totally support my reuse, reinvent, relove philosophy. You will need: A crochet hook Some beautiful yarn Cheap hoop earrings (I got mine in the TopShop sale for a very reasonable price) A needle to sew in the ends of the yarn The method is exactly the same as the method for the crochet bangles that I made here . I might even get my little film maker to help me make a quick video later. Watch this space. Anyhow back to the earrings and how they turned out because I forgot to take photos whilst I was making them because they really were that quick to make. If you would like to buy these earrings, please check out the listing in my Shop   I would love it if you could leave a comment. Please give it a go, I'm working on making it easier and it really does make ...

All gardeners have their enemies. The top spot of my list has always been taken by slugs and snails with their voracious appetite and ability to destroy a tray seedlings over night. They show no mercy and have cost me dearly. I wouldn't be able to count the endless hours I have spent wrestling with bind weed, untangling my precious plants from the strangling tendrils and trying in vain to remove those white roots from the soil. However as if these pests weren't enough, blight has really started to plague my potato and tomato growing efforts. I have actually stopped even bothering to grow potatoes after three disastrous years of failed crops. The potato plants grow well and the look fabulous until about June and then almost over night, blight sweeps through the allotment devastating every crop even those belonging to the old boys. Up until recently though, my tomatoes have not suffered too badly. Blight will have a go at tomatoes just as much as potatoes because they are part of...

I had the most wonderful day. The sun was shining and I had the whole day to myself whilst the children were at school. I even enjoyed doing the mundane and trivial tasks like the laundry and cleaning. Most of all though I loved making a huge great vat of raspberry jam. My raspberry canes at the allotment are completely laden with fruit and despite spending a couple of hours up there this morning, there are still more than I had time to pick.   There is much debate about the ratio of fruit to sugar but today I decided to go with equal amounts, 4lbs of sugar with 4lbs of raspberries which looked like a massive amount. And it seemed to take forever for the sugar to dissolve. I do always tend to make rather a lot of mess when making jam so once I sterilized the jam jars in the oven at 100c for 15mins, I put them on the draining board to make the clearing up a little bit easily.   Jam is very sticky. I managed to make 14 jars in all and I'm ...

It was the most gloriously sunny and rather warm day today, perfect for the end of the summer holidays. This is my second week back at work however I'm a part-timer and finish by 2.30pm on a Tuesday. We decided to head off to Tankerton Slopes for a barbecue. I grabbed my knitting, camera and the first issue of a new magazine called The Simple Things . It arrived yesterday in the post and I managed to sneak a peak this morning before I cycled to work. The snippet I read stuck in my mind all day. Simple things are always the best and this writing described someone's simple pleasure of enjoying their alone time with a coffee and the kitchen to themselves before anyone else is awake. This is my simple thing. I loved sitting on the beach in the warm September, watching the children swim in the sea and reading a magazine. We didn't bring swimming costumes so after a little persuasion, the children swam in the underwear. This is Charlie's treasure that he f...

This weekend I had a real treat, I finally went to the Kitsch and Stitch Fair in Cranbrook. I got to go all by myself and peruse the lovely vintage and handmade goodies at my leisure. I could have quite easily bought numerous items, there were so many things that were almost too pretty for me to live without, but the stall I splashed out on was Simply Vintage Designs. I have been looking for the perfect cake stand without success, but the fabulous lady behind Simple Vintage Designs has a collection of very lovely plates and lets you put together your own two or three tier stand. What could be better?  I have put it together and I totally love it, but I wrapped it back up again and have put it away. I didn't feel that I should take a photo until I have baked some delicious goodies to display on it. I would love it if you could leave a comment. Please give it a go, I'm working on making it easier