Fresh start

Hi Everyone, and Happy new year!  Hope you all had a great festive break.  I have been away for a while from blogging as had a bit of surgery and have been recovering, along with Christmas gatherings and the obligatory cold!

I made the above stocking for my friend's baby, Grace.  This is a photo from my friend with the stocking in place, ready for Santa.

I think this year is definitely a year for change, and more action!  Last year I was finding my feet a little with starting out freelancing and with Beetroot Press; my little business where I sell home and gifts on Folksy and Etsy.

I have made a few new year's resolutions, and one being that I go for more walks in my area and try to start doing a bit of foraging.  And to my delight, on our last walk, we found some chickweed, which you can add to salads or heat for a couple of minutes in butter and tastes like a mild lettuce, very nice.  I purchased the Collins gem, 'Food for free' book which has all the plants you can find out and about, season by season and it's in a handy pocket size, so easy to take along with you.

Below is the blackberry jam I made at Christmas, from foraged berries, as gifts for family.  I managed to keep half a pot for us, and it tasted pretty good, which surprised me as I have never made it before.  It was also much easier than I thought it would be, you just need to buy a cooking thermometer if you don't have one.  Here's the recipe I used, and make sure you sterilise the jars.

Other resolutions are to be more active in marketing myself, make new products for Beetroot Press by trying out different print techniques and see how they sell.  If you are interested, you can follow my path on the Beetroot press Facebook page where I post all my new items before I put them in my online shops and ask people's opinions.

So, I hope you all have a productive and happy year ahead, and do what you love!

Wales - country calling

Babs and Julio

As the weather turns, I find myself craving autumn's hues of amber, rust, henna and chestnut and to cosy into warm thick socks and jumpers.  I now sit at my computer with about 4 layers on and a blanket wrapped around me.  The days are getting darker and I want to layer my home in sheepskin, tartan blankets, pots of ivy, and snuggle down into it.  

Our new home's style lends itself to the winter months.  With the cotswold exposed stone walls, large fireplace, low ceilings and beams, it is definitely suitable for hibernation.  I think my mood changed after our trip to see Helen and Steve in Llanybydder, Wales, last weekend.  It was a welcome getaway and great to see old friends, drink and roast marshmallows over an open fire.  They have made the house their own already with an array of textile and ceramic finds, and their creative spirit, and the land they own seems vast and has a wonderful atmosphere.  I found myself not wanting to come home.  

We went blackberry picking, spotted a few sloe berries and made nettle pasta from freshly picked leaves, which made me really want to continue the foraging lifestyle when I came home, infact, I went blackberry picking yesterday and found a good crop just down the public pathway near us.  

I thought I'd share a few photos, I hope they inspire you to get your wellies on and go foraging!  

Outhouses in the courtyard

View from land.

Babs the duck

BBQ time

BBQ food, fresh nettle pasta and courgette noodles.

Turning blackberries

Helen blackberry picking

Homeward bound

Roses growing in old toilet!

Barn door

Late foxglove

Comet the kitten, Julio and Babs the duckies

Veggie patch

View from bottom of land.