Hot Cross Buns

I love hot cross buns with their spices and fruit. I remember as a girl walking down our road in Sunbury-on-Thames to the Vienna Bakery with my father on Good Friday for the nicest ones I've ever eaten. I also remember when we lived near Plymouth finding everywhere shut and settling for saffron buns which I think must be an acquired taste.

Easter Decorations

I started today working in the garden but as the light showers turned into steady rain I decided to give up and come indoors to make my Easter tree instead. When I cut the branches I was worried that the leaves were so tightly in bud that they wouldn't open but a few days indoors seems to have done the trick!

The view from our bath

This is the lovely view from the window of our big bathroom with it's roll top bath .... come and enjoy!

Ironing

Ironing is definitely a skill and almost two years after opening Hill Farm as a Bed and Breakfast it's one I've certainly improved!

Partridge time

Yesterday I heard him calling but he was up at the top of our Big Field, today though the red legged partridge appeared in the garden making his repetitive but unmistakable 'chucka, chucka, churr'.

Simnel Cake

Rain today means no gardening but it's the perfect time to bake my Simnel Cake. I love this with its band of home-made almond paste running through the middle. For years I made it every Mothering Sunday as a gift for my mother, then it became a Mothering Sunday cake for us but in recent years it has seemed more sensible to make it at Easter when both boys are around to enjoy it.

Puss

Puss pays us a rare visit and even concedes that she might managed a couple of mouthfuls of Waitrose cat food (only a couple of mouthfuls mind). We put her plate with the uneaten food into the dairy and by morning it is always gone .....

Blue skies

Although the grass crunched slightly underfoot this morning the sky is definitely blue and the birds are singing. My phone still stubbornly shows snow symbols for later this week but right now it seems to be (whisper it) spring!

Daffodil pots

When we were away in Cumbria I was lucky enough to find a box of old clay pots for sale outside a small antique shop, they were very cheap and today in B&Q I saw these tete a tete daffodils in the clearance section - a perfect pairing for my Easter decorations (and I didn't have to look far for the moss to finish them off!) To think I once bought moss from the florist ....

Making a mountain

Making a mountain out of quite a lot of mole hills actually! Dave decided to collect up the soil and heap it onto the allotment where the collared dove decided it was just the place to sit. I love that they always go around as a pair and it delights me to hear them calling. Although to far away to photograph I also heard the Red Legged Partridge this morning and the constant tapping of a woodpecker/