Emma Bradshaw

den building week...

2012-02-09T17:41:00.001Z

introducing...

Den Building Week

11th - 19th February 2012

No rules, just lots of half term indoor fun. Use sheets, blankets, cardboard and cushions to create magical hideaways! To take part, post a picture of your den on your blog, linking back to this post and don't forget to leave a link back to your blog in the comments below, so we can see your amazing creations! Feel free to use Catherine's gorgeous picture above as a blog button to encourage others to take part.

We have also created a Den Building Flickr Group, please post your pictures there too and we can link to them all at the end of the week!

A blog collaboration between the Bradshaw's and Catherine of Bristol Parenting Cafe!

den building day...

2012-02-05T18:15:00.000Z

I read Catherine's blog post over on Bristol Parenting Cafe this week about making dens, and it reminded of this post I blogged this time last year about having an actual indoor den building day - do you remember?

Anyway, Catherine and I have put our heads together and are planning some half term indoor den building fun, are you up for joining in? We love making dens in our house, it's free and they can be as simple as throwing a blanket over a table (like my boys often do above.)

Coming up this week, we will post more details about taking part and invite you to post pictures of your creations in a flickr group. So are you up for the challenge?*

*you don't need children to take part!

snow & spiced parsnip soup...

2012-02-04T16:50:00.000Z

As reward for chopping lots of wood today in preparation for the snow and big freeze (it's snowing beautifully here *as forecast* at the moment), I made some spiced parsnip soup for the man, as he went about his chores!

I didn't follow a recipe for the soup, just chopped up one large onion and a clove of garlic, sautéing in olive oil until soft in a large saucepan. Then added some grated fresh ginger, six peeled and chopped parsnips, one can of coconut milk and about one litre of vegetable stock. I seasoned then simmered for about half an hour until ready and then blended with a hand blender before serving topped with some parsnip crisps, delicious and warming!

Here's hoping that it keeps snowing and we can go sledging tomorrow!

wassailing...

2012-01-31T19:42:00.002Z

Have you heard of wassailing? It's the tradition of drinking and singing to the health of your fruit trees and is a very local custom where we live. This is an extract taken from the book 'England in Particular' by Sue Clifford and Angela King, Common Ground RRP. £30.

"The word 'Wassail' comes from the Anglo-Saxon waes-haeil - to be healthy, so wassailing apple trees was a way of encouraging a good crop in the following season. It usually took place after dark on Old Twelfth Night, 17 January, but could also occur on other days around Christmas and the New Year.

Often farm workers and villagers carrying lanterns, a pail and pitcher full of cider, shotguns and horns, walk to their local orchard, which is sometimes lit by bonfires, and gather around the largest or most prolific tree. This tree is known as the Apple Tree man and is feted as the guardian of the orchard. Cider or beer is poured on its roots and pieces of soaked toast or cake put in branches for the robins - guardians of the spirits of the trees. Often the tips of the lowest branches are drawn down and dipped into the pail of cider.

The wassailers fill their earthenware cups with cider and toss it into the branches. They then refill their cups and drink and sing to the tree. To drive away evil spirits and wake up the sleeping trees, cow horns are blown, trays and buckets beaten and shotguns fired into the upper branches - as much noise as possible is made.

The wassail bowl went round from house to house in the evenings during the Twelve Days of Christmas and often in the last days of Advent. A mixture of hot ale, sugar and roasted apples, sometimes with eggs and thick cream floating on it, was known as Lamb's Wool in Gloucestershire, and was also drunk on St Catherine's Day, 25th November. The bowl was made from turned ash or maple, often elaborately carved and kept for the purpose."

It's good fun and I would recommend that you take part if you ever get the chance!

big families & beetroot brownies...

2012-01-30T12:32:00.000Z

We had a really relaxed weekend and lovely Sunday lunch cooked for us by friends Nick and Savannah yesterday. I'm finding it really comforting to be surrounded by large families at the moment, as I have moments of self doubt at the prospect of being a good mother to three children. Savannah, who looks gorgeous all the time, had her third beautiful baby last November and casually cooked and served up Sunday roast for nine with the newest arrival contentedly snuggled inside a baby carrier! I'm sure things will be more hectic at chez Bradshaw with number three's arrival, and I will expect a round of applause when I get dressed in the morning, without even attempting cooking for nine!

We took with us a batch of very chocolaty beetroot brownies, I've made these a few times before using this River Cottage Recipe, but this time followed a easier to make Riverford recipe, taken from their Riverford Farm Cook Book. The beetroot taste was far more subtle and they were very rich indeed, perfect warm with ice cream, cream or custard and definitely just for an occasional treat!

Finally, I have found some cream that actually works on my horrible red itchy forehead, I don't know if it was the cold weather, eczema or pregnancy hormones but I had tried everything the last few weeks, eventually using Dr. Haushka's light rose day cream. It's very expensive but it worked in just a few days, so I thought I'd share my discovery with you in case you too were suffering from winter skin!

an ode to a bed...

2012-01-28T15:41:00.000Z

The time has come to buy a new bed and I am really reluctant to do so! This bed was the first thing I bought with my wages from my first proper job, as I had always dreamed of owing a 'bedknobs and broomsticks' type iron bed. We could just replace the mattress, but what you can't see hidden behind the pillows, is where we had to saw the head bit in half so that we could fit it up the tight spiral staircase in our first house together, a tiny Cotswold cottage, that literally had one room, on top of the other, with a beautiful beamed bedroom tucked into the eaves. The bed now squeaks and bows so much that I'm sure it will collapse as it's just held together with a few bits of wooden doweling pushed into the hollow bars.

It's not even that comfortable and after spending many long nights of sitting in bed in the small hours nursing a baby, having to get the pillows just right for that optimum position propped up between the bars. I am not really looking forward to doing that again and I don't think my back will take it either!

I'm not sure why I'm so sentimental about a bed, or why I think it justifies a whole blog post? Can I blame pregnancy hormones? So today, I am going to order a very sensible divan bed, with large practical storage drawers in the base and a nice new firm mattress. Then all I need to do is find some big pillows and new bed linen so I can create a beautiful bedroom like those I have been pinning religiously over on Pinterest.

This bed will retire to the garage, as I'm not quite ready to say goodbye just yet!

nesting...

2012-01-22T14:24:00.000Z

With baby number three on the way, I am beginning to nest and attempt to get things done (mainly by writing long lists and giving the Mr. lots of instructions!)

We still need to buy a few things, it's amazing how prepared you are with baby number one, but by number three I have only just started to think about tiny clothes that need to be pulled out of the attic and a pushchair that needs to be found (hopefully not rusty) in the garage.

I have found some gorgeous baby things this week that I'm lusting after...

This gorgeous quilt for Poet by Maggie and Sparrow oh how I wish I could quilt!

A beautiful pregnancy pic that has me thinking about having some pics taken, if I do I'm going to ask my friend Penny of McKinley-Rogers who is the most amazing photographer.

and this handmade West Country willow moses basket, sustainably made and woven locally using traditional weaving skills.

alien invaders...

2012-01-21T14:10:00.000Z

I always put bulbs in pots around the house at this time of year, it lifts those January blues away, don't you think? This pot has English bluebells in, much smaller and daintier than the more upright Spanish bluebells more often sold in garden centres. Buy the English bulbs for daffodils and bluebells if you have the choice as non-native varieties threaten our bluebell woodlands with cross pollination from 'alien invaders!'

this makes me very happy...

2012-01-17T21:19:00.000Z

My photograph is the double page lead photo in an article in this months 'The Countryman' magazine. How amazing, I'm over the moon! You can see the original picture here on flickr the magazine isn't available online so you'll have to buy one to read the cover story by Simon King.

crumpets and conversation...

2012-01-16T22:00:00.000Z

Every year a migration happens, eight girls flock together for a retreat in a secret cottage deep in the Cotswold countryside. One flies in from California, another from just ten miles away, for a weekend filled with conversation and crumpets.

I didn't think I would make it this year, what with all the blood pressure drama of last week and trying to rest. But living so near to the cottage I was able to make day visits and literally plonk myself from one sofa to another!

Thank you Susannah, Jo, Sas, Meg, Lisa, Leonie and Penny, I can't wait until next year!

Winter light...

2012-01-09T21:57:00.003Z

I think I love instagram as much as film photography *sharp intake of breath* did I say that out loud? I thought it would be a passing phase, but I'm still smitten.

p.s. thank you for your lovely comments and tweets on my last blog post... my blood pressure still hasn't improved after a weekend on medication, so tomorrow I am off to have acupuncture as it's meant to be effective and I'll try anything right now!

scary bananas...

2012-01-06T20:54:00.001Z

the bump is huge, the baby is now bigger than a banana, and cause of much amusement to the little man, whose favourite game is to play 'listen to the baby' by resting his head on my stomach!

I've had a horribly emotional day as my blood pressure has continued to rise to scary heights and I have spent more time being monitored in hospital, literally sat in a chair, having a blood pressure check every half an hour! I have to let go of my hope to birth in a small midwife led hospital and accept that things are out of my control, which is horrible. Also I am now on medication to get the blood pressure down and already suffering the side effects I was warned about. It also means a lot more scans, checks and seeing a consultant in a large hospital rather than my local midwife.

This has really caught me off guard, having had two previous pregnancies with no problems at all and it's still relatively early as I'm not quite in the third trimester. What was even worse today, was listening (whilst pretending not to, in that hospital waiting room type of way) to the other women in the room being admitted to hospital with pre-eclampsia, having not only high blood pressure, but other symptoms too and faced with the possibility of being there for weeks. They were told things like they would be given steroid injections to develop the baby's lungs on, in preparation for the likelihood that they might be born early! It's put the fear into me let me tell you, I can't think of anything worse than being away from my family.

I still planned to work for ten weeks too, I have so much to do there and at home in preparation, but I can't worry or be stressed for fear it raises my blood pressure even more!

back to school baking...

2012-01-03T07:00:00.000Z

We decided to try a new recipe so we have something yummy in our 'back to school/work' lunch boxes today, so we tried this recipe for cinnamon rolls, taken from here www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/country-cinnamon-rolls.html It was easy to make and the boys liked the 'rolling' bit of the process, we will definitely make them again.

Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

For the streusel filling:

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3 Tbs. granulated sugar
1 Tbs. ground cinnamon
8 Tbs. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter

For the rolls:

4 1/2 to 5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour,
plus more for sprinkling
4 tsp. active dry yeast
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup hot milk (125°F)
6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into
pieces, at room temperature, plus more
for serving
3 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup raisins or dried currants, or 1/2 cup
dried cranberries, soaked in hot water for
10 minutes and drained
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 Tbs. milk or half-and-half

Directions:

To make the streusel filling, in a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, granulated sugar and cinnamon. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in the butter until the mixture is the consistency of coarse crumbs. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

To make the rolls, in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 2 cups of the flour, the yeast, granulated sugar and salt. Add the hot milk and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the butter, eggs and 1/4 cup of the flour and beat for 1 minute. Switch to the dough hook. Beat in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Knead on low speed until soft, smooth and springy, about 5 minutes. Transfer to an oiled deep bowl and turn once to coat. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Roll out into a 14-by-10-inch rectangle. Sprinkle evenly with the streusel filling, leaving a 1-inch border along the long edges. Sprinkle with the raisins and pecans, pressing them in lightly to adhere. Beginning with the long end, roll up jelly-roll fashion; it will be bulky. Pinch the long seam to seal but leave both ends open. Using a serrated knife, gently cut the roll crosswise into pieces 1 1/2 inches thick. Arrange, cut sides down and rolls just touching, in the prepared pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until puffy, about 1 hour. Alternatively, cover with a double layer of plastic wrap and refrigerate to rise for 2 to 24 hours. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.

Preheat an oven to 375°F.

Brush the tops of the rolls with some of the milk. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush with the milk once more. Using a spatula, remove the rolls from the pan and place them, bottom side up, on wire racks. Let cool for 15 minutes, then invert the rolls onto a serving plate. Pull apart and server with butter.

Make 10 rolls.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Bread, by Beth Hensperger (Simon & Schuster, 2002).

year of the bump...

2012-01-02T16:01:00.000Z

*difficult to play hide & seek with a rather large belly!*

I have put off thinking about the impending arrival of baby number three, but suddenly with the ritual of filling in my new 2012 calendar, the date seems really close!

We've had a very relaxed two weeks off over the Christmas break, and as a result the 'bump' has grown quickly and I am definitely feeling very pregnant. Before Christmas my blood pressure went up very high, which was a bit of a blow as it's still very early and can be a sign of scary things to come like pre eclampsia, so I am being monitored closely and advised to not take on stressful tasks at work! So hopefully a few weeks of doing nothing but relaxing and eating will have brought it back down to a nice average figure.

There is so much we need to do, baby things to buy, lists of names to make, beds to buy, a house full of clutter to sort through and tidy and a damp/mould problem on one wall of the house to get to the bottom of, before the baby is even allowed to arrive! I think I'll start with a cup of tea, a sit down and make a list!

a warm welcome to the new year...

2012-01-01T22:01:00.000Z

after a very late night welcoming in the new year, we've spent a very cosy day in front of the fire today and cooked a lovely roast dinner.

a nice relaxing start to the new year!

food, friends and family...

2011-12-31T12:43:00.001Z

We cooked a lovely ham yesterday and welcomed friends around to share it, unfortunately it was enjoyed so much there are no leftovers! I boiled the ham in preparation the day before and then marinated it in cider and wild flower honey, before cooking it for a few hours on a low heat.

To go with it I made a homity pie (a favourite of mine) which is essentially potato mashed with sour cream, onions (I fry mine first), garlic and peas, topped with a little grated cheese, then baked in a wholemeal pastry case. I also made an onion tart loosely based on an Elizabeth David recipe, again a pastry case blind baked, then filled with fried onions, with a mixture of three egg yolks and 200ml double cream poured on top and baked at gas mark 5 for about half an hour. I also did a quick beetroot, pear and apple salad, just grated with a squeeze of lemon juice and olive oil and some pickled eggs! This menu proved to be easy and affordable and can be served hot or cold and is great laid out for people to pick at as they please.

Now I just need to muster some energy to party the night away!

Happy New Year all x

wild wintery walks...

2011-12-29T18:42:00.000Z

I love the lull betwixt Christmas and New Year, for us an excuse to do nothing but slow down and eat! The boys however, don't take kindly to our lethargy and, in order for everyone to stay sane and to keep them from climbing the walls, need fresh air and exercise daily.

Yesterday, our short woodland walk rewarded us with the discovery of some ladybirds hibernating in a thistle! The eight year old spotted the tiny spec of red in what was otherwise a very brown and dull landscape, I would have walked straight past! I must remember to slow down and be more observant - I wonder how many other things I miss?

leftovers...

2011-12-28T04:00:00.000Z

I made a delicious leftover turkey and leek pie loosely based on this Jamie Oliver recipe yesterday. I forgot to buy any creme fraiche, so made it with double cream and added the last of the cranberry sauce for more of a kick instead, which worked a treat! The day before we had bubble and squeak, made with leftover roast potatoes and Brussels sprouts with some cold turkey and cranberry sauce. We just have a little left for sandwiches, soup and/or a curry and that's our turkey all used up - how are you doing?

junk modeling...

2011-12-27T20:31:00.000Z

Have you seen these amazing cardboard cities, made by Australian artist Annalise Rees? Aren't they amazing? I have been saving shoe, cereal and delivery boxes so we can make something similar, a perfect post Christmas activity, especially as our local council doesn't accept cardboard in our recycling boxes!

a Bradshaw Christmas...

2011-12-27T15:32:00.000Z

I hope you have all had a lovely Christmas? Ours was small, simple and quiet, just the way we like it! The boy caught chicken pox and on Christmas eve was sporting a delightful display of red spots, which were quickly renamed 'turkey pox'.

Luckily the friends we were due to spend Christmas eve with, weren't put off by the 'pox' and we got to spend a lovely evening eating a big beef stew and dumplings and drinking hot chocolate together. I had a bit of a disaster with the homemade marshmallows, the first batch set so quickly as I forgot about the mixture in the bowl and by the time I came back to pour it into the tin, it had set hard. The second batch, made to the same River Cottage recipe didn't set at all, so the stars you see above were practically runny and not at all as nice as they look!

Grandma and granddad liked their homemade presents, the boys made grandma a garden with packets of seeds and granddad had a shed, with local beer and biscuits inside! We ran out of time to decorate the gingerbread house this year, the boys made it completely themselves with our next door neighbour, and it looks a little barn like without any icing on, but I like it and decorating is something to do over the next few days perhaps?

dear father christmas...

2011-12-15T16:56:00.000Z

I have been a really good girl this year and I would like...

some Toast pyjama trousers £49 & hand thrown mugs £17.50 each (above) and some stubby candles from £9.50 (below)

A gift voucher to see the new Giffords Circus show along with afternoon tea!

A panettone and some yummy products from Green & Spring (below)

sheepskin scuffs £45 from Hush & a new cookbook (above)

and finally a lomographic camera to replace the broken one that took some of these pictures!

an apple for the teacher?

2011-12-12T12:00:00.000Z

We always try and make Christmas gifts for the teachers and classroom assistants at school as they put so much hard work and long hours in. The boys are incredibly fond of their teachers and love school, so enjoy making jams or biscuits as small tokens to say thanks.

This year we thought we would make some chocolate truffles using an old recipe from the Dairy Book of Home Cookery (1996).

Ingredients

150ml fresh double cream

350g plain chocolate, broken up

25g unsalted butter

+ coating

Method

1. Heat cream in a small pan until boiling point

2. Add chocolate and stir until melted

3. Stir in butter until melted

4. Pour into a bowl

5. Place in freezer to harden up (in my recipe book it says for 20 mins, it took me about 40-50mins!)

6. Using a melon baller scoop out rounds or use two teaspoons

7. Roll in cocoa powder/ grated white or plain choc/ coconut or whatever you fancy to coat the truffles

8. Place on a plate in refrigerator and store until ready to serve

This was a fab recipe as it was really simple and easy for the boys to follow and make, plus had the added reward of having a bowl to scrape afterwards!

We then wrapped them in a small square of tissue paper and popped them into some small kraft boxes, with small snowflakes and tied up with raffia, adding a luggage label hand written by the boys.

They have turned out really well and are a really effective but not expensive gift!

the elves at work...

2011-12-11T20:14:00.001Z

Thanks to Steph's comment on my last blog post suggesting seeds as a good grandma present, we were inspired to make a 'grandma's garden' in a box, packed with her favourite flowers and veg seeds.

We secured the seed packets to the base with blue tack, then the boys stuck in flowers on pipe cleaners, a grass carpet and a fence with lollypop sticks. We hope she likes our packaging!

Christmas planning...

2011-12-05T09:00:00.000Z

picture from www.marthastewart.com

It's about time I started to do some Christmas planning. I haven't even bought any family presents yet!

Things I/we need to do...

Present shop for the boys (most important!)

Get the Christmas tree

Make, write & send Christmas cards (have got some lovely brown cards like these - just need to buy white ink)
Chop lots of kindling for the fire

Order turkey and beef for boxing day from local farm

Make wrapping paper with a new reindeer stamp and brown parcel paper

Bake small cakes for the boys to decorate, put in kraft boxes and give to their teachers

Find where I have hidden the stockings (always somewhere different each year!)

Make sure I have all the dry ingredients for lots of biscuits/gingerbread/mince pie baking

Make small sachets of mulling spices to hang on bottles of apple juice

Make gingerbread biscuit garlands to decorate the house/tree

Check the sledge is in full working order and wax the runners (just in case we have snow)

Find the Christmas pudding knitted tea cosy, which I always forget about!

Find nice presents for grandma and grandad - I have no ideas this year!

Plan for a super special magical Christmas eve with our friends

Tidy the house ~ I don't believe Father Christmas visits messy ones!

Buy next years calendar & diary (I am usually much better organised than this)

Buy some large buttons from craft shop and find some old pipes and scarves in a charity shop to make some 'snowman kits' to give as gifts (obviously if I do this it won't snow!)

Is this everything?

games night...

2011-12-04T10:00:00.000Z

At parents evening last week we were handed a 'card, domino and dice games' handout from the teacher for us to do at home. We laughed and said "we always play dominoes in the pub!" then as she looked at us, we wished it didn't sound as if we went to the pub all the time! Don't you always feel as if you are the child at parents evening?

Anyway apparently the youngest is quite a whizz at maths, he has always been quite good at dominoes, I remembered this holiday a few years ago, when he was only three years old he would regularly beat us! So now we have got the cards out too and are trying to teach them and at the same time remember some basic card games!

the family food challenge...

2011-12-03T19:40:00.001Z

Last weeks menu planning went really well, especially as we had such a busy week too, the preparation really paid off. This week, another busy week with nativity plays and events in the village to go to, and we are all feeling a bit tired and run down. This time of year, there are always lots of sniffles going round both school and at work and I find myself obsessed with vitamin C.

Also this week the chickens are feeling the cold weather and dark days, and are in a bit of a tiz, they have stopped laying and are starting to molt! Last year they supplied us eggs all the way through the winter, even through those frozen temperatures, I guess as they were still very young. But today, for the first time in 18 months, I have had to buy eggs!

Tonight we had a fie pie for supper, which is one of my favorite family meals. We call it pirate pie to make it more exciting for the boys, and their challenge is to find the hard boiled eggs aka 'the treasure' in it! Tomorrow it's chicken for sunday lunch, and on Monday i'll make a pie with the leftover chicken and add leeks, a simpler version of Jamie's leftover turkey pie. Then with the bones I'll make a simple chicken stock to make into soup, that I can take to work for lunch on Tuesday. We have bought lots of local apple juice and cider this week, so for a mid week supper, I'll do something like pork chops in cider, Nigel Slater has a good simple recipe, but I usually just make it up as I go along! I'll do a heap of creamy mash and greens to go with the pork, then the following day we can make bubble and squeak, with a fried egg on top!

I am also starting to think about Christmas food and baking, and want to fit in this list of treats over the next few weeks;

mince pies (of course!)

marshmallow snowflakes for a special hot chocolate

gingerbread house

gingerbread snowflakes

Christmas cupcakes for the teachers

partridge in a pear tree biscuits

Christmas pudding ice cream

viewmaster heaven...

2011-12-02T20:43:00.000Z

I just have to share this fab website Image3D I have just discovered with you. Remember the old viewmasters that I found and gave to the boys for their birthdays earlier this year? Well this company actually makes the reels you put in them from your own images, I know, exciting huh?

It's a bit too close to Christmas to do this now, but wouldn't they make great birthday or party invitations? My mind is whirring with the endless possibilities...

getting ready...

2011-12-01T21:10:00.000Z

letters written and taken to the post office for posting to a certain someone! We arrived at the post office just as the post lady did in her van, she showed the boys inside the post box and told them their letters would be delivered to Father Christmas straight away. We then stocked up on brown parcel paper and luggage tags ready to make our own festive wrapping paper with festive stamps and glitter!

feeding hungry boys...

2011-11-26T14:59:00.001Z

Maybe it's this time of year, as the nights draw in and it starts to turn cold, my boys seem to be ravenous. Constantly under my feet in the kitchen asking "what's for tea?"or "can I have a biscuit?" and occasionally foraging right under my nose!

To combat this constant demand for food, I am trying to plan my meals for the week ahead so that I make the most of what we buy, and be able to prepare quick and easy meals. So this morning I hit the recipe books, searching for inspiration, so that I can provide tasty meals that we all enjoy (including fussy number 2 son!)

Tomorrow we will have a traditional Sunday lunch, we usually have roast chicken or beef as we can source affordably from local farms. I do LOADS of vegetables, so that on Monday, we can have leftovers, vegetable gratin, or bubble and squeak and the meat in our packed lunch sandwiches. Tuesday, if we have eaten the left overs, the boys can have a tomato chicken casserole after school (that I can prepare in the morning) and I will add some red wine to turn it into something a bit more special like a coq-au-vin for us for supper. By Wednesday, we are quite weary and crave something really quick, so a risotto is my fast food of choice at the moment, I am going to try the cauliflower risotto recipe from Jamie's Italian book this week, as it can be spiced up with some chilli crumbs on top for Pete who sometimes despairs of my bland palette, (which is even more bland when I'm pregnant!)

The boys like to have school dinners once a week, and enjoy reading the menu we have pinned to the fridge and choosing, at first it was because Friday was 'chip day' but now it seems that they are more likely to choose other days, which is fab as the menu is quite varied and it encourages them to try new things. I don't like the price of £2/meal but it is a good balanced menu and freshly cooked at the school, which I whole heartedly support. If they have school dinners then this week I am going to do my favourite and 'oh so simple' butternut squash soup for tea with crusty bread, as it is soup season and my favourite way of getting the fussy child to eat more veg! On Friday, inspired by Anna's "Little Chef Friday's" we have decided to do the same thing in our house too, the boys have chosen to make pizzas, so I have remembered to make sure we have the right flour in the house and plenty of toppings!

Saturday, after porridge for breakfast, we will be inspired by the farmer's market if there isn't a football match. The fussy child loves trout, he loves choosing and buying his own trout, and will happily eat all of it himself. I am constantly surprised that he does this, and will always indulge this request as it is usually only around £2/trout, and is a meal for him and his brother! I think it stems from our holiday to Cornish Tipi Holidays, when he must of only been two or three years old and was captivated by the fact that we caught and cooked our own trout from the lake. Just shows how good children are when introduced to things from an early age, just wish he felt the same about the vegetables from the garden!

I think that should be a balanced week, there will of course still be biscuits but at least I should be better prepared!

putting my feet up...

2011-11-25T18:34:00.001Z

I went to a Christmas Fair at the very stylish Cowley Manor this week, they had a snow machine over the front door, it was magical! I discovered Green & Spring skincare there, isn't the packaging gorgeous? I am definitely asking Father Christmas for a few little somethings in my stocking!

I've had such a busy few weeks at work and it continues, a new website to launch, a celebrity signed welly auction and I even snuck in a visit behind the scenes at BBC TV's Autumnwatch Unsprung last week and got to meet the legend that's Bill Oddie! Sometimes I love my job, despite being completely worn out.

little birds...

2011-11-24T15:59:00.000Z

These little birds are cheerily gracing our dining table at the moment! It feels like the only tidy place in our house, there seems to be so much clutter everywhere else (which of course doesn't make for a picture I want to share!)

I wish I (or my husband for that matter) was a neat freak, I have piles of paperwork to sort and file, piles of washing to put away, so many little jobs around the house that it all gets a bit much. I really want a house that looks like this. Am hoping that in this pregnancy I get the nesting instinct soon, as so much needs doing! Failing that, does anyone with OCD fancy some therapy at mine?

boy or girl?

2011-11-15T06:30:00.000Z

I'm nearly half way through my third pregnancy and soon due for another scan. But we're completely undecided about finding out whether we are having a boy or girl? We didn't want to find out with the first two at all but are more curious this time. I like the idea of preparing and choosing names (both our boys weren't named for AGES!) but I also like finding out at the birth, remembering my husband tell me both times "it's a boy!"

pyjama party...

2011-11-14T18:32:00.001Z

I would live in pyjamas if I could, and usually ask for a pair most Christmas's, these pictured above are from Toast. I also love the range from Hush, especially the vintage rose ones pictured below...

perfect for toasting marshmallows in front of the fire or curling up with a good book!

who needs computers?

2011-11-07T18:59:00.001Z

The parent I am now is certainly not the parent I thought I would become. I can remember expecting my first child with such a firm idea of the family that we would be, and at first we were like that, eating organic food, trying real nappies, having adventures together and not watching too much TV!

Now years later, with a tightening of the purse strings, two ever growing boys and another on the way, somehow things seem a little different. There are demands placed on us from different sources, things like school friends that influence the boys, or the lack of time we are able to spend together with things like sports clubs at the weekend or after school clubs. I find I back down more than I ever intend ' for an easy life!' This year the boys have started to mention wanting a Wii for Christmas, which the eldest did last year, as "everyone at school has one" and to be fair most do! But to my horror we are seriously considering it, and this is something that I was determined my children wouldn't have until their teenage years at least! I am consoling myself about my lapsing parenting standards, with a fab junk shop find, a 50p old bingo game that we have spent all weekend playing! Who needs computers when you have bingo?

ladies that lunch...

2011-11-04T22:18:00.000Z

I met the lovely Anna, of the blog She Shops Local, for lunch today, and it was great to chat face to face, instead of the few tweets or blog comments we usually converse with. I first met Anna after we followed each others blogs and I became a huge admirer of her 'shop local' ethos, although her challenge this year is to cook 'Elizabeth David's French Provincial Cooking' which is a truly colossal task indeed!

Of course we lunched in the cafe at Hobbs House, Nailsworth, where I had the fab Scotch egg and tomato chutney, which was delicious and I highly recommend. Although I didn't take any pics, can you believe? So pictured above is my son eating a 'jammie', one of Hobbs House signature biscuits and is simply delicious, and a treat that we usually enjoy when we go to the Hobbs House stall at Stroud Farmers' Market.

It was also fab to hear about Anna and her sister-in-law Jess's new venture, vintage crockery hire, which has given me an idea about having a baby shower/tea party, bunting, afternoon tea served in china & cakes! Any excuse for tea and cakes really don't you think?

pumpkinheads!

2011-10-30T17:27:00.001Z

The boys have been busy today drawing scary faces and deciding on how their pumpkins should be carved! They have done really well and we let them use knives to do some of the carving, supervised of course, now that they are a little older. There is plenty of pumpkin to make a nice soup with for lunch tomorrow too, I'm going to use a tried and tested pumpkin soup recipe that goes down well with all the family, replacing the butternut squash with pumpkin!

seasons change...

2011-10-26T19:31:00.000+01:00

maybe it's because I was born in autumn that I have such an affinity with this season, or it could just be the romance of kicking leaves and the smell of woodsmoke! The light is so romantic, dancing through the turning leaves and I greet the chilly mornings with thick tights and my fingerless mittens.

the best things in life are made by children...

2011-10-23T15:38:00.001+01:00

the boys made their dad a birthday cake, chocolate of course! They wanted Chinese AND Indian food for supper as they couldn't choose what his favourite was, so we had a fusion of both, which was interesting!

I'm loving these homemade dollhouses, so much nicer than anything you can buy, don't you think?

eating for two...

2011-10-15T16:39:00.001+01:00

I'm so tired and so hungry in this pregnancy it's awful, and it's playing havoc with any social life I might otherwise have! I have to go to bed early and eat constantly, small meals, and really plain things, like cereals, potatoes, bread and cheese. I've been craving barbecue spare ribs from the Chinese takeaway and other really unhealthy things, my husband put his foot down and refused when I asked him to get me a burger, fries and a milkshake! I'm also craving all the things pregnant women aren't meant to eat like runny eggs, red wine, soft cheese and pâté. This is going to be a long hard slog!

toffee apples...

2011-10-10T19:04:00.000+01:00

I have finally made toffee apples without the toffee slipping off! I realised after borrowing a friends thermometer that I don't heat up the mixture enough. This is how I made them...

(makes 25-30 small - medium sized apples)

tip. I used locally picked apples that are unwaxed, if you buy very shiny ones from a supermarket, wash them in boiling water first.

ingredients

800g golden caster sugar

7 tablespoons of golden syrup

200 ml water

2 teaspoons of vinegar

method

wash apples in boiling water.

push sticks into apples, I used real twigs rather than lolly style sticks for a rustic look.

heat sugar and water in saucepan for a few minutes.

once sugar has melted add golden syrup and vinegar and boil to 140°C, my thermometer had 'hard crack' on it.

Take off heat and dip each apple in the mixture, a dip and twizzled a bit to drip off excess toffee.

Place on baking parchment to set.

the getaway...

2011-10-03T21:18:00.000+01:00

We had been looking forward to our weekend away for what seemed like ages, but it proved not to be straightforward with childcare not quite working out the way we had planned and friends stepping in to save the day.

We had decided to treat ourselves to a weekend away and found the most amazing beach hut in Devon, unfortunately we couldn't book a weekend near our 10th wedding anniversary in August, so we opted for whatever date was available, which was the first weekend in October.

I had imagined us sat in woolly jumpers on the beach, how wrong can you be - we had a heatwave! It was as if we were in the Med.

Our own private beach and wood fired hot tub too, which was even more exciting as our boiler at home has been broken for over a week.

We watched the fishermen check their lobster pots, people kayaking by, and two blobs in the distance that we thought could be seals turned out to be two swimmers who wanted to investigate the beach hut a little more closely! Definitely too busy for skinny dipping!

more pics on flickr...

the birds and the bees...

2011-09-29T18:42:00.001+01:00

so if you missed the clue in Monday's post, this is what's in my tummy right now! I'll be honest and say I am a little daunted by what lies ahead and how we will cope but I know lots of people with large families who are just amazing, so hopefully it will be OK!!!

I don't do pregnancy at all well and get extreme morning sickness which lasts all day, I lost three stone in weight in the first three months of my first pregnancy, it was horrendous. It has been a lot better this time, I have been having weekly acupuncture and it seems to have helped as I have certainly not been as sick as usual, the exhaustion however, is a whole other matter!

I've been examining the scan picture above to see whether I could see if it's a boy or a girl, bit concerned about the empty brain though, obviously takes after me!

37 things...

2011-09-26T21:00:00.000+01:00

and so the tradition continues, a list of all the little things I fancy doing over the next 12 months before my 38th birthday, some realistic, some are just a dream! I have been doing this for four years now after seeing the inspiring Hula's lists and I quite like writing lists, especially of all the nice whimsical things I want to do or just things to look forward to.

celebrate apple day ✓
bake more cakes
shop local more
learn to make knickers
travel on a 'sleeper' train
make caramel apples with twigs ✓
rent a cherry tree
go fruit picking in ruby
make a croquembouche
go wassailing
knit a pair of socks
make an army of gingerbread men
sew a table top house
hire a Morris Minor Traveller for the day
plant edible flowers to add to summer salads
take part in the London friday night skate
stay in a beach hut on our very own beach! ✓
visit Rye {& see my prints on sale in the new Lion Street Store}
find more car boot sales & flea markets
write a book
have a bonfire on the beach
grow asparagus
own some real art!
swim at the lido
paint my nails dark red like this
host an vintage afternoon tea party inspired by the secret tea cup
enjoy a weekend away with the blog girls
experiment printing my photographs on different paper
visit the amazing Giffords circus
make this alternative Christmas cake
create some moss graffiti
make ice cream clouds
own a vintage style swimming cap!
eat at The Ethicurean after hearing so many good things
take more photographs on film
own a sewing machine
have a baby!

another year...

2011-09-26T17:58:00.001+01:00

I'm another year older today with a few more 'laughter lines', I was given some lovely birthday butterfly cakes delivered by Jenny (above), a fab pair of hand knitted socks and a lovely book 'Handmade Home' from my husband (below).

Yesterday Gina took me to Bailey's Home and Garden for a birthday treat, where we treated ourselves to lunch in the tin Tabernacle Tea Shop. I just love the handwritten labels by Charlotte Farmer that are throughout the store. I love birthdays!

Apple scrumping day...

2011-09-17T21:21:00.001+01:00

This mornings horrible early downpours cleared and we were blessed with sunshine on our apple scrumping day. The kind owners of the most beautiful orchard let us pick some of their trees to make apple juice as part of our community apple day project.

The children used sticks to reach and knock down some of the high up fruit!

As well as traditional orchard varieties of apple tree, there were pear, medlar and quince tree's too, as well as plenty of blackberry brambles. Orchards are a rare habitat, and the trees support a wealth of wildlife from mistletoe, lichen and lesser spotted woodpeckers.

We ate a lunch time picnic whilst enjoying far reaching views across the valley.

We picked three trailer loads of apples, to wash, cut out any bruises, mash and then press, bottle and pasturise. The children helped but mainly played, enjoying their freedom by exploring the orchard and stream.

Here are just some of the bottles filled today, that will be on sale at Apple Day soon.

thank crunchie it's...

2011-09-16T13:25:00.000+01:00

Friday!

The Do Lectures are taking place at the moment, have you heard of them? I've been following them the past couple of years as they take place in one of my favourite parts of Wales. Check out the website and sign up for their newsletter for weekly inspiration.

It's also national cupcake week! Just in case you needed an excuse, mine this week comes from Hobbs House Bakery, who get the frosting just right - you don't want too much on top!

The new book from Mark and Sally Bailey of Bailey's Home and Garden, has just been published, it's called Handmade Home and looks fab - I think it may just end up in my shopping basket!

I wish I lived a little closer to the 'secret tea cup' for the sticky buns and hedgerow jam event this weekend!

muddy puddles...

2011-09-13T19:42:00.000+01:00

I am really excited that I'm on the new muddy puddles parent panel! What a gig to get, a company who I already love and products that I believe in (remember my "there's no such thing as bad weather - just bad clothes" rants!) and I have two of the most outdoorsy, active boys who will give the products the most thorough of tests!

Even more exciting was receiving the latest catalogue today, packed full of new products, some of which we tested and seeing my reviews used in print. My eldest son tested some fab new thermals, he loves them and I can't get him out of them, they have really clever thumbholes so there isn't a gap between gloves and sleeves. My youngest tested two coats, a really cool puffa jacket with a warm fleecy lining and a really sturdy zip, great for little fingers that struggle with zips, this one is good quality and easy to use so makes him feel really independent and a mac with great hood that doesn't cut under his chin and protects from downpours without preventing him from being able to see!

You can order a catalogue here.

the Tots 100

2011-09-09T18:18:00.000+01:00

So after thinking I'll take a break or evolve this blog into something else, I discover this week I am number 16 in the Tots100 blog rank. I don't watch my stats or traffic sources and blog for my own enjoyment than to gain followers or readers, but I am secretly quite flattered, despite realising that it's probably due to everyone else being on holiday in August!

bluster and bother...

2011-09-06T20:13:00.001+01:00

I haven't been around much lately as I've been feeling quite run down so have been taking it easy. I'm getting a bit bored of this blog too, it's starting to feel quite samey don't you think? Like so many others out there and I quite fancy a radical change but haven't decided quite what yet!

I have been inhabiting this little space since 2007 and a change might be just what I need. I think I'm going to chew the end of my new term pencil and see what I can come up with.

twenty seventh...

2011-08-27T15:19:00.002+01:00

apples ripening on the tree, made our own lemonade, and watched the King's Speech

twenty-fourth...

2011-08-24T20:07:00.000+01:00

beautiful blooms on the flower stall, bought new school shoes today, Pete appeared on The One Show on Monday vaccinating badgers - did you see it?

seventeeth...

2011-08-17T17:18:00.004+01:00

a lovely day spent outdoors with the boys and my goddaughter, we met Chester and Teddy the Chalford donkeys, learnt all about them and how to groom and lead them and clean their hooves, Anna, their owner, then packed a picnic in panniers and we all went for a walk, collecting wood along the way to light a fire with. We all then enjoyed a picnic lunch and toasted marshmallows whilst the donkeys ate their favourite snack of thistles around us.

fourteenth...

2011-08-14T15:44:00.003+01:00

an overnight camp, beans for breakfast in the sunshine, unfortunately it was too cloudy to see the Perseid meteor shower!

thirteenth...

2011-08-13T11:10:00.002+01:00

a bowl of blackberries picked yesterday, in my new bowl, just 50p from the bric-a-brac stall. I'm going to make some fruit leathers with these blackberries.

twelfth...

2011-08-12T19:41:00.001+01:00

went early to the WI market and bought a bunch of flowers and some homegrown veg, then bought two walking sticks from the bric-a-brac stall to help us reach the tall blackberry bushes, packed a picnic lunch in large handkerchiefs (Dick Whittington style) for our blackberry foraging walk, a good day.

eleven...

2011-08-11T21:48:00.003+01:00

meant to be camping this weekend, of course the forecast is rain! Am so proud of my friend Leonie who has just launched New Zealand creative retreats which looks amazing!

tenth...

2011-08-10T17:52:00.001+01:00

I'm a working mum, and quite frankly the work/life balance is the most difficult thing in the world to juggle! I have decided to write about this today, as the summer holidays evoke a feeling of longing for me, a guilty feeling that I should be at home, spending the long hazy days of summer just hanging out with my boys, who are growing up so quickly in front of my eyes.

To be a working mother isn't a choice I made, I had to go back to work in order to afford to pay the bills. It's hard when I read opinions that criticise working mum's, it's even harder when I read about stay at home mum's, which I long to be. I work part time, 28 hours a week during school hours so I can pick up the children from the school gates, which is important to me. But I do feel guilty that during the school holidays they are shipped off daily to grandma (thank goodness for grandma!)

I love my job and my employer is amazing by accommodating my desire to work flexibly, but it's all about give-and-take, and I often have to catch up late at night when the children are in bed! A few weeks ago when I was on my mobile phone talking to a national newspaper journalist after work, my five year old came into the kitchen and passed his earwax to me with a loud "mum, here is my earwax, look!" I carried on talking, quickly swapping his earwax for a bourbon biscuit to keep him quiet.

Some days I feel like Worzel Gummidge, wearing two different heads for my two different roles. I don't always get it right, sometimes when trying to finish something for work at home, I will be quite irritable or snip at the boys, which is the worst feeling in the world. And don't mention the housework, that always gets pushed down the priority list. It's a difficult balance that I strive to find and sometimes is impossible to achieve!

ninth...

2011-08-09T22:09:00.002+01:00

dreaming of adventures, yearning for camping trips in the bell tent, ordered my 2012 moleskine diary, how amazing is this pick your own flower field?

eighth...

2011-08-08T19:44:00.000+01:00

overslept this morning, been feeling run down and a bit out of sorts all day, taken vitamin C, early night needed but so much to do first! These are my favourite bowls with a gorgeous rose print inside - a 50p bargain from my favourite market stall.

seventh...

2011-08-07T12:34:00.002+01:00

Yesterday we went on a trip to see Treasure Island, and discovered Bristol's Wow! Gorillas, today treasure of a different sort at the car boot sale, we bought a preserving pan, an old deckchair and a book of boys stories. The car boot was quiet today and not enough stuff!

sixth...

2011-08-06T10:57:00.000+01:00

a full english for breakfast, excitedly read the article that I helped facilitate earlier this week and was pleased with our mention and great final quote, shouted my support "pull, PULL!" at the village tug of war last night, drank a little too much cider (hic) and the children went feral - but in a good way!

fifth...

2011-08-05T18:07:00.002+01:00

added yet another few cups to the vintage china collection, had the best latte in town and fell in love with this simply beautiful film.

fourth...

2011-08-04T20:41:00.001+01:00

picture by McKinley-Rogers Photography

it's our tenth wedding anniversary today! Apparently couples are meant to look like each other, I can't see it myself, but maybe in another ten years we will be sporting matching clothes 'Harold and Hilda' style!

third...

2011-08-03T23:13:00.003+01:00

met a lovely journalist at work, saluated to a single magpie as I drove past, was taken out for afternoon tea so wore my pearls, made pea, courgette and garden mint risotto from the garden, went to an apple day meeting and stayed up late talking about all things apple!

second...

2011-08-02T19:56:00.000+01:00

I stayed up 'til midnight making jam, the boys labelled the jars with their best handwriting, another hot day, shopped for a new font at work, picked sweet peas from grandmas garden.

first...

2011-08-01T20:30:00.000+01:00

sweltering heat, my office was boiling as it's in the roof, ice creams for lunch, i hate working in school holidays, quick dip in the pool to cool off this evening, think we'll be sleeping on top of the covers tonight, must remember to put rubbish out!

august...

2011-08-01T01:39:00.000+01:00

feeling fruity...

2011-07-30T10:00:00.005+01:00

We found out about Clive's Fruit Farm, through the lovely blog A Quiet Corner, and decided to have a day out picking fruit, a great summer holiday day out.

The strawberries were large and luscious, perfect for picking and so much better than the ones from the place we usually go to.

Obviously I took the quality control inspector, who was caught eating one!

There were strawberries, plums, cherries, raspberries and apples to pick, the smell from these apples (above) was amazing.

There was even something for Pete, wobblejuice, real farmhouse cider, not the fizzy bottled stuff that is so fashionable now, this stuff will make you fall over! Will have to watch him when he drinks this, it could be quite funny!

And there was a lovely farm shop with a butchery and cafe, for you to sit and enjoy a cup of tea, whilst the hens peck the crumbs from under your table! Perfect, we will certainly go back, but first we have a marathon jamming session.

messing about on the river...

2011-07-28T01:01:00.001+01:00

Yesterday we enjoyed a family day out on the river. We went to the Trout Inn at Lechlade and hired a boat to adventure down the River Thames. Armed with our picnic basket, and swimming costumes we journeyed to the Cheese Wharf and Buscot Weir, two places listed in the Wild Swimming book, although it was too overcast, windy and cold for us to jump in!

We made do with eating our sandwiches and feeding the crusts to the swan (Ted!) on the way back! We did discover the quintessentially English village of Kelmscot just a few miles further down the road, Kelmscot Manor is where William Morris lived and is truly delightful, well worth a visit.

how to make a tipi...

2011-07-27T01:02:00.002+01:00

We got the tipi out to play in today as I needed to make some minor adjustments to it! It now stands at over two metres tall and turned out a lot larger than I had intended, as despite making a scale model that looked fine, in real life it was too narrow! I think this is due to my poor grasp of maths more than anything.

There are nine isosceles triangular panels in total each measuring a finished 80cm width at the bottom and 2metres in height from base to tip. I cut them out a little wider to allow for sewing together. We then got nine 2.5metre sticks, coppiced from our local woodland for the frame and slipped it over the top, whilst balancing on a ladder!

The cotton canvas is a lovely natural one from Whaley's of Bradford, where they have a large selection of various weights and finishes of canvas to choose from, we chose a very natural looking calico light. I am rather pleased with how it has turned out, especially as I hand sewed it, and even if it was intended to be half the size for the boys bedroom!

we all scream for ice cream...

2011-07-26T13:10:00.000+01:00

I have just tried out a fab ice cream recipe from the book 'Make your own organic ice cream' by Ben Vear of Winstones Ice Cream. This book is due to be released in Autumn but available for pre-order now, so this spiced plum recipe is a sneak preview. I made it without the aid of an ice cream mixer and it was quick and delightfully easy to make, it tasted delicious, with the spices making it more for the grown up palette, which I was relieved about as my two make fast work of ice cream!

Spiced Plum Ice Cream

Ingredients

100ml carton organic double cream
200ml local full fat milk
150g fair-trade caster sugar
3 large organic free-range egg yolks
400g blended fresh plums
A dash of Lemon juice
1 tsp cinnamon

Method

1. Beat together your eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl, using a hand whiskand place over a low heat. Stir continuously until mixture thickens to acustard like substance adding milk and cream.

2. In a blender, blend all of your plums and add a dash of lemon juice anda few tbsp of water, until mixture is a completely smooth liquid.

3. Combine the custard with your plum mixture and return to heat. Now stircinnamon into mixture and return to heat for 10-15 minutes stirring mixtureconstantly before removing from heat, allowing the mixture to rest beforepouring the into your ice cream maker or freezer proof bowl.

To make by hand: whip the cream so it's light andfloppy, not too stiff, and fold it into the cold custard. Freeze for 3-4 hours,stirring once an hour until almost frozen, and then freeze as above.

homemade pooters...

2011-07-25T22:24:00.001+01:00

Today we made some homemade pooters with jam jars and went bug hunting in the sunshine! Pooters are so easy to make, you need jam jars, plastic tubing, some muslin, electrical tape and blue tack.

We drilled two large holes in the lids of the jam jars and pushed two lengths of plastic tubing into each, sealing one end with a little muslin and electrical tape, so that when you suck you don't end up swallowing any bugs. Then sealed around the plastic tubing with some blue tack.

Then armed with a good identification guide, we looked for little bugs and beasties! The joy of this activity is that it's cheap and you can do it anywhere, check out the Wildlife Watch site for your own downloadable 'how to make a pooter' guide.

outdoor theatre...

2011-07-24T22:09:00.000+01:00

we spent a fab sunny evening watching a production of the children's book 'the mole who knew it was none of his business' in a hidden outdoor amphitheatre. I was quite surprised when we were given the book about five years ago, as the story is about a mole who pops his head out of his hole only to be 'poo'd' upon! The mole then visits lots of animals to find out which animal did this to him, inevitably, as it's about bottom humour, it has become a firm favourite of the boys!

I love the current fashion of bring children's storybooks to life, it's a lovely way to capture a child's imagination and introduce them to theatre. This production was by the Kipper Tie theatre company, a cast of just three actors who were just fab, and similar in style to the Gruffalo Live production we saw back in February. I have also seen adverts for Fantastic Mr. Fox live, but all the venues near me are sold out already!

there's more to a barbecue than sausages...

2011-07-24T15:35:00.002+01:00

drizzled these peaches with honey and baked them on the barbecue in some tin foil. Then served sprinkled with bashed up Cornish fairing ginger biscuits and ice cream, delicious!

Schools out for summer...

2011-07-23T22:30:00.000+01:00

A great start to the summer holidays, sunshine, a large sheet of plastic, a bunch of children, a gently sloping lawn and a hose pipe!

I have signed up for the August Break with the lovely Susannah Conway to share a picture a day throughout August. Here's hoping we have a few more days like today! Anyone can sign up, it's free and you can use any camera, so hop over and add yourself to the blog roll.

owning an eight year old...

2011-07-22T22:47:00.000+01:00

the boy is eight! I'm not quite sure how it happened, I remember the conversation my husband and I had as newlyweds when we moved into our first house together and I said "let's get a dog," he thought about it and quick as a wink, we discovered that we were expecting a baby instead, "This isn't what I agreed to" he lamented!

I often think about that conversation, me wanting a springer spaniel, and I definitely think that's what we got, minus the waggy tail. The boy hasn't stopped since the day he was born, quick to crawl, he didn't bother walking, just went straight to running. His enthusiasm and excitement for everything can be exhausting, but at the same time he is so thoughtful and kind.

We celebrated his birthday by going out for breakfast and then having a party in the park with his friends in the afternoon, exactly what he wished for. The boys and I made gingerbread footballers and wrapped football comics in brown paper to give out instead of party bags.

For food we took the camp stove to the park and cooked hot dogs, which went down really well with onions and tomato ketchup, simple and easy for a load of hungry boys.

The day ended with our measuring ritual, every birthday we measure the boys and a mark is added to the wall to see how much they have grown over the year. My mum did this when I was little and it's tradition we have continued.

*Oh and just for the record, I still haven't got the dog!

introducing the Bradshaw boys...

2011-07-20T17:16:00.002+01:00

I am occasionally asked to attend product launches (always in London!) and review products, which on the whole I don't do in fear that the blog will turn into a commercial! But in the past few weeks I've been asked to review products that we as a family buy or that fit in with our values, so I thought what a fab school holiday project, to actually get the boys to test and review the products themselves!

So the first 'Bradshaw Boys' review is for Sports Direct who asked us to review some football boots, and kindly allowed the boys to choose their own pairs from the hundreds listed on the website.

We have had a go at filming, but we need a little more practice, the boys appear wooden and my camera skills leave much to be desired! Anyway, the boys are delighted with their boots and won't take them off, and here is our attempt at filming a short review. Maybe we will stick to words and pictures next time?

*declaration - we have been given two pairs of children's football boots to conduct this review.

sunshine after the rain...

2011-07-17T10:00:00.000+01:00

After what seemed like hours of rain yesterday, the clouds eventually cleared and we made a dash for the village of Lacock. Dating back the the thirteenth century, the village has remained untouched without any street markings, satellite dishes or telegraph lines, making it the perfect backdrop for all those period dramas on TV.

We skipped past the busy National Trust cafe, looking for something a little more authentic and less touristy, and found a lovely place called 'At the Sign of the Angel' a really old house in one of the more quieter streets and ordered afternoon tea in the garden.

After a quick lap of the village, walking off the very large portions of cake we had just polished off, we visited Lacock Abbey. The botanic garden was lovely, with sunflowers, rows of alliums and a greenhouse.

But the real reason we had visited was to see the Whispering Woods storytellers, who were performing in the Abbey grounds. They were wonderful, starting off with a folk dance that we all had to take part in, then weaving around the gardens, looking for faery folk as part of the story, whilst being serenaded by violin and cello music.

We gasped in awe as we reached the glades with the tightrope walker (pictured top) and then the acrobat performing amazing acts, it was simply enchanting.

the cloud...

2011-07-16T13:35:00.001+01:00

everyone is shattered today, very weary and grumpy boys, following a week of evening school plays, football tournaments, sponsored swims, beaver camp and Pete getting up at 4am four mornings in a row for work!

The wet weather isn't helping to lift our spirits and it reminds me of this episode of the Flumps from the 1970's when Perkin is followed by a cloud!

bistro birthday party...

2011-07-14T19:49:00.001+01:00

I was a really lucky girl to be invited to Hobbs House Bistro's first birthday party earlier this week. The bistro is fab, and situated above the award winning bakery in the heart of bustling Nailsworth. Have you been yet?

The menu is seasonal and local, prepared by Chef Antony Smith, who was recently shortlisted in the 'Best New Chef' category at the prestigious Cotswold Life Food and Drink Awards. For the party he had prepared some delicious lamb from Henry and Jess Herbert's butchers in Chipping Sodbury, and pittas that were freshly baked as we arrived, by master baker Tom Herbert.

The Herbert's are a large and very talented family and it was so lovely to meet other members of the family, and hob nob with local suppliers such as the lovely Ben from Winstones Ice Cream. Of course what's a party without a cake, and my what a cake, a HUGE delicious chocolate number by Hobbs House resident cake maker Sasha Jenner, who told me she is now making macaroons too!

As chef Antony cut the birthday cake, Tom lamented "how it's not such a good idea to sing happy birthday to a building, as his dad had been asked to sing happy birthday to Yate shopping centre years ago with interesting results!"

I cant wait to visit again soon, it has such a lovely relaxed atmosphere and there is always such an amazing menu. But in the meantime Sam has promised to save me the stickiest lardy cake on the Hobbs House stall at the farmers market on Saturday!

The bistro is open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, to book a table ring 01453 839396.

apple inspiration...

2011-07-10T09:42:00.000+01:00

photograph from ohsobeautifulpaper.com

We have been talking about having an apple day celebration in our village, gathering fallen apples from unwanted trees to press and make apple juice and cider, having games such as 'the longest peel' competition and apple bobbing, baking apple pie, eating pork and apple stew, planting a community orchard, mapping all the old orchards in our village that have disappeared and putting together a history walk, a sausage and cider walk, there are many ideas...

Have you ever organised or been to an apple day celebration? I would love to hear from you...

keeping up appearances...

2011-07-09T17:25:00.000+01:00

Sometimes our weekends are full of chores to be done, this weekend housework and haircuts! Haircuts were needed as Pete is due to be filmed on one of his nature reserves next week for The One Show. Very exciting indeed, especially following his appearance on Countryfile last Sunday, did you see him?

Two of his nature reserves featured on the show, the dormice (aaaahhhhh) are in one of the woodlands he manages, Siccaridge Wood and Daneway Banks where the dew pond was filmed is home to the large blue butterfly too. We were very proud, especially as he gave up one of his days on holiday in Cornwall with us to travel back to Gloucestershire for filming, which was a 12 hour round train trip!

We go to the most fabulous barber shop in Cheltenham called Balthazaar, full of vintage things to look while waiting our turn with the wonderful Kerry. It's a bit like stepping into one of the pages of Sibella Court's book Etcetera. The boys know that if they are good and sit still in the huge vintage barbers chairs, they will be rewarded with a trip to our favourite cafe Moka for a warm milk and slice of cake.

car booting...

2011-07-06T07:00:00.001+01:00

picture from here

I love car booting and go with my friend Gina, although not as much as we would like! We usually get up very early and travel to a large car boot in a nearby town, where you may even bump into the queen of the car boot sale, who can spot a bargain a mile off!

We love a bargain and whilst Gina will look at everything and come away laden with stuff, I flit (attention span of a gnat!) looking for specific things. We have an unusual tactic of often liking the same thing and confuse the seller by haggling between ourselves first! I still wish I'd seen the wooden metre stick first and bought the preserving pan that I thought extortionate at £1!

This week I discovered the blog 'A Thrify Mrs' where she has put together '10 bootsale tips' a great guide if you are new to boot sales. I really must get to some more and try out some new boot sales/markets, anyone got any good places to go?

Wild Things Week Six ~ touch boxes!

2011-07-04T23:44:00.000+01:00

Weather: cold
Date: March 2011
Activity: Making touch boxes

I am terribly behind in documenting the naturey stuff I have been doing this year with the reception class at my sons school. This is an activity we did back in March, I asked if all parents could send an egg box with their children to school. We then gave each child an egg box each and they were asked to think about the way things feel; smooth, soft, wet, sticky, hard, prickly, bumpy, slimy, rough. They explored their school grounds looking for a different 'feel' for each of the egg segments in the box.

The children then sat in a circle and shared the different 'feels' one child had a stick and said it felt soft. We looked puzzled, but on closer inspection discovered it was like balsa wood, quite spongy, so we all agreed and passed it around. All the children shared their discoveries as a class and proudly took their boxes home, much to their parents delight!

*Wild Things is part of a series of blog posts documenting my involvement in outdoor education activities with the reception class of my son's school. My aim is to encourage children to get outside and discover the natural world through simple activities and unrestricted play. I hope by sharing these activities here on my blog, others may be inspired to try some of the activities at home or even, like me, approach their local school to help out.

thrifty finds...

2011-07-01T14:36:00.004+01:00

I love Fridays, I usually start the day at my local market where I buy flowers and plants from the WI stall for very reasonable prices. Then a rummage at the junk stall to purchase a few more tea cups and saucers. The owner of the stall let me rummage around her lock up today, which is packed from floor to ceiling with boxes of stuff, a real Aladdin's cave.today. I was rewarded with finding a pile of colourful sheets and linens for a den making workshop I'm running in a few weeks time!

July...

2011-07-01T00:01:00.000+01:00

my manifesto...

2011-06-28T23:16:00.001+01:00

children running {taken on film}

All children should have access to explore the natural world around them;

to climb trees
get dirty knees
pick and eat blackberries from hedgerows
camp under the stars
toast marshmallows on an open fire
roll down a hill
make mud pies
splash about in a puddle/stream/river/the sea
grow potatoes, dig them up & eat them
feel a sense of freedom

I believe that all children should have the right to do all these things and more, it should be 'second nature.'

shh don't tell the children...

2011-06-26T19:02:00.002+01:00

but we have just returned from the lovely wedding of Sas to Ash. It was the most beautiful wedding, the bride looked simply amazing...

with an hourglass figure to die for! I just love the vintage brooch detailing on the back of the dress.

We didn't take the children as they wouldn't have been able to sit still and one of us would have been 'on duty' and not able to take advantage of the beautiful venue, The Old Bell in Hurley. And besides we treated ourselves to a nice room with a roll top bath, as we have never stayed in a hotel before, just the two of us!

The wedding photographers were the amazingly talented Pen (pictured below) and Cam of McKinley-Rogers Photography, whose photo's are just gorgeous

The weather was perfect, so we didn't need to borrow any of the hotels wellies!

and this morning after a hearty hotel breakfast, we joined the newlyweds on the grass for a picnic lunch, which the hotel make up for you to take on a walk or eat in their beautiful garden!

The weekend was also the second time all eight of our blog friends were together again after our retreat last year, with Lisa jetting in all the way from California with her beautiful daughter Marandah! The other seven of us (me, Leonie, Susannah, Sas, Jo, Penny, Megg) live in the UK but it seems so hard for us all to get together! It was so good to see them all again and meet their partners too, and to think, I wouldn't have met any of them if it wasn't for blogging!

giving consent...

2011-06-22T08:53:00.002+01:00

A few weeks ago a picture of mine (above) appeared in The Daily Mirror to illustrate the feature "Help your children discover wildlife on your doorstep with a nature walk" which I would usually get very excited about. However, the piece didn't include a picture credit to me and instead credited Getty Images.

I read all the time about originality, and various copyright issues, I even buy images as part of my job meticulously sourcing images and making sure we credit correctly. I know how easy it is to get wrong and how as a photographer by releasing a digital image, it all comes down to trust and good practice.

I cannot tell you how disappointed I am, this is the third time it has happened, first Sainsbury's magazine, then the Big Issue and now the Daily Mirror. The pictures each time have been for a commission and have been passed on to a third party. As a photographer that's learning the ropes, trying to make a name for myself without giving too much material away for free, I find it really hard. It also makes it very difficult to find out who is at fault, were the pictures sent with the correct copyright in the file name? Was it the picture desk, if I complain will they ever use me again?

Once it's out there the damage has been done. I'll never earn enough to give up the day job, but I do want to be credited. I just wish I could be excited about having made it into a national newspaper!

guerilla gardening...

2011-06-19T16:55:00.002+01:00

We planted up someone's neglected hanging baskets today, inspired by the pothole gardener, who plants mini gardens in potholes! We will definitely do some more guerilla gardening again.

that friday feeling...

2011-06-17T14:43:00.001+01:00

Lunch at Hobbs House Bakery in Nailsworth, a very yummy handmade Scotch egg with tomato chutney from the new lunchtime menu. Delicious and a bit of a treat as I should have been doing chores! I quite fancy having a go at making some myself, great for picnics, anyone got any good recipes?

becoming a 'foodie'...

2011-06-15T19:44:00.001+01:00

taking a break with a tea loaf

Talk about blowing my own trumpet, but today my bloggers interview appears in the June edition of The Foodie Bugle. I am hugely honored to appear alongside some really wonderful and inspiring people, especially as I don't consider myself a 'foodie' at all! I guess looking through my blog, I do waffle on about cooking and recipes a fair bit, especially when it comes to foraging!

The Foodie Bugle, if you haven't discovered it before, is a beautiful online co-operative magazine, created and edited by Silvana de Soissons, dedicated to the sourcing, preparation and enjoyment of good food and drink, produced by skilled artisans, sold by quality purveyors and savoured by foodies. It tells the story of simple, frugal, seasonal food and drink from farm to fork, from soil to shop, from grape to glass.

This month the features range from a fab Friday night shift/behind the scenes tour from Tom Herbert of Hobbs House Bakery, an interview with Jane Clarke author of Nourish, local ice cream from Winstones and even a wild food forage.

So sit yourself down with a cup of tea and slice of cake and immerse yourself in The Foodie Bugle. Do let me know what you think.

British beach chalets...

2011-06-13T00:40:00.001+01:00

We now have the beach chalet bug, proper old fashioned wooden ones not 'bungalows by the sea' charading as a beach chalet or hut! There are lots sprinkled around the UK coast, but are an endangered species as many developers buy them up, build walls around them, or extend them for a larger New England feel. Many even now cost more to buy than the average family home!

We are lucky to have just stayed in this very beautiful hut at Gwithian Towans, Cornwall. Sleeping six, it has been renovated to a high standard, with fully equipped kitchen, two surfboards in the beams, airondack chairs on the verandah and original bakerlight doorknobs and original narrow (1920's/30's) doors.

For something with a character, The Shack is beautifully retro and sitting resplendent on an Isle of Wight beach. Or for something quite unique then this beach hut, (pictured below) on a Devon beach is for you. With prices from £1,595 for a week, no wonder guests have included Kate Winslet!

Something a little more affordable this secluded beach hut for two on it's very own beach and only reached by a footpath. With a wood fired hot tub, no electricity and bed you reach by ladder, it sounds perfect. Now where can I find an affordable one?

seven days & seven nights...

2011-06-12T00:42:00.003+01:00

pictures from here

A weeks holiday is never long enough is it? We have just returned from our annual summer holiday, we usually go earlier in the year for the better weather and more affordable holiday prices. This year we splashed out and booked an amazing beach chalet on one of our favourite beaches in Cornwall.

Driftwood was perfect, simply but beautifully furnished, without skimping on good quality with Dualit toaster and kettle, John Lewis bedding and large comfy sofa. There was a welcome pack on arrival that included tea, milk, focaccia, ginger fairings biscuits, a bottle of wine and a beautiful large bouquet of flowers on the table. There was also a good selection of books and games, and the kitchen was well stocked, with enough utensils for cooking and preparing delicious meals. Two surfboards balanced in the rafters, tempting folk who have never surfed before to get them down. With the Sunset Surf cafe a few minutes walk away where you can hire wetsuits and get lessons there really is no excuse not to give it go!

Pete had to come home for a day as he was filming on one of his nature reserves with Julia Bradbury for BBC TV's Countryfile programme. Poor thing, it was a 12 hour round trip on the train. So the boys and I had a day out on The Lizard, eating breakfast at Polpeor Cafe and horse riding at Poltesco Valley Stables. We also stocked up on lots of local food at nearby Trevaskis Farm, a 15 minute drive from the chalet.

With a sea view and a beach literally on the doorstep, there really wasn't any need to go far at all, a trip to St. Ives across the bay was about as far as we ventured. Already we are dreaming of returning to Drfitwood and we've only been home a few hours!

the barefoot kitchen...

2011-06-11T19:24:00.001+01:00

On our travels in Cornwall last week, we discovered the Barefoot Kitchen, sat on top of a cliff on the Lizard, with far reaching views out to sea towards the Penwith peninsular and St. Michael's Mount.

The lifestyle shop, sells tiffin tins, blankets and belly boards and there is also a cafe with a wood burning stove, serving homemade and local delicious food.

It was a windy day, so we warmed ourselves up with these huge mugfuls of warm milk, with a rather fun chocolate dipper to stir in.

The barefoot website has a whole library of short films of beautiful Cornish folk cooking on the beach, which I am trying to watch without being insanely envious of their lifestyle!

Check the website for opening hours.

horses & hydrangeas...

2011-06-09T22:10:00.002+01:00

One of the best things about having children is getting the chance to embrace my inner child! Today I took the boys horse riding, something I've never done before. I grew up reading all the Jill's Gymkhana books and always wanted to learn to ride, I certainly fancy doing it again too!

We found some beautiful blue hydrangeas whilst riding, and saved these ones from being trampled!

little chefs...

2011-06-09T08:14:00.001+01:00

The boys made their own supper this evening. Easy to make pizza's which makes everyone happy as they can choose their own toppings!

As you can see a lot of concentration went into this task and they tasted delicious too.

driftwood days...

2011-06-08T00:07:00.013+01:00

So here we are relaxing in the beach chalet listening to the chilled out tunes of Jack Johnson and Aloe Blacc whilst pretending to be cool surfy types! Braving the wind for a quick dip in the ocean, brrrr then running back for a hot outdoor shower to warm up!

Watching many beautiful sunsets, eating good food, staying up late, reading Charlotte's Web and playing dominoes around the table...

Drinking hot chocolate on the beach, wrapped in blankets to keep warm...

...and eating bacon butties!

farm shop fodder...

2011-06-07T14:34:00.001+01:00

this is a brilliant time of the year to visit your local farm shop. My favourite are the shops where you can pick your own or walk around the farm to see where your food has come from, like these onions (above) and strawberries (below).

Strawberries are my favourite food to pick, they remind me of childhood, walking miles to our nearest farm, and eating as many in the fields as we picked!

We picked some gooseberries this year too, I'd forgotten just how prickly the bushes were though, owch! I used them to make a quick 'fool' with, I boiled the gooseberries with a little water and lots of sugar to taste, adding a small amount of elderflower too for a delicate taste. After waiting for the gooseberries to cool I whipped up some double cream to put on top, or you can stir in for a more traditional gooseberry fool. Quick and very easy.

glamping...

2011-06-06T20:00:00.000+01:00

I am in totally in love with this Bill Brown sleeping bag that unzips to a quilt! It couldn't be more different from those 'boil in the bag' nylon numbers I grew up with. I am however, not in love with it's £180 price tag.

I still need to order our new (moving up the property ladder) five metre bell tent but can't decide between the one with separate ground sheet, that we had with the four metre bell and was perfectly adequate or pay more for a groundsheet that unzips? Should I buy from Soul Pad or Bell Tent UK and is there much of a difference apart from price?

Or find someone going to the Netherlands who can just pick one up for me from here - decisions, decisions!