Wednesday 1 August 2012

Empty Nest and Sunshine

                                                         View from the Back Door.

Still sneezing round the garden, lots of pollen, whatever the weather. But it's all so very quiet and empty - just like indoors. The Kiwis are back home safe and sound after a l...o...n...g journey and getting back into the swing of normal life. Oh it has been so good to have them all here, I kind of feel it's the end of summer because their holiday is over....but of course the summer holidays have only just begun here. PLEEEEEEEEEESE let us have some decent weather soon!

                   Instructions from Jim to include a shot of the rose/honeysuckle arbour.
                                            Spoilt for choice re floral shots. Abundance!

Last Tuesday, to cheer ourselves up, and to take advantage of the sunshine which had arrived too late for our visitors, we headed up to the coast by way of the back roads known only to the locals, hence missing the six mile tail-backs we swept past! We were on a mission to meet Sue the estate manager up at Drove Orchards Farm where the Craft Fairs are held. She is keen for Jim and his partner Mike who comprise 'Strictly Flyfishing' to be part of the next event, doing casting clinics and demonstrations. After our 'business meeting' we had a lovely lunch at the recently re-opened under new management Yurt, on site at the farm.


It was actually hot enough to sit outside in the sun under a big parasol. Lovely food and very reasonably priced. Then we had a stroll round to the farm shop and bought loads of fruit, including goose-gogs, and Drove Orchards fruit juices...apple, and quince, mmmmm!


There, topped and tailed and waiting to join the last of the garden rhubarb in a delicious crumble. I also had to pop these into my basket, the smell was divine!


Then we popped into this interesting little place to have a chat with Jo..........


Jo sells all kinds of interesting lovely stuff for your home and garden. It's not a huge place, but jam-packed with goodies.





And deep joy, Jo was having a sale, and Jim spotted this, which just had to come home with me.......


It's truly vintage, not a modern knock off. And it was £6. Need I say more? Scubbed up it looks gorgeous in the kitchen...whether it will stay there, it IS very large! But I love it. Tiny hairline crack, poof! who cares!

Before leaving I checked out another barn where there was a new retail unit....my fellow craft-fair attendee, Angela of Potter and Dibble in Dersingham, has opened a space up at the farm, with some gorgeous stuff.  We had a chat about some possible workshops in the autumn...it's all happenin'!




Angela and her two hounds...Monty is doing the hang-dog impersonation, and I'm afraid I forget the name of the little terrier; she was eager to be off!

So after a chat we set off for home , still in the sunshine, with our goodies, pleased to be driving in the opposite direction of the endless trail of still slow-moving cars heading up to the coast. SO GLAD I no longer have to fight this traffic each summer to get to my visits, since retiring from Health Visiting! Knowing the back roads which criss-cross the region is certainly a help, but at some point you always had to join the line, and it was so frustrating!

Well, as most of you have experienced, the weather has been changeable, some more sunshine, thank heavens, but tons of rain as well. COME ON SUMMER! Pleeeeeeeese let it not rain on Friday evening as I am going to watch Van Morrison at Newmarket....no umbrellas allowed! Eek!

My next post will be taking a look at some of my journalling supplies, as I've had a request. So that will be up soon, hopefully. Till then, hope the hols are going well for you, bye for now!

24 comments:

  1. Oh how lovely - I do wish I could have come with you to visit those places! Your garden looks beautiful - when can I come round for a cup of tea at your place?!!

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    1. Jane you'd be very welcome! Let me know next time you might be in the vicinity...I mean it! (But you'd have to ignore the untidiness!) The kettle will be on!

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  2. Your garden looks stunning! I wish I had tickets to a Van Morrison concert. I'll keep my fingers crossed that it doesn't rain!
    June

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    1. I'll be posting about it nodoubt, June - I'm hoping the music makes up for His Generally-known -to-be- Grumpiness! And the weather...well, I won't hold my breath!

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  3. Lovely photos Lynne, reading about the crumble makes my mouth water good old fashioned puddings can't beat them.

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    1. I agree, Lesley..in faact I also made a smashing Bread and butter pudding at the same time, we had a load of 'white bread' left over from Kit's last shopping trip. It was delish, though I say it myself!

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  4. Reading all this about oh so familiar places makes me really want to get home to Norfolk after my travels in Bessie - and the Yurt open again - yippee!

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    1. Oh Lynne, we are all missing you! Come home, come home!
      Lxxxxxxxxxx

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  5. Wow, your flower beds are gorgeous! Like the rose bowl too!

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    1. Hi Dorothy, thanks for popping across. Yes, the garden is just on the brink of 'going to hell in a handcart' as it blooms itself silly and tyhen it all collapses!

      That beautiful big bowl is gorgeous, a real steal!

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  6. I can't believe someone calls them Goosegogs too! I think I need to get up your way for some shopping - those shops are beautiful!
    Claire

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    1. Hi Claire...yes, there was a blog-debate recently about 'goose-gogs', everyone thinks it originates where they live! Apparently most of us call them goose-gogs, perhaps just not in polite complany!

      Only problem with getting up to the coast is.....all the other folk getting up there too! Ugh I hate miles of traffic and aoid it if I can. But sometimes you just have to get away......

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  7. I want your garden.... mine is so neglected this year :( You must be missing all your visitors, glad they arrived home safely, you do visit some gorgeous places, I wish I was retired!
    Sue Xxx

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    1. Yes, Sue we do miss them all the time, but it is nice to have the house back to ourselves....does that sound awful? Yes of course, you can feel two seemingly opposing emotions at the same time. We will be skype-ing and as I say planning our next visit out to see them next year.

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  8. I love the vase you put your sweetpeas into. Is it hand made? Also welldone for the find of the bowl - gorgeous! Eleanor x

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    1. Hi Eleanor, lovely to hear from you!

      Yes, the vase was made specially for me by my blogging friend Cathy, from Potter Jotter blog....you can read about the lovely things she made for my family a post or two back. It's gorgeous, isn't it?

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  9. Lovely photos of some great trips and it looks like you are doing exactly what we do after our family visitors depart...... fill the void with trips out and treats. Some lovely places to visit there and I can almost smell those roses, honeysuckle and oh, my, those sweet peas! I too love goosegogs... you may take the Scouser out of Liverpool but you can't take Liverpool out of the Scouser!
    BTW... I've just booked a flight to visit mine in Germany next week..... they only left here a couple of weeks ago! Thank goodness for easyjet.
    JoZarty x

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    1. Oooooh Jo, you lucky thing to be visiting so soon....oh it's the little one's 3rd birthday, isn't it? Of course you are going....Germany is relatively near. Damn....I don't know how long we will be able to trudge across the world to NZ...quite apart from the PRICE of tickets the journey is horrendous. If only we could fly business class!! Ho Ho! Have a lovely visit. Lx.

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  10. Your garden is looking fabulous! So glad you liked my cushion and yes broken dishes - I knew it had a proper name! :)

    Sandra x

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    1. Hi Sandra....actually now I tink aout it....I may have been wrong. I know it goes by several names, cotton reel, spools but I think there is a more obscure one, similar to broken dishes......tcha! I usedto know hundreds of quilt block names.....they have falllen off the edge of my brain's 'need to know' cliff! Lx

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  11. Hi Lynne, we have just got back from a lovely, if wet time in Norfolk! That shop looks good, going to store all these lovely places in my head as I'm sure we will be back time and time again! Ada :)

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    1. Hi Ada, I just left a comment on your blog, glad you had a good time here...pop in for tea next time! Lx

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  12. Gosh, you really do get to some marvellous places :D

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    1. Annie, there are some fab place in Norfolk, we love it here. The only downside to getting up to the coast is the traffic! we manage to circumvent it whenever possible, but it does make you think twice in the summer months about just 'popping' up to somewhere nice up there!

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