Around the Vineyard Today

..........................I spotted a smiling sheep!

Windfall Apple Cake

This is an extremely easy apple cake to make - and delicious too!  The recipe can be found here.

To Autumn

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,

Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;

Conspiring with him how to load and bless

With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;

To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,

And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;

To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells

With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,

And still more, later flowers for the bees,

Until they think warm days will never cease,

For Summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.

John Keats

A Summers Eve

The above photo was taken a couple of evenings ago.  I am trying to capture happy moments in time to sustain me when times are dark.

Today is a dark day.  It is cold, wet and overcast. I feel down today.  I will spend some time looking at positive images and reading positive words.

I lit a candle for the first time in ages today.  A lovely blackberry scented candle.  It is a day for lighting candles, reading, curling up with a blanket and eating hot food.  I am lucky to have access to all these things and for that I am grateful.

Three Hundred Posts

I couldn't think of a finer way to mark my 300th post other than with the pomp and pageantry of this elaborately decorated coach.  It is housed within the Museum of London.

 As you can read above, it is still used each year to carry the new Mayor through the streets of the City.

 As a child I used to go and watch the Lord Mayor's show and eagerly awaited the procession each year.

 For Christmas I would receive a new coat and was allowed to wear it a month early on the day of the show.

I have fond memories of the coach.  In my new coat and knee high socks I would cheer and wave as the coach rolled by.

Museum of London

Today we took a short walk from Liverpool Street Station, walked along London Wall and climbed the stairs to the walkways above the roads below. We went to visit the Museum of London.  I am ashamed to say that despite being a Londoner I never knew it existed until recently.

Well, what a wonderful experience!  The museum shows the history of London pre Roman times to the present day.  I won't spoil your enjoyment of visiting by giving too much away here but it is amazing to think that London was once a forest!

Above is a portion of the 'original' London Wall.  I took this photo from the inside of the museum looking out where there was loads of facts written up about it that I failed to take note of!

 A reconstruction of a Roman living room. The Mosaic floor and the artefact's around are original.

 A Roman kitchen.  Doesn't look too bad does it?

 Well here is where I jump century's and bring you to the 1920's.  I was most taken with this Selfridges lift.

 Wouldn't you feel so glamorous riding in this?

 Look how beautiful the lift doors are with the golden light shining through.

 Just gorgeous and tasteful.

Isn't it a shame that we don't have lifts like these nowadays?

Unloved

I have been feeling very angry this week.  I am angry that I have lost my liberty.  I am angry with the hoards of selfish people who scuttled like cockroaches out of the cracks of a broken society to indulge in mass destruction of properties and livelihoods.  I have tried to gain some composure out in the garden and focus on the good things that nature provides.  I didn't find too much solace in the greenhouse.  I was shocked at how I have neglected my plants.  Many of the tomato plants have died simply because I did not nurture them. 

 A few plants still gave some fruit despite being unloved.

The plants outside the greenhouse that were saved by the rain and somewhat sporadic feeding have thrived.  If I had lavished an equal amount of time and attention on all my tomato plants the outcome would have been quite different and I would have had an abundant amount of healthy fruit.  It makes you think doesn't it?

Coming Together

We had our annual street party on Sunday.  We played music, we drank Pimm's, we ate each other's home cooked  food, we made and displayed bunting.  We had break dancer's performing, a best decorated cake competition, poetry reading's, tug of war, face painting etc.  We had a police sergeant, a constable and 2 community police officers join in the fun and camaraderie.

We celebrated under a shadow as news trickled through about the appalling events in neighbouring Tottenham the previous night.  As we chatted and rubbed shoulders under the gazebos, the rain lashed down and we could see and hear a helicopter circling overhead.  Sirens could be heard in the distance.

At around 3.00pm the police left abruptly and moved swiftly away from the street.  Later that evening after the evidence of the party was swept away, we sat in our houses and listened to the relentless sound of sirens.  Helicopters swooped down and we knew something untoward was happening.  That night my town was ravaged by troublemakers, vandals, arsonists, opportunists and looters.

Yesterday our local shops were in lock down from 4.00pm.  Trains were stopped, buses diverted.  It has become a no-go area.  I am deeply saddened.  As society crumbles, thank goodness I have neighbours who are willing to come together.

Pushing Boundaries

I am not really one for pushing boundaries.  I usually stick with what I feel comfortable with.  This self imposed restriction has prevented me growing in so many areas in my life.  I am getting better though, for example; instead of stitching on aida I decided to stitch onto linen which is a challenge in itself when my eyesight is failing. Hardly pushing boundaries I know but I am expanding my range of skills.

I have set myself a challenge of making some tactile key rings with some of my favourite sentiments stitched on to the linen.  Whilst out walking the other day the words 'live life with purpose' came into my head.  They will be the words on my first keyring.  I intend to live my life with purpose, making the most of every day and learning and growing with each new experience.

I Heard it Through the Grapevine

Congratulations to all of you that correctly guessed that my voluntary work is at a vineyard!  Within farmland, it is in a wonderful setting where I could see anything from alpacas to shire horses, chickens to sheep and pigs  to goslings.  The wildlife is abundant and I hope to have many photo opportunities over the coming weeks.

I am very excited by this community project.  Apparently there hasn't been a vineyard here since medieval times.  The vineyard will provide organically grown grapes including Bacchus and Pinot Noir to provide wine to consumers across London.  As the wine will be organic we cannot treat the area with chemicals therefore we have to use a lot of hard graft weeding by hand.  Unfortunately we will not see the fruits of our labour for another couple of years as the project is in its infancy.

This naughty saddle back piglet escaped out of his enclosure today and was running up and down between the rows of vines!  Yes we have entertainment here too!

A quilted sky

 At the end of a hot and humid day - a quilted sky!

 Wouldn't it be fun to be up there among the clouds?

Someone has been up there.  I spy a footprint!