Space to think

Every once in a while, life chucks a swerve ball, that catches you unawares.  Sometimes this can wind you, and you need some space to take it all in......space to think.

A special place for me to go when this happens is St Huberts Church.  Sometimes known as Idsworth Church, or even still the little church in the field. 

The church is old..very old.  I am sure that over the centuries many pilgrims have come to sit and contemplate life.

A furlong from
the nearest habitation,
a field without,
in splendid isolation,
and yet, within,
a wealth of decoration

Whatever the season, in fact whatever the mood, this tranquil little church offers peace, stillness, and a moment away from it all.

Autumn gifts

I have some really lovely friends who have recently blessed me with some of the bounty from their gardens.

Sam and Nick passed me some apples and duck eggs whilst at church last Sunday, and the previous evening Jo and Dave came for dinner bringing a bag of pears.

The duck eggs went to make a special cake for my work colleague Linda to celebrate her birthday!

I love how in life the simple things often bring the most pleasure!  The Apple and Toffee cake went down a storm at work during our morning elevenses.

There was no question what to do with the apples and pears.  This perfect autumn gift would be transformed into CHUTNEY!

A chutney is a mixture of fruits and or vegetables (fresh or dried), cooked with sugar, spices and vinegar.  It is a most rewarding preserve, quick and easy to make, and is perfect to use the glut of produce so generously given.

I made mixed fruit chutney, adding plums and dates to the apples and pears. Plums are always a favourite of mine, and were the added idea of my lovely Mum.  Incidentally I bought the plums from the green grocer, and noticed that they were called 'Marjorie' which made me smile, as this is my Mum's real name.

Making chutney is easy.  Prepare the fruit by washing, peeling and chopping and add to your preserving pan or large sauce pan.

Add all your ingredients, stir, then bring to the boil.

Once boiling, turn the heat down to a simmer.

As the chutney simmers, it is good to stir it frequently.  As it simmers you see the chutney change colour to a darker more golden colour.

The colour of your final product is often determined by the vinegar that you use.  Malt vinegar gives added flavour, but will always give a darker chutney, but if you use white vinegar, you allow the fruit to colour your chutney, which is what I have done on this occasion.

While the chutney simmers and fills your home with rich aroma, it is time to prepare your jars. It is vital that your jars are spotlessly clean and dry.

A bottling funnel is a great idea, as it saves splashing your clean jars and delicate fingers with boiling chutney.

See how the funnel avoids any faff whilst bottling your chutney.

Before you put your lids on, which by the way should be done when the chutney is still warm, cut out circular discs from greaseproof paper and lay them directly on the top of the chutney.  With the lids now on the jars, it is time to label your jars.

And of course, decorate the jars to give that shabby chic look.....

And there you have it....mixed fruit chutney ready to set aside to be eaten at Christmas time with all the lovely cold meats and pickles.

It has been a great afternoon's work turning this........

into this..........

An unexpected pleasure!

The day before yesterday my sister Rosie came to visit for the day, along with my 5 year old niece and 2 year old nephew.  In an inspired moment we headed off to Staunton Country Park for the afternoon.  Never having been before we had no idea what might be in store for us. We very quickly realised that we had chosen well as Staunton Country Park proved to be a gem, and was full of unexpected delights and pleasures.

First stop was lunch.  We ate at the Tea Rooms.  A good cup of tea, and a round of lovely sandwiches. The Tea Rooms were popular with families and free range chickens alike!  You could of course bring your own picnic as many other families chose to do.

The Park is full of lovely old buildings

lots of chickens roam free

After lunch we began our walk in the farm yard where we saw familiar animals; rabbits, guinea pigs and their babies and a huge pig with her piglets resting in the warmth of the day. 

We then went into the Children's Paddock.  Here the animals were happy to come and say hello and be stroked by the children.  In the out houses were other less familiar faces such as the Angora goat from which we get Mohair.

everything was well signposted

beautiful chook!

chook getting up close and personal

Big rooster relaxes with Angora Goats

Turkey Lurky

Leaving the Children's Paddock, we strolled further afield.  The children loved running on ahead on safe paths.  There were plenty of goats, calves, donkeys, Shetland ponies, alpacas and llamas to keep them amused and fascinated.

Llamas

Mum having a rest in the dappled shade

while her piglets slept soundly in the warmth of the sun

One of the highlights for my niece was meeting Rose and feeding her grass. She is a beautiful Shire Horse, and she obliged the children by coming over to the gate to say hello.

As well as the Farm, there are ornamental gardens and glass houses to wander through. The gardens were very well maintained, and packed full of colour and fragrance to delight the senses.

Despite being at the end of summer, the gardens were packed with colourful flowers, along with herbs and vegetables ready for harvesting. They were immaculate and a joy to stroll around, inspiring me with new ideas for my own garden which is in dire need of some attention. 

Despite the heat we entered the beautiful Victorian Glasshouse. Lots of tropical plants and flowers were thriving in the humidity.  

The children were quickly drawn to the water feature.  A large pool of cool water in which plenty of fish were swimming around. There were lots of tiddlers and surprisingly some bigger ones too, though not being au fait with fish, I could not tell you what they were.  The main attraction here though was the amazing water lily. These green floating saucers were quite a spectacle.

We left the Glasshouse to cool down.  It was very humid and hot in there.

  

Leaving behind the wonderful walled garden we headed off in search of an ice cream to cool down, and then a play in the children's play zone. Whilst Rosie and I sat with the warmth of the autumnal sun on our backs, the children played and forged new friendships, creating their own special moments in time.  As the afternoon drew to a close, and we headed home for tea, we all agreed that Staunton Country Park had been an excellent place to visit, and we would most certainly want to come again another day.