@RecipesmadeinHerefordshire

What a weekend with this threesome and just look at that book.  Made In Herefordshire - exciting new collaboration with contributors from restaurants, producers, B&B's (oh yes - check out the lavender /honey shortbread recipe from yours truly).  It was launched in the presence of His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester - a splendid gentleman who genuinely thought we Herefordshire Farmers - and some, "real people" - no comment!

The real launch for me was to the people of Hereford at the magnificent Flavours of Herefordshire Food Festival.  We are so lucky in Hereford to have quite the most magnificent Cathedral - the Dean and Chapter (the former bought a book for his collection) graciously allowed the festival to happen in and around the confines of the Cathedral grounds - awesome in many ways.  It was quite surreal chatting to the JuiceShack boys then the Passion4Fish folk, sampling Oliver's Perry and then listening to organ practice - that is Hereford - what a mix!

Couldn't resist this picture taken on a recent holiday in Florence.  It's how I feel - just about to order tulips and trying to make the right decision.  Isn't this a gorgeous painting though, in a simple Church just around the corner from where we stayed - awesome.  One big surprise was having to make appointments to see the gorgeous largely private gardens in Florence.  How lucky we are in Herefordshire - such a wealth of stunning properties, many open in the Yellow Book for National Gardens Scheme and many superb larger gardens and nurseries within a very short distance - sometimes sneaking over the border into Worcestershire, Shropshire or Powys - many surrounding us.  Our favourites  within 20 miles are Stocktonbury Gardens and Hampton Court Gardens near Leominster; Hergest Croft in Kington, the Whimble Nurseries at New Radnor - but be quick as Elizabeth Taylor (yes really) closes a the end of September.  Westonbury Water Gardens near Pembridge are surprising and stunning and have the most entrancing dragon and cuckoo - you have to go to see!  As a bonus Upper Newton has just joined the great hortihub which collates and gathers all things good about gardening in our Marches borderlands and helps and promotes garden matters.
Now back to the tulip orders!  Queen of the Night has finally disappeared - helped by vine weevil in the round bed and age - so questions - what to drench with, which of the lovely compost heaps shall I spread there and what colour shall we have?

End of Harvest, beginning of wood pellet stove lighting. In the same week!

Just off on Saturday to an eco-dyeing course with Claire Cawte and Mandy Nash in Llantrisant Region 12 IFA - gathering leaves and bark in readiness for gorgeous alchemy.  Suddenly the leaves are turning and there is a chill in the garden.  The aeonium came in from the cold last night - I am not repeating the disgusting squidginess of last years disaster after the first frosts.

On the plus side we are just about to order tulips - a great buddy is having her wedding reception in our field next year - so I am trying to time the tulip and blossom display!  Challenging as peak cherry blossom time can stretch between three weeks as it did this year.  I am hoping that underplanting a new hedge of amelanchier's with vibrant tulips will do the trick!

Natural Dyeing and Farmer's Markets and Food Festivals

Could not resist posting this, taken last weekend at a www.plantdyedwool workshop with Jane Meredith.  I'm really lucky as she is just 8 miles from Upper Newton, on the riverbank.  I joined forced with the Brecon Weavers and Spinners Guild for a happy, if rather roast day natural dyeing Cotswold fleece with coreopsis, nettle, madder, meadowsweet, weld, indigo, woad, tansy all tested with chrome, copper, alum and some without mordant.

My dye plant area in the garden is developing, I picked up seven madder plants from Aardvark books in Brampton Bryan (don't forget the Scarecrow Festival 3/4 August this year), at their antique festival and rendezvoused with Cottage Herbery.  It's the best thing about local nurseries, you get a personal service.  I had been chatting to them at Shobden Food Festival on the aerodrome - ok next door to it, and arranged to see them three weeks later.  I did the same thing at the Farmer's Market in Hereford - I had forgotten to plant Nicotiana Sylvestris so ordered and arranged to pick up at the next market - perfect.

Walking With Offa, swallows, Gardens in the Wild Festival

The new Offa Hopper free guide with maps, proven bus routes out and lovely walks back to Kington has been launched.  Yours truly is kneeling by Lisa Richardson - Walking Festival Herefordshire and Pete Blench - Hereford Times walks and wonderful guide to take guests on great walks.

Nearer to home tthe Swallows are now nesting on the house and in the barns and the robins have rejected my soft felt bird pods and decided to lay and nurture their fledglings in the tidy pile of plastic rubble sacks for recycling - there is no accounting for taste!

The Malvern Show has been and gone - amidst it's usual mix of weather especially wind.  I remember a few years ago helping a friend from Pershore College layout and plant up her competition garden in such a wind - a total change of planting had to happen as all the tulips were blown over and then petals blown off.  Still at least those tulips were ok - something has completely destroyed my gorgeous Spring Green Tulips, they are now on the bonfire in disgust.  Thankfully the amelanchier hedge - newly planted ready for a friend's Springtime wedding reception is focusing me at that end of the garden.  I have also been somewhat focused on the dearth of ground elder, larger and stronger than ever before in two new beds - I must have divided something and inadvertently spread it last year.  Thankfully two of my twitter followings involve forages so I will be looking up recipes - probably not for breakfast guests - never fear - well not until I am entirely convinced that they enhance fritattas.

The new deckchair covers have been made and the deck chairs given a splash of freshening up black paint.  I bought one length of deckchair material from TinSmith's in Ledbury - one of my favourite haunts when over in that part of the world.  I had some rather gorgeous black lace in my stash and decided I wouldn't use it in felting work anytime soon but an artful dash underneath the pillows I have sewn in should look quite splendid.  I'll post photos when the sun decides to come back!  Also I'll post photos of the Kadai for outdoor cooking I finally succumbed to on a recent visit up the A49 to Shrewsbury.  It has a Hungarian goulash pot attached - well on the floor now after the winds of yesterday but now that Kington Building Supplies has furnished me with some sharp sand I am confident that the first summer stew will be upright.  The sand is quite ingeneous - it filters charcoal and cooking debris that is accidentally dropped in so only water splashes onto the ground underneath.  Of course now I am eyeing up small bits of farm mending thinking that a certain enclosed tube shape with two vertical holes and a removable lid at one end could mean that we could engineer our own charcoal in the embers ....  It's always interesting at Upper Newton - no room to relax for this particular brain.  Always projects for the benefit of guests though.

The next excitement is 22/23 June Gardens in the Wild based around Stagg Meadows.www.gardensinthewild.org/ Some really terrific speakers, Robert Myers (just post Chelsea),  Anna Pavord, Anthony Woodward, Clare Foster, Mirabel Osler, Noel Kingsbury, Nigel Dunnett, Peter Clay and Stephen Anderton.

Felt Exhibition in Llanlidloes this Easter
Quite chuffed to have sold a cashmere and merino antique scarf at the Feisty Felters exhibition in Llanlidloes this Easter.  I have been having fun with iPad overs too.  Now to make some welly boot liners for he who is important and has cold feet in this latest snow.  It was a beautiful journey over on Easter Saturday, luckily lots of sheep visible but the snow drifts in Radnorshire near Llanfiangel-Nant-Milan were awesome and scary for local farmers.

Made a few more cushions, lovely duck feather filling, a photograph of our gracious Oak Tree down in Long Meadow - adapted and screened onto some lovely shabby chic cotton and backed with Black Mountain (white) fleece.  In a way hope they don't sell - perfect for the holiday cottages!

Sorry about the lines around - I got my layers muddled in photoshop!

Primroses are here, Kinnersley on Sea!

Just so lovely when the one field near the cottages bursts into lemon gorgeousness all along the bottom of the hedgerow.  The cattle trample around here pretty well for most of the year but it is rested from November to ... the finer weather so these beauties have a chance to procreate undisturbed.  Of course if you were one of my foraging Twitter followers you'd be syruping or munching on them - but me - I just appreciate them just where they are with the birds in full chorus all around.

If you fancy following any of the foragers you can track them through the twitter feed of @GreatCottages.  Very exciting day first bumblebee on the hellebores - enjoying extended daylight hours, this was taken at 5.50pm

Now for the deck chairs, the winter has taken its toll with a slight infestation of woodworm so the idea of fresh canvas from Tinsmiths in Ledbury was a little premature, treatment, a severe talking to and a good coat of paint are all going to be necessary prior to the unveiling.  There is something so hopeful and promising about the notion of sitting with something sparkly (hawthorn fizz or nettle wine!) that appeals when the reality is still soggy and still soggier boots thanks to the snow!

Astrology
Nearly forgot - don't miss Countryfile on Sunday - all about dark sky status in the Beacons National Park - on our doorstep.  Our resident astrologer has suggested I get download "Starry Night", "Planetarium", "Google Night" on the IPAD so I can name the stars we see so clearly here.  Also a really great hint - a red torch - life is full of finding out about things you cannot live without isn't it?