Deckchair hunting near Brecon

Wonderful mossy velvetness near Sennybridge

Pen y Fan and Black Mountain Ranges March 2013

I set off on an ebay related adventure yesterday, picking up two deck chairs from the other side of Brecon passing this view of Pen Y Fan and the Black Mountains.  Such a beautiful journey with many statuesque trees on the way - bit obsessive about trees before they burst into leaf at present as a new range of cushions are being made for Apple Bough Cottage.

I called back via Brecon Craft Fayre - held in the Memorial Hall - met some lovely people including a great Chinese artist who is based in Abergavenny and someone who makes cute sheep footstools in gorgeous colours.  Then purchased some coasters with fabulous photographs from the top of the Black Mountains - now used on the breakfast table.  No need to put the snowy scenes out this morning as watching the lesser spotted woodpecker nibbling www.wigglywiggler.co.uk nuts we had a coating of snow on the parterre.

The yfenni (mustard seeds cheesy deliciousness) cheese I picked up in the Hay deli yesterday went down really well melted into mushrooms with sour dough bread and maple smoked welsh bacon and rosemary and pork sausages - both from the great Butcher in the Brecon market.  I don't get up there often but always pop in and order, cross over and have a freshly cooked (in front of me ) welsh cake and chai tea and then pick up my goodies.  Shopping this way is always a pleasure - lovely welsh humour and a feeling of belonging.

Yesterdays breakfast sausages and bacon were both rare breed Gloucestershire Old Spot from a terrific butcher in Ledbury - again I was passing.  It's the joy of the market towns, just 15 miles centred from Hereford and you have such choice and treasures.

I returned from Ledbury to find the most gorgeous bunch - nay bouquet of flowers from @greatbritish flowers, from Heather Gorringe to sample.  They were and are stunning and the sent is really gorgeous from the narcissi.  I split the bunch, half into the cottages and half into the dining room.  Four days later they are still going strong and the irises are now fully open and taking centre stage.

Luxury travel blog

It's been a good day to tweet!  Incensed that VISIT ENGLAND site doesn't even have Herefordshire listed on its page about rural counties, - we don't get much more rural, I defy anyone to ask for a non-sea related activity and me not be able to find somewhere close that they could do it! (follow GreatCottages if you want to see the related tweets, or maybe its Kinnersley Cottages!)

Anyway,  a significant number of folk are following us so I tweet to the said company and commented on their thoughts on luxury travel and luxury items in the bathrooms particularly.

"I've been thinking, luxury isn't just expensive toiletries, it can be pure handmade artisan products too - we don't do expensive packaging or makes that suggest your room rate has been hiked up to pay for Molton's of the world.

'Luxury can be simplicity - not quite our gypsy caravan experience during the minus10 nights but our biomass wood pellet boiler bubbling away warming the cosy cottage. It can be the farmer's wife popping you onto the family pony for a gentle trek around the farm, popping some deck chairs down into the bluebell wood and kitting you up with a flask to bird watch in complete, splendid isolation.  Just a thought. welcome to Herefordshire and the Welsh Marches, simplicity and cosiness done well!'

What do you think, would you prefer highly packaged "luxury" shampoos etc or locally well made items?  I guess this is my first online focus group - you can tell it is too cold to be gardening or taking photographs.  Archie has been tightly curled up for three hours - a new weather report angle  it is Archie 3 degrees - non exploring weather today!

Feltmaking for door panels and Llanlidloes exhibition

Finally, builders and decorators all settled - one biomass fire burning away which makes Chess Cottage really toasty.  Decided that it was time to help folk who are not used to the wonderful darkness and near zero light pollution by making an optional door curtain to pop over the stable door.  Also thinking about buying a telescope as we are close to the Brecon Beacons National Park which as you probably know has been awarded International Dark Skies Status as an International Dark-Sky reserve  – one of only 5 in the world along with Exmoor National Park, Canada, New Zealand and Namibia. 
It's great to be back with my fingers in the fleece, ready to take to Felting in the Factory near Ross-on-Wye tomorrow to pop on a rolling machine.  I want to get this particularly fine ready to screen print with an image of our gorgeous ancient oak - a stunningly simple photograph I took last week.

Finally managed to extra the photo of the mystery fungus I found on a walk last week in our woodland - anyone know what it is - I can't find my fungi book at present - a great buddy who helped me with my library is jetting off to Australia today and I am at a loss as to know where it might have been located.

Olympic meadows/bokashi bran - the ceremony of spreading of donkey dung and the opportunity for trials in Herefordshire farm garden with rescued deck chairs!

Inspired by the Telegraph article on the plantings masterminded by Nigel Dunnet from Sheffield University and the need to leave my new flower bed adjoining the vegetable garden fallow - I am inspired.
I have a mixture of forgotten, forsaken and free packets of annual flower seeds in various areas of potting frenzy around the gardens and think that with a sound supplement of a mix such as the Sheffield flower mix I could be onto a winner for a blaze of summer colour.

I read with delight that Nigel Dunnett had complimented Mary Keen (Pg 21 The Garden magazine - RHS) on fertilising her meadow  seed bed to combat the effects of our rather wet summers hmmm a use for the cherished and definitely well rotted Donkey dung at last!  This was acquired (I can hear you asking) on one of my many sojourns to Westhope craft college - I had great plans for more until Shropshire County Council decided to close the road for a substantial number of weeks and alas when it reopened the donkeys had been relocated.  A little like the first pickings or scrabblings of the bokashi bin the precious mix has to be used reverently.  (Thereafter it is just tipped onto the huge mound of compost and unceremoniously mixed up with the use of the farm teleporter and then dramatically flipped or turned.)

So summer planning is on its way, I failed to purchase any end of season deck chairs in Brighton at the weekend - part of the grand plan for Upper Newton picnics for guests in the extended garden.  I was tempted by the sign on the pier adjacent to some innocuous blue and white striped affairs piled up which stated Deckchairs Free to use  but then he who is important encouraged me to continue reading - whilst using the pier.  Spoilsport.  Note to self - it is very very chilly in Brighton in February - visit when warmer and negotiate with deckchair attendants in much the same manner you chat to nurserymen and rescue bent, broken and misshapen plants.  There must be a retirement system for well used deck chairs.

Lavendar Shortbread, Biomass and Yoga - yum

I decided to use some of the lavender harvested in the Summer to crush and use in shortbread - I used a tsp of hot lavender essence too and bought in a few culinary flowers (from Kent - shock) to place in the bottom of the baking pans to ensure it was clear that the shortbread was lavender in taste and vision.  After a bit of trial and error (i.e. three small batches) I managed to incorporate our own honey and get uniform amounts into my new, gorgeous baking pan.  I am particularly besotted with this as it has alternating honey combs and bees so perfect.  I'll take a photo when I get a moment.  There is a professionally taken one ready for the new Herefordshire Recipe Book to be launched at the Herefordshire Food Festival in October.  Do contact Photopia nr Pembridge if you have a great recipe idea - Becca and Simon would love to hear from you.

My photo will probably be set up in front of the new biomass pellet boiler in Chess Cottage - just loving the flame and the heat exchange system - very green, very warm and lovely contemporary look.

Quite a change to a freezing seafront in Brighton on Saturday.  This chilly weather snap is all about comfort food and spices that warm us.  We did find an amazing Vietnamese restaurant with the most delicious vegetables steamed in a stunning combination of spices.  New ideas for mixing with our nourishing basmati and mung dahl - a healthy staple in this house whilst the lady of the house gets her flexibility back and takes her yoga seriously.

In the background is the desolate sight of the burned down Brighton pier.  I do hope they renovate - it seems ridiculous that a new tower is being built to rival the height of any other architecture whilst this invaluable part of our history is left to erode.

Sunny, chilly Sunday afternoon walk to re-home the farm gnome.

Fungi walk today down in my favourite woodland. Found this and a gorgeous red fungi that looked like half a tangerine with red paint inside - one of the benefits of the soggy soggy year as it was growing only on rotting wood - out will have to come the fungi book.

Mostly we despise ivy and the damage it does to trees but this looked rather beautiful down in the long meadow over-looking Hay Bluff.

Early morning with the leaning copse.  One of the advantages of the crazy weather is that on days when the sunrise is glorious we appreciate it even more and revel in any signs of Spring coming, the hawthorne is shooting fast, the insects are enjoying the ivy flowers and the birds are definitely eyeing up potential nesting spots.

All is well - and the gnome has a new home, a place on a beautiful walk ready for treasure trail walks for guests.

Rather chuffed that this photo loaded, I went for an early ramble with Archie to see a stunning sunrise and was delighted to see the reflected light on the "dry soil" with surreal ice patterning by the cattle water tanks.  Scary to walk on as every now and again you sink into holes possibly created by the weight of William - our gorgeous bull!

Despite the rain, there is development in the garden - a wonderful birthday surprise was the creation of fabulous jetty down at the pond area - which now of course means the lady of the house thinks she should acquire a Wind in the Willows style fishing boat and at the very least needs a Jeremy Fisher style - "Gone Fishing sign".

The ducks have made it onto the jetty, the photo is posterized until it is planted underneath.

Just lucky with the oak tree silhouetted by Tin Hill, from our garden on 8th February.