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Quote of the day:
“What wondrous life is this I lead!
Ripe apples drop about my head;
The luscious clusters of the vine
Upon my mouth do crush their wine;
The nectarine and curious peach
Into my hands themselves do reach;
Stumbling on melons, as I pass,
Ensnared with flowers, I fall on grass.”
~ Andrew Marvell
Forage in September for:
Cornelian Cherries, Sloes, Dandelion Leaves, Rosehips, Wild Hops, Blackberries, Elderberries, Damsons, Hazelnuts, Wild Strawberries, Sea Buckthorn Berries, Walnuts
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Category Archives: History
Dreaming in Wandlebury Ring
I love the atmosphere at Wandlebury Ring, near Cambridge. Standing in its deep ditches it is easy to feel slightly lost in time. I can dream of giants (Gogmagog), warriors (Romans), knights (see Gervase) and of Kings (James II). Way … Continue reading
Posted in Flowers, History, Nature, Out and about, Trees, Walks, Winter
Tagged Cambridgeshire, Country park, Galanthus nivalis, Gog Magog, Honey bee, Iron Age fortification, snowdrops, Wandlebury Hillfort, Wandlebury Ring, Yew trees
25 Comments
Looking forward to a Burns Night Supper ….
… and how did an English vegetarian get here? A while back, when my husband and I still did astronomy, we were seconded to the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes on La Palma in the Canary Islands. It was a … Continue reading
Posted in Food, History, Recipes, Vegetables, Whimsy
Tagged Burns night, Burns supper, celebrations, Haggis, Neeps, Poetry, Robert Burns, Tatties
6 Comments
Will you go a-wassailing?
Do you want to ‘wake up’ some apple trees, so that you get a brilliant crop this year? Then you need to go a-wassailing and tonight is the night to do it. Twelfth Night, the evening of 5th January, is … Continue reading
Posted in Drinks, History, Whimsy, Winter
Tagged agriculture, apples, cider, crops, Gardening, good health, Harvest, nature, orchards, perry, productiviy, tradition, Twelfth Night, wassail bowl, wassailing
12 Comments
Through mud and water to a Gothic Tower
Yesterday we left the younger generation in their beds to take our traditional New Year’s Day walk around Wimpole Park and up to the Folly. The previous night’s heavy rain ensured that it was a muddy affair from start to … Continue reading
Posted in History, Nature, Out and about, Walks, Wimpole Hall, Winter
Tagged Capability Brown, Chinese bridge, Folly, Gothic Tower, Johnson's Hill, landscape, mud, nature, Photography, rambles, restoration work, walking, Walks, Wimpole, Wimpole Estate
13 Comments
Quince – Paradisal fruit within our reach
Imagine the Garden of Hesperides. Imagine eating one of the mythical golden apples that grant immortality. Then picture a quince. It’s possible they were one and the same (the ancient roman agricultural writer Columella speculated that they were). So there … Continue reading
Posted in Food, History, Nature, Recipes, Trees
Tagged cooking, Cydonia oblonga, Food, fruit, Fruit leather, Harvest, Meechams Prolific, pome, Quince, recipe, Trees, Vranja
9 Comments
Hatfield House – The romance of knots, fountains and horseshoe elephants!
A number of years ago we visited the romantic gardens of Hatfield House, Hertfordshire and I retain an impression of wonderful Elizabethan glories from that trip. So a couple of weeks ago when we were lucky enough to be able … Continue reading
Posted in History, Nature, Out and about
Tagged Angela Conner, Elizabeth I, Hatfield House, Henry VIII, Hertfordshire, Jacobean, Knot garden, Old Palace, Parterre, Renaissance, Robert Cecil, sculpture, Tudor
13 Comments
Phases of the Maze
I think mazes are tremendous fun: From the glorious, historic hedge mazes of palaces and castles (e.g. Hampton Court, Hever Castle) to the local Victorian yew hedge maze in Saffron Walden. I invariably get lost in them too, even though … Continue reading
Posted in History, Nature, Out and about, Plants, Whimsy
Tagged Anemanthele lessoniana, Cambridge Botanics, Hampton Court, maize, mazes, medieval village, Pheasant's Tail grass, Saffron Walden, Turf maze
20 Comments
