New Plants and Cookie Biscuits

Hello everyone. 

It has been another sunny week here in this small corner, but there have also been a few cooler breezes and some rain showers on Thursday, which were very welcome.

As the temperatures have been lower than we have been used to over the last few weeks, hubby has been getting on with constructing the rest of the raised beds nearest the decking. 

The last bed was much more of a challenge, as is usually the case with a project. After the rain on Thursday, hubby was able to lift the old turf, but the ground was very compacted underneath, and we have quite heavy clay soil. He started turning the ground over and found a metal spike for a rotary clothes line. It took some time to dig that out, and it must have been there over 25 years, longer than we have been in this house. Having removed that spike, almost next to it, he found another one. This was of his own making for a rotary line we put in over 20 years ago. Hubby had set that in concrete, never to be removed!! It took a sledgehammer and a heavy-duty jackhammer drill to break it up. Then he had to fill the crater he had made. At least now the ground has been properly turned over, and once the compost and manure are added, any new plants should have a good start in our garden.

I have not done any digging this week, but instead I have been busy buying plants. A friend of ours had recommended two new garden places to visit - one has great air conditioning in the cafe and a good selection of plants to tempt. Then further down the road was a wonderful nursery, again with lots of very good plants. 

I'm afraid I came away with several plants for my new garden beds. 

French Lavender

English Lavender

Anemone

Choisya(Mexican orange blossom)

Hebe

Santolina

Geum

Chives

Oregano

Rosemary

Once they have all filled out some more, they will be perfect. I still need some other plants, but I think a good start has been made.

This week, my tomatoes have started ripening. At first the colour change was slow, but now there are lots of ripening tomatoes that I can start picking and using. 

D is on holiday at the moment, so I am missing my baking partner. This week, I found a new helper to bake with. Hubby usually stays out of the baking zone, but the chance of cookies at the end of the day encouraged some practical support. These were the cookies/biscuits we made.

It was a very easy recipe that I adjusted to the ingredients I had to hand.

Here is my own version.

It was a very easy recipe that I adjusted to the ingredients I had to hand.

Here is my own version.

Traditional Sugar Biscuits

350g/12oz plain flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

115g/ 4oz butter

225g/8oz caster sugar (I used granulated sugar)

1/2 tsp vanilla essence (or essence of your choice)

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

Topping

A mix of crystallised sugar and cinnamon for sprinkling on top

Method

1. Sift the dry ingredients together except the sugar, and set aside.

2. Cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla essence until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat to mix well.

3. Add the flour mix alternately with a spoonful of milk until a soft dough forms. ( You may not need all the milk). Wrap in cling film and chill for about 45 mins.

4. Heat the oven to 180℃/350℉/Gas 4

5. Roll out the dough to a thickness of 3mm/ 1/8 inch. Cut into rounds with a floured biscuit cutter and transfer to a baking sheet. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon topping. Bake for 10-12 mins until golden brown. Allow to cool and enjoy.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, everyone, and have a good week ahead.

B x

Going a Little Potty!

Hello, and welcome to our small corner. D and I are glad you are visiting us today.

Another week has flown by, and I am trying hard not to think about the festivities that will be upon us in just over ten weeks! 

Last Monday morning turned out to be bright and sunny—no rain! It was the day to pick the last of the tomato crop. To be honest, tomatoes have not done well in this small corner in 2024, and those that did ripen were very small. However, as D had suggested a Tuna pasta bake for our evening meal, I harvested these last bright jewels and made a small amount of sauce. It made our meal delicious.

I have been shopping again this week, but this time for something cheery to look at through my kitchen window in Autumn and Winter. Some sunny days might even see me taking 5 minutes in a chair with a cuppa. The space is just outside our back door, after all. 

I was looking for plants that could have a double life, first in pots and later in the ground behind the raised bed. This is the semi-shade side of our garden, and all these plants should be fine. The bright pink of the Heuchera really caught my eye first. I love the foliage as well as the flowers, and they will come back next year. This one is called 'Paris,' and next year, it will start to form the edging of a path.

The other new plant was this one. It is a Lophomyrtus, an evergreen shrub of the Myrtle family. It grows into a large shrub of about 4/5 ft over time but will need little looking after once it settles. After using its rather tongue-twisting family name, I rather like its personal variety name, 'Magic Dragon'. I can now say I have a dragon living in our garden! 😂

I also bought a pack of orange violas and added them to a small Acer

to brighten the raised bed.

As you can see, everything has been planted up into pots for this year. They are standing on a raised bed emptied of Summer plants and covered with weed-suppressant material until Spring. I know the pots are mismatched, but I don't mind that, really. I have also covered the weed material with some bark to make it a little prettier—just for aesthetics.

While wandering around the garden centre, I found these gardening gloves—so bright and cheery, with a yellow and red hot chilli design to remind me of Summer heat. They also joined my shopping basket.  

Looking at the week ahead, it looks like more rain is forecasted, so crafting and baking are more likely for D and me this week. We hope you all have a good week and enjoy whatever you have planned.

Bev and D x