The Tendring Hundred Show. This is a big agricultural show that is held in my village, with around 25,000 people visiting from miles around. I have been going since I was a child and it is much the same every year, just parts of it gradually change.

My green spotty felted handbag was put on display on the Lawford Horticultural Societys stand.
I like to visit the goat tent and say "hello" to all the goats, there were around 30 there today.
This donkey was very happy have his ears scratched. I also visited the guinea pig show, and found one just like my Babybelle. I went in the education tent, where all the local schools and nurseries set up displays of their work. I bought some local rapeseed oil and mayonnaise, some olives (not local!!) and a "Farmer Bills" ice cream.
I think that today must be the hottest so far this year, and far too hot to wander around a dry dusty field set out with boiling hot marquees.

RAINY SATURDAY

What a wonderful day! 20th June and as cold and wet as winter. It should be hot,hot , hot...


The morning started with a light shower and then the sun came out, so I decided to walk to town to do the shopping. I had to take shelter under a stall on the market as it tipped it down! Lucky me, Lukey came with the van and picked me up.

Too cold and wet to be in the garden, meant that today was a wine day. Last weekend we went out and picked lots of elderflower, I made some elderflower cordial and started off 2 lots of wine, strained this one into the demi john and now leave it to work it's magic.



I then washed and sterilized 18 bottles and filled them up. 6 bottles of "English Port", 6 bottles of "Elderberry and Blackberry" wine these will be laid down in my cellar!!!!! Well left in the shed for another 6 months to mature. Also bottled a kit wine, "Chardonnay" style , this will be ready to drink in 2 weeks.
I also made a chocolate tray bake cake and a loaf in the bread maker.

Apparently the garden needed the rain!

My little jug

My sister bought me this beautiful jug for my birthday. It is quite small, about 6" tall, cream with chickens around the edge. I stood it on the shelf for a couple of weeks and have now filled it with flowers that I picked in the garden. It is in the middle of the kitchen table. I think that it looks lovely, a little messy and natural just like my front garden!!
I love jugs, there is just something about them, I have a few that I use for gravy or flowers, or drinks on the table or just standing on a shelf looking nice or for just popping things in - a safe place!
I hope that one day I can have some real chickens too!

New shop

A while ago I bought a new mobile and it was a touch screen one. I didn't want to scratch it so needed a cover for it, so I knitted one. Well, a friend saw it and liked it and asked me to make one for them, I was pleased to do this for them and then someone else asked for one and I then I thought perhaps I could sell them. So I have spent the last couple of weeks knitting and below are three that I have made.

I set up my shop on Folksy last night and posted 6 mobile covers. I hope to add some more items soon.
This one with the blackberry on is for a "Blackberry" of course"

See my shop at http://www.folksy.com/shops/HandmadeHomemadeLizzy

Let me know what you think!

Our shed

This is how Lukey built our shed at the allotment. First he dug out the area, levelled it and laid the sand and then the paving slabs.
Mean while at home he made the roof triangles and all the other uprights and labeled them!
Back to the plot and the frame is put together - A-A B-B C-C and so on.....
Then the sides are boarded up - leaving a gap for the door and window.
Then the flat wood panels are put on the roof and the roofing felt nailed in place
Almost finished......... door and window, guttering up and drain pipe to two water butts, a coat of wood preserver and lastly..... A little sign saying "shed" just in case we forget!

THE FRUITS OF OUR LABOURS

This is my first strawberry - what a whopper - enough for three of us to share!
For dinner tonight we ate the first of our "first early" potatoes.
We have been working on our allotment for nine months now, all through the freezing cold winter, putting up fences and digging out beds. Planting, weeding and watering. Lukey has built the most wonderful shed, which I will post the photos another day.

Lets hope there is plenty more to come!

Garden Visit

Today I went on an outing with The Lawford Horticultural Society to visit Beth Chatto's Garden in Elmstead Market. http://www.bethchatto.co.uk
This was my favourite plant in the garden, Frittilaria Persica. It had lovely grey green leaves and purple bell like flowers. I looked for it in the nursery but couldn't find one.


Her are some of the group looking in the pond. We all wandered around the gardens and looked around the nursery, carefully choosing our favourite plants to take home. After we had lunch in the cafe.
This plant was massive, I don't know what it was called, some sort of lily.
This is a similar one growing by the pond
And here am I standing on a bridge by a small stream.
The gardens were lovely, all the beds were covered with ground cover with other plants growing through, very little weeding is needed. It was full of spring flowers, not just bulbs but others like the frittilia and hellebores. I would like to visit again in the summer and see the difference.