Empty Nesters.......

Yesterday afternoon and evening, up until dusk, Mr. & Mrs. Wren kept up a steady supply of food and vocal instruction....................a sure sign that it was time for the babes to get ready to fly........or at least flutter.......from that planter by the front door! I spent several hours at the dining room window and even seated on the porch for a while, armed with the camera, wishing I had a better one with a good lens, and no glass in my windows! By nightfall I had decided those babes were definitely going to fledge this morning - they were sticking way out of the nest when the parents flew in with bugs and seeds from the feeder hanging out front.

Pictures below taken as they flew back and forth continuously for hours yesterday...................parenting skills of the highest order, a mom and dad so caring of their young. Sometimes he would just sit on a branch and keep watch, singing jubilantly for fifteen minutes, as she gathered food from the lawn and walkway, bringing it to the nest overflowing with cheeping babes. Then he would go to the feeder, pick a tiny seed and bring it over. Needless to say I didn't get much done yesterday, other than watch 'my little family'. I'm such a softy when it comes to birds in my garden.

I set the alarm clock for 6:15 AM because I know the wren babies fledge early in the day. A perfect morning for flight - brilliant sunshine, warm and calm. Coffee in hand, I sat at the dining room window and by 6:30 AM breakfast service began along with much calling, singing and chirping. Then, while dad sat on his same branch calling, mom sat above the nest on the flag pole and proceeded to fluff and preen her feathers, almost as if giving the babes their first lesson in personal hygiene, and perhaps showing them how to prepare for flight. At 7:00 AM number one fluttered out of the nest directly into the hydrangea bush below the porch rail - that's when I called for dh to hurry. Then number two popped out onto the cushion of a wicker chair, down to the porch and into the same bush. Number three gave us a scare, fluttered into the water filled fountain but immediately hopped out and joined the others - I was ready to run out to perform a rescue thinking it would drown. Then four followed into the bush..........................and there was no five unless we missed it, the whole process took less than a minute, when they go they go fast.

One by one the babies then followed the parents across the front steps, through another flower bed and here I leaned out of my bedroom window and managed to snap these somewhat fuzzy pics of some of the babes. Wren babes have little stubby tails which grow into those cute long perky ones.

Above, two babes following their parents to a safe place. Below, the last one, "hurry up, they're waiting for you".

Here it is now 9:00AM and I hear and see the parents in my side garden, singing instructions and teaching life's little lessons. The cheeping babes are audible however I can't see them and don't want to go outside and disturb this lovely moment Nature has allowed me to share.

I'm now an empty nester again. We can come and go through the front door.........and let the storm door slam! Today I can take back the porch.......clean it up for Spring.......have a cup of afternoon tea out there.......go shopping for Boston ferns to fill the empty hanging baskets........and pray that this new little family will survive to grow into adorable wrens, the tiny, cute, perky birds with the amazing big voices.

Let Them Eat More Cake

Not familiar with fabulous young Frenchwoman Clotilde Dusoulier? Well hurry over to check her blog Chocolate & Zucchini and before digging in to her recipes online, check 'ABOUT US' near top of her lefthand sidebar so you get to know this bundle of cooking energy!

Clotilde's first book, also titled Chocolate & Zucchini, Daily Adventures in a Parisian Kitchen, was published last year. Filled with great recipes, beautiful photographs (taken by her), and very interesting stories about her family and life, her opening words in the foreword ~ "Food joyously occupies a large portion of my waking thoughts - it even makes appearances in my dreams............." sets the scene for some great reading and cooking!

I shared Clotilde's Gateau de Mamy in an earlier post ~ it's my all time favorite and if you arrive for tea in the gazebo one afternoon, you will most likely tuck into a slice, or two (it's that light and delicious) with your cup of tea. Today I'm sharing another of her very simple to make, but yummy French style cakes ~ I made it again yesterday and have found it to be a keeper. This one is not in her book but was featured on her blog.

Here it is fresh from the oven.

Le Gateau Piege

For the pan:

1 fat pat of butter

1 heaping tablespoon sugar

For the batter:

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, really softened (this is important)

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

2 eggs

1 medium organic orange (about 7 oz.) scrubbed

1 cup flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

A good pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter bottom and sides of a 9 or 10 inch round cake pan (I use a 9" silicone pan) with the pat of butter. Sprinkle with the heaping tablespoon of sugar, then shake and tilt and swoosh the pan around to coat.

Cream together the softened butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time and mix until thoroughly combined. Grate all the zest from the orange over the bowl. Juice the orange and add 1/2 cup of the juice to the batter, mix until smooth. (At this point it looks a bit odd, like it's curdled but it's fine).

In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk the flour mixture into the batter and mix until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and bake 20 mins. until cake is golden and starts to pull away from sides of pan. Let cool on rack for 10 mins. (no more or the caramel on the crust will harden and stick to pan), then flip onto a serving plate. Let cool completely before serving.

Below - my cake which I sprinkled with a touch of vanilla sugar for more sparkle.

...................and then a dollop of freshly whipped cream, delicious! Now off to make that cup of tea.

Weekend Treasures...and a Re-count!

Saturday morning, under cloudy skies, I headed for SuzAnna's Antiques. Besides the usual vintage treasures, a Spring plant sale was to take place. Treasure, plants.....what else does a girl need when decorating home and garden is high on her list of Springtime pursuits!

As I stepped from the car the heavens opened, the rain poured down, so skipping the plants protruding from car boots (oops, I mean trunks - my English returned for a moment!) and truck beds, I ran under cover. As always, lots of new antiques, shabby chic and vintage items. Searching through the section displaying vintage linens and sewing items, I found the lovely lace edged linen doily with cutwork center, and several yards of cotton lace edging to trim perhaps a throw or pillows.

My favorite find was this heavy damask Irish linen runner with the beautiful scalloped and embroidered ends. Another Scottish pottery marmalade jar for my collection ~ love the warm white color and black lettering, some mother-of-pearl buttons, and the little cuffs links still on their original card, and signed 'To Grandpa from Jo'. I was pleased with my creamy treasures.

Here are a few more items I just loved but didn't bring home. More exquisite vintage buttons.
These amazing old wood shutters - if only I had somewhere to hang such gorgeous pieces, I'm thinking hard about these!
Pretty glass and metal pitchers ~ candelabra with crystals.
Chubby cherubs decorating this shabby mirror.
After the rain stopped, the outdoor area was washed clean, even the vintage bottles had lost their heavy coats of yellow pollen.
..............as for the plant sale.............it went on in the rain and I was the grateful recipient of two lovely gift shrubs, a forsythia and a beautybush, from shop co-owner Anna's sweet Mom. I planted them in my back garden yesterday and hope they will do well.


Update: And what am I re-counting you ask?
Baby wrens of course. Another surprise today - when I glanced into the nest they were all looking out and now I see there are FIVE!! They are all so cozy right now, however I'm thinking they will certainly be ready to fledge as that condo is going to be very cramped by end of week! I'll try to get a picture of them all before they leave.

Giving Winter the brush.........

On Friday another vestige of Winter was banished from the cottage with the arrival of William, our chimney sweep - no top hat and tails, not armed with those Mary Poppins era brushes - just a very powerful vac, less romantic but probably cleaner and healthier for him........and us!

A clean safe chimney ~ a fresh hearth ready for Spring decor.

More Spring Cleaning to get done ~ but so hard to stay indoors when the garden calls.

The wood pile was topped up in Autumn and we used perhaps two thirds of the lovely burning seasoned oak - you can see there's enough leftover to provide a jungle gym for squirrels and a perching place for our garden birds, also a buffer from our neighbor's parked boat. Please move that monster to the lake, soon!

Weekend stop at the garden center.............my senses started reeling. So hard not to buy new plants when they all look so pretty and perfect. Due to our drought they are stocking loads of low moisture plants. We're allowed a little weekly watering time again but it's sensible to plant these offerings for future water conservation.

I did have to buy one plant which of course loves water, a Nikko Blue hydrangea. This was to replace the one by the front steps. That plant gave me literally hundreds of gorgeous blooms each Summer for over 12 years and then was zapped so hard by the late Spring frost last year it just couldn't revive so I dug it out. Hopefully this replacement will do well.

Low moisture plants I brought home and planted - fountain grass, creeping yarrow, pink sea thrift, a mini-leaved stachys I have not seen before - such tiny soft 'bunny ears'.

Update on the front porch Carolina Wrens:

We have four baby wrens in the nest by the front door! At first I could only see two so was quite surprised, and thrilled, when two more stuck out their little beaks crying for their parents to bring a snack. In this picture you can only see three clearly. The parents are very attentive all day long, flying back and forth with beetles, moths, small grubs. I hope so much that they all make it and if I've timed it correctly they will most likely fledge around Friday of this week.

I so hope these babies survive and grow into beautiful wrens like this. They are such chirpy fun little birds to have around the garden.

Join me on a garden stroll

It was wonderful to have so many of you visit the potting shed. Next time, when the pollen has eased up, let's plan tea in the gazebo. Being English, I have tea of every description to tempt your taste buds. However, being English and a transplanted 'quasi Yankee', I don't do iced tea so you Southern gals will have to forgive me. I can rustle up a pretty good tall chilled glass of lemonade though....................and if this sounds a bit early for you real Yankees, let me tell you it has reached 80 degrees here this week and working in the garden certainly required thirst quenching refreshment.

During a stroll around the garden in the late afternoon, I took these pictures. This gives you an idea of color already painting the landscape ~ amazing how these have all bloomed in the past week. Now you know why I'm giddy ~ it's from all the pollen. Worth a stuffy nose and itchy eyes though to see Nature's surprise art show ~ she even hangs some masterpieces on the fence ~ right in my back garden.

Those of you who have been kind enough to visit me over the past year are very familiar with my Victorian style gazebo..........and most likely tired of me showing it you! However, all my wonderful new visitors may like to see it too, so welcome to another favorite spot in my garden. This rustic addition was added along with a new enlarged deck just two Summers ago and I love it and make very good use of it. Thirty years of being eaten alive by every mosquito within a 20 mile radius made dining al fresco virtually impossible for me during Summer months. With a totally screened gazebo which seats four, my outdoor time has increased and I can enjoy early morning coffee, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and even a nightcap.................or just sit for a while with a great book or my laptop, with very few itchy, pesky bites.

Looking across the front garden from the side arbor the lawn slopes down to the road ~ we are at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac. The red leafed Japanese Maple was planted 5 years ago when just about 2 feet in height and has grown incredibly fast. Just beyond it is our mailbox where these Queen of the Night and Pink Impression tulips are in bloom, and the budding clematis is starting to climb the mailbox post.

...............and after circling back around the house I see my old wicker chair waiting in the late day sun, perhaps time now for that cup of Earl Grey. The brilliant bluebells are in their prime. I now only plant the Spanish bluebell which is tall and sturdy ~ lovely thick leaves which don't collapse on the ground like the English bluebell.

Thanks for taking a stroll with me ~ as always I enjoy your company.


When the bright sunset fills

the silver woods with light, the green slope throws

It's shadows on the hollows of the hills

And wide the upland glows.

And when the eve is born

In the blue lake the sky, o'er-reaching far

Is hollowed out, and the moon dips her horn

And twinkles many a star.

Sweet April! ~ Many a thought

is wedded unto thee, as hearts are wed

Nor shall they fail, till to its' Autumn brought

Life's golden fruit is shed.

....................except from An April Day..........H.W. Longfellow

Puttering in the Potting Shed

I'm afraid Spring has made me giddy..............I feel the need to get out in the garden to see every little shoot emerge from the hard North Carolina clay soil, a miracle after the the long drought. I hasten from bed to bed in awe..................not just daffodils, tulips and azaleas are now in full bloom, but hostas are bursting through alongside Solomon's Seal, violets, and bluebells. Roses are climbing alongside golden flowered jasmine and bright pink honeysuckle, clematis are twining around the obelisks and buds are forming. Ivy and vinca creeping, no racing, everywhere, the hydrangeas have tiny buds already. Time has come to get out into the warm Spring air ~ the garden calls.

The center of my gardening world, my long wished for English potting shed. Built here for me several years ago, it has always been a special retreat in my back garden. When the builder left me with a basic shed I worked hard to make it mine. I painted it sage green with purple shutters. Inside I painted the floor and stencilled a 'rug' complete with sprays of roses. I hung my Mother's beautiful set of English Beswick china flying geese on the wall, and a metal chandelier from the ceiling.

The shelves are stocked with pots, garden hand tools hang from hooks, along with a plethora of odds and ends required for keeping up a garden.............twine, bamboo stakes, birdseed and watering cans. It stores Fall's dried gourds, Christmas wreaths, containers full of holiday lights, outdoor floods and drop cords, leftover tiles from the kitchen back splash, buckets and spades for the beach, bicycle pumps, brooms, a vintage clothes rack, a child's tiny table and chairs, a portable fan, a heater, Summer lanterns and candles, my necessary Barbour waxed jacket and clogs as the British always do a little gardening in the rain. And even with all this there is still room to move about - to actually pot up plants, or paint a pot.........to sit in an old wicker chair complete with flowery pillows and a dog-eared gardening book or magazine showing new ideas for one's little part of an acre.

I spent yesterday afternoon cleaning out the potting shed as it will soon be time to plant the seeds for the season. When you step inside the smell of warm earth envelopes you. Terra cotta pots tower in the corner, there are jars holding old seeds, the packets new ones. Time to buy potting soil to mix with the compost I've been preparing all Winter.



For where the old thick laurels grow, along the thin red wall,

You find the tool and potting sheds which are the heart of all.

......................Rudyard Kipling...................

So, if you stop by some day soon, I may not answer the front door bell. Just walk around to the back and you will find me in the potting shed.......it's the place where gardeners grow!

Do you have a sweet tooth?

In Lancaster County, Pennsylvania the Amish farming communities feed hungry tourists at several sit down family style restaurants. Also, many local markets such as this one in the township named Bird-in-Hand, offer baked specialties such as Shoofly Pie.

I've never tasted this Pennsylvania Dutch pie but do know you have to enjoy extremely sweet desserts to handle this molasses and sugar concoction. The 'wet bottom' version has a gooey molasses base and the entire pie is somewhat like a coffee cake. Anyone out there actually tried a slice? Would love to know what you thought of it.

The Amish farms dot the lush countryside of Lancaster County. We were a tad early in the season to see much growing. Fields had been plowed, and we did see pairs of horses or mules pulling plows, no mechanical tractors used here.

The farms are certainly beautiful. People were few, perhaps as it was a damp, drizzly day.
I was able to get dh to stop at one sprawling antiques mall as we left Lancaster County. I could have spent hours there as it was crammed ~ in a very neat and tidy way ~ with fabulous stuff. I had to be quick, sweeter things were calling both dh and granddaughter!

Passed up the gorgeous Mason's pink transferware above ~ being sold as a large set.
These Spode reproduction plates were lovely but too expensive.

More Mason's below ~ would have loved these pieces, especially that gorgeous teapot, sugar and creamer.

Below are the few items I did bring home ~ just $9.00 for a dozen vintage VICTORIA magazines, none of which I already had. Two old yard sticks at $1.00 each ~ have you seen how they are using them to trim edges of furniture? A beautiful 1923 sepia graduation portrait of a young woman, Hattie Chalford Mason. A German postcard mailed in 1905 to an address on famous St. Charles Street, New Orleans ~ covered with signatures of many people for some reason. A small illustrated card of a sweet child and roses.

Below is what was calling those with a sweet tooth ~ Hershey's Chocolate World in Hershey, PA. The theme park had not yet opened for the season (thank goodness!) and the roller coasters were silent, however in Chocolate World we rode in a 'cocoa bean' through a simulated chocolate factory which was interesting and fun.

Hershey is a true 'company town' and has quite a history. Changes seem imminent however in the chocolate world, hundreds of employees recently laid off and much of the production going south of the border and maybe even to Switzerland. Changes so drastic that our hotel concierge told us "Mr. Milton Hershey must be turning in his grave".

Jasmin is smiling knowing she has a stash of Reese's Peanut Butter cups ready to enjoy as we took to the road again! Can you believe I managed to exit the huge candy shop in Chocolate World without anything. I admit I hesitated at the Cadbury bars, but as they're nowhere near as good as the real English made Cadbury bars ~ those of you who've visited the UK know what I mean ~ I was not tempted!