The allotments at Kingston Lacy

It's a bit of an older post today, as you can probably tell my the daffodils in the picture below, and on a bit of a grey day too, which was remarkably like yesterday. It was actually at the end of March - so slightly more excusable for being grey - and is part of our visit to Kingston Lacy while we had that earlier in the year Dorset adventure.  

This was our second visit to Kingston Lacy, but the first time that we really explored the kitchen garden and beyond that, the allotments. I'll share more from the kitchen garden another day, but first to confirm the allotments at Kingston Lacy look very much like other allotments. And dare I say it, a little tidier and easy on the eye than our own site...

It's reassuring though to see similar kit, similar approaches and check to see you're on the right track with our own plot. The compost bins, the ground covered in black plastic were all familiar and reassuring. And so too was this almost sculptural, and yet decaying, artichoke. Striking isn't it? 

Just when we thought it was a normal looking allotment, we spied the chicken wire man tending his plot. 

We admired him and his wooden reindeer-dog and thought it was probably a one off. That was until we saw the boy with his welly boot dog!

Both very different, both with dogs, and both quite un-allotment like, but fun. I'm guessing we stumbled upon the remnants of a "one man and his dog and an allotment" sculpture competition, and was very glad we did.

I'm not sure I'd be quite so resourceful over on our plot, currently my resourcefulness is focuses on practical matters, like growing stuff and preventing the foxes digging it up again, but definitely food for thought, when I've got the basics sorted!

Treasures and textures in the home and garden shop at Snape Maltings

Walking into the House & Garden shop at Snape Maltings was the equivalent of entering a sweet shop for me. First I spotted the yellow velvet chaise longue and then there was something else that caught my eye. I was here, then I was there and I think at one point MOH was all for sitting down on the said chaise longue and wait for me to ground myself. However I suspect he also wanted to stay in close attendance so he could proffer the inevitable "and where would you put that" or "don't we already have something like that" when faced with me wanting to buy yet another thing. I'm sure without him following me around I'd have returned to him looking like someone who'd just taken part in the cabbages and kings game on Crackerjack (hands up who shouted it then, even if it was just in your head!) but I suspect even I may have struggled with the beauty that I first saw. 

I mean I don't even like corner sofas (and yes that was pointed out) but isn't this gorgeous, and totally worth making the exception for. I countered that this was the very reason we had to have mustard dining chairs. Understandably he looked confused, as we'd not even seen this then. But you know it makes sense don't you?

It's probably just as well we didn't come here before we bought our gorgeous white glass dining table, or else we might have ended up with this as this was everything I thought I wanted. 

And then I spotted this. It's wood. I was shocked too. But the colour. Even MOH was showing some interest now. I don't think the interest was to shoo me away from it, but maybe...

I managed to curb my enthusiasm enough as we continued through the shop.  Smaller, detailed items caught my eye, like this garden lantern - wouldn't these look great in a line along a patio or on my sleeper bed?

And after the frenzy of the colour overload we started with, I moved into a more restful and neutral - but no less gorgeous - part of the shop. The rose chair here isn't usually my style, but I fell for this too.

Being attracted to colour and naturally so, I always pause and wonder if there is such a thing as too much colour. Often when I see such subtle beauty as this. I'm reminded though that we all need some neutrals, to make sense of the colour and these go on my list for a future house too.

Even though I admire the coolness of these neutrals, I think I'd always be tempted to add a pop of colour in with all that pattern.  And some lime green blankets would be just my thing. 

My creative mind was also piqued with these heart made of buttons on wire. I'm not sure I have enough buttons yet, but give me a while and who knows!

Then just as MOH had managed to successfully steer me around the shop with no purchases, we both faltered. As usual I was attracted by the glitz of these stacking tables. MOH who's got a bit of a map thing was interested in them too, and I think they're the type of tables that are timeless. And what's even better is the top lifts off so it becomes a tray too. Multifunctional and beautiful, I think if we see these again we're sold.

I say if, as I strongly suspect that any future attempts to visit Snape Maltings in Suffolk will be strongly rejected, well I guess they will be if he knows where he's going...

Are you and your OH like this shopping? Or do you have other, defined roles that each of you take?

Enjoying a sunny Bank Holiday weekend

What a glorious weekend, both the weather and length were appreciated here.  And there was plenty going on, as well as the usual domestic chores we made time for an eighteen mile cycle in sunny Kent, cocktails, barbecues, pizzas, some pottering in the greenhouse, relaxing on sun loungers and getting my nose into a book. 

At Home in the World by Tsh Oxentreider is a book I've had since it came out and one I've been meaning to read for a while. I follow her blog and this book is of how she and her husband travelled for a year with their three kids. I'd read the preparation posts on the blog as they prepared to leave and so was keen to see how it all went. Already it's obvious it's an amazing experience, and I'm in the final three months and (in the book) currently in Rome.  I' not sure if I hadn't already been following Tsh's blog, or unless I was tempted to up sticks myself, if I'd be so interested in reading this book, and I guess that's not something I can answer. I'm enjoying the family's progress on their trip though.

And what better way to celebrate the return of the good weather, than with cocktails? MOH took the hint and so I quickly picked enough mint for the garden and he set about making Mint Juleps. There's a recipe in the most recent Good Food magazine, and rather tasty it was too. 

So we had another one!

The steak was on the barbecue and the garden candles were lit.  Each of the evenings have been warm haven't they - but sadly they haven't been bug free. There's been bites, but just small ones, not the nasty sort I've had recently.  Thankfully the sting from last weekend is calming down now.  Not a bad view is it?

It's been nice to eat breakfast outside too. Yesterday buoyed by advice from last week's Celebrity Masterchef MOH tried poached eggs, and had his most success ever. Which is good as I'm a big fan of poached eggs!

Shortly after breakfast there was a bit of a flapping commotion inside the house. Confused as to what it might be, we headed inside to investigate.  I don't think either of us expected to see this.

It was huge and the most beautiful green - which sadly isn't showing in the photos - windows were opened and fittingly The Garden magazine was used to shepherd it out into the open. 

After an allotment visit we left with more runner beans and counted many more borlotti beans ripening. Runner bean pasta is on the menu this week I think. 

Our weekend finished with pizzas in the pizza oven. The pizza dough I'd frozen worked well and was nowhere near as sticky as I'd expected it to be so I'm counting that as a success. There were no pizzas left so that's a success too.

And remember those dropped apricots? Well, we had another go, which was much more successful - and tasty too.  And there's enough left over for my lunch tomorrow too...

How was your Bank Holiday weekend?