Our little beekeeper

My daughter has just sent this picture of Millie in her beekeeping clothes and I just have to share it! The bees were left behind in London when the family moved to Oxfordshire but the garden has been prepared and the bees have come to join them. Millie is learning how to care for them.

She certainly looks the part!

A gingerbread themed day

We kept Millie and Ben busy and entertained on a wet and windy day last week by having a themed day. First we had the story of the Gingerbread Man

Then we made some gingerbread people of our own:

And put them in the oven to cook. Please note the pinafore that Millie is wearing, a lovely gift from Jodi of Curious Acorn:

When they were cooked, there was the difficult decision about whether or not to eat them:

But when you are three there is no time for misplaced sympathy for a cookie's feelings!

And Ben joined in too:

Here is the recipe for the gingerbread dough:
Ingredients
4 oz/8tbsp soft brown sugar
4oz/half cup soft butter
6oz/one and a half cups flour
few drops vanilla extract
2 tspn ground ginger
a little milk

Mix all ingredients except the milk (I used a hand held electric mixer but you could use a wooden spoon and the creaming method if you have stronger wrists!). Add sufficient milk to bind the mixture into a soft dough.
Roll out the dough and cut out shapes.
We used chopped raisins for eyes and buttons.

Place cookies on a baking tray and cook in a medium oven (190C/375F/Gas 5) for 10 to 15 minutes.
Leave to cool on a wire rack and gobble up before they run away.

After the clearing up, we played this game:

 

And Millie had great fun with the little jigsaw fugures

Wind and rain provide great opportunities for staying indoors and having fun!

Anniversary music

Yesterday was our 38th wedding anniversary. We had to cancel our celebration dinner as we both have a flu-type virus but I thought it would be nice to listen to some of the music that our friend, Nigel, played on the day.

I would like to say that I remember walking down the aisle on my brother's arm to C.S Lang's Fanfare but I was too nervous and excited to take it in. I'll just have to imagine I'm there again:

We signed the register to Samuel Wesley's Air and Gavotte

And, like so many newlyweds, we walked out of the church together to Mendelssohn's Wedding March.

We were married in Much Woolton, near Liverpool, where my husband was based at the time. We are thinking of going back there in 2013 to celebrate our ruby wedding anniversary, then on to North Wales, where we spent the first few days of our honeymoon before driving down to Aldeburgh, where we had a lovely house on the beach for two weeks.

Happy memories!

The red cliffs of Devon

Whenever I drive to the south of the county, I try to spot the point where the soil changes from black to red. I would love to find a farm with both types of soil but to date I haven't seen one. I love the beautiful red sandstone of South Devon and I spent last week enjoying the sunshine and spectacular views along the red cliffs near Exmouth.

We have had exceptionally warm weather for early April and returned home to find the apple blossom, magnolia and lilac filling the garden with colour and perfume. I rushed out with the camera to record them because we are told the weather is about to change. Last year the apple blossom only survived for two days before high winds arrived to demolish all hopes of a good crop of apples. I am hoping that this lot will survive a little longer.