Busy Monday

It feels like we didn't get any weekend here as we have been kept really busy in the Studio. It seems odd to be thinking of Christmas at the end of June but we really have to start our push towards the festive season and making sure our shops are brimming over with lovely things. We lost out on three months work last year while waiting to move house and so now the catch up begins. 

Two new dog breeds have been introduced into our shops, both handsome looking hounds.

Chocolate Labrador - a real sweetie

Weimaraner - a dog with a noble history

We spent Saturday printing the first plate of my third floral piece and Gary continued his experiments with mono printing. These are true one of pieces of art where ink is worked onto a glass surface and then a single pressing is made by hand. He created a really beautiful abstract which was so heavy with ink instead of hanging it to dry on the rack he left it overnight on one of the Studio shelves. Alas one of our furry friends snook into the Studio, jumped onto the shelf, walked through the ink and then pranced artfully over Gary's desk, then leapt onto mine and left green 'daisy' foot prints everywhere! We discovered the culprit by the tell tale green paint all over her back paws.

I received a parcel of plant plugs on Saturday, a special offer from a gardening magazine and was astonished as to how tiny they were. Have been misting them with water until I can get chance to plant them up, hopefully this evening.

A Lilliput sized plug plant!

I did manage to grab an hour in the kitchen on Sunday afternoon. Wanted to make something savoury we could have for midweek lunches. Hunted around the cupboards for inspiration and found some gram flour so decided on some Pakoras. They only contained potatoes, onion and garlic along with the usual spices and instead of my usual approach of mounding spoonfuls into the frying pan I dug out some crumpet rings to try and get a firmer shape. They turned out great.

Spicy Pakora for lunch today - delicious

The workmen are still tapping away on our roof but have now moved to the front of the house so the tapping is slightly less intrusive, hopefully they will be finished midweek, and calm will return.

We will then have the space to finish siting all our raised beds in the veg garden and plant out all the plants sat in pots outside the greenhouse all clambering to be sunk into some earth. We live in hope that we will get a couple of butternut squash, we just love squash soup.

'Yesterday is history,

Tomorrow is a mystery,

today is a gift,

that is why it's called present.'

Anon.

'Falling for Constance'

We have been working really hard for the last couple of months and even though at the start of the year we promised ourselves we would take more days off, things cropped up and our plans went out of the window. 

Yesterday was the first planned day off this year and we had such a good day we drove home with the promise that more of the same must be taken, and soon.

Burton Agnes Gatehouse

Burton Agnes Hall - with it's topiary yew avenue

We took the opportunity of a 'two for one' pass we received with 'Gardeners' World Magazine. Chose to take a look around Burton Agnes Hall which nestles in the gentle folds of the beautiful Yorkshire Wolds. The sky didn't look very promising as we meandered our way through the country lanes. They were at their 'blousie' best, a tapestry of foxgloves, lace headed cow parsley and the occasional field poppy. Thankfully the fine rain didn't last long and we were able to enjoy the grounds of the Elizabethan Hall, for the most part on our own. We were firstly drawn to the classical pond, not for the structure itself but because of the aerial acrobatics of the Swallows. They swooped down to the water and took elegant dips, some rising and falling two or three times like skimming stones across the tension of the water surface. Cameras in hand we both positioned ourselves low on the lawn edge to try and get a shot of them but they teased us by flying low in and around us and when they did dive for the pool they were just too quick for us.

The Classical Pond - the globe sculpture slowly revolves

The woodland walk was quiet and lush apart from when we discovered one of the outdoor sculptures, a wind chime of giant proportions set high in the tree canopy which we could just about reach with the point of our umbrella.

We saved the best area of the grounds until last, the walled garden. For the most part an exuberant blend of flowers and vegetables, with the many roses stealing the show. Have to say we have seen better walled gardens and weren't so excited with the inclusion of the maze and over sized board games, to us the flowers and veggie plants are the real stars. 

One rose in particular caught my eye, it's rich pink blooms, dense with petals gave off a fragrance to match it's beauty. Reading the label I discovered it was 'Constance Spry' a rose I hadn't really given any consideration to in the past. I will be making amends for that oversight, it will be the rose of choice going into our new floral border.

Constance Spry - even it's glossy leaves are fabulous!

The hall has put it's courtyard area to good use by converting the space into a gallery, shop and tearoom. There is also a small nursery area which the gardening team keep well stocked with plants they have raised from the gardens. Obviously we couldn't come away empty handed, purchases included Sisyrinchium striatum, Echinacea Primadona Rose, a couple of Leucantherums called Crazy Daisy and finally a Eryngium agavifolium which the label states grows to a height of 1.5 metres, as it's very prickly and going to get very large it's new home will be at the back of the border!

The floral 'spoils' of our day out.

So it's back to work today, full of inspiration and new ideas. Had a nice surprise when we checked out Folksy this morning, our Pinterest board, titled 'The Cat's Meow' is the featured board, it's always great to get onto the front page.

Screenshot of our Folksy front page feature

Gary has added another dog to our online shops this week.The print is of a Chocolate Labrador and what a handsome fella he is!

New dog in our online shops  - Chocolate Labrador

'What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer, the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months, and with as yet no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will ever fade'. - Gertrude Jekyll