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Showing posts with label magical march. Show all posts
Showing posts with label magical march. Show all posts

Magical March - my jam cupboard

Here is the jam packed jam cupboard, after a busy, busy March.  We've apricot, blackcurrant, cherry, raspberry and plum jams along with preserved peaches, cherries and nectarines.  Phew! A lot of the fruit we picked ourselves which is all the more satisfying.  The laundry is crowded with boxes of potatoes from our garden, which should keep for a few months over autumn.  And the kitchen is crammed with baskets of quinces, crab apples, pears and apples still to poach, jam or jelly.  There are bags of hazelnuts to crack, sloes for gin and damsons simmering on the stove for more jam, these collected from a lovely friend's wonderful garden yesterday.  The fire is gently flickering away and the bread dough is rising on the mantle piece.    My little guy is sound asleep on the sofa, tucked under a mohair blanket. Sigh, so cozy. Here I sit with a cup of hot tea, and wonder where the heck did March go? It sure went quickly, and it sure was magical.

Thank you so much to pottymouthmama for inviting us to join in the magic.

Magical March - mist

March sees the start of the misty season in the valley.  It generally only settles around the river in March, but gradually creeps higher and higher, getting thicker and thicker in the valley as winter continues.  It casts beautiful shadows while it plays with the sunlight trying to shine through.  I love the soft grey light that it creates.  And there's nothing like going for long walks through the mist to look for fairies. 

It does however, make an old farmhouse like ours very dark in winter.  So I'm delighted to announce that the Minister for Finance has approved the Minister for the Interiors' proposal for major capital works to commence in the lounge room.  Beginning with the installation  of a skylight, effective immediately.  Woo Hoo! Let there be light! 

Magical March - new season pears


Because they're lovely to eat and always look like a beautiful painting. These were picked from a neighbour's big old tree.

Magical March - woolens

It's nice to get the winter woolies out of storage again now there's a chill in the air.  I love hand knitted  jumpers on the children.  They look so sweet. 

* cough* actually, Im just putting them away. Finally.  After a summer squashed at the bottom of the laundry basket. Washed just in time and smelling sweet of eucalyptus.  Domestic Goddess that I am.  Getting to the bottom of the hand washing basket - magic. 

Magical March - dragonflies

On our verandah.  A magical creature. 

Magical March - tomatoes

 

Tomatoes. I love them.  Which is why I planted 30 little seedlings around the garden. And another 70 odd plants at a friends farm.  We had a dream.  To bottle all our tomatoes for sauce. Have a big sauce cook off, a Tomato Day, a bit of tintarella di luna  in the back yard.

Well, the weather had different ideas. A generally mild summer has meant that that it's been a pretty bad year for the tomato.  And this here precious golden orb is the very first one we picked today.  Here's hoping for a warm mild autumn, otherwise, it's green tomato pickle all round.  Which doesn't have the same la bella vita ring about it really. Never mind, there's always next year.  

But the taste of that little cherry tom? Magico!  

Magical March - frogs

Look what we found in the pumpkin patch! There were two of these tiny frogs sitting on adjacent leaves. Do you think I could get them to pose together? Not likely. Camera shy amphibians. Very magical.

Magical March - shopping

More March magic. March is shopping time. Each year, I eagerly await the catalogue to be released. I know what I want. I've been planning for a few months now. How will it look? Where will I put it? Will it fit?

Here's my shopping list;
1 x Pomme de Neige
1 x Fenouillet Gris
1 x Esopus Spitzenburg
1 x Court Pendu Plat
1 x Calville Blanc d'Hiver
1 x Catshead
1 x Van de Man

My order will arrive in the mail sometime in June. Which gives me time to get everything ready. Can you guess I'm talking apples trees? Aren't their names just beautiful? Beats a Jonathan any day. These are lovely old French varieties, some dating back to the 1600s, some even to Roman times. My own French antique collection for the garden!

If you want some March apple magic yourself, get over here and have a browse. They have an incredible collection available. They're lovely, gorgeous folk and mail Australia wide. And the website has loads of tips for easy espaliering.
You see, despite our house being 100 years old on an acre of land, there wasn't a fruit tree on the place when we arrived. So each year I buy a few more trees so eventually, I'll be to give away baskets of fruit like this one here, that a friend delivered to me recently. And that really will be magical.

Magical March - shadows

Magical March is a project happening over at clever Miss Pottymouth's. I thought I'd join in the magic. A few days late in getting started but no matter. There's still plenty of magic to share...

I love the changing light of March. Softer, more golden. As the sun moves further away each day.

And the magic? Shifting March light means shadow play on the walls in mornings.