Tuesday 14 July 2020

A Little Farther


Little by little the world is beginning to open up once again, and with a return to some sunnier days we've been getting outdoors, going just that bit farther than we have been for a while and, if I'm being honest, it is going to take me a bit of getting used to.
I think I have allowed myself to become far too comfortable staying close to home, which is unusual for me, as there's nothing I like more than exploring and discovering new places. And so, even though my initial plans for when restrictions were relaxed, included climbing Helvellyn as soon as I was able, the reality is very different and I find I am needing to take things much more slowly. That's fine, however, there's no hurry, especially as my fitness levels are not what they were :)

It's been a good week. A huge treat for myself and Lily was a socially distanced meet up with friends at a local park. I can't tell you how lovely it was to see the children playing together, and it was both wonderful and reassuring how they just got on with it without hesitation, even after all this time. The resilience of children never ceases to amaze me. And I can't tell you how good it was to chat with friends over coffee and put the world to rights for a couple of hours.




The sunflowers in the garden are opening up now. Unfortunately, we lost one to some strong winds, but I have put the broken stem in some water in the hope that it might still flower. We have two types this year. The usual tall bright yellow ones, which I love, and some smaller reddish orange ones, which although still lovely, are making me think of autumn and I don't want to wish my time away.


Enjoying the evening sun.



Midweek, we went in search of raspberries, although we didn't need to look very far, there are an abundance of them on the side of a nearby hill. We gathered just enough to make four jars of jam.


Earlier on during lockdown I made some dishcloths for friends, who were delighted with them. I still had some cotton left over, so this week I tried a new crochet pattern instead of a knitted one and I'm really pleased with how they've turned out. 


Unfortunately, the sourdough starter hasn't worked out as well as I'd hoped. After initially looking very promising it turned to gloop, so I decided to start over, this time using a small bowl rather than a jar and it looks like it's doing much better. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a better outcome this time.

J. X


52 comments:

  1. oh that scenery is stunning. You are doing all of my favorite things, crocheting & baking, and harvesting and cooking lovely things. That jam is such a beautiful color, and sourdough...LOVE IT. Ever tried the overnight sourdough bread? no gloop involved. Although it is fun to watch that yeast and started take on a life of it's own. Looking forward to seeing your bread when it's done.

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    1. I often bake bread using a no-knead recipe but I have never made a sourdough before. I thought I would use the opportunity of having a little more time on my hands to give it a try. X

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  2. Your sunflowers are lovely and I too prefer the nice, bright yellow one. I don't want to wish the summer months away either although the weather here has been quite gloomy for the last week or so. How nice for you to meet up with friends and Lily was able to play happily with other children as children should do. I'll cross my fingers that your second attempt at making sourdough is successful for you.

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    1. Sunflowers are lovely and cheery, it's become a bit of a tradition of ours to grow some each year. X

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  3. Wow Jules, your sunflowers are way ahead of ours. I'm missing meeting up with friends as well but I'm not over keen to go anywhere like a cafe yet, let alone our usual jaunts to the local. I think getting back to 'normal' is going to be a long slow process for many people. I've never tried making sourdough, the starter bit completely puts me off. Hopefully your batch will work this time. A cup of tea and a slice of homemade bread and jam is my idea of heaven. xx

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    1. We have ten sunflowers altogether, five have flowered already. I love to see them grow tall above the fence. Mine are planted in the ground, not a pot, so I'm not sure if that makes a difference.
      Meeting friends last week was just the tonic I needed and, fortunately, being outdoors meant we could do it safely. There are plans to meet again this week but we're dependent on the weather.
      The sourdough is proving a bit of a challenge but I'm determined to give it a try. It's very time consuming but that's probably because I don't know what I'm doing. I'll keep you updated. X

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  4. A great shot of the yellow sunflower, I love the views, especially the one with the dry stone wall, and what's not to love about Mog - just look at those adorable little pink feet :) :)

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    1. I hadn't even noticed the pink feet :) X

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  5. Fingers crossed for your sour dough - I almost started one myself last week inspired by you, then chickened out!

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    1. Thank you, Rachel. I'll let you know how it turns out. X

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  6. I love watching the children at the lake playing, too. It's wonderful to see the sunflowers opening. Mine are in bloom, too.

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    1. It was just so lovely to see the children having such a great time. It was a if no time at all had passed since they last saw one another. X

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  7. I think we HAD to make being at home comfortable, otherwise it would have been a very miserable experience and, of course, home is usually where we feel safest. I think it takes a lot of courage to leave your place of safety.
    (that happened to my sourdough as well - very disappointing)
    xx

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    1. I'm glad the sourdough thing isn't just me. The images online all show these amazing looking starters full of air bubbles and mine doesn't compare. X

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  8. I like both your sunflowers! The yellow one is so pretty against that blue sky and the reddish orange one looks like it was painted! Mog looks like she quite approves of the sunny days in the garden! Raspberry jam! Yum!

    You are wise to take the reopening slowly and gradually. People sort of rushed into it, over here, and now, my state is starting to close down, again.

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    1. Thank you Bless. Yellow sunflowers just shout of summer to me, but the reddish ones look lovely too. X

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  9. It's wonderful to get together with friends again, isn't it? As long as your sour dough starter doesn't turn pink you can still use it. It may not give much of a sour dough taste to your bread but should help it rise sufficiently.

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    1. That's good to know, Chris, thank you. I'm definitely going to give it a try and see what happens. X

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  10. Beautiful sunflower. Wish I could grow them! I may give it another go one day........ I know what you mean about fitness levels. I go for walks locally to where I live and garden but not sure I could go for a hike not that I'm thinking of doing one!

    Think I might treat myself and make a couple of dishcloths haven't made any for years! Let us know how you get on with the sour dough, have been tempted myself

    Julie xxxxxxxxx

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    1. Thank you, Julie. We grow sunflowers each year and it's always a joy when they flower.
      I'm hoping to build up gradually to some longer walks. I'm not used to hills. X

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  11. Kids are great, aren't they? I'd love to be a small child again, just for a day, to enjoy that carefree play with friends. We met friends last week for an outdoor evening chat in their garden. It was lovely and I enjoyed it very much. Your sun flowers are looking great, such vibrant colours.

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    1. I wasn't sure how they would react, but it was so wonderful to see them playing happily and laughing together again. X

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  12. Your meet up with friends sounds just what you needed, it's been such a long time since we've been able to do things we once took for granted and now they're such a treat. I'm sure Lily enjoyed herself too having some friends to play with. I haven't sown any sunflowers this year but I have a few self seeded plants which I presume the birds have dropped and they're not that far off flowering now, though they're not very tall varieties. It'll be nice to see them flowering though. We haven't had much sun to speak of just lately, and it's raining again today, so I'm glad someone's had a bit of decent weather, I'm sure Mog's pleased, I know how much cats like to sun themselves. Such a shame your sourdough started didn't work out but it looks like you're onto a winner with this one.

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    1. I didn't realise just how much I missed the interaction, Jo, it felt so good to be doing something 'normal' again.
      Unfortunately, the sunny weather didn't last and we're back to grey skies again this morning. X

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  13. There are so many raspberries near here, I could have picked many more but I only wanted to make a few jars of jam this year. They are Lily's favourite fruit as well, so going anywhere can take a little longer at this time of year, as she helps herself while we are walking along. X

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  14. I love a crochet dishcloth they are my kind of luxury. The sunflower is stunning, shame the wind has taken it. I think it is natural to want to stay close to home, you will get there when you are ready. Nice that you are beginning to catch up with friends, it must have been a joy watching Lily interact with others with no fear. You have obviously done a good job.

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    1. The cloths feels good and thick, I'm really happy with them and I expect they will last ages. The big sunflower is fine, it's another slightly smaller one that snapped but I'm hoping it might still flower as I've put it in some water. X

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  15. The Island appears still to be Covid-19-free, however, rather like you, I have no desire yet to 'escape' any further than my garden. Which for someone who usually travels 15,000 miles a year in his car alone makes a change. I have got into a sort of routine and I'm happy for now. I know that visits to the Cancer Centre in Glasgow will have to be made next month - that is soon enough.

    Your picture of a red flower. Please may I ask what it is? My initial reaction was a sunflower because of the layered petals but I wasn't aware they could be red. A Rudbeckia doesn't have the layered petals. It's harder without seeing the scale.

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    1. That must be of some reassurance to you, Graham, yet it's still wise to be cautious. I hope all is well when you visit Glasgow next month.
      I don't feel terribly anxious about going out, I'm more concerned about accidentally doing the 'wrong' thing and I've become far too comfortable stopping close to home. I'll just take things slowly.
      I no longer have the seed packet from the sunflowers but Suttons have a variety called Ruby Sunset which are very similar. They don't grow as tall as the giant yellow ones but they are still very beautiful. X

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    2. Thanks for that information, Jules.

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  16. Beautiful scenery! how lovely to have raspberries growing in the wild near you, I miss my raspberries I had lots in my last garden but I've had no success trying to grow them in this one. I have noticed that there will be an abundance of blackberries in the wild this year I will be picking some when they are ready. I love sunflowers they are so bright and cheerful and yes I don't want to think of Autumn either it is a lovely colour though. I collapsed in a heap after my walk the other day, I didn't realise just how unfit I've become it took me all afternoon to recover. :) xx

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    1. I am very fortunate in that there are also plenty of blackberries here :) I like them for jam, in crumbles, and I also use them to make spiced blackberry vodka.
      I'm glad it's not just me who is feeling a little sluggish since lockdown. Hopefully we will both be fighting fit again soon. X

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  17. What peaceful, lovely pictures. Getting together with friends (safely) is such a lift. I did that yesterday and for a few hours, the feeling of normalcy felt so good.

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    1. Thank you, Arleen. We had enjoyed a meet up again this week, this time with cake! X

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  18. Glorious photo of your sunflowers. I have rudbeckias coming up which I love but no sunflowers sadly. The raspberry jam is making my mouth water and well done on the sour dough starter. Not something I’ve tried yet. Glad you were able to have a lovely meet up. It makes all the difference. B x

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    1. I didn't realise just how much I had missed face to face interaction with friends and I've been feeling much better for it. X

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  19. Mog looks so content! I love your sunflowers but you're right the red one looks far too Autumnal for now. xxx

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    1. Mog usually looks content. Much like your two she landed on all four paws when she came to live here. X

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  20. I just love your sunny, sunflower photos! They are gorgeous. The raspberry jam looks delicious. I often swirl raspberry jam into my brownie batter and it makes for the most delicious brownies. I am hoping you have better success with the sourdough starter the second time around. Take care.

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    1. Thank you, Julia. I'm going to make a start on the bread today, so I'll be sure to let you know how it turns out. X

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  21. I’m glad you and Lily got to meet friends after a long time.

    I don’t think I’ve seen that color sunflowers before.

    Crocheted dishcloths looks very nice. I hope your sourdough starter is a success!

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    1. It was lovely to finally see friends face to face. I think we might continue every week throughout the summer. X

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  22. 🌻 your sunflower photo is absolutely stunning. I'm glad you are getting out and about now. I've not set foot out since late March, and I still don't have any inclination to do so. I hate how not only has the virus changed how we have to live our ordinary lives, but how it has made us nervous to do what was so natural and normal before.

    still. onwards and upwards. xx

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    1. Thank you, Sadie. I always think sunflowers look especially fabulous against the backdrop of a bright blue sky.
      As for getting outdoors, I feel fortunate that I can do this without fear of crowded spaces, I would feel far less inclined otherwise. The recent images of crowded beaches left me speechless. X

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  23. My sunflowers are a long way off flowering too, but they are so lovely when they do aren't they. Like you I am taking things slowly with re-emerging into the world, it feels like the right thing to do doesn't it? Continue to live life at this new slow pace. If your sourdough starter is starting too look a little like it is not right you can throw most of it away and keep a little bit and continue to feed that. Also it will get better the longer you have it as you create more wild yeast in your house - that can take months.

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    1. I wonder if I planted my sunflowers earlier than usual this year? They are certainly brightening up the garden :)
      Thank you for the advice. I'm going to make a start on the bread this morning. X

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  24. I think nothing beats the taste of home made raspberry jam. I think I may have to pick some rasps tomorrow and make a small jar or two. Let me know how the sourdough starter goes. I am interested in giving it a try.

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    1. The jam is delicious and it's so simple to make.
      I'll be sure to let you know how the bread turns out. X

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  25. I think your sunflowers are lovely and I too prefer the bright yellow ones.

    Lovely scenery in your photographs, and so pleased that you and Lily were able to get together and see some friends.

    I do hope your sourdough starter is a success :)

    All the best Jan

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    1. Thank you for your lovely comments, Jan. I'm going to make a start on the bread this morning. X

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  26. Loving this post and the photos as always.I am a huge fan of Raspberries,as I am allergic to Strawberries,that jam looks so yummy.Loving the flowers,must try and grow them here.I adore your beautiful moggy.Great scenery.I am not going far as we are overun with visitors and the shops are packed.We are all wearing our masks.xx

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    1. Thank you for your kind comments, Lee. With the arrival of the schools summer break we are experiencing a large increase in the number of visitors to the area. Fortunately I know where to go to avoid the crowds. X

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