Most of my photos look better enlarged - just click on the photo to do this



Tuesday 8 February 2011

Gratitude


I am so grateful that I live in such a beautiful part of the world, that I am fit and able to walk and that my sight enables me to see and appreciate what is around me. This morning I walked into town for my Knit and Natter group - what a lovely lot of ladies I have met there! The sky was a brilliant blue and the sun was shining.

I noticed these lovely cheerful little crocuses in the leaves near the church as I made my way to the bus stop for the bus home.

Since I don't have any proper knitting on the go I took these little hearts to work on whilst I nattered!.


After lunch I decided to go for a short walk up through the woods which are literally on our doorstep...

... and out onto the road where I knew some daffodils were already in bloom having seen them from the car on Saturday.

Round here the roadside verges are planted with thousands of daffodils of different varieties which bloom over a period of months as one lot fades another is ready to burst into flower - these were the first.


With heavy traffic thundering past I enjoyed these wonderful views - this is why I wanted to come back to England where I belong when we lived in France! Not to listen to heavy traffic you understand but to have views like this on my doorstep.

Here are some later daffodils getting ready to follow - we should have daffs in bloom for several months.


Some snowdrops in a garden I passed on my way home

And my indoor gardening - we shall soon be able to harvest a few pea shoots to add to our salads and in the other pots are some salad leaves which I am hoping will also provide us with some fresh green salad.
I have been making bread - this one is a plait made with half wholemeal and half white flour and with one end sprinkled with grated cheese (I thought we might not want all of it cheesy as we might not want it with soup but may fancy some jam or something sweet with it.)
Here is one I made earlier - on Friday - being served with some of my crab apple and damson cheese - yummmn!

Now I know the world has gone mad - in this Saturday's Telegraph was this article about a property developer who has some flats - I guess they should be called apartments when you see the prices. One bedroom flat for sale for £6,000,000 no that isn't a typing error it really does say 6 million pounds! In the unlikely event of my ever having that sort of money to spend I don't think I'd spend it on one of these, especially if that is the view from the window, and might rather have one of the sheds pictured below...


...these were in the Waitrose weekend paper and are part of an article in which you send in your photos of sheds (not your average one full of spiders and dirty flowerpots apparently) and the best one will win £1,000!

Better stop waffling on and see about some dinner!

22 comments:

  1. Your daffodils are so far ahead of anything here, and Brittany is not cold at the moment. I too long for English views!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Gosh daffodils out already! How lovely they are with their sunny colour against the blue sky. I sure was a fabulous day today wasn't it?! The bread looks very yummy, would go nicely with my pumpkin soup.

    You've rather a few more snowdrops than me.

    I really like the hearts you have been making.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It is lovely to see the daffodils all coming out! :) They're like sunshine in plant form!
    What a clever idea with the bread, having half with cheese, half without!
    That little blue shed is so pretty, I would rather have it than the appartment. :)
    Vivienne x

    ReplyDelete
  4. Eeeeeks! Jane! You are correct, I am jealous! I would really enjoy a climate as mild as yours. I see the trees are beginning to bud also. I liked the old gate to the field. One reason I like English blogs (other than the fact that we speak the same language) is seeing the ancient stone walls, homes, etc. Over here in the U.S. I suppose there's nothing much over 250 years old, and in the UK we can see the Roman ruins, castles,--all sorts of cool stuff. Your bread looks great. I baked some a couple days ago and it did not turn out the best--I've done much better-have even given to people, but these loaves would not be allowed to leave the house. The daffodils are beautiful and seems to hold a feeling of renewal and promise. I thought maybe you had started knitting a bikini bottom there... Have a wonderful day!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Haven't seen any daffs yet, the first crocuses are out however. Luton may have been in the news for the wrong reasons this weekend, but we have a brilliant parks department and the verges and roundabouts are very colourful with bulbs planted on many routes. It will be a real shame if the cut backs effect their work. However your views are fabulous Jane, and your bread looks even better!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm envious of your daffodils out so soon but they look as if they get some sunshine.
    When I saw the first photo of your bread I thought it was a ginger and white cat hugging a toy...!
    Knit and Natter Groups - is it a national thing? And, what do you knit? For charity or do you take your personal items? The hearts are nice - decorations, lavender bags???
    England is a lovely country - if you're in the right place...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Those daffs are amazing, mine have hardly appeared above soil level yet!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Love your waffling, no daffs here just yet but looking forward to seeing them!
    love
    Lyn
    xxx

    ReplyDelete
  9. I think I know that stretch of road where the daffs grow, it is so cheerful! Lizzie x

    ReplyDelete
  10. Lovely photos - thanks for sharing! I haven't seen daffs out here yet. Seen crocuses and snowdrops - wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I would love to know which variety of daffodil that is as they are so early. Got crocuses and snowdrops here, been lovely and sunny today and even had to let a bumble bee out of the greenhouse! The first bee of the year. Yummy looking bread. :O)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh I am so envious of your natural blooms, there are no crocuses or daffys here yet.

    Also love your little knitted hearts.

    ReplyDelete
  13. The daffodil photos are beautiful. That is one thing we will never see here, it's too warm and the grass would be a metre high before the daffodils even started to peep out of the ground.
    You really do live in a beautiful part of the world, such beautiful scenery.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Love the hearts - is it your own pattern?

    ReplyDelete
  15. Can you post the pattern for those lovely hearts, please?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Yep, this is what I love about England, in fact the whole UK - the country views and the DAFFODILS !!They will have finished when we come this time but doesn't that poem "Oh to be in England now that April's there ... " say it all? I feel so blessed to have seen them after reading about them all my life. I'm hoping we will be there for some bluebells though but hey, I've seen them before too so I won't be complaining. You seem to be doing very well on the veg gardening front and home made bread! I've never attempted that so I'm very impressed.
    You seem to be pretty much on target with all your plans to me.
    Cheers
    Helen

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hi Jane,
    I agree, you do live in a most beautiful part of the country. I love France and often thought I would like to live there, but at the end of the day there is something very special about this little island of ours.
    We are all packed together, space is short and yet once you get into a green space......there is something so special about our landscape.

    Your daffs are way ahead of ours.....shows it is much warmer in your part of the country.

    The bread looks delicious....absolutely delicious. I used to bake.....I just do not seem to have the time anymore.

    Lovely bright and cheerful post....

    ReplyDelete
  18. Sounds like you had an idyllic day. Walk in the country, crafting with friends, baking bread and all those beautiful flowers. My favourite things! Enjoy that yummy looking loaf. Your photos are lovely and I like your little knitted hearts. Very sweet.

    ReplyDelete
  19. A wonderful uplifting post full of hope and fantastic photography too! Your knitted hearts are perfect. I have never seen a knitted heart. Maybe you have started a new trend!!! Wasn't Tuesday glorious? The sky was the bluest of blues. You are so lucky to have such beautiful nature on your doorstep. Flowers, nature and home made food. What more could you want? x

    ReplyDelete
  20. Jane,

    No daffodils here, no crocuses either but lots of snowdrops. Have not even got any of my seeds in yet so had big moment of envy when I saw those shoots coming up. I think I need to get my skates on to catch you up! By that way, that bread looks so delicious.... and you've made me fancy a jam sandwich! Lesley x

    ReplyDelete
  21. oohh what a beautiful area wiht lots of lovely flowers! Those knitted hearts are just gorgeous - I bet they are so soft too.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Lucky you having that amazing view on your doorstep and the daffodils are a sight to behold. I do love seeing great banks of them, very cheery

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting and I hope you have found what you read of interest. Do please leave a comment as I love to hear what you think.