These Are a Few of my Favourite Things . . .

I love to fill my house with beautiful things. To me a thing of beauty is an object that has a past. That tells me about its history, where it has been, what it was used for. I like to imagine the places where it was used, the people who have touched it.

I found these tins on a huge antique market just before closing time. The stall owner was already packing them away when I spotted them.

I fell in love with them then and there. The man let me have them for a few bucks. I think he was glad he didn't have to take them back!

There where many beautiful and spectacular antique objects to be found on this flea market, but the little scruffy tins were my favourite things!

The Greatest Little Garden in the World . . .

A dear friend of mine once gave me a comple garden for a present. She had created it on a roof tile and it was well . . . the size of a roof tile!

I had is displayed on a vintage French bistro chair. It contained poppy, moss and many other little plants that flowered and brightend up my garden all through the Spring and Summer.

I think it is one of the dearest presents I ever got, and it reminds me why I love my friend so much.

An Accidental Tea Treat . . .

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As I was having breakfast this morning, I had forgotten a teaspoon. Too lazy to get up from the breakfast table, I used the spoon that was in the jar of jam to stir my tea to dissolve the honey.

It still had some jam on it, but -again- I was too lazy to wipe it clean. 

That turned out to be the best thing ever! When I drank my tea it had a light taste of black berries, mixed with the clover honey that I use to sweeten my tea.

And thus a new tea idea was born: flavour your tea with a little bit of your favourite jam. Try it, and I guarantee you'll love it!

Free Organic Homemade Solid Lotion Barn Tutorial ...

I want to share my recipe to create organic, chemical free solid lotion bars!

It is easy to make and the perfect lotion bar for  your hands, elbows, or any other part of your body. I have never used a store bought hand care product again since I began making this solid lotion bar!

Ingredients:

3 oz. beeswax
3 oz. cocoa butter
3 oz. sunflower oil
essential oil or fragrance oil (optional)

I only use organic ingredients from my local Fair Trade store!

- Gently melt the beeswax and cocoa butter 'au bain marie';

- When melted add the sunflower oil and stir until thouroughly mixed;

- Keep stirring until the mixture is slightly cooled, then add essential oil or fragrance oil if you want (about 1  tea spoon);

- Pour the mixture into moulds and let it harden. (I use a silicon muffin mould).

Voila! Your chemical free all natural Solid Lotion Bars are ready for use!

Enjoy!!

Enjoying the Sparrows in my Back Garden . . .

Although the sparrows in my yard still enjoy the food I put out for them, maybe it's time to gradually wean them from the instant meals I provide them with. It's Spring and there are plenty of seeds and little bugs around for them to find on their own!

But then again, it's such a joy to see the little sparrows in my back yard and hear their happy whistles all day long. Perhaps I better keep spoiling them all through Summer, not in the least to do myself a favour!

Ground-elder , a Wonderful Weed . . .

Most gardeners consider Ground-elder (Aegopodium podagraria) a most annoying weed. I have to admit, once you have it in your garden, it's there to stay! 

But it's also a very tasteful and healthy vegetable. Basically you can use it in the same ways you cook with spinach. Cooked, stir-fried or raw as a salad.

Pluck the young leaves from Februari to May, before the plant starts to bloom (at least in my part of the world). You will be pleasantly surprised by this healthy, tasty and free vegetable from your own garden!

Walnuts and Pears You Plant for your Heirs . . .

How true is this adage that encourages us to think long term and look after future generations!

Almost every house in my village has a little orchard. We harvest pears, apples, plums and more to share with everyone. The people here aren't 'hip' or 'green' or 'new wave'. They have lived with the land for many generations and every new day I learn from them. How to work the land, how not waste resources, how to create, re-use and give back.

The pears in the photo are from my last Autumn harvest. This Autumn the trees will provide me with a new crop, as they will for my children and children's children . . .