Cats in the Kitchen, Flora in the Garden

I have had two wonderfully sunny days working out in the garden and decided this third consecutive sunny day I would take some time and sit taking some enjoyment in the garden. I have just been checking my nasturiums, I grew them for the first time,last year, since I was a child, and collected their seeds to replant this year. Last month I planted five troughs, which I will keep on the top of my garden walls with these seeds, I was worried as I just planted the seeds straight into the trough and left them to their own devices, I had no idea that the weather would be cold and wet. I thought I would lose them but no,they have germinated and I am just beginning to see the leaves poking over the troughs. I also found an envelope with seeds in that I had collected and I had stupidly forgot to label, so I just planted them and they have turned into sweetpeas. It is so satisfying sowing seeds you have collected from your own plants.



I spent most of the afternoon sitting in the garden enjoying a cup of coffee and browsing a lovely catalogue, David Austin's Roses, that I had received in the post this morning. I have no roses in my garden and do not know much about growing them but would love to have an old fashioned highly perfumed rose and perhaps a climbing rose in the garden next year. This catalogue has some fantastic varieties and also some information about roses which seems to take some of the mystique out of growing them. I think there will be small order going in to David Austin in time for planting.



Whilst I was sitting in the garden, I was browsing a cookery book and I began to think about the place of cooking and baking in my life. When I was young I enjoyed cooking and baking and was always trying out new receipes, then the children came along and the next years were, looking back, not as enjoyable, it was just a household chore to be done every day, putting food on the table, making sure the family were fed. Obviously, there were fun times, cooking with the children, and maybe making a special occasion meal, but I suddenly realised that now my children have left home that I had really found my joy in cooking again. I think this is because there is no longer any pressure to produce certain types of meals every day. Some days my husband cooks, some days we might eat buffet style and the rest of the time I cook. It has become something I really love to do again, I can take great joy in having a morning in the kitchen producing food as diverse as a victoria sandwich, carrot cake, scones and a quiche. I now get excited, again, when I read new receipes, but the biggest breakthrough was when I thought what was I doing by buying prepackaged salads? There is a certain supermarket that does an excellent carton of a four bean salad, I was dishing it up one day when I thought 'This is stupid, I could make this myself, cheaper and in larger qualities!' I read the ingredients noted them down and did just that. I have done this many times now, one of my best home made soups is very similar to supermarket's 'spicy parsnip and apple'. You just need to note the ingredients, and now they even put them in order of quantity, try doing this if you havn't already, perhaps I have just been slow to realise you can do this!