Gardening as a metaphor for marriage

From an instruction booklet for growing ornamental holly bushes:

'Plant (female bushes) in ground one to 1.2 metres apart with the male in the background, out of sight but functional." (from M. Platt, Thornton Hough, Merseyside)






See: http://treesandshrubs.about.com/od/selection/ss/18-Species-of-Holly-Trees-and-Shrubs.htm

Plum-Cornmeal Cake*


1.5 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp bicarb
1/2 cup cornmeal (plus a spoonful for the top)
6 oz butter
3 eggs
1/3 cup milk
cinnamon
vanilla essence
lemon juice
milk
6 or so plums

Sorbet/Sauce
2 lb plums
1/2 cup sugar
lemon juice

1. In bowl put flour, cornmeal, baking powder and cinnamon.
2. In a big bowl mix butter and sugar, add eggs gradually.
3. Add flour mixture alternating with milk, adding lemon juice and vanilla.
4. Roughly chop the plums.
5. Put half batter into a dish, half plums, rest of batter then rest of plums
6. Sprinkle some maize flour on top.
7. Cook at 350F for about 50 minutes.
8. Delicious served with sauce made from pureed plums with sugar and lemon juice, or could freeze this mixture to make a plum sorbet.

*http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/06/plum-cornmeal-cake-with-plum-sorbet-recipe.html

Courgette, potato and cheddar soup;

• 
• 500g potatoes, unpeeled and roughly chopped
• 2 vegetable stock cubes
• 1kg courgettes, roughly chopped
• bunch spring onion, sliced - save 1 for serving, if eating straight away
• 100g extra-mature cheddar or vegetarian alternative, grated, plus a little extra to serve
• good grating fresh nutmeg, plus extra to serve
• 
  

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1577642/courgette-potato-and-cheddar-soup

We visited Hydrangeas Derby today 


Every home should have a hydrangea.  There are so many types, hydrangeas look so wonderful and flower for quite a long time.  And they don't need much care and maintenance. 

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=516

http://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/page.cfm?page_ref=how_to_care_for_hydrangeas

Hydrangea Derby was set up in 2010 by the Friends of Darley Open Spaces (FoDOS) to assist Derby City Council to maintain and extend this already large collection of Hydrangea.  It’s the largest in the UK and the third largest in the world!


see: http://hydrangeaderby.co.uk/

chick peas

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/chicken-chickpea-tagine

Renishaw Hall today, although it looks rather dull in these photos it was lovely and warm.  
The hydrangeas, roses and clematis were particularly stunning.  And the tea room wasn't bad!

http://www.renishaw-hall.co.uk/

As it's summer and we've been out and about we've eaten cakes in several venues.  The best bay far was when we went to Kathy Fairweather's Open Garden in Belper*.  Not only was the garden excellent but the cakes were fab, in fact so good that I had two pieces!  I may be slightly biased as have known Kathy for many years but I don't think so.

Surprisingly, some of the less good have been at National Trust properties.  At one place the scone was dry and as heavy as a stone, at another the cake was so light, and again it was so dry, that it just fell apart and was difficult to actually get from plate to mouth.  And the National Trust certainly know how to charge!

So here are a few baking tips from Mary Berry, both for me and for the National Trust! http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/mary-berrys-top-10-baking-tips

When I drove over to Belper to see Kathy's garden, on one of the Open Days, I was surprised at the size of their garden as it's the size of a normal garden ... but then goes off at right angles behind lots of houses - so it's enormous!  And it was all immaculate.  
Photos of their garden hardly do it justice.  Kathy seems to have the knack of knowing which plants to put together, and it must be so hard to get everything to look at its best all at once.  Here are a few I took at the Open Day back in June.
  


* http://www.belpernews.co.uk/news/local/green-fingered-kathy-starred-in-popular-gardening-show-1-7069575

PS Had a nice cake and cup of coffee at Renishaw Hall today (20 August).  At it's an RHS Partner Garden admission was free today, just £1 to park the car. http://www.renishaw-hall.co.uk/