Rhubarb, Rhubarb

The final post for Thing-a-Day

Thing-a-Day Forever

Two weeks ago I took a photograph of a rhubarb leaf when it was just beginning to unfurl and in my comment I said that I might have enough rhubarb to make a crumble by the end of Thing-a-Day.

Well, I didn’t quite get that much…in fact, I only managed to get half a teacup of stewed rhubarb out of today’s picking.  So to make it something special I filled two meringue nests with vanilla custard and spooned the cooled rhubarb over for my hubby and I to enjoy this evening

…and, Oh!!, it was just lovely.  Something very special, and the first produce from my garden this year.

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So this is day 28 of Thing-a-Day, and I am pleased to say that I completed a post for every day this month.  I was late for one as I fell asleep in the evening before I had written up…

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Gracie Great-Hat Gardens

Day 27 of Thing-a-Day 2013

Thing-a-Day Forever

It has been such a beautiful day today, with clear blue sky and not a breath of breeze so even though the temperature was quite cool, in the sunshine it was really very pleasant indeed.  This was something that did not escape the attention of my two year old granddaughter, who having seen the sunny garden through the patio doors, insisted on going out…and not only that but she insisted that we all wear hats!!

Grace happened to choose the one that was almost as wide as she is tall and no matter what task her lively little mind set her to do – she was determined that she would do it with the hat on, no matter how difficult it became.

My ‘thing’ for today is a montage of photos that I took of Gracie Great-Hat as she gardened…the smiles and the grim determination….

What a girl!!!

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Band of Gold

Thing-a-Day 2013 Post 26

Thing-a-Day Forever

 

 

I have been busy in the garden today so have not really had time to sit down and do something specially for Thing-a-Day so I am posting a rather creative solution to a problem shrub in my garden.

In the autumn I moved a very large kerria japonica plant to a new location and was not sure if it would survive the brutal event.  Today I was pleased to see buds developing on it, but it was really straggly and untidy.  I did have it supported with bamboo canes but still a lot of the stems flopped outward.

As the stems seemed to be quite flexible I bent some of the lower shoots to go around the entire plant, intertwining the finer side shoots as I went, thus creating a loose ring of stems around the bush.  Since these are still attached to the plant and have a lot of buds on…

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The Final Garnish

Thing-a-Day 2013 post 25.

Thing-a-Day Forever

With the final two embossed copper labels finished I have a full compliment of smart labels for my herb garden.  I am really pleased with them and am glad that I decided to spend the time to make them something special.

I really want my garden to be a garden of delights and have carefully picked flowers that are scented as well as beautifully coloured; and fruit, veg and herbs that will be able to delight our taste buds in the summer.

I have planned it so that the best views can be enjoyed from the patio doors and have areas of seating amongst the plants to get the best from the sunshine, the sunset and protection from the wind.

OK, so embossed copper herb labels will not be the making or breaking of a beautiful garden but they are a lovely little touch that I will remember making for many, many…

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Not Pudding in de Bin

Post 24 for Thing-a-Day 2013

Thing-a-Day Forever

I really do hate having to throw things away so when I realised that half of a pack of croissants was really too dry to eat I just couldn’t bring myself to put them in the bin.  So I went on a scout around the kitchen and found half a pot of fresh cream in the fridge that needed using and those annoying bags of things in the store cupboards where there is just a spoonful of things that need using before the packaging can be thrown away.  A few sultanas and some cranberries in one cupboard and the end of a bag of castor sugar in another.

We very rarely have a sweet after our main meal but with the addition of a couple of eggs and some spices – cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg – I was able to make a very satisfying and interesting take on a traditional…

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Two More Herbs for the Pot

Forgot to reblog yesterday’s post 23 from thing-a-Day 2013

Thing-a-Day Forever

I managed to find the time to get two more of my embossed copper herb labels done this afternoon as the snow flurries stopped my work in the garden.  It is surprisingly tough on the fingers working with this copper and as I type I can feel the little stinging areas on my fingers where the sharp edges and corners have nicked my skin.  I still have two more that I want to do before the month is out but I might need a couple of days for my fingers to recover first!!

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My post for day 22 of Thing-a-DAy

Thing-a-Day Forever

You know how it is…busy day…evening meal…sit sown for a few minuteszzzzzzzzzzzzz.

So I am a few hours late posting my thing for the 22nd…a chocolate rose.

This is my first attempt at making modelling chocolate.  I have used white chocolate and coloured it with paste food colour.

The biggest challenge for me is the fact that I have rather warm hands so I have a matter of seconds between the chocolate being too hard to shape and semi molten.  I have used latex gloves to isolate the heat of my skin from the chocolate as much as possible but it is still a challenge!

I do see a lot of possibilities using this substance though.  It is much quicker to make a chocolate rose than a sugarpaste or flower paste one and as it seems to colour so well there would be a lot of scope for making a…

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My 21st post for Thing-a-Day 2013

Thing-a-Day Forever

Let me introduce you to my new range of embossed copper labels for my herb garden!  I found these blank copper labels in my local hardware store but instead of simply writing on them with a ball point pen I decided to go a bit upmarket and create a raised embossed name tag.

I found a nice font on the computer and made labels of the correct size but printed them out as a mirror image.  I could then cut these out and working from the back of the copper sheet, trace round the letters to create the embossed word.  The letters were sharpened by running the ballpoint pen nib around the embossed letters on the obverse side.

I think these will look great in my new garden – especially as the copper begins to oxidise and get a nice patina on them.

Loads more labels and herb varieties to go…

 

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Day 20 of Thing-a-Day 2013

Thing-a-Day Forever

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Birthday Girl.

The final Peppa Pig cupcake display along with the giant cupcake.

The party goers.

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Peppa Pig, pig, pig, pig, pig, pig…

Day 19 of Thing-a-Day 2013

Thing-a-Day Forever

My granddaughter loves Peppa Pig – amongst others – and so she is getting a Peppa themed cake for her second birthday.  For the first time, I am doing some cupcakes, with a giant cupcake as a top to the display.

I am going to do some simpler, more adult tops to some of the cupcakes for those of us of advanced years who cannot stomach the massive sugar hit that comes with a sugarpaste figure cupcake topper!!  But they will be done tomorrow as part of the final decorating push!!

So here is Peppa Pig…constructed from sugarpaste with CMC added to it to make it go really hard.  She will sit on top of the giant cupcake and is not designed to be eaten but taken home as a memento   Her little piglet friends on the other hand are just sugarpaste and will top some of the smaller cupcakes and will be…

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