June

Lately, I feel as though I've lost my blogging voice. Misplaced, rather than lost, perhaps. Then again, day to day life has become hectic once more and, I suppose, I lose track of time, then I can't seem to find the words to pick up where I left off. Therefore, I'm going to use the advice of another blogger and let my photographs (hopefully) lead the way.

Much the same as last year, we've been spending a lot of time in the garden and I'm chuffed to bits at how it has changed in such a short space of time. Earlier in the month, the pea shoots which  Lily brought home from school were already growing quickly, as were the runner beans and the wildflowers. She even won another packet of seeds in a school competition, so we have since sown those as well. We are receiving a lot more feathered visitors this summer, including a friendly little robin who pops in regularly to sit on the swing and then onto the rotary drier. I put food out each morning while Mog is upstairs fast asleep.

Last week we enjoyed a walk from the village of Patterdale up over Arnison Crag, Birks and then on to Saint Sunday Crag. It was a beautiful day and not too warm - perfect for being up on the fells, especially as it was lovely and quiet there. There may have been some protestation from Lily, as the walk, although straightforward, was a little steep in parts, but she was perfectly happy once we'd  reached the summit. It must have slipped my mind as to quite how high we would be climbing :)   

The next day, a far more gentle walk along the lane and through the fields meant we could collect some elderflowers for making cordial. It's a favourite of mine and so simple to make, although it continues to frustrate me as to how the best flower heads are always just out of reach. Never the less, we collected enough to make the cordial, which was ready to drink the following afternoon. It tastes delicious, and this year, as well as bottling some of the cordial, I have also frozen some in ice cubes trays, so it will be more convenient to store and make it easier to use just the right amount for each drink. The link to the recipe is here.

Back into the garden. As you can see, many of the wildflowers have grown rapidly since the first photograph, which was taken two weeks ago, and just as we had hoped, there is a constant buzz from the bees as they go about their business. We've also got some peapods now, the cornflowers are just about ready to open  and, more importantly...

I can pick fresh strawberries to eat with my yoghurt 🍓🍓🍓

J. X