Along with the berries ripening on the rowan next door, I too am preparing myself for the long winter ahead. It's been a long summer in some ways, which has come now to an all-too-abrupt halt, and now begins autumn. It is sad to see plants being got rid of, beds cleared and weeds pulled, ready for the frost to break up the soil. There is so much to do! The last three days (amen for bank holidays) have been fruitfully used to do a big end-of-season clean up. The compost heap no longer lives where it used to, we have used our own gorgeous compost for the first time to fertilise the vegetable beds, and have moved, cleaned, heaved and evicted until we were exhausted. Had it not been for my beloved husband's dogged persistance - come bramble scratches, ant bites and copious amounts of mud - I wouldn't have got nearly as much done as I had envisioned. Thankfully he put up with stings, bites and scratches with good grace to achieve garden satisfaction (to me at least).

I would do before and after photos, but we didn't do the befores, just the afters. I finally planted the Philadelphus in the lawn and also the Prunus Incisa.

So without further ado, photos...



The ritual cleaning-of-the-pots, in preparation for February when I start planting again. My husband was elbow-deep in hot soda suds, whilst I was inside elbow-deep in ironing...



Some friends of ours got evicted, but have since found wonderful new homes... In the compost heap.



All but the potatoes were removed from the vegetable bed. We found some potatoes we had hitherto missed, and found muscles we didn't know we had!



My 'plant of the moment' the beautiful Myrtle [myrtus communis] (this one sp Tarentina) has just started flowering. All of the plant is edible except the roots (perhaps they are - I'm not sure), and is very aromatic. It's a half-hardy perennial shrub and can grow, in the right conditions, to be over 15feet in height. I know, I saw one in Cornwall. I've so far eaten every part of the plant (except the roots) which has an aromatic bitter taste. In the Med it's used to flavour coals in a similar way to hickory. It can be used to stuff meat like rosemary (and discarded at the end of cooking) and is good for you in general. We have two, the other was found in Glastonbury whilst on honeymoon - this one was in a garden centre near my mother - having sworn that I'd never find another one (there's a saying about two busses coming at once...).



There's my round up :-)

When the market stalls are selling leeks and potatoes, there is only one thing you can make - a hearty leek and potato soup. Perfect for all this drizzly weather we've been enduring. Is it still August? Note the scones, they are made with wholemeal flour which I am now coveting - it tastes better and is better for you! I'll be posting recipes soon enough - bear with me!



I can't say that the rain has stopped me doing much though. Yesterday was another wet sunday that we spent enjoying a National Trust property, another day that we enjoyed immensely. I found wildflowers a-plenty and listened to the rain fall on leaves rather than us!



I spied water mint [mentha aquatica], butterbur, fungi growing on an old tree stump and hazelnuts on the tree (something I've always wanted to see!). We walked over a river, under bridges, over stepping-stones and more until I was very red in the face and pretty tired!



One thing I've noticed since giving up sugar is that after a week or so of headaches, cravings and crabbiness (over and above the usual!)I have been feeling much better. On the subject of sugar... I now don't crave sugar at all and have cut it completely from my diet except for fruit, of which I am eating at least two pieces a day. I have cut out all white flour, white pasta and white rice. It's all brown from here on in! My energy levels are much better, I feel like I'm sleeping more soundly, and don't feel so awful in the mornings. If it's a choice between white bread or my health then I'll choose health everytime, right?! We bought scales at the weekend - you would not believe, I've lost weight too! Woohoo!

Conversely cutting out sugar has led to me eating far less than usual - this is because my cravings for food in general were a hormonal response to peaks and troughs in blood sugar - hopefully that's all evened-out now!

I am rather uninspired to post at the moment, hence the title - but I'll be back with more interesting posts soon - watch this space!

This weather is rather magical, I love rain. I don't like the dog coming home covered in mud after a long walk, nor do I like having to mop the floors constantly, but I love sitting inside and watching the rain patter down and hear the low din of thunder in the distance. I think it's completely magical.

Days like this make me want to walk amongst dripping trees and enjoy the changing colours of the leaves and the trees - or at least it should, but the trees are still green and the flowers are still vivid if a little wind-beaten. I can't believe this summer has been so short, the wedding now little more than a beautiful memory, caught fleetingly in little snapshots here and there. The honeymoon and the heatwave that followed, blissful memories of places visited and bonds strengthened.

Last weekend we braved the drizzle and winds and drove out into the barren countryside. This has always been one of the things I'd looked forward to the most about being married. Myself and my husband together exploring the countryside. We don't have to travel far to do this, and although I am in love with the south-west, there is something so beautiful and inhospitable about this area. We are barely 60 miles from Scotland - and if you get into the heartlands of Northumberland you can find a little Scotland hidden away. Resplendent heather-moors and mountainous hills to climb and photograph. On finding a National Trust property (we became members on our honeymoon) it was decided that we'd spend the afternoon doing nothing more than what we both wanted to do. Luckily the place we found was amazing, nestled in the middle of nowhere yet so close to us, it provided the perfect haven for a pair of lovebirds in the drizzle.

We vowed to go back when Autumn really kicks in, and the trees are all turning their colours, it was magical but it'll be amazing when we return.

Hi. My name is VintagePretty and I am a sugar addict. It has been this way for too long, but I've overcome my denial and I'm going to conquer my addiction. *waits for rapturous applause*

Actually, it's mostly physical - I have a nasty case of the hormone collywobbles, which in turn gives me the insulin resisting collywobbles, which means I can't process sugar and insulin very well at all. It also means I crave all things sweet, all the time. Sweet and savoury, sweet and hot, sweet and cold and also just plain sweet. This is not good for a normal person, but it's doubly not-good for someone with insulin collywobbles, who doesn't manage sugar as she should. So I'm self-medicating, doing exactly what the doctor would want me to do and I've cut the stuff out. Talk about going cold-turkey! I have paced the house like a caged lion, with the temperament to match at times, scaring my poor husband to death! The cravings have been immense, but I've now been on my sugar-free diet for 6 days (haha, not that I'm counting!) and the cravings, although still strong are gradually easing off. The key is to keep the mind active, and to keep positive at all times (and remembering that your husband does love you, even when he's eating hobnobs and you're not...). Having a safe-box that only your partner knows the combination to might also work, however we've yet to cross that bridge and if we have to, then it's time for a different approach altogether!

What has made the whole thing incredibly difficult is that *everything* contains sugar. Just think of condiments, from ketchup to chutney, mayo to salad cream, even low-fat salad dressing. Ugh! I'm also avoiding anything white, as this makes the whole thing much easier to maintain. No refined anything (read: anything nice). I think I feel better for it, so I've been brave, it can only do good things! I am allowed a moderate amount of fruit to make up for the lack of white things. Bananas on toast (only allowed one a day, and on wholewheat bread etc) for breakfast are very agreeable!

Despite the withdrawl symptoms I'm now over the worst I think - I hope, and on to better things! I've gone for one whole day without biting the husband's head off - I'm doing well. Baby steps...

I am in the next planning stages of the garden! Hurrah! I have found my gardening bug again, and whenever it stops raining outside, I will be out there with my dog, my hoe and a pencil and paper to turn this big rectangle of green into something far more 'us'.

I'm starting by getting rid of all of the straight lines. Straight lines are not good feng shui, they're not very feminine, and they don't go well in the garden that I have planned! The herb bed is a keeper, as are the semi-circular beds, but adding to that we're going to have more vegetable space because we didn't have that much this year and found there was still stuff we didn't have space to grow that we really wanted to.

The lawn will be broken up and screened areas added to give shade, an orchard-y effect and will probably be something like either the Judas tree [cercis siliquastrum] or the heavenly Foxglove tree [paulownia tomentosa] and the like - it can't grow too large and should provide some shape all year round. Having read Beverly Nichols' book 'Green Grows the City', I have learnt about the eye having to wander, not just seeing the whole thing at once. There will be more ornamental planting beds in the lawn for shrubs like my amazing Philadelphus 'Snow Belle' and our Fuji cherry Prunus Incisa 'Kojo no mai' as well as annual planting. All on a gently-undulating curvy theme, hopefully adding a place to have chairs as well.

The fence that our neighbour put up for us is excellent - it has given us a proper garden for the first time, cut off from everyone, and a place where we can let the dog run free! We bought a shrub rose which is just the most prickly thing ever - she's called Frau Dagmar Hartopp (single, light pink, amazing scent, very large red hips!) - not a person to mess with - my mother thinks she must've been a very prickly one in real life! That will form part of the impenetrable barrier between us and the little hooligans. On other notes, we ate our first tomato of the season from 'Tumbling Tom', a cherry-sized red, which like the name suggests, tumbles. It was delish and we await more. Not that I can make chutney (but probably will for everyone elses benefit...), every single condiment has flippin' sugar in it.

Anyway, that's it for now, it's way past my bed time! I will post more photos of interesting things I've been upto of late, at another time!

I apologise for the hideously long time that it's been without a post but I've been off gallivanting around having a good time and doing anything but what I should be doing. This is the first real online time I've had since Friday because there was a lovely visit from my mother and I've been planning changes in the house, sorting out mounds of paperwork and trying to sit down to do something (ants in my pants!). The garden has been the worst casualty in all of this, to the point of near-apathy. At first it wasn't the weather to do any gardening, then I was busy getting married and going on honeymoon and on coming back we had all of the hassle with the Husband's car and hooligans, I've just not felt much like doing anything in the garden apart from water the odd plant and marvel at the amazing pumpkins. I haven't even felt like taking photos! But with the nights drawing in, the days becoming cooler and alot needing to be done, it's something that I must face up to and do.



I will write a completely garden-centric post next time, but for now I want to tell you what a certain someone sent in the post! I was absolutely taken aback when I opened the most beautiful parcel, full of things that are just perfect! Thankyou so much! Inside the parcel, Leanne had packaged a gorgeous 'Bride and Groom Cookbook', a bridal pinny, cards and the pilot edition of her ClubHouse magazine with added goodies! It was so generous and so unexpected, and so thoughtful. I have already used the cookbook and will be using it together with my hubby this weekend to cook something long and slow with each other - yum :)



Talking of my hubby, never let it go unmentioned how wonderful he is, bringing me beautiful blooms home on Friday. This time amazing gladioli whose flared petals and tropical colours make me think of a flamenco-dancers dress.

I'm planning what I'd like to do in the house this winter, my usual time for decorating when it's cold and hostile outside but lovely and cosy inside. I have ideas but I'm not sure how to implement them, I've been going from room to room sorting things and getting rid of rubbish that has accumulated over time in preparation for a winter of making this house homely.



And yesterday I got out into the garden with naught but a dog, a book and the flora (and fauna) around me to do some reading. This book written about one of my favourite places, Somerset, is beautifully written and with glowing reports from The Times, I know it's going to be a good one.

So excuse the absence, if anyone wants to send ideas for inspiration, or a kick in the backside, then please do! ;-)

If it isn't pipes bursting and outing whole towns, it's coming from the clouds in torrential amounts, water has definitely been on the brain of late. It really is surprising just how much we depend on it, not only for the essential drinks and food, but for washing ourselves, our clothing and our houses. We were lucky, I don't know how people in drought countries survive, our water came back after 1 1/2 days, and that was long enough! The rain poured yesterday, it seeped into the land, and the lawn that was previously brown and yellow came back with a vengeance, lush and green. It's done wonderful things for the garden, it's nice to see thrushes finding snails and thrashing them on a rock (although I do feel an incy wincy bit of guilt at this - I am soft). The reason for the water failure? A burst pipe in not one but 3 places, most likely because of the excessive dry weather of late!

Yesterday I braved the rain and gales to go out to our local town for some retail therapy. When I say retail therapy, I mean two balls of discount wool, we're not talking a second mortgage here. But being out in the rain was refreshing (in the literal sense as I forgot my brolly), and nice to see people in coats for the first time since last winter. For the dog's walk I had to don a pink mac and a scarf - in August! Not only was it blowing a gale (my tomatoes, my precious tomatoes!) but it was actually cool enough to warrant wrapping up. I envisioned walking on deep crimson leaves, a cloud of which swirling around me, not cornflowers and poppies trying to stay upright and failing! Is this really August weather?! Insane.

Today however it has perked up, and I'm in the mood for some garden photos (hurrah!) and a little garden-talk! I'm in a bit of a quandry over garden design - ours is a bit too rectangular, we remedied this slightly by adding some distinctly circular beds, but for me I still want to soften this beast. I bought the one plant that I've been coveting for so long now, having seen them everywhere in Dorset, Somerset and Cornwall over the years - a Philadephus (or mock orange) 'Snow Belle'. Ours came from a nursery near my mother on our return from the honeymoon. The smell of it is just amazing, and if you haven't got one, you really really should!



So here are some photos of our garden before it was blasted at high pressure and left looking a little sorry for itself!



There are few things as beautiful as a love-in-a-mist [nigella damascena] flower in full bloom.







I am in love with the larkspur at the moment, I bought a packet of seeds that cost no more than 50p, and which has supplied us with many spikes of the most wonderful colours. From candy-pink to petroleum purple, it's been amazingly beautiful to watch it all unfurl.



And last but not least, the wildlife that make this garden possible. Without them there would be no sustainability, no pollinated seeds and no birdsong whilst I toil. Although I do garden for me and for my husband, I garden for the garden, I am naught but a caretaker and want to sustain it and keep it going for the wildlife and the plants, and occasionally, for myself.

The era that brought bright red lipstick, utility garments and the most beautiful hairstyles the century had ever known is back! I've always been interested in anything from the 20's to the 40's, the lifestyles, the make-do and mend mentality, and the neighbourly attitude they had back then. Sure there were the bad times, after all it was the decade that brought war on an unprecedented scale, but there were the good times and that's what I choose to think of. Which is why this season I've been sporting beautiful luscious red lips, deep kohl eye liner and a little bit of the Puppini Sisters on the radio... Bliss!

We're without water. We have been without water since 3am yesterday. It's not just us, it's three towns, thousands and thousands of people. Just as I was going to post a green eco-tip about saving water, too*. The water board have put 4 water bowsers in our town, unfortunately all within 100ft of each other - not at all helpful for the few thousand people who live nowhere near those 4 bowsers**. Last night many people queued and queued to get bottled water, which we didn't do because we were too tired, however as there is now nothing more than the odd dribble escaping our tap downstairs (there isn't enough pressure for upstairs) I rushed out, unwashed, at 7.15 this morning to get water, come hell or.. um.. high water (or lack thereof). Thankfully no queues, just pure water in bottles. Hallelujah. I then went to a supermarket in an unaffected area and bought some bottles, primarily because a)I don't want to queue for hours this evening, b)water is a necessity, and it's supposed to be hotting up later this week, and c)for friends and neighbours who are elderly and can't get out to get water (and definitely couldn't lug 9 litres home with them). My mother did point out that this is how the end of society would begin .Yeah, thanks mum... People wonder where I get my pessimism from!

On a better note it has rained (don't worry, getting the irony loud and clear) and rained - the first time in over a month. Next rain shower, around 2pm, I'll be out with my bar of soap, shampoo and loofah. At least it's watering the tomatoes - as we don't have enough water to do even that!

Last weekend we sorted the house, still in bits of disarray from the wedding. It now looks like a place I can call home. We spent some vouchers we were given as a wedding present on a really nice lamp for the living room, and got things put into the loft. Our rather marvellous neighbour put us up a fence to stop the hooligans from invading our garden, as they did a couple of weeks ago, wheeling a wheelie bin full of stolen goods over my pumpkins. I can laugh about it now, but I was furious at the time - we caught them in the act, they just stood there nonchalantly until the dog went doolally at them, scaring them off, dumping their bounty as they went.


It has really been the strangest few weeks, but now it seems (touch wood) to be settling down a bit, there is nothing I can do in the garden, it's been to hot to mow the lawn or do anything but keep the tomatoes fed, dig up potatoes and pick at the runner beans. Which is a good thing, because I can focus on knitting. I found one of the only stockists of Opal sock wool (in the UK) on our honeymoon, so I bought a full sock knitting kit, complete with instructions, dpns and stitch markers. It's great to be knitting again, and the socks are looking fabulous. There have been some slight deviations from the pattern (some accidental, some not), but they look fab already.

I'll now go and find out how to wash my whole body with one pint of cold water, a bar of soap, and a flannel. Ideas on a postcard, please! hehe

*I will, once I've been able to have a shower *sigh*
**We now have 13 more bowsers, according to the water-board website.