Five things on Friday
Today for the first time I am joining in with Amy's Five things on Friday. I have been reading Amy's Five Things for a while now and from time to time coming across other people doing the same so, while I don't expect to make it a regular thing (I can't guarantee to be able to blog on a Friday for one thing!), I thought it would be fun to look at what is on my camera and make it into a Five Things, if I can.
So here we are. This is astrantia, astrantia major I think. It grows here almost like a weed, self seeding all over the place and making huge plants which muscle other things out of the way. But there is no denying that it is very beautiful, with an odd mixture of delicacy and toughness. This plant is making it difficult to get to the front step but as we only ever use the kitchen door, like most old farmhouses, it doesn't really matter.
Here is another thing we have a lot of: eggs. The hens are laying well now and Ian has made a new nest box which seems to have solved the problem of the eggs being pecked or even completely eaten. He has built a nest box with a false bottom and a slight slope so that the eggs roll gently into a lower compartment with a removable top. We don't know which hen had developed a taste for eggs but it is good not to have to worry about that. As a result we now have loads of eggs again and I have eaten five today, two for breakfast as usual and another three in an omelette for supper. This could be overdoing it! I do love eggs though.
Another picture of abundance: honeysuckle, flowering in the hedges around the garden and by the lane. The scent is wonderful and always stronger when a waft hits you as you walk by than it is if you bury your nose in a flower. I think it must be the cumulative impact of all those flowers which produces the sweet scent, particularly strong on a summer evening.
And here is the reverse of sunshine and perfume, a dark and mossy place where a large oak at the bottom of the hill has got its roots mixed up with rocks and is overhanging the lane. This reminds me of my passion for hiding things in holes like this when I was a child and my brother and I used to play up on the moors. We had a tree in which we used to leave emergency supplies or notes to each other. The emergency supplies were usually eaten before we got to them but the notes survived.
And lastly let's have some home made bread to go with the eggs. A bit random I know but there are my five things for today.
So here we are. This is astrantia, astrantia major I think. It grows here almost like a weed, self seeding all over the place and making huge plants which muscle other things out of the way. But there is no denying that it is very beautiful, with an odd mixture of delicacy and toughness. This plant is making it difficult to get to the front step but as we only ever use the kitchen door, like most old farmhouses, it doesn't really matter.
Here is another thing we have a lot of: eggs. The hens are laying well now and Ian has made a new nest box which seems to have solved the problem of the eggs being pecked or even completely eaten. He has built a nest box with a false bottom and a slight slope so that the eggs roll gently into a lower compartment with a removable top. We don't know which hen had developed a taste for eggs but it is good not to have to worry about that. As a result we now have loads of eggs again and I have eaten five today, two for breakfast as usual and another three in an omelette for supper. This could be overdoing it! I do love eggs though.
Another picture of abundance: honeysuckle, flowering in the hedges around the garden and by the lane. The scent is wonderful and always stronger when a waft hits you as you walk by than it is if you bury your nose in a flower. I think it must be the cumulative impact of all those flowers which produces the sweet scent, particularly strong on a summer evening.
And here is the reverse of sunshine and perfume, a dark and mossy place where a large oak at the bottom of the hill has got its roots mixed up with rocks and is overhanging the lane. This reminds me of my passion for hiding things in holes like this when I was a child and my brother and I used to play up on the moors. We had a tree in which we used to leave emergency supplies or notes to each other. The emergency supplies were usually eaten before we got to them but the notes survived.
And lastly let's have some home made bread to go with the eggs. A bit random I know but there are my five things for today.
That's a lovely bit of random -- we've been lucky enough to enjoy four out of those five 'round here lately as well (sadly, no fresh eggs as we've no chickens).
ReplyDeleteRecently, I came across a forum that decried several/most varieties of honeysuckle as invasive and not worth hosting in one's garden. I'll admit to being shocked at the notion. I have both L. serotina and L. halliana plus a wild, simple variety that twines up trees at the wild borders of the yard, and everyone gives oodles of fragrance via beautiful blooms and have never seemed particularly invasive to me.
Honeysuckle.. oh yes... homemade bread and eggs.. Love it..
ReplyDeleteSo nice to see you join in for 5 on Fri! I love your photos - especially those lovely eggs and I bet that honeysuckle does smell amazing!!
ReplyDeleteI just love your header on your blog too. So beautiful! I have Welsh heritage and I guess my great grandparents came here to the States from Wales. I hope one day to personally visit, but I love looking at a wonderful blog like yours and feel like I am visiting a beautiful place.
Happy weekend to you! ~ Carrie @northwoods scrapbook
Hello from southern California. It's so nice to discover your blog. Your garden flowers are absolutely lovely. And, how nice it must be to have fresh farm eggs! The bread looks so yummy, too. Have a wonderful weekend.
ReplyDeleteI envy you your fresh eggs- I really miss mine now the girls are no more. Agree about honeysuckle and our star jasmine is the same- wafts are better than sniffs :o) My sister and I used to hide things in tree holes- I had clean forgotten until you mentioned it x
ReplyDeleteThey are five great things! I love them all, I wish I had an abundance of eggs and that my honey suckle had flowered like that! A lovely five! Have a great weekend xx
ReplyDeleteThe simple pleasures of life make me smile.
ReplyDeleteThe simple pleasures of life make me smile.
ReplyDeleteFive great things! The honeysuckle is stunning!!! Your astrantia is wonderful too, wish mine would grow like that! The eggs will all be delicious I am sure, especially now you can keep them from being pecked! Thank you so much for joining in, it is great to have you taking part and please feel free to dip in and out as and when you wish. I hope that you have a great weekend - with lots of lovely bread and eggs to eat! xx
ReplyDeleteFive wonderful things to assault the senses - homemade bread and honeysuckle scents, beautiful flowers to look at, eggs and bread to eat - lovely.
ReplyDeleteI really love your astrantia, such a pretty plant. I must see if I can grow it here. Being winter here our hens, we only have two, are on holiday from egg laying. In fact I am heading in to town now to buy some unfortunately! I bet your bread smells and tastes delicious.
ReplyDeleteHome made bread and fresh boiled eggs for breakfast, a good way to start any day of the week.
ReplyDeleteWhat a charming post, I'm delighted to have found your blogspot. Isn't it interesting how sights like the oak roots around the craggy stones remind us of different things ? What a lovely recollection of your childhood on the moors.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth, each of your five things surely adds something wonderful to Friday. I admit that since my work schedule is random...no two weeks feature the same days on and off, my Fridays can have many differing things. There's much to be said for variety, but I do somewhat yearn for some sort of rhythm. It's sometimes difficult for me to actually remember which day of the week it is.
ReplyDeleteI like the sound of your newly designed, constructed and installed egg box. Having full access to those fabulous freshly laid eggs must be very luxurious!
Happy weekend to you. xo
The astrantia looks very pretty and the bread smells wonderful from here! Yum!
ReplyDeleteAll good things. I love astrantia but have never grown it successfully. And the scent of honeysuckle - mmm. Your bread looks very good!
ReplyDeleteVery nice five...the honeysuckle is just beautiful! Love the bread...yum!
ReplyDeleteI have lots of astronauts as well, it's really lovely in flower but doesn't die well:) The wild honeysuckle round here is fantastic this year, the woods and lanes are full of it. I love the scent.
ReplyDeleteI am really getting fed up of the predictive text! I do not have lots of astronauts but I do have lots of astrantia!!
ReplyDeleteLovely five, the bread looks delicious and I love the idea of having eggs on tap so to speak.....
ReplyDeleteFive lovely things, I decided against chickens as my dog wouldn't get on with them but I do miss the idea of collecting fresh eggs. My honeysuckle is just starting to bloom so no waft for me this year as it is still quite small. I hope you have a lovely week x
ReplyDeleteMmmmm freshly laid eggs and homemade bread - what could be better?? My neighbours have chickens and I love listening to their clucks and conversations when I'm gardening! Katie x
ReplyDeletehttp://long-may-she-rain.blogspot.co.uk
What a delightful abundance you found at home! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI love your five things, a real slice of your life, more powerful than words, truly.
ReplyDeleteXO
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A great 5 things, can almost smell the bread and honey suckle :)
ReplyDeleteThat bread looks delicious! I'm having to avoid wheat just now and I am not happy about it!
ReplyDelete