We kick started the weekend on Friday afternoon by baking a huge batch of cookies with the boy one and girl one.. they love getting involved in the kitchen and although its messy, chaotic and not always a great success it’s the moments like this that are the ones I remember the most from my childhood so I think it’s pretty important to make the same kind of memories with my brood. We also received a dashing set of matching aprons from the children’s godfather for Christmas which they have been desperate to put to use..
The cookies were delicious – we used a Millie’s cookie recipe from BBC good food.
I had met my girls on Friday for coffee and ended up having a really feminine discussion about log stacking, log piles and how cool they can look – apparently the biggest selling book at Christmas was one about log piles, I need this in my life. So this chat inspired my Saturday as we had emptied our log store over the festive period and with a hugely anticipated cold spell on its way Harry & I chopped, wheeled and stacked at the cottage.
No fancy patterns here but neat and oh so satisfying. I now need to do the same with the enormous stack of logs at The Manor.. one for my to do list this week.
We ventured out for a walk to the Ford at Moreton to see how the floods had affected the water level.. it is lovely to live in such a beautiful place and see the seasons changing and landscapes constantly changing. We dodged a downpour by minutes and retreated to The Dovecote Cafe, The Manor’s sister site to warm up by the log burner and have some yummy food.
The Walled Garden is directly next door to The Manor and we have co managed the site for around a year now, the gardens are absolutely beautiful, there are lots of different areas, nooks and corners to explore. A stream runs through the garden and there are a series of bridges that look so pretty. At this time of year it is still stunning, with a settled and peaceful atmosphere like it is slumbering until the spring.
We ate a delicious lunch and sampled some of the new local ales. The farm shop within The Dovecote always has tempting bits and bobs to buy too.
Sunday morning was so bright and clear I took off for a run in the forest, apart from a tumble in to a puddle it was great! We then lunched with friends and planned our summer holidays and some important upcoming birthdays. A lovely weekend. And on to a good week with lots of Manor House projects starting.
T xx