Spring tea

Hello!

How was your day? Mine has been sort of chaotic. I wanted to clean the house, cover the mantelpiece in flowers, bake a pie, work in the garden, buy some groceries, take photo's for this blog post and go to the Ikea. Too much for one day really. In the end I decided to slow down a little and spend part of the day at home, with my feet up. There is only so much that a girl can do ;-)

I baked the pie off course. Absolutely necessary in a house with three girls. Imagine having a Sunday tea without something sweet to accompany it......  

Wishing you a fun week!

Love,

Madelief x


'Tea, Thou soft, thou sober, sage, and venerable liquid, thou female tongue-running, smile-smoothing, heart-opening, wink-tipping, cordial, to whose glorious insipidity I owe the happiest moment of my life, let me fall prostrate'

By Colley Cibber, The Lady's Last Stake, 1708, from the book The Ritz London book of Afternoon Tea.



The pie I baked is an apple almond pie from the cookbook Gorgeous cakes by Annie Bell.

The first spring flowers

It feels like ages since I last did some work in the garden. When the weather forecast predicted a dry and not too cold day, I put on an old jeans, filled a thermos flask with tea, and headed for the allotment complex.

I told the girls I was going to be back for lunch, but I lost track of time completely. This often happens. I think the girls are getting used to it by now :-)

What a delight to be at work outside. It was about five degrees, but when you are busy, you hardly notice the cold. I pruned a few trees at the front of the garden, filled one of the raised beds with compost and got rid of weeds. I got chatting with one of my neighbours too, a kind man who has been at our complex for more than fifty years and knows all about pruning, fruit, vege and flowers. Each time I talk to him I realise that there is so much I still have to learn.

When I could not move my toes any more, I took a break in my little garden house. I have an ancient little stove there that keeps me warm. Together with my cup of tea, which I drank from an elegant cup off course, it felt really cosy inside.

I bought a huge quantity of left over bulbs at a garden centre yesterday. Some crocuses, alliums, bluebells and pink Spanish hyacinths. The price was so low, I could not leave them behind. I know it's rather late to plant bulbs, but you never know. I hope I will be in for a surprise.

Oh, and there were flowers!! The first snowdrops (in my neighbours garden, not mine), some purple primula's and funnily enough two white anemones :-)  Everywhere around me little shoots appear above ground. Spring really is around the corner.

Have you been working in the garden lately?

Enjoy your week!

Love,

Madelief x

Almond Pistachio Biscuits

Hello,

Thank you all for your kind words and well wishes on last weeks post. I am feeling much better, so they have definitely helped!

While great part of our country is covered in a layer of fresh snow, we had grey skies and rain all day.  Sometimes I wonder why I always choose days like this to take photo's for my blog. We had sun and blue skies yesterday :-)

However, the weather was perfect to do some baking. I decided on Almond Pistachio Biscuits, from the cookbook The Kinflolk table. Do you know the book? The photography is superb and I enjoy reading it. Today was the first time I tried one of the recipes.

Have to admit that the recipe was not fool proof. I had to add a an egg, because the dough was too dry (hope that's allowed with biscuits) and a pinch of salt, but the taste was delicious! You can find the recipe here as well.

I found a lovely pink teacup by Bavaria at the Saturday flea market. What I like about Bavaria teacups is that the outside is often very simple, whereas the inside often looks like a work of art. I have to admit that the girls and I love a bit of 'bling' too :-)

The dark green floral fabric is a vintage find as well. I think it must be from the seventies or early eighties. Did you find a find a vintage treasure recently?

Wishing you all a lovely week ahead!

Love,

Madelief x

A colourful mess

Not a long post today. I have been down with the flue for a second time within a month and did not have the energy to sit behind my computer or take photo's. I am feeling much better now, due to a lot of rest and antibiotics. 

What a week it has been. My thoughts are with the people in France and especially the families who lost loved ones. Such a horrible thing to have happened.

I thought I would show you some photo's of my guestroom/workroom. It's a colourful mess really, but I love it. My vintage china and the spring bulbs look at their best in the morning sunlight.

I found a pretty dark blue tin recently, with exotic birds on each side. It's the best one I found in years. The hyacinth bulbs look perfect inside. The tall coffee cup with the violets is a new find too, as well as the coffee cup with the orchids. When I spotted the cups in the thrift store, I simply had to take them with me. Especially since they were made in Maastricht. A town in the south of our country, where part of my family lives.

This week I received my first parcel with garden seeds from the UK (several varieties of Sweet Peas, Nigella, Cosmea and Zinnia). Can't wait for spring to arrive and the gardening season to start. Meanwhile I just keep on planning and dreaming. Hopefully, if the weather permits, I can give you an update on the garden soon.

Have a good week!

Love, Madelief x 

* The bunting was made by a friend of mine. Please let me know if you are interested.