Category Archives: Rural
Preserving Memories
Enlisted the help of some younger family members to gather blackberries at the weekend. I had gathered a trayful of fallen apples and thought blackberry and apple jelly would be a great recipe to use them up. Having convinced the … Continue reading
Posted in Food, Natural World, Nostalgia, Rural, Writing
Tagged apples, blackberries, evoking memories, preserving fruit
6 Comments
Diaries and Journals
How often in a crime drama or novel the detective seeks out the diary of the victim and from it deduces all sorts of information. Like many people I do keep a diary but the only clues to future readers … Continue reading
Posted in British Flora, Gardens and Gardening, Natural World, Nostalgia, Rural, Villages, Writing
Tagged background information, diary, fauna, flora, hstoric detail, journal, observation
6 Comments
Windfalls
I’ve received a couple of windfalls in the past week. No, not a win on the lottery but windfalls in their original form, windfall fruits. A friend whose house was built in a former orchard has a glut of apples. … Continue reading
Posted in Food, Rural, Writing
Tagged apples, photographs, preserving, recipes, seasonal, Writing
6 Comments
Guided tour?
Much as we enjoy taking things at our own pace there is something to be said for taking a guided tour whether it be of a country house, a familiar townscape or a nature reserve. However well we think we … Continue reading
Posted in British Flora, Natural World, Rural, Writing
Tagged British flora, explore, guided tour, learning from experts, natural world
2 Comments
May Day
May Day already and a sunny but chill day with a strong wind. I wasn’t in Oxford to hear the choir sing in May Day at 6 am but I did get to see the village celebration. Both the garland … Continue reading
Posted in Competitions, Heritage, Rural, UK Events, Writing
Tagged competitions, flowers, garlands, May Day celebrations, Morris Dancers, traditions
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Simple Pleasures
Autumn might mean we are approaching winter but I love it for itself. It is as if it cheers us up before the worst that winter can throw at us by going out in a blaze of glory. From the … Continue reading
Posted in Natural World, Nostalgia, Rural
Tagged Autumn, autumn colour, beechnuts, children's games and crafts, conkers, fruits, fungi, hazel nuts, leaves, sweet chestnuts
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Transport for Writers
Travelling by bus and train rather than by car during the past week has brought home how beneficial such transport can be to the writer. Apart from the obvious vantage point afforded by the view from a bus or train … Continue reading
Posted in Rural, UK Travel, Villages, Writing
Tagged bus, characters, people-watching, public transport, train, Writing
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Willow
Willows are a staple of our waterways with graceful weeping willows shading banks with their flowing “locks” and their pollarded cousins standing alongside smaller streams and ditches, often resembling living sculptures where man has shaped them or nature has split … Continue reading
A-Z Blog Challenge 2013 P is for Pigs
Of all the domesticated animals in the UK the pig seems to be the most popular. People collect pig ornaments, there are nursery rhymes about pigs and everyone is familiar with the saying that you can use every bit of … Continue reading
Posted in A-Z Blog Challenge 2013, Rural, Sculptures, UK Travel, Writing
Tagged A-Z Blog Challenge 2013, pigs, Rare Breeds Survival Trust, sculptures, sheep cattle, Writing
6 Comments
Domesday Twentieth century style
The Domesday Survey of 1086 instigated by Williams the Conqueror is a great resource for people studying their locality in England. Although not all areas are covered, if the settlement existed and was surveyed you get a snapshot of life … Continue reading