Tomato Seeds

A few weeks ago Meggiehad a fantasticGarden Seed Giveaway. She was very generously offering some heritage seeds. I chose a variety of tomatoes - Tomato Carbon, which have won many taste awards in the last few years!

They arrived today - and I am thrilled and delighted.Thank you, Meggie!

We will get them planted and I'll let you know how they progress.I am really looking forward to the taste test!

I wonder how they will fareat this year's Village Show

We had a huge amount of fun last year,notching up far more successesthan we expected.

The trouble is that it puts the pressure on this year!

I am counting on these purple tomatoes to win at least one class.Thank you Meggie.x









PS. Check out Meggies seed list - newvarieties she is trying out this year.

First Light, Foggy Morning - Pigeon River Valley

The fog this morning was incredible. Unfortunately I did not make it out to take any pictures of the fog at sunrise. So, it made me go back to some photos from a foggy morning in July that I never posted. This photo was made after a night of photographing the northern lights along the Arrowhead Trail in northeast Minnesota. As I drove home via the backroads I noticed that there was quite a bit of fog in the Pigeon River valley below me. I pulled over at the Pigeon River Helipad Overlook along Otter Lake Road and waited for the sun to come up. I knew that once the sunlight started to hit the fog it would be an incredible view. Sure enough, as the fog started to glow from the light of the rising sun I was awestruck by the beauty and depth of the scene laid out before me.

THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE WOODSTORE...

Pip, Toby and Bennie are all agreed on that! No doubt it will keep them occupied for a long time. Don't worry about Toby's 'bald side' it really isn't like that, it's down to some quirk on this photograph.





Today has been wet, very wet. So we decided to do some indoor work ...!!! We both scrubbed the utility room floor and part of the kitchen - but I thought you would like this photo of your Pa wearing Marigold gloves and scrubbing !





Jonny, you will know what this next photograph is all about, so no need to go into details.









We nipped to Woodthorpe Garden Centre this afternoon - and guess what they were busy doing...unbelievably ... but here's the photo to prove it. Dreadful!!!





Far more interestingly, we have just been listening to a wonderful Prom .. programme which featured a Spaghetti Western Orchestra from Australia and their music is magnificent. Check them out sometime.





That's it for today, Jonny. Look after yourself.

Call/email us when you have the chance.

Love,





Mum

xxx

Manawa Ride

Yesterday was a beautiful day for a ride in the woods mid 70s, sunny, a bit windy. There were several others riders at Manawa. I stopped two to chat. They are new mountain bikers - starting this season. Talked them about THOR membership.
Anyway, I continued making my laps. The trail conditions are pretty good, except for 2 dead falls on East Sidewinder. One had been there some time, the other is new. Both were trees damaged in the June wind storm, just decided to come down in October.
One reason for riding at Manawa yesterday was to check out the fork re-build of my trail bike. No problem with the fork on this ride. I had a leisurely ride - 7.7 mph. Just what I was looking for. Even had a good conversation with 2 potential THOR members.

Hoping to ride again today, before the weather turns colder and wet over the next couple days.

Simple French Cuisine? Roasted Camembert with honey.

France is famous for the wonderful cheeses and Camembert is certainly one of the most famous.
Camembert is certainly a great cheese, just to eat plain with some nice baguette bread, but there is a great recepy we discovered with the help of Blandine and Olivier from Laurenan.
The original name of this simple but very taste dish is Camembert roti avec le miel, that litteraly translates: Camembert roasted in oven with the honey.
Here is the recepy.
Have a Camembert form with its wooden box for each guest.
Cut the Camembert as you see in the picture below, cutting the top of each form off.


Dig in the cheese so to make space for some pieces of apple you have already prepared on a side.




Put the apple's pieces in the cheese you have already prepared in the center of the cheese form.



Then put some good honey on the top of the cheese forms.











Close the Camembert forms with their tops.








Put just a little bit of water on top of the cheese so that the brown sugar you are going to put on top remains easily on the top of the cheese.








Put the sugar on top of the cheese.










Put the Camembert in the oven for then minutes at around 200°C.







Enjoy it with some toasted baguette bread!







This post would has been made thanks to Blandine and Olivier Le Cloirec from Laurenanwho prepared a fantastic Camembert roti au miel with local, organic and very tasty ingredients, and (most important) with great passion!

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Riding Weather

Looks like we are getting some decent weather, finally. No rain in the forecast for all week.
I needed the day off Monday - relaxed at home. Tuesday it was to ride my version of the Tour de Bluffs. Started from the old bike shop (OBS).
Stopped by Western Historic Trails Center. With the river up, was concerned if the Iowa Riverfront Trail might be flooded behind the trail Center. The told me it was not - which was the case when I rode there.
On past the Casinos. There is some river water is invading the parking lots of the casinos. Recommend parking in the garage until the river is back down.
Stopped at Big Lake for refreshments and a break. On down N 8th to downtown. Stopped at the new Xtreme Wheels location. Took a photo of the road bike in fron of the new shop. Helped them move a couple things into the new location.
On around past the Mall and back to the OBS. Great, relaxing 24 miles ride.

Joan and the Wild Man

Belleau Manor House was demolished in 1978. Joan, one of our village elders, was brought up there, she remembers it as being very damp and very cold and, although she has fond memories of living there, I think she is more than happy to be living in her much cosier bungalow.





Formally a school teacher, Joan is a mine of information about local history and is well known locally for her paintings and pastels. I think she must be in her late seventies or early eighties. She is one very determined woman and keeps on going, despite severe problems with her eyesight.





On a recent walk we went over the little Belleau bridge, it is a post medieval, arched, brick bridge which leads into a farmyard - at first sight it is like any other farmyard. Explore a little more and there are great treasures to be seen.

Lovely ramshackle buildings with ancient beams.









This is a working farm, we just hit lucky that it was a quiet day and we were free to explore a little. The original medieval Belleau Manor House stood on a moated island, the moat was up to 14 metres wide in parts. Most of this has now been infilled. The little brick bridge is thought to occupy the site of the original access to this island.

The listed barn, see all those alterations and exciting remnants

The medieval manor house was replaced by a hall in the 16th century and the remains of the hall, along with some 18th and 20th century alterations have been incorporated into the barn in the middle of the 'island'. Just look at all the architectural remnants in that barn wall! Unfortunately we couldn't gain access to the side for a better photograph.





The Belleau Manor House which Joan lived in was a late 17th century building, and was thought to have been an extension to the earlier hall.

This strange little building is what remains of a 20th century stable block. It was constructed in 1904 and incorporates all that remains of the house of Lord Willoughby d'Eresby, which belonged to Sir Harry Vane after the Civil War.





The gable has reset deeply moulded Tudor archway with a Wild Man, or Green Man, corbel. The Wild Man is a symbol of the Willoughby d'Eresby family, and the archway was formerly in the gatehouse of the mansion. Unfortunately because there were animals in the field (protected by an electric fence) we couldn't get any closer - not even for blogging purposes. Sorry!

Just across from the farmyard is this lovely old Tudor dovecote. Built in the 16th century, it is octagonal in shape and is made from brick with a slate roof. All the original roof timbers survive, internally it is full of nesting boxes. You can see the one tiny entrance (for humans) in this photograph.

I would love to have the time to dig and delve into some more of the history of Belleau, but at the moment we are coming in for lots of baby and child-sitting duties. Days whizz by. Once things settle down I will do that research and post. How I would love to have free access to roam around and try to absorb some of the atmosphere of this place! On the plus side, at least it is only a ten minute walk away!





PSSir Henry Vane lived at Belleau Manor from 1650-1660. He was a Parliamentarian during the Civil War although he later became disenchanted with Cromwell’s government. During the reign of Charles II, when the monarchy was reinstated, he was beheaded at Tower Hill.