::A few mothering truths::

I thought I would share with you a little quote from
"Mrs Miniver" about parenting. Which somehow sums
it up in such a truthful way. Its kind of nice to think that
little has changed in over 70 years really.
It begins just as Mrs Miniver has described the joy of her
children opening their Christmas presents.

"This was one of those moments, thought Mrs Miniver,
which paid off at a single stroke all the accumulations on
the debit side of parenthood: the morning sickness and the
quite astonishing pain; the pram in the passage, the cold
mulish glint in the cooks eye; the holiday nurse who had
been in the best families; the pungent white mice, the
shrivelled caterpillars; the plasticine on the door handles,
the face flannels in the bathroom, the nameless horrors
down the crevices of armchairs; the alarms and emergencies,
the swallowed button, the inexplicable earache, the
ominous rash appearing on the eve of a journey; the
school bills; the shortened step, the tempered pace, the
emotional compromises, the divided loyalties, the
adventures continually forsworn......."

You know, I think it would do me such a lot of good, to focus
on some of these parenting moments, that somehow repay
the whole endeavour with their loveliness.
I actually think that they would be little things, the cuddles
in the morning, the little kisses...the moments of quiet.

What would yours be??

Autumn loveliness....and a quote.

Late afternoon sunshine through autumn leaves-there is
almost nothing finer. The delight of this has travelled with
me through my life, from when I was quite young.....



And a quote, music to the ears of someone contemplating
what it might be to turn 40.

" And there at the square itself, with the leaves still thick
on the trees as they had been when she left in August; but
in August they had hung heavily, a uniform of dull green,
whereas now, crisped and brindled by the first few nights
of frost, they had taken on a new, various beauty. Stepping
lightly and quickly down the square, Mrs Miniver suddenly
understood why she was enjoying the forties so much better
than she had enjoyed the thirties: it was the difference
between August and October, between the heaviness of late
summer and the sparkle of early autumn, between the ending
of an old phase and the beginning of a fresh one....."

Mrs Miniver, Jan Struther 1939

::An Edwardian Snippet::

I knew as the shop lady got the key and opened the glass
cabinet, I was in grave danger of needing this book. Then I
opened it....and the first page I flipped to (of crochet
lace patterns) confirmed this most decisively. A little window
into the lives of women in 1911, how they ran their houses,
what they read, how they dressed,the handcrafts, the recipes.....
Some very Edwardian and some so very timeless, nearly
100 years later.

Let me share with you a little snippet from "The Housekeeper's

Diary for December". Which is somehow fitting, in the lead up to

the festive season.

"This is invariably a tiring and exacting month

for the house mother and though the word "holidays"

is continually in the air, it is usually anything but

holiday-time for her!"

"When preparing for a party in your own house,

remember it is the poorest economy to use up all

your own strength before-hand in getting things ready

for the evening.

Too often the mistress of a small house gives herself

no time for proper meals, and keeps going up to the

last minute on the day of the festivity;

and then has the utmost difficulty looking cheerful

and keeping the worried look at bay when her

guests arrive.

No matter how busy and rushed you may be,

make it a rule to take good meals and allow

yourself at least a quarter of an hour's

rest before your friends come.

And do not forget that nothing recuperates the

tired body so quickly as a rest with the feet up,

on a sofa or bed....."

How very real....and in some respects more honest than a lot of

contemporary magazines, which are full of all the festive wonders

that can be achieved.

It inspires me to take a big deep breath and aim for simplicity.

And to reflect on the freedom that we have, to celebrate Christmas

in our own style. To create a celebration for our family that is

meaningful, what ever form it takes. I guess for an Edwardian

this would have been a very radical thought indeed. I just wonder

how much times have changed?

:: Vintage Everday::

I so dearly love this little Ladybird reader. The illustrations
are just beautiful. One things stand out to me, apart from
the wonderful vintage-ness of it all. And that is the assumption
that everyday things are enough. That there is excitement and
entertainment to be had, for little ones, in the simplicity of day to
day chores. That helping is a worthy thing. I find this so affirming
and a wonderful thing to foster and consider, at a time when
so much is thought of more.

Mrs Beeton's Coconut Cakes

Winter brings out the baker in me. There is something
about a warm oven and the smell of baking that seems
so nice on a winter's day. I have been wanting to try
one of Mrs Beeton's recipes for some time. And I've been
reading her biography, so now seems like the perfect time.

COCOA~NUT BISCUITS OR CAKES
Ingredients: ~10oz of sifted sugar,3 eggs, 6oz grated cocoa~nut.
Mode.~Whisk the eggs until they are very light; add the sugar
gradually; then stir in the cocoa~nut. Roll a tablespoon of the
paste at a time in your hands in the form of a pyramid; place
pyramids on paper, put the paper on tins, bake the biscuits in
rather her a cool oven until they are just coloured light brown.
Time. About 1/4 hour. Seasonable at any time.

I used shredded coconut, and increased the amount, to make

a cake rather than a biscuit. I had the oven at about 180 degrees,

which is hotter than "rather a cool oven" but did the trick.

I also took the liberty of sprinkling a bit of coconut on top of each

cake, before it went into the oven.

And why the choice of coconut cakes you ask?

"Pretty baskets of work stood about in different places: and

books, not cared for on account of their binding solely, lay on one

table, as if recently put down. Behind the door was another

table, decked out for tea, with a white table~cloth, on which

flourished the cocoa~nut cakes, and a basket piled with

oranges and ruddy American apples, heaped on leaves.

It appeared to Mr Thornton that all these graceful cares were

habitual to the family; and especially a piece of Margaret."

Elizabeth Gaskell, North And South, 1854.

My cakes really were quite nice....although I am sure they would

not be up to Dixon's standard!

::Winkie::

There is something unquestionably book-ish
about winter. So let me share a bit of vintage
goodness with you. A little winter-ish treat.

Let me introduce you to Winkie.......



Published in 1949 and belonging to my
mum when she was a little girl, it is the
tale of a little squirrel called Winkie.



A baby squirrel, who is rescued and carried
home in the pocket of some one's raincoat. Where
he is duly fed, raised and soon up to all sorts of
mischief!



I love the richness of the watercolours and the lovely
post war domestic details. Here he is teasing Bessie the maid.
"In a flash he leaped on to the top of the door and crouched
ready to spring on her...."



And more than anything else I want to
be on one of those deck chairs on the lawn,
as the the "tea wagon" is brought into
the garden at four o'clock!



"It was crowded with good things to eat;
bread and butter, scones, a plate full
of exciting little cakes and right in the
centre was a large fruit cake. So he lightly
jumped upon it and helped himself-by
eating a hole right into the middle...!"



And all this before he hibernates for the
winter, then returns next spring~with
his wife.

Its such a beautiful book and somehow
in all its domesticity, fits with the
the adult books I have been reading
of late. Enjoy!

"Winkie the Grey Squirrel"
by Albra Pratten, Illustrated by
Ralph S.Thompson, Oxford University
Press, 1949.

Library love....

To say that I go to the library often, would be an understatement.
I go often enough to know that sometimes, books don't seem to
leap out at me and I return with a couple of luke warm choices.
Where as at other times, I skip away with an above average
stash of books under my arm.

Sometimes this stash can be so good that it has the power to
chart my day- and possibly even my week, on a different course.
The other day was one of those lucky days!

I discovered as if by chance The Gentle Art of Domesticity
by Jane Brocket. Quite why, in blog land I hadn't stumbled upon
this before, I do not know. But what a wonderful treat it is!

I looked through it in wonder- it was almost as if it was written
specifically with me in mind! With a combination of so may things
that are dear to my heart. Knitting, sewing, cooking, reading
(Persephone books) vintage movies, history, art, poetry...

It is in a lot of ways, such a wonderful affirmation of home-making.
Almost a thinking woman's guide to domestic life. Full of beautiful
photos, recipes and various works of art, depicting domesticity.
I must say I wallowed in it! In fact I swooned over several quilts,
paintings and in particular this beautiful poem Winding Wool.

Recipe for a happy summers day....

Doing that little bit of extra washing, you know non-essential
things I had been meaning to get to. Playcloths, clean, folded
and smelling of fresh air and sunshine.

A wonderful op-shop find, a little gift from the universe,

which found me at just the right time. A book of

botanical watercolours from the 1950's. Wildflowers, sorted

by colour. Few words. I love the pages of purple .... so very fine!

Picking the first zucchinis (or are they courgettes??) from

our veggie patch. The biggest and best we have had in years.



Add to this a bit of laying about on the grass with my little

boys, under a shady tree. Watching the clouds and a family

of honey-eaters flit about. It feels like a summers day

well spent.

::Daffodils::

::Daffodowndilly:

She wore her yellow sun-bonnet,

She wore her greenest gown;

She turned to the south west

And curtsied up and down.

She turned to the sunlight

And shook her yellow head,

And whispered to her neighbour:

"Winter is dead."

A.A. Milne (Published 1924)

Woodwork adventures......

Now that the school holidays have passed, its
nice to look back upon some of the little things
we shared together.......
All the careful concentration........
of transforming wood into something
special.



The beautiful patterns of nature that we discovered.....
and the joy of creating something oh so smooth, with just
some simple sandpaper, a saw and some apple wood pruned
from one of our trees.......



What little delights can be made.....



And beautiful toys created, with a little perseverance,
some natural materials and inspiration from a good book.
How nice it is for my children to discover what it is to be
producers of their own toys......



We were quite inspired by the arrival of this lovely book,
part way through the holidays.....full of lots of little toy
projects(including the one above). Each project is beautifully
illustrated with colour photos and step by step instructions.



We are already busy with our next creation........a special
birthday present.

Bread......

We bake our own bread.......sometimes. Its nice to see the sack of
Bio dynamic flour in the pantry, patiently waiting.....There is a
feeling of plenty just knowing it's there.
Then there is the fun and vigour of the wonderful transforming,
bread making process. A fabulous outlet for excess energy on
a rainy day.........





We have been greatly inspired on our bread making journey
by this wonderful book:






It conveys such a lovely sense of mind fullness in the
bread making process. (Not to mention inspiring my helpers
with recipes for dragon bread and campfire bread...cooked on
a stick!)
I have learnt to open my heart and knead a blessing into our
bread. And to reflect on a deeper level about the energy and
feeling that goes into the food that I cook.





And then of course there is the smell, that fills the house with a
lovely sense of anticipation and well being.
The perfect excuse for a feast and a favourite little blessing.....


The Harvest

The silver rain, the shining sun,

The fields where scarlet poppies run,

And all the ripples of the wheat,

Are in the bread that I do eat.

So when I sit for every meal

And say a grace, I always feel

That I am eating rain and sun,

And fields where scarlet poppies run....

Alice C. Henderson