Long Overdue Post & New Family Member

It has been a long long while since I’ve written a blog post, shame on me! I have however continued to log in and read everyone else’s, hoping and praying for a spare moment to write my own (though they’re not a patch on some of the fantastic blogs I follow).

Anyway, a little re-cap of the past six months which has flown by (where is 2015 going?!);

I’m now a member of the homeowner club! My partner and I moved into our first house back in January. We absolutely love it and Jack has thrown himself into DIY and decorating jobs, as have I. We’re slowly putting our own stamp on the house and it’s gradually looking lovely. Certainly a lot cleaner than when we moved in! The rear garden backs onto open fields and looks out onto The Ridgeway (thought to be England’s oldest road) and Berkshire Downs. The landscape is stunning and I’m totally in love with our village and surrounding countryside.

Which leads me onto the next part of our news… having moved into said house, unpacked boxes, picked up paintbrushes, washed paint from hair and skin, weeded the overgrown gardens and explored the local footpaths and by-ways, we decided it was time to get a dog! We’ve both wanted a dog since we were small, but I was adamant that the time had to be right before committing to a dog. I was reluctant at first as it felt like we were rushing, but having spoken with my Veterinary nurse friend for some advice she made me realise that there is no right or wrong time when getting a dog. And so we began looking. We knew what we were after and Jack wanted me to have the dog I’d always dreamed of since I was a little girl; a Jack Russell Terrier. Yes that gorgeously cute but slightly nuts terrier that England and other countries have come to adore over the years. I wanted a Jack Russell true to form; short-legged, smooth coat and an energetic personality. That’s what we set out to find and I must admit it was harder than I expected. I love long-legged Jack Russells too, I love rough-haired and broken-coated having grown up around all shapes and sizes of Jack Russells at my Grandparents’ when I was younger, but I’ve got a particular soft spot for short-legged smoothies in Jack Russell form!

There are a lot of crossbreeds out there now; Jackapoos, Jackchis, BorderJacks, all of them I have to say are irresistible but that’s because I love all animals. We did find some beautiful Jack Russell puppies, but it was important to me that we could meet the mum and dad of the pups too. We did eventually find a beautiful litter of puppies only a couple of hours’ drive away and so decided to go and visit. We wanted a little boy puppy and on arriving when we saw all these cute 5 week old puppies bouncing around I knew it was going to be hard to say no to any of them! They showed us the little boy we had come to see; a handsome tan and white smooth-coated, short-legged chunky fellow and I was instantly besotted! so was Jack, who also couldn’t resist! We held our little puppy, checked him over, cuddled him, played tug of war and generally cooed over him. I gave Jack one look and he knew that this puppy was the one. What made our little puppy even more special was that he was born with a stump for a tail, he’d been nicknamed Stumpy and despite this he is a very healthy little boy, just unique! He had beautiful marking, lots of tan over his body and a beautifully symmetrical face with black around his eyes too.

It was definitely love at first sight! We were also really pleased to see both parents, who were the breeder’s family pets. Mum was a petite rough-coated tan and white Jack Russell and Dad was slightly bigger and stockier, but a tan and white smooth coat. Both parents had fantastic temperaments and the breeders had young children so it was nice to know the puppies were coming from a family home. This was their first litter and I’m sure they’ll have another given how healthy and perfect the puppies were that they produced. We then thanked the breeders and had the agonizing wait of another three weeks before we could pick up our puppy and bring him home.

Three weeks passed by in a blur of activity as we finished decorating the area where our puppy would sleep, we bought a million toys, lots of treats, comfy beds, a crate and all manner of things in anticipation of our puppy. I can still remember bringing him home, he looked so tiny in our house, he followed me everywhere like a little lamb. He had an insatiable appetite and still does! He’s now 20 weeks old, where does the time go?! We named him Barry! Cue the giggles! It does actually really suit him and Jack was adamant that he had to have a proper ‘bloke’s’ name! Barry is now a full member of the family and everyone adores him. He’s very popular in the village and they absolutely love him down the pub and are thoroughly disappointed if we pop in without him. He’s growing into a really lovely dog; he’s so clever and loves learning new commands. He’s doing fantastically well at puppy class and shows up the puppies that are a lot older than him. We love taking him on walks in the pretty Berkshire countryside and in all, he’s amazing company for us both. Now I won’t lie and say it hasn’t been hard work, wow are puppies hard work!! You constantly have to have eyes in the back of your head, it took weeks before he’d stop crying every time I went upstairs to go to the loo! Thankfully it only took a week to stop the night time crying and we’re almost there with the toilet training.

The whole family love him and he recently had his first beach experience at my parent’s new house. He loved the seaside; splashing in the water and finding seaweed to run off with!

He also gets on really well with my two tortoises. He’s becoming a little more intrigued by them now so I would never ever leave them all unsupervised just because it’s a natural instinct of a dogs to be inquisitive.

Anyway, I think I’ve babbled long enough about Barry! I’m sure you’ll see lots more updates on here about him!

Until next time, have a lovely day 🙂

New Obsession: The Bread Maker!

Apologies that it’s taken me quite some time to get around to creating another post on here, if I’m honest the blogs I read on here are all so interesting and pleasing to read that I don’t think anything that’s happened with me is interesting enough to share! I have however recently celebrated my birthday and my boyfriend bought me my latest kitchen gadget; a bread maker! I’m already in love with it though I’m still learning how to use it. They really are quite simple to use but perfecting the art of a tasty loaf takes a bit of practice I feel.

First ever loaf out of my bread maker, a simple white loaf. Fresh and soft, but a little doughy tasting.

Having wanted a bread maker for some time now Jack thought it best to let me choose which model and after extensive research I decided on the trusty Panasonic SD-ZB2502 (what a mouthful, why so many numbers and letters?!). This bread maker had fantastic reviews, a very handy raisin & nut dispenser as well as an automatic yeast dispenser. Though they still weigh more than I imagined a bread maker would I am pleased to report this is definitely lighter than some other bread makers, important for me as it’s currently having to be moved from the kitchen and dining room frequently as there isn’t much space in our kitchen currently to store it (I’m afraid my Kenwood K-Mix Mixer already takes pride of place in the kitchen). My Panasonic bread maker is a lovely brushed steel with a black lid, menus and buttons on this machine are easy to understand and the noisy beeping, flashing lights and highlights ensures you are completing everything as it should be. One of the best parts about this bread maker has to be the instruction manual, crazy I know, but this coloured booklet explains everything simply and also includes pages upon pages of recipes to try in the bread maker. It even has a jam and compote mode! I’ve not managed to work that out yet but I have recently been blackberry picking so perhaps a blackberry jam or compote is on the agenda this weekend.

 

Freshly baked white rolls; dough made in bread maker.

 

So far I’ve managed to make a few loaves as well as doughs (which I’ve then baked in the oven). Now I know that many people are against bread machines and prefer the old-fashioned hand made loaf – a agree, there’s nothing quite like a loaf where you’ve taken the time to mix, knead, shape and bake a loaf in the oven. I just honestly didn’t have the time to do all this after work and the bread maker is so convenient. I also got so fed up of completely dry loaves from supermarkets; Tesco being the worst! Morrisons, Asda and Waitrose all seem to take pride in their bakery departments and their breads are always fresh, so I don’t understand why Tesco seem to be the only exception. the bread maker also gives me the freedom to try newer and healthier loaves or doughs to bake in the oven, it also guarantees that any breads that include dairy products can be made totally lactose-free, perfect for a lactose-intolerant like myself!

Easy to use and good-looking too!

 

Having gone out and invested in some good quality flours, yeast, seeds and so on I was ready to bake my first loaf; a simple white loaf. The Panasonic allows you to choose your loaf size (medium, large or extra-large) and crust (light, medium or dark) and has 21 different programme modes to choose from depending on what you are baking. Measuring out ingredients takes a matter of minutes and these are added to the bread pan in the correct order. This is where my first “doh!” moment occurred on my second loaf when I forgot to attach the kneading blade in the bottom of the bread pan before I added my ingredients, cue bread machine happily whirring away but no kneading taking place (thankfully I’ve not had any further blonde moments like this). the bread pan is sizeable and easily carried when full of ingredients back to the bread maker to slot into place. The yeast is added into the dispenser on the top of the bread maker and this is release automatically at the optimum time to ensure efficient rising. Once the mode and options have been chosen the bread maker is all ready to start! Having peeked at various stages during the process, I love watching the magic happen! When it reaches baking stage our flat smells sooooo good, there really is no smell better than freshly baked bread – except bacon in my mind, that’s a really good smell too – combine the two and you have a tasty bacon sarnie in freshly baked bread, my idea of heaven!

 

Tasty lunch of ham salad rolls, loving having my own fresh bread! These were dusted with semolina before going in the oven, it gave a bit more of a crust and a nice flavour too.

 

So far my favourite bread I baked has to be a rustic French loaf; it combines strong white flour, wholemeal flour and rye flour to create a really textured tasty bread with a tasty crust. I’ve also enjoyed our soft white dough made in the bread maker, shaped and left to rise before being baked in the oven to create soft sub rolls or baps. I’ve tried a 100% wholemeal loaf and a 70% whole meal too. My next task is to try a seeded loaf; there’s a recipe in the booklet for an onion loaf that sounds perfect as a tasty starter/sharer when we next have friends over for dinner. I’ve had a number of requests from friends for a fresh loaf and all so far have enjoyed it so I can’t be going too wrong… I look forward to practicing more to perfect my loaves and then try experimenting a little with ingredients. Supposedly Canadian flour is best, I’m not entirely sure why but I read that online as well as it being recommended by Panasonic too. Waitrose does in fact do Canadian bread flours so I suggest having a look in there. I’m using Allinson flours for the majority of my loaves as well as their yeast. Any recipes involving dairy products are being adapted to use Lactofree milk and ‘Pure’ Dairy free butter to make the loaf kinder on my sensitive tummy and I’m sure there is absolutely no difference in taste – granted warm bread spread with dairy free butter is nowhere near as good as the real thing but I’ve adapted after years of IBS and lactose intolerance.

 

Home smells beautiful by the time one of these has finished baking; this is a wholemeal loaf.

 

I’m looking forward to trying my hand at pizza bases this weekend; the dough will be made in the bread maker and then shaped by hand (oh dear I think this will take some practice!) and baked in the oven. Homemade pizzas for a lactose-intolerant are also hugely exciting, especially since Lactofree brought out a mature cheddar a few months back, the nearest I’ll ever get to a mature cheddar again and I really enjoy it. I’m also hoping to try baking a cake in the bread maker; there are a number of recipes in the instruction manual that are making my mouth water so I hope to have time to try that too.

 

Good quality ingredients are key to a good loaf of bread and I highly recommend Allinson, I love the packaging colours too!

 

I’m definitely getting Jack’s money worth out of this fantastic kitchen appliance and haven’t bought a loaf of bread since I got it, result! We don’t eat a huge amount of bread as it is (that mustn’t increase too much either or we will have to go to the gym more!). I appreciate his verdict on the breads too and so far he seems to be a happy customer, though slightly worried that the mixer may get neglected and no cupcakes will be waiting for him on the side any time soon! Yet another task for this weekend I suppose….!

Very tasty wholemeal loaf

 

As a last note, I got a lovely present from Jack’s parents at the weekend; flour from a local windmill back in Cambridgeshire. Jack’s parents have a beautiful old windmill in their garden and are parting of the windmill society in the area. I’m looking forward to trying Wicken Windmill’s flour to produce a lovely loaf of bread! More photos to follow soon no doubt 🙂

Flour from Wicken Windmill

 

I hope to post some bread maker recipes soon for you all to enjoy!

Summer Holiday: France

Bonjour! I’ve arrived back from a wonderful 11 days in France and despite the sun shining brightly here in Newbury, I still have serious withdrawal symptoms and wish I was back in France!

French Favourites: Wine, “Pain Tradition” et Moules!

My boyfriend and I decided to drive out this time to see what the journey is like and it also meant we could take our bikes to explore the beautiful Loire Valley by an alternative mode of transport. I have to admit that I’m not in a hurry to get an overnight ferry again, ours was only a 4 hour crossing from Newhaven to Dieppe but still I found it impossible to sleep and what little sleep I did get only made me feel worse. The return ferry trip was an evening crossing and much kinder. We docked in Dieppe at 4am to rain, but it eventually did let up and we were soon watching a beautiful sunrise as we began to head South-West. Thankfully we were soon past Rouen and the lush green countryside and valleys made for an interesting journey. We eventually arrived in the Loire Valley and into Vernoil-Le-Fourrier at 9am and headed straight for the bakery in the village for my favourite “Pain Tradition” before finishing our journey at my parent’s house. Wearily we unloaded a very heavy car (my parents had loaded us up with furniture and other bits and bobs knowing that we were driving out) and collapsed on the sofas in the living room for a snooze; a long day at work previously and an overnight ferry had almost made it feel like we were jet-lagged!

Vernoil Sunset

Sadly on the first few days the weather wasn’t particularly kind to us; we woke up to grey skies and persistent rain but we didn’t let it deter us and instead did a few jobs inside the house; my parents had left us a list of things to do if we got bored, but my boyfriend and I are both active people and love being busy anyway so were quite happy to get stuck in with a few jobs. Having completed the new kitchen, we made it our mission to carry everything through from the old kitchen into the new one. My parents had headed back to England only the day before we arrived and so hadn’t had a chance to organise all the implements, crockery etc. in the new kitchen. I quite enjoyed this job and we were both extremely impressed with Dad’s handiwork in the kitchen. The kitchen includes bright white cupboards and a beautiful wood-finish worktop. An exposed wall runs along one side of the kitchen and a big Belfast-style sink finishes off the light and airy kitchen. Views over the garden and fields/forest beyond make this room even better and I love the skylights above.

The New Kitchen Almost Complete: Photos are a little dark as they were taken at dusk.

After the rainy days the sun finally emerged and we were rewarded for the rest of the holiday with clear blue skies and very very hot sunshine, let the tanning commence! We switched to a few outdoors jobs in the warm weather which included varnishing the new shutters and painting the gable-end wall of the house. We had a few days of hard work and then spent a good amount of time relaxing or exploring the local area.

Jobs: Varnishing the new shutters and the freshly painted gable-end

Exploring

We had a few trips out during the holiday, one of which was a trip to Le Mans, a little over an hour away by car. We firstly headed to the Le Man 24hr Museum, a must-see for a motorsport enthusiast like my boyfriend. I really enjoyed the trip too though, with plenty to see there and some fantastic classic cars as well as the Le Mans race cars. After our museum tour our tummies were rumbling and so we headed to Le Mans for lunch and to explore. We had lunch in a wonderful restaurant called Le Taverne des Arts. We sat outside in a shady spot and enjoyed the views across the large square to the Cathedral of Saint Julien. The food here was delicious and my only regret was that I didn’t have a seafood main as the seafood dishes that went past us looked fantastic and fresh. I instead opted for a steak but only after a very tasty starter of rillettes which originate from Le Mans. We enjoyed a walk around the city in the afternoon before driving back towards Vernoil. We stopped off in Noyant on the way back so that I could get some photos of the pretty sunflower fields which are blooming at the moment. We also had a brief stop in Le Lude too which looks like a lovely town that I’d like to visit again on my next holiday out there.

Le Mans Trip

Pretty sunflowers at Noyant

Saumur is definitely now my second favourite French city, it’s just so picturesque! I’m afraid Aix-En-Provence still holds the top spot for me as I just fell in love with it years ago, but Saumur is pretty close to beating it. We headed to the Saturday market in Saumur one day to enjoy the sites, smells and sounds that the market has to offer. We even visited a cluttered antique shop while on our market wanderings, but you could barely move in the shop and sadly nothing really caught my eye. On another visit to Saumur we decided to walk up all of the steps to the base of the Chateau before climbing again until we had views straight across to the Chateau and river beyond. We refreshed ourselves with a nice drink at the bar that overlooks the Chateau before starting the decline back to the car. I’ll never get bored of exploring little French side-streets, boutiques, chocolatiers (much needed to drool at and also to cool off in the air-conditioned shops), markets and other sites that French towns and cities have to offer. Saumur Tourist Information Office is well worth a visit too, staff are extremely helpful and there are no end of leaflets to pick up for places and things to see and do.

Chateau and river views, Saumur

We had another trip out to Bourgeil one afternoon to see the vineyards. They stretch as far as the eye can see and if you head into the forests you can emerge back out at where the vineyards start and slope down into the valley, creating a beautiful view especially on a clear day. There’s a restaurant at the top next to a windmill that we’re definitely planning a visit to on our next French holiday.

Bourgeil Panorama

Food & Drink

Obviously one of the best parts of a holiday is eating lots of amazing food and France certainly has lots of wonderful food on offer. As well as meals out, we also enjoyed many BBQs at home with lots of fresh meat and colourful salads. Almost every day we would have a fresh baguette filled with ham and salad and then laze in the sun or shade with our tummies full (but still already thinking about what to have for dinner!). We ate at our favourite restaurant in Saumur again, my third visit now and the staff are always friendly. Brussels Café is situated not far from the river-front car park in Saumur where we always park (it’s free all day too) and the tourist information office is just around the corner. I always have Moules in Brussels Café, you always get a very big portion and they’re nicely fresh. We did also have lunch in the market square at Saumur at a restaurant called Auberge St Pierre; the food here was very good and the quirky menu was good fun (laid out in the style of an old French newspaper). I had Magret de Canard here in a delicious citrus and basil oil. Jack had a steak burger with very tasty chips (I know because I stole one or two!). I also enjoyed some lovely wine while on holiday; I don’t drink at home, or very rarely anyway but I did find some lovely sparkling wines that I enjoyed and we always tried to make sure we were trying local wines, e.g. Saumur, Bourgeil etc. Now I must also mention breakfast; I’m not a huge fan of croissants and pain au chocolats though I have a sweet-toothed boyfriend who loves these things! Instead I tended to stick to toast or cereal, but we did also enjoy ‘crepes’ on a few mornings as Jack is the pancake-making master!

Just some of the lovely food we had on holiday: Fresh baguettes for lunch, crepes for breakfast, kebabs for dinner one night and Magret De Canard out at lunch one day

 

Bike Rides, Relaxing & Wildlife

The weather reached above 35 degrees celcius on more than one day we were out there and so planned bike rides didn’t happen as it was just too hot even at 9am in the morning. Instead we cycled to the supermarket in Vernoil, to the bakery and just around the village, never very far as I don’t think I’d have made it! We are going to plan a trip Spring or Autumn time when weather is hopefully dry but a little cooler so that we can explore some of the “Loire a Velo” routes that are designated for cyclists, mostly running alongside the Loire river.

Black Redstart

One thing I did a lot of on holiday was bird watching; the birds love the feeders my Dad has put up and can also be found exploring the back garden which is currently a soily, weedy building site, perfect for unsuspecting insects! For the first time I got to see the cute little Black Redstart hopping around the garden. We also saw juvenile Goldfinches inspecting the moss on the nearby barn roof and swallows dipping and diving around the garden and in the nearby crop fields. Rabbits are regular visitors and I had hoped to see deer too but unfortunately we didn’t this holiday. We saw many buzzards soaring above the nearby forest and Jays could also be heard often and seen flying over the house to the nearby trees. This holiday was a great excuse to practice with my macro lens which I’m still getting accustomed to and a rather gigantic cricket decided to hop into the new kitchen to give his opinion! I managed to get him outside again and he happily posed for a few close-ups on a spare roof tile I found.

“Jim” and a waving Ladybird

 

We really did have a fantastic time on this holiday and we’re already trying to plan our next trip out there. Next time we will fly as it makes it so much easier (short flight and short drive from Tours) and I’m hoping we can head out there again for my birthday in September. Until next time, Au Revoir Le Petit Noisette!

Newbury – Phone Photos

I thought I’d just make a brief post to show a few of the photos I’ve taken on my travels around Newbury. It’s a lovely town and I’m a big fan of the Kennet and Avon Canal; my boyfriend and I often go for a walk along the canal in the evenings, it’s very picturesque. Hoping to take the actual camera out next time to get better photos!

Newbury has a fantastic market and I love visiting on a Saturday morning to get fresh fruit and veg from Fishers of Newbury

Newbury Market Square

Newbury Museum

Newbury Museum

Kennet & Avon Canal, Newbury

Kennet & Avon Canal, between Newbury and Kintbury

 

Flash

Anyone that has read my ‘about’ pages will know that horses are a big love of mine and have been from a very young age. It’s with a heavy heart that I tell you that I had to say goodbye to my wonderful boy, Flash. He was an old boy and has suffered with arthritis over the last few years, which has progressively got worse as it does with old age. He had really been struggling recently and so the decision was made to stop him from suffering unnecessarily. I’d hate to think of him continuing to struggle in pain. That doesn’t make saying goodbye any easier though.

Flash – 2005

We spent a good while giving him a fuss in the field, he enjoyed polos and other treats as well as a good groom. I have some wonderful memories of the times Flash and I have shared together over our 8 years together and I couldn’t have wished for a better horse to ride. He was a real character and I will miss him ever so much. Pets mean so much to us, they really are members of the family and though Flash was only ever a loan horse, he meant the world to me and ours was a special and close bond. He taught me so much; most notably he taught me what hard work can reward you with and also not to underestimate; In the early days I used to have to kick until my legs were almost falling off when we were schooling, but take Flash on a hack and you soon realised not to underestimate his speed! My upper arms will forever be known as my ‘Flash muscles’ thanks to trying to stop an excited Flash from enjoying a race with his pals! We both enjoyed exploring the Cambridgeshire countryside together. But most of all, I’m so grateful to have had a horse so cuddly and kind. Farewell my gorgeous boy, hope you’re galloping around up there in your own apple orchard!

An Old Photo Of Flash & I

Summer Is Here!

Just a short update about my photographic adventures so far this year: I really enjoy the colours that Summer has to offer us, there’s something very calming about sitting amongst vibrant flowers and it’s especially rewarding when you watch bees and insects appreciating your hard work, it’s almost worth the constant hayfever sneezes that the pollen causes!

A recent trip to Sir Harold Hillier Gardens

We’ve only been living in Berkshire for a year or so and so I feel I still have lots of discovering to do in this part of the country, but I’ve enjoyed all that I’ve discovered so far. I did manage a short trip out to the wonderful Welford Park, a private estate that opens up to the public during snowdrop season so you can enjoy a walk through the ancient woodlands to admire these little white beauties. The display was impressive and I was lucky to have sunshine on the day I visited too, a relief after all the rain we’d been having for weeks!

Snowdrops at Welford Park, Berkshire

Spring brought the return of the fantastic Red Kites to the Berkshire/Hampshire skies and I love nothing more than taking my camera out for a walk to see if I can find these beautiful Birds of Prey. Kingsclere, Hampshire is one of my favourite nearby villages and the Red Kites are regularly found flying low over the village; I have a feeling that some residents feed them, but it gave me a chance to watch their fantastic acrobatic displays and how their forked tail is used as a ‘rudder’ to steer as they twist and turn through the sky. I was lucky enough to watch five Red Kites playing together on the thermals over a field near to the famous Watership Down near Wayfarer’s Walk, somewhere I’m yet to explore.

Red Kite watching me over Kingsclere village, Hampshire, UK

Hopefully I’ll have more photos to update you with soon, there are lots of other photos on my website so feel free to take a look! http://www.emmaskinnerphotography.co.uk

 

Mum’s French Dream

We’ve all spent years tripping over mum’s French property magazines in the lounge and watching episode after episode of ‘A Place in the Sun’, so when Dad and Mum went on yet another trip to France in September last year my Brother and I didn’t read too much into it until I got a phone call from them to say that they had viewed a property they really liked and were going for it! It all seemed to happen pretty quickly and it wasn’t long until my parents got the keys to their little place. It was difficult to visualise what it looked like from the photos so I couldn’t wait to get out there and see it. I think it will mainly be a holiday home for us to begin with, though I can see Mum and Dad spending more and more time out there as we move forward, which I’ll be pleased about as they deserve it!

My Parent’s French House: View from the rear garden looking back at the house. This photo shows the store to the right which has since been knocked down and extended to house the kitchen.

In January this year I finally managed to book a flight with my mum to go out to see the house for the first time and to see my Dad who was already out there doing some initial interior decorating. Mum and I made the short flight from London Stansted to Tours and arrived to yet more rain! I hadn’t expected too much weather-wise for January but we did enjoy a few sunny days. Dad picked us up from the airport and we drove out of Tours and onto the small roads through the dense woodlands towards Vernoil Le Fourrier, a typical tiny French village where my parent’s house is situated.

 

Now I’m a big horse fan so I was most pleased to find a very handsome Percheron stallion in the paddock on the track to my parent’s place. We initially thought his name was Harold but it actually turns out that he’s called Horace, though Dad has plenty of other nicknames for his randy NEIGHbour that cannot be repeated on here!

 

One of Horace/Harold’s offspring in the nearby field

We pulled up outside a quaint little French house, complete with wooden shutters. Mum and Dad have unofficially called the house “Le Petit Noisette”, taking inspiration from the hazelnut trees in the garden. Now I have to admit that at first I wasn’t sure what to make of the interior original décor; let’s just say it’s very French which means very quirky! The previous owner was a keen collector of very odd things such as bird nests and dead insects! Some of the items like the old farm machinery fit in really well with the house though and I like the exposed beams in the living room. I have now fallen in love with it, but I’m also pleased to report that items such as dead insects have been moved! The one thing I did really appreciate during that cold January visit was the wood-burner, it reminded me so much of my Granddad, when we used to sit by his fire as children, picking wood splinters out of his tired living room carpet and throwing them on the fire to watch them glow and crackle. That fire was most appreciated during my first visit!

Dad has been busy out there for a few months now, coming back to England for a few days here and there. Mum still works two days a week so flies or drives out to France at any chance she gets to spend a few days at a time with Dad. Dad found a brilliant builder called Steve; a very friendly English bloke who has lived out in France for over fifteen years and is a perfectionist when it comes to French building work. Dad has struck up a great friendship with Steve and I’m really pleased Dad has had some company while he’s been out there. Steve has done a great job of knocking down the old narrow store room and extending out to create a light and airy kitchen. It overlooks the garden and fields beyond and I’m sure mum will be really pleased with it once it’s finished. I’m looking forward to seeing the progress Dad has made when I next get out there.

Mum, Dad and Jack sat in the building site!

Jack and I had another visit out to the French house back in May and this time we had lovely sunny weather which meant we could enjoy more trips out. I have fallen in love with Saumur; it sits right next to the Loire river and Chateau de Saumur overlooks the river and town too. We had a trip out to watch one of the public performances at the famous Cadre Noir, an elite riding school with truly amazing horses. It’s well worth a trip if you’re ever in the Loire region. We also visited Chateau Du Villandry and the gardens there are sensational, Jack and I even decided to be kids and explore the maze! Their symmetrical vegetable gardens are very impressive and I’m keen to visit again to see what the gardens look like in the height of summer. It will also make for some fantastic photos (a few of which are already on my website www.emmaskinnerphotography.co.uk) I love hearing about French history and how it intertwines with our own history and the Chateaus are all so well-maintained and impressive.

Chateau Du Villandry

I’m sure there will be many more posts in relation to my parent’s place in France; Jack and I are actually going out there on our own in a couple of weeks to hopefully enjoy some nice hot weather, BBQs in the garden and eating far too much and drinking lots of French wine! We’re also taking our bikes out to do a bit of cycling alongside the Loire and through the vineyards, there are some designated cycle routes so it should be interesting and great to explore another way. If anyone else has any suggestions for places to in or around the Loire region I’d be very grateful to hear about them. Oh hurry up holiday, I can’t wait!!

Tortoise Adventures In The Sunshine

Lola and Squirt were most happy to see the weather forecast for Saturday; after broken sunshine early on the sun finally came out full strength and the torts thought they’d been transported to their Mediterranean origins! They’re cold-blooded so rely on the warmth the sun gives them to get them going in the morning; the caffeine equivalent for tortoises! After I’d popped to the market and the butchers first thing I returned home to find the pair of them pacing wildly in their tortoise table, watching me as if to say “let’s go outside mum!” I set up their run and a treat of fresh strawberries and let them begin their Saturday exploration.

  

Squirt is a lot more laid back and enjoys basking in the sunshine within close proximity to a food source e.g. a nearby dandelion weed. Lola we call the ‘Security Guard’, she will patrol the perimeter, test for weak points in the fence in order to report back to Squirt how they can escape! We live in a flat currently so the torts only have a temporary run outside but at least it means they get some time outside when I’m there to keep an eye on them. One day they’ll have a permanent run outside in our garden but we need a house with a garden first (fingers crossed that won’t be long). Lola does eventually settle down but will always want to be wherever Squirt is – she thinks Squirt has the best spot so will climb over or move Squirt out of the way (above)!

Next, Lola and Squirt enjoyed a ‘Lady & the Tramp’ moment with a strawberry; again, Lola always wants what Squirt has got so insisted on sharing the strawberry! Strawberries are one of their favourite treats. They demolish them quickly and are left with red beaks! Lola also decided that my Flip-Flops were edible and began chewing on them before she eventually got stuck in them and I had to rescue her! She’s the naughty one!

Squirt decided on an odd resting place in the afternoon and he happily dozed so I left him to it while Lola decided to go investigating in the living room, having had enough of the afternoon heat. She’s extremely quick and after getting briefly side-tracked I returned to the living room and couldn’t find her anywhere. Eventually I found her in the kitchen and have discovered that she’s a secret Stella fan, my boyfriend had better watch her!

More tortoise adventures to come soon!

Easy Homemade Granola

I am a big food fan; I love trying new things and I like to share the recipes with others in case they want to have a go.

This granola recipe is so easy and can be completely adapted so you can put in whatever takes your fancy. It came about after I got fed up of the expensive prices for good quality granolas in supermarkets; my boyfriend, Jack, loves granola so this means I can save some pennies. Initially buying some of the ingredients can be costly, nuts for instance are not cheap but I tend to buy in bulk when they’re on special offer or buy the biggest bags possible as they’re better value and can easily be stored in pretty jars in the cupboards!

Here are a list of ingredients that I used to make my granola but I’ll suggest other alternatives or additions you can make:

Base Ingredients:

• 4 mugs of rolled wholegrain oats
• 1 mug of dried fruit (I used half a mug of sultanas and half a mug of mixed dried fruit (e.g. cranberries, blueberries etc.)
• 1 mug of chopped nuts (I used pecan nuts, brazil nuts and almonds)
• 1 heaped teaspoon of ground cinammon

To Stick it all Together!

• Half a mug of melted butter
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• Half a mug of light brown soft sugar

Other:

• Chocolate (cut into small chunks)

You really can make it with anything, I’ve seen some recipes that stir in melted Nutella to make a very chocolatey granola, you could also add other dried fruits such as apricots and banana chips, it all depends on what you fancy. Another ingredient that adds some flavour is vanilla extract – just a teaspoon gives it a subtle vanilla taste. Try it with different spices too, perhaps a little ground nutmeg or ground ginger. You can make as little or as much as you like; I wanted to fill a large clip-jar (see photo below).

Ok, so the first step is to make sure you’ve got a big tin/pot/jar to store the granola in to keep it fresh. It’ll keep for a long time but you need it to be air tight. I had an old clip-jar in the cupboard so decided to use that.

Next step is to mix the dried ingredients together; make sure the nuts are chopped into small chunks (easier to eat) and you can choose any nuts you like, these were just what I had to hand.

Melt the butter and then add the sugar and other ‘sticky’ ingredients to make a gloopy mixture, then stir this into the dried mix until everything is consistently coated. If you’re adding things like chocolate then remember that these can’t be added until the mixture is cooked and cooled or it will melt!

 

Make sure the mixture is spread evenly onto a lined tray; I’ve got a lovely heavy-duty Lakeland oven tray which has good sides. I lined with foil but greaseproof paper also works. Bake in the oven (not too high so the top doesn’t brown too quickly) at 150 degrees c, for about 20 minutes. If you notice that it’s golden before this time then take it out a little early.

 

Once baked, allow the mixture to cool in the tray. Jack likes granola clusters so I just used a wooden spoon to break up the cooled mixture to create bite-size clusters of granola. Break it up further if you’re not a fan of clusters. The next step is to chop up the chocolate (I used just a cheap milk chocolate 100g bar) and then stir this into the cooled mixture. Once you’re sure it’s completely cooled pour it into your storage container and admire your work! It’s hard to not keep dipping your fingers into the jar to try a bit!

Jack’s verdict: Mmm

My verdict: This is so easy to make, I love that you can try all sorts of different ingredients and it can be healthier or unhealthier depending on what you prefer! It took me less than an hour to make this and it works out much cheaper than buying from a supermarket. I’ll definitely be making this from now on!

 

Thursday Ramblings, World Cup and Hayfever!

Here’s my first official blog post! How exciting!

It’s Thursday and we can almost see the weekend! Let’s hope for more lovely British sunshine this weekend, but before we get there I hope England can beat Uruguay tonight… yes that’s right, World Cup fever has taken over. I’m very much a ‘sports widow’ thanks to my sporty boyfriend who plays rugby, squash, cricket, regularly cycles and will give any other sports a go given the chance. That also includes watching them all on TV, especially Formula 1. I am a big F1 fan too though (Team Lewis Hamilton!) and will happily watch most sports with Jack but I must must must draw the line at cricket which I find incredibly boring! Anyway, after a small warning to my boyfriend to inform him that we are not spending the next month indoors and missing this sunny weather because of the World Cup, he’s been coming home from work to find me ooohhing and aaahhhing at the footy. Hypocrite I know, but it’s hard to not watch the games when they’re on. We are off to our friends this evening to watch England play and more importantly win! Positive thinking everyone!!

 

Our friends live in lovely North Hampshire in a small town famed for its Silk Mill. A beautiful stream runs near to their house and we often visit there to watch the trout in the crystal clear waters. We might even attempt a walk this evening if it doesn’t interrupt the football and if my Hayfever allows it – yes that’s right, the dreaded Hayfever. The bane of my life since I was about six years old, isn’t it about time I grew out of it? Pollen levels are very high in Southern England and have been for a couple of weeks now; it means windows shut at night (melting boyfriend beside me in bed), getting up extra early to let my swollen eyes recover and dosing up with tablets, nasal spray, eye drops and a cold flannel! I think Jack’s getting quite used to waking up next to a puffy-eyed monster and I’m sure I look dreadful at work! I barely wear any make up as it is but my hayfever won’t even allow for a small amount of mascara. Apologies for the moan but I’m sure many other sufferers will understand my pain and frustration. I won’t let it stop me though and just cut walks a little shorter and ensure I’ve always got glasses or sunglasses on when I leave the house. I’m thinking perhaps I’ll add a surgical mask or find an old horse fly mask and add those to my attire! I could start a hayfever-related fashion trend!