It's that time of year again! I'm cooking marmalade's like a mad thing so that there will be enough for Christmas markets and presents to sell in my shop. Filling bottles with lovely rapeseed oil. The oil bottles will have their usual winter scarfs on to keep warm, and the marmalade's/ jams will have colourful paper tops!

Welcome to a new start for my blog!

We are approaching harvest time, and it's not just the crops in the fields that need harvesting. It's all go here with raspberry picking daily ( a must have in the freezer for my jams, Tutti Frutti, Raspberry and Apple and Raspberry and Rhubarb).

Redcurrants have been picked for gele's. The Seabuckthorn ( Havtorn in Swedish) bushes are getting ripe, and will be ready towards the end of this month. Not looking forward to
 that job with those nasty thorns !! Looks like there will be a good crop of apples too.





I must start to replenish my stocks of marmalade's and jams for the shop!

The hens have been laying well, they love the rapeseed cake that we mix in with their feed, lots of nourishment there!

May, feels like I'm juggling with plates !

I'm trying to get paintings done for an exhibition in July. Here I have one of various blossoms ( apple, cherry and pear ) I fear it is too chocolate boxy !!? A view from the hill behind our house, both acrylics, and a water colour of some pansies.

I am also experimenting with different flavours in my cold pressed rape seed oil, so far I have lemon, chilli, garlic, rosemary and basil. It's fun to test out new products !

The bees are busy and I am hoping for a good honey harvest this year.

The hens are laying and happy, so daft and adorable !!

Hens !

I have been asked to stand at the local hen keepers annual Spring show / sale this weekend. I will be mostly pushing the cold pressed rape seed oil ( now with lemon too !) . Also advertising the fact that I have wheat and crushed barley and oats with which to feed the little cluckers !! But I thought I should have something else that was henny ! The potato printed cards were not my idea, but I have always enjoyed potato printing !

Is it 2011 already !

One post in 2010 !! Terrible, but my excuse is a busy year what with one thing the rapeseed oil and the farm shop ! Anyway, I will try harder. I should think anybody has given up on me by now, but ....
We have had another hard winter, but now it feels hopefull and that we are heading in the right direction for Spring ! I always long for colour at this time, and last week couldn't stop myself from buying some pretty pansies, and doing some little water colours whilst sitting in the farm shop ( a quiet week !)

Snow, snow and more snow !

It's a cold one this winter, and more snow than I have ever encountered ! Here are some pictures of icicle bars, my daughter's frozen hair after a walk and the general snowy outlook here at the moment !
I know I should be painting/sketching it, but I find it hard to feel inspired by it, so I am taking photo's...and painting my warm and cosy cats...as corny as it may seem, they do fascinate me. I will get some pictures up on my blog asap !

What have I been up to ?

Well, I have been quite busy, time is going by so fast and I am getting worse and worse at updating my blog and checking out other peoples blogs which I always find so much fun and inspiring, so, sorry for not leaving comments lately !
I have bought a press and have pressed some rape seed, so hope to have lovely bottled cold pressed rape seed oil to sell soon.
I have been getting my shop ready for Christmas with baskets filled with ciders, marmelades etc, little gift wrapped geles etc.

We have had a day doing our traditional candle making, a must at this time of year. The local historical society who organise it lay on a wonderful table with buns, cakes, breads....yum ( to be honest that's more important to me than the candle making but don't tell anyone !!)

We have also made our Christmas "pepparkaka" traditional Swedish ginger bread, but I haven't loaded the pictures up yet, must take more pictures of the biscuits before we eat them all....XXXXXX