A February visit to Wisley Gardens

My friend Judi and I had a lovely late February trip to the Royal Horticultural Society Wisley Gardens, which is located just up the road from our Hillside home.

There was a butterfly exhibit in Wisley's big Glass House, but I found that the warm humidity caused my camera lens to fog over. However, just outside the butterfly area, the orchids were in full and impressive bloom.

In addition, I took a few photos of the snowdrops and crocus growing on the extensive grounds of Wisley.

What a great day we had!

Early February Snow

We had a dash of snow in early February after a very mild winter. Branduff is pictured waiting for the school bus outside our Hillside house.

The snow caught the daffodils and crocus by surprise, as some of them had already begun to pop out of the ground and bloom. In fact, a scattering of purple crocus in our lawn were happily drinking in the sunshine only two days before the snow came!

Above is a familiar winter visitor, a robin, having a nibble of sunflower seeds and suet pellets.

Here is a picture of our very own snow dog Sophie. It was bitterly cold outside, yet she was happily lounging in the snow!

Along with the snow, we had below freezing temperatures for about a week. We had to dust off the fireplace and use some of the firewood that had been stocked up in the shed.

Birthday Celebration

Here are a few of my latest photos from birthday celebrations this week, including what I am dubbing the "birthday altar."

There's a mixture of Christmas and birthday cards because cross-celebrating often happens when one has a January birthday! I received some beautiful cards, with many of them handmade by my crafty friends.

I also snapped a photo of a collection of snowmen on our fireplace mantel.

Removing the twinkling fairy lights after Christmas is always hard, especially if the weather is cold, grey and cloudy. Keeping a strand to illuminate my snow friends is one way to cheer us up until spring!

Here are some snaps of my newest tea sets, Portmeirion's Eden and also Holly & Ivy.

Some of the pieces were purchased for Christmas and some for the January birthday. I really love the Eden set, but it feels a bit premature to use it when their is a heavy frost on the ground!

With a nickname like 'teawife,' you know I love the tea drinking experience! I have found my collecting of tea paraphernalia to have changed over time. I used to collect single mugs when we traveled; I'd have a mug to remember every vacation. Now we seem to travel to fewer places, so I'm not as likely to collect mugs. I also collected solitary teapots, but now I find it is much more useful to have full tea services (teapot, sugar bowl, cups, mugs, milk jug, plates, etc.). These full sets come in handy when my friends come over to craft and chat.

There is something quite elegant and special to hold a saucer in one hand and sip from an exquisite cup. I never used to be the type of person to appreciate that experience; I always liked mugs, and I still love mugs and use them daily, but now I enjoy the ritual of bringing out a beautiful tea cup that has lovely shape, form and weight.

Retirement might change me again; we hope to spend more time travelling once again when dear hubby has a free schedule. What will I collect then? And don't say 'wrinkles'!

Gluten-free pie crust

Christmas time = Baking time

Although I don't bake near as much as I used to at Christmas, I do like the odd festive treat.

The other day, Dad was telling me that Mom was busy in the kitchen baking our traditional 'bastada' pie, which is sour pork pie that has its roots in Alsace Lorraine, France. The recipe has been part of family Christmases in Castroville, Texas, for generations.

Living in England, I tend to feel separated from my family, heritage and culture, especially at Christmas. Cooking family classics helps to keep the traditions alive, even if we are thousands of miles away from Texas!

Bastada pie is made of minced pork, which is 'soured' in a vinegar mixture along with onion, parsley and bay leaves and left to marinate for 24 to 48 hours. The mixture is then put into a shortcrust pie and baked until golden brown (see above for a photo of my bastada pie!).

Because I'm gluten-intolerant, I can't easily purchase store-bought, ready-to-bake crusts. Therefore, I scoured the internet for recipes and came up with my own shortcrust pastry concoction, which seemed to work a treat!

Teawife's Gluten-Free Pie Crust

1/3 c. Potato starch/flour
1/3 c. Tapioca flour
1/3 c. Rice flour
1/3 c. Almond flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1/2 c. cold butter, cut into pieces
1 beaten egg
1 tsp. vinegar

Egg whites as needed

If you don't have almond flour, double the rice flour to 2/3 cups.

Use a food processor and whir up the butter with all the flours, salt and xanthan gum.

After the mixture is crumbly, drop in the beaten egg into the mixture and whir again. Now scrape down the edges of your food processor to release some of the butter/flour that might be sticking to the sides and bottom.

Add in the vinegar and continue whirring the mixture.

Check to see if the mixture has the right consistency. If it doesn't, you can add in egg whites (I always have a carton of egg whites in the house).

Don't over process or add too much liquid. You can tell the consistency is right when you can squish the mixture together.

Put out on a pastry board and roll it out.

Eggnog

I've always been a real fan of eggnog, and it's been a traditional item in our family Christmas celebrations since I was a child. However, living in England presents problems in obtaining eggnog, which doesn't seem to be a popular drink. This is a puzzle because the origins of this festive drink are supposed to be English!

I recently had a little Christmas party for some of my American and international crafting friends. I decided to make eggnog since I'm not able to source it here. I loved the results, and I've promised some of my friends I'd post the recipe. I've made this a non-alcoholic recipe; traditionally, it features lots of rum or bourbon.

Teawife's Eggnog

4 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup heavy or double cream

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 tsp. vanilla

ground nutmeg (add last)

Whisk all the ingredients together.

These are your basic ingredients. If you want a bigger batch, you can double or triple the recipe.

What you do next is up to you. Many recipes do not heat the eggnog. However, I decided to be safe and heat set my mixture. You can use a double boiler or carefully cook in a saucepan; but I used the microwave and one of my Pampered Chef glass mixing pitchers. To microwave, use 50 percent power and cook for 2 minutes at a time. Then whisk the mixture. Microwave again for 2 minutes at 50 percent. Then whisk again. You continue to do this for about 8 to 10 minutes total. The mixture will just begin to thicken when the temperature is correct. Do not overcook! Let the eggnog cool and then whip it again. If the eggnog is too thick for your tastes, you can add a bit more whole milk. If you like the taste of nutmeg, you can add it now and mix it through. Now chill the eggnog until ready to serve. Be sure to whisk the eggnog before serving. More nutmeg can be sprinkled on top of each serving.

Big Elk Bulls

Earlier in the week, tourists were stopping in our neighborhood to take photos of a gang of Bull Elks (or wapiti, as they are called here in Colorado). I've never seen four to six Bull Elks travelling together before; I thought they'd be too territorial. However, here they are, sharing the shade of a tree located across the road near our Loveland home.

Happy Families

Even though Magpies have a bit of a reputation for being the bullies of the bird world, I happen to be very fond of these striking black and white birds. I think they are funny, clever and great survivors. In fact, some sources say they are one of the most clever of the bird world. 

We have a nesting pair that have taken up residence in a large tree just outside of our back garden. As a result, the male and female and their brood use our garden as their smorgasbord. They pick up food that drops from the feeders, or they help themselves to the ground food that I scatter. The parents have spent a great deal of time with their fledglings, which we call the 'teen-agers,' to show them how to look for insects and worms.

The back garden not only has become a dinner table for them, but it's also their playground. And incredibly, Magpies are amazingly playful and social. It's not unusual to watch the teen-agers play tag or engage in other bird games.  They also like a bit of tail pulling when a parent is relaxing and sunning on the lawn.

In the corner of the lawn is a gingerbread style Wendy house, and the Magpies have decided this is their place. One of the most touching scenes I've seen was when all five were hanging around the Wendy house, and the male adult was spreading his wings in the sun, and mom came over and cuddled right into him to sun her wings (see the photo above). They are also clever enough to get out of a heavy rain, and I have spied the family sheltering under the eaves of the Wendy house. Yesterday, a large fragment of a suet ball had fallen from the feeder, and a Magpie ran over and grabbed it off the ground. It then proceeded to stuff the ball under the floor of the Wendy house so it could come back and eat it later.



Magpies are large and visible, so it is easy to watch this family of five develop and interact. They take great care as parents to teach and socialize their offspring. I don't know how long it will be before the teen-agers pack up and 'leave home' to set up their own forested household, but this family has been a real treat to watch.