Coronation Festivities

Lucky enough to visit the Warrant Holders' stands at the Coronation Festivities in Buckingham Palace on Sunday

Shipton Mill had a large stand there rolling out the new packaging on all their lovely flour.  Doing brisk sales of macaroons, bread, chocolate brownies, focacia.

The chap that appealed to me was the chimney sweep cycling round who's kept busy with all the palace chimneys.

I'd better get a bit more inventive!

We're on the verge of a major glut.  Somehow we haven't got it quite right.  There's either nothing or it all comes at once.

What are we going to do with 8 glorious heads of broccoli, all ready now!  Why can't we spin them out?  Why didn't I think of planting one little seedling once every two weeks?  And how, with a bit of water, a bit of talking, a bit of protection and loads of sun recently....have these tiny little seedlings turned into something so huge?

Many would think we're lucky.  I'm concerned that we are going to turn a different shade, and it won't be brown.

I've discovered that you can freeze it but also scratching my head to think of a way to serve it at breakfast.  Maybe a smoothie.  Anyone got any other ideas?

And when I look today there's an enormous quantity of raspberries, lots of wild strawberries - and they take some picking - gooseberries, spinach, beetroot and lettuce heading for the skies.  Healthy living it is.  And really we love it!  So if you're coming to stay soon, be prepared for the unexpected at breakfast!

We don't often have a piper staying!

Gorgeous weekend for a wedding and luckily the piper was staying with us and needed to have a bit of a practise ...

thanks Brendan for filling our garden with music,  I think this was a first!

Lemon Drizzle

Never seen so much around.  It's a great fall back cake for me to make for my guests when they arrive and always popular but maybe it's time for a change.

Yesterday helped a friend raise over £1,400 for our local hospice St Wilfred's. The drizzle stayed away and it was pretty ideal for playing tennis followed by tea.  Good social with a great purpose.

Cream teas were on offer with a load of other cakes to choose from - and it seemed that they were mainly lemon drizzle.  What's so special about this particular cake?  Well, I think it has to be the combo of the tart lemon (I always add extra) to the crunchy sugar topping.  Delish.  But there was so much, we had some left over - unthinkable!

Guess what the guests arriving today might be offered?   And I didn't even take a photo!

Already April...

and it still feels like March with spring just coming - temperatures warming up, the birds starting to sing and plants pushing up

We've got primroses, daffodils and even some snowdrops still in the garden but the camellias are barely opening.

Looks as though it's going to be much warmer in the coming days so let's hope that spring lingers and doesn't whoosh through into summer

Phone has begun to ring more as people are planning holidays - there seem to be plenty of weddings on later in the year and a few parties too.

Alistair tells me that if the crow's nest high....then it's going to be a hot summer

Someone else has said there's going to be a bumper fruit crop this autumn because the blossom is so late in coming that hopefully it won't get frosted

What else have I heard and do I really believe it?  Time will tell!

Distractions at breakfast

Had a wonderful few days at the end of last week and over the weekend - breakfasts outside on the terrace each morning:  loads of people trying to get to the beach at West Wittering:  everyone in T shirts and shorts again and the ice cream sold out in the local supermarket....  perfect temperatures, loads of sunshine - it was summer at last!

We've got a couple of new kittens which are huge distractions for guests - here's Scott taking time out from bacon and egg

The Mongol Rally

It's the start of the Mongol Rally and there are a couple of hundred (I think), cars/vehicles setting off this morning from Goodwood.

I'm going to go and see what's happening and support a nephew and a friend who are both participating - one in an old ambulance which apparently has an armchair in it.....they've got sponsoring from a sofa company and have the bright idea of taking photos of locals in every country as they go along - sounds brilliant!  Good for the sofa company!

It takes around 6 weeks to cross a variety of borders and get to Mongolia.  Quite an experience!

Here at Church Gate, the holidays are hotting up (wish the weather was too but looks better this week) and it's pretty busy but we've still got a few spaces if you're looking for a room.

A few members of the family have been crewing at the Panerai British Classic Week at Cowes which finished yesterday where they had a lot of fun in spite of the rain and very windy weather on occasion.

And we're now picking courgettes and beans; chickens seem to have gone off lay a bit;  birds sounding wonderful in the garden - lots of activity and I love it and luckily lots of bees buzzing around too - they seem to love the purple flowers especially.

Time to pick some sweet peas for the rooms before I head up to Goodwood