Sowing not Sewing

One of the reasons I have been absent for a bit is because i've been in a sOwing frenzy.  It's early summer here in the UK, and even though i've been planting seeds since January growth is VERY slow - apparently 'summer' is officially a couple of weeks 'behind schedule' - even the Italian Connection has reported a slow rate of growth from the mountains south of Milan in Italy.  

HOWEVER, this hasn't stopped me from planting the seeds received last year, from Ginny, Pomona and Val as part of the 2009 Seed Swap which I organised.  They are sprouting fantastically well!  I have Polish beans from Val along with lots of flowers, I have peas, beans and poppies from Ginny all waiting to be planted out, and some beautiful bird friendly  Giant Thistles and blue delphiniums amongst other floral delights, from Pomona.

And so, as we hurtle towards midsummer, I am inviting you to join in again!  Last year, I was a little too late, and many people who would have joined in, had not managed to save or make enough seeds from their gardens for a swap.  I have a theme in mind for this year's swap and will reveal all at the Summer Solstice, but in the meantime, if you'd like  pass on ideas to be included, then please comment on this post!  

Mooning Around

Good grief! what a weekend we've had at the House of Marmalade ... i'm putting it down to the Full Moon.

On Friday night, Mr Marmalade and I heard a terrible commotion outside the house - we live next door to a pub - and presumed it was just a young man's brawl. Which it was. It wasn't until Saturday morning that we discovered the 'trail of vandalism' they had left behind - over 20 cars in the village badly damaged using keys or knives, and ours was no exception! It turns out that they were a gang from town who came here specifically to cause trouble ... WHY??!

On Saturday, more mindless carrying on as Mr Marmalade was called in the middle of the night to a fire - 50 tons of straw!! The 6th case of straw arson in as many weeks. Our Farmers are in despair! There is a straw shortage already due to the unfavourable straw growing weather of this year ... What is in the minds of these people? Do they even have minds?

Although crime figures do officially rise at the time of the full moon, the high energy ensures that lots of good things happen too, and so I am pleased to report that good things did come out top this weekend.

Jimmy started his first Saturday job - he walked into a car garage last week - unbeknown to us, asked for a job, and they gave him one! He is doubly pleased as the cars are "prestige" and like many boys of his age, cars are one of his favourite obsessions - so much so that I sometimes think Jeremy Clarkson has moved in with me, I hear his voice so often, then I realise it's just Top Gear on the TV .... again! We've had our moments with Jimmy over the last year, since he turned 'teen', there was the famous gin incident, 2 school suspensions the most shocking moment of my career as a mother to date - the time that he was brought home by police at 2am after having escaped from his room to meet some friends! But all in all, it's moments like these that make me know without question that there IS light at the end of the 'terrifying teen' tunnel and that with each teen horror, a 'bursting with pride' moment will be just around the corner. Thank goodness!

I also received a few orders from my website, so I've been busily packaging them up and sending them off!

And Val's seed swap arrived!! I say seed swap - I think she's sent me a garden!!! And the most beautiful beaded bracelet too - an unexpected surprise! The seeds were packaged in the most lovely little origami envelopes, which I have shamelessly copied to enclose the seeds that I am swapping with Ginny, as her swap partner dropped out. Thank you so much Val! I can't wait to plant all my new flower seeds next year. Most of them will go in the allotment as our garden is being re-designed (Mr Marmalade + new shed). Now I too will be wafting around with my trug and secateurs in a Sarah Ravenesque cutting flower manner. Hurrah!

I have really enjoyed the Seed Swap, to me it's an expression of the abundance that we can all share as a community at this time of year, the late harvest, not just food, but joy and beauty too. I hope to do another next year, so anybody reading this who wants to join in, remember to save some seeds!

Today was the Day

Just a reminder that today was the day for sending off your seed swaps if you are participating. I think I have read everywhere that most people were ready (Obviously this is a late post!). There is just one swapee who seems to have gone AWOL but to her partner - don't worry! I'm not going to let you go swapless!!

Swap Partners

I've picked partners for the seed swap by way of 'lucky dip'. Although there was lots of interest, not everybody who thought it was a good idea had any seeds to swap - next year ladies!! So, there are 8 participants including me, last one out of the pot swaps with me:

Andrea and Pomona

Helen and Ginny

Twiggy and Gina

Val and Me!

Here's a reminder of the rules:

1) Participants should swap 2 variety of seeds which have been collected this summer/autumn either from their garden, or from the hedgerow around their home. They must be labelled clearly with instructions if appropriate.

2) Swap package should include a recipe for 'preserving summer', perhaps a chutney or a jam, or a pickle, ie: a recipe designed to preserve the summer harvest for the dark days of winter.

3) Posting deadline is by 30 September.

4) Seeds can include flowers or vegetables, the more unusual (ie: heritage seeds) the better.

5) You can send more than 2 varieties, but this is the minimum.

Please get in touch with your swap partner to say hello (I think we all know eachother!) and swap addresses. When all swaps are sent and received, don't forget to post on your blogs and put a note in the calendar to show progress next year!

Have I missed anything?

Swapping Seeds

Dear Friends and Fellow Bloggers. Thank you so much for your lovely kind words and comments on my last post, some of which were delivered privately or personally. Thankyou! There's nothing quite like blogging to make you feel as if "it's not just me" and the kindness of this community never fails to amaze and delight me, bringing a smile through the darkest of days. I know that most of us have experienced this lovely warmth in times of need.

Special and huge Thank You to Pomona, who sent me the lovely package pictured above which arrived today. The lavender pouches (which I photographed before unwrapping the lovely pink paper) are scenting my whole house as I type, with their delicate fragrance. Lovely! There's nothing quite like lavender to lift the spirits and relax the mind, and it's arrival seems like a perfectly appropriate moment to resume my seed swapping plan.

I have made a button

copy this code:

<em>&lt;a href=&quot;http://marmaladekiss.blogspot.com/2009/09/swapping-seeds.html&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3525/3923038627_821454251a_o.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; alt=&quot;seedswap&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;</em>

And so far the following lovely ladies have expressed an interest in taking part:

Dottycookie

Fan My Flame

Pomona

SweetMyrtle

Twiggypeasticks

Angharad

A couple more have also left tentative comments but I don't want to push, so if you are one of those ladies, please do let me know if you managed to find some seeds to swap.

How I dislike rules, but I guess they are necessary, so here are some (lets make it easy) - I am sorry if they sound overly officious!:

1) Participants should swap 2 variety of seeds which have been collected this summer/autumn either from their garden, or from the hedgerow around their home. They must be labelled clearly with instructions if appropriate.

2) Swap package should include a recipe for 'preserving summer', perhaps a chutney or a jam, or a pickle, ie: a recipe designed to preserve the summer harvest for the dark days of winter.

3) Posting deadline is by 30 September - I guess we'll all have seeds by then!

4) Seeds can include flowers or vegetables, the more unusual (ie: heritage seeds) the better.

5) You can send more than 2 varieties, but this is the minimum.

I'll leave the creativity of the packaging up to you!

So as to give more people a chance to enter, I will announce swap partners on Sunday 20 September. Please put the button on your blog and leave a comment here to confirm participation!

Preserving Summer

I've been worried about the 'end of summer' which I have read so many eloquent posts about over the last week or so in blogland. Usually I'm in the front row of the "autumn appreciation society" but this year, I've been clinging onto summer with the tips of my fingers! It's strange and not at all like me. I can sniff out the faintest whiff of the approaching darkness, usually from about mid-July. It builds up as excited anticipation and even sends shivers of glee down my spine.. but not this year.

I solved the problem this weekend, after spending a while first at The Marmalade Patch and then in the kitchen processing the summer. Potting, pickling, preserving the bounty of the sun, has given me more of a sense of peace about laying this summer to rest.

And while working with all that fire, ofcourse I had a burst of unexpected inspiration... An idea which sprung into my mind whilst painting packets for the seeds I have also harvested, sunflowers, pansys, sweetpeas, hollyhocks, marigolds, aliums....

What about a seed swap?

Would anybody be interested?

Wouldn't it be lovely to receive some seeds from a fellow blogger to plant in your garden or your patch next year? Wouldn't it be such a lovely symbol of the sharing and kindred spirit feeling of the creative blogosphere? Something lovely and tangible to remind us of the friendships found and nurtured over the web, rooted in our gardens?

I envision a swap of two or three flower or vegetable varieties, from seeds which you have grown and cared for all summer long, and harvested the seeds from for next summer. They could be packaged up creatively, and sent along with a recipe or two for preserving summer - your favourite jam or chutney recipe, or a good way to pickle something, or a nice autumnal cake ...

What do you think? If you're interested, leave a comment here and if there's enough interest, i'll organise it.

Time for Tea?

I received my tea swap from Eileen yesterday! Inside the package was a hand made tea charm bracelet and some lovely teapot buttons.

Some home made preserves

A whole bunch of tea - including green tea and orange, bannana toffee (!), spanish lemon and tension tamer caffiene free! Also a little homemade sheep and a homemade card.

There was also some fleecy fabric which I have already cut out ready to make some purses. These will go towards BillieJane's Help for Heroes stall at our local carnival in July.

Thank you Eileen!

On my Doorstep

In order of Appearance....

An unexpected gift from Gina!

Some beautiful gift tags made from antique bible pages
and a very lovely card

A note from my neighbour

Along with the most delicious pistachio, rosewater and orange cake

Yum yum!

My gift from Penny at the Picnic
(technically not on my doorstep!)

More supplies

For improved soap making

An Easter card from Miss T

with friends!

On other doorsteps
(or soon to be so)

My Time for Tea swap sent to Eileen

Parcels by my door awaiting dispatch

One more to package up and then they're off!
(promise!)

Bring me Sunshine

The more usual March weather has returned, and we have cold winds, grey skies and rain interspersed with short bursts of sunshine. It seems more disappointing after the glorious weather we had last week.


But luckily I have these beautiful things to look at instead of the grey outside. Val sent me the chain to go with my glass hearts, and slipped into the envelope some jewelery pins (is that what you call them?) and this lovely little crochet brooch which I've put on my coat to remind me that summer really is just around the corner. I am posting back some of my famous bible paper but in true Marmalade style, I am late as usual. I will post this off along with my Time for Tea Swap tomorrow morning!

Boxing Clever

My mugswap arrived from Sandi earlier this week, and from the moment the delivery man handed it over to me on the doorstep, my jaw kept getting in the way! First off, it was a BIG box .. but as I opened it and delved into the contents I was just overwhelmed with the generosity of Sandi. If I tell you it took a good half hour of discovery to eventually find everything therein, and then again, the next day I discovered more, you get the picture!

Thankyou just doesn't seem like an adequate enough word!!! So dutifully, I present to you, the contents of my wonderful and awesome box of treats:

The message inside this lovely book reads: "For JennyFlower's Mug Swap, to Julia from Sandy, February 2009. Hope you enjoy this "oversized" mug full of fabric, friendship and fun!"

Here are the contents 'en-masse'.. actually, not all of them as there was more undiscovered in the tall insulated coffee mug!

There were vintage patterns galore, knitting and sewing ..


A pad full of beautiful leaves of coloured card

Vintage buttons


Various vintage notions, tapes and straps (bra straps!!!)

A huge wadge (and I mean huge!) of gorgeous, real wool, felt squares. Apparently these need further treatment with hot water, but I think they look just fine as they are ... awaiting further instructions from Sandi.

Frilly bits!

And fabric! Lots of fabric. It's not clear in the picture, but there's a fabric with lots of "frames" printed on it, so I shall have fun playing with that and my photo transfer paper.

Now Sandi didn't know it, but over the weekend in Bath, I discovered a new bead shop called "Shiney" which appropriately for it's name, is a specialist stocker of Swarovski crystal beads. Trays and trays and trays of them, all glittering tantalisingly at me. And I am a Jackdaw at heart, who loves shiney sparkly bits, so I was particularly pleased to see these lovely stones in amongst all of the other treasure in the box. Since discovering the vast array of Swarovski available at much more reasonable prices than anything you can find in an actual Swarovski shop, I have been imagining all sorts of places where I can stick a Swarovski, and now I can practice!! Hurrah!

Thank you Sandi so very much for such a wonderful box which has been a joy and delight to receive. I am very very lucky!!

A Surprise and A Swap

I recieved two parcels the other day. The first to arrive confused me somewhat as I thought it might be one of my swaps but on opening the outer packaging, Things weren't quite as they seemed. It was a mystery! A card, an envelope and two packages. Naughtily, without looking at either card, I immediately opened the temptingly red package and the moment my eyes clapped sight on the contents, I knew exactly who it was from, which made it all the more exciting! Can you guess?

The contents of the beautiful red tin might help ..

Can you guess now? If I didn't know better, I would think these fluffy pink meringues were made by fairies, so light and meltingly delicious they are (well.. they WERE because I have eaten them all now). But I will settle with the idea that the person who made them, has magic whisks. Have you guessed yet?

It was Florence and ZebraGirl! Thankyou both of you! A wonderful and lovely surprise following an admiring comment on Florence's blog. Have you noticed that Ms Zebra is quite an artist!

And so continuing on the theme of artistic talent, the next parcel which arrived, WAS one of my swaps! It was from Anne. I had a secret hope of what she would make for me..

Because I've seen her delicious quilts on her blog, and you may have guessed that I have a penchant for Celtic design and mythology and the tattoos to prove it! I think Anne guessed because look!!!

A Celtic Wall Hanging, which i can't stop staring at in awe and wonder! Isn't it exquisite? This type of precision sewing is way beyond anything I am capable of! Amazing!

Now, though I have made my cakes to give away, it's back to the kitchen for me now to decorate them and to carry on with preparations. I have 12 to cater for on Boxing day!