Little House by the Railway Line

2009 Goals

Learn to make yoghurt
Pickle walnuts
~~Make marmalade~~
Perfect my granola bar recipe
Grow green beans to eat
~~Grow spinach~~
Grow peppers and winter squash
Save seeds from peppers and winter squash
Knit lots of dishcloths
Finish my hidden stars quilt
Make napkin rings
Finish cardigan back
Learn how to do water-bath-canning
Knit a pair of socks

Preserved this Year

February: Marmalade, 10 1/2 standard jars, 2 tiny jars
February: Blatjang chutney, 6 jars
March: Caramelised onion chutney, 6 jars
June: Elderflower cordial, 5 jars
June: Strawberry Jam, 7 standard jars, 3 tiny jars
June: Elderflower cordial, 4 1/2 jars (2nd batch)

Projects in Progress/ Planned

Navy and pink lap quilt
Hidden stars bed quilt
Sampler cardigan
Amish Alphabet Cross-Stitch
Knitted scrap blanket
Planned: summer blouse and skirt

Scripture Memorised this Year

Psalm 8
Psalm 103
Romans 12
Romans 13

Day Out in Wisbech

16:40, Monday 1 September 2008 .. Posted in Bits and Bobs .. 0 comments .. Link

On Saturday G and I decided to have a day out together, just the two of us, and we went to Wisbech. We went chiefly to visit Peckover House, a National Trust property. G had been before, but I hadn't, and since we paid our membership dues it seemed sensible to take advantage of it.

We could have gone either by bus or by train. The train was quicker, but more complicated, and the bus was cheaper. We went from our house to Wisbech for £5 each! It took about 3 hours each way, but that wasn't a problem, since the main purpose of the day was just to spend some time together. I was very impressed by the price of the bus.

(I often think the main reason we are so comfortable financially is because we don't have the expense of running a car. We are very blessed to live in a town that is well-provided for in terms of public transport - from our village into the town there are 12 buses every hour, and it's not too difficult to get to other places as well.)

Peckover House was very interesting. There was a superb knitted bedspread on display in the bedroom, and there was a library full of fantastic old books. You couldn't actually take them down to look at, but I had fun reading the titles on the spines anyway. By far the most interesting part of the house was the servants quarters downstairs. There was a lovely old range cooker and lots of other cooking equipment on display, including the biggest pestle and mortar I've ever seen. There was also a rather intriguing butler's pantry that we could peep into.

However, much more interesting that the house was the garden. There were all manner of interesting plants to look at. Orange trees that have been in the orangery for 300 years (with lots of little green oranges ripening on them), damson plum trees, several varieties of pears, a couple of different sorts of quince, lots of different varieties of roses, some more fragrant than others. There was topiary done in the shape of peacocks, there were courgettes being grown up a frame (this is an idea we may try and copy next year, to avoid it sprawling all over the ground), some very intriguing varieties of morning glory, lots of dahlias, fuschias, begonias and all manner of other things. We had a fantastic time.

When we were finished looking round the house and garden we went off to explore the town. The church was a very interesting place - two naves and two aisles, and the chancel wasn't even slightly in line with the nave. We walked around it with our guidebook and traced which bits had been built when and what they'd had to change to accomodate it.

We found a couple of interesting postboxes and a post office that G rather liked, so I photographed them and he took notes for his collection. I love being married to a man with genuinely interesting quirky hobbies (and I've got used to photographing pillar boxes without wondering if someone's going to think I'm a nutcase).

We had a drink and a jam doughnut in a Baker's Oven shop, and then caught the bus home. A tiring day, but absolutely fascinating. Now I'm on to planning the next day out....
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About Me

Hello! I'm Jo, I'm 26 and I live in a small house in England with my husband. I work full time in an office, and in my spare time I help out with Sunday school and the church youth group. When I have time, I enjoy reading, cookery and crafts, and I'm trying to learn about the garden.

Links

The Cotton Patch
Sew and So
The World's Healthiest Foods
Daily Bread
Bible Gateway
E-Sword
The National Trust