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madeira cake ...

Madeira cake got its name in the 19th century when it was served in the morning accompanied by madeira and similar sweet wines. I prefer mine with a cup of tea.

Here is the recipe I used. It is from The Stork Cookery Service The Art Of Home Cooking, a cookery book I have had since the third year of secondary school. It was used in the syllabus when I was working towards my O Level in Food & Nutrition, as it was called back in the late Seventies.

6oz Stork margarine or butter
6oz caster sugar
3 eggs size 3 or 4 although I used large
8oz plain flour sieved with
1.5 teaspoons baking powder

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix together. Spoon mixture into a 2lb lined loaf tin. Bake in 160oC oven until firm and passes the skewer test. I forgot to time mine, approximately an hour, but do remember to keep a check.

six unimportant things about me ...

Gina from Gingerbread and Christy from Sweet Tidings have tagged me with this one.

Thing no 1.
I can't wear earrings, any metal earrings. My ears are completely allergic to them!



Thing no 2.
I only really like eating cheese if it is grated or melted or if it is cubed with a piece of pineapple on a stick!



Thing no 3.
I paint my toenails, but not my fingernails!



Thing no 4.
I don't like Monkey Puzzle Trees. Apologies now if you have one!



Thing no 5.
I love all lemon products and will choose them over anything else. A real treat for me is Bronnley Lemon Soap and L'Occitaine Lemon Verbena handcream. I just can't get enough of the smell!



Thing no 6.
I always carry smelling salts with me in my bag. I take a whiff if I come over a bit dizzy. I learned this clever trick from my Mum!

For those who haven't yet done this tag, you know who you are? Go on have a go!

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images of great dixter ...

Remember that very friendly tabby cat I was telling you about, well she lived here, at Great Dixter in Northiam, East Sussex, the wonderful family home of the late plantsman and garden writer Christopher Lloyd. A wonderful house and garden for you, me and the cat to explore.



One of six children, Christopher Lloyd was born at Great Dixter, into a strictly run household, where no smoking or drinking was permitted. His father, Nathaniel Lloyd, came from a comfortably off middle-class family in Manchester and his mother, Daisy Field, was reputedly a descendant of Oliver Cromwell. Nathaniel had bought Great Dixter in 1910, and commissioned Edwin Lutyens to restore and add to its 15th-century buildings. Lutyens also set out the framework of the garden as an array of formal spaces, which still exist today. Nathaniel died in 1933, leaving the 450-acre estate to his formidable widow. Sharing their enthusiasm for gardening, mother and son continued to develop the gardens and encourage visitors until Daisy died in 1972. The house and garden then became the property of Christopher and his niece Olivia - The Guardian



At present Great Dixter is actually three houses, one built here in the mid 15th century, the second a yeoman's house from Benenden, across the border in Kent, built in the early 16th century and moved here in 1910, and the third combines the two with additional accommodation, completed in 1912.



Possibly more widely known for its gardens, a walk around the interior of The House must not be missed. Upstairs in The Solar we had a very interesting conversation with the guide, an elderly lady who had played alongside Christopher Lloyd and his five siblings as a child, and had lived her life being very much part of Great Dixter. She told us how Christopher Lloyd would very much enjoy talking to visitors who stumbled across him sitting in his armchair with his beloved daschunds at his feet and who by no means minded sharing his home and private time with strangers.



The Barn and Sunk Garden above was designed by Nathaniel Lloyd.




The gift shop and small picnic area where we enjoyed spending a short while sharing our pork pie and conversation with one of a few resident cats!



I don't want the place to become a museum but it always wants to be respected and every generation must play its role. The garden has changed a lot in my time and so has the house. That's fine, so long as it is appreciated as it deserves. If it always remains loved and retains its own identity, everything else will fall into place - Christopher Lloyd

More photos from Great Dixter over on my garden blog.

midsummer eve ...

A beautiful painting entitled Midsummer Eve by Edward Robert Hughes c1908

Although the solstice is traditionally known as 'midsummer', we often think of it as the first 'official' day of summer. There is a certain irony to this, as after the solstice the days begin to get shorter. In a sense, the solstice is the beginning of the end of summer!

happy fathers day ...

I love this picture, it is taken from a vintage Ladybird book.

It shows a bright new modern suburban home from I would imagine the 1960s? A perfectly manicured garden, well you can't have the neighbours complaining can you! A perfect child who plays quietly while Mum and Dad are reading the Sunday papers! Mum on one of those camping chairs that if you weren't careful would take your finger off! And Dad relaxing with pipe in hand, all the rage you know! How spending Sunday morning has changed over the years?

I hope all Dads out there are having a great day, including mine!

Thanks Funky Monkey and Country Cottage Chic for reliably informing me you can buy Ladybird prints ready to frame. I had discovered it, but for anyone out there who hasn't, click on the link!

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memories of yesterday ...

Mabel Lucie Attwell's list of art-related contributions was enormous. During the thirties her extensive output did not diminish. In addition to illustrating books and cards, she designed tablecloths, bibs, figurines, dolls, soap, biscuit tins, and even the children's nursery china that was owned by Prince Charles during his childhood.

The stylised toddlers of Mabel Lucie Attwell with their jaunty captions have had a worldwide appeal which has charmed generations of children and adults alike.

The Memories of Yesterday figure above called Comforting Thoughts produced by Enesco in 1993 is now for sale in my webshop A Home With A Heart. It is priced at £15.00 which includes P&P and would make a lovely gift or treat for a Mabel Lucie Attwell fan.

Also today I am listing items on ebay, so go take a look and attempt to grab yourself a bargain while you can.

Rather a dangerous thing for a toddler to be doing, filling a hot water bottle with a kettle full of scalding water. Where are the parents I ask!

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return to oz ...

Our great adventure at the beginning of the year almost seems like a lifetime ago now. Even after less than six months some memories have started to go hazy. I have known since my return all my friends wanted to meet up to see the photos etc and last night we all finally got together for an Australian evening at my place. Each friend bought a savoury item and a bottle and I was in charge of the desserts and had decided as best I could to keep to a theme.

Australia has its own mango industry so I adapted my usual party trifle recipe to include a tin of mangoes in syrup, which I can say worked really well. We needed more than one dessert so I decided to try my hand at making some Lamingtons, little sponges coated in chocolate icing and dunked in coconut. Whilst searching on the net for a recipe I found a very handy one for us Brits which measures in metric, I confess not to being au fait with cup measures. They were really nice served warm with clotted cream ice cream. In a previous post I told you about Anzac Biscuits (bikkies) which I occasionally buy from the supermarket, the same site showed a recipe for these. They were really simple to make, although I misjudged the tablespoon measures of golden syrup and once cooled they became rock hard, and came with a denture health warning! Last but not least I made some sugared macadamia nuts, another export from Australia.

I really enjoyed going through the photos again and relating some of our tales of Oz. It really did remind me of the great time we had.

A great tip, two funny facts and a serious warning.

Fresh mangoes freeze really well. They can be sliced and bagged, or pureed and placed into ice cube trays.

Lord Lamington was known to have hated the dessert that had been named in his honour, once referring to them as "those bloody poofy woolly biscuits"!

Anzac biscuits are as Australian as a bunyip!

Macadamia nuts are toxic to dogs, causing weakness and an inability to stand within 12 hours of eating. The exact cause of the why this happens is not known, but recovery is usually within 48 hours of ingestion.

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i've been tagged, not once, not twice, not three, but four times ...

Today the weather is perfect, sunny with a gentle warm breeze. A welcome relief from the terrible weather we have been having of late. This morning I took this photo of a strawberry, I've been outside sharing them with the woodlice, luckily there are plenty to go round!

While having a coffee I was having a think about the tag I had been given by Indigo Blue, Mille Fiori Favoriti, Rose Colored Glasses, and Vintage, Pretty & Shabby. They may not remember as it was a while ago, I do like to deliberate and cogitate over things!

What was I doing 10 years ago?
That's easy, we were on the move. We had lived in our flat for 12 years and it was the right time for us to put another foot on that rung of the ladder. A little reluctantly I must add, we put it on the market and it sold straightaway to the first viewer! I was sad to say goodbye as we had spent such happy years there together.

Five things on my to do list today.
Make a mango trifle and coconut my Lamingtons!
Finish off housework.
Iron one load of clothes.
Do some work in garden.
Eat strawberries before they decay!

Five snacks I enjoy, or is it three?
Cheese Nachos
Milk Chocolate
Cheese & Onion Toasties
Matzos crackers
Cherry tomatoes

Things I would do if I were a millionaire, or is it billionaire?
Return to the country where I belong, with enough land to grow vegetables, keep a cat, and have a scarecrow.
Buy J a carp lake.
Treat my family and friends.
Donate to all Cancer charities.

Places I have lived.
Angmering
Clapham Village
Lancing

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isn't she lovely ...

I know many of you in blogland love cats, as it happens so do I. This sweet tabby cat came to befriend us whilst we were sitting in the picnic area of a very special house and gardens in East Sussex. I think perhaps a case of cupboard love, as it was after morsels of my pork pie! More about our visit here in a future post.

After this stop we travelled on into the beautiful Kent countryside to stay one night at Elvey Farm in Pluckley. Remember The Darling Buds of May, many scenes were filmed in and around the village. Pop Larkin in the pub, and the church where Mariette and Charley got married.



This is our very comfortable room, a converted farm outbuilding. Well I say comfortable, I couldn't get on with the rolltop bath, and I am only five foot two!



This was the view from our room of idyllic Kent countryside and buildings. Perfick!

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it's amazin' what raisins can do ...

Remember the advert from the 1970s for the chocolate bar below.



Amazin' Raisin bar - (cockney pie and mash type song) "Its amazin' what raisins can do/All that goodness and its all fo' you/You just 'ave ta do what ya gotta do/It's amazin' what raisins can dooooooooo... Oi!". A Cadbury concoction of raisins and chewy stuff and rum!

Anyway I am getting a bit side-tracked here, which is nothing unusual. What I was going to start off this post by saying, is that you can't beat the sun shining through the windows to get you motivated. Yesterday was such a glum day and I had no incentive to do much at all, but today, well it's a different story altogether. Already I have commented on some blogs, done the housework, baked a cake and made this delicious flapjack in the photo above. After I have had a quick coffee break, written this post and eaten the piece of the flapjack that is missing from the photo, I am going to get out and attack the garden!

The flapjack is made using Dorset Cereals fruity porridge. Him indoors rarely shops, usually only when he needs emergency supplies for his fishing expeditions, but the other day he came back with three boxes of this stuff, purely because the Co-op had marked it down to half price! I don't like it as porridge with milk but he has a bowlful every day before he leaves for work. Even so it will take quite a time to get through this lot, so I thought I would help out, by making something in the way of naughty.

Well he does need help in eating it before it goes past its sell by date!

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periwinkle's tag ...

Lisa from Periwinkle tagged me a while back on the 4th April for this meme. Better late than never I say!

How did you come up with your blog name?
For my garden blog I needed to think of a name quick and This Is My Patch came to my head whilst pottering in the garden. Home Is Where The Heart Is was easier. I believe I have a good heart and have lots of hearts around my home, so the name seemed perfect, albeit rather twee!

Do your friends and family know about your blog and what do they think of it?
Yes, friends and family know. Some look in, some leave comments, and some don’t do either!

How do you write posts?
More often than not I start with a photo and then work what I write around it, usually writing short posts on one subject.

Have you ever had a troll or had to delete unkind comments?
No unkind comments yet, only an IPod advert and a rather strange comment, both of which I deleted.

Do you check your stats? Do you care how many people read your blog. If you care how do you increase traffic?
I don’t do stats, but I do a monthly poll. This gives me some idea of how many people have been having a nose, and it still surprises me at how many do and how many comments I am lucky enough to get. They all make my day!

What kinds of blog/posts interest you?
I am interested in all the blog posts I read, there is no one subject I favour. Every one has got something equally good to say for itself.

What do you like and dislike about blogging?
I like the fact that I am in touch with folk from all over the country, and the world! I still think it’s amazing. I dislike how I get nothing else done while I am away in this other world of mine.

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middle farm ...

Today we visited Middle Farm, a 625 acre working family farm, which nestles at the foot of Firle Beacon on the South Downs in Sussex. As you can see I didn't bother to dress up!



Nor did the other half!



Lovely old buildings. The Skies & Scarecrow gift shop and entrance/exit to the working farm which costs £3 each for adults.



A Gloucester Old Spot. I love pigs, I was born and grew up on a farm.



A rather cute Jersey calf making the most of the sunshine, just like us.



This is a goat? Well it was in with them!



My dad had a tractor much like this back in the 1960s.



This really is the first time I have seen a turkey still with its feathers!



A majestic peacock.



Pets on the farm too. Just look at these sweet little bunnies!



This guinea pig has his own little house!

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cheese 'n pickle anyone ...

This is what I am going to suggest we do over the extended Bank Holiday, that's if we don't get the rain that's forecast for the weekend.

The picture is taken out of Lucie Attwell's Rhymetime book, thought I'd share it as it is so cute. The car reminds me of a yellow MG my mum had.

Whatever the weather I hope everyone enjoys their weekend.

Louise x

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granny's bonnet ...

This is a lovely photo of my paternal granny, G as she was known. It would have been taken at the same time as the photo in my earlier post showing my grandad looking somewhat like a film star, in the early 1930s. The photo was taken by Robert M Barr who resided at 69 Denmark Hill, London SE5.



Seeing as yesterday was such a beautiful day down here in the South of England, I took the opportunity to photograph a few things in beautiful blossom at the moment from around the garden and Granny's Bonnet seemed appropriate for this post, although photos of flowers usually appear over on my garden blog.



Now if granny had been wearing a bonnet in her photo, it may have looked much like the elegant item of millinery above.

more friends and a belly dancer ...

Last night I met up with the girls to celebrate my friend Fiona's birthday. As well as us two, the usual suspects being Jackie R, Jackie P, Helene, Lynn and Val.

Fiona chose to go to Istanbul, a Turkish restaurant along Worthing seafront, which turned out to be a very good choice. The decor has a real spicy Turkish feel and the food is of a high standard. For the price of a meal you get a belly dancer thrown in! You cannot dispute the value for money here.




The belly dancer was really very good and was dodging the waiters to keep the dance going. The hip scarf was being passed around but only Jackie P, Helene and Val were brave enough to accept it and get up and have a go. Jackie P being absolutely hilarious after a drink or two! There was a hen party too, so you can imagine the scene, and also couples with their partners of whom couldn't keep their eyes off the dancer!

The belly dance in Turkish is called Oryantal Dansi which means the dance of the East. Click on Turkish Belly Dance to discover more of the tradition.

I really enjoy reading all the blogs I visit but once in a while one surfaces which never fails to make me laugh. Moogsmum this award is for you, you are so funny!

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a good friend ...

Today I met up with Fiona who I always describe as my oldest friend, I have known her for just over 25 years. What maketh a good friend? Well in my opinion it is someone you feel at ease with and can talk non-stop with without drawing for breath, and we certainly both do that!

Fiona had the very good idea to meet up at Highdown tearooms in Worthing. We both had a latte with a huge portion of bread pudding, being a bit naughty and choosing something sweet and not savoury for lunch, Fiona blamed me for her decision! Luckily J couldn't see my choice, I would have got a very disapproving look!

After a couple of hours of chat we had a leisurely stroll around Highdown gardens, well I say leisurely but it is on a slope on the chalky South Downs, so I was a little out of breath in places, maybe not such a good idea to be talking and walking at the same time? The photo above is of roses spotted in the garden, they were really tiny and so pretty, and growing in what I thought was rather a shady spot for them, but they seemed to be thriving. I must look this variety up.

We then popped back into the tearoom after coming up with the lame old excuse of it being on the way back to the car, where I had a strawberry milkshake and Fiona had a pot of char, which we both needed after what turned out to be an energetic jaunt around the garden, going around in a few circles didn't help matters. It turns out after many years of knowing each other that we are both as useless as each other when it comes to finding our bearings!

A good friend is also someone who gives you good advice when you need it. Thanks to everyone for their kind words regarding my webshop. I am still anxious about my decision to open one, but I feel a little more confident after all your words of encouragement.

Louise x

More photos of plants from Highdown Gardens across on my garden blog. You won't be disappointed!

a home with a heart ...

Well I have done it at last! What, I hear you say? Finally, getting my new shop on the web up and running, and is now live to everyone I know here on the blogs. It has taken me quite a time to show it to you, as I have been agonising over the layout, which is quite basic as I didn't spend much on the original package. I have decided it is fine for starters, and it is all my own hard work so I am quite proud of my achievement. It may not have the really polished look as some sites do, but it does what it says on the tin, and I hope to make improvements as time goes on! It all depends on whether I make any sales?

I aim to sell a mixture of things, past and present, basically what I like and hope you like too. I only have a few items listed at the moment, but I will try to update as regularly as I can. Taking photos and writing descriptions is quite time consuming, but once I have the knack it should get easier and faster!

Any purchases can be made using Paypal and cheque in the UK, and Paypal from outside the UK. Remember post & packing is included in the price, and please read the terms & conditions first if you are interested in making a purchase.

Please click on the title of this post for a link straight over to the site, and I have put a link on the sidebar too. Thanks for looking. Any feedback from you would be more than welcome.

Louise x

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beautiful cherry tree cottage ...

This is the cottage my grandparents lived in for many years, I wonder why they didn't have a pale pink front door? I spent many a Saturday morning here with my brother as a child. I have so many happy memories of this place, I don't know where to start. Here are just a few naughty things me and my brother used to get up to, don't forget we were very young!

Rolling marbles from the top to the bottom of the stairs!

Hiding a hard bristle brush underneath the covers on my grandad's side of the bed!

Planting water bombs on top of granny and grandads' bedroom door!

Here are some more sensible memories!

Watching cult viewing, Pipkins, The Banana Splits and The Double Deckers on their TV!

I would get a spelling lesson from grandad without fail every week. We would sit in the sunroom which was sandwiched between the kitchen and the workshop. Don't ask me why but the spelling of the word onion sticks in my mind to this day!

Once granny took the lid of the pressure cooker too soon and rice pudding exploded all over the ceiling!

We would have prunes and custard and granny had special dishes with rims around the edge to place our stones!

I would play washing-up standing on a stool at the kitchen sink!

I took great pleasure in tidying up granny's store cupboard, putting tins in neat rows, much to my Mum's annoyance!

Granny would make her own cream in a cream-maker. It tasted like Nestles, yummy!

Granny and grandad kept one tin especially for sweet biscuits (pink wafers and Nice) and one tin for savoury ones (Cheddars and Cream Crackers)!

I have told you this one before. Granny's Birds trifles were always on the slant!

I wonder if my brother can remember any more?

This post was inspired after seeing a lovely photo of cherry blossom on Carolyn's blog Willow House.

I'd love to hear of your special memories of your grandparents?

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bank holiday monday in the UK ...

With the pleasant weather we have been having it really does make you want to get up and go. So early this morning we jumped on the pushbikes and cycled into Brighton, just under 20 miles there and back! We have been saying for ages that we must do it, as most of the journey is cycle path along the coast, only having to cycle on the road for short distances. Well all I can say is we really enjoyed it and will definitely be doing it again.

Once in Brighton we stopped for a coffee in Caffe Nero in Bond Street. We like theirs as a double shot comes as standard, if you want weak coffee then you must say. I also squeezed a muffin, with J pointing at a sign saying 'do not squeeze me until I am yours' - whoops! We then had a stroll around The Royal Pavilion gardens, where we took a few photos.



We peddled back towards the coast where I snapped Brighton Pier.



And what is left of West Pier, once the finest in England, and the first one to be Grade I listed? A crying shame it has been allowed to end up like this?

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jam ...

My poll for April was to get some idea of your favourite jam, the results are in and there is a tie between apricot and raspberry both receiving 25 votes each. Apricot would have got my vote, so apricot wins! Strawberry came in third with 17 votes and other received 12 votes. Of course there are many fruity flavours of jam, but I couldn't include them all in the list!

I am a lover of packaging and I have always bought Hartleys jam for the shape of the jar! You don't get so much for your money but who cares. The flavour I have just finished is gooseberry which is a definite favourite of mine, I have a jar of pineapple on the go, and an unopened jar of damson.

I am not a great lover of strawberry or raspberry jam, but both are nice used in a Victoria Sandwich, along with buttercream.



This is how I eat my jam, on two slices of toast every morning! I really like it on brown thick sliced sunflower seed loaf, both Sainsburys and Somerfield do a good one.