Where Has The Last Week Gone?

It's Sunday already and back to school in the morning. I do love the school hols and the house full of people, lots of cooking and playing and crafting and noise.

We did manage to plant the fruit trees at last. The apple and pear are to be trained on a wall, fingers crossed. The "Lizzie" plum has has been banished to the hens patch as not enough room in the garden....

...the girls were suitably impressed with the digging and managed to completely disperse the composted mulch.

Roller skates have been the bringers of much joy...

...I think she would wear them in bed if at all possible.

My favourite butchers, having sampled my legendary (in these parts) scones, requested the recipe to bake and sell in their shop. They have been a success and yesterday I was rewarded with a bag full of fresh lemons from the butcher's wife's Mum's lemon tree in Spain....

...they are the juiciest, zestiest lemons ever. Tonight we had a delish cheesecake from Sam Sterns cookbook...

...made by my 16year old daughter.

This is a fab recipe, click on the link above, but I am sure the luscious lemons made it even better.

A spot of gardening...

Inspired by the lovely Alys Fowler in "The Edible Garden," we have made a wigwam for the sweet peas from coppiced hazel and spent phormium leaves. Aren't we clever girls eh?

And finally, the weather has been lovely here. Even managed to sit out some evenings and enjoy the sinking of the sun....

Hope you all had a good holiday week. Just sending a few thoughts and prayers for all those stuck in the air traffic chaos, including my youngest sis on a two day work seminar in Copenhagen. She should have been home Thursday and has two little children whom she is missing desperately. Texted today she feels helpless, I want to cry for her. I once left mine for two days to go on a hen weekend to Dublin. I pined for them and was desperate to get home almost as soon as we arrived. My heart goes out to all those separated from loved ones.