"With Pomp, Power & Glory the world beckons vainly, In chase of such vanities why should I roam?While Peace & Content bless my little thatched cottage,And warm my own hearth with the Treasures of Home."*Beatrix Potter

Wednesday 11 February 2015

Cozy February Days & A Day in Lincoln.

With snow on the ground we have just enjoyed being at home this past week. 
There has been a lot of baking, knitting & reading going on.
We have been discussing all that we are going to plant this year in the vegetable garden, a strawberry bed is something we would love to add.
Flowers are popping their little heads up all over the garden, you can see the garden coming back to life.
~

Sweet Snowdrops from the garden.
~



The postman brought me a couple of lovely parcels, one with three 1940's Woman's Weekly magazines.
They are full of knitting, stories & baking, so many ideas & inspiration.
~

The second parcel was a huge batch of early 1950's Stitchcraft magazines.
So many lovely cardigans to knit & some pretty things for the twins too plus a few recipes.
~


Seed Cake ~ Miss Marple's favourite cake.

~
I have been wanting to bake seed cake for quite a while, so at the weekend I made one for Saturday tea.
It was a simple cake to bake, it turned out very soft with a mild caraway flavour.
~

Seed Cake Recipe.
~
Cream together 4 ozs of margarine with 4 ozs of sugar.
Add two beaten eggs a little bit at a time beating all the time.
Stir in 6 ozs of self raising flour, 1 full teaspoon of caraway seeds, 1 oz of mixed peel & one tablespoon of tepid water.
Spoon into a lined 7 inch cake tin, sprinkle sugar on top & bake for one hour.
~


Boiled fruit cake made using dates & prunes. 
This is a cake out of Ruth Mott's cook book that I have changed slightly from sultanas to dates & prunes. I still make it the same as Ruth did but it is nice with the different dried fruit for a change.
~


My first vintage tea cosy.
~
 I have only crocheted granny squares before so I bought a little book on crocheting & worked out how to make leaves & flowers using the pattern.
Kitty chose the flower tea cosy pattern, now I am on a cherry one that Mary has chosen, they are both from 1940's patterns.
~


It has been nice to make some smaller items & fun for the girls to look through the vintage patterns we have.
~


Stone ground bread rising.
~


All ready for tea.
~


Dene & Ellie came to visit us on Sunday & spent the night. So on Monday we all took the girls to The Museum of Lincolnshire Life in Lincoln.
It was cold at first then the sun came out & it was a beautiful day.
It was lovely to be outside after a cold week inside.
~

The museum takes you through many era's of life in Lincolnshire which is a farming county.
~
Lovely old shelves in the Victorian kitchen next to the range.
The girls found it fun to find so many items that we have at home.
~


Beautiful sunlight.
~


I love these old  wagons used for harvesting wheat.
~


The old co op shop.
Old packaging has such pretty muted colours.
~


The view at the top of Steep Hill in Lincoln.
This is called the cathedral quarter.
All the shops and tea rooms are so pretty.
~


Half way down Steep Hill, it is very steep.
~


Time for afternoon tea at Bunty's Tearooms.
They use vintage china & pretty old tablecloths.
~


Can you see how steep the pavement is outside the tearoom.
We all had a lovely day, it was so nice to get out with the sun shining.
After our afternoon tea we went to a few vintage shops, I found a sweet old knitting bag with wooden handles & Ellie found a beautiful vintage pearl necklace.
~


It is back to being cold & damp now in our small part of the world, we were truly blessed on Monday with the weather.
~
Thank you dear readers for all your kind words,
 I love hearing from you all & about your lives.
Fondly Michelle
~




57 comments:

  1. Beautiful photographs and what a lot of lovely knitting inspiration.
    I like the old fashioned tea room, the food looks scrummy! Fliss x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Felicity for your lovely comment, I do enjoy knitting.
      Fondly Michelle

      Delete
  2. I remember Woman's Weekly in that format so well as my mother had a regular order placed at the newsagent in the village. It was so much more agreeable than today's version.
    Seed Cake is one of my most favourites tea time treats. I recall a version I would always order in a small tea room in Newport {Pembs} that was topped with a delicious {non~traditional} orange water icing that took it to another level.
    So pleased you had good weather for your day out!
    ~~~Deb

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I did enjoy reading the old magazine's, I agree I much prefer the old magazine's, I can not remember the last time I bought a new magazine.
      Orange water icing sounds lovely, I will have to try that.
      Fondly Michelle

      Delete
  3. I loved your museum visit and tea room. The old buildings and streets are enchanting really. Someday I shall visit! We are being bombarded with snow, 72inches in three weeks! We have another major storm coming tomorrow and we don't know where we will put the snow...LOL! We are in hibernation here, baking, knitting and staying close to the wood stove. This weekend the temps are dropping to the low teens...brrrrr...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hope you get to England one day, you would love it.
      Keep warm & safe in all that snow.
      Fondly Michelle

      Delete
  4. Lovely photographs and post, I might try that cake it sounds wonderful! The girls look so sweet, ah a visit out and about!
    Loved your cozy, the flowers & leaves are wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Annie for your kind words, I do enjoy knitting vintage patterns.
      The seed cake was lovely, hope you bake it.
      Fondly Michelle

      Delete
  5. Great pictures, its a very long time since I've been to Lincoln, it looks lovely, especially the tea room, what a great find.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The old part of Lincoln is lovely, it is just a 30 minute drive from us so is our main city.
      The tea room was lovely.
      Fondly Michelle

      Delete
  6. I love Seed Cake, one of my favourites, you have inspired me to make one. Love the museum, and the tea-room looks great
    Julie xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So glad you are going to make a seed cake Julie, it was such a soft lovely cake.
      Fondly Michelle

      Delete
  7. We really must go to Lincoln again. The only time we have visited was one very hot day many years ago when it was too hot to do anything except go in the cathedral for a bit of shade.
    Lovely pictures again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lincoln is lovely, well the old part. We tend to stay away from the newer Victorian part unless we have to go down there.
      I do love the cathedral area, there are so many things to see up there.
      Fondly Michelle

      Delete
  8. Your traditional seed cake looks simple and delicious in equal measure and Miss. Marple's favourite too. I will have to give it a whirl. Just now though I have been baking Scandinavian style. Yesterday a chocolate and coconut cake, which is mighty filling.

    Jean
    x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So glad you are going to bake the cake, I am going to try icing on it next time like Deborah said.
      Enjoy your chocolate & coconut cake.
      Fondly Michelle

      Delete
  9. I love those tea cozies! And especially love the cake tin that is just showing up in the corner of the photo. My husband's best friend lives in Lincoln. I can remember vividly trying to get my 2 year old and 10 year old up that steep hill. :) Our friends were married in a room at the castle and we have some really pretty pictures from there. Our hotel was near the cathedral as well. Very pretty place to visit. I am in NY so the visits are few and far between.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love my cake tin too, I have a few old one's. That one has a fruit cake in it at the moment.
      Yes Steep Hill is very steep, not fun with a double pushchair!
      Hope you get to visit soon.
      Fondly Michelle

      Delete
  10. Lovely post :-) did you see the Woman's Weekly Vintage View magazines which were out last year? It was a lovely series to collect.

    Your tea cosy is lovely! I love to crochet, and I do like a nice tea cosy :-)

    Your cakes look lovely! I watched the Wartime Kitchen and Garden on YouTube last weekend, the full series is on there right now. I think I'll watch Victorian Kitchen this weekend, I love Ruth Mott!

    Lincoln looks like a wonderful place, and the museum very interesting! We're planning a trip to Beamish Museum in March, I love it there!

    I hope you are having a lovely day x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Melanie,
      Thank you so much for your lovely comment & also thank you for letting me know about The Wartime Kitchen & Garden, we will watch a couple tonight. We have not seen the whole series for years so this will be a treat.
      I did buy a vintage Womens Weekly magazine about a year ago with patterns in over the ages but have not seen any others, they sound lovely.
      Beamish is one of the best places to visit.
      We have just made some Valentines hearts for the tea table on Saturday so we are having a wonderful day thank you.
      Hope you are having a lovely day too.
      Fondly Michelle

      Delete
    2. Your very welcome :-)

      I think you can buy issues of the Woman's Weekly, if you type in Woman's Weekly A Vintage View into Google you should get results for back issues?

      Valentines hearts sound lovely! I've just baked a sponge cake which I'm going to fill with butter icing just now.

      Take care,
      Melanie x

      Delete
    3. I have already done it Meanie, thank you, I am watching a couple on auction.
      I love sponge cake.
      Enjoy
      Fondly Michelle

      Delete
    4. Sorry I missed the l out of Melanie.
      Fondly Michelle

      Delete
    5. No problem :-)
      Good luck with the auction!
      Yes, I love sponge cake too :-) x

      Delete
  11. Remembering Lincoln, I used to belong to a Civil War Re-enactment group and we actually stayed in Lincoln Castle while we were there. I also remember walking UP the steep hill from the shopping centre to the Castle, couldn't do it now with my arthritic knee. Lincoln is lovely and I would really like to go to the Christmas Market but I understand it is quite large and I don't know if I could cope with the walking.

    Where to you find your old patterns from. I do have one knitting pattern that belonged to my mum and I have knitting needles that belonged to my mum's mum

    best wishes
    Pat

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That area in Lincoln is so nice Pat. Yes the market is so busy, it has got to big for it's self, to busy for us.
      I get my old patterns on line or charity shops & antique shops.
      Fondly Michelle

      Delete
  12. Your tea cozy is so very pretty! I have wanted to a knit a tea cozy, I will have to soon. : ) My husband is hoping to plant a strawberry patch this year too. Winter is such a lovely time to stay cozy and dreams of springtime!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think a strawberry patch will be fun for the children & we love strawberry jam.
      Hope you make a tea cosy.
      Fondly Michelle

      Delete
  13. Your cakes looks wonderful and that tea cozy... I want one.. grin.. I need to learn to knit, I am thinking.. Have a great weekend, my friend.. xo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I should have said crochet.. grin.. sorry.. xo

      Delete
    2. Hello Faye,
      I bought the pattern on a certain on line auction site, it was so cheap & was for 6 cosy's. The company just reproduces old patterns.
      Hope you have a wonderful weekend too.
      Fondly Michelle

      Delete
  14. I so enjoyed reading your post. I have some old needle work magazines entitled Workbasket. They're out of print now but I love the old patterns. Thank you for the great looking cake recipe. I'm going to try and make it. Sending you my best wishes from California.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So glad you enjoyed the post in California.
      Your needlework magazines sound fun, I love old magazines with recipes & patterns in them.
      So glad you are going to make the seed cake, I am making another one this morning.
      Fondly Michelle

      Delete
  15. Dear Michelle, a new precious entry. The case of the tea-pot is charming, a very good idea in order that the tea is not cooled. I have seen in YouTube the series of Kitchen and garden in times of war and though I do not understand well the English have enjoyed very much seeing her, I am the great one fond of the ancient customs and always I am ready to learn more. I expect to do tomorrow the sponge cake with his recipe, expect that this so well as his. An embrace for the whole family. Mary Carmen.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Mary,
      Thank you so much for your lovely comment about the tea cosy. It is a shame you can not translate the You Tube video's.
      Enjoy your sponge cake.
      Fondly Michelle

      Delete
  16. Michelle,
    I adore that tea cozy! Cute pattern and what a great job you did in making it. How long did it take you to complete it?
    I collect vintage magazines, so I enjoyed seeing yours. I think it is so fun to read how life was "back then." And often, certain patterns and recipes from the past are only found in the old magazines. Reading them is often better than learning out of a history textbook. :-)
    It sounds like you had a fun outing with your family. Your little girls look so cute with their red coats on and standing outside the tearoom. And how fun to see the museum. I especially like the old shop room with the shelves. Is that your daughter at the tea table? Very pretty. And I am guessing that is the pearl necklace she bought? Also very pretty.
    Thanks for the post, Michelle. It is always a joy to read about your days, and see your lovely photos. :-) God bless!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Jennifer,
      Thank you so much for your lovely comment. The tea cosy took about three evenings, I am not a quick knitter, just been doing it a couple of years. I only really get the time to knit in the evenings.
      The beautiful girl in the photo is Ellie, Dene's fiancée, she is a lovely girl & loves to spend time with us. She paints wonderfully & knits & bakes too so we have a lot in common.
      I agree with the vintage magazines & love learning about everyday history.
      Lovely to hear from you.
      Fondly Michelle

      Delete
  17. It looks like a wonderful day in a lovely spot! Last year I ordered a whole lot of vintage magazines, only American ones, and I have had such fun perusing them as well. So nice your girls appreciate that kind of thing. Great job on the tea cozy: it really looks like you could have picked it up at a vintage sale! (and I mean that in the most complimentary way!)
    Take care,
    Jenn

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Jenn for your lovely comment, I am so pleased you think the cosy is straight from the era.
      The girls are really in to reading at the moment, they are little sponges soaking everything up, Kitty especially loves looking at patterns & things like that.
      Lovely to hear from you.
      Fondly Michelle

      Delete
  18. Michelle Dear, That tea cozy came out so pretty!!
    You must be in heaven with all your new-vintage knitting magazines!
    I sure do enjoy visiting your posts so much to see and savour!! I bet all was delicious too!!
    I also love to see where you have visited in the subject of history museums! It is so interesting to see the things that are in your area!I I hope you never run out of the urge for blogging !!!

    by the way have you found this blog about Tasha Tudor written by her friend Joan Donaldson?
    http://visitstocorgicottage.blogspot.com/
    I think you will enjoy it ;-)
    Many blessings and much warmth, Linnie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Linnie,
      Thank you so much for all your kind words, I am really enjoying blogging.
      So glad you like the tea cosy, it was fun to make.
      Yes the magazine's are wonderful, I love the old adverts too.
      I have visited that blog, thank you for thinking of me.
      Fondly Michelle

      Delete
  19. hello michelle,
    a wonderful post. i love your knitting tea cozy . i envy you for all the lovely vintage knitting magazines.your cake land bread looks so good. have you a recipe for your stone ground bread?
    i liked the tour through the museum,thank you!!!!
    i wish you a nice sunday,
    many blessings regina

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Regina,
      Thank you for your lovely comment, I love vintage magazines, they have some beautiful patterns.
      I will post the bread recipe soon.
      Fondly Michelle

      Delete
  20. I love your tea cosy and have a soft spot for the vintage green cake tin too, it's a beauty.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lovely to hear from you.
      I have a soft spot for old tins too.
      Fondly Michelle

      Delete
  21. Hi Michelle, So lovely to read your new post. I look forward to them. Your tea cosy turned out lovely and you did a great job on the flowers.
    I really enjoyed reading about Lincoln. So much history.
    I have some old knitting patterns as well probably from the 30's and 40's. So much fun to go through them although I haven't made anything from them yet.
    We are digging our from another blizzard--so much snow and it is so cold here in Atlantic Canada.
    Did you ever see the movie Love at the Christmas Parade? It is a cute movie and the young girl wears all vintage clothing. Your love of vintage made me think you might like it.
    Your girls look so sweet outside the tea room.
    Take care
    Hugs
    mary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Mary,
      I have not heard of that film, I will search on the internet for it, thank you.
      Oh I hope you use your old patterns, the styles are so nice.
      Keep warm, we have beautiful sunshine today.
      Fondly Michelle

      Delete
  22. Hello. I've been following you a little while and love your home and mindset : ) My eldest daughter and I were in Lincoln a few weeks back, but didn't know about the Museum of Lincolnshire Life - we went to the normal Museum instead (very good).

    Some nice inspiration in those old Women's Weekly magazines, and love your tea cosy.

    My favourite fruit cakes are a Cardiganshire Boiled Fruit Cake and a Mincemeat cake, both of which are nice and moist. The boiled fruit cake is my last minute standby in lieu of a Christmas Cake, whilst the Mincemeat cake uses up my home-made Mincemeat.

    You've just reminded me I need to make a loaf today.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Welcome, it is lovely to hear from you.
      I have never made mincemeat cake, I have jars of it in the cupboard so will search for a recipe.
      Fondly Michelle

      Delete
  23. Thank you for the Seed Cake recipe! I will definitely give it a try. You did such a nice job on the tea cozy ~ just beautiful.
    Enjoy your evening, ♥

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Anne,
      I hope you make the seed cake, it is lovely. I made another one this week with lemon icing.
      Fondly Michelle

      Delete
  24. That tea cosy is so cute. I love it!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hello, dear Michelle! Oh, how I would have loved to join you in your trip to Lincoln :) I simply loved seeing the cobblestone streets and pretty buildings.

    Your tasty treats look quite delicious! You are a very talented baker, my friend. And those 1940's magazines are splendid! Enjoy :) Happy weekend to you and thank you for sharing at ROI. Hugs to you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Stephanie,
      I am so glad you enjoyed your little trip to Lincoln.
      Thank you for your kind words, I do love to bake & I always have tasters.
      Fondly Michelle

      Delete