snippets from the last week

August 17, 2015April 30, 2026 Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)40 Comments

Gathering up the fallen plums from our tree to make jam and enjoying eating it on toast for breakfast.

Crocheting little supports for the squash which are getting heavy now.
Waving to the Dakota plane which flew directly over our house on it’s way to the VJ day commemorations in central London and thinking about everything faced by a generation we’ve come to view as the bravest and most selfless in our history.
Re-homing hydrangea heads bent by the heavy rain.
Rainy days wet enough to make a frog frolic and balmy August afternoons perfect for basking butterflies.

Summer is passing quickly and we’re trying to make the most of the long days. Hope the days are enjoyable with you too.

a village adventure

August 5, 2015April 30, 2026 Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)85 Comments

When Amy was younger I used to make summer holiday vouchers for her. These were little tokens that she could cash in throughout the 6 week summer break and they usually included the simplest of activities and treats, things like a shopping trip, a picnic, a visit to the cinema and an annual favourite – berry picking at the local pick your own farm, which we did again, and again.

A few years ago she decided that she’d outgrown the vouchers and she was much more into spending time out with friends than doing things with her mum. But the other day she was at a loose end and so we decided to be nostalgic and head off together for a spot of berry picking.

Unfortunately the season here has already finished (it must have been an early year for strawberries) so instead we bought lots of delicious treats at the lovely farm shop, had a big slab of cake (me) and a full English breakfast (Amy) and then were at a bit of a loss for what to do. We opted for driving the long way home with lots of detours through the pretty local villages and we ended up in Braughing where we decided to park up and go for a wander.

It is the prettiest of English villages, full of thatched cottages, Medieval buildings and a beautiful church – St Mary the Virgin, the oldest parts of which date from the early 13th century. Above are the pictures from our walk.

At the church there were some lovely people tidying up the porch noticeboard and they invited us in to look around. It is a beautiful ancient building with many different parts spanning the last 800 years – I found the 15th century angel ceiling particularly breathtaking. As we left and were walking through the churchyard we passed the Vicar who stopped for a chat, such a friendly lady. In fact the whole village has a very friendly feel, even the cows in the field at the edge of the village came over to greet us.

Thanks for coming with us, I hope you enjoyed the walk 🙂

And if you ever find yourself in East Hertfordshire with an hour or two to fill then a visit to Braughing is definitely recommended.

See you soon x

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PS: Thanks so very much for all of the lovely comments about the new room in the previous post. I really appreciate all the compliments and am really enjoying the new space. It still feels a bit like sleeping in a nice hotel – though sadly without the room service!

crafts & knitting · garden stuff · general stuff · summer

First week

July 24, 2015April 30, 2026 Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)52 Comments

When you’ve written a blog for a few years or more a pattern tends to emerge and you find yourself writing annually about the same kind of things at the same times of year. It’s probably because a year has a rhythm, especially for those of us who live with four distinct seasons. Most of us are creatures of habit and whilst we enjoy change and variation many of the things we do are similar year in year out – or maybe that’s just my family! Anyway, the start of this years school summer break has been very much like the one we had last year…

Amy has dyed her hair blue again (with a little help from me) though this year her hair is substantially shorter than it was last year. She decided to say goodbye to long hair a few months back and loves it (I kept her 12 inch pony tail, as I couldn’t bear to see it thrown away).

Toby has been enjoying the garden and helping me tend our tiny patch – he’s become very good at watering the plants though I do have to remind him to point the hose in the right direction and I have been sprayed a few times when his concentration has wavered.

Sadly there will be very few beans and peas to harvest this year – I’ve resolved to start them off inside next year and invest in a beer trap or similar non-chemical slug eradicator, pesky things have ruined my bean and pea plants. The squash are doing well again though, as are the courgettes, kale and broccoli.

The new raspberries that I planted back in winter from bare root canes are yet to ripen but they’re coming on and the herbs have gone a bit wild and overgrown with some going to seed. Which is fine by me, as the bees really like the flowering thyme, hyssop, coriander and marjoram.

The hydrangeas are doing well too – I really love those big frothy white balls of flowers.

Well, that’s it from us for this week. It’s a cool day with heavy rain here today so we’re pottering inside and I’m hoping to get some time for knitting (I’m working on a shawl – Pebble Beach by Helen Stewart in beautiful delicate merino from Walk Collection.)

Hopefully summer will return next week!