Our Seasonal Table - late spring

Gina, who writes the beautiful and thoughtful blog, Our Unschooled Family, asked to see pictures of Seasonal Tables. Here is ours. Still one or two rabbit and hen figures remain from Eostre but several things added: a sprig of apple blossom and posy of bluebells from the garden. Their honey scent drifts up to meet us as we walk past. A small wooden bowl filled with fallen petals, leaves and rosemary; some seed packets; a bright yellow sun, painted in watercolour by James, and cut out by myself; and, what a friend refers to as our Totem Pole:) This is a lovely tactile piece of wood carving, by a local craftsman, given to us as a housewarming present 10 years ago. It somehow seemed just the right addition for Beltane. I must draw attention to our flowered table cover, which is a family heirloom. This was embroidered by my Grandmother just after the war. My Dad remembers her sitting in the evenings sewing away, and how it took such a long time to complete. I love to use it, and it has pride of place from now until the end of summer (with a few careful washes). Seasonal tables are such a good way to celebrate the year.

The Sign of Four

I made hot cross buns this morning, some to eat and some to give away. I used the recipe from the excellent book Baking Bread with Children by Warren Cohen, except, as usual, I had to adapt it to suit my storecupboard. This time I found I had no candied peel, so used the zest of an orange and a lemon instead. No-one seemed to notice and I have to say they were the nicest I have ever made. Usually when I attempt yeasty buns or rolls they turn out like small curling stones, but these ones were light and springy. I used a runny lemon glace icing for the crosses.
So whether you honour the four seasons, elements, arms of the cross, or otherwise - have a happy time this weekend.

Springing along.

Well - a fairly murky photograph of our evolving Spring Table. Maybe I should have taken the picture in dayight - lol - still, I feel if wouldn't really be my blog without the bad photography. The paintings at the back are actually very springlike wet on wet watercolours done by James and myself in bright yellow and blue - what a nice relaxing way to paint - especially for someone as artistically challenged as your blogger here. The hand-decorated pot contains sunflower seedlings and was a Mother's Day present from my elder daughter, and I am trying to force a branch of flowering cherry in green vase (which i've just realised is not actually visible). There is a handknitted piglet - or as James calls it - the peeeeg, a little nutbrown hare, and what was supposed to be a pom-pom Easter Bunny, but somehow turned out more like - as my Dad quipped - the Easter Cairn Terrier! Well - why not start our own tradition?:) A basket of blown eggs that we have not got round to decorating yet, a couple of fluffy chicks, two hen shaped candles and the Gerda Muller Spring book completes the tableau so far. It is my intention to make some flower fairy type figures, and I do have the beads and felt, but somehow I feel this project slipping away.....
The weather has been so good we have not really spent much time in the house over the last week - especially with John being on holiday, so most of the happenings will be posted on the gardening blog in the next day or so.
Edited next day to add another picture of the spring table - this time in spring sunshine (still a bad photo lol). Elder son has a history tutor who comes on a Monday - as he was leaving he cried - "Oh its a shrine to Easter!" Hmmm..