For two young cockerels

When Jeremy put the birds away last night he found our three year old, trusty cockerel lying dead in the hen house inside the poly tunnel. Chickens don’t linger they just keel over and depart. No fuss. We will bury him under a willow cutting that was given to us recently. He was a lovely chap and we won’t forget him. He had long, vicious looking spurs but he was always gentle with us and with his flock of hens.

So much has happened in seven years. Today would have been dad’s birthday but he died just after mum and his 65th wedding anniversary in July 2014 and just a few months after his second great grandchild was born

In seven years we have been blessed with two further grandchildren but also lost both of Jeremy’s parents. We have celebrated birthdays and anniversaries at The Gables and hosted many old friends and family and new friends and friends of friends and friends of our children. Our social life has come to us in rural Bedfordshire and we are grateful for all the visits and the interesting and stimulating company. During lockdowns we have had plenty of time to tend the garden, learn to make cheese from the daily goat milk and I, at least, have had time to take walks and read and catch up with films and documentaries and zoom lectures. Lockdown has allowed Jeremy to work from home, attend court at the dining room table but also seen a need for more talking on the telephone. I talk to the animals but also manage to meet for walks with local friends. Most of us want some human contact and whilst the cats are good listeners they are not very good at conversation! I am beginning to sound sentimental so I will just say that I feel blessed to have lived at The Gables for seven years and look forward to sharing this place with one and all when circumstances allow.

Back to baking. The experimental cake I baked yesterday was too delicious and we nearly finished it so I had to bake another this morning

I mixed half a cup of sunflower oil with a large egg. Then I added a couple of dessert spoonfuls of honey and nearly two cups of self raising flour. I spread half the mixture into a lined loaf tin and spread a layer of gooseberry jelly over the dough. Then I cut small, pieces of bramley apple on top of the jam and smoothed the remaining mixture over the filling.

Two didn’t survive but two grew into these beautiful, tall, strong trees. She also told me that, when she was a child, she took a willow cutting and placed it in a jar of water. It rooted and she planted it in the front garden of the family home. More than sixty years later that willow has a tree preservation notice – which prevented house developers from cutting it down. We plant trees for our children and grandchildren and we might enjoy them, and their fruits, too.

Masses of rainbow chard for supper