A view from my kitchen window and a bit on my soap box.

A warm sunny day, just what the doctor ordered.

Have a quick look outside my kitchen window.

One of my Geoff Hamilton roses, lovely to look at and sweet smelling.

A swathe of firethorn, pretty in flower, stunning in berries and a food source for the birds who over winter in my garden.

The flowers are starting to fade on my Broom, I have to cut this back every two years, it is a little bit thuggish.

Early potatoes in pots, nice and handy near the kitchen, the mint is just round the corner.

This yellow rose is free to rampage as it likes I love it's flamboyance and just cut it hard back to keep it in check. 

This elder is one of four, two supply flowers for cordial and goose berry ice cream, two give berries for jelly wonderful with any rich meat dish and very good with sausages.

I also make Rowan Jelly but gather the berries from a wild tree, it is quite sharp and goes with blue cheese perfectly.

Things to be grateful for,

1. My garden.

2. The Thrush who eats the snails.

3. The Hedgehog who eats the slugs.

4. The Birds who sing to me daily.

5. The Village Shop, Open Nearly All Hours.

Soap Box Time.

The first four are inter linked, the fifth is a wonderful convenience. Village shops are a dying breed, if you are lucky enough to have one do support it. As the saying goes " If you don't use it you lose it"

Our shop used to be a run down, quite scruffy place , mainly used by passing trade for papers, cigarettes and snacks.

Then along came a couple, from the village, with foresight and courage to take it on, shake it up and turn it into a thriving, pleasant place to pop into.
I aim to spend a little every week, if every household spent just £2 per week added to the substantial passing trade the shop would continue to flourish.
Luckily enough of the residents seem to understand this but other villages are not so fortunate. One of the shops in Long Sutton is closing down through lack of trade, many people have gone in and said what a shame it is to lose a shop but not many of those actually use the shop.

I have seen this scenario acted out in several places, for years in Diss there was a shop called The China Cabinet, shoppers from all over bought wedding presents, christening gifts, anniversary and birthday presents there.
Rates went up, rent went up, sales went down. when the closing down signs went up there were letters in the press, people calling into the shop all bewailing the fact. how strange with all this reaction that so few of the complainers were customers.

My home village has a thriving shop, when I was a child there were three plus a tobacconist and sweet shop, a butcher and a wool shop.
It is the way of the world, so many of us work and have to shop on the way home, we shop weekly, some less frequently, just as many have it delivered a "new " concept.
 My Granny had her shopping delivered FREE for her convenience, all she did was have her list dropped off in the morning and the shopping was there before 4.

Soap box stored away now, dinner is quiche and salad for us and a pie with veg for Francesca, she is always starving when she gets back from work. Bertie has just woken up and is wandering off to the garden, Ben is snoozing beside me, we did have a long walk this morning, it was so warm that we went almost double our normal distance.   TTFN    Pam