“Go back to your books, to your armchair. Plant your trees, watch them grow. If more people valued home above gold, this world would be a merrier place.”

— Thorin Oakenshield

Latest Posts


  • A ‘Spendthrift’s Spreading’ of Marmalade!

    Yay! The Great British Bake-Off is back, and promises to be every bit as good as the last series… And the One before that… And the one before that. Consequently, I am baking mode, and what better time to take… Continue reading

  • Mr Fortune’s Maggot

    Now listen up people, because I want to tell you about a truly wonderful book. I loved it, loved it, loved it! What is it? Oh, did I forget to say? It’s Mr Fortune’s Maggot, by Sylvia Townsend Warner, and… Continue reading

  • Hidden Garden Haunted by a Ghostly Monk!

    Monks Walk: The carved wooden sign at the entrance. Been on holiday, and scheduled posts to appear while I was away (including this one), but nothing happened! Plus all my portrait photos, which are saved as such, are appearing here… Continue reading

  • Ladies Who Lunch – With a Hidden Past!

    Somehow, as I read this short story I thought of our two ladies being Edwardian, but there are references to flying and a speakeasy, which would place it in the 1920s or the early ’30s. I our imagine the duo… Continue reading

  • A Kaleidoscope of Butterflies!

    A Peacock butterfly perched on a white buddleia – isn’t he glorious? I’ve neglected my garden shamefully, and it’s terribly overgrown and out of hand, so I’ve been out there this week trying to hack back the jungle. And on… Continue reading