Elderflower - the Queen of Trees

The elder is the Queen of Trees. It is a powerful symbol of life, energy and creativity. Much of the folklore around the Elder suggests its ability to drive away evil spirits. As a protection against evil, people carried around it's twigs, and branches were often hung in doorways of houses, cowsheds and even buried in graves.

It has become a bit of a family tradition to make elderflower cordial, and this year I'm also going to have a try at making a sparkling Elderflower champagne.

A tea can be made from the fresh flowers (blossom) which makes an excellent tonic for refreshing the mind and purifying the blood. The flowers can also be added to salads and even cakes! I'm also going to have a try at making Elderflower fritters coated in a sweet batter made from honey & sugar. Yum...

They are in flower now, so why don't you give it a go? They taste amazing, and best of all - they're free!

Cushions, Company & Cake

What a fabulous afternoon yesterday, spent at the amazing Halfpenny Home in Needham Market, Suffolk - with my best friend Maria making a gorgeous cushion out of vintage fabric. I am SO proud of my handiwork. Check out the photo - mine is the one on the far right...

Fun at The Suffolk Show

Simon took the day off and we made an early start with our picnic packed for a wonderfully sunny day at the Suffolk Show.

The twins had such a fun time, and they were REALLY good - all day walking around the show with no fuss at all. We saw all the animals at the grand parade, watched sheep being sheared, had a donkey ride, rode on the carousel, went on a flight simulator, saw 5 paratroopers jump out of a plane and tried some really yummy new "Toffee Apple" ice cream from Alder Tree in th Food tent :-)

I, of course, spent an obscene amount of time looking around the craft tents. The day was nicely rounded off by a lovely BBQ at my sisters house and copious amounts of wine... and aftersun....ouch!