Firsts, foxgloves & fairycakes

Today I nearly trod on a snake at our allotment! I thought someone had dropped some rope onto our allotment until a 15" brown grass snake uncoiled itself and disappeared into the undergrowth. It was the first snake I have seen there.

The first foxglove has opened in the garden.

Wild foxgloves in a nearby wood.


The roses are in bloom.

Rambling Rector

Veilchenblau

Wild Dog Roses

The hardy geraniums are in flower.
Mrs Kendall Clark
Kashmir Pink
Versicolor

Johnson's Blue
Today we walked through a field of Ragged Robin.
And I have used my heart cupcake moulds for the first time.

I sprinkled 100's and 1000's onto the mixture before cooking for a sugary, crunchy topping. I was worried that they might not come out of the moulds but they did.
I also made some hazelnut cookies with the last of our foraged nuts.


HAZELNUT COOKIES

225g/8oz plain flour

15g/0.5oz baking powder

115g/4oz Stork block margarine

115g/4oz demerara sugar

115g/4oz chunkily, chopped hazelnuts

0.5 tsp vanilla extract

25-50ml/1-2 fl oz milk

Preheat oven to 170'c. Sift flour & baking powder together & rub in margarine until it resembles fine bread crumbs. Add sugar and hazelnuts. Stir in vanilla extract and enough milk to form a soft rollable dough. Turn out onto a floured surface, roll & cutout cookie shapes. Bake for 7 - 10 minutes until pale brown.

Nuts can be substituted with chocolate drops.