Dressing Chef

I wandered around the garden in today’s early morning light.

Alongside the magnolia Vulcan stand the first of our rhododendrons in full bloom.

The small diurnal yellow and orange poppies that crop up everywhere have woken up;

forget-me-nots also thrust through soil and gravel at will;

even more ubiquitous are honesty,

and bluebells.

Iberis, aubretia, dicentra, hellebores, daffodils, and primulas are thriving, although perhaps the ant has nibbled the last of these.

Rusty Duck keeps an eye on some of the primulas and the lamiums.

Hairy pulmonaria breathes in the sunshine.

Florence sculpture has a good view of the yellow Japanese maple.

The Shady Path catches the sun.

Camellia petals carpet the soil.

Greenhouse geranium cuttings will soon be planted out.

Elizabeth and Jacqueline came for coffee and stayed for lunch for which

Jackie mixed the coleslaw, after which, she regretted that she hadn’t left it for the superbly competent Louis who

mixed the salad and its dressing. It was only after he had crushed peppers using a couple of dishes that he realised we had a pepper mill. Each ingredient to the dressing was carefully added with a little tasting.

Seven of us sat down to the meal. I am not in my place because I was behind the camera.

My two sisters left to visit our mother this afternoon. The rest of us dined this evening on roast duck; roast potatoes; yellow and orange carrots; cauliflower, cabbage, and broccoli; sage and onion stuffing, bread sauce, and tasty gravy. Louis drank Corona, I drank Dragon Hills Pinot Noir 2017, and the others drank Portuguese RosΓ©.

78 comments

    1. We brought Louis with us. He is the 16 year old son of my friend. He actually chose to spend his Easter holiday with us. Apparently we are “hilarious.”

  1. The denizens of your garden have risen to their natural splendour. Sweet family times! It’s wonderful to watch the young blossom into experts of intricate methods of domesticity.

  2. Wandering AND wondering in the garden makes for a beautiful day! πŸ™‚
    Your flowers and greenery are so beautiful! πŸ™‚
    How wonderful of Louis! (I made sure my boys knew how to cook and now they cook for their own families quite often.)
    I love the egg centerpiece decorating the table!
    Happy Easter to all of your family, Derrick! πŸ™‚ And I am praying for your Mum to have a wonderful holiday!
    (((HUGS))) πŸ™‚

  3. “Hairy pulmonaria breathes in the sunshine.” – Oh that’s goooood. πŸ˜‰

    I do love your lamium ground cover, such a delightful contrast.

    That home made pork pie (and the Easter decorations) looks magnificent! πŸ™‚

    May you all enjoy time spent as a family this Easter break. πŸ™‚

  4. The Dusty Miller with the pink tulips look so good together! Tara and I just learned that the pale yellow primula grows wild in Ireland. Does it grow wild where you are as well? All I have in my garden are the ostentatious magenta, royal blue, and sunflower yellow primroses that are clearly domesticated.

    It is a special priviledge to be invited into your home to meet your family and to meet Louis as well.

  5. The garden looks beautiful, and I like your Easter decorations. You are a cool bunch if a 16 years old prefers to stay with you, and even cook for you πŸ™‚

  6. Louis is quite serious in the kitchen! What a charmer!! I would spend a lot of time wandering in my garden, too, f it was as beautiful as yours! I especially like the Hairy pulmonaria. What a great shot of that fascinating flower! <3 Happy Easter, Derrick! <3

  7. I, too, have wonderful memories of egg trees. By the time Easter was past, the entire family refused to eat eggs! Mom made decorations for half our town. That was a lot of empty egg shells!

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