Sunday 13 September 2009

BOUNTIFUL NATURE - Part 1



Today, Alan is spending the day driving around West Somerset villages to take photos for his 3d photography website.

Miss P and I stayed at home and decided to go out berry picking around the lanes and fields nearby. Within 10 minutes of arriving at our first chosen location, we heard some miaowing. We could tell it was Larry. He was some way from home, he had crossed the railway line (steam trains only) and ended up in the middle of brambles and bushes. He had obviously followed us but taking the awkward route!

Eventually he managed to find a way through and joined us with the blackberry picking.


The blackberries were plentiful


Larry enjoying some attention.


Time to head back closer to home.
As it became a lot warmer, we went back home to get rid of our coats before going back out again.


A train went by as we looked for more blackberries


We left this field for another one nearby, this time in search of...


Hawthorn berries


Elderflower berries


and Sloe berries


Ooh hello Larry, back again?...


A colourful harvest




It certainly beats supermarket fruit!

We've had a great time. Miss P has always shown an interest in the outdoors, especially insects, wildlife and plants. She is gradually learning more and more about the flowers/wild berries/plants/trees around us and what some of their benefits and uses are.
I like using plants and essential oils for therapeutic or healing properties.

More to follow...In my next post (Part 2) Find out what I will be making with the berries....

I hope that you are all having a great weekend!


A bientôt!


Isabelle x

P.S: Niki, yes I would agree with your last comment in previous post which made me laugh. I definitely am a bit of a country bumpkin at heart ;-))! Although I have lived in towns most of my life, living in the countryside suits me far more.

44 comments:

DJ said...

Lovely Blog. Found it be clicking on Next Blog...I'll be back.

andamento said...

Great photos, looks much more fun than going to the supermarket! Nice to have cat company while you forage too.

Michela said...

Hi Isabelle! What a lovely Sunday you're having! The place you live in looks so charming!
I'm very curious now about your berries and will be back soon!

Michela said...

Hi Isabelle! What a lovely Sunday you're having! The place you live in looks so charming!
I'm very curious now about your berries and will be back soon!

My name is Riet said...

You live in a beautiful neighbourhood. Poor kitty lost and got stuck. Very nice pictures.

Diva Kreszl said...

What a delightfully perfect day!

The French Bear said...

How wonderful, all those berries!!! I would think I was in Heaven!!!!! I can't wait to see what you do with them! I don't know what a Hawthorn berry is?
What do you do with them?
Happy baking or jam making weekend!
Hugs,
Margaret B

Blondie's Journal said...

A perfect day for you and Miss P!! Is Larry your family pet?? He is precious!!

I love the scenery, especially the steam engine. Don't think I have ever seen one before...

Was just ready to ask you what you would be doing with the berries. I will stay tunes, Isabelle!!

xoxo
Jane

Mrs. Cozy Home said...

How beautiful ... from the scenery to the colorful berries to the pretty little cat!

It's wonderful to catch a little glimpse of the beautiful English countryside on a pretty sunny day, from my computer in DC!

KC'sCourt! said...

Oh I wish'd I could've joined you picking fruit. I was brought up like Miss P learning how to forage. Mum and dad taught me lots about the fruits of the countryside.

Lululiz said...

I know what to do with blackberries Jam and crumbles ), elderberries ( fabulous rich wine ) and sloes ( slo gin, delicious ), but I have no idea what one can make with hawthorn berrier. What are you going make with this wonderful harvest?

Clare said...

Our cat is exactly the same, she follows us on our walks across to the farm and canal..she's more like a dog!

Unknown said...

What a lovely day to pick berries! It's so wonderful to see a steam train. Warm wishes for great week, Esther

Hen said...

Oooh, look at that Larry, he is too cute! We didn't spot him the other week when we were on the ESR, perhaps the rain kept him away! It's nice when children take an interest in nature; Harry returned from our last trip to the cottage with a punnet full of leaves, berries, acorns, nuts and so on which he then looked up in his books. A nice, healthy pursuit, beats computer games any day!
Hen xxx

Victoria - Florence and Mary said...

Blackberry picking is such fun!

Victoria xx

bellaboo said...

Hi Isabelle!Looking forward to seeing what you make with all those fruits.We saw some blackberry pickers on our local walk yesterday.The countryside provides us with a wonderful harvest at this time of year doesn't it?

Bellaboo x

June said...

Isabelle, what an awesome Sunday outing. I can think of no better way to spend it then with you and your sweet little girl and kitty picking berries. What a beautiful countryside. Everything I imagine in my dreams of your lovely country. I am so glad to have been taken along on your outing.
Hugs,
June

{Love, Love, Love} said...

What lovely weather you are having down in the Westcountry today!
I am tempted to go out foraging again either tomorrow or Tuesday of the weather is nice x

LiLi M. said...

Hello Isabelle! I can imagine that you feel right at home in the country! It looks great up there and your harvest is great too. Here the countryside is not the same as it used to be. I was with my family today in one of the southern parts of the Netherlands. Here live about 16 million pigs in very very big sheds, I won't tell anything more about it, you should smell it and you would never eat meat from the meat industry again. That way I prefer to stay a city girl, of course I live in a lovely town with medieval roots, which makes it quite easy to feel that way. Cannot wait to see what you do with your harvest!

koralee said...

You really do live in Heaven! You are one lucky girl! Lovely post today...thanks for the tour of your place.

María Cecilia said...

Hello Isabelle, how nice to go picking berries with your lovely daughter and Larry and how great it is to live outside the city. I live in the country too and wouldn´t change life here.
A wonderful ride, thank you
María Cecilia

Beki said...

My little man would be in his element with all those berries. He loves all kinds of berries, I really must find somewhere to take him so he can pick his own.
You were right, the bunting was great fun to make, can't wait to make more.
((hugs))
Beki xxx

trishie said...

What a lovely day out. Larry looks like an amazing cat to have. I love the pic of him and the little girl walking away.

PS:Thanks for the birthday wishes on my blog!

Lisa said...

You managed a good haul of colourful and tasty treasures there, bless the kittykat for following you both!
There was a talk and walk localy yesterday about finding 'food for free' which I would have loved to have gone on, but we are in the middle of so much work at home I couldn't justify sneaking off! Hopefully one day though.
Lisa x

sarah-jane down the lane said...

Oh Isabelle, how beautiful this all looks, the cat following you was priceless, my cat Willow used to follw me around our village when I was wee!

Hope you have a berry good time! cooking and baking and preserving your hedgerow goodies,

Love Sarah x

debra@dustjacket said...

What a totally dreamy post, everything we want the English countryside to be. Larry is gorgeous!
xoxo

Fiona said...

There's not much lovelier than picking lovely berries from the hedgerows at this time of year. Look forward to seeing what you do with your basketfull.

Josephine Tale Peddler said...

I will show my daughter this post Isabelle. It looks like something from an Enid Blyton book. Your weekend was much more relaxing than mine! Hope all is well. I cannot wait to see part two. xx

Floss said...

What lovely photos. Our blackberry season is over, really - it's been a shock to adjust to 'autumm' fruits in the summer!

Our cat Chanel did a similar trick of following us on a country walk, but as this was when he still belonged to our neighbours, we felt a bit guilty at taking him so far from home! I loved your photos - they reminded me of our walk with Chanel.

Thedarkerside73 said...

What a lovely thing to be able to do and your doorstep as it were.

And how lovely to have a loyal cat following you to see what's up, and a steam train chugging past. It must of felt very blissful.

Look forward to seeing what you do with the collected berries.



MBBx

Jeannette said...

I´m so lucky you have added yourself to be a follower of my blog so I can enjoy yours!
I´m looking forward to read the rest of your blog. By the look of it I will be here for some time. :)
♥ Jeannette

Les Cotrions said...

Hello Isabelle! I see you had a great time picking berries!!! Your harvest is faboulous! Your Larry is so sweet...and Phoebe is so beatiful!She reminds me my daughter at the same age!!!
I'm looking forwad to see what you made with all these fruits!
Ciao ciao!
Vale

Mr Jones said...

Whoa.. you actually have a steam train track near you.. how romantic. Beats the District Line.
PS Hope you picked the berries above waist height.... ( sound advice from a country Boy to me..)

Carole said...

Isabelle,
Those berries look so juicy and delicious....some I've never heard of. I really enjoyed seeing Larry and Phoebe together. So CUTE! Larry obviously didn't want to miss out on the fun!
xo,
Carole

~Becca~Bluebird Rose said...

Beautiful scenery, and Larry is a sweetheart!
:)
~Becca~

lilylovekin said...

The berries look wonderful, will wait to see what you do with them. I need to look up a sloe berry have no idea what it is.

Rubyred said...

Ahh berry picking, such fun! Also wondering what you are going to do with the Hawthorn berries?
Thanks for popping by my blog.Thank you for the compliment on my blue scarf too, it's getting longer every day!
Rachel x

Unknown said...

Blackberrie picking. I can't get any better than that. Thanks so much for sharing.

Mr Jones said...

Btw Isabelle - interestingly my other half is part Belgian, I adore Bruxelles... went to study french on Avenue Louise when I got credit crunched whilst staying with my Belgian Best Friend.. I love pottering around La Rue Haute and Bas.. sigh. I miss Bxl.

Have a look at www.reservationinthenameofjones.com for some of my Bxl reviews of restos and bars.. PS do you go to Belgium often?

Duchess of Tea said...

Ma chérie, Miss P. is adorable and so is Larry. The berries look heavenly, wish I could pick some through my screen. Your blog is the best in all of blogshire and I am so lucky to follow you around.

Have yourself a bright, sunny and lovely week.

Love & Hugs
Duchess ♥♥♥

Joshy and belle said...

it looks so lovely the perfect day, miss p looks so sweet skipping down the lane with her basket! fliss xx

Anonymous said...

Hi Isabelle, I have moved blogs but I will still visit you, hope you can pop round if this link works. Lovely pictures on your post, we have so many blackberries around too I will look forward to seeing your recipes. best wishes Julie.C

Niki Fretwell said...

Hi Isabelle,
Lovely photos - the wild fruits seem to be doing so well this year and don't they look so tempting in your basket? Do you do anything clever with the Hawthorn berries, or are they just for looking pretty in the house?

Glad that you didn't mind my previous comment to you! ;-))
You are such a healthy looking girl at the best of times...I can easily imagine you spending time roaming the country lanes whenever you can!

Lets hope this lovely weather keeps up for a bit longer,
Niki x

Country Cottage Chic said...

What a great harvest - looking forward to seeing what you make!

Jayne