fresh strawberries

On the weekend I had fresh strawberries and decided to use the once I got to make some strawberrie cake.

fresh strawberries



Lily trying to see if something drops, she loves strawberries too



fresh strawberries cake - yummy

more

Jessie makes sure no one comes in the back to steal the cake

Let me tell you nothing tastes as good as the first strawberries of the season

The Garden

tomatoes

tomatoes

potatoes in a sack

cucumbers

beans

peas

Busy week

It's been a busy week so far and am glad for some rest this weekend.

Due to restructurings at my work place, I was busy with meetings all week, and rarely got time for my 'normal day to day job'.
In the evening I spend time with the dogs and worked on the garden. I only have a small courtyard that has to make due as my makeshift garden but it does. This week I spend planting the tomatoe and cucumber plants in bigger containers and giving them some more support. I also checked on the pea and bean plants and they are coming along nicely, as do the potatoes. I planted some more runner beans on Thursday and hope the crop on all of them is well.

It's my first year that I plant potatoes, pea's, bean's and cucumbers on my own and with so little space. so it's more an experiement then anything else.

I will take some pictures this week, so you can see what it looks like in my little garden ;-)

love this song

Starring Role - Anja‏

Yup that's me and I thought rather then writing a lenghly monologue, I give you some facts:

- I grew up in Germany, spend 13 month as Au pair in the USA and am now living in the UK since December 2003

- I am a country girl,always have been, always will be

- In my day to day job, I am a Team Leader for a major cooperation, I love my job and get a lot of satisfaction out of seeing my team succeed

- If I could give up my job to work on my own farm, I would do that in a heart beat

- As a kid I grew up in the country with rabbits, duck, geese, chickens and pigeons in the garden

- I know how to butcher ducks and rabbits since I was 8 years old

- I helped with harvest of the garden, it was expected and a lot of work but I loved it

- According to my mom, my barn-heart syndrome was passed on from my dads side of the family, since she never had much patience for it

- My dad passed away in June 2003, while I was an Au pair in the USA, I miss him a lot

- I am pretty good with a rifle. I participated in target shooting events from when I was 10 years old, I won several important titles and was a member of the junior national team, I stopped when I moved to the UK, you can't go professional with it and earn lots of money but I loved it and still do

- I am longing to be a mom

- Lot's of my friends are pregnant, which intensives the longing to be a mom

- I am a punctuality freak, I don't like it when someone is late

- I currently live within city limits and try to grow my own food where possible

- My dream and goal is my own piece of land. My mum, brother and friends think I am crazy

- I don't own a TV, I don't need one but I do need the internet

- I love being outdoors, hiking, walking, gardening; you name it: if its outdoors, I am in

- history and geography have been my favorite subjects while still in school (together with sport and english)

- I still spend hours learning about historic events, it's a passion and I pride my self in having great geographical knowledge

- I enjoy good books and family games

- I love all seasons, there is something beautiful about each one, but nothing is more magical then the first snow

- According to my mom, I am a 'Winterkind' (winter child)

- My childhood hero was 'Winnetou' and he still is, he is a fictionate character by an author called Karl May, Winnetou stands or friendship, honesty, doing the right thing

- I know how to fix a flat tire, build a coop, ride a horse, catch a chicken, climb a tree and other useful skills I instisted on learning from my dad

- clothing needs to be comfortable and practical - that's all requirements needed

Meet the Cast - Lily

From the moment that I took Jessie home, I longed for a second dog. Lily is her cousin and was born 13/05/2009. I actually picked out Lily's sister when she (Lily) climbed up on my lap and started sucking my fingers. I had a change of heart and picked her instead and I am glad I did.

Lily is the cheeky one, the energetic one, the one that can play ball 24x7. The one that prefers balls over dogs and can be a handful when other dogs are too submissive or to over excitable.

She is a handful, immature and overconfident little dog that I would not give up for all the money in the world

This is where I grew up

Meet the Cast - Jessie‏

Jessie was born on November 23rd 2007 and is a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retirever. You can read more about her here where I post specifically about my dogs.

Jessie is an amazing dog in my eyes. She is just over 3 years old now and the most laid back dog you can probably meet. She has always been mature and laid back and I love that about her. She is very protective of what she considers her pack (with includes myself, several other dogs that she know, any child that she meets as well as homeless baby birds that fell out of the nest).

Jessie loves food and prefers human company over other dogs. In the park she will watch the other dogs play but rarely joins them, she prefers to do her own thing, go swimming and keep a watchful eye out for anything that could threaten the harmony of the pack. There are a handful of selected dogs that she will proper play with but I am able to count those on 1 hand.