lemon licks

Such wonderfully warm and sunny weather obviously calls for even more icy treats. So we have a tub of fresh Lemon Gelato chilling in the freezer too, though I don't think it'll be there long...

I've been on the hunt for the perfect lemon ice cream recipe for ages, and I reckon I've finally found it in my Ciao Bella book.

The author's wife loved it so much she insisted they serve it at their wedding, and I can see why. So smooth and creamy, it has just the right hit of lemon flavor. Plus it's the loveliest shade of pale yellow, just like my Easter eggs from Jo,

making it the ideal Easter Weekend ice cream! Happy Easter!

fab flora

While the house fronts, walls, and fences of Teddington are dripping in wisteria,

nearly every other blossom has come to an end, carpeting the streets and sidewalks in pink and white:

So I was rather worried Tracy and I had already missed Kew at its blossomy best. But on Monday we still managed to track down a bit of blossom holding tight,

as well as more magnolias

and other flowery finds:

And to finish a flora-filled day, I swung past the plot, where I gathered our own, which is admittedly less pretty...

but certainly more tasty!

blossom dearie

Our orchard is suddenly bursting with blossom, blushing pink apple

and bright white pear:

We have bounteous blossom in the fruit cage, too, on the sweet and sour cherry trees:

While our branches may not be as chic as Jane Packer's stems, they do have fabulous dessert potential. My thoughts are already racing ahead to compotes, ice creams, cobblers, and cakes--oh my! But must remember patience is a virtue, because even with this super sunshine, we still have many months to go...

more marylebone

While we were in Marylebone, we also popped into Jane Packer, very conveniently located between the new branch of the Nordic Bakery...

and The Wallace Collection, our final destination. Though I do think I could have happily stayed in Jane Packer all afternoon, arranging posies with the lucky students in the back of the shop.

The pretty flora-filled benches outside...

gave way to even more marvelous displays inside, where I was able to indulge my perpetual passion for green blooms:

So now I'm thinking perhaps our allotment plan should feature fewer veggies and more flowers. After all, we'd still be getting our greens!

jolly hockey socks, take four

My latest sKNITches socks, this time knit in Nest Egg, usually a variegated colorway, which Sam custom-dyed for me in stripes:

While we've been awakened by exuberant bird song every morning this week, we've yet to see a single nest or egg in Teddington. But today Miranda, Donna, and I spied a crate of the most exquisite praline chocolate eggs in Marylebone,

which reminded me that soon it'll be time to dye eggs too--in Nest Egg blue of course!

krispies kitsch

My guilty secret? I absolutely adore Rice Krispies Treats. I packed them in my school lunches, and later on brought them in my office lunches, much to the chagrin of my more sophisticated colleagues.

As the British Rice Krispies box inexplicably lacks the original recipe, I now make Nigella's Marshmallow Crispy Squares,

minus the glitter and sprinkles, because one must draw the line somewhere! But I think my line may be about to move, as I've just stumbled across the Rice Crackle Cake:

Just watch this space come September!

cowl catch-up

While it's starting to feel a bit too warm for cowls outside, it was definitely cold enough for cowls inside Ham House this weekend, where I had my National Trust induction (livestock training starts in the Meadows next week).

So two new Honey Cowls, both in madelinetosh Tosh DK, the first in Teddy Bear,

which really is the color of a well-worn mohair bear, and the second in Well Water,

which matches my eyes exactly! I didn't realize till I put it on for the first time, but perhaps a good excuse for a few more skeins...