recent blogs

veggies : growing our own…

veggies : growing our own…

2022 is going to be Grow Our Own year. We've tinkered around the edges of growing vegetables and herbs before, but it's always been pretty half-hearted as far too much else has been going on in and around the garden. We've had minor success with lettuce and tomatoes...

garden reno : update 10

garden reno : update 10

So, the exterior renovation of our house, continues apace. We've largely completed the interior renovation - but we never say never - and so our attention has been turned to the garden area around the main house and the little abandoned house to the rear. We've been...

garden reno : update 9

garden reno : update 9

We knew we had to tackle this part of the garden, because it was overgrown, messy, full of stones and rubble from previous renovation works and the trees were literally being strangled by vines and brambles.The little stone wall was falling down in places, and in...

winter walks…

winter walks…

It's absolutely freezing in Istria at the moment. That's right, freezing. Not the wall to wall sunshine & heat we'd naively thought we'd be experiencing, all year round 😉 But, we're also just a little bit stir crazy, having not really left our village (apart from...

damson gin time…

damson gin time…

For the first year since we've been here, the damson trees around the garden, are absolutely laden with fruit. Maybe they have been in previous years, too, and possibly we've been too busy with summer visitors and renovation work, to notice, but we've definitely...

country life…

country life…

Although I grew in the semi-rural North East of England, it's been a long time since I've lived in a house and looked out of the windows and seen fields. The move to Manchester in 1985 lasted until we left in 2017. Thirty two years of city living - and suddenly in...

agroturizam nežić : zrenj : istria

agroturizam nežić : zrenj : istria

Having lived in West Didsbury for a very long time, we certainly appreciate good restaurants. And now, having moved to Istria, and initially being a little concerned that we would have to forgo culinary delights, we are super impressed with what we’re finding on our...