It has indeed been a while since we have last blogged but with good reason! The transition from spring to summer seemed to happen overnight, with a sudden burst of sunshine offering respite from some very consistent rain showers. The lively weather resurrected the garden and caused an explosion of growth. There have been some very busy bees here at the Church House, and we don’t mean the honey bees! Amongst the chaos, I have found some calm in the pure beauty of the peony poppies that have surprisingly sprung up.
The happenings in the garden have led to lots of kitchen action with some improvisation taking place. Our garden yield of goodies has been transformed through cooking, preserving and even pickling. The abundance of strawberries has been put to good use. They have taken shape in delicious homemade ice cream, margaritas and of course a beautiful daiquiri. While baking is not my forte, I have made the best of the beautiful bright berries by incorporating them into bread and pound cakes. They are stunning enough to forgive what might have been an otherwise baking atrocity.
Vineyard Victories
The vineyard is where Peter is most at home.I was more than happy to leave him there to tackle the weeds that had spiralled out of control! He must have dedicated a whole week to brush cutting to get the vineyard looking its freshest. The results were fantastic; although Peter was left looking just a little frazzled! We all have our fingers and toes crossed that grapes will come to visit soon.
While we have been toiling away in both kitchen and garden, our guests have been having a whale of a time- quite literally in fact. Our walking tour group were thrilled when they happened upon a pod of whales playing off the coast of Wilsons Promenade. Sydney, our poodle, is quite enamoured with all of the activity at the Church HouseSo much so that he is getting just a little too accustomed to the constant snuggles from the guests. He has become an unofficial mascot of sorts and has assumed a role as our little fluffy concierge.
The weather has definitely been playing tricks on us with an extraordinary rainfall of 87 ml over the last weekend. We always look on the bright side though; the resulting panache of Agness Falls was worth the downpour.
Weekend Wins
In the midst of the madness here at the Church House, which we have relished, there was a rather pleasant surprise. Our bespoke B&B, born out of love for great food, wine and people secured a spot on the Annual Great Escapes 52 Weekends Away feature. Seeing our property come to life on paper for the 30TH October weekend was smashing, and you can see it here for yourself.
This blog has been a snippet of our journey over the last couple of months and what a wild ride it has been. We love every minute with our wonderful guests, and we are looking forward to opening our home up to more guests very soon.
Merry Christmas from the team at The Church House.
