Who doesn't love a cup of tea, especially if it is accompanied by a piece of shortbread.  It is one of the simple pleasures in life.  In this country whatever is going on in life, whether it is good or bad, we reach for the kettle and make tea!

I love a good cup of tea and much as it is very handy to put a teabag in a cup and pour hot water over it, there is no doubt that tea made in a teapot and sipped from a china cup is tea at its best.  I don't like tea leaves floating in my tea and I really can't be bothered using a strainer, so the teapots that have an in-built strainer make using 'loose tea' a lot easier.

I haven't taken milk in my tea for almost 30 years, so I do appreciate a cup of tea that has loads of flavour.  Most of the time I drink English Breakfast or Earl Grey but my favourite is Lady Grey with that slight hint of orange.


Now for the shortbread!
Shortbread is a staple in the B&B and is really one of the simplest biscuits to make.  You only need three ingredients - butter, sugar and flour.  I have used the same basic recipe for years and it works perfectly well but over the years I have adapted it to my taste.

Original Recipe (I don't even know where it came from!)
200 g softened butter
100 g sugar
300 g plain flour
Preheat oven to 150 C or gas mark 2.  Cream the butter and sugar then add in the flour and mix well until it all comes together.  Knead well, then roll out to about 1/2 inch thick and cut out.  Bake for 20-30 minutes.
This makes a crunchy shortbread, but I like shortbread that melts in you mouth, so I have changed the recipe a little.  I change the sugar to 50 g caster sugar and 50 g icing sugar and instead of 300 g plain flour, I use 200 g along with 100 g cornflour.  The combination of the icing sugar and the cornflour makes a softer shortbread.

Happily the guests in the B&B like my recipe!!

This past year has been so difficult in so many ways for so many people.  I have struggled with the lack of routine, From being busy and having to be very organised to having no purpose and few of the daily things I was used to doing.  I love my job.  I love cooking (breakfast has always been my favourite meal of the day) and I love welcoming people to my home.

I opened a B&B because it was something I always wanted to do, though never thought I would get the chance.  Our home is in a lovely area and I thought it would be a great location for a Bed and Breakfast, so when the opportunity came about ot do work to our home, I took the plunge!  An extension was added with three ensuite bedrooms, a lounge area and the garage became the dining room!!  In 2004 Manorview B&B opened.  It was an ideal time as my boys were young and although the B&B was hard work, I was working from home.

It has been so disheartening to see my lovely rooms unused and I have really missed my guests, many of whom have become friends.  I have missed hearing about them and about their families.  I have missed hearing the reasons people come to the area, whether it is because they have family here or because they are just passing through.  There are so many reasons why people stay in a Bed and Breakfast and because I only have three rooms, I have time to hear their personal stories and I love it!

Manorview finally reopened on 1st June and it was really nice that my first guests had stayed many times before.

It's so good to see the dining room set up and ready for guests to come in.

March certainly came in like a lamb and Spring definitely sprung.  The weather at the beginning of March was wonderful and the sight of beautiful spring flowers certainly lifted the spirits after a fairly dismal January and February.  The lovely weather made it feel as if winter was finally over and it was time to look ahead to longer days and getting outside more.

Breakfast outside.  What a treat!!  It is such a simple pleasure to sit in the garden on a tranquil Sunday morning and enjoy breakfast, admittedly with a coat on but who cares, the sun was shining.

We are still in lockdown and not allowed to travel too far from home.  Luckily there are many beautiful places within a short distance to visit and Beaghmore stone circles is one of them.  The air is fresh, the views are stunning and it is an ideal spot to catch a beautiful sunset.  It's amazing to think that these stones have been here for thousands of years. Life would have been very different back then!!

I always look forward to the snowdrops appearing, so it was a real treat to go into the garden on 1st February and discover these snowdrops.  Somehow, even though winter isn't over they are a sign that Spring and longer days are not too far away.

February, of course, brings Valentine's Day and we had a wee treat from Tim Hortons.  Tim Hortons opened in Cookstown just before Christmas.  Very handy and very tasty!

We also had Pancake Tuesday.  Pancakes are alway popular here both amongst the family and in the B&B.  My favourite is chocolate spread and banana. Yum!

Walking round Tullyhogue Fort there are some fantastic views into Cookstown.  Tullyhogue Fort is the ancient ceremonial site where the Chiefs of the Clan O'Neill of Tyrone were inaugrated.

Well, what a year 2020 turned out to be!!  Who would have thought this time last year that the way we lived our lives would change so much, I know I wouldn't.
Like many businesses we have been pretty much closed from last March.  I have really missed all the lovely people that come to the B&B.  I have missed catching up with those who have been regular visitors and meeting all the new people who would have crossed our threshold during 2020 and hearing their stories and why they have come to the B&B.
We have had lovely messages from former guests, checking in to see if we are all safe and well.  It means so much that people take time to do so.  It is very true to say that over the years many guests have become friends rather than customers.

January is the beginning if a new year and much as we are still in lockdown and closed, we are still looking forward and making plans.
We hope to revamp the B&B a bit so that when we finally open properly again our guest experience will be even better!
We are also spending time planning the garden and with some hard work and the help of Monty Don (his books have been read and inwardly digested) we hope to grow vegetables!

Drum Manor is always a lovely place for a walk, but in snowy weather it really looks magical.  We are so lucky to have this place on our doorstep

I love taking photos of the sun rising and setting.  The colours always amaze me!  January had some beauties, both at home and when out and about

May really was a glorious month.  The sun shone and everything in the garden just seemed to burst into life.  The pots around the B&B flourished.

I love the beech hedge when the leaves first appear.  They are such a beautiful green and make such a soft rustling sound in the wind.

It's worth going for a walk in Drum Manor at this time of year .  The blue carpet of bluebells are always stunning.

I managed to get my herbs all planted.  Parsley, Chives, Oregano, Thyme, Sage, Lemon Balm, Rosemary and Bay.  Looking forward to using them in all sorts of dishes.

The Apple Trees blossomed and the Wisteria and Hydrangea bloomed.

With the beautiful weather we had some amazing sunsets!

It has been a busy weekend in the B&B. Our guests enjoyed the beautiful weather we had over the Bank Holiday Weekend!  It was great to have some sunshine and warmth after the long winter.

Great to relax in the garden in the sunshine.

Lovely blue sky and fluffy white clouds.

The ducks are certainly enjoying a wander about in the sunshine!