Elmtree
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elmtreem.bsky.social
Elmtree
@elmtreem.bsky.social
410 followers 370 following 1.6K posts
Writer, storyteller, lover of the weird. Books, documentaries, stories, archaeology, history, coffee, mysticism and myth. I make a mean focaccia
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elmtreem.bsky.social
Yessss…been waiting for these. I have a project which may or may not involve making approx 117 rose beads. 🌹

highly doubtful I’ll be baking this weekend, this one is gonna be all about the roses. And audio. Got this kindle book on the go & really enjoying it..may have to get the audio version💙📚
Two large packets of dried rose petals and a small wooden mortar and pestle - lined up ready to start grinding the petals into paste that can then be heated and shaped into rose beads Front cover to There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak
November 28, 2025 at 9:36 PM
elmtreem.bsky.social
Tree by the train. Really enjoy coming into Cardiff here and there like this, it reminds me of the very happy year I spent at JOMEC doing an MA. genuinely changed so much for me and I remain forever grateful to the excellent professionals there who are incredible at their jobs. Also a good reminder
November 28, 2025 at 9:29 AM
elmtreem.bsky.social
This one I did quick today for fun so is more rough n ready..been reading White as Snow by Tanith Lee (amazing book!) and some early Snow White fairytale variants so did a forest-y apple theme. It’s red velvet cake with fondant apples and pomegranates in the centre

Love doing this so much 🥰
Round cake with fondant covering and buttercream over the top. Around the edge is pomegranate, dark and white chocolate and at the bottom are dried flowers and fresh basil. Three little fondant apples are on top
November 22, 2025 at 7:41 PM
elmtreem.bsky.social
Some cake making I’ve been up to lately. This one is one I made for Samhain, a carrot cake with edible moss, roses, cauldron & figure made out of fondant. Never made anything like this before & it took HOURS over 2 days. I had a blister when I was finished on my foot! Loved every second 😍
#baking 🍽️
A cake covered in fondant with a mossy pattern on the top and around one edge with red and purple roses dotted around. On top of a plinth you can’t see but is painted to look like a moon, is a moulded cauldron made of fondant with gold burnished paper outside and darkened inside, a fondant figure with a long white cloak with gold ergonomics stands behind the cauldron with her cloak going off the back of the cake
November 22, 2025 at 7:41 PM
elmtreem.bsky.social
Been rereading Ardath by Marie Corelli which features lines from Endymion by Keats at the beginning. One thing led to another and ended up reading aloud all of Endymion last night. Actually really loved it. Now I’m on a Keats/mythology related mission…

🤓

💙📚
Front cover to Ardath by Marie Corelli which features a dark green lower part and cream upper and a green vine pattern across the top
November 12, 2025 at 11:33 AM
elmtreem.bsky.social
Just baked a goats cheese and pomegranate #sourdough and I am absolutely not waiting for it to cool..cutting this one to have with leftover omelette and veg mix 🍽️

#BreadSky #baking
Baked oval sourdough loaf on a cooling rack with parchment paper under it, it’s golden brown and you can see some of the pomegranate seeds dotted around the loaf
November 9, 2025 at 10:00 AM
elmtreem.bsky.social
I love the colours 🥰

Getting into pastry now, second try at these - roast veg and goats cheese
Chopped red pepper, red onion and courgette in a tray ready to be browned in oven Leek, pomegranate, sweet potato and parsnip in a large pan on stove Sourdough dough that’s been laminated with goats cheese and pomegranate Roasted veg and goats cheese tart and three little tartlets with leftover pastry, with egg and cream filling
November 8, 2025 at 5:54 PM
elmtreem.bsky.social
Love spending time on the rocks and letting the sea nudge me up the beach 😍😍
November 2, 2025 at 2:46 PM
elmtreem.bsky.social
Autumn sea 🌊, gotta love the mix of cloud and sun. These wee taken only about ten minutes apart!

At Southerndown/Dunraven Bay, S Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿
On a rocky beach, calm but rhythmic waves as tide comes in. Sunlight breaking through grey clouds and lighting up the grey rock Blue sky and light fluffy clouds above a rocky beach Blue sky and light fluffy clouds above a rocky beach
November 2, 2025 at 2:46 PM
elmtreem.bsky.social
Well finished the first (pre) Halloween cake. We shall not discuss the buttercream frosting which was so hard to do (but it was a first attempt!!) …but just gave it away & they loved the little ghosties and pumpkins!! It’s carrot cake with walnut & fondant ghosts/pumpkins 👻🎃

#baking 🍽️ #Halloween
Cake on a cake board with a light orange and cream buttercream frosting which is not well smoothed, chopped walnuts around the edge and three fondant ghosts with long eyes and four pumpkins made out of fondant
October 28, 2025 at 10:23 PM
elmtreem.bsky.social
Some more pics, love this route, & always think of the local legend when I come here - name of the mountain means Heads of the five bulls - the story goes that a local tribe refused to hand over their prized bulls to the Romans who demanded them, opting instead to decapitate the bulls & mount
Top of Pen Pych, looking out over a valley with the towns/villages. Dark cloudy sky and long pale as well as short grass Halfway up Pen Pych with a view across the landscape, lots of rock and moss, dark clouds in the sky Bright yellow flowers - common ragwort A river on the walk up Pen Pych mountain, mossy stones and trees in the autumn stage of turning orange and yellow, green ferns and rapid flowing water
October 26, 2025 at 3:12 PM
elmtreem.bsky.social
Ahh little bimble up Pen Pych today, which is a tabletop mountain (apparently, one of only two in Europe) in the valleys, 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

has a fantastic little waterfall about two thirds of the way up, love this place
October 26, 2025 at 2:59 PM
elmtreem.bsky.social
Here’s the #sourdough bakes this week - apricot and chia seed loaf and apricot and chia seed twisted / braided
Six baked apricot and chia seed sourdough bread rolls fresh out of the oven. Made with a salted butter and apricot paste braided on some and others rolled in chia seeds. Rolls are round with a braided / twisted pattern. Dough itself proofed with chia seeds in it also Apricot and chia seed baked sourdough loaf with a wheat stalk scoring pattern on a wooden chopping board
October 26, 2025 at 9:46 AM
elmtreem.bsky.social
Oooo made a veggie lasagna today as I had loads of veg to use up - it’s really nice!!

Did this with a garlic, herb and chilli flake tomato sauce and a mozzarella, cheddar & salted butter white sauce. Had it with homemade paprika sweet potato fries. Will do this one again ☺️

🍽️ #FoodSky
Three pans with respectively - Tomato sauce, white sauce and mixed diced vegetables (sweet and white potatoes, carrot, spinach, asparagus, carrot, red and white onion and red bell pepper) on the oven hob
October 25, 2025 at 1:15 PM
elmtreem.bsky.social
Zach the brave is enjoying his #caturday 😍
October 25, 2025 at 12:07 PM
elmtreem.bsky.social
Happy Friday! Woke up at crazy o’ clock and realised the night sky was bright with stars still. So glad I went outside - even with my not great phone camera it still captured this 🤩
Image of early morning sky (about 6.30am), Wales. You can see Orion and I believe Gemini, Taurus, Jupiter and Sirius. Dark sky getting lighter towards the horizon, actual sky was much darker but the phone lightened it
October 24, 2025 at 6:51 AM
elmtreem.bsky.social
Uh, apparently I’m ‘really really’ meant to read this book 😁 - decided to order a secondhand copy to have a physical copy and a second one just arrived a couple of days after the first one 🧐

Amazing cover, right? 💙📚

#BookSky
Two hardback copies of Possession by AS Byatt, on a black desk. Front cover design for this edition is a painting called The Beguiling of Merlin by the British Pre-Raphaelite painter Edward Burne-Jones that was created between 1872 and 1877.
October 22, 2025 at 11:11 AM
elmtreem.bsky.social
Me Friday..yea not #baking this weekend, maybe just a #sourdough loaf, if anything.

Yesterday..well maybe and those cinnamon rolls.

Me today…what about those cinnamon braid things…..

So now there’s a monster loaf (she got a bit wild!) and sourdough goodies 😁😁
Sourdough cinnamon rolls in a braided pattern with creel cheese icing on them Sourdough loaf out of the oven, super low expansion score because I messed it up and it’s expanded a lot, has fig and olive inclusions Cinnamon swirls in a round pan with icing on them, small centre one and eight surrounding it
October 19, 2025 at 11:47 AM
elmtreem.bsky.social
Also working my way through Marie Corelli who is such an interesting author. All the bad and good things you read about her books are so true..she was a florid, melodramatic, preachy storyteller and an absolutely untethered, kind of majestic creative powerhouse, capable of real etheric beauty….

💙📚
Front cover to the collected novels of Marie Corelli, green frame with a painting of a woman in black with a large green hat
October 17, 2025 at 8:00 PM
elmtreem.bsky.social
Because I’ve never read it and I know so many people rave about it..💙📚
Front cover to Possession by A S Byatt, shows shadowed trees and in between a blue green sky with two butterflies below a full moon
October 17, 2025 at 8:00 PM
elmtreem.bsky.social
Well today is a special day because it is the ninth anniversary of me & my son moving to #Wales

It’s been an incredible time here, I love the Valleys a hell of a lot, the land is amazing. We’ve both found such beautiful things here for which I’m very grateful.

Below are four reasons I ❤️ #Cymru 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿
Sunset over the sea at Dunraven Bay, Wales, shows a pebble beach with a large log and the coastline to the right and a cloudy sky catching orange and pink sunset tones A misty day in the Rhondda Valley ‘mountains’ (bigger than a hill, smaller than Everest 😏) showing the light catching a stream, and rolls of hill with mist covering the land In the entrance of Porth yr Ogof cave, large entrance with a stream coming in and the light from a sunny day, trees and green leaves reflecting in the water In among the heather at Rhigos Mountain, Wales, view over the valley with green grass and purple heather
October 16, 2025 at 8:45 AM
elmtreem.bsky.social
This week is already frenetic, but I’m truly trying to keep it smoother - not least as looking forward to tonight & our little story group, a friend who is a beautiful storyteller is telling one & so want to be present for it & her - I know she’s nervous... Work is mental..So yea..gently does it 😵😌
Holding a black feather (think crow) with four little rain drops on it, green grass in the background, from a wander a while back
October 13, 2025 at 11:24 AM
elmtreem.bsky.social
Ok that’s a wrap for #baking this weekend I’m so pleased with the bakes the last couple of days, it makes me really happy to keep trying new bakes & improving on familiar ones. Got some presents for the neighbours & a full freezer so time to chill! 🍽️

#sourdough cinnamon rolls and English muffins
Sourdough cinnamon rolls with vanilla cream cheese drizzle Six baked English sourdough muffins
October 12, 2025 at 11:04 AM
elmtreem.bsky.social
Think I might do overnight counter proofing again!

#sourdough
Loaf of sourdough bread out of the oven, is an oval with a raised ear and some west patterns on one side with white flour making them stand out
October 12, 2025 at 10:42 AM
elmtreem.bsky.social
Well it worked! Left one looks over but it doesn’t actually feel it when I shaped. Got the bakes starting to line up 🥰

This is going to be some English muffins, pizza bases to freeze and loaf bread for the week and cinnamon rolls for neighbours ☺️

#sourdough
Overnight counter proofed sourdough bread, one in left is for plain bread and pizza bases and on right for muffins and cinnamon rolls, difference is right one has milk, butter and sugar in it. Various doughs rolled out, rounds for pizza bases and muffins, an oval loaf on a banneton basket and some flat oval resting to get thinner for cinnamon rolls
October 12, 2025 at 9:05 AM