Definitely Artisan

These past two days I have been busy in our kitchen chopping and stirring various pots and pans full of tomatoes, onions and peppers in what I thought were mega quantities. For all my hard work though we don't seem to have ended up with an awful lot of full jars.

A basket of freshly picked goodies...our peppers have been plagued by earwigs.

A whole 1.5kg of onions went into making these four small jars of spiced onion relish.

This is tomato jam...and a pound of tomatoes has fitted into each of these jars!

This was the beginning of the task of peeling shallots ready to soak in brine before pickling in sherry vinegar in two days time.

I have also made six tiny jars of tomato and pepper relish. 

Such a lot of work for the amount of food however I have warned hubby we will be using teaspoons to serve these preserves. I dread to think about the real cost of what I have made in labour. Definitely Artisan. I now take daily readings of our electricity meter and can see just how much electricity I used as well. They had better all taste exceedingly good!

Back to work tomorrow, then a week off. Really want to finish painting the bathroom.

Blessings, J. x

A Rumble

Today the rain came...not all day but it was a start. It was trying to rain when I left home at 6:30 this morning, but soon stopped. At work the thunder began just before 1pm...shortly followed by heavy rain. I had to dash in and out in it and became rather damp. Not complaining but it running down my face wasn't pretty! Driving home at around the halfway point I suddenly realised the road was no longer wet. At home we had full on sunshine and blistering heat. In the time it took me to drink a much needed cup of tea the rumbles began. The sky darkened. I was feeling brave so went up to the garden and picked the beans and pulled some beetroot. Go me...I used to be terrified of thunder...my Grandmother had been terrified, and justifiably so...a thunderbolt had fallen down their chimney when she was younger and bye bye house was the result. See justified fear. 

Anyway having given our neighbours some of the beetroot I popped in next door to daughter as she is also terrified of thunder. She was amazingly calm (for her) but we chatted whilst the storm raged above us. By tea time the storms had abated and this evening the sun has made a bashful reappearance. Having just checked the latest forecast it appears we could be in for a night of crashes and bangs...though tucked up in bed (well sprawled on top of the duvet) hopefully it won't be too bad.

Happy bits from the last few days were attending Hartland Carnival, spending an evening in the pub garden with friends, having family over to Sunday roast last evening, listening to distant rumbles of thunder and feeling relatively safe, having cuddles with Kitty and Wilbur, and youngest grandson telling me he loved me BIG! 

So another 6 of my 55 achieved. There are probably a few that have already occurred and hopefully I shall remember in due course.

But tonight I'll call it a day.

Blessings, J. x

Measuring Happiness

Last year although full of exciting things was rather a stressful time as anyone who has had major building work will understand. I was looking forward to my birthday immensely, however when that day came I was suffering from an ear infection so we renamed it Happy Barfday...not fun at all!

So this August I will be reaching the ripe figure of 55 and due to last years non event I have decided to make sure that during the month I do 55 things that I really enjoy.

So far...Fish & chip supper on the beach with hubby. A picnic by the canal at Bude with hubby. A visit to a very large car boot sale near Bude where we managed to source several glass bowls ready for the wedding desserts next year. Wedding dress shopping for youngest daughter. My first Hockings ice cream of the year. Sitting in the garden on a very warm Summers evening. Treating myself to a jigsaw from a charity shop. Reading the electric meter and realising that it wasn't as bad as I'd feared. Delighting in line dried washing so dry that it didn't require airing at all. A cup of afternoon tea with eldest daughter who has never drunk tea apart from when she was pregnant with her eldest...but now realises that she does actually like it! Listening to the calls of the many wood pigeons who live in the neighbourhood. Loosing my first half a stone. Scoring at the same car boot as earlier a whole bag of Big Jigs and Brio wooden train track and lots of trains and bits for the boys for £6. Finding bread flour in my local Lidl. Finding a little time to just be in this hot weather. Going to work and enjoying being there. Making the first batch of runner bean chutney of the season.

So 17 out of 55...and the weekend is looking good!

My it is hot though. Too hot to garden until the evening. Too hot to do anything really. Yesterday I was paper working on my laptop in the shade and the poor thing overheated. I kind of did too. Even hanging out our bedding just now took more effort and energy than I really had to spare. Our windows desperately need cleaning inside and out...I'm not sure if today will be the day that happens and I'm just going to have to be ok with whatever I do manage. Tomorrow I have an early start avec mask so today I'm being easy on myself. A quick trip earlier to pick up whatever the local store had...which was not a lot but we'll manage. No butter, cream, burger relish, lemonade and I made lots of other substitutions to my list and several things have come home without. All shall be well if only we don't worry too much I hope anyway.

Ready to relax with a cup of tea...

This was a busy kind of day...

Hope you are all managing to keep cool somehow.

Blessings, J. x

           

 

A Glut

Well... the garden is still producing...though the strawberries have now come to an end, a few raspberries are still ripening. Beetroot is growing nicely and I've already boiled up a couple of panfuls. The peas are wanting to go to seed at an alarming rate, but we've eaten our fill on most days. The runner beans are not performing of their finest, but some have been stashed in the freezer. However the tomatoes are literally coming out of our ears. Lovely orange ones I eat like sweets straight from the vine. Small red ones and large ones that hubby prefers...

After dealing with these I remembered that some are beginning to ripen in the top greenhouse too!

This little fella came in this morning...and so straight...not all have been so grand!

A pan of pea and mint soup on the go the other day...it was delicious

Yesterdays make was strawberry jam...it appears rather sloppy in the jars, but I've yet to open one..the bit left in the pan set lovely though. 

Tomorrow as they say is another day, and I plan to have a bake-up...quiche with parsley, bacon cheese and onion, plain scones after I have made butter and buttermilk...then for tea we can try some of the jam with them. Another batch of bread rolls, and maybe some shortbread. Should keep me out of mischief.

Now coverage of the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony is on and I'm putting my feet up and happily risking square eyes!

Blessings, J. x

More News

Well apparently engagements are like buses....you wait for one to come along then suddenly there are two. I am delighted to share with you the news of our youngest daughters' engagement. The wedding is being planned for next Summer. Let the fun begin! There will be much preparation, as rather than paying for a wedding venue, they are holding the party in their large shed...which isn't yet finished, also their half acre plot needs landscaping...with a digger! Hubby is delighted that the money we spend will be helping them for their future rather than just lining someone else's pocket. I'm thinking about the pretty bits as I won't be driving the digger!

I've been quietly melting behind my mask at work this week. And the picking of produce continues with glee. Sadly the housework has slid somewhat but hey you can't juggle too many balls all at once.

Today I visited the dentist for a filling which should have been done back in March but due to the lovely Covid it had to be postponed. It hadn't dawned on me until I saw the size of the dentists needle that he would be filling one of my wisdom teeth. Extra deep injections were required and so I spent the next six hours not being in full control of my tongue. Even now my lips and jaw feel weird. So glad not to have been stopped by the police on my way home. They would definitely have been convinced I was either under the influence or having a stroke.

Well our evening meal has started to sizzle...and I am starving, having not been able to eat much since before lunch.

Blessings, J. x

Just Words

Currently: sitting in the garden on this beautiful Summers evening.

Wishing: life could always be like this.

Listening to: the call of the local wood pigeons.

Drinking: a glass of water.

Hoping: I can get a restful night of sleep before an early start tomorrow.

Waiting: for the washing machine to finish.

Avoiding: the news.

Wanting: an evening with hubby, who has been working every evening this week and is out at a meeting tonight.

Glad: that I have lost 5 lbs over the past two weeks.

Needing: to make our bed.

Grateful: for the bountiful harvest that we have been getting from our garden.

Delighted: that Kitty and Wilbur really love their new outdoor freedom, making getting their collar system really worth it.

Frustrated: that I cannot seem to leave comments on your lovely blogs via my iPad which is what I read on mostly.

But most of all: 

Loving: just being alive.

Blessings, J. x

Trundling Along

Life is as it should be at this time of year, busy busy in the garden, and everywhere else. Rain has arrived and given the fruit trees much needed moisture. The evening task of picking soft fruit is beginning to become a chore, though we really shouldn't complain as there are now plenty of strawberries stashed in the freezer ready for jam making, tart making, and trifles too. Our earliest raspberries have not fared so well, but still we are getting more than we can eat each day.

The cucumbers are keeping several households happy and the tomatoes have just started. The peas only need a few more days before I'll be happily shelling some for our tea. Lettuce I'm afraid has been wasted. It really is feast or famine with that and goodness knows how you can preserve it. I'm really trying to be careful with the amount I consume. Daily exercise is being factored in too, many evenings I have enjoyed an extra walk after tea, though not tonight. Well the tennis is on and I have been tapping out some invoices ready to send off tomorrow.

Here are some stormy looking photos from one of my walks. The clouds made me walk at quite a pace. Hoping to catch up with your words tomorrow over a good pot of tea!

Strolling along happily...

The rain looked near...

Well it's not looking too good for Jack Draper at the moment. Think he's tired as am I.

Blessings J. x