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Monday 18 November 2019

End of the marmalade

It was a sudden revelation that this was the last jar of 2019 marmalade, and a tiny jar at that. Although fifty plus jars were made back in January clearly this was not enough to last until next January. There are options to solve this, damson jam is eaten instead, we buy shop marmalade or purchase a can of Marmade (think that is the right name) to make a pseudo home made product. In reality  marmalade maybe home made from charity stalls at Christmas lighting up events or winter fairs would be a tastier option.



As long as I’ve had my own home I have made a Christmas cake, usually  using the recipe from the Stork cookery book from school, this year albeit a bit late to allow for maturity I’m doing the same. The fruit has been soaking in brandy, hope I wasn’t too heavy handed with the liquor and today, after a dental checkup the creaming, beating and baking will begin.







This glass bowl has a history, when DS was at play school there was the inevitable fund raising, this bowl, filled with ingredients to make a Christmas cake, was the prize, this was either 34 or 35 years ago. No clingfilm used, this cover reminds  me of shower caps, they are for food use to cover bowls, can be washed and reused, Ian bought them as part of our efforts to be eco friendly.




Thursday 7 November 2019

Heaven in suburbia

Life in suburbia has been fairly routine, nothing exceptional to record, day to day decisions about choice of meals, knitting groups, one at garden centre, one at a coffee chain, Pilates, a small move around of furniture in the lounge/back room/sitting room/snug to allow for the gas fire to be lit, ironing so yesterday was different for me. Met up with a school friend, we sat next to each other in sixth form so have known each other a long while, as we are both Friends of Kew Gardens we chose to go there, wow, it was a still morning so the ponds and lakes were mirror like, I didn’t take many pictures, will add them to the end of this waffle. Also for me there was the bonus of being out in the fresh air, walking for a couple of hours with pauses to admire the vistas, as friend said we are so lucky to live near to a world famous garden. I know I don’t have enough exercise so this was a good thing, as Sellers & Yeatman would say.




The first and third photos of the leaves were intended to show Ian what can be planted under trees, I didn’t think to find a label. Should have photographed the wildlife, plenty of coots, moorhens and swans.