Jammin...

Might have gone a little over the top with the raspberry picking on Sunday...  Nine jars of jam made yesterday and another large punnet of raspberries still in the fridge....

Garden Goodness...

 I have started picking produce from the garden - small quantities still, but enough for a rhubarb crumble and this morning I made some white currant jelly.

I made it at 6 a.m. and had it on toast for breakfast - delicious!

In a Jam....

I am slowly working my way through the grape mountain, although because it is taking so long, quite a lot of them have already started to turn mouldy and have had to be thrown away.  It didn't help that I managed to catch the most virulent bug from the day job, involving a sore throat, banging headache and a fever, so standing for hours shucking grapes was difficult to say the least!

However, I have made fourteen jars of grape jelly so far, given away four, and have a third of the grapes left. I'm taking today off, time to get on with some painting. I'm sure the grapes will still be there in the morning and if some have gone mouldy, that's just unfortunate!

Closing 2012 - Caught Up!

 

I had great fun crocheting this angler fish - a very simple pattern from the brilliant book, 75 Shells, Corals and Sea Creatures.  It is so clever, with effective little touches such as using a lace border to make the ring of teeth - just the picots show, the rest of the lace is tucked inside the felt mouth lining.

I just suddenly realised that with the completion of these little guys, I have finally finished all outstanding projects from 2012!  There are still plenty of items still to be made for the animated film and a couple of very recent commissions, but the long list that has dominated my computer screen for the past few months is finally empty - yay!

However, I am about to embark on possibly the most ambitious knitted article yet.  Luckily I live with someone who restores classic cars for a living and who can help me with the basic structure; although I have a sneaking suspicion I may end up beating him over the head with it at some point in the future.....

Can you see the 7 jars of marmalade I made yesterday in the background?  It came at a price as I sliced my hand open on the Mamade tin.....I told you I shouldn't be allowed to touch sharp objects!
 

More To The Collection....

Last week we took a trip to Ikea - I hadn't planned on buying anything much, but I just had to have this set of cookie cutters. By the time I've finished, I'll be able to make a gingerbread zoo.....

I've not had the time over the past week to do much crafting - the last week of the summer term is always very busy.  I did manage to squeeze in a spot of jam making though - made with fresh raspberries that we picked the day before.  Delicious!

A Good Day....

Sometimes a day is just packed full of good things, like....

...our first trip of the year to the pick-your-own fruit farm and several pounds of fragrant red strawberries waiting to be turned into jam.  The best ones will be saved just for eating with cream or on pancakes.  As we are being brought some clotted cream from Devon tomorrow (thank you Midge!), I predict a cream tea with scones and fresh jam in the afternoon....mmmmm.....

We also bought fresh gooseberries, new potatoes, carrots and blueberries. Gooseberry crumble for pudding today!

I discovered this a few feet from our patio doors, tucked into the kiwi vine above our pergola.  We watched this nest being built a week ago and it was incredible how quickly the pair of blackbirds achieved it - just under two days.  However, they disappeared for the rest of the week and we thought they had come to their senses.  Today I could hear magpies cackling in the back garden and that usually means they are on the prowl waiting to kill something, so I went out to chase them off and checked above my head...there she was.  I think I might have blinded her as the flash was on for the first picture I took - hope that doesn't scare her off the nest.

I do wonder what goes on in their heads though - a couple of weeks ago their first batch of chicks fledged and I am sad to say my dog managed to kill one of them.  He found it in the geraniums and grabbed it, dropped it immediately when I yelled at him but the poor thing died of fright, much to my horror - right under where the new nest is.  So either blackbirds are incredibly stupid or there is a sub-plot whereby they are rubbing my nose in it and planning their revenge. I've watched 'The Birds' many times, I've seen what they are capable of....

I've been coveting a t-shirt I saw on Threadless a while back that had a pair of flamingoes on the front but was put off buying it by the price and postage.  It took a while for the penny to drop that a) I am an artist, b) I possess Inktense colour blocks that are colourfast on fabric (let's face it, I now have three boxes of the things!) and c) I could buy a plain white t-shirt for the princely sum of £4 on which to paint a flamingo of my own.  So here it is, half done and even if it goes horribly wrong, it can still be worn for slobbing round the house.

Other good things today...getting all the week's washing done and dry before it rained; having a cup of tea outside in the sun with a friend before it rained; managing two dog walks without getting rained on; bacon butties for lunch and having a peaceful afternoon.

Pick A Peck Of Pickled Pepper......

I cannot believe how much picking, washing, chopping,dicing, slicing, boiling, stirring, sterilising and bottling I have done over the past four days!  Above is the end result - 9 jars of grape jelly (one has been given away), a big batch of beetroot chutney and a big batch of apple and green tomato chutney...and half a bottle of Pontack. Pontack is elderberry sauce, to be used in cooking stews, gravies, game and the like - this was the first time I have attempted it - quite a bit of work for a mere half bottle, it had better be good!

There is a punnet of rosehips still lurking in the kitchen and the apple tree is still full, but I think that is enough for now.  It's been fun foraging the hedgerows and making supplies to get us through the winter, but unless I plan on feeding the entire street, it's time to call it a day.  There is, however, half a pound of sloes in the freezer waiting to be turned into another bottle of sloe gin - I don't think the first bottle will hang around for long.  Why has it taken me this long to discover the stuff, it's amazing!

Oh yes, in the background of the picture you can just about see my son's rice wine brewing in it's container..now that is pure rocket fuel!

With all the above going on, there has been no time for painting which must be rectified this week.  As far as knitting is concerned, I'm still labouring over the second armchair, with a footstool yet to be constructed.  If The Borrowers ever move into our house, they will find themselves living in the lap of luxury.  Did anyone else read those books and secretly wish they were real?

Grapes!

I may have failed miserably with my tomatoes this year, but the grapes have produced a bumper crop - I picked 12 1/2 lbs of them yesterday!  That's over 2 lbs more than last year.  I think they could have stayed on the vine a bit longer, but unfortunately the blackbirds have discovered them and also we have workmen coming to fix the guttering this week and I would cry if I came home to find my grapes crushed and mangled by ladders.

So this weekend will see a production line of grape jelly, apple & tomato chutney (got to get rid of all those green ones somehow) and beetroot chutney.  If we get snowed in again this winter, we can live on jam and pickles......

Life Goes On...

Despite the mangled hand (still looking ghastly but not nearly so painful), there are still things to be done.  At the weekend I tried bottling some plums as I was given a very large bagful.  Today I tried making pickled pears - we have a tree in our garden which is full of pears but none of us are very keen on eating them raw, so I am always looking for ways to make them a bit more palatable. This recipe is from the River Cottage Preserves cookbook - my one gripe is that the quantity of vinegar/sugar mix are stated to be enough for two jars, but was really enough for only one - I had to quickly boil up another lot which may not be quite as spicy.  I'm also a bit concerned that the fruit float and are not covered by the vinegar, but perhaps they will sink with time as the plums did.  I also made four pounds of plum jam, but no-one wants to look at that - we have about 50 jars of jam, marmalade & chutney all perched on the top of the kitchen cabinets like crows in The Birds!

Before the hand incident, I finished re-knitting the lilac collar.  This time I DID cast on loosely but with the cotton yarn it still didn't have quite as much give to it as it should to make the points really long.  It is still quite pretty and is a fast knit.

I may try knitting it again at a later date in a wool based yarn to see of that makes a difference when it is blocked.

Thankfully, although I can't knit for the time being, I can still hold a pencil and a brush, so the artwork is able to continue - phew!  And the dog has been forgiven - I can crochet at least so am making him a new blanket.

Cornucopia.....

The last jellyfish painting was part of a swap with the talented Sybille at Magpie Magic in exchange for one of her gorgeous necklaces. It arrived in the post yesterday and I adore it.  I am afraid the photo does not do it justice - the weather is overcast and wet today and I just cannot get a decent picture even with my daylight lamp. The necklace is very long, with a triple strand at the bottom and is full of wonderful treasures - an ammonite, glass beads, wooden beads, filagree, pieces of shell, beads that look like shell, you name it, it's on there.  I already own another of Sybille's necklaces which also has a enthralling collection of matching and coordinating beads and bits - they are always a pleasure to wear as they not only look good, you can spend hours admiring all the little details!  I would highly recommend her jewellery - it's all original, beautifully made and always fascinating.

Last week I also got sent a little parcel with some delicious beads in it from another talented lady, Jo Sacker.  She made these for me as part of the exchange a few months ago for a knitted dog and sofa. As she has moved house and was in a bit of disarray as far as bead-making facilities were concerned, it took a while to complete the deal - but I think you'll agree it was well worth the wait.  I am planning to make a bracelet with these very soon.

The postman also brought me some scrummy rust coloured sock yarn and some guinea-pig coloured eyelash yarn.  This little guy just needs a set of back legs - and then a little friend and somewhere to live!

It's that time of year again, fruit is starting to ripen and our local pick-your-own farm opened last weekend.  We took a trip up there yesterday and were pleased to discover that not only were the strawberries ripe and luscious, there were plenty of gooseberries as well.

So today is a jam making day - we ran out of last years' jam about a month ago, and I had to resort to buying a jar of raspberry jam for my daughter's breakfast toast - she wasn't keen on the home-made marmelade or  elderflower jelly.  She'll be all right for a while with this little lot....

And finally, I have no painting commissions on the go at the moment so it's an opportunity to have a little play with the Inktense pigment blocks. 

It's been quite a while since I painted a tiger so I am thoroughly enjoying this.  The black markings are being painstakingly painted with black Inktense diluted to make ink, the rest of the picture will hopefully be a bit more free and colourful.  The great thing about Inktense is that once dry, the colour can be painted over time and again with no ill effects, so as long as you plan what you are going to do, great depth and vibrancy of colour is possible.

I'm off to continue this while I have the time!

Pink Mitts & a Chutney Glut

My daughter always looks enviously at the things I knit, and although I do make things for her, they are few and far between. She has been spoilt the last couple of weeks though, as she has acquired a pair of knitted socks that had been languishing in a cupboard waiting for the final toe to be completed, I'm knitting her a sweater and last night I whizzed up these cute little wristwarmers out of some sweet pink yarn that has been knocking about for a very long time. They were a surprise, so it was terrific today as she stroked them covetously, saying pointedly how nice they were, to be able to tell her they were hers.


We have one small apple tree in our garden which usually produces a few sad shrivelled fruit each year. This year it has for some reason produced a bumper crop. We have had apple pies, apple crumbles, given them away, and there is still half a tree's worth out there. Today I used up a large bagful together with the last kilo of homegrown tomatoes to make chutney. A lot of chutney. I've not made this before.....who knew you had to boil it for over three hours? Now the whole house reeks of vinegar, as do I!

It has been a lot of fun this year making jams, jellies and preserves in such abundance - even my son has caught the bug and has made pickles, chutney and is currently brewing his own rice wine. We'll be able to have a taste of summer throughout the long British winter...

Wonderful Wednesday....

For the past three years I haven't liked Wednesdays much....sometimes I have downright hated the things. The reason being that I worked at the day job all day...I know most people work all day and it's not a problem, but in my case it meant spending the afternoon trying to teach art to very small children who would have preferred to be a) painting their own hands/jumpers, b) flicking dirty water across the work of children who actually did want to do some art, c) trying to kill each other or d) picking their noses and eating it. There were the occasional moments that made it worthwhile, but they were few and far between. On the whole I found it exhausting and soul destroying, especially when I used to get home too tired and grouchy to get on with my own painting. So this year I bit the bullet and quit doing that...and gave up the morning for good measure, praying that the loss of earnings wouldn't affect us too badly. Thankfully, the commissions have continued to roll in steadily, so for now it would seem to have been the right decision.

So today there was no alarm clock to start with - I still got up at the same time, but without the shock. I did the shopping & housework and then got on to this...


We have one damson tree at work and this year it has fruited spectacularly. I gathered a huge bagful the other day from only the tips of two branches. I had to stop as it got too heavy to carry home!


So it's jam time once again - I had 1.5 kilos of fruit after removing the stones (with enough left over to boil up for the freezer), so with the addition of the sugar that made approx 3 kilos (6lbs) of jam.


That should keep us going for a week or two....


It seems to be a bumper year for berries in the hedgerow too. On our walk this afternoon I noticed the bushes and trees are laden.


I hope the old wives' tale that this means we will have a hard winter doesn't come true!


Gratuitous picture of my dog, just because he is pretty........

And now I can go and continue painting without a Wednesday headache or sore throat.....

Lazy Sunday Afternoon.......

With the hot weather we have been having plus copious trips to and fro with the watering can, the garden is in full bloom at last. I think for the first time ever I have had to admit that there really is no room left to jam any more plants in....although an agapanthus managed to find it's way home with me yesterday and has had to be stuffed into the top of a ceramic vase for want of anywhere else.


Lilies abound, cream ones in full bloom, pink and Stargazer almost there.


The way the honeysuckle has climbed up the stalk of my new hummingbird ornament tickles me - look at the perfect leaf formation!


Butternut squash are growing almost visibly, the courgettes aren't far behind, tomatoes are ripening and I picked the first few blueberries of a bumper crop today. We gave in to temptation and opened the velcro doors in our potato sacks today - shouldn't have done that! The blue 'Truffles' potatoes are only just starting to form and the Desiree are still quite small...so we quickly put the earth back and shut the flap and will leave them for another couple of weeks.


We visited the 'pick your own' fruit farm yesterday and came back with a ridiculous amount of large succulent raspberries - it's jam time again! Some strawberries, gooseberries and blueberries were acquired too, but we had to walk away from the blackcurrants as they are not quite ripe. I don't know how some people cannot manage their 'five a day' portions of fruit and veg - I think we get about twice that, especially during the summer season.

Gluttony.....

What do you do on the hottest day of the year so far if you couldn't care less about the World Cup?



Make jam of course! We visited a pick-your-own farm yesterday and got a bit carried away gathering gooseberries and strawberries. So we had gooseberry crumble for pudding yesterday, pancakes with strawberries & blueberries for breakfast, will have fresh strawberries and Greek yoghurt for pudding today, and I have made about 10 lbs of jam. That should keep us going through the winter.....or at least the next few weeks. Now we await the ripening of raspberries and damsons for the next couple of batches......

I think the English football team should have spent their afternoon today making jam too....at least they'd have had something to show for it!