Hedgerow Harvest

Sometime ago I found a recipe in a library book for Hedgerow Jam and resolved that when the time was right I would try it.  On Saturday after lunch I duly set off in search of the required ingredients including sloes, which I have always felt I should be able to make use of but as I don't like gin and I have never known what else to use them for I have until now left on the bushes!  They are so beautiful and look like something Mediterranean I always think.

I decided to make this outing a Bus Pass, Boots and Backpack one and duly set off to catch the bus to the next village - a distance of just over 2 miles which takes about 5 minutes in the car.  I haven't yet found a straightforward route to walk it and walking along the A30 is not to be recommended as it is narrow, busy and in many places has no verge let alone a footpath.  The route the bus took was roundabout and we passed through several small villages and along single track lanes reaching West Coker in about 25 minutes.  I set off to climb to the Ridge and this is the view looking back.

Once on the Ridge this is the view looking across the other side and is one of my favourites - I want my ashes sprinkled here when I die!

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Isn't it stunning?  And just look at the sky - always changing, always huge and beautiful.  I found masses of hawthorn berries and some rosehips on my climb up and then walking round this field I gathered some sloes and blackberries along with some elderberries.

Having packed my bounty into my rucksack I made my way back to the village - ever mindful that I mustn't be late or I would miss the bus and there wouldn't be another till Monday!  Look at that patch of bright sunlight over there whilst everywhere else is in shadow - interesting isn't it?

I loved the light as seen here - looks almost foreign doesn't it? 

Back in the village now and a short walk along the road to the bus stop and home.  I hadn't found any rowan berries nor any crab apples but I knew my neighbour has a crab apple tree in her garden and as luck would have it when I was passing her house she was just arriving back from somewhere and I was able to ask her if she used them all or if not whether I might have a few.  She said of course and I was able to pop back and pick up some of the windfalls after I'd deposited my backpack and its contents and had a cuppa.  So then I had everything except the rowanberries.  I decided to leave it all till Sunday and if it was fine - some hope as we were forecast heavy rain and strong winds - I knew where I could find some half an hour's walk from here. I knew where there were some much nearer but I wanted them from somewhere well away from the roads and traffic fumes.

The forecasters were wrong about the rain and winds early in the day and by lunchtime on Sunday I had all the ingredients I needed. Seems a shame to cook these doesn't it?!

I spent a happy rainy afternoon (yes the forecast was right by then) - it was very time consuming - picking over all the fruit and weighing it and boiling and then sieving it all and then adding sugar and testing for set and so on but I eventually finished up with these - the one at the front is for the neighbour who so kindly gave me the apples.  I don't think I shall be going into production any time soon though as it did take absolutely ages especially if you factor in the three hours on Saturday and an hour on Sunday spent doing my hunter gatherer bit.  I also seemed to have the kitchen worktops covered with pans and bowls and wooden spoons all liberally stained with purple, there were piles of washing up to do and cartons of leftover pulp to take out to the compost bin not to mention splatters of juice on my clothes.

The spread - I can't really call it jam as it doesn't have any pieces of fruit in it and I suppose it should strictly speaking be called a fruit butter - will go well with some of my home made bread and as I enjoy it I will be reminded of the happy time I spent out in the countryside picking the fruit. I made half the recipe as I wasn't sure how it would turn out and I have put the surplus fruit in the freezer but I might keep it for the birds in winter rather than making any more preserves delicious though it is!

Now some might say why on earth go to all that effort;  why not just buy a pot of jam?  I think we are hard wired to provide for ourselves and in doing so we meet some fundamental need going back through the centuries.  It might be time consuming and labour intensive but it is also extremely satisfying in a way that a jar of industrial (or even home made by somebody else)  jam can never be.  And when it's taken so much time in the fresh air and exercise in the walking to find the necessary ingredients as well as the physical labour of the cooking then I feel no sense of guilt at spreading a slice of bread with butter and topping it with some of the resulting spread for surely the exercise will counter the calories I eat!! 

Last days of summer

 Now that the school holidays are over we decided to take advantage of the good weather and to go to Weymouth for an outing - want to come with us?

The beach was almost empty - no Punch and Judy, no children building sandcastles, no lobster coloured sunbathers,no noise and bustle just acres of sand!

The donkeys were still there though looking a little bored as there were no queues of children wanting a ride I wonder if they continue to come till the end of September or just till it's obviously not worthwhile any more.  They are all really well looked after and beautifully groomed and even though I can't have a ride I love to see them.

We walked along to the far end of the beach and round to the harbour.

Over the bridge (you might just be able to see the bridge in the distance) and along the other side - the wind was chilly in spite of the sun and we were glad we were wearing our fleece jackets although some hardy souls were still going sleeveless and in shorts.

You wouldn't want to come dashing out of any of these houses and not looking where you were going!

Once round the Nothe headland we were out of the wind and it was warm in the sunshine.  We walked as far as we could along here and then had to turn off towards civilisation again walking down the narrow streets and back towards the busyness of the harbour area at Brewers Quay.

As always I found a feline friend - isn't he lovely?  I didn't stop long talking to him as I was afraid he might attempt to come to me through the railings and then be in on the pavement and danger of traffic so I said goodbye and continued walking.

Last time I was here Brewers Quay was empty and plans were for turning it into hotel, offices andapartments but for some reason that doesn't seem to be happening and it is now filled with little antique/junk/craft shops we had a poke round and then had lunch in our usual little cafe. 

Walked back round to the main beach and along towards Greenhill and the pebbly part before noticing that the sky looked a little threatening and thought perhaps it was time to return to the bus stop and get the bus back to the Park and Ride where we had left the car. (Reading though this post I am struck by how different the sky looks in all the photos - no longer plain unclouded blue but a more interesting sky with clouds forever changing.)

The guest houses were still decorated with lots of flowers...

I don't ever remember noticing quite so many flowers in window boxes everywhere as I have this year - remember me showing you some in London too?

I have ticked off several of my items on the to do list for this past week:

Patty pan squash cake

Have made bread a couple of times, made a cake using the pattypan squashes I got free from the farm shop where I did some of my weekly shop, been through my recipe file and made a couple of different dinners, had a couple of walks including one in search of blackberries when I didn't find those but came back with a bag of elderberries which I have turned into a couple of bottles of syrup for winter colds and coughs.

Thought what a wonderful plant elder is.  The blossoms are so delightful every one consisting of myriad tiny cream five petaled flowers nodding in the sunshine and which can be used in making elderflower syrup, champagne and go beautifully with gooseberries in summer then come the berries dark and shiny glistening in the autumn light and these too can be used for syrup, wine and when I get the other ingredients to go with them to make hedgerow jam too.  As I stripped the berries from the stalks I noticed how beautiful the remaining stalks were being deep purple/red and umbelliferous in shape an inspiration for embroidery I thought!  The tree is said to ward off evil influences although folklore also suggests that witches congregate beneath elders (must be fairly small people as they are rarely tall enough to congregate under!) and you can make peashooters from the twigs which are easily hollowed out too!  All that from one bush.

I also got my unfinished quilt out and had a look at it though not actually done any more sewing on it yet!  And did a few more rows on a crochet shawl I am making - not bad going eh?  Let's see what happens next week.

Washday blues? Not these days.

I was putting a tray back in its place this morning and this old flat iron, which I use as a stop, caught my eye and my thoughts went to washdays back in the days when these things were used.  Some of you will remember that in the 1950s I lived with my mother for a while at my grandfather's house in the Forest of Dean and that things there even then were much as they had been when Granny was alive - no electricity, no gas, no mains water, no mains drainage and so washday was for my mother as it would have been for Granny back in the early 1900s. Washday really was a specific day and doing the family laundry took all day since with no mains water in the house every drop of water used had to be carried from the tap in the leanto building next door - one cold tap between two houses - and of course in Granny's day would have had to come from the well in the garden.  Then of course it had to be heated - kettles and saucepans on the range so the fire needed to be stoked up.  The hot water was poured into a galvanised bath and cold water added from a bucket and then the washing could commence (kettles and pans being refilled and set back on the fire to heat in readiness for either another wash or for rinsing).  I remember a big bar of yellow Sunlight soap being used or sometimes a bar of green Fairy and later Omo or Tide washing powder.

Of course since there was no mains drainage every drop of water used in the process of doing the weekly wash had to be carried outside and either flung on the garden (in the case of rinsing water) or poured down the outside toilet.  Washing was then dried on the line outside unless of course it was raining when it would have to be dried indoors and since the house consisted of just 2 rooms downstairs and 2 bedrooms above it would entail having it on airers round the range or on lines strung overhead and thus the living space was turned into a damp and difficult place to be and getting any dinner made even more difficult as the range was being used as a dryer!  I don't know whether Granny would have used a mangle for her washing but there was no such item when we were living there and so all the washing was wrung out by hand - no spin dryers!

Once dry there was the process of ironing especially as most fabrics back in the early 50s  - and even more so at the beginning of the century when Granny would have been doing it -were not easy care or non-iron and this is where my flat iron would have come in.  A blanket and an old sheet would be placed on the kitchen table to act as an ironing board and the iron heated on the range - It was necessary to have more than one so that as the one in use was cooling down another was heating up in readiness for a swapover.  Of course the irons were then dirty from the fire and also very hot to handle so a pot holder was needed to hold the thing and a spare cloth to wipe off the majority of the soot before the ironing commenced!

No wonder washday was a hard and complicated procedure and I reflected on how lucky I am that I can toss my washing into a machine and leave it to do itself!  When it's done if the weather is unsuitable for drying on the line outside I can put it on an airer in the conservatory or one of the other rooms which I am not using at the time and don't have to have it festooned across the kitchen where I am trying to get the lunch. (I have never felt the need for a tumble dryer but I bet Granny would have loved one!)  I am sure she would have loved the modern fabrics too especially cosy polar fleece which dries so quickly and needs no ironing.

When it is dry enough for ironing I have an electric iron - no smuts on my iron - and an ironing board, though let's be honest here my ironing board is not state of the art being an old wooden one.  Although not adjustable in height is just right for me and I never need to buy a new cover for it as I save old cotton sheets (such as the one in the iron photo) to use when it needs recovering and all that is required is to remove the old sheeting and replace it with the another piece and bang in a few flat headed nails to keep it all in place!  I usually do my ironing in the conservatory as shown here except when it is too hot/cold/dark and the board lives in that tall cupboard which we rescued from the kitchen when we had it refitted to suit our needs on moving in here.

I wonder how many of you have one of these?  I had this when my daughter was a baby and used it for washing her nappies each day and I now use it for washing handkerchiefs (no tissues used here except when we have a cold!) and at other times to boil up my teacloths and dishcloths.  I also give my dusters and floor cloths (pieces of worn out teacloths and towels) a boil occasionally too. (Excuse the state of it but as it lives in the garage and I use it outside the back door I don't bother too much about its appearance!) 

I told you I was weird!

I see that 21 September is designated World Gratitude day and I for one will be grateful that I don't have to do my washing as Granny did!

September time.

 This was the view from the back door at breakfast time this morning

 Everywhere the plants were embellished with intricate webs each one decorated with its complement of tiny moisture diamonds.  My early walk into town was on the chilly side.

 By the time I got there however the sun was out - as I had known it would be - and these cheery sunflowers were brightening the flower beds in the churchyard.  I have in mind to grow some myself next year as they are reminiscent of our time in France, they are bright and happy looking and the seed heads would provide food for the birds too.

On the walk back I was glad that my route took me under the trees where the shade was very welcome.

It is well over 50 years since I last went back to school but this time of year always seems to me to come with a sense of new beginnings.  Back then I always hoped that this time things would be different, that I would be the quiet one instead of always getting told off for talking, that my exercise books would be neat with no blots, that I could in some way re-invent myself to be the person I wanted to be but by day 2, or probably even before, things were always just as before!  I am slowly coming to accept who I am (it's taken me long enough for heaven's sake!) but I still feel that it is a time for change and new resolutions and instead of not blotting my copybook or getting into trouble for talking too much now it is rather a resolution to actually do some of the things I keep thinking about doing - I am not holding my breath for massive change but I do hope some of these things might actually happen:

Things on my list then include:

*Living simply accepting who I am
*Living seasonally
*Finishing some of what I start in the craft line such as a quilt I began months ago.
*Being more creative whether that be sewing, knitting, scrapbooking or even gardening and cooking.
*Going through my recipe file and cookbooks and planning some more interesting menus
*Making bread more often - I used to do it all the time back in the '80s
*Buying more locally and patronising supermarkets less
*Writing more - whether my memoirs or maybe a journal (or even just a blog post!)
* Maybe doing something more with my photographs - might some of the better ones be used for notelets or calendars or...?
*Walking more and using the car less - more bus pass boots and backpack days perhaps!
*Keeping my diary free at least a couple of days a week so that I can do some of the above yet still have time for a coffee with a friend or an outing now and then

Do you feel that this time of year is the time for new starts too I wonder and what's on your to do lists?

Summer in the City

I accidentally pressed Publish instead of Preview before I had finished writing this post so apologies to those who looked for this post and couldn't find it earlier! 

We decided to make another trip to London taking advantage of the special Summer Fever £15 day return offer and Saturday was the day we chose to go - offer expired on 1 September.  What a fabulous day it was - everyone was making the most of the last days of summer as you can see here in the Embankment Gardens.

 The train was packed as it seemed everyone had the same idea as us and we were lucky to find a couple of flap down seats in the area where one can leave bicycles etc as all the proper seats in the carriages were filled.  We decided that after our couple of hours of sitting and in view of the beautiful weather we wouldn't take the underground or even a bus but would walk to Oxford Street where we were headed.  Here's the London Eye it would have been a great day for a ride - I went on it years ago on just such a day and it is well worth doing for the long distance views on a clear day but this time we just kept on walking!

 Across the Golden Jubilee Footbridge which runs alongside the original Hungerford Bridge which is now solely used by trains - I loved the modern shapes it made against the blue of the sky. The River Thames below looked blue instead of the usual grey in the sunshine

View towards the City and St Paul's cathedral - no need for any red buses to add colour to the scene this week....

...though these two did add a certain something to the picture of St Martins in the Fields.

A few steps further on and we were at Trafalgar Square where Nelson was still standing atop his column in the sunshine looking down on all the people below - how turquoise the water looks in the square too.

I don't remember the name of this street but loved all the flowers in the window boxes.  At the end is Liberty  which we came to later.

 Typical London skyline!!  Always there are cranes and building works going on somewhere.

 Back in the 60s this little street was the place to shop!  Carnaby Street.

 Liberty - iconic timbered building which always makes me think of Chester.  We happened to be there just as the clock struck the quarter hour and St George chased the dragon round - for more information on this see here.  Loved the inscription below which says: No minute gone comes back again, Take heed and see ye nothing do in vain.  Indeed eh?
As with any of my photos if you click on the photo you will see more clearly in the enlargement the clock over the arch.

I can't believe the blue of that sky!

Just a few more steps and we were in Oxford Street - that's John Lewis just in the background.  Always a favourite store of mine. And yet another red bus just visible in thecorner.

Having completed our purchases in John Lewis we had a sandwich lunch and then we set off again and this time walked through Soho where people were sitting at tables on the pavement outside the many little cafes and restaurants and the sound was of gentle conversation along with the chink of cutlery - lovely!  We soon came upon this wonderful little shop - I apologise to the lady in my photo I did wait to see if she would move out of shot but she was engrossed in her mobile phone and I couldn't wait anylonger and to be honestI think she adds a certain je ne sais quoi o the picture anyway.  If you are ever in the area do go inside and have a look - it's crammed with lovely materials of all kinds, trimmings, buttons and threads an Aladin's Cave for anyone like me!!  Do check out the links above and below.  This area was well known in the past for its rag trade and has a fascinating history I am determined to go back one day and poke about some more!

 It was this window display which caught my eye!

We later stopped for a cup of tea in Paul's Bakery, which reminded us of our Saturday afternoon outings to Limoges when we lived in France.  I asked if they had any chouquettes (not listed on the menu) as we used to like to have a few of those alongside our tea in Limoges and sure enough they had and our trip down memory lane was complete!  I didn't think to take the picture till we'd polished off 4 of them!  An aside which might make you smile:  once in France I asked for some chouettes with our tea and the waitress looked puzzled but eventually understood what I wanted and it was only later I realised I had ordered some owls!

Continuing onward we made our way back to the South Bank - this time there is a red bus in the frame!

Here is the Festival Hall and just to one side the Shard as well as more cranes!  You can book to visit and apparently the view is amazing - as it would surely have been on Saturday being so clear. The boats filled with tourists were doing a roaring trade on the water.

On the South Bank the Festival of Neighbourhood continues and people, mainly children, were enjoying dodging the fountains as they changed where they came from as you can see here - it is a good job it was warm as there were some wet and bedraggled children and not a few adults too!

Looking back towards the Embankment.

Last time we were here we visited the Roof Garden and only later discovered that there was a section we hadn't seen so we climbed the steps to the roof gardens - another lovely mosaic for you this one was one of several set into the walkways.

This is the path we had missed last time down between an avenue of small trees (the grass is obviously not real sadly)  The art work on the wall is by Roa - not sure it is to my taste but striking nonetheless!

The avenue led to an area of woodland - not enough light for photos apart from this little space.  It wasn't quite as interesting as I had expected though.

After a wander through the street market below and it was time to get to Waterloo for our train home - luckily we had seats this time as we had probably walked about 4 or 5 miles not counting the wandering round by then.  Yet another lovely day out and as always when I visit London I leave wanting to arrange another visit to see the things I didn't have time for this time.  It's a wonderful city but I am always glad to come home to the country!  On the train home I sat idly wondering how my life might have turned out had I accepted the place I was offered in London instead of choosing to go to Exeter instead when I wanted to train as a radiographer back in the 60s and how that decision might have led to a whole different life!  It obviously wasn't meant to be and my life has turned out pretty well as it is so no regrets but .....!!