Outside for a change!

I have blogged very little about my garden. Mainly due to the awful weather we have been having! But today started of dry and bright with sunshine.

So outside I went, the veg patch is quite bare at the moment.



This bed I want to move, very little grows well here, I think its down to the high fence with the huge hedge behind it. Anyway we intend to slab it and put the bar-b-que here and at the far end by the blue chairs I shall hopefully move my Indian Bean Tree. The bed is going...



down here where the chickens where on the right



at the end of the bed on the left I thought I might put a triangular bed and use it for strawberries. My neighbour has a strawberry bed and she got loads. I want loads too!! The only thing stopping me is my back! Normally I would have done it, no problems but I'm scared about doing my back any further damage!


But look at these silly things, these are the autumn planted onions, I'm sure they are not supposed to be doing this just yet! I have never grown these before so don't really know?



In the greenhouse things are growing away cos its so mild I shall have to fight my way in with a machette in the spring!



Look at the Maureli's



they are supposed to be dormant!!!!

This was the sky just before the rain came again!!!

Alone!

I sometimes get fed up of being alone. Don't get me wrong I enjoy my own company but I love to chat too. Being a weekend you would expect (hope) people would be around but nope! Hubby has had to go into work, again. He is so overworked its not true. I would never complain, as he is the man who earns the "Crusty Bread" but sometimes I worry as he works exceptionally long days. The company he works for has a new man at its head, he was an accountant and we all know what accountants always see....... the bottom line, not so much the care of the work force!

Tori is busy doing her homework in her room, she is quite motivated after getting a 'B' for her last assignment. All I can hear is the tap of the keyboard and 'Disney songs', she does love disney!!Lol!

So I have to keep out of mischief!!!!

So out came my bag of materials and with a cut, cut here and a snip, snip there



I made another chicken



this is for a friend, who I know does not read my blog, but has been going through a rough period having lost her job .



Looks good in a frame. They are quite fiddly to do so keep me occupied. I love them cos they seem to have a personality once put together! They make me laugh!

I want to do a cat, but I can't seem to get it right! I like the shape of this one



but it needed layers so I added the stripes, but I can't get the face right, in fact the more I look at it the less character it has. To be honest it has to many 'little' bits which means it takes an age to put together and now I've seen it on my blog I don't like it!!!
So my crafting friends, suggestions please. I love cats and would love a patchwork cat, with character, I need to simplify it, I think!

Medlar Jelly

If you guessed Medlar to yesterdays picture you would be right!

I got 8lbs of them from a Freecycler so yesterday and today I have been busy. I took loads of pics as I was making it but for some unknown reason my camera has decided not to work with all of them (bizarre) so I'm afraid you will have to do with what I have left!



First wash all the Medlars you don't need to weigh them, just quarter them and pop them in a pan. Cover them with water, but not so much that they are floating.



Boil until they are soft, mine boiled for one and half hours.

These are the pics that are missing...
set up a jelly strainer over a container and spoon all the Medlars, juice and everything into the jelly bag and leave overnight. Do not squeeze just lift clear in the morning and then measure the liquid back into your pan.



For every pint of liquid add 1lb sugar and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Then boil until setting point is reached.



Only skim off the scum once setting point has been reached otherwise you waste the jelly. Pour into sterilized jars.

This is the best bit



just look at the colour, how do manky looking fruit produce this?



I think I would like curtains this colour! I digress, this jelly is good with all cooked meats, well thats what I eat it with, it is extremely yummy! So if you know of a medlar tree give it a go, just four ingredients, Medlars, Sugar, Lemon Juice and Water.

PS Don't forget to register your interest in my giveaway, two posts down, if you haven't already done so.

Jake

Why is it that 'tuxedo' cats can have a really evil look?



Jake is such a sweetie and adores T. He is calming down alot now and eats downstairs, the litterbox is also downstairs by the door, which he uses with regularity then goes outside!!!!!!
But
The really good news is this



his tail, its got hair on it again. When he first came to us it was bald and he chewed it to pieces. Now he hardly ever has a go at it!

Now lets see how clever you all are, any idea what this is?



Well I shall tell you tomorrow and what I will be doing with it!

Giveaway!

I have been slaving away all afternoon, well the last couple of hours anyway! I have finished the 'giveaway' as promised.

This is what I am putting in the giveaway



a 10 x 8 picture of a chicken in a frame, a yummy box of Dark Mint Chocolate Leaves and a bag of 5 Species Narcissus Baby Boomer Bulbs. These are my most favourite as they have 3+ flowers per stem.

This is a close up of the chicken giving a better representation of the colours.



So if you would like to be in with a chance of winning these then leave a comment between now and the end of November, when I will draw the names out of a hat or pot or whatever to see who wins. I thought I would do a December Giveaway too, so watch out for that!

Good Luck.