Friday the 13th

I finished off the quince and apple jelly yesterday and got a good set quite quickly. 

 

4 jars made, a good golden colour. 2 for the hampers and 2 to keep.

Thanks for conversational comments yesterday. Margaret P was asking about our water treatment and I'm sure some clever person out there will know why some water smells of chlorine and other water doesn't. Our mains water here comes from a deep bore-hole aquifer  and the water tower which provides the pressure to get the water here  is at Saxmundham. The water in this area is what we call hard water and makes limescale easily it doesn't smell of chlorine at all.  

Quite a bright breezy day here so far today and washing is blowing merrily on the line. Bread is rising in the kitchen and I've been writing lists. I have the list of things that need making before Christmas and jobs that need doing and another list of plans for my December blog posts. That's as well as the lists in the Christmas book of presents and cards.

A bit of shopping needs doing later and then it will be an evening watching the Children In Need programmes.

That's our Friday 13th sorted - touch wood and crossing fingers.

 Stay safe

Back Tomorrow

Sue

Yesterday + more money saver tips re-hashed from 2013

Yesterday was Saint Martin's Day or Martinmas, a date that featured often in rhymes about the weather, long before the days of weather forecasts.

If ice on Martinmas will bear a duck

The rest of the winter is mud and muck

 

According to my Chambers Book of Days, St Martin of Tours is the patron saint of soldiers he was born into a pagan family and served in the army. After sharing his cloak with a freezing beggar he saw a vision of Christ and was baptised in AD 354. The cloak became a sacred relic and was carried into battle by many French monarchs. When not in use it was stored in a special sanctuary called a chapella (from the old French chape - a cloak) This is where our word Chapel comes from.
A period of warm days often occurs around this time - so true this year and as the ice on the 11th this year was definitely not thick enough to bear a duck then we may be in for a cold winter.......or not! Because another weather say says that if the wind is SW - it was- then it will stay that way until February and that means a mild winter. I'm thinking we might as well just wait and see.

Yesterday was also the day I used my new jelly bag and stand for the first time. After this disaster back in February  I chucked out the slightly rusty metal jelly bag stand and didn't replace it until we were away in Cumbria and visited the Lakeland shop in Windermere. Then it's taken me until now to start the Quince and Apple Jelly using the easy snap together plastic stand. There are little hooks to catch the edges of  the jelly bag so hopefully I won't have the same messy problem again.

I left it to drip all night and will finish it  today, another item for the Christmas hampers I think.
While I was thinking about Christmas I decided to do another collection of goodies for Father in law. Not so many chutneys but a few bought food things added to the homemade. I can't think of anything he needs being well over 80 and quite poorly. Col's brother still lives with his dad and I have no idea what to find for him for Christmas. More food?
Then I got to thinking of all the things I could make for food hampers if I didn't have a garden and loads of produce and made a list which I will add to when I get new ideas, that's really planning ahead!

Also Yesterday Col had a bit more energy and spent a couple of hours sorting through more things that he wants to take with him. For years we've had a lot of stacking bread crates that we used to use  for taking books to country fairs now they will be handy for piling up with tools etc and stacking in the horse box trailer.

My 11th tip for saving money is one we use all the time so it must have saved us a fortune. It is to invest in a flask and take tea or coffee with you on a day out. We actually take a flask of boiling water, two mugs and a tub with coffee and a teaspoon. A bit of milk in a small bottle and we have a drink as good as we have at home. If we are taking lunch too then it's either a home made salad-in-a-box  and two forks when we've got salad in the garden or sandwiches or rolls the rest of the year.
Tip number 12 was on the same lines - Don't waste money on bottled water - stand a bottle of tap water in the fridge overnight to take with you next day. We almost always take a bottle of tap water with us when we go out, often handy.

Probably Back Tomorrow
Sue

Quinces both large and small

Our 2 quince trees have small round fruit but at a house across the fields there are trees with very large pear shaped fruits. Although I didn't need them we were given a bag of the large ones. I've arranged ( heaped) them artfully  (any-old-how) into an old basket where according to things I've read they should give off a lovely fragrance . I tried this once before and all they did was gather dust!

I will make some apple and quince jelly later in the month but will only need a couple of pound of each to make enough for what we need.

I found a comment on an old post asking about sterilising jars before making chutneys and jam. I always give jars a good wash in hot soapy water, then rinse out and pop on a tray in a hot oven for half an hour at least.

Thanks for comments about the Cumbria photos

Back in a trice
Sue