More squirrel jobs

TIP OF THE DAY:

When pickling red cabbage, 

1 cabbage = 3 jars.

don't wear purple nail varnish!!  

Apart from that it's just so easy.  Just slice (minding the nails!), salt, leave overnight, pack into jars, top up with vinegar and add some pickling spices - now that's easy!

Waiting for Christmas Day

Another seasonal job done (but hardly gardening) 3 plumcious Christmas puddings made.  They're only getting a mention here 'cos for the very first time I've cooked Christmas puddings without turning the kitchen into a sauna!  With such l-o-n-g cooking times; usually the condensation is running down the window panes - if not the walls too.  This year, I turned to the Queen of Aga: Mary Berry and steamed them all gently in the simmering oven for 12 hours.  Result - 3 perfect puddings and not a hint of steam anywhere at all!  I did think about another type of pud for Christmas but what else can you bring to the table flaming in brandy that's so traditional?  I know it's not a favourite but I couldn't bring myself to buy a supermarket cheapy and these are so full of such delicious ingredients.  I wonder how much will be eaten by the Swiss delegation???

Just a footnote about the pudding cloths and how to tie them.  Two of these were made by a friend a few years ago.  She was the school seamstress when we had boarders.  Each one is circular and has its own ties with a strip of tape across the top from which to hang them.  The last one is tied in the traditional way by placing a square of pleated cloth (to allow for expansion) then tying the string tightly around the basin close up to the rim.  Old sheets or pillow cases are ideal.  The corners of the cloth are brought together and tied in opposing pairs.  Traditionally, they were hung from the beams in old farmhouse kitchens and will almost keep indefinitely.  Even after a year, they are still delicious!

Marmalade Mission

The Ingredients

£2.50 Lemon Tree

Decanting the marmalade.

When I bought a little lemon tree from Birmingham Botanical Gardens for £2.50 about 5 years ago, I could never have imagined picking crops of lemons in November amid the delicious scent of its flowers.  The challenge was to make diabetic marmalade with them.  Mission on!  It's not a cheap option using Xylitol instead of sugar in fact, it cost around £24 - gulp!  Getting it to set wasn't easy either and I was forced to resort to the use of Certo.  However, the results were well worthwhile.  It's quite delicious and you don't have to be diabetic to enjoy this!   3lbs of lemons made 11 jars - that's a lot of breakfasts!

The lemon tree spends its summers out on the terrace and last winter; the greenhouse.  By spring it was covered in sooty mould and just about every infestation you could think of.  I hosed it off, washing each leaf individually back in April.  Despite a summer that never was, it was covered in fruit which slowly ripened.  Chris and Ian lifted it into the conservatory last month and the lovely thing about citrus is the fact that they bear fruit and flowers simultaneously and the conservatory is now full of fragrance and the cupboard full of marmalade!

Another 10 jars and plenty left for G&T's!

More Rain - More Roofing

Chris G. making the sparks fly

As if a new Hennery roof wasn't enough!  More roofing was needed over a new delivery of logs,  It was another offer we couldn't refuse and as, all other available log storage was full, there was only one thing for it.  More roofing! Anyway, a couple of interesting photo opportunities arose when Chris was cutting the galvanised corrugated tin in the dark (and the high wind and the rain!!)

More photos of C.G. at: https://picasaweb.google.com/100788191989823327785/MakingTheSparksFly

Keeping a steady hand

Roofing in the Rain

TIP OF THE DAY:

Don't choose the rainiest 3 days for roofing jobs!

New Hennery roof

With all this inclement weather and too many wet feathers, it was decided that it was time the Hennery roof was made more waterproof!  Re-roofing from beneath using poly-carbonate sheeting in wind and rain is not the easiest or even quickest job in the world.  However, perseverance paid off and, not only do the girls have a bone dry day shelter but the new roof looks as if it's been there forever thanks to the magic of the Genever touch!  Chris's clematis (a Montana var. rubens 'Majorie') has draped itself quite elegantly over the the roof and around the ceramic nest egg on the apex.  We only took a few tiny snips - honestly, Chris!

At least the photo doesn't show the Somme-like conditions beneath!  I wonder if all this work will have any impact on egg production???

Kay's Arbour Project

With the seat in place

The new path

This week saw the welcome and surprise return of Chris Genever - for 2 whole days! So, using all left over tiles, stone, bricks, marble and even Victorian path edgers, we made a path and small terrace beneath Kay's arbour in the top lawn border. Using such a mix of materials meant that they needed laying out beforehand.  The tricky part of laying all these odd materials with their great variation in thickness and keeping the surfaces level was where the real expertise came in.  It was as we came came to the end of the path that the idea of the semi circle hit us!  We were 4 bricks short and Chris came up with the idea of wheel spokes using cut ridge tiles and left over cobbles.  He even made the rim from tiny pieces of cut ridge tile and most of this work was done in the dark beneath an old inspection lamp as it was too dark to see at all.  Bit like the Banana Bench beneath the arbour!  Since its coat of creosote, it's rather tricky to see against the sun at this time of year! 

Getting the layout right

Chris digging out the path

More work for the DSM gang as Dave has plans  to illuminate this feature with a small copper lantern suspended from the centre of the arbour.  Will it look Christmassy or will it make us impatient for summer?

Protecting a very wet lawn

Shed Mission

From one shed to another - ultimate upcycling!

This weekend has seen one project finished and another begun and finished!  This is largely due to the fact that Chris Genever made us an offer we couldn't refuse and he came for 2 whole days.  We finished the new shed and Chris made a little terrace/threshold out of some left over York stone and some reclaimed (from Kay's garden) slate and a planter using 2 old ridge tiles. Apart from the windows and the pears, all exterior materials are original and we used the offcuts of the floor and ceiling timbers to create its 'crown'.  

The original shed and it's rebuild!

The interior is now painted and the wood work has been coated with a turpentine linseed oil mix.  The floor has had a wash with a very dilute white emulsion which has lightened the whole room.  The bench which was also Kay's  has been rubbed down and stripped of its chipped orange/brown paint and repainted in Old English Green to match the frieze. We need to come up with some sort of door catch usable from both sides.  Ideas on that one are still bouncing around!

Hopefully there will be room for a small writing desk, a book case and a chair.  I might even steal the hearth rug from the sitting room to make it just a little cosy! I really must unpack the exercise bike as there really are no excuses left for further delays.  We are waiting for Dave Melhuish: our esteemed electrician from D.S.M. Electrical Installations Ltd. to come and work his magic!

The real $64,000.00 question is: what shall we call it?

The Leaves are Falling Fast

A tidier pond!

Chief blogger's been gallivanting again and no gardening for 2 weeks!  Even Chief Gardener escaped to Thailand for some sun.  On our return, the garden was looking more than a little desolate and a deep layer of fallen leaves carpeted the lawns and the orchard.  Thank goodness for a dry day and sunshine!  It was straight to work mowing and blowing leaves.  Mowed leaves were composted and the rest were blown on to the borders to rot down naturally.

Using up the leftover York stone

Painting the interior

Sponged on emulsion

On Saturday, Chris dug the veg patch.   He also dug/fished out vast quantities of dead leaves from the pond totally transforming it's appearance. Looking at the Acer, I think there will be more to clear next week! Meanwhile, Chris and I finished the frieze on the new shed and began work on a stone threshold outside.  

I even managed to get another couple of coats of paint on the interior walls. I tried sponging on the paint for a change and was reasonably pleased with the change from an all over plain matt finish.  Just the dado  rails, door and window frames left to stain and floor boards to paint.