Oh yes, today Jim stirred and weighed and added sugar to the dripped juice, rolling boiled and poured and I capped and topped our lovely blackcurrant jelly.
It's not labelled yet but I'll do that soon. If the weather is fine tomorrow, we'll be able to pick some more. It's given 2 days of fine weather. Hooray.We had to sample some for our afternoon tea:
Yummy....No builders today.
Garden Progress
I carried on with the border I was doing yesterday and finished the stone edging as far as I could. Jim's car is in the way now and as it no longer goes, that's it I suppose!! I could put the stones round it and make it part of the border! I know you saw a photo yesterday, but now it has more stones and I filled the front section with fresh soil ready for some rockery plants:
and here is one a bit closer of the new stones:
You can see the new dark soil. I cannot dig out the weeds as this is the bed that has the cowslips and crocus in the spring and I don't want to lose those. I may have to attack it in the spring, when I can see where they are and avoid them.On our trip to Galway and B and Q on Saturday, we bought this lovely black leaved plant:
Isn't it pretty? It can be split into several small plants, so some of them will go in the above border. Read about the card below under ATCs.Vegetable Patch
The veg patch is going crazy. Jim picked some carrots today, ok, it was a small bunch but they were delicious, together with some fresh chard, potatoes and pork fillets with our own redcurrant jelly. Lovely.
Jim has also grown some 'asparagus peas' this year for the first time. I don't know what they'll be like but the little scarlet flowers are fabulous:
The big peas are swelling by the day and soon we'll be able to eat some. They are my very favourite, preferably straight from the pod! (when Jim isn't looking).
And look, we have sweet corn cobs appearing! I just love the leaves of sweetcorn:
Animals and birds
Buster went out this evening and didn't come back until midnight. What a bad dog. Sandy has been round our feet a lot today which is unusual. Here he is sitting on our bench:
We often get curlews flying overhead, usually in 2s and 3s but today a whole flock flew over. They make an amazing noise, we often hear them before we see them and I tried to photograph them. The camera had trouble focusing on them but I did manage a couple of decent shots:
Can you see their long curled beaks?
They always seem to fly over in the early evening. I wonder where they're going? There must have been 40 or more today. Their flight is rather languid and their wings are wide. If you click on any of the photos it will enlarge them.ATCs
This morning I received an ACT from Lisa, who is one of the 10 members of our Artist Trading Card Group, doing the alphabet. My letter from her is 'G' for Goat. How beautiful is this:
It's a pygmy goat and I want to cuddle him!! It came with the card above. Here's a better photo of it:
I have had one of this series before and I love them.I have just made my letter J for Jumping for Joy:
This one will go to Linda (Stampmaiden), but not until 20th July. I like to make them ahead in case I have trouble with one.Fruit
I picked some more strawberries and raspberries today. I don't think there'll be many more. Quite a few have botritis and have rotted with the wet. Still we did get to make a little strawberry jam and have had lots with cream. I might make some scones tomorrow to have with strawberries and cream. Mmmmm.
Lina
It's my Grand daughter Lina's 12th birthday tomorrow (well, today actually, 8th July). I made her a card, posted it and forgot to photograph it. Perhaps K will do it for me. She will have to have pennies for a present and I have no idea what she's 'into' these days. I hope she has a wonderful day. I know she is going to have a party and that her brother Tony's group is going to be playing. How exciting, I wish I was going. K's promised to take lots of photos and some video. Watch this space!!
This is a photo of Lina at Cleethorpes on a day out earlier this year.
This is big brother Tony who will be playing with his group for Lina's party. Tony's just got a distinction, merit, merit at college studying performing arts and now goes onto Derby University for his degree. Clever boy.
18 comments:
Oh, the jelly looks wonderful on the shelf. The garden looks lush. I wouldn't be much help in the garden for I would be sneak eating those peas!
Nice job with finishing the rocks. Hey, if the car isn't going anywhere, open the trunk and plant some flowers in there! :)Bea
Ooo, BT, you would have to tempt me with posting pics of jelly and then YOU sampling it!
Your garden is looking beautiful and how wonderful that you and Jim are reaping the benefits.
Wait a minute! When I read that ATC was going to me I jumped out my chair for joy! It's absolutely gorgeous! LOVE IT! ackkk!
Linda
I adore home made jelly....my Gran used to make the most amazing blackberry jelly (Must get the recipe from her!!)
I love love love that ATC with the wee lady holding the flowers!! And I love love love the Jumping for Joy ATC that you've made!! (makes me wish that I had joined in with your A to Z)
C x
The jelly looks great. Lovely colour.
Allotment looks fantastic!
x
How marvellous!
It's early morning here and how hungry you make me with your jelly and bread! If Sandy cat is like my cat he is waiting for you to shell him a pea. Ditto cat loves fresh peas! A very happy birthday wish to lovely Lina.
Wow BT the jelly and garden look lushious. Those pretty scarlet pea blooms look good enough to eat themselves.
I grow the black lirope here. It spreads nice and is so unusual looking in the garden. I think you will enjoy it.
What a rich post!
I love the blackcurrant jelly and your grand success in peas. Gardens are so wonderful aren't they?
Num-num jelly! Remember the good ol' days when I used to make jam, jelly, homemade breads, etc.
We have a lady a few miles up the road from Ireland that started collecting stones, yup! The next thing we knew she had this huge fence built from stones that is gorgeous. When we went to Ireland we saw all the stone fencings ... they were so pretty.
TTFN~Marydon
Lovely home grown produce - you can't beat it. I have one of those black leaved plants - can't remember it's name - they are very striking among other foliage. Your vegs are looking fantastic. Hope you enjoy the asparagus peas - I grew some a few years back and they are so pretty. I shall be busy in the garden on Friday, weather permitting, as I'm out all day tomorrow. There is always plenty to do out there.
Forgot to say how much I like your ATC - it's great fun.
I think I'm greener than your allotment- with envy! Confession- I eat my carrots straight out of the ground which kinda prevents them growing very large. When we lived in the Aberdares, Kenya, the elephant used to come through at night and dig up and eat the carrots and cabbages. So does that make me an elephant?
Love your cards, various- you know you're going to need a lot more of those great holders...why bother to tile the bathroom? Paper and laminate the walls with your fun cards! And your jelly is all set for the winter, I think home-made jelly and jams are the taste of summer- they warm your soul in the deeps of winter.
Oh and thank you for your comments in the 'Timeless Treasures'- much appreciated! I'm working on the content, trying not to make it too twee or prissy, but any suggestions gratefully received! I was going to ask if I could use one of your flower photos as they are so gorgeous. All I've managed to grow this summer is one moth-eaten miniature rose flower!!!Apart from the veg!
Bea,the jelly is wonderful, I've just had some!! I also pinch the peas. We had our first cooked ones tonight. What a good idea re the car!
Oh Linda, I'm so glad you like the ATC, I worried it was a bit plain. Thanks for the compliments.
Hi Carol, thanks, the lady with the flowers is a card I received from someone, not an ATC. It's hard to tell size in the photos. Glad you like my 'jumping for joy'.
Thanks Jason, and Rachel, the allotment's the best it's been.
Hello Mildred, I'm afraid my cats and dog would turn their noses up at peas!! The jelly is gorgeous.
Lisa, I'm glad you liked the scarlet pea blooms, they are so pretty. I'm glad the lirope spreads, I need things that do that!
Thanks Arija, gardens are wonderful as long as we don't get your drought.
Hello blushing rose. Aha, lots of stone walls here! We have stone everywhere, we'll have a lot more soon as our old barn has to be demolished as it's unsafe.
Thanks for your comments Heather. I hope it'll be fine tomorrow as we still have blackcurrants to pick, or they'll be too ripe.
Heckety, sorry, I don't mean to make you green!! You'll look like The Hulk! Home made jam is lovely anytime but I know what you mean about it in the winter. Of course you can use some of my flower photos, I'd be honoured. I'm enjoying your 'Timeless Treasures' and think you have probably got it just about right. Keep on keeping on!!
You have the most amazing looking flowers and birds. We don't have anything like that here.
I love how happy Jim always looks. You two make a wonderful happy couple.
My cupboard is now full of jams and jellies for this year but still the raspberries, strawberries and now blackcurrants keep coming. As for the peas - well any day now there will be a serious glut. Still it all tastes good doesn't it.
the jam does look tasty. Excellent photos of the curlews, that must have been a challenge! Sandy looks like a lovely kitten
aims, that's because it's too COLD where you are!! lol. I always make Jim smile for the camera! No, he's a happy chap most of the time. We keep smiling.
Weaver, yes, the blackcurrants keep on coming here too. We picked a load more today. Our strawberries have about finished and we don't have that many raspberries. They taste delicious though, I agree.
Thanks Crafty Green Poet, the trouble with the curlews flying over is that the camera can't focus on them easily. I was pleased with the ones I achieved. Sandy and BlackJack are almost a year and a half old now but still behave like kittens and they're not big cats.
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