The Antidote

Blackberry Liqueur

I know I am probably a little late in the season with this post, but it is very nice so I have managed to snap it today and squeeze a little more blackberry goodness in before the end of the month.

Stuart and the children picked this lot of berries one Sunday a couple of weeks ago whilst I slept (post night shift you understand).  We had already made lots of jam the week before and I had the recipe for blackberry liquer in September's Country Living mag in my head so we thought we would give it a try.  Actually Stuart made it while I was working.  He called me just before midnight to say goodnight. 

S - "I made the liqueur"

L- "Are you drunk?"

S - "Don't be stupid, I have only had two glasses, Hic!"

If you decide to make it, it is pretty potent, but a dash works rather well in a cold Prosecco!

Blackberry Jam

I have cheered up a little bit since my last post, and settled into my little routine.  The Babies are happy to be back at school and I am enjoying a little time to myself.

I was lucky enough to score myself a preserving pan at a church jumble sale back in the summer, and have been putting it to good use this week.

We all went blackberrying and collected 4lbs of fruit on bank holiday monday and promptly turned it into Jam.

It was my first attempt at Jam making and I was very pleased with myself.

Stuart and Ivy collected another 3lbs on Sunday and I have plans for that as well.  Watch this space.

ps Ivy's Satchel was a red leather one from here.  Embossed with her name.  She knows it has to last her until she is a lady!

Summer Reads #1

I worked on Saturday night.  I love working nights.  I love the peacefulness that takes over the unit as night falls.  Anxious parents relax a little and enjoy more peaceful time with their babies.  The nurses get more time to chat, reassure and care.  The pace slows down and the time spent with these impatient little babes who wouldn't wait is precious.

Working nights also buys me time with my own family, I am at home for their bedtime and then back in time to take them to school, I catch a snooze while they are at school and am there to pick them up.  The Babies are little stars, they know that when I am tired, I as seriously tired, I regularly go two sometimes three days on naps and a few hours here and there, and they will help out and be good.

Somehow I have completely digressed from today's subject of Summer Reads.  My point was that on Saturday night it didn't get dark until nearly 10pm and was light just after 4 am and I was lucky enough to see nightfall and sunrise in such close proximatey to each other.  The Summer Solstice or  Mid-summers Day really does mark the arrival of summer so I thought I would share some of my Summer reading this week.  Starting with the little pile that I shall probably not even put back on the cookery book shelf for a couple of months, as they will be used so often.

The Sophie Dahl one is new, and I have not yet made anything from it yet but it is definitely my kind of book  (seasons order!) and have some plans for a few of her dishes this week.  Apples for Jam is one of my favourites (colour order this time) it is always out in our kitchen and as I am now the owner of a preserving pan courtesy of the church jumble sale I shall be making some actual jam from this book.  The Jamie and Nigella ones are also great for Summer cooking.  Stu and and the Babies (and I) expect certain things from Summer, The Beach, Bare toes, Long evenings, Pretty dresses and Nigella's Sticky Ribs!

I really need to go now, I have just flooded the kitchen by forgetting I had run a sneaky mid day bath and let it overflow. And I am working again tonight.  And I am seriously tired!

Life is..

How pretty are these little babies.  Cherries have been so ridiculously priced of late, that I haven't even considered buying any, but finally they are a bit more affordable.  I bought these yesterday, and they were gone by teatime.  I have just bought another bag from my lovely greengrocer, and munched half of them whilst waiting for the babies to come out of school.  Have to make the most of these goodies while they are under a pound a bag!

Welcome June!

And all of your Summer loveliness!

English Strawberries

The Next month on Ivy's calendar

Blousey Roses..

..and Sweet Williams

Potting up

Cooling down

Summer toes..

and Summer toes in Summer shoes!

Tea and Sympathy

I am feeling a little bit sorry for myself at the moment.  I have an awful cold.  My nose and eyes are streaming, my head is all swimmy and I am freezing.  And I have felt like this most of the weekend.

To add to my misery, the most horrible thing happened on Sunday..

There is a huge airshow where we live and every year our friends have a BBQ and we watch the planes from their garden.  Everyone takes some food and we have a very nice time.  This year Stuart made Patatas Bravas from here and Porchetta from here.  I decided to make some Focaccia from here.  That is where it went wrong..

..I never take my wedding ring off, but last time I made bread it felt horrible for ages, so I slipped it off and then...forgot about it.  I remembered my ring,  two lots of proving (about 2 and a half hours) later.  It was gone.  I was in bits, literally in a heap on the kitchen floor in tears.  We pulled the oven out, removed those little board bits from under the kitchen units had the bins out, everything.  We searched for nearly two hours, when I eventually found it in the recycling, stuck to an old newspaper.  I never imagined I would be so upset about an object.  The picture above is taken at the airshow BBQ whilst snuggling Oscar very late at night.  Things right where they should be, my boy in my arms and my ring on my finger.

I am running on Nurofen and Lemsip at the moment, Ivy has gone to a friends.  Oscar and I are going to play a few games, watch a bit of Dr Who and catch up on a bit of reading.  Plasctine, crochet and baking (or at least reading about baking) are also on the agenda.  I have an exciting new adventure to share at some point this week, but for now the sofa is calling x

Double Pink

What a beautiful day it has been here on the Essex coast.

I am a bit of a chilly soul, but even I ventured out without a jacket on today.  Let's hope we get to enjoy some of it over the weekend.

Anyway, a little glimpse of what I enjoyed this afternoon.

Tee Hee, my sister bought this bottle of pink prosecco this morning to enjoy with her man tonight, but I persuaded her that it would be more enjoyable in my garden at 2.15pm with an M&S cupcake!

Happy weekend everyone x

ps - thank you so much for all of your comments over the last week or so, I have such sweet people visit me here.  I am hoping to reply to them a little more personally over the weekend, but in case I get sidetracked......THANK YOU X