beyond proud...

There's a time for fretting about life changing events... and there's a time for just being a very proud Mummy. Last week was one of those...

Lovely day, still can't quite believe I have two graduate sons, mainly because it seems no time since I was taking their photos in new school uniforms! How did that happen?! They are such nice people to be with and I am very proud of them all.

Thankyou so much for all your good wishes with the house sale, still waiting with everything crossed...

S x

first quilt reveal...!!

At risk of being excessive - this is going to be two posts in the same day! Mainly because I feel a need to keep on top of the things I have queuing up to post about and I am away in London for the next couple of days so know I won't have a chance again til the end of the week, by which time I expect there will be something else! I know that sounds a bit mad but I expect you know what I mean!!

Also, this felt like a completely separate thing to the last post and I wanted to keep them that way for clarity...so...on to quilting!!!

It's done!!

This is my first attempt at quilting, inspired by lots of gorgeous examples around blogland. I had been thinking about it for some time and had most of the fabric stashed away for 'when I had time'. Then I decided to just get on with it, with the idea of giving it to a friend who was moving and had been having a bad time.

I'm quite pleased with the end result; ok, should have made it a bit bigger for a double bed, and up close and personal some of the finishing is not perfect (how do people get their corners to mitre perfectly back and front? or do you not bother with that?!!) but overall I'm happy with it.

My only problem is...

...having helped my friend move house the week before last, I now realise this goes with nothing that she has!!! She has a houseful of muted purples, and browns and blues and I think this brightness might look out of place! Worse still, it might just get folded up and put in a cupboard and not used and I'm not sure I can bear the thought of all the work that went into it and it not being used!

Sooo...my dilemma is...do I give it to her anyway? After all, the idea was to give her something made with love for her new home... Or do I keep it, because I like it and it fits in here?!!!

I'm erring on the latter at the moment with a view to collecting the 'right' colours to do another for her - does that seem unreasonable?

I'm tempted to have a go at a quilt pattern I found in this magazine...

The light was a bit rubbish so I didn't take a photo but it has strips of large patches in different sizes - very effective.

I'd never seen this magazine before and it got me very excited! Lots of lovely ideas for projects in here!
Might have to sneak this one in now and again!!!

And one last bit of news for tonight that I just have to share because I'm bursting with it...! Results day finally arrived for my MSc dissertation today and I passed! This last 3 years, studying part-time (with no study leave and no let up at home) has been such a challenge that I can't quite believe its come to an end. I feel as though I have learnt loads and finally (I know this is ridiculous...), finally, I can put to bed my rubbish A-levels and think I must have a reasonable brain after all!!! Yay!

I just can't quite believe my Dad's response was 'what next?'!!! Life, crochet, friends, reading...all that stuff that I've had to squeeze in round the edges!

Til next time then
Sx

catching up...

I seem to have loads I wanted to post about - there has been no time in the last few weeks. But... yesterday I handed in my dissertation, so hurrah! Might actually begin to catch up with myself now! It was a lovely feeling to pile up all the books and journal articles which were beginning to make a take over bid - now I just have to wait for the results with fingers crossed...!

This is a glance back at some of the university buildings as I walked back to work after dropping off my work - am hoping that, with the exception of graduation day next year, I might be done with this campus!

It was a strangely surreal feeling - there is such a lot of effort that goes into studying and then the actual 'hand-in' moment is something of an anti-climax! I really didn't feel like going in to work but enjoyed the wander back across the park; This little stream looked so tranquil...

Other things I've been enjoying this week:

...crab apple preserving from the garden. These are waiting to be turned into crab apple & chilli jelly...

And the finished article...

This year the little apples seemed particularly rosy and the jelly came out a lovely colour - yummy too!

As was the juice drink - the easiest recipe that just involved steeping the apples in a mixture if cream of tartar and boiling water then straining...

Bit like a cross between apple juice and cranberry juice drink - very refreshing and polished off before I could freeze any!

 ...sunflowers...

This is a little strip of field at the bottom of our garden which usually has oil seed rape, barley, wheat or sugar beet with the odd fallow year in between. In 18 years living here this is the first time I've seen sunflowers - what a feast for the eyes!

They are taller than me!

...gorgeous summer evening skies...

...dozy, chilled moggy...

...and son 3's 18th birthday...

Not quite sure how it can be possible that all my boys are now officially grown men!!! Seems no time since they were filling my time with lego, frantic 'little boy' activity and bedtime stories! 

Wishing you all a lovely bank holiday weekend!

Sx

preserving progress...

Quick update on what is becoming known as 'the plum situation'...

So far I have made plum jam...

Plum chutney and plum sauce...

The chutney contains plums (obviously!), apples, sultanas, onions, garlic and spices plus the usual vinegar and sugar and the boys have declared it delicious - it was supposed to wait 3 months to 'mature' but that doesn't seem to have mattered!

The sauce was the easiest recipe in the world, found after googling plum recipes in slight desperation! I was going to post you the link but now can't find it! (How does that happen? You google the same thing and it has disappeared!) If I do find it I'll let you know, but basically it was bung everything in a preserving pan and cook til it looks like sauce...well, maybe there was a little more to it than that but really, not much. And...it used 6lbs of plums in one stint, hurrah! It has some cayenne pepper and ginger in it so has a hint of a kick but with the sweetness of the plums and the sour of the vinegar - yummy! I think it'll be really nice with pork or chicken but the boys have been putting it on all sorts (in cheese sandwiches, with ham...) and say its good. I'm ridiculously pleased with having made something that looks like 'proper' sauce in a bottle!!! Silly, I know but quite satisfying!

We also have boozy plums in the cupboard, some in brandy that have to be strained and bottled in a  month then the liqueur bit saved for at least 3 months (in theory...). And some in rum with blanched almonds that we are supposed to leave alone for a whole year! We'll see how we get on there...

Plus...I've frozen at least 20lbs of plums, we've had stewed plums, plum crumble (plumble! as Lucy suggested :-)) and more fresh plums than I can think about! I've given away about 10lbs...

And they're still coming! R keeps bringing in pockets full every time he goes out in the garden. The trouble is, once they are in I can't bear to waste them. While they are still on the tree, I just think the birds and insects can have a treat but once they're indoors... I have snuck a few of the mankier ones back out and given them back to the birds, and I've even fed a few to next-doors chickens that we've been looking after for the last two weeks (hope its ok to feed chickens plums! they don't seem to mind!) but R seems to be on a mission to foil the annual wasp invasion! Usually they do this impressive trick where they bore into the plums and then  eat them from the inside out, leaving shrivelled empty skins hanging onthe tree. I don't really mind, lets face it there are plenty! And sometimes they are quite entertaining when they've gorged on some slightly fermented plums! But it does make that end of the garden a bit of a trap for the unwary and R can't abide it, surely there can't be too many left out there...

Normally, I enjoy the chance to spend a day pottering with preserving - I love jam and chutney making (and have been known to give chutney pressies at Christmas!) but just now I'm in the 'death throes' of my dissertation which I just have to finish in the next couple of weeks. So if I go a bit quiet in blog land that's why...I haven't gone out just to take photos in weeks! I so can't wait to get a bit of time back, but am trying to remember why I decided to do the degree and that the learning has been stimulating...(it has...but I'm ready to finish now, thanks!).

Back on the preserving front, I made a couple of little pots of jam with these...

These beauties were in next door's fruit cage and just about dropping off the plants. There weren't enough to make much with them but together they made two cute little pots of backcurrant and raspberry jam - one of which I will take round for the neighbours to come back to (with a jar of plum jam and plum chutney too..!). Forgot to take a photo of these but they prompted the response from son 1 that it looked like proper jam!!! Given that I have always made jam at home I thought that was funny - he meant it was almost as solid as the stuff in the shops!

In between essay writing today, also had a brief go at what may turn into the 'courgette/marrow situation'... Mismanagement on the allotment front, if you ask me (not my department!), as once again we have more of the blighters than we can eat and I really have not got time to faff about making chutney yet (it just takes an age to chop everything up). So today I found a quick-ish recipe for what I think I'm going to christen 'Glut Jam' - marrow and apricot! I haven't tried it yet but I think it might be a bit odd! It kind of looks OK and apricot jam-like but even with the juice of 4 lemons and a cooking apple it is so sweet it should carry a dental health warning... Might be one for filling cakes maybe...or giving to the neighbours?!!

Hope you are all enjoying summertime and welcome along to some lovely new followers, sorry I've been a bit slow to respond.

Til next time, then, when I hope we will be at the end of the plum saga!

Sx

musing on motherhood...

I have the feeling that my 'mothering' responsibilities are almost done - well, not 'done' exactly - of course I will always be there for my kids - but my desire and obligation to get them safely through childhood so that they can start their adult lives as happy, confident, caring people...well that bit, I think we are nearly there.

As I think I've said before - I'm not quite sure how I feel about that. Somewhat torn between relief - after all what I absolutely want is for them all to be able to be successful, independent grown ups - and panic about where that leaves me now! It is the oddest feeling - I suppose its a bit of a transitional thing and once they are all settled it will be easier to adjust. Just now, I feel in neither one place or another.

My biggest 'baby' has turned 22 today. That hardly seems possible! How can it be so long since we came home from the hospital with this tiny child that I felt protective of but if I'm honest, didn't quite know what to do with! I was only 22 myself then! I think part of my dilemma is that by assuming such an important 'grown-up' role so early I didn't establish Me first - so now I'm having a slight crisis about what I want out of life now.

Perhaps I need to stop over-analysing everything (as R says I have a tendency to do) and just let what will be happen?

Anyway, for now - mothering duty is still required!

Not too big for birthday cake yet! This is a squidgy chocolate roulade - not a traditional birthday cake, but a bit of a favourite as it contains no flour so a good gluten free option.

And although I couldn't quite manage 22 candles, singing and candle blowing still obligatory! I wonder if he still made a wish?!

Have felt oddly emotional all day today - the memory of 22 years ago today is as clear as if it were yesterday and I do so love the person that baby has become!

Currently waiting for a summons to collect him from the pub - taxi duty still required too!!

Tried to do a bit of 'proper' academic work today - I do need to give myself a proper talking to! I am finding it so hard to keep focussed! Have resorted to copious amounts of this...

I think I would struggle to get through the day without caffeine at the moment! I love this little mug - it is a sweet old bone china one that used to belong to my mum. Its a bit faded from 'Mr Nobody' keep putting it in the dishwasher (do you have one a Mr Nobody in your house too?!!) which I'm sure it doesn't like, but I like the size and the quaintness of it. And I do like to drink out of bone china!!!!

Tomorrow, I have a day off in lieu of having to work at the weekend so I am challenging myself to get a chapter of my dissertation at least drafted - NO excuses!!! I keep promising myself little treats - if I get a good chunk done tomorrow, I will allow myself some uninterrupted hooky time in the evening!! 

And one more photo for now - time for mid-month garden picture...

I'm not sure it looks very different from January's pic from this distance - apart from the uncharacteristic bit of blue sky yesterday - but there are a few little changes happening and it will be interesting to look at the gradual changes at the end of the year.

Have just reread this post and realise it is a bit disjointed and bitty! Not functioning very well today - time to call it a day I think!!

Sx