The nightmare begins........................

.............  or how to transport 1 watercolour painting, 1 Victoria sponge, 1 Dundee cake, 1 Swiss roll, 1 round of shortbread,1 loaf of bread, 1 savoury flan, 1 pizza, 4 sausage rolls, 1 carnival loaf, 1 fruit tart, 1 gingerbread, 1 iced and decorated chocolate cake, 6 flapjacks, 1 crochet hat, 1 knitted pullover, 1 pair of knitted socks, 1 baby's cardigan, 1 Haaf cap, 1 framed cross stitch, 1 patchwork quilt, 1 glass and wire necklace, 1 recycled t-shirt bag, 1 stuffed sheep, 2 tea cosies, 1 fascinator, 1 string of crochet bunting, 1 skein of handspun wool, 1 wee wall hanging, 1 wall quilt, 1 jar of strawberry jam, 1 jar of raspberry jam, 1 jar of blackcurrant jam, 1 jar of courgette and lime marmalade, 1 jar of grapefruit and ginger marmalade, 1 jar of peach jam, 1 jar of chutney, 1 jar of picallili, 1jar of lemon curd and one jar of apple and redcurrant jelly over 20 miles to the showground this afternoon. Will be straight and even main roads I think, rather than the scenic route, whilst nursing a cake on my lap....................... I've made a new page up there ^^^^ with some photos :)

Homemade lemon curd

So simple to make, and incomparable to anything you can buy. This is my jar ready for the show, using the tried and trusted recipe I've used for years. 6 good lemons, zested and squeezed 4 oz butter 1 1/4lbs caster sugar 6 fresh eggs, lightly beaten Put the zest, juice, butter and sugar into a bowl over a pan of simmering water and leave until sugar dissolved and butter is melted, stirring well to combine.  Add the eggs, straining them through a sieve into the bowl, stir well and heat until thick enough to coat the back of the wooden spoon - don't let the water boil or the eggs might curdle. When thickened, pour into prepared jars, seal and label. Keep in the fridge, makes a wonderful present :) Also got these done - redcurrant and apple jelly and a Swiss roll - will need to make sure all the jars are shiny clean and tidily labelled :0

Autumn morning

A very cool start to the day here in the Vale - the mist was so thick I couldn't see the back field, or over out to the Vale at all.  Chilly too, when I took the dog out. Lovely to see what's about at this time of year, dripping elderberries, wild clematis, all sorts...............and cobwebs. Those lovely sparkly wet ones that you only get for a fleeting period at this time of the year

Not a scarf........................

One of the classes in the upcoming County Show is for a handwoven article; handwoven article usually results in most of the entries being scarves. I was so determined not to weave a scarf of any kind!  So I wove a wee wallhanging. I love it, and I'll keep it afterwards. I highly doubt if it will get placed in the show as there will be much more professional and technically perfect/more complicated entries than this, but I enjoyed making it and I wanted something a wee bit different to show. Maybe they'll hate it.............  lol It was woven on my smallest peg loom, only 8 pegs across, using a gorgeous commercial yarn called Bolivia which I couldn't resist buying although I had nothing specific in mind for it (I still have plenty left!). I added some beads and a decorated glass drop at the bottom and hung the outer warps over an elder twig from the garden. The whole thing is very 'me' :)

Plums and buses

Several years ago I planted a yellow plum tree just outside the kitchen window; I bought it in Lidl, labelled as a yellow plum. Being a big fan of yellow plum jam, I bought it, and have been waiting for it to fruit, which it has this year. Except it's not a yellow plum, it's a greengage :)  Certainly not a problem, greengages are my very favourite stone fruit, so quite happy with that. And the buses?  Well, for years I've hankered after a perpetual calendar, but never got around to acquiring one. Now I have two, in as many days - just like buses, all come along at once. I got  one from the wonderful Molly's Den vintage warehouse, the other from a local animal charity shop.  I really can't decide between them for now, so will hang on to both for the foreseeable future.

Shiny things.................

My entry for the 'item of jewellery' in the County  Show; I really enjoyed making this, although knitting the wire was a bit tough on the fingers.  Winged it all the way, starting without any clear idea, just went with the flow. Am very pleased with how it turned out.  Wired sea glass drop on a stainless steel knitted form, and a hemp thong. I also got my wee watercolour framed for the show; I picked up a very pretty recycled frame for £5 at the incredible Molly's Den when I visited on Monday. I think it's perfect for the picture.

Leave them alone..............

- wasps that is. They do very little harm to humans really, it makes me angry and upset when I see someone killing them, or reading about killing them, suggestions for getting rid of them, trapping them, etc. I was having lunch in a pub recently when an old man sitting in the window seat beside the open  window killed two in the space of five minutes, just because they had the perceived audacity to actually come in through the window. Agree, they can be a bit of a nuisance, especially in the kitchen, but they are about this time of year, early autumn, it's what they do. My kitchen is full of good things they like at this time of year - chutney on the stove, jam cooling, wine glasses............ I'll shoo them away yes, but I cover up what I don't want them to get at, and will gently fish them out of anything they happen to fall in, and take them outside and gently put them on the wall until they are fully recovered. There, they will go on to eat  my ripening plums, my apples and other fruit, but they need to surv Yes they can sting, but don't annoy them and they won't annoy you. There is never, ever any excuse for killing them in my house. Leave them be to take their place in nature.