Marmalade Making

Over the last couple of days the kitchen has been a source of great olfactory pleasure as the Farmer has been making marmalade. He makes it each year as then he can have it the way he likes it which is with huge chunks of peel. I rarely eat it and prefer it very fine, so I'm quite happy that he should take it upon himself to be marmalade-maker- in-chief.

The shelves of jams, chutneys, and other preserves in my larder have become somewhat depleted lately and as the Farmer has set the ball rolling with the marmalade sessions I can see I shall have to do my bit and make some more jam. It will mean delving to the bottom of the deep freeze for the bags of plums, & currants that I know are lurking there.

                                           

The work in the cottage is finally finished, at last. These jobs always take so much longer than anticipated and then the clearing up seems to take twice as long as the main work itself! And some small but vital item will be found to be forgotten or mislaid and then everything is turned upside down again only to find that the said item, a loo brush or the box of clothes pegs, sitting innocently in its proper place anyway.


There are distinct signs of spring ..I found a lone primrose in flower the other day and the snowdrops are appearing everywhere. The daffodils are shooting up a rate of knots and my wonderful witchhazel is in full flower. The birds are practising, already singing in in the early mornings preparing for the great expolosion of the Dawn Chorus in  few weeks time.