We were going to travel north, but the weather has been so bad we decided to stay put, a good decision as the rain has been torrential at times. Phil went up with some friends a couple of days ago and took some pictures and I am really looking forward to getting up there when we get a chance:
Although it has been raining most days it often clears up in the evening and the sunsets are very lovely - not as good as up at the basin, but still some very beautiful skies:
I am just beginning to collect the autumn fruits, it is still a bit early for sloes, but there is a bush on the other side of the canal (not tow path side) which appeared to be quite ripe and no one could pick them as they were hanging over the water. I took the canoe down and got quite a few ripe ones:
Here they are, ready for bottling:
They are now steeping in some gin! Should be ready in about 6 weeks. We have a plum tree on the marina and I reaped enough to make some plum brandy. Currently I have sloe gin, damson gin, plum brandy and blackberry whiskey maturing in the cupboard, all made from foraged fruit.
We went out to our local reservoir on Sunday to collect wild raspberries. We know exactly where they are, on a barely used path which is normally quite inaccessible being very overgrown and muddy.
We parked near the reservoir:
The spiders had been busy overnight
When we arrived at the spot all the raspberries were gone. This is because the old path which had been overgrown and barely discernable last year, had been properly laid with stones and sign posts had been put up defining the circular walk around the reservoir, so all of a sudden the spot had become populated with weekend walkers who, of course had discovered the wild raspberries and had beaten us to it. Hmmmm I still have knowledge of some damson, sloe and raspberry bushes which are remote enough for other people not to know about, but it is becoming more and more difficult to forage these days.
Another thing which has changed in recent months is the status of charity shops. They used to be a real treasure trove. Okay they may have had a musty smell and things were strewn all over the place, but you could get some real bargains. Now everything is neatly stacked and colour co-ordinated and the shops are full of people. I learnt my lesson twice this week .... There are two things I am looking for at the moment, one is a replacement for Jack the whippet's fleece. A friend brought her new dog to the boat in the summer. It was a very sweet dog and I didn't think that Jack would mind if I got his favourite fleece out for her to lie on. Unfortunately it turns out she wasn't house trained - I won't go into details but the upshot was that I had to throw out our doormat and Jack's fleece. He has never forgiven me and I am now trying to find something to replace it urgently as everytime he comes on our boat he moans as his poor old bones have to put up with the hard floor. I found a lovely 'throw' in a charity shop a few days ago which was only £4 and as I had shopping to do, I thought I would pick it up afterwards. When I went back 30 minutes later, it had been sold.
The other thing I am looking for is decanters. Last year I gave small bottles of sloe, damson and plum gin and brandy as christmas presents and it was a great success. You can pick up small decanters in charity shops for less than a couple of quid and this year I have decided to present my produce in a nicer format. I have already collected 5 small decanters and am on the look out for more. I found a georgous set in our local charity shop of a crystal decanter and 6 glasses for a fiver. I knew it was a bargain, but again decided to do some shopping and pick it up on my way home.This time I actually saw the person who beat me to it pick it up and take it to the till - I felt sick! I was so fed up that I decided to phone my best friend for a good old moan. She is a great car booter and she said she would look out for decanters at the car boot on Sunday. Amazingly, she rang me to say that she had bought 3 decanters for me including a lovely crystal set with four glasses for £3. When I arrived at hers to pick them up I found this was nearly identical to the decanter and glasses I had missed in the charity shop and she had paid just £2 for it. Fantastic!! It's true then - there is a reason for everything which happens!!
Today I have been pickling our shallots. The abundance of autumn with all the vegetables which are coming off our allotment gives me such a feeling of satisfaction!
I am working tomorrow, but the day after is going to be wood chopping day. We have been given a large tree which was felled nearby and need to chop it up so that it can season. Our wood stores are getting fuller and we are starting to burn the wood we chopped this time last year which has seasoned nicely - very satisfying. These are the things I love about the boating life......
Al :)
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