8 GREEN BOTTLES

8 green bottles, 8 green bottles standing in a row and if one green bottle gets used then there will be 7 green bottles standing in a row..............  We used to sing this all the time when we were young and travelling in the car!
Anyway, my elderflower cordial has spent 5 days steeping in the bucket and is ready for bottling.

 First job to go out to the shed and choose some bottles.  Some I have now had for years and keep on re- using them each year.  Wash in hot water and washing up liquid, scrub the insides with a bottle brush.  Then sterilise, I use milton tablets, the sort used for babies bottles.

strain the liquid from the flowers and lemon

pop the strainings into the compost bin

pour into the bottles, using a funnel.  Wash the bottles, because they are now very sticky and label.  I make myself label, because you never remember when you made something or sometimes even what it is, even though you are absolutely sure that you will remember!

And here they are  - 8 bottles of cordial.  They should be stored in the fridge or frozen, but they will be ok for a few months.  I hope to make some more and will have to add campden tablets to make sure that it will keep for longer.

Best served with fizzy water!

 

On my dresser today...........

Is a trug full of elderflowers and a jug of elderflower and clover flowers.  All set to make elderflower cordial.  A true taste of summer, pity about the weather more like autumn!!

I used the same recipe as last year, just one I found doing a google search, no idea where it came from.  As we love it so much I make double the amount and may well make some more next week.
Any way for one lot you need 30 heads, these need to be picked off the stalks and popped in a sterilised bucket.  Chuck the stalks in the compost bin.

All done!

Add 2 pounds of sugar and over with 1 pint of boiling water, 2 teaspoons of citric acid and one sliced lemon.

 
Give it a good stir to dissolve the sugar.  Cover and leave for 4 days stiring a couple of times a day.  Then strain and bottle. Serve with sparkling water!
 

Happy Sunday

Had a happy weekend ending this evening with a visit to the allotment and picked these flowers
 
Chives, ladies mantle and the white ones are either campion or comfrey I am not sure.  They do look pretty in this jug on my new table cloth.

This morning had a lovely skype chat with my 7 month old nephew, my sister and Alice who is staying with them for a couple of weeks.  She is travelling her way home from Russia via China and Hong Kong.  Only 18 days until she is home can't wait to see her - it's been almost 6 months. 
This was followed by a phone call from my Mum, good to catch up with her too.

Then popped into Ipswich for a bit of retail therapy!  Wanted to get some summer tops - I am ever hopeful!  Well the sun has shone today and I could even say that this afternoon was quite warm

Kitchen re-vamp continued.....

Way back in January I decided to tidy up the kitchen and paint a few cupboard doors, well it sort of developed a bit and have done a lot of work.  Still not quite ready for the grand Ta Da, but just wanted to show you my new, well re-vamped notice board

 It was a pine edged cork notice board.  I have painted the edge grey to match the dresser, covered the cork in a beige spotty material that I had in the fabric bag.  Then neatened the edges with some of the green gross grain ribbon that I bought back from Hong Kong. 

 Into each corner I stuck a drawing pin, but not any old drawing pin

 For my birthday a few weeks ago, my very good friend Gill gave me this little jar and inside were

Lots of drawing pins.  AND she had hand painted each one and added spots and hearts- wonderful!!! 

it's a bit on the huh!

We were given a cherry tree for Christmas the year before last.  Planted it on our allotment, just a little stick really.  In the summer it produced 5 cherries, I watched them turn from little green buds to almost red cherries.  I thought that they would be ready for picking at my next visit, BUT oh! no! the birds ate them!

Well, the birds are not going to get them this year

 

Its a bit Heath Robinson and a bit on the huh*, I know but if it keeps the birds off my precious half pound of cherries I don't care.  

 

 We are both looking quite proud of our construction!

* Being "on the huh" is a Suffolk saying for something that is not quite straight or lop sided!