Friday 26 July 2019

Jam re-branding and other things








I had a post half-typed, but it wouldn't do at all so I have deleted it. It was a combination of sarcasm, emotional blather and jam commentary and I shall sum it up far more succinctly for you.

Moon landing - no, it did not bring the whole of humanity together, no matter how much the media over-hype it. Half the world had other more pressing things on their minds. And they still do. There are problems to solve before we spend any more money on flights of fancy.

Emotional stuff - I have been cut loose from primary school for ever. I tried hard to take moody shots of the littlest boy walking slowly away, lost in thought, but as usual he was running and jumping and skipping about the place. Which is of course as it should be. Onwards. I wrote several gushing paragraphs in a card to one of the best teachers on the planet. The other half signed it, remarking without a trace of sarcasm, 'Nothing more to be said.' I had indeed said it all, but he looked after two of them so very well, through exams and camp and all of the stuff and pretty much everyone thinks he is fab.

Jam commentary - it is indeed a dark art, as someone commented previously. Some sets, some doesn't. The strawberry didn't, so I am re-branding it as strawberry sauce.

The flowers are nice this year. I have a beast of a dahlia on the go which I shall of course photograph for you. In the meantime a few cosmos 'Lemonade' which are really pretty, much paler than I was expecting.

I am settling into the summer holiday routine of constant provision of snacks and futile attempts to steer people in the direction of a duster. Honestly, it's a wonder they don't put on weight with the never-ending eating.

We have a spider living under the sofa. I have nicknamed him Sofa Spider, although I should probably do better. He comes out in the evening sometimes and the dog is utterly transfixed. He gets his nose right up to him sometimes but doesn't hurt him. Although I imagine it might be a bit worrying for him.

I have modest plans for the weekend involving working and doing things to the garden. Exciting huh? I hope you are living it larger. Do tell. And enjoy. CJ xx

14 comments:

  1. Your photos are so beautiful!
    Onwards. I like that.
    I shall keep that in mind as mine continue to grow and scatter.
    Have a cozy weekend. : )

    ReplyDelete
  2. I find the word 'compote' comes in very useful where jam is concerned! So glad that your boys had such a great primary school teacher - and a male one too. I quite enjoyed all the moon landing stuff, but agree about the money - you would think India would have better things to spend cash on than a space programme but maybe I'm missing something. Love the photo of Bertie with a sock and humbly suggest the name 'Sophie' for your arachnid friend. Enjoy your weekend. xx

    ReplyDelete
  3. You have beaten me to it with your jam making. My fruit is languishing in the freezer and I despair of ever getting it to the jam stage. Glad your youngest had such a good last year at Primary, it makes all the difference I think. Love the photos especially Bertie with the sock, what a pickle.
    I’ve just finished a wonderful book recommended by you ‘Force Of Nature’, a perfect read. My butterfly field calls today and I spot of gardening. Have a lovely weekend. B x

    ReplyDelete
  4. The dog has a duster so he’s willing to help. My exciting week was hospital appointments and waiting in most of the week for the guys who are supposed to be updating our bathroom. Up very early each morning to get ready only to revive a last minute phone call to say not today. Looks like next week will be a repeat although I’m assured it will be 100% definite for Monday. We will see!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Good post and pictures. I prefer my jam to on the firm side otherwise it slides off the butter. The cosmos Xanthos I grow are generally very pale as well.
    It's a quiet, routine weekend for me. Thanks, and you too. xx

    ReplyDelete
  6. A great teacher is worth three times their weight in gold...or platinum, because I think that's more pricey. You know what I mean. There are some for whom teaching is a true vocation and others for whom it's a convenient schedule and lucrative pension opportunity. At least, that's how it is in these parts, it seems...which can be catastrophic for the young minds and hearts in their care. But that's a dodgy soapbox as teaching in general isn't held in nearly high enough regard by the powers-that-be.

    Well, that veered alarmingly. :)

    Jam. Yes, it pays to be flexible with the linguistics. At least your fruit isn't still in bags in the freezer.

    I'm heading out into the garden shortly....I have to wield a giant pair of loppers in an effort to beat back the burdock "trees" before they start snatching passersby in their velcro-y grip. So no, not at all exciting by regular people standards but loads of fun by mine. xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  7. No big plans for me. I just get excited if I can sit down and crochet a row on my current project. I have some private patients that take up weekend time, but I love them all and hope that I am helping them. Little B never even got out of his pj's today. I made a half-hearted attempt to get him in the pool but he said no and I sighed in relief. See, not much going on here. Love a good teacher, you love them even more after you have had a few rough ones.

    ReplyDelete
  8. The end of an era for you - it's truly alarming how time flies- upwards and onwards! A very wet weekend here, so lots of indoor activities.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I see Bertie is now helping you with the laundry, good job. I imagine waffles topped with soured cream and strawberry sauce would make a lovely breakfast. Good teachers are a blessing and it is really nice that you take the time to write a personal note your littlest ones primary teacher (not sure where to put the apostrophe). I hope you enjoyed your writing and gardening this weekend. My own weekend is one that I rather not remember for too long. I felt really unwell yesterday and still a bit blah today. Also had to watch CCTV footage of my youngest throwing a stone at someone's window, that put a bit of a dampener on my spirits. Just as well weekends come round on a regular basis, I am sure the next one will be just splendid. Meanwhile, lets both have a lovely week xx

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anyone who performs any activity involving a cooker, and bubbling, seething, crimsony stuff, deserves the utmost respect and admiration, in my book. Doing it this last week, when its been generally hotter than Hell, well, also raises concerns as to sanity, but seeing as its you, I'll stick to the respect and admiration. And getting Bert to assist with laundry duties has to be an example to all of us owned-by-dogs to follow. Sadly me and the rest of my motley crew have all felt distinctly under-whelmed by the prospect of domestic activity of any kind. Instead we have sat around with our tongues lolling out, and our feet in the paddling pool, before returning to the cool caress of the tower fan in the living room, and the occasional grump at each other because its too hot, too humid, and its gone on too long.
    I have spent rather too much time wondering whether I could possibly remove some of the shelving from the fridge freezer to allow me to spend more time in there. And whether I could get away with shopping in my bra and pants due to climate change, although there does seem to be to be a general concerted antipathy towards this, from all quarters, (including the dogs), which hasn't done much for my self esteem.
    I also read somewhere that there have been several places in the UK lately, where there have been unusual spikes of temperature, of up to 15' in the same amount of minutes, lasting for five or ten minutes before dropping back to their previous levels, due to thunderstorms collapsing in on themselves. If the weather is even getting the thunderstorms down, what chance does a middle-aged woman, of generous proportions, have of remaining upright in Asda ?
    Bra and pants it is, then.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I enjoyed seeing and hearing of all your and your family's exploits during vacation. Thank you for your kind comment about the loss of my sister. It's been a rough week and will be a hard day on Saturday. Be sure and tell everyone you love that you appreciate them. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Your little dog is just the cutest! I really like the soft yellow color of your cosmos. I planted what I thought was a mix of colors, but I mostly have just the pink, they are so pretty though. Your cherry jam looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Gorgeous bunch of flowers and I love the colour of the vase/ jug they are in. Nice idea with the rebranding and hope you get over the farewell to primary school xx

    ReplyDelete
  14. Super post as always, thanks for the peek into your corner of the world and musings x

    ReplyDelete