Ready to skein

Pleased with this, will skein it tomorrow and hopefully think it good enough to put into the County Show next month. The colours are just glorious, looking forward to knitting it eventually :)

Wilderness Gathering in pictures

The two photos above are of Martin's Jerked Meat stall; I've been following his business for a while, and he seems to now be on the up, having secured funding to expand, with new equipment etc. I bought some jerky and some mead marzipan for later. www.martinsjerkedmeat.com     Simple tools for the outdoor, always time for a cup of tea! Loved this building in the centre of the main area, made from hazel hurdles; there were a lot of fine canvas/wood/tent-like structures to admire   Another simple idea for drying clothes    Really liked this one, and little canister that attaches to the side of the stove pipe to heat water. This one only fitted this particular type of stove, but  great idea, easily adaptable   Making the head for the axe to be auctioned off tomorrow - love the timeless sounds of blacksmithing Small-scale charcoal burning here, found out a possible source for a small burner like the one ;ictured. Will investigate that for future plans These last four photos are of Dave Budd at work, and some of his beautiful creations. I really want the cutlery set...................................  will save up for that and get it soon I hope. Fell in love with it :)

Creative shopping - again

Not the world's greatest lover of 'real' shopping, but it has to be done sometimes.  Had to go into town today, so went to the nearest supermarket for shopping to make it logistically sensible, was Sainsbury, which is ok, not as bad as some of them. Ended up with over £11 in savings at the checkout, put the Nectar points on to my daughter's (student!) card, and managed to persuade the staff at Customer Services to backdate some Nectar points from a receipt more than a few days out of date. Got some lovely f=good wine at half price, and 6 punnets of half price peaches; found some authentic Italian spaghetti - the impossibly long stuff, comes in a beautiful blue paper wrapping, but sooooooooooooooooo   long!  lol Found a few more reduced bargains as well, so was pleased with my shopping efforts. Before we got there, we dropped some stuff off for recycling, had a look about and came home with a big box for £2 - all stuff I can use or pass on. Lovely decorated net food covers (been hankering after these in the Lakeland catalogue) , teapot with pigs on, mug with chicken on, various china flowers, a big water storage container, picture (for the frame), wee oval basket, and a big modern basket to carry it all in. Star purchase, though, was the food processor you can see in the middle picture. I spent two hours on the net last week, looking for a non-electric food processor, but decided to wait a while.  Lo and behold, up it turned!  So, each item was 20p each. I'm putting stuff by for when I move too, so lots is getting bought/packed with that intention. This morning I got on and spun a second bobbin of the flame coloured tops, so now have these two lovelies on the lazy Kate, will be plying tomorrow at some point. I'm hoping to go to the Wilderness Gathering, but that really depends on the weather, will see how it is in the morning. If rain stops play, plying and peach jam it is.

Quote for a Friday

It's guid to be merry and wise, It's guid to be honest and true, It's good to support Caledonia's cause, And bide by the buff and the blue! Robert Burns

Second supper

A bit like a Hobbit's second breakfast, but er..............  supper! I had some special Scottish cheeses delivered yesterday, so am giving them a go tonight, with a wee dram; Cambus o' May from Deeside,  Loch Arthur cheddar from Galloway, Hebridean Blue from Mull and Bishop's Kennedy from Argyll. Washed down with a wee dram :) First supper was Scotch egg made with wild boar sausagemeat, carrot, apple and pine nut salad and potato salad Dijonnaise, followed by watermelon. I am replete :)

Baa- hemian Rhapsody

Baa-hemian  Rhapsody This is all real wool! It's not a fantasy, Caught in a woolslide, it's a lovely reality! Open your stash, Don't think of the cash, just see.............. I'm just a knitter, I need no sympathy Because it's cast on now, in the round Towards new socks I am bound, Any way the wool rolls, doesn't really matter to me, to me............ Mama, cast on again, Put the needles underarm, Where they can't do any harm; Mama, socks have just begun But now I find I just can't put it down! Mama  ooooooo Didn't mean to make you sigh If they're not knit and done this time tomorrow Carry on, carry on, as knitting really matters................ Too late, I've reached the heel, Swapped my tens for number nines, Needles clicking all the time, Goodbye everybody, I've got to knit! Gotta leave you all behind and face the toe....... Mama oooooooo ( any way the wool rolls) I don't want to frog! I sometimes wish I'd never cast on at all............. I see a little ladder of a dropped stitch Pick it up, pick it up Can I do it nice and neatly? Loosening and tightening, very very frightening me! Zimmerman and Fassett, Liz Lovick, Katie Davis And co.... magnifico.................. He's just a poor stitch, laddered down the sock leg Spare him his gauge from this monstrosity! Easy now, pick him up, can I pick him up, Feather and fan, I will not let you go - let you go Print o' the wave, I will not let you go - let you go Old shale and more, I will not let you go - let you go Will not let you go - let you go (never) Never let you go - let you go Never let you go - oooooo No no no no no no no! Oh mama mia, mama mia, got you now, My pattern has special place for you For you For you! So you think you confuse me with Kitchener stitch So you think I can't take you to my Stitch'n'Bitch? Oh baby, I can finish you baby, Just got to cast off, just got to cast off now right here! Ooh yeah, ooh yeah, Knitting really matters, Anyone can see, Knitting really matters, to me Any way the wool rolls........................... (image from www.zazzle.com)

Watermelon and peach wine

Inspired by a recipe on the net, I adapted it to fit with what I had in. 1 1/2 medium sized ripe water melons 2 peaches 3 lemons handful of dried dates 2 lbs sugar 6 pints hot water 1 sachet dried yeast Put the flesh of the watermelon into your brewing vessel, and all the juice you can get from it; I  scooped the flesh into the pot and squeezed it up with my hands. Add the chopped, stoned peaches, sliced lemons and dates. Put in the hot water, stir very well, then add the yeast. Cover. That's where I'm at now. It will be left in the kitchen for 3 -4 days, stirred daily, then strained into a demi-john and fermented out, racked and bottled. I have high hopes for this one :)

Bit of spinning later

I am trying so hard to resist the temptation to start spinning this before I do the washing up ................................... Edited to add:  well, I got the washing up done!  Have spun half the batt, very pleased with it

Time for a well-deserved giveaway

As a thankyou to all my blog readers who have helped, supported me and encouraged me, just been there for me over the past rough times, I've realised a big thankyou and a giveaway is long overdue!  The giveaway is for a hat and gloves, knitted, of your choice. :)   To enter, please just leave a comment below, and at the end of the month (August) everyone's name will go into my spiffy new tophat and I'll draw out a winner. Good luck :)  x

Paprika chicken

Have made this for supper tonight, with rice.  No recipe as such, and it's a good way of stretching some chicken - two chicken breasts will feed three adults this way. Heat some butter and a little oil in a pan, add onions and diced chicken, cook over medium heat, add chopped fresh tomatoes, a squirt of tomato puree and a slosh of wine. Add smoked paprika to taste, cover and leave to cook over a low heat - mine is on the low end of the Rayburn until supper time, smelling rather good. Will finish it with either soured cream or fresh cream, depends what's needing used up first. The chicken, tomatoes and spring onions all needed using up, and I added in the leftover artichoke hearts from the other day. Any other chopped veg could be added to use it up, if raw, add at the beginning, if cooked, add later on. Plum and gooseberry crumble for pudding, to use up some more; the colours of the cooked fruits are glorious

Such beauty

These are just spectacular now they're in full bloom in a warm kitchen :)

Wild clematis

This is a beautiful native plant, flowering here in the hedgerows right now. This from www.wildaboutwildflowers.co.uk TOXIC. Climber, also known as Old Man's Beard, Poor Man's Friend, Boy's Baca, and Traveller's Joy. White flowers which later turn into fluffy seedheads. Found naturally in hedges and wood margins. Name comes from the Greek "klema" referring to the yo Specification Plant Details Latin Name clematis vitalba Colour White Folklore Plant has been associated with devils and witches because it was thought to choke plants to death. Habitat Hedgerow Flowering Months June, July, August, September Home Use Stems used to be used as a tobacco substitute. In France the long stems used to be woven into baskets. Size Over 24 Inches           Moths - Lime Speck Pug, Haworth's Pug, Small Emerald, The fern, Pretty Chalk Carpet and Least Carpet moths. Bees. Birds and mammals use the fluffy seeds as nesting material.

Come up and see me.....................

make me smile................  and I did smile, oh did I smile!  Was privileged to see Steve Harley support Bryan Ferry at Glastonbury Abbey last night. I got to hear my all-time favourite ever song - live. Fabulous.

Stash sort of busting!

Just come in from spending a happy couple of hours or so sorting through stash and stuff packed away in my cabin in the garden; what is in the picture is now on its way down to the house to be further sorted out, stacked and stashed.  Was lovely being re-acquainted with so much gorgeousness mainly  of the woolly kind, but the fabric stash is holding its own............... The cabin will now hold looms and fleeces for the moment, not show in the photo, but some of the smaller bags of sorted fleece did make its way down here. Fingers crossed it all gets in before it dares to rain.....................