Domesticali

Pink Ginger Cordial

Hot, isn't it? And my hayfever seems to make me incredibly thirsty. But I am not a fan of over-sweet drinks, so I am thrilled that the Pink Ginger Cordial I made this weekend, turned out to be just the answer.

So simple to make as well. I used a recipe from Seasonal Preserves, by Joanna Farrow, with a few tweaks. Here is my version:

Grate 85g root ginger into a large bowl. There is no need to peel it, as you will strain the cordial later. Add to it one lemon (with the skin left on, sliced thinly), 250g granulated sugar and a small handful of raspberries (the recipe called for 3 blackberries, but they aren't in season yet, so I used what I had. They aren't really for taste anyway, just to provide the pretty pink colour. The recipe also called for 1 tsp citric acid, which I didn't have. But I know lemon juice contains citric acid, so I lobbed in the juice of half a lemon too. I think the citric acid would aid preservation, so would be a good idea if you don't plan to guzzle it as fast as we have been doing.

Now pour 500ml of boiling water over all the other ingredients in the bowl. Cover with clingfilm and let it stand overnight. The following morning, strain through muslin and pour into a sterilized bottle. Keep it in the fridge.

With the citric acid, it should keep for up to 4 weeks, but I don't think ours will hang about anywhere near that long. We diluted the cordial with sparkling water and lots of ice. It's got a really great gingery kick and without being over-sweet and is the most perfectly pink colour.

And if you wanted to drown your sorrows over the football, I'm sure it would make a mean mixer with a splash of vodka. Just saying.

Backstitch

As part of her new fabric and patterns online business - Backstitch - Alice recently asked me to review a sewing pattern for her. Which has been the perfect excuse to sit down and make something - hooray! She allowed me free rein of her patterns to select from - Amy Butler, Anna Maria Horner, Oliver + S - they're all there and more. But I decided I'd like to have a go at the Sew Liberated Schoolhouse Tunic. So Alice popped a pattern in the post to me.

Look, cute packaging - the epitome of understated chic.  I was all excited about getting stuck in. And slightly nervous about the responsibility of reviewing the pattern. But I began, and I finished too - you can see the my full review of the Schoolhouse Tunic on the Backstitch site.

Just don't get me started on the trauma of photographing it - I thought about showing you the out-takes, but I am too embarrassed. Clearly my photography brief to the hubby (Come, take a photo of me wearing this. Try to show it clearly and make me look good) is not up to scratch. Next time, he can wear the tunic and I'll take the photos.

New beginnings

There is something so very exciting about setting forth on a new adventure. Preparing yourself as fully as possible and then just letting go and knowing that there is the unexpected ahead, but that you are ready for it.

Weddings are such a joyful example - especially the old-fashioned type, where getting married means moving in together and building something new. We are going to a wedding this summer that promises a whole new beginning, and though our friends specified no gifts, I found myself unable to resist marking their occasion. And this seemed to encompass all my feelings about the adventures a new beginning provides.

The print was a custom order from the very lovely Freya and getting it was a treat in itself. One of the perks of buying handmade is that the maker often (as in this case) takes such care and pride in the packaging of the article, that it feels like a gift to the purchaser, even when it is destined for another recipient.

Just look - I don't think a parcel could have made me any happier!

So, that's the happy new beginning. But sometimes, new adventures for others mean loss for us. This morning, my lovely neighbour popped over to say they are relocating to Portugal. It is all very sudden and I am happy for them and their new beginnings, but sad about the loss of a great 'on the doorstep' buddy.

Change - such excitement, such melancholy. There's something about this time of year that often seems to usher  forward new challenges. All we can do is hope we rise to them and move forward.

A Cutting Garden

Surely I have shared my cutting garden fantasy with you before now?  It goes along with the Georgian Rectory and cherubic offspring vision, where I do a lot of wafting about and someone else is responsible for the grunt work.

But realization has dawned that in order to get to the end goal, I am going to have to overcome a few barriers. Never mind the obvious financial hurdles - the one I've chosen to tackle is my feeling of guilt over snipping  blooms and foliage in my own garden.

It was reading these words over at Saidos da Concha (who I gather everyone else has been loving for ages, but I am fairly new to)

"unlike proper gardeners who can't bear to cut flowers for fear of spoiling the garden, I just can't let them die outside"

And somehow that made perfect sense to me and off I went, snipping with gay abandon.

See, I can vandalize my own borders and be okay with it. But I did have a good laugh when I read this slightly shamefaced post on Tea for Joy about using the neighbours' overhanging roses as your personal cutting patch. Because I would find that a whole lot less painful!

Perhaps my future actually involves a walled garden of the penitentiary variety.

My eggs hit the big time

No, this is not some daytime telly fertility related scandal piece.  The eggs in question are these and they (or rather my photo of them) made it onto Radio 4's The Food Programme.

I know, it's a little sad to be excited. Some bloggers get book deals, I get my photograph on the radio. And yes, I realize how odd that sounds. But hey, I'm proud.

And just for my Mum, who is iplayerly challenged, the glorious egg moment comes about 21 mins into the programme which is here for the next 7 days.

Two roads diverged in a wood

Feeling thoughtful this week about so many things. What constitutes a life well lived. The trade off between doing what is easy and doing what is right. About living life in a way that is true to oneself.

About mindfulness and gratitude and decisions and a myriad of other small things.

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.  (Robert Frost)

Photographs from the Crab and Winkle Way. More hilly than we thought, but good all the same.

Kew outing

The boys and I headed off to Kew Gardens this half-term. It's one of those places I have been meaning to take them for ages, but somehow have never gotten round to. Does that happen to you too? Somehow, the precious weekend time often seems to get swallowed up with the odd errand or a birthday party or a sports event or guests and there are so many things I mean to do, but there never seems to be the perfect time slot.

The best way to actually get them in the diary as a firm fixture seems to be external stimulus. In this case, an invitation for a Press Day focused on Kids at Kew. Well, it would have been rude not to, wouldn't it? Even if the early morning start was slightly against the half term grain, the gorgeous day more than made up for it.

And being chauffeured around and shown all the best bits that Kew has to offer was a wonderful treat. We looked up

and down

and found animals amongst the trees

and even a couple of bloggers out in the wild... how's that for an incredible co-incidence?

 

We climbed 18 metres up into the canopy (that's the Xstrata Treetop Walkway - undeniable highlight of the visit for the boys).

and looked down at the incredible beauty of the glasshouses

There were  moments for contemplation

and relaxation

letting off steam

and plenty of laughter.

Kew have made huge efforts to make a day out there fun for kids, with plenty to keep them happy and entertained and much to absorb.

And as you may have gathered, I took rather a lot of photographs. Though none as accomplished as the ones which we saw at the IGPOTY exhibition (that's International Garden Photographer of the Year to you and I) which is on at Kew until September.

Incredibly inspiring. In more than one way - firstly, naturally, to take pictures. But secondly, to make the most of every opportunity to see and enjoy the things that are on our 'must do sometime' lists.

People and possibilities - strikes me as a pretty good mantra for our summer.