KITCHEN BUSINESS

Today was the first almost normal day I have had for quite a time, It was also very hectic as there were lots of things to catch up on, but altogether the sort of day I enjoy. After tea and a chat with my son he went off to bed and I decamped to the kitchen shouting wakey, wakey, or words to that effect, to Pa. While the kettle boiled for coffee I made the bread and set it to rise, today it was two baguettes, two large bloomers and a spiced sultana loaf which is just made from ordinary white bread dough with some sultanas kneaded in and after it is cooked covered with a thin icing sugar and mixed spice glaze applied while the loaf is very hot, you can add as much spice as you like, it is lovely sliced and buttered with a cup of tea.

Pa went off to do some errands and I finished the apple and thyme jelly I started yesterday. I poured the strained apple juice in to a large pan, there were three and a half pints of juice so I added three and a half pounds of sugar and boiled it fast for ten minutes, this was more than enough time for the setting point to be reached. You can tell when a jam or jelly is ready to set by putting a little on a cold plate and as it cools push it with your finger, if it wrinkles the jam is ready. I had the jam jars sterilising in the oven and the lids ready scalded and dried so as soon as it was ready I skimmed off the white floss from the top and bottled it at once.

I then set another six pounds of apples to cook down and strain ready for tomorrow, I hope to have made enough for the winter store by the start of next week if I make some every day It was while I was bottling the jelly that Pa rang and told me he had met the Filipino lady who sheltered from a thunder storm with us last week, she was on her way to visit so I quickly hoovered the flood and steamed the kitchen, apart from Pa's desk the living room is tidy now. I was happy to see her again and her delightful little boy, she had made a beautiful cake for us ,a type of roulade, I have never seen anything like it before and it looked very tricky to make, it was absolutely fantastic, so light and not too sweet, I was touched that she had gone to so much trouble, I think we shall become friends, I hope so. clever and loves trains, as Pa is a model railway enthusiast they get on very well,for such a small boy he knows a good deal about the railways and left with a few magazines and a very big smile.

Dinner tonight was sausages with mashed potato runner beans onion sauce ad apple gravy we all ate the beans with relish as they are the first of the season. Lots of parcels arrived today for my son and it was a miracle that the noise made by the delivery men did not wake him, one of the packages contained a globe of the moon, a lovely thing and quite large. Our neighbour came to tell us that he has already made two hundred ponds for some of our old books and we are of course delighted, cash is always useful.

I managed a very quick ride to the river just before a began the prepare dinner, the tide was very high, almost over the bank, it floods the road quite often and I am very glad that we live higher up the lane. It has been a good day, I am very tired but also very happy, I am looking forward to a hot bath and an hour watching the news then it's off to bed for me, tomorrow it will be action stations all over again......just the way I like it.