Most of today has been spent doing odd jobs such a finally labelling all the preserves,pottering about in the garden which in our house is known as tatting about;and beating Pa's room full of junk in to submission. Spurred on by the imminent arrival of a six panel screen the old boy has been tidying up and has actually thrown out a load of junk of his own accord!
His is a lovely room with a fire place, a huge desk, the biggest most comfy easy chair you ever sat on,book cases which match his desk; in fact everything has been done to make him comfortable .
Thus far we have failed to maintain any semblance of order there in spite of the fact that he has more storage for his personal used than my son and I have collectively.
Half way through the afternoon the screen arrived and I was surprised at how excited Pa was on it's arrival. I had chosen it with care so that it should be sturdy without being too heavy, attractive,of course and very large,Close examination proved its suitability and Pa was delighted with it. It's early arrival seemed to spur Pa on and he put in a great deal of effort tidying his room while the cat looked on in amazement.
After such a busy day there had been no time for preparing an elaborate evening meal and so we agreed that scrambled eggs and sausages on toast would fit the bill nicely, as an apology promised the boys a feast day tomorrow...why oh why did I do that?
Pa's sleeping area is now beautifully screened from the rest of the room,his railway cupboard is easier to accesses,in fact the whole room is now more functional and a great deal more attractive.................IF it stays that way for more than a couple of days I may not survive the shock!
I spent a little time out of doors today collecting camomile, the wild variety which I dry in large quantities and use as a hair rinse,as a tea,and as a wonderful foot soak. I used to use it in the bath,but now that we have a shower instead that is no longer possible. English Marigold petals too have many cosmetic uses as well as culinary ones and we grow lots of these vibrant beauties each year.
With the weather dry I last I am making haste to dry as many herbs as possible of the summer kind,such herbs as rosemary and sage stay green all winter so tarragon ,marjoram,and lemon thyme are dried each summer and stored away for winter use. I detest dried Parsley and would prefer to do without when fresh is unobtainable,chives to are not very pleasant as a dried herb, fortunately we have plenty of early wild garlic, the leaves of which are wonderfully fresh even in the depths of January in our sheltered orchard.
With the kitchen resembling a Mages cave at the moment and with preserving in full swing there are cauldrons full of bubbling brews and baskets of fruit everywhere,this makes navigating the kitchen a little awkward;yet it is a time of the year we all love,as we squirrel away our winter stores,and look forward the eating of all these lovely goodies.
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