Sunday 8 September 2013

A little bit of this and that...

First of all, welcome to Joanne via Bloglovin.

You can feel the change in the season, can't you? That glorious nip in the air, damp mornings, wood smoke drifting by, dew on the ground and cobwebs glistening on the hedges and trees. Long before the leaves get into their changing leaf colours, you appreciate (or dread) that autumn (and eventually Winter)  is coming! Our oil tank is as full as necessary and our logs should be delivered next Friday.

The season for jams, chutneys and other delightful preserves is well and truly here and we have been busy scrumping, harvesting and making.

On top of jam we have made our first batch of marmalade. Another batch should see us through until late Spring as well as for giving away for presents.
The 3 jars on the left are orange and ginger and the 2 on the right, straight orange. I don't have any Cointreau or Grand Marnier to make boozy versions but these are fine and usually appreciated by their recipients.

I have also been busy making dishcloths. My old flannel ones desperately need changing and now I have found an easy batch of patterns, I have been busy making some. Here are two I have just finished. When I have made 7, they will start to be used. The advantage of cotton ones is that when finished with, they can be chopped up and added to the compost bin.

A couple of years after decorating, we have finally found and erected some blinds in the kitchen. Our kitchen faces west and the light (and heat) stream in through both the kitchen windows and the dining room patio door. The dining room has always had curtains but the heat in the kitchen through lack of blinds, tends to hang around for quite a few hours.

The photograph below doesn't really do them justice. They are a similar colour to the wall but the inclusion of some fawny gold bits, makes them look a little darker and helps them blend in.
The last couple of warm days, before the temperature dropped, we had the blinds drawn until mid to late morning, it certainly made a huge difference.

The other two reasons for finally putting some up, were privacy and helping to keep the cold out in winter. I don't know about you, but despite our back and sides being private, I still don't like the thought of someone being able to peep in without me knowing - or instead, scaring me half to death if I spot someone!



22 comments:

  1. Wow, you crochet your own dishcloths? Now there's dedication. They are super cute too!

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    1. Well I knit them, as I am not very good at crochet, but thank you.

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  2. Ha ha, same here. No one can see in here but I always get a bit jumpy at night! Your jams and marmalades look superb. Well done you. X definately getting colder now. My bedroom was 26 last week, really hot. Last night it was 16. A huge change. I like the season changes though and the colours. X

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    1. I think it is the thought of a face suddenly appearing at the window. Similar thing happened when I was about 7 or so and it scared the girl with me so much she wet herself, bless her. Thank you re the jams, still more to make I think.

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  3. I spent yesterday making 6 large jars of Dower House Chutney - today it will be the same amount of plum jam - we should have then used 2/3rds of the plums from our plum tree - the rest will then be stewed and frozen ready for plum crumbles throughout the winter
    We also had 2 cubic metres of logs delivered yesterday £150 - I can remember when a load of logs cost £50!
    Xx

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    1. Yes, our logs will cost that much and that is the cheapest price I can get. Other prices range from £175 to £225 for the same amount!

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  4. I make our dishcloths from cotton too, and they have so far lasted about three years!

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    1. That is good to hear that they last so long. I really enjoy doing them.

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  5. Hi Dc, yes, autumn is on its way, but we still have some glorious sunshine, and so I don't mind the drop in temperature too much.

    I wish Jim ate marmalade, I often feel I'd like to make some, and I was goign to make loads of blackberry jam but think I need to knock off the sugar for a while, and if it's there, I will consume it!!

    We aren't overlook ed at the back so no curtains or blinds in my kitchen - been without them so long Iwould feel strange having them up there now! But I know what you mean about having people looking in! Lx

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    1. Sunshine from now on is always welcome but at least if it is chilly, we can wrap up whereas if too hot, it is difficult to cool down. I am not a summer person as such but love all the other seasons and like to celebrate them all.

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  6. Hi Dc,
    you are very busy!!!! Your marmalade looks wonderful.
    our oil tank is half full,but it is not enough to get through the winter, but at the moment it is too expensive for us. i hope to falling prices.
    your knitting dishclothes looking great!!!
    have a nice sunday,
    regina

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    1. I am not sure the prices will fall now. It was 50p per litre when we filled up and as far as I know, it is rising all the time. We were full end of summer last year and by careful use (and the wood burner), we still had 1/4 of a tank left this summer so only needed to buy 3/4 a tank worth! Thank you re the dishcloths, I really enjoy knitting them.

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  7. I've never heard of knitting dishcloths - what a good idea. I'm sure I have a couple of balls of organic cotton somewhere - off to find it!

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    1. Knitting them is all part of living my simple life. Up until now, I have always used cheap flannels and needed to change them every year and they were not much use as anything else after that. I gather these should last a lot longer.

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  8. I can knit, but not crochet, so wish I could :(

    Sharon x

    www.onelifeand3kids.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. These are knitted, I can't crochet well enough to do the crochet form.

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  9. I like autumn, harvesting and preserving :) Your marmelade is looking great.
    Also love the knitted dish cloths, such lovely patterns. Those would make nice gifts too.
    Have a nice new week :)

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    1. One or two of my other dishcloths are ear marked for presents!

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  10. I've been using knitted dishcloths for around 4 years now. I've managed to pick up the cotton to knit them at carboot sales and charity shops, and have them in all colours! They are incredibly hard wearing and when they look a bit dingy they are relegated to using as cleaning cloths in the bathroom.
    We had the police here yesterday. Apparently the chap across the road had come downstairs at around 9pm on Saturday and found someone in the hallway. He punched the intruder in the face and he fled! All the more reason to keep my doors locked at all times!

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    1. I've not seen it for sale at any of the car boots I go to, mind you, we don't go very often. I now buy it online at far less than my local shops sells it for so that is quite a saving. Always, always keep doors locks (perhaps that is why I was a little worried by your front veg patch. Our front door is always locked and if we are both in the house, so is the back door. Don't like to take any chances.

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  11. I'm with you on the privacy thing DC. I have to draw our curtains or pull down the blinds in our living room the minute it's dusk. Dish cloths look good.
    Patricia x

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  12. Same here. It always worries me that someone may be looking in, sizing up what they can nick!

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