Sunday 28 August 2011

Holiday weekend

It's a bank holiday weekend here. That usually means bad weather and traffic jams! We had a family wedding to celebrate so we were hoping for sunshine - as you can see, although it wasn't good all day, we were lucky for the bride's arrival at the reception venue.


It was a very grand house set in glorious grounds. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the fantastic sphinx either side of the front door. Last week it was sphinx in Warwickshire and this week it's Shropshire! You don't see one for ages and all of a sudden six come along!


After being dressed up and on best behaviour for the wedding yesterday it's back to jeans and Tshirt at home today and nature is being generous. The trees in our orchard are groaning with fruit. There's been a bit of rain recently, the fruit is ready and ripe plums are starting to fall from the trees. I can't put it off any longer, it's like harvest festival here and I must make jam, crumble and spicy plum sauce!


I'd love to try and paint these plums - the blue bloom on the burgundy coloured skin is absolutely beautiful! I'd better get on with cooking though or I'll never deal with the fruit mountain. No prizes for knowing how I'll be spending my bank holiday!


Hope you're having a great weekend!
Talk again soon - Linda

3 comments:

  1. Look like I might want to make a plum pie and eat!

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  2. Could you tell us the recipe for the spicy plum sauce? It would be very nice!
    If you like to have a look at my quilts at http://inasquilts.blogspot.com/
    I love yours so much!
    INA

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  3. It's very warm in my kitchen this morning! I've made a huge apple and plum crumble, 3 pints of spicy plum sauce and such a vast vat of jam that I've run out of jam jars and have to resort to tupperware! The spicy sauce was adapted from a recipe book called The Preserving Book by Lynda Brown. I always adapt recipes because I never have all the ingredients! Basically it involves cooking plums with onion, vinegar, Wasabi paste, sugar and soy sauce. You add a little sake and five spice powder and boil it till thick. Very tasty with stir fry or duck!
    PS Lovely work on your blog Ina!

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