Well what is a girl to do, when she is given a surplus of damsons?…
Gin of course!
I have read that many recipes for damson gin, I became confused. What follows is a conglomeration of several.
The ingredients are this simple…
550g of damsons (because that is how much we had!)
250g of granulated sugar
1 litre of gin
1 litre mason jars x2.
First I sterilised the jars with boiling water.
Then skewered the damsons with a sterile darning needle to get their damson juices flowing. I divided the damsons equally between the jars.
Next, I added 125g of sugar into the first jar and 125g of sugar into the second jar.
Finally, adding 500ml of gin into the first jar and 500ml into the second jar.
I gave the jars a little shake and then popped them on the larder shelf where it is dark…this is important storage information apparently!
I’m not sure if it is a good thing that there is an air space in the jars or not. Looking at the unopened gin bottle there was an air space. So I think I am going to have to do a bit more research. I may be topping up with a bit more gin, but I will let you know if I do. The jars will need a little shake each day for the first week and then weekly after that.
All the recipes differ on how long to leave the gin until you crack it open. Some say 3 months others 6 months and then others a year!!! I should imagine it is when desperate! Again I will let you know. I am hoping it will be in time for Christmas, unless I get desperate before that!!
Well lets start with the bluebells shall we! It is fair to say that the weather around these parts has been bizarre. We have literally had four seasons in a few hours. Rain, followed by blue spring skies and then a few moments later hail or snow and thunder. This is what fell from the sky during little ones football training
It was absolutely freezing needless to say, and totally out of the blue, as the start of the training session had been sunny. Any way, I promised you bluebells, which the crazy weather does not seem to have hindered. Here they are…
These little delicate flowers make my heart very happy and I just love climbing to the top of the hill, where the tall trees stand grandly, graciously carpeted beneath with this blue hue of lovliness.
starting the climb to bluebell woodthe grand trees leading to bluebell woodemerging out of bluebell wood
Once through the wood and out the other side, the boys played and climbed and we took the long path back to the van. Stopping only to watch a kestrel hunt and to watch miss Jess and a rather handsome springer run rings around each other….oh and to play a game of bulldog. Of which I do not have any photos as in the first instance I was too mesmerised, in the second instance miss Jess was way to fast for me to photograph and lastly an out of breath me isn’t for photographing!
So to the crochet…
mostly hooked at the skate park, whilst the not so little Robin practised ‘jumping the box’ and ‘airs’ on his bmx.
Well, I’m sorry for my noted absence, there are just two weeks left until exam and essay deadlines and to be truthful I’m worried that one of the boys might fall into the laundry pile and never be seen again!
I’m shattered and busy, busy, busy… my mind has many yarny creations whizzing around and I really need some colour therapy, but I feel overwhelmed and hence my hook has fallen silent (temporarily). So to keep my creative mind sane I have been looking for the lovliness that surrounds me daily… and taking photo’s…this is April.
A birthday breakfastelevenses with my Mom and Dad.
A heart from Mr RA coffee made with a whistle always reminds me of GranA lovely present from a friendAlf in his favourite puddle…Rhubarb sproutinghellebore raising its headclematis buddingclimbing clematis well…climbing!Spring is here sort of…It was warm enough yesterday for the first cuppa out in the gardenbut today it has been cold, so these tulips brought the spring inside
But mostly these lovelies have been the loveliest…
As I have been waiting extremely patiently for the postman to bring me a yarn shaped parcel; walking has featured as a daily pass time since the weather has been so cheery.
We have stomped over fields in the sunshine,
rambled down pathways
and climbed over gates.
We have wandered through woodlands and I have admired the dappled sunshine dancing on the ground. In the evenings I have been hooking this…
a light weight artfully simple angled scarf (designed by the very talented Tamara over at Moogly) in a 4 ply Sirdar country style yarn. The colour is 0392….meh! I do so dislike it when a colour just has a number and not a name. It is a beautiful old pastel pink, which now I have started, I cant put down.
Still waiting…we have visited orchards
and walled gardens
and stumbled across these little guys (very cute indeed).
Finally, a yarn shaped parcel arrived and a dilemma.
Well, I just couldn’t resist this gorgeous wool alpaca blend in (0519) or charcoal grey.
Nor this beautiful compilation of cotton. So, now I have the Robins nest squares to finish, my artfully simple angled scarf and new yarn screaming “hook me, hook me!” What a fabulously fantastic woolly dilemma to be in. xxxxx
Following some much needed soul restoration on Friday, the theme has lingered here at the nest over the Easter weekend; and I can deleriously report is continuing today too. However, hooking came to a very abrupt halt yesterday!
After a chaotic but funny Easter egg hunt, in which I muddled the clues up somehow; and hearty singing of praises in church. Followed a mixed weather walk just down by the brook,
I love carefully picking my way back home through this flowery path…
Back home for some quiet hooking
which was fine until…
I realised I had only this much red cotton left and four robins nest motifs left to square…I told you the hooking came to an abrupt halt! Which was only soothed by this wonderful Easter tray that I received from my lovely brother and Sister in Law (Thank you Kate xx)
Which proved just perfect to hold my coffee whilst I ordered more yarn
After a long hard slog I now have 2 out of 3 of my essays done…but it has been hard, not just for me, but for the whole of the Robins’ nest clan. So with the sun shining it was time to restore the soul with some non academic (no not a single reference required here!) time together. However, it didn’t quite work out as planned. Mr R had to work… ON A BANK HOLIDAY! and summer and autumn robins, well they are growing up and wanted to go out with their mates…so that just left me and my little Robin to go and play.
Pitch and putt, all 18 holes in the sunshine.
I spent a lot of time trying to get out of bunkers…
and trying very hard not to misplace my golf ball in the river that ran alongside some of the course.
After the successful execution of hole 9, we had a half time interval of ice cream and popcorn…much needed foods when soul restoration is in progress!
‘A yarny little leaf’ designed by Nicola Florence @ayarnyrobin.wordpress.com….February 2016
On a very wet afternoon, just the other day, I began to hook up some little leaves. Simple I thought, no pattern required.
After a couple of tweaks here and there, this is what my trusty hook had produced. I think they are rather sweet, so I thought I would share this little leaf pattern with you.
Little Leaf Pattern.
I used drops cotton dk and a 3.5mm hook. All instructions are using English terminology.
Slst – slip stitch
st – stitch
ch – chain
dc – double crochet
htr – half treble
tr – treble
dtr – double treble
blo – back loop only
Central Vein
Ch8, slst into 2nd ch from hook, then slst into each remaining 6ch and fasten off.
Leaf Body
Join chosen colour thread to 1st st at bottom of leaf vein. Ch1, dc in next st, htr in next st, tr in next st, 2dtr in next st, tr in next st, htr in next st, dc in same st, ch3(you should now be at the top of the vein).
You now need to reverse the pattern down the other side of the leaf. This time working in the back loops only.
So, dc in next st, htr in same st.
tr in next st, 2dtr in next st, tr in next st, htr in next st, dc in next st, slst in next st. Fasten off to finish and weave in ends.
Happy little leaf hooking
xxxxx
‘A yarny little leaf’ designed by Nicola Florence @ ayarnyrobin.wordpress.com….February 2016.
I have read that many recipes for damson gin, I became confused. What follows is a conglomeration of several.
The ingredients are this simple… 
Crochet blog 