Welcome!

Our entry way needed some lovin' so yesterday we drove to the florist after school to get some cyclamen plants for the window box and I cleaned out the lantern and lit the candle in the evening. I like how cosy it looks when you come home in the dark afternoons.

I want to fix up the wreath a bit more but I'm not sure what it needs. I bought two mini pumpkins to start with and was gifted a dried corn cob to put there, but I think it will need a new moss coating before Christmas.

The window box could do with some green plants in between the flowers but that will have to wait.

A good clean up between the flagstones would not go amiss either.

It's a good start.

Cherry currant cordial

Tonight I made cordial using black currants and black cherries my FIL gave us 2 years ago.

They've been sitting in the freezer taking up space since then and now they had to be used or be thrown out.

I just did a basic "boil berries with water-strain- bring to the boil and add sugar"-cordial. Only this time I boiled the mash one extra time to really get every last bit of juice out.

I'll have to check the cordial tomorrow because currants are a great pectin agent and can easily make the cordial jell as it cools. Plus I boiled the cherries with the pits which also adds in the pectin.

From the left over mashed berries I made a sort of jam-mush. I pressed the berries through a sieve, removing the pits as I found them.
It was boring work so I didn't do it for very long. I got enough mush to put in a 10 oz jar.
To sweeten it I brought some water to the boil and added double the amount of sugar and let it all boil for a minute or two then let it cool slightly before I added a few tablespoons to the mush.

The mush won't last that long unless you freeze it so we'll use it on the oatmeal or yogurt for breakfast over the next few days.
It tasted divine on piece of toast tonight and I'm sure it would be great to fill a cake with.