I'd stopped decorating. I seemed to have stopped artwork. I couldn't seem to concentrate. I couldn't shake off that heavy blanket of Lockdown that was often sitting on my shoulders, weighing me down and making me feel flat. Not like squished, more like dull. Like left-over lemonade, I'd lost my fizz!
But then there's Hebe-the-dog, who knows nothing about Lockdown, has an eye for adventure and has a spring in her step. She insists on walks. And there is nothing like a walk to get those dull endorphins jostled into action!
And doesn't the Autumn colour look spectacular this year? Even in the north, the trees have held tight to their leaves for longer than usual. There have been gorgeous pink mornings with damp dewy grass that looks like a plush green velvet carpet; and pale blue & lemony evenings that feel nippy as the stars & planets appear overhead, like a net of super-sparkly fairy lights.
It's special to happen upon a hidden bay with around 30 white swans feeding quietly and so gracefully.
Nature can be so giving!
I picked lots of berries and started on my jam-making with gusto. I was, at last, back in the Autumn groove.
I had foraged all the ingredients for a Hedgerow Jam. Deseeding the rose hips proved a right scutter - there were so many seeds. But far worse were the hawthorn berries - although each berry contained just one seed, the flesh around it was minimal. Still, in the end, the set was great!
I worked my way through a few red jams: Spicy Plum Jam, that tasted lovely but only had a light set - so is more like a sauce for ice-cream; then there was Blueberry & Pear Jam that is yummy and solid.
I experimented with my Orange & Cointreau Marmalade by adding some leaves of lemon thyme that are now suspended in the jelly like a frozen-in-time (sorry!) shook-up snow globe. Maybe not to everyone's taste? I find you either like snow globes, or you don't!
By then, I had got fed up with making jam, but I still had a bagful of elderberries. That's when I took the dangerous notion to make my own liqueurs!
Dangerous 'cos I discovered that everything about the elder is laced with cyanide - bark, branches & leaves! The berries themselves are okay. And, let's face it, they're in 'Sambucol', that manufactured super-immune booster, so you can't be too scared. Neveretheless, I - meticulously - separated the berries from their stalks and mixed them with vodka.
Now, in my larder, I have a variety of fruits steeping in various alcohols, getting-to-know-each-other, and turning colour from orangey-pink, through a range of reds to an inky violet. These will eventually become: Pomegranate & Vanilla Vodka Liqueur, Spicy Cranberry & Orange Gin Liqueur, Blackberry Brandy Liqueur and Elderberry Vodka Liqueur.
I think I could be onto a winner here for family Xmas presents. After all, you can't get more Christmassy than red!
Maybe I could have a red & green-themed Xmas dinner? Tomato & Red Pepper Soup for starters, then Steak Tartare & Salad for main, followed by Raspberry Ice cream with that Spicy Plum Jam Sauce - with Cranberry Gin Liqueur & Mints to round it all off!
I have form for this. I once did a yellow-themed dinner for a guest. As I remember it consisted of: a Melon & Pineapple starter, Thai Chicken Curry with Sweetcorn, Yellow Pepper and Saffron Rice for main, followed by Lemon Cheesecake.
Fancy giving a colour-themed meal a try? It's fun!
Remember: colour beats grey; colour is not dull; colour might even be healthy!
ps Did I mention I now have pink highlights in my hair?
I feel much happier.
I rest my case.
: )
