A Lemon Cordial Update....

Thanks for your enquiry Jaqueline I realised I did leave a bit out.


The lemon cordial is diluted with water, you need to use only 1/3 of the amount of shop bought cordials. There will be settlement on top of your bottles so just give it a tip up and down before you pour,it is just the lemon rind and little pieces of any that got away on you.I usually juice my lemons and then from the juicer pour it through a strainer before I put it in mix then add the rind but you can leave it all in if you like.
The acids are in your grocery store in the same section that you would get food colouring and hundreds of thousands those kinds of cake making items.
It is also good to let it sit for a week or so they say but we seem to have a hairy old fella here that makes a glass as soon as it is cool !
This whole process is very quick just a very short time and you are done.Enjoy.

                                                  Results of Sewing Day




First of all the home made
                                                Lemon Cordial Recipe

                                              2kg castor Sugar
                                               1 Litre water
                                               6 Large Lemons
                                                30grams Tataric Acid
                                              30grams Citric Acid
Place sugar and water in a saucepan(not aluminium) and over a medium to low heat dissolve the sugar completely,take off the heat stir in both acids and sit to cool.
Juice the lemons and  grate the rind from 2 of them.When mixture is cool(I do this when luke warm as I am impatient ) add the juice and rind stir well and bottle..I have been saving screw top wine bottles and this makes 2 of these and a small drink bottle.
This is so easy.cheap and refreshing,it is not over sweet but lovely and sweet/tart...hope that makes sense I think it would be to your taste Cro.
I read that you can use oranges,lemon and oranges mixed and add passionfruit for a fruit salad taste,I am yet to do these.



Our sewing day was great, Bob was around most of the time,he had all his shed jobs finished before the girls got here as we are early risers.he chatted sometimes,made our lunch which her offered to do and it was lovely,the cake was really nice with hot runny custard.
The girls went home a lot lighter after unloading their problems,Lyn could barely stay awake as she had not had much sleep but she had a lot of laughs,we met many years ago when we worked at the local abbatior,actually we all met there, I had to go when Bob had his breakdown as we had one child just started Uni and one in year 10 not a good time if one had a choice but we lived through it,and it was a culture shock for me,I must write a blog about it one day.
When the works shut down 10 years ago Wendy and I went on to do different work,Lyn not knowing anything else as it was her first and only ever job went to the same type of work at our next town,she is exhausted as it is hard,cold work and a real slog for her, her husband ran off with a younger lady that worked with us too about 12 years ago now and she never got over him...anyhow she is lovely and I love her and I would walk over burning coals for her,if I win Lotto it is her door I will be knocking on,and to top it all off her had a buggar!!! of a son ,one good one and one naughty,a man,daddy of 3 never worked a  day and lives off her grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!! makes you wonder why good people have to keep having hard times, I am sure God will bless Lyn abundantly one day.

Anyway here is what I got done on the day, all the hand sewing is being done today at Cackle Club

 These are heat bags and tissue holders to match and the little bags are the lavender draw  bags I do,I was given the lovely fabrics by old Mr Miles a farmer on my run and they were lovely to play with, I will stitch the joins today.

 These are 2 old laces that were in my box, the heavy cotton ones are from the 60's and the lace from Kirsty's wedding box so one each for the girls.

 These ones are the stretch lace the latest fad apparently,yes there is 2 of each one for Lilli and Livvy.

These are the Christmas pyjama shorts ready to be cut to the length they had requested,the boys have the cockatoo ones and the girls the gingerbread ones.I think the boys will love the Georgie ones as they all love Bobs cockatoo.
Well thats what I got done, the girls make fun of me saying i can never make one of anything...I just realised they are right there are another little pile of heat bags not in the pic...O'h dear..must have a disorder of some kind...I know what it is I like giving things away to people so guess thats where many will go...
Have a lovely day and thank you for your lovely comments,like many others we write the blog just because...lol...and think no one will ever find it interesting,so thank you so much..have a blessed day.

                                               



                                                   Friends day Sunday

I have 2 special friends that have a few little troubles family wise and there is no quick fix, i think we have all been there and still most of us if we are honest,there is always a little underlying something that worries us late at night.
Anyway I have not used the overlocker yet that I was left from out kates mother in law Ruth so today Wendy and Lyn are coming for the day.Wendy is going to show me the correct way to use my overlocker and we are going to sew and laugh perhaps a tear or two but the object is to make our grandaughters some more headbands,do the childrens Xmas shorts and have a nice time...O'h is forgot the most important part eating!!!!!

I made a challenge to myself, to make everything from what is here and no quick trip to the shops so here is todays food minus the boring bits lol.
Bob is going to do marinated chicken pieces(from the freezer) that have been soaking in our home made Chilli and Plum sauce overnight, we will cut all mixed vegies and mix in a little oil and garlic and roast them, he will do these in the webber for us,home grown cauliflower and greens,that will be lunch did not take pics of that.

                                                         Scones in the making

                 

                                                              Finished product.
For morning tea we have scones that I have just made,home made strawberry jam and double dip cream that I got with my groceries earlier in the week.


                                                 

                                        Peaches generously drizzled with golden syrup.

                                           Home brand cake mix for the top(or bottom really)

                                                                Finished product.

For sweets we will have an upside down peach and syrup cake... I have no idea what this will taste like as the peaches are home stewed and frozen,defrosted,placed in the bottom of my tin,drizzled with golden syrup from the pantry, a mixed homebrand buttercake mix on top and we will have this with custard and cream,I will turn it out upside down...and did and it looks ok..what time do we get to eat this? lol
So plenty of sewing and eating today, the most important ingredient though is friendship,shoulders to lean on and the wonderful gift of confidentiality as there will be no one else knowing of the talks we have.
Sometimes I feel I have no friends that I can confide in and feel all lost and at sea, I have known both these girls for many years,we go to cackle club etc and often have a day when if I am taking one of the grandchildren back they come for company, I have not asked them around for the day before as I thought they would not be interested,although I have gone and gotten Lyn before (the jazzy  self taught crochet lady) but it needed just to be me and her then as she was so upset, I digress!!! as usual..I just rang them both on Friday as I was feeling yukk that I could not be with kate on her birthday and asked them around, they were so excited as they often feel like asking me and think as I have Bob and Mum (they are both alone now)that I would not want to come...hello!!!! just ask me there are times I am so crowded I need just a little different company.
So here we are it is Sunday morning, neither friends drive so I will collect them about 10ish,I have to food all prepared and my sewing pile ready..I thank God for allowing me the pleasure of their company.that today His day I will be doing something that is good,Mum will be with us too as she loves them both,if they like it maybe we will make this a monthly thing to do,take turns who's home it is at but I am happy to have it here then Mum gets to have a chat to someone  different.
Bob will do things in the shed,join us for food and as he is cooking the lunch I think he is a trooper!
Today is a grateful day and I am truley that, if I can't be with my children and their families this is surely the next best thing!

                                                  Happy 40th Precious One.

Our daughter is 40 years old today....where did the time go!
Named Katrina at birth,known as Kate to all that know her but she will always be Trini to us.
Wife of Stephen wonderful fun Mum to Alex,Livvy and Will.
Tonight Stephen got a babysitter and is taking Trini to dinner,there will be a few friends there,we cannot get Great Nanna there in time for dinner the trip is too much and over 2 hours is exhausting,soooo the family will have a get together on the 22nd of this month as several will be having birthdays and we will have a picnic day.

Have a wonderful evening sweetie you deserve it,Trini is a no fuss girl so did not want a party but we have all said look out 50! she has agreed that ,that birthday will be worth celebrating, she told me this morning its just another day,and you know what she is right,another day for her to brighten up for all those she meets,she is beautiful in soul,she works in a large cancer hospital where there is much sadness and I know that she makes a hard time so much easier for so many.
Bless you Miss Kate and all those who are loved by you.

Taken last year at Mums 90th...

                                                                 Just a  little post


Bob and I have had a huge 2 weeks. The owners of the Post Office are on holiday and every year we fill in for them doing the sorting,this means we start work 2 hours earlier everyday and we are pooped!!!
We do not do the actual Post Shop but out the back where all the sorting is done, by the time we are ready to do our own job we have already handled the mail 2 times and our eyeballs are spinning lol.

Anyway it is also daylight saving time so that means there is still plenty of time to get jobs done of an afternoon.

Bobs beetroot is ready so we have harvested the first lot and bottled it and the next lot are coming along nicely.So here is what I/we have been up to.

 Bobs beetroot, last year they did not grow properly,now I think he's got it right,the new ones he has growing are strange almost carrot like so we can't wait for them they will be great for bottling,these were lovely not woody or anything..perfect Bob.

 Four nice sized jars,a good amount at a time I think.

 Home made Lemon cordial,I had forgotten how easy this was to make and how delicious and refreshing,as soon as I smelt the mix after adding the lemons I was a child again in Nanna's kitchen.

I love doing littla baby singlets, I had given the others away already they had 3 rabbits on them and trains,the smocking is so easy and looks sweet although looking at this it looks like perhaps I was a bit crooked lol o'h well it will be original. Baby singlets are something I buy when they are on special as you can do a little animal whenever you have a few minutes free and there is always someone you care about expecting..I also do bees,boats,roses and buds and have done a spider once and I did not like that...I know some ladies that do the baby socks but I am not that clever!
Have a great day everyone and enjoy doing whatever your day brings.xx

                                                 A New Week and Missing Livvy.

Livvy has gone home and school is back in swing.We miss her very much she is delightful to have around,no trouble at all.
While she was here we did these few little things.

 We stitched little crochet flowers onto her lovely cotton cardi that we got at the local op shop,never been worn and beautiful quality.

 Decorated headbands for Livvy and we had to make some for Lilli at the same time.These have suffolk puffs and buttons from my stash.

 These ones Livvy just wanted to do bright buttons.

These have lace on them from the box of laces from Lilli's Mums wedding box leftovers.We are going to make some that just have lace so that will be my job as my apprentice has gone home.

Two years ago I completed Lilli's quilt for when she is grown up as they need to be a bit older to appreciate all the work, and I was afraid I would not be able to do all the embroidery by the time the girls are 18...so I did Lilli's as it came as a block of the month,with Livvy's I got all behind so I sewed the quilt together last year and now I have started the embroidery(on the caravan trip) so it will take a while but I will get there.This is where I am up to.

 This is a quilt from Leanne Beasley about the quilters journey,I am changing the sayings to some simple psalms and life's sayings,Olivia wanted me to have Peace and Love in one square,so I obeyed lol.

 We saw this lovely Echidna on our mail run on Friday we were so excited that Livvy and Mum could sit and watch him eat ants, this is an adult one,last time we saw babies.

So we are back to three in the house, Molly is missing Olivia terrible as are we no little voice singing Doris  Day in the background,no little giggle and a voice saying "I love you Grammy" so it is back to phone messages and memories galore until next time when a little one comes to stay.I am looking forward to the 30th October and we will all meet halfway for a family day..lots of fun ahead.

                                                                   Lovely Weekend


We had a lovely weekend away, although it rained all the time we were away with blustering winds,we did not care we had not been alone for so long it was delightful.I read a book for the first time in years,started embroidering a quilt that I had put off doing for ages,Bob read and we actually got to talk a lot!the caravan was so cosy and we knew we had chosen the right one the bed so comfy just like home and the little kitchen so easy we did not want to come back!
Each time the rain eased we went for little walks,that caravan park was lovely,quiet and  peaceful with the river one side of the road and the ocean on our side.
Olivia is here for a holiday and will come on a bus trip with us on Saturday before she goes home,we will miss her very much.Livvy has been helping me with the parcels, playing with Molly and  singing and dancing to Doris Day, our daughters children all have grown up knowing all the old musicals and can sing any request you throw at them....how wonderful is that so...Sound of Music has had a rest this visit and Doris has been "Take us Back to the Blackhills" and "Teachers Pet "etc non stop....O'hhhhhhhhhhhhh I just love it when they call and ask to come for a holiday as you know little brother William comes often and now they are all at school it is less frequent,if I could change anything in my life it would be that they all live closer but it is not Gods plan so he rewards me with blessings of little visits that are full on love fests and I suppose if they lived right here I would take them for granted.
Grandchildren are Gods rewards for living through the teenage years lol...and we would not have it any other way would we.

 This is the track leading down to the sea,it went for about 500 yards I think but it was gorgeous except for the big drips falling on your head!

 And it comes out at the ocean, we are going back next year and hope that it will be sunny,Bob hunched up and shivering lol we turned round,raced back to the van ready for the next lot of rain which came as we got to shelter.

Miss Olivia singing and dancing to Doris with her umberella up,they love this one it has a duck head for a handle ,I asked her "do you think you will be on the stage?" as she is always singing and dancing.."well Grammy ,I have been thinking of being a Librarian" how lovely a dancing ,singing Librarian,now thats sounds good to me lol.