Saucer in the freezer

Yes, the jam-making season has begun.

First off, black currant. Four jars. ( not handles. )




Unfortunately, as I have neglected to prune the bushes at all, the crop is not as abundant as one might have hoped for. Scaling the pic using a handy mug gives....




So a few ( OK a, ) celebratory breakfasts in store for the lucky recipients.

Five years those bushes have been there and I got 115g of black currants, I ask you.

I have now rectified the lack of pruning by watching a bossy Dutch guy on YouTube detailing correct pruning methods. A brutal Autumn to come.

My Welsh Grandparents never bought jam and had a cupboard in their bedroom containing the year's supply of jam in small honey jars. I aspire to this level of self-sufficiency.

I should reach it, thanks to next door's plum tree.





For the black currant jam, I used a Nigel Slater recipe. He says the stuff in the saucepan should, 'boil enthusiastically,' but what if your black currants are having a down day? Bring back the good, honest rolling boil.

A fantastic tool

Tom Windsor at St Bede's, someone who has produced one or two editions of chant himself, put me into this tool, via Musica Sacra.

We are changing what we sing and what we read from bit by bit and this will allow me to produce various bits and bobs with great ease.

A guide to the organ