Tim is off to the cricket tomorrow, with my brother, at the Bellerive Oval, though I believe I should now call it the Blundstone Arena and another warm day is predicted...they should have a good day of it.
I have done my "Hampster" research and am all ready to go for week two of the EMI challenge...I wonder how long I can keep this up, although I must say, that entering these sorts of challenges is definately the way to attract visitors to a blog site, something I need to work on if I am going to justify the ongoing annual costs. The EIM group seems very chatty. I have had several lovely welcoming comments from members of the group since I posted my rabbit inchie link. I think I may have to get into some more challenges to increase the readership...
Having had to "do" Facebook in the past couple of weeks, due to my design team commitments, I realise the reason I much prefer blogging is largely connected to the speed and immediacy of FB, whereas a blog allows more writing and consideration of ones thoughts...the process is far less frenetic...much more satisfyingly personal, especially in regard to comments made on the site...But hey! At the moment I have both and that is a far more interesting position to be in than having neither or only one....
This morning Chris picked me some more Jostaberries, a few strawberries and a goodly box of runner beans, so again I made muffins with the berries...if Tim wants a picnic tomorrow they may come in handy...
I can see a rapidy approaching moment when our supply of beans will exceed our daily intake and I will need to make plans to deal with the overflow while we are lucky enough to have one.
The thought took me back to early childhood when I used to help my mother and older sister to salt excess beans...they sliced them up in large bowlsful, (Dad always managed a very bountiful garden), and I would pack them in layers into large preserving jars and layer them with salt...I usually had the job of adding the beans as my arm was skinny enough to go inside the jars and make sure everything was packed down firmly before the salt was added...probably too young to wield a vegetable knife with any degree of safety also.
This was before domestic freezers were so readily available. I can still recall being sent to the pantry to scoop out enough beans for dinner into a pan. This occurred when needed during the winter when fresh vegetables weren't as plentiful and also the soaking and rinsing out of the saline before they were cooked...and the taste, which was subtly different to that of a fresh bean. This process stopped just as soon as mum recieved her first freezer which she made great use of for the rest of her life...good memories.
Gotta go...I am roasting here in my craft room...need to find somewhere cooler...even Pig has given up sleeping outside in the garden and is spread out across the kitchen tiles which are much cooler.
Bye now,
Dixx