Added a batch of limoncello to the various brews in the pantry. I have never made it before so we will see how it goes.
Forgot to mention pulled ALL the rhubarb 32 lbs all cut up ,bagged in two pound lots and in the freezer....gave 5 bags to John the farm ....i normally cut the rhubarb right back first or second week of August ....otherwise it tends to go bitter, pulled all the shallots (going to pickle them)....raised a pile of potatoes this morning and cut a pile of courgettes .
Cleared and dug over three raised beads and dug in some compost first thing this morning before the sun broke through.......wild child is baking bread right now ! batch of six loafs as normal and a few baps what a wonderful smell hummmmm .....hungry ....got to go ! .
Been in the welsh marches the weekend, while in the area visited our friends at primary BOL, left more stuff at the cache including a few packets of seeds and some tools. Took friends out for a pub lunch, strengthened the bond.
Picked six pounds of blackberries this morning just walking up my drive (not kidding) spotted some rose hips on my return peeled some cooking apples and chopped up, plus two lemons and threw it into a deep pan along with two pounds of blackberries and two pints of water and simmered away for one hour...(two pounds of apples) ....then tipped all into a straining bag and drip away for four hours...made just over three pints ...onto the stove ...3 pints =3 lbs sugar to stir in ....whacked up to full and bring to the boil until setting point is reached .....i preheat to glass jars in the microwave and turn out to pan into 2 1 lbs jars and 5 half pint jars and label up .....then i discover a ltr of sloe gin that i racked off last year and forgot all about ....out came a coffee filter ....into a funnel and bottled into a new fancy bottle ....crystal clear !....checking on the apricot gin and vodka ....great colour ...the cherry vodka ..... beautiful colour ! .....all in harmony around these here parts .
It appears that the drought may be over, we now need to consider wether we need to look for plants which will better survive future droughts. We have lost some plants but fortunately only decorative ones, not fruit bearing.
On a trip up north on the M6 yesterday there was gridlock in places due a couple of accidents and the volume of traffic, it is obvious any chance of bugging out after TSHTF would have to be on foot or bike, as all main roads would be impassable.
The standard of driving was aplorable and this is in normal conditions, when people are frantic there would be mayhem. We MUST keep our eyes on the ball when things start to deteriorate and if we are bugging out we must make it early.
A major event would probably gridlock the whole country but a more local event may leave us a way out. If not the contents of the BOV would not be wasted as they would add to our home preps.
As for actual preps, things have been quiet this week but we have picked a lot of blackberries which have been open frozen.
The plan for this week is to check stocks and expiratory dates of OTC medicines, both the ones kept at hand in the medicine cabinet and the boxed emergency stocks for use after an event.
We have sufficient latex gloves, face masks, goggles and we also have some disposable ponchos if there is a serious epidemic and we are forced to self quarantine and self medicate, and we always keep a lot of disinfectant, rubbish bags and plastic sheeting etc. Unfortunately at this moment we do not have antibiotics.
Just thought it would be a good idea to stock up on insecticide as fly’s could carry infection.
The golden sweet corn is about ready to pick, pulled some leeks , picked up four pounds of cherries , turned two pounds of them and 2 ltr of gin 2 lbs sugar and two vanilla pods into a demijohn ....all that remains is a four month wait and a swish every day and we have Morello cherry gin for Christmas ! ....yummy ! ....my attention is now turning to the fall and winter....i need to dig some more land drainage pipes and direct storm water away from banks ....easy with my digger ...the pipes will be delivered next week so i will attack it then.
Although i have my wood store full of firewood (and outside stock undercover) enough for this winter ...i will spend this week splitting and stacking out the lower store (i logged up months back) i want to get back to a year in front.......and the generators will need checking and starting .....and general maintenance around the ground and house....planted my Christmas potatoes.
Had a tidy up in the workshop today ....yes ....again ! and my stores .....yes again tomorrow ! ...starting to decide what projects i will get on with in the workshop this winter ....in the warm and dry and my coffee simmering away.....like a pig in shit ! .
Picked more blackberries and with some windfall apples made jam, also started to pick plums as the weight of the fruit was bending branches to much, have not yet decided what to make with them.
I should have said 3 ltrs of gin in my last post ...not two ltr ....sorry folks !
Been side tracked by the commandant, just because of a bit of rain ! the reason being ...wasting of prepps ..."you never learn do you ! " ...."bloody men...honestly " cut to the utility room...." right ...i want the washing machine, tumble dryer and freezer out ! and set up in the garage......and i want shelves here and over there ....okay sweet pea .....so i relocate my bench and clear a pile of tools from racks and shelves clean up and blow out with an air line.....then i move in everything she desires into the garage ...i cut in a trap in the utility floor to get at the waste pipe (to reroute to the new position) ...i pop out get 2 lengths of waste pipe and fittings along with welding solvent ...then set up the waste ....that was yesterday ....this morning i pop out get some quick fit pipe and fittings and call in the salvage yard for some 18mm ply for shelving ...i connect the cold supply to the washer and test it all ...fine....i cut some support rails to hold the shelves and fix ....cut all the shelves on my c/saw and fix .....then i load out the preps (that are good) ......right ! can i get on now ? .....NO i am not finished with you yet buster ! ....then followed my movements for tomorrow ...down to the finest of details....and as i type this lot she said say hello to MORK ...its not mork its mort how many more times (she does this quite deliberately ) and then the new one...oh and your girl friend ....girl friend ? ......Mary has now been elevated to the dizzy heights of girl friend ....its okay Mary she is equally as nuts as i am ....in a equally nice way...in short an equal idiot .....she now wants to say hello to everyone (not to make them feel left out ) to late i say i have already posted ! Bummer !