Monday 10 June 2013

Looking but not seeing.

It would seem that I've been walking around with my eyes closed for most of my life.  Out we trotted for a walk down the river on Sunday and stumbled across an elder bush full to bursting with flowers.  The smell can only be described as a wonderfully fragrant, citrus aroma and I was hooked!  So many ideas and so many recipes for this delicate little flower.

Whilst walking down the river bank we spied a very resourceful Mummy Moore Hen who has been able to make use of a discarded shopping trolley.

I feel it appropriate to remind you that we officially live in "Greater' London.  We could have been in the middle of Wiltshire!  Wonderful.


The boys on their "Bear hunt".  We can't go round it, we can't go over it, we'll have to go through it.


Anyone that knows me will tell you what a shocking fear of heights I have.  This has proved to be something of an issue as all that stands between me and a glut of elderflowers is a foot bridge over the A316!!!  Dear god!!  Heart racing, ear thumping, head spinning awfulness.  Simply painful.  Not helped at all by the kids insisting on telling me how high it was and how narrow.

This morning, whilst making the first and very vital brew of the day, I look out of my kitchen window to see a massive elder bush.  Then on the dogs morning constitutional what do I come across another one.  Why had I never seen these before?  Was it because I wasn't open to the world of possibilities that they presented or was it simply that I'm a bit of a towny and I have a very standard issue fear of things poisoning me.  Fortunately the man of the house has a deep knowledge of such things and is a willing taste tester.

And there was me thinking that the bush outside of my kitchen window was just pretty!


So, recipe for a cordial has been found and flowers have been collected.  I'd like to tell you all that it was a very graceful, ladylike even but that would be a whopper of a fib.  The truth is that it involved me (in my floral pinny naturally), mini man armed with a colander, a trampoline and a clothes line prop!  Fortunately the language was kept to a minimum.  I explained to mini man that we should never take more from mother nature than we need and that we must always say thank you for what we had taken.  This disguised the "thank **** for that" and the collecting of just 30 heads.

Such perfect little flower heads.

Steeping as instructed in boiling water and lemon and orange zest.  The smell is simply amazing.

Now to wait until I complete the mix and bottle until such time that I have a nice cold bottle of prosecco to do it justice.  I will keep you informed.

In other news...............

Green fly on my chilli plants!  RUDE!  I'm now the proud owner of  an atomiser of soapy water!

I have been busy crocheting more wonderful items from the world of Lucy at attic24.  Do pop over to her little patch of blog land.  I've started on the Christmas makes!  Ho ho ho. :-)

I am however pleased to tell you that all other residents of my window box are very happy indeed and starting to fill the space with colour and a little bit of yummy goodness (rocket just visible).