The preserve of the poor!

It has been ages yet again since I wrote anything here. Weeks are flying by and I always seem to be busy without having that much to do!

I have been a busy house wife making jams and jelly's from a glut of plums on other peoples trees. I have been baking bread on a more regular basis while Mr Juicy has also been working on his own gluten/dairy free loaf - When he is successful all is well, when it doesn't quite work out the way he wants we all know about it as he gets the stinkiest wind you could imagine! (so bad it actually woke me up the other night!)

We have put up with a broken oven for months, using only a halogen cooker from Baby Figs last flat, but finally could afford to get the oven fixed and I am baking all sorts - well, mainly Yorkshire Fat Rascals with my own twist (basically replacing the dried fruit with anything in the cupboard!)- but bread, puddings and biscuits are very comforting this time of year - All my warming stews get made in my treasured stove top tagine these days, one of the BEST cooking pots I have ever owned!

There has been a huge abundance of fruit this autumn which is always a sign of a bad winter to come - I have never seen so many Sloe's in the hedges. As soon as we have our first hard frost I will be out there gathering them up for a bottle or two of Sloe Gin. The only problem with all this cooking baking and preserving is the vast quantities of sugar everything requires. ~I think I should start buying 1 bag every week of the year.

Things have been slow on the crafting front. The craft fairs I have done have been so lovely and friendly but not very profitable once stall fee's and petrol costs are taken into account, so I have chosen just 3 to attend up to Christmas (besides my Folksy and Etsy shops) 

At the top of this post is one of the rag wreaths I have been making, and above are a couple of scarves ready to be sold.

I have had a big tidy up of the sewing room recently. It is a tiny box room with far too much stuff in it, I had been thinking about trying to rent a space as a workshop, but we really are totally skint - so I have had to make the most of space we have. It is really difficult to make anything of any size, especially my beloved quilts, but I am determined to work around these issues - I even managed to squash our old computer in there with the intention of 'writing' - I have make a start on a book about thrifty living and old fashioned home making, mainly inspired by my Grandma's life. I can't see it being finished any time soon though, every time I start to write it either turns into a rant or splits off in 10 different directions. Keep your eyes peeled though, I may be out here soon asking for ideas, suggestions, opinions and tips!

So - That was a very quick update (waiting for mare Fat Rascals to cook!) I shall leave you with this photo taken from the sewing room window the other day. The structure that frames it is Whalley Viaduct.