Mum's making marmalade..

Mum got down to the serious business of marmalade making yesterday. Sugar and the little plastic things to go on top had been bought. Jam jars had been washed and heated in the oven. Seville oranges were chopped up and 'pithed' and left to soak for a day or so...

I've been told it tastes very nice and I'll take her word for it, as one thing I can safely say is that unlike bananas, cabbage, sprouts, mince pies and christmas cake, I won't be developing a taste for marmalade in the future!

While the marmalade was busy getting down to business on the stove, I got down to the business of making bread which I'm really starting to enjoy after our neighbour Sue gave me a recipe. Once you've got the routine and ingredients in your mind it takes no time and the kneading process gets the joints active! You can't beat some fresh bread, especially with some squash and carrot soup, lovely..

Before dropping off to sleep I've been reading Nigel Slater's new book on British food which Nellie bought me for Christmas, bless him. We'd both read the extracts from it in the Observer last year and shared memories of tunnock's teacakes, club biscuits and custard tarts (must put them on the list!) Nigel has a great way of remembering and praising good old British grub and there's a very amusing memory involving cabbage and elderly ladies pushing zimmer frames!

Today, there was the Co-op craft session at the Education Centre. Mum and our good friend Gwen (who's been involved in the Co-op for years) had the idea of starting a regular craft group after a few successful one-off sessions had gone ahead. It's very informal, friendly and relaxing and always a variety of different crafts going on, crochet, knitting, quilting, embroidery, felting, beading. Next time, a sewing machine is being brought along as one of the ladies has been hand sewing a skirt as she doesn't have a machine. I'm also hoping to pick up a few tips. My sewing machine experience at school was a disaster, I eventually managed to machine embroider a cushion which took me all term and then I had a nose bleed over it...great.