Here they are at around 6 months old at our first Muddlepuddle Summer Camp:

Around a year old:

At around 2 1/4:

And now they are 6:

This year we more or less followed a recipe from this book, which I have had for many years and love

She sterilised jars and equipment, picked as many of the plums we could reach [and i sawed a few small branches off that stopped DD1 climbing up to reach a few more] – 1.3kg .

She put these into our heavy pan and covered with 750mls water and simmered until they were all mushy. DD1 and grandad [staying here as an emergency visit as nana has been admitted over the weekend to hospital - frantic is the name remember!] mushed through a colander and took out all the stones. DD1 wanted some bits in the jam, so then added some of the smushed stuff too.

She measured and had 1.2l of pulp and water. So she added 1400g of sugar [eek!] and also as much grated ginger as we could [about 40g] from the dried knobbly bit lurking by the cooker [ :blush: ] .

Then put on a good rolling boil until we reached jam temp on my sugar thermometer. Since this is the first time she has made jam, I had her trying the different ways of testing done-ness.

At her first call I thought we were prob slightly under, so filled 2 jars [I have a jam funnel, so much easier for her], and then she boiled some more, tested again and was much more convinced. She has a nice jar each of under and over [possibly!] and will try some of each from the not so pretty jars to decide which one to enter.

we did have a really fabulous historyetc nearly a fortnight ago, which I promised to blog! It was a full house, with all the families there. there were also some additions. My niece and nephew, G’s nephew and B with daughter R who came with Michelle, and will hopefully come fairly regularly.

My parents tooke the opportunity to visit friends and play golf – I suggested that might be a more relaxing day

At this distance it is harder to remember all the ins and outs of a day, unfortunately, which is why i should have blogged at the time. I thought M and E did really well. They are both schooled, they both want a fair bit of my attention when I am around [understandable] and they are not so used to mixed ages and some freedom in choosing what to do. E settled with me and making the herbal remedies, as did M. However, E was grad persuaded to do more things without me so close, tho always nipping, admiring, hugging etc before moving on. M decided that he was a bit uncomfortable doing more crafts, initially grumping that he had to do schoolwork in half term! and mostly played with G’s nephew. He did say he had a great time tho.

SO, I started with the elderflower herbal remedy and pretty much everyone made this, and at the end of the day, with the 2 R’s I made the rosepetal distilled water

a) elderflower water

The Romans, as Pliny records, made use of it in medicine and in Italy in the medicine of the School of Salernum. Elder still keeps its place in the British Pharmacopoeia, the cooling effects of Elder flowers being well known.

How to make!

Fill a large jar with Elder blossoms, pressing them down, the stalks of course having been removed previously. Pour on them boiling water to half way up the jar, stand the jar in a warm place for some hours. Then allow it to get quite cold and strain through muslin. Put into bottles and cork securely.

Uses

washing to whiten and soften the skin
drink as a tea to help with chest complaints
soak linen and place agains boils and afflictions of the skin
soak linen and place against temples for migraine.

b) rose water

the Romans found it prudent to continually spray the audience with rose water, simultaneously making its members smell better and protecting them from errant germs with the rose’s antibacterial properties.

How to make!

2-3 quarts fresh roses or rose petals
Water
Ice cubes or crushed ice
1. In the center of a large pot (the speckled blue canning pots are ideal) with an inverted lid (a rounded lid), place a fireplace brick. On top of the brick place the bowl. Put the roses in the pot; add enough flowers to reach the top of the brick. Pour in just enough water to cover the roses. The water should be just above the top of the brick.
2. Place the lid upside down on the pot. Turn on the stove and bring the water to a rolling boil, then lower heat to a slow steady simmer. As soon as the water begins to boil, toss two or three trays of ice cubes (or a bag of ice) on top of the lid.
3. You’ve now created a home still! As the water boils the steam rises, hits the top of the cold lid, and condenses. As it condenses it flows to the center of the lid and drops into the bowl. Every 20 minutes, quickly lift the lid and take out a tablespoon or two of the rose water. It’s time to stop when you have between a pint and a quart of water that smells and tastes strongly like roses.

Uses

Antibacterial for skin infections
tea for digestive disorders or nervous tension
to flavour foods or as a perfume.

Other activities ongoing were making roman pestles and mortars for grinding fruit with clay, making a bulla, making roman coins and some roman maths, dressing peg dolls in a toga, making mosaics – several varieties – sticky felt squares; fimo; happy maize pictures. There were also some really delicious roman foods cooked up.

a) globuli

Globuli Curd cheese, 500 g or about 1lb, A cup of semolina, honey, olive oil.
Press curd cheese through sieve or let it hang in cheese cloth until it’s drained well. Mix with the semolina into a loose dough. Let it sit for a few hours. (Have a sip of the vino Caroenum while you wait). With wet hands form the mixture into dumplings. Quickly fry them in olive oil for a few minutes. Drain and roll in honey.
http://www.squidoo.com/ancient-food-rome#module11989737

b)Libum (sweet cheesecake)

Libum was a sacrificial cake sometimes offered to household spirits during Rome’s early history. The recipe below comes from the Roman consul Cato’s agricultural writings, which included simple recipes for farmers. Libum, sometimes served hot, is a cheesecake he included.

Ancient Roman Libum Recipe
Libum to be made as follows: 2 pounds cheese well crushed in a mortar; when it is well crushed, add in 1 pound bread-wheat flour or, if you want it to be lighter, just 1/2 a pound, to be mixed with the cheese. Add one egg and mix all together well. Make a loaf of this, with the leaves under it, and cook slowly in a hot fire under a brick.

Modern Roman Libum Recipe (serves 4)
1 cup plain, all purpose flour
8 ounces ricotta cheese
1 egg, beaten
bay leaves
1/2 cup clear honey

Sift the flour into a bowl. Beat the cheese until it’s soft and stir it into the flour along with the egg. Form a soft dough and divide into 4. Mold each one into a bun and place them on a greased baking tray with a fresh bay leaf underneath. Heat the oven to 425° F. Cover the cakes with your brick^* and bake for 35-40 minutes until golden-brown. Warm the honey and place the warm cakes in it so that they absorb it. Allow to stand 30 minutes before serving.

^*The Romans often covered their food while it was cooking with a domed earthenware cover called a testo. You can use an overturned, shallow clay pot, a metal bowl, or casserole dish as a brick.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/roman-recipes.html

Also sweet and salty dates – for which I can’t find the recipes. They were absolutely all delicious. I think more enjoyed by adults rather than the children. However, I am really enjoying the addition of some of the food of the time as well

DSCF0536, originally uploaded by Scrumbledelicious.

]]> http://petitsharicots.org.uk/weblog/2010/12/05/when-your-hands-are-too-snowy-just-do-the-dance/feed/ 2 http://petitsharicots.org.uk/weblog/2010/11/19/just-another-thursday/ http://petitsharicots.org.uk/weblog/2010/11/19/just-another-thursday/#comments Fri, 19 Nov 2010 01:15:45 +0000 Daddybean http://petitsharicots.org.uk/weblog/?p=5258 Kids have got too used to lying in a fair bit lately (even BB, for whom it was unsual to sleep in past 8am), so they were soemwhat bleary-eyed and difficult to raise when I woke them up at 8 this morning

Tots and Nots in the morning, which means a 9.30 am depature, which is early enough to be getting us all out in the morning thankyou very much. After prising them out of bed  1/2 hour later a bit of chivvying saw us leaving just about in time. (though SB thought she had found her missing music theory book, becuase she had found an orange book, if she had read the cover she might ahve noticed it was a science book ….)

SB did piano practice with Gina (G1 exam  in a few weeks). BB not feeling interactive and lay on my lap for the first  1/2 hour. After a brief play with the Tots and younger Nots who had spent ages with  a block of ice and some knive and forks (really, they spent ages just palying with this,) she then did soem recorder as well. BB warmed up by now, so she was having a play as well. After snack and a play, SB ffinsihed up with a Grammar book. Little ‘uns with stories and then songs, BB still loves to join in with the songs

Bit oF  a run around out side , whilst I watched out for traffic wardens, as the car was round the corner on an expired ticket (they are pretty hot on the parking, so you need to watch out).

Into the car, drive home, listening to more French Songs on CD.  Home, lunch,  a bit of DS-ing and tea drinking. Then SB did something else, which for the life of me I can’t now remember Whilst I got dinner prepared. managed to be fairly efficient in the kitchen and got veggie shepherds pie made and Brussel Sprouts prepared in about 45 minutes. A quick pop into the garden to see and feed the bunnies.

Then it was into chivvying the girsl (well moslty BB) into getting ready for Gym. Having told her to put anything she wanted to take whilst watching SB into a bag, 5 minutes before we went she had one thing in her  hand and didn’t have leotard I’d told her to get in the morning as she said I’d had it, which I’m pretty sure I hadn’t. But, chivvy, chivvy, chivvy and we out the door again.

With H at work, it means an almost 3 hr session at the gym whilst they both have their sessions. Supplied with Gruaniad, flask of coffee and snacks the first half is bearable, but it begins to pall after that. SB did some singapore maths whilst we watched BB.

After the swap, luckily H picked BB up on the way home, so I didn’t have a tired and grumbly BB as well. Anyway, they both got slips to say they had got BGA badges and certificates, so paid for those and then headed home. Shepherds pie was nicely cooked (I always worry I didn’t set the oven timer to come on properly), so just had to cook sprouts. BB declared she doesn’t like sprouts, but seeing as she’s eaten them a number of times, and she likes to seemingly  randomly pick things she isn’t going to like, this sort of thing gets resisted – she likes to complain about potatoes as ‘they don’t tatse of anything’   (SB tends to the pragmatic approach to such things, saying  that ‘she might as well eat it as you will tell me to eat it anyway’ ) So I  poo-pooed this. In a spirit of believable parenting I told her that there was a law that said you aren’t allowed to not like sprouts, but I don’t think she believed me

Dinner and next episode of Edwardian Farm to finish off the day

She said it had crashed, it wouldn’t change and the picture was all funny. She said she turned it on and off , as that is wha you usually do.

None of us have really got used to H being back on work time yet. So it was a bit of a struggle getting up this morning. Even BB slept in a bit longer than normal, and SB took multiple wakings to get out of bed  by about 10 !

THe first bit of the morning  after I saw H off to work (first morning to de-ice the car) is a bit vague, having breakkie, houseworky bits (which don’t really tend to stick in the brain) I guess. Looked at stepladders on the web as going to paint the playroom ceiling and woodwork next week and we don’t really have one that reaches properly to that height (being  rather higher than our old house), which means being balanced a little bit to high on the one we do have. Other then the girls room a ffew years ago, we haven’t done any  decorating since we moved in really. Alos need a deeper standoff for the ladder (well, borrowing the Deependers ladder) as the one I have isn’t  deep enough for our wide eaves. So perused, but didn’t decide.

BB mostly played a game with the chess pieces (not chess, some imaginary game). SB got up at last after much poking, did piano practice,  I cooked boiled eggs for not long enough (I normally use method one that Delia gives here ) but forgot to turn off the stove at one minute, so carried on letting them boil for longer. But not enough, so  weren’t cooked quite enough. will stick to my normal method, which looks more complicated than neccessary, but isn’t , and is reliable.

After breakfast, they both contrived to go upstairs to get dressed and then both ended up coming downstairs complaining that the other had poked them in the eye, or kicked them in the head (!!) and various other complaints. I didn’t really have patience for this, so told them to take it in turns to get dressed so as to avoid conflict.

Then it was outside into the garden, into a lovely sunny, if a little chilly day. Playing with bunnies, cleaning out Skittle hutch, a bit of playing etc. The kids disppeared back inside after a bit, and I carried on with my gardening plan for this year. Which is to try to do at least  1/2 hour in the garden most days (well those that I’m around, and when it isn’t horrible outside) and to gradually work at getting tasks done. So today I cleared an over grown area behind the greenhouse and put some of the black  woven sheeting down, I can now move some other stuff onto their, throw away the rubbish, and then clear the rest of the area behind the sable, where at some point we plan to grow a fan trained Apricot or something. I’ve already cut down the fig, so that it can regrow from the base and we can hopefully try to train it against the wall, rather than have it grow up 20 feet and shade the greenhouse. I’ve also  cut back some of the holly bush that had grown out so much it was getting in the way. Will need to cut back the top as well, but right now it has lots of berries on, so will leave them for Xmas stuff and the birds for now.

The pile of stuff in the RH picture to be sorted stored  by the greenhouse, then clear the stuff at the end and the ivy along the walls. No idea what to do with the great big roller, hide it soemwhere else in the garden I guess. It’s been there for years I imagine, feels like it belongs in the garden. There is also a path down there as well, probanbly the middle is roughly where the edge of the black plastic is.

Was getting  hungry, so warmed up with a cuppa in the conservatory and then got lunch.

after coming back inside, and after lunch, SB did maths, DS French game, DK project book and Art de Lire French and played recorder.  BB was in best pottering about mode. She decided to make an xmas card, found the card, the colours and sat and happily did that without any input from me.- it ended up as an interesting xmas (outside) and Halloween (inside card She made a couple more later on in the day. They are fab

She also drew out the design she wants for her birthday cake (a Tiger this year, she managed the first 3 letters of Tiger, but needed help on the ‘er’ .

SB also played a bit of some imaginary game with the Chess pieces, and then it was time for Ballet class. Cold, getting dark to early sort of day, we rushed there and me and BB rushed back, to find H home from work in the mean time.  Cups of tea, retrieving SB, BB settled down to watch a Star Wars film again,  tea cooked, and we watched Edwardian Farm on the trusty iPlayer.

Interesting to see Morwellham Quay. I rember visiting there on a school trip around 1975/6. It must have been in the early years of the restoration, I remember the quays being full of squelchy mud.

Problem is, on the whole my days don’t seem very interesting, but here goes.

Got up a bit earlier then we have  been lately, as H had to go off for her first day back at work, so that was abit of shock to the system, Had an unexciting morning, waved H off. Drunk some more tea and enjoyed a quiet breakfast as neither of the girls had woke up.  BB got up and sata t the table playijng little games with whatever odd items she could fine handy, I pottered around the kitchen, put on washing, that sort of thing.  tried to wake up SB for the first time. (It would take about 3 goes and  1  hour to get her out of bed (she isn’t sleeping well due to her cough, and woke up last night and came into our room).

Me and BB went out to see the bunnies, and let Skittles out for a run about, explored things a round the garden with BB for a bit. She has collected all the used fireworks up from Friday, and played various games with them, whilst gradually dismantling them, disppionted not to find any gunpowder left in them .

Nice, but cold and windly outside, so nice to come back in into the relative warmth, and finally prised Sb out of bed. She had breakfast whilst reasding some more of her Yes Mag, and reprised me with interesting facts from it.

SB then settled down with some Singapore Maths, I did half an online order, so that I can book a suitable delivery time, before I ahve to think of all the rest of the things we want. Then I braved to cold again, to sort out bike carriers and SB’s bike onto the car to take to her next Bikeability session. Sorted out various other bits like snacks to take with us, Sb wrote a bit in her journal about fireworks night, a quick pasta lunch, and then we had to head out, pretty much on time. SB took her Galore Park Science to do a bit of in the car on the way.

Which is where the rest of the afternoon went a bit pear shaped…..

About halfway to Bikeability, I realised we had left the swimming stuff behind, which we needed for swimming lessons, well it was to late to go back for, so left the decision on what to do till we had dropped of SB, Parked car, met up with the Deependers outside the car park, and sent the cyclist on their way.

Decided to see if I could get some cheapish swimming cossies and a couple of towels so they could do lessons. Now we were right outside the swimming pool, which does have cossies of course, but Zoggs,a nd Speedos etc. so not cheap., decoed we’d walk to a nearby shopping centre (about 10 mins walk).

Tried, Primark, BHS and Debenhams, and a couple of charity shops on the off chance. The only things were some  (left over from the summer I guess) farily horrible bikinis on sale in Primark which I passed over. Not the time of year for cossies I know, but did hope for some. Best bet would have been to have gone to the big ASDA, or the big Tesco, but that meant driving around which I didn’t feel like. So bought a couple of towels in BHS (which BB loved for their fluffyness). Stopped for a quick very cake and sandwich in the cafe (no tea, not enough time ) as I’d promised BB we would do that (when it was goign to be a nice hour or so me and BB pottering about….). By now time was running out, so I shoulder carried BB back to the car walking very quickly.

Went in the Swiimming pool after all to see what they had …….  feeling very hot and flustered as we had about 5 minutes. Managed to find some reduced so not so bad in price. But BB fussy, as she doesn’t like ones with the cut away backs, which most were. Found one that was acceptable, found one thst might have been ok for Sb, though probably to big  (I can never remember want ixn size she is for things like cossies and leotards) But then noticed the signs saying they could only take cash payments as the card system was down or something   Only enough for one, so BB got it, seeing as she was the poor lass who had had to do all the traipsing about, and it was cheaper.  Buy this point

Rushed outside to see the cyclists just gathering up the road to cross over to the park, ran up to retrieve Sb and the Deepender boys we were giving a lift to.

Head back to the carpark, carried bikes up a flight of stairs , got to the car, managed to laod all the bikes on the rear rack – a bit of faffing as not used to those bikes and it’s always a bit of a fiddle getting them to fit together, strapped down ,lighting board on etc. So much easier using the roof carriers (though not in a car park with a 2.1 m height restriction…) . Ran downstairs to find a pay machine, payed (at least it didn’t charge me for another hour as we were about 5 minutes over the time), back upstairs, into the car, gave the kids a bag full of random snacks and drinks and headed off. Just over 35 miinutes to get to swimming lessons in annother town, it was going to be tight.

Traffic heading out of town was frustratingly  slow, but luckily the main road was very busy , but moving ok and we made it to the leisure centre with about 2 minutes to spare.  Rushed BB into her lesson jujst about in time and then wentback to help Katy transfer bikes to her car. Bikes and children transferred me and SB went back inside to flop down for 20 minutes whilst BB swum. Domino’s Pizza have a 2 for the price of one offer on Tuesday’s, and the kids like their Pizza’s so decied to get some for dinner. I tried ordering them online using H’s iPhone which I had with me, but it kept falling over  at the last bit on the Verified by Visa, which was a bit annoying. Would have been mcuh easier just to ring them

Once BB was out, and I’d prised her out of her nice new fluffy towel and into soem clothes we headed down to dominoes, ordered them in person, popped into the Waitrose next door for a few bits and were back to find the pizza’s ready   Headed home finally, to find H with a migraine ate Pizza, drunk soem much needed tea and I moslty dozed whilst the kids watched a couple of Sarah Jane Adventures on iPlayer (The Wii makes a pretty good way to watch iPlayer ont he TV easily)

Felt pretty knackered this evening, so haven’t done the jobs I should have done for having lots of people here for  tomorrows History group, but at least I have blogged

22 and a bit years ago (oh how the years go….)  at that stile I first told Mrs Haricot I loved her 

Still loving her as much as ever xxx

(This post was priginally started 29/01/10 – ooops)

My Uncle Bob died a few weeks ago (aged 81). But the funeral wasn’t until this week, for various reasons. So me and the girls headed of the wild marshlands of North Kent for the funeral. Didn’t quite manage to leave as early as I wanted , but still there in plenty of time as managed not to get stuck on the M25 or the Dartford bridge.

The most noticeable thing was the lack of a coffin, as Uncle Bob had left his body to medical science, so there was obviously no body to be buried/cremated. This was slightly odd. Though my Dad (Bob’s brother) found it a bit upsetting, because it seems to have been a bit of a tradition in that branch of the family to have the body back to the house before the funeral – for people to pay their respects I guess.  It’s seems an important thing for my Dad to have been able to see the body but of course this wasn’t possible.

The funeral service was fine in a funeral service kind of way. Girls were good – but I suppose they have had plenty of practice with 3 funerals in the last 7 months  SB made a good fist of singing the hymns.  Though the organist did seem to be playing them somewhat on the slow side. And we had an alternative version of the words written by the vicar for the church to the tune of John Browns Body. Though reading the Wikipedia article on it, that seems a fair tradition for the song.  Though the girls did wonder why I might be crying a bit at one point

After the service it was back to the house to catch with various bit of thr family.  Mostly cousins of one sort or another.  A few of my Dad/Bobs cousins were there, my Cousin Marilyn with whom Uncle Bob had lived for the last few years. her 4 kids and various of their kids. Here is most of the kids, bar the youngest baby who was asleep some where (as to why SB had her hand up un front of her face…..):

The generations are a bit out of sync. Aunty Ethel, Marilyn’s Mum was about 15 years older than my Dad, and Marilyn had kids a lot younger than me, and then her eldest son had his first baby at about 18  - so her eldest grandchild is already about 15.

Favourite entertainment seemed to be playing on his stair lift

Headed off home, though I was rather tired and had to stop at the services for a caffeine shot. Girls decided they were hungry and SB had the most enourmous teacake in the world

Goodbye Uncle Robert, though not so well in the last few years, after stroke and things he still had a sparkle in his eye.