ROLLER COASTER (AND STINK PUFF)

Let me start with something gardeny like the pink hellebore and then get onto other things. R is still clearing brambles and I am shifting well rotted manure (as usual) and the compost from last year onto the asparagus bed. I have also roughly repaired the rabbit proofing around that bed.

Walked around the garden and we put up a jack snipe in the top wood. Smaller than usual snipe and flies lower.

We have moles everywhere, even coming up through the woodland paths.

So - to the title and the ups and downs of life.

1. Faux pas - had my hair cut and came home. R said nothing so later in the car I mentioned that I had had it done and she had not noticed. 
The reply was devastating as she said - well, you did not notice that I had also had my hair done!
Whoops!!

2. Slight redemption - we went for a walk up Barrow Banks towards Raven Scar - a couple of miles or so on a forest track - and when we got home R noticed she had lost a nice earring she had bought in Burford. Come Sunday morning I was doing nowt so retraced our tracks - all the way to the top of the hard core track and zero. Gave up and started back the way I had come and there, a third of the way down, sitting in the track was the missing earring!

Now this pic has been criticised on facebook as not being up to my usual standard but to illustrate the problems of finding a silvery thing so small on a grey surface it will do. (It will have to do.)

We have had wintry showers driving through the garden and it has been cold.

 The pond has a coating of ice. (This does not stop the heron eating the frogs. R saw one mouthful disappearing, legs waving in the air.)

All is not grey in the garden though and the miscanthus with the sun on it is a golden delight.

 Here is one of the recipes from my mother's book that defines my childhood - she called it Raspberry Delight, we called it Stink Puff! (Pink stuff).

1 pint raspberry jelly
1 large tin of evaporated milk
1 medium tin raspberries or equivalent of fresh fruit though then you do not have the juice from the tin.
3 tablespoons sugar

Make jelly with juice from raspberries made up to 1 pint water.
Keep some fruit for decoration.
Allow to cool but not set.
Whip evap. until it doubles in volume.
Whip jelly till it bubbles.
Whip together. (Sounds like a sad-masochists delight!)
Add the sugar and fruit and whip again.
Put into big bowl or small individual dishes.

Let set for a short while then eat the lot.

Was going out to garden but cut finger slicing bread so got out of it. 
Waiting for the mower service man to come and collect them.
He has been.

Shurrup lad and eat yer Stink Puff.