Shawl No 4

This was supposed to be added to my gift pile. But now it's not. It's mine, all mine!

And on a slightly related note, while I was making jam at the weekend, P and B had a joint project on the go. B had seen me trying to spin with a drop spindle, and he liked the look of all that twirling. So, using an old CD, a piece of wooden dowel and some leftover bath sealant strip, they made a spindle all of his own. And here he is, making yarn, deep in concentration. Isn't he cute?

Rhubarb and strawberry jam

I knew what I was doing for dinner (Nigella's Express chilli) but I didn't know what to do for pudding - it is a weekend so I do try to actually do something pudding-y rather than providing yoghurt. I had bought a pack of Sainsbury's value strawberries yesterday and got them out of the fridge. Some were very overripe, some under... not very promising. And then I remembered the rhubarb I had liberated from the feral allotment a few days ago and frozen. So, on a whim...

..... I decided to make microwave jam. I've never made microwave jam before, but didn't let that bother me. So I cooked the rhubarb with a little ginger, added the strawberries, lemon and sugar, took out the ginger and microwaved again. At about the time the jam boiled over I decided it had reached setting point. In the meantime I had sterilised a few jars, but none of this really addressed pudding. Until I remembered the ready made sweet pastry flan case I bought, on a whim, a few weeks ago. Jam tart. Delicious!

And an extra 3 jars of jewel-coloured home made jam. Made in around 25 minutes.

Occasionally, I feel like a proper Mum!