Pondwood Pond

Rocco and I regularly walk in Petts Wood & Hawkwood woods; he enjoys it because there are lots of sticks, and ponds & rivers to get wet in.

Last February, a very large tree fell into the pond in the middle of Pondwood:

The trunk was soon cut to keep the path clear, but the branches in the water have been there ever since.

When we visited today, the rest of the tree had been cleared away, and he could have a swim again.

The whole area by the pond has also been cleared. You can see the logs by the fence line:

It’s so nice to have woods that are looked after, even if it takes a while to get things done.

La vendange chez les Wheeler

Well, I haven’t made wine, but… I picked most of the grapes I could reach from the kitchen step stool.  Loads still left on the vine.

So, after about an hour taking the grapes off the stalks (you can’t just squash them if you plan to make jelly), I had to go and do some other stuff, so the grapes took over the fridge.

A couple of days later, I continued… The bowl on the left is the one that started out full of grapes.  And, may I say, spiders and earwigs!

So there was lots of rubbish, but a big pot of grapes, to which I added apple and lemon for a better set.  Well, any set, to be honest.

That evening, the cooked mixture was left to drip.

My jelly bag was too small, so that’s part of Phil’s old brewing kit.

After cooking again with an equivalent amount of sugar: many pots of grape jelly.  That should last until the next harvest!

Oh, and there are still a few in the fridge for me to eat.