Where shall we start this week then? How about Jam? Specifically Jam that probably counts as antique. What am I on about I hear you say? Well, hunting around for some Jam to put in my porridge Saturday morning I unearthed this little jar of home made Raspberry jam from the back of the larder. Now there's nothing unusual about old jars of jam being hidden in the back of the cupboard, I get as much enjoyment out of making things as I do eating them, so there's often a glut of things that get pushed to the back of the shelves only to be unearthed some time later. What's unusual about this one though is how old it is. I'd have to guess at an actual year, but I suspect this jar of jam is at least 10 years old! Whilst there's no date on the label, I know for a fact that I stopped using those labels, as they were a bugger to get off and expensive, and moved over to plain paper with a Cat logo for everything, at some point before 2011 and I suspect before that. So the big question is, is it still edible? Well, I'm still alive, and to be honest, it's delicious. I gave the jar a quick wipe to get rid of all the dust and spiders that were calling it home, popped the lid off and lifted the wax circle off the top and it looked and tasted just like it did the day it was made. As far as I'm aware the whole point of jam is to preserve the fruit and make it storable for the long term. Modern shop bought jam has a sell by date, a use by date and often instructions to keep it in the fridge and use within a week or so of opening. Not much use as a means of preserving then! But it just goes to show that if you make it properly, jam lasts indefinitely and still tastes as good as the summer day it was made, no matter how long ago that may have been! The weather forecast for Saturday looked like the best bet for getting in a few winter bike miles, so with a thermos full of porridge and antique Raspberry jam, I was up and out early, on what looked like it was going to be a lovely morning. The sun was shining when I left home, just starting to melt the overnight frost and with no wind I thought I was going to be in for a lovely day out. Unfortunately, by the time I'd got away from home and headed down towards Andover the mist had rolled in and the temperature had dropped considerably. In fact by the time I'd got as far as Whitchurch I was covered in a thin layer of frost. Now I'm not saying it was cold (in fact last weekend felt worse) but come on. I'm not the fastest or most energetic cyclist out there, more of a plodder than a racer, but surely I'm not supposed to be covered in frost! The mist hung heavy as I transited around the outside of Andover and the temperature dropped still further as I picked up the low laying Test Valley giving my winter cycling boots and gloves a serious testing and making me question my own sanity at times. Typically though, as I got back within a couple of miles of home the sun came back out and the temperature shot back up with it. I just bet that if I'd gone North instead of South I'd have had the sun all morning instead of 60 miles staring at a grey wall of mist. Oh well, character building stuff as they say! In other news, this little lot arrived courtesy of the postman this week. Give it another couple of weeks for the days to draw out a bit and the temperature to start creeping up and we'll be all systems grow. On that note, I'm still picking Leeks, Parsnips, Kale, Chard, Carrots (from tubs which I moved into the greenhouse before the first frosts), Sprouts, cabbage and the last of the beetroot. The freezer and store cupboards are still well stocked with allotment produce too, so we've not done too badly this year. Despite the combination of rain, snow, frost and just about everything else the God of weather's thrown on us this week I've still managed to get a few bits of Project Patio done. Once the concrete finally sets (if it ever sets) we will be able to get from the back door to the back gate without getting muddy for the first time in months which is real progress. I've also spent a few hours turning a pile of wood into a log store, which clears a bit of space to allow me to move onto finishing off the final area of garden. It's taken a while but I finally think that the end is in site now and another few good sessions will really see the back broken on this mammoth project, just in time for the better weather and a chance to enjoy my endeavours! It's not very often that I concede defeat or let the weather get the better of me but by Jove, Sunday was cold. We'd been forecast Rain and Snow overnight, so I was pleasantly surprised when I woke up to find it dry, overcast and cold. I lay in bed for a few minutes, trying to find the enthusiasm to drag myself out and start the day, listening to the wind whipping around the side of the house and whistling across the chimney pot. Despite the lack of snow it sounded cold out and leaving the safety of a warm bed took a bit longer than it does on a warm, sunny, summers morning. If I was going to get a run in before the rain arrived I needed to get on with it though, so I eventually dragged myself out of the warm bed and immediately considered getting back in. Taking a punt on the fact that the weather would be keeping most sensible people at home, I made the short trip up to Kingsclere for a few off road miles. My hunch proved correct, as the wind was blowing a hooley across the high ground, driving the already cold temperature even lower and making me think twice, let alone the normal people! I'm here now though and that's half the battle won, so hat, gloves, neck warmer, wrist warmers, leggings, thermal top, windproof jacket donned and a spare thick jacket in my bag along with first aid kit just in case, and I can't put it off any longer. It wasn't too bad with the wind on your back and in the sheltered bits, but by God, when the wind caught you head on or from the side you knew about it. I think the phrase "eye wateringly cold" was appropriate! Frozen fingers and toes and the thought of a brew and bit of lunch finally drove me home with 12 miles under my belt, so not a wasted morning by any stretch of the imagination, not the warmest of mornings either though. Back home, with thermals back on and a warm brew, I spent a while trying to summon up the courage to venture back out for a couple of hours on the allotment. Eventually running out of excuses I could put it off no longer. I'm pretty sure that it had got even colder and even in the sheltered corner of my plot it was just too much. I'm not ashamed to admit that I grabbed some carrots and parsnips for tea and beat a hasty retreat. Bravely legging it back home to sit if front of the fire warming my toes and dreaming of future adventures once the weather returns to normal service. It's pretty unusual, but on this occasion it's weather 1 – Paul 0!
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Paul PerrattOld enough to know better, young enough to still feel invincible, stupid enough to keep on trying the same thing again and again. Cyclist, Gardener, Runner, Hiker, Cook, Woodworker, Engineer, Jack of all trades and master of none, Anti social old git and all round miserable bugger. Archives
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