Now to the Damson gin. I have had some requests for a recipe for this. I'm not good at precise measures. It's mostly done from memory as I have lost the original recipe.
You will need a large glass container ( old fashioned sweet jars are good for this) which has been sterilised. I use the tablets that you can get from chemists to sterilise baby bottles and rinse throughly afterwards. You need one bottle of gin ( can use cheaper brands), to 3 pounds of damsons and 1 kilo of sugar.Wash the fruit and discard any stalks and any not in good condition. Place gin in jar with the sugar and prick the fruit in several places with a fork placing them into the jar. Place lid on and leave in darkish place. Stir gently ( try not to disturb fruit too much )once a week and leave for approximately 3 months. You can then strain it and place gin into bottles of your choice. It makes a nice little Christmas present in a jazzy bottle. You will get approximately twice the original volume. I have a friend who used the damsons to make pies afterwards. She says they were very alcoholic!!!! You can drink as is but can be very strong or have with ice, lemon and tonic water/lemonade.
Now why have I been a naughty girl? We visited Laura Asley on Saturday and they had 20% off the dinning furniture that I really wanted so... a new table. 6 chairs and dresser will be with us in October. New curtains came home with me! The hard work on this room has now started. I am planning before photos as well as after. I may have to go back to work if I carry on buying anything else for this room. But it has not had any sort of face lift ,except a coat of paint for over 20 years.
I have an appointment to see an Orthopaedic surgeon regarding my shoulder next week. For those in UK I got a letter from my GP to say he had refered me one week post X-ray and a reference number and password so I could choose and book my appointment on line, where and when it suited me. How good is that. Well the sun has decided to appear this afternoon but its not very warm. I think I'll make veggie soup tomorrow.
36 comments:
Poor little Lucy! I hope shw will be better soon. And how kucky for her that Hamish is watching over her. Your decipe for the damson gin sounds so god, I would love to give it a go. And I do not think you have been naughty by bying the new furniture. In fact I think it is lovely that you and your dining room will get something new. I can not wait for the before and after photos.
I have a kitty-monster (Louis, 16 years old) who has hyper thyroid and it is enlarged.
I have tried getting pills down him before, so know it is a lost casuse- he spits theI crush them out LOL
I crush his pill and mix with a tiny spot of wet food, or some tuna, or some fat from my chicken. or some yoghurt. Whatever to get him to take it. And gain back some of the weight.
As you can imagine, he is quite a happy cat lately, as we do that twice daily.
And good for you to getting ne furntiure- I have done that once so far, and it is wonderful.
Gee, you are making soup. I sure wish you could experience summer, Mary. Oh, well. We are all robbed this year.
I hope you little Lucy will be OK! I know getting tablets down a cats throat takes luck and skill. Can you hide it in a piece of cheese or peanut butter?
Your shoulder will be OK. It's good you are having it checked and I hope you get relief.
You recipe sounds very interesting...I printed it out. Sounds like an experiment to me.
Thanks for posting the recipe. The new furniture sounds fantastic. Hope you get your shoulder sorted out soon & that little Lucy feels better too.
wow that is good for UK doctors usually its lets loose the letter and then wait 6 months, great news you are finally getting it sorted mary.
wow poor putty we have to give meds to ours in meat or something.
Laura Ashley is not your fault, i think they play subliminal messages why you are in there, for sure. Can't wait to see piccy's
kara
xx
I always wonder why the Vets can't give cats meds that are in liquid form...so much easier to get down them. Poor Lucy...I hope she gets all better soon. I'm sure tha Hamish is aware of her condition and is giving her good bedside care. Animals are so aware of things around them. Now, I am definitely waiting to see a picture of your new furniture, so don't forget. And the Plum Gin...now that is something I am going to have to try, then when my son calls us the Gin Joint (for the card playing!) he won't be far wrong! Oh, and Texas Pete is hot sauce...not fruity Darlin'...it makes the roast beef taste extra extra good...hug the kitties for me...prayers for Lucy...
Hi Mary,Hope Lucy gets better soon and that you get your shoulder sorted out!You are a naughty girl,HeHe! can't wait to see piccies of your dining room!
How bad are you? A new table and chairs?? That sounds cool!
And the damson gin sounds lovely. I know the damsons are good slightly warmed and served over vanilla ice cream. Mmmmm
Ooh Fab,new furniture from Laura Ashley,lucky you.
I hope your cat soon feels better,they all hate taking tablets don't they,
Kat xx
So your get up and go got up and went? Just in time, my hip decided it wants to get a hitch in the gitalong, so guess we're in the same boat! Maybe some Texas Pete would do the trick for both of us!
Maryy, Hello way from Indiana U.S.! So nice of you to visit my site! I agree with you about England being grand! I've never been there but the shops, scenery and people are great. I am fortunate thet when we go to Disney in Florida in April alot of British people are on "Holiday" and I have a grand time with them and hearing about their country! I always say one day i will travel to Europe and first stop will be there! i 've read about your shopping at Kidson and Ashley and am so jealous! love them both! I have loved laura for more years then I can remember, also before anyone I knew even knew who she was! My favorite sheets are hers!Come visit again and loved the kitties! Lori
Thanks so much for your sweet comment! I hope poor Lucy gets better soon!!! They're beautiful kitties!
Poor Lucy. It's so upsetting to see one of our furbabies not feel well. How in the world do they know we're about to do something they don't like?
You sound like me. Buying furniture, especially new, expensive pieces, is so rare here, I feel guilty when I do. Looking forward to seeing pictures.
Hi Mary, cant wait to see what you've done to the dining room.Hope all goes well at the docs and Lucy too. Thanks for visiting me, Best Wishes from Annie x
Ahh bless, I hope kitty is feeling better soon.
Cant wait to see pics of the new Laura Ashley furniture!
Which curtains did you buy? I went in LA last week and managed to get a pair of curtains in the sale for £65.00 reduced from £130, What a bargain!!
Good luck at the doctors, hope everything goes well.
Jennifer x
damson gin!!! wow! to be honest i must find out how they say damson in italian, as i have never seen one and would love to find out what they're like! sounds stunning!
See, I thought if I just stayed quiet you would forget about the middle name business...grrrrr
all will become clear in the fullness of time... (imagine ethereal music here..)
Hi Mary, I sure hope that Lucy is feeling better...and thank you for pointing me to Mary's blog. I read it and cried...love ya
Sandi
Sorry Mary, also, Kari at Just Livin Large is celebrating a birthday on Friday, Sept 7...pass it on when you can...byby...
Hello! Thanks for stopping by for a visit yesterday - well, on my blog of course. I hope Lucy feels better. Isn't if funny how the pets know when the other isn't feeling good. That is so sweet that they look out for each other. I hope that all is good otherwise. We are fine here in the US. It has been smokey here in the valley in California due to two forest fires..one north and one to the west of here. Sad. And of course, living in the valley, the winds push the smoke here. Looks like winter time. Take care and best wishes for you kitty. xo, Becky
Love your profile -as I type I am having a little RED!!!, like you -I love my cats -also have Hamish, have a peek at my latest posting.:):)
Hi Mary, I hope lucy gets better soon, and you get your shoulder sorted, well done for having a spend up in Laura Ashley, a girl's gotta live!
As for washing your eiderdown, I'm no expert, but like I said I have washed both of mine in the machine. I have a handwash cycle on my machine at 40C, but if your nervous, maybe try 30C, they turned out fine with a cool tumble, I think I used a wool and silk washing liquid or maybe try a non-bio, but I think it really depends on the condition of your eiderdown, mine are still in pretty good nick, but if you think that the fabric has become too delicate, it might be better not to.
Also I would mend any holes before washing, to avoid too much feather loss.
I suppose it really depends if you are happy with your eiderdown being a bit mucky like you say, or whether you bite the bullet and chuck it in the wash.
It's worth bearing in mind though that everytime you do wash and dry your eiderdown there will be some feather loss, so the best thing is to air it regulary, and try not to spill anything over it, so you can avoid washing it too much!
Good Luck, let me know how it turns out, and show us some photos of the result if you decide to go ahead, Jessx
Mary, how is Lucy this morning? I hope she is improving...still saying prayers for her...Ariel, my ancient goddess (she's 17 going on 18) woke up with sneezes yesterday but the Vet (I love Dr. Lawhon, he's a genius) assures me it is a Fall allergy...she seems fine this a.m. so am assuming he knows his stuff as usual!!!Hugs to Lucy and Hamish, hugs to you as well
Sandi
Mary, you leave the nicest comments in the world! Thank you so much for what you said to me. I would never, ever have believed that menopause could be so HORRIBLE, but I'm learning! I'm thinking a little bit of that Damson gin might help me out quite a bit, though! lol But what the heck is a Damson? I've never even heard of such! How can I make this if I can't identify the fruit (I'm assuming it's a fruit????). Oh well...I may have to stick with just plain ol' gin. Maybe a bathtub full, if I have another week like last one. Just kidding!
Hey - I just saw my Aunt Sandi's comment. Is she right? Is a Damson a type of plum?
Hi Mary, no it's not Morag :) It's not a Scottish name either...
Oh I'm glad someone else gets tempted by Laura Ashley too! Love the cat photos!!
Hi Mary,
Just catching up - hope your sweet cat is getting better. Our furry family members give us such pleasure that it is heartbreaking when they are unwell. That damson gin sounds fab, I have just made damson jam from our own fruit but I may try and buy some just to have a go at that recipe. Laura Ashley furniture eh - sounds lovely. What a treat.
Have a great week-end.
Hugs.
Sandi.
Mary, you are the winner!! Can you email me your address to papoo.sue@virgin.net and I will send you a little something?
Hi Mary,
We're sure you deserve some new furniture. Isn't it exciting doing a room makeover?
Love the damson gin...We make this and sloe gin...I've still got some left from last year. In fact, I might try some before bedtime...feel ready for a treat too after a busy day!
Margaret and Noreen at THY
Hope your cat is feeling better.....pop over to my blog to pick up your award for making me smile,
Kat x
I am sending positive wishes for Lucy.I had a dear old cat called Murphy and when I lost him I was so bad I rang the samaritans,I loved him so much.
Please let me know how things go.
Kat xx
Poor kitty!
Damson gin is nothing I have tried but it looks and sounds good.
The dining room furniture sounds great - you must show us when you have it sorted.
Good luck with your shoulder too.
Oska is back to normal - thanks for your good wishes.
Love Ax
Problem is I always have to have a taster before Christmas, oooh 20% off Laura Ashley, how tempting ...
Mary dear, please stop in and pick up your award...and tell me how Lucy is doing...and how Hamish is at being Doctor
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