Friday 29 August 2008

Friday 29th August 08

A slow start to the day but at 9.30 the Everest door surveyor came to look at our front door which has been playing up and not closing very well, or being difficult to open from outside. He thinks it is now sorted! He was interested in our logburners and we chatted for a bit about fireplace efficiency, chimney linings etc etc.

One of the boys' friends came round to play, so they went upstairs and were very quiet for a bit... I did some emailing re York Green Festival and then got dressed.

A happy day... picked plums from our old plum tree with assistance from our youngest son (whilst Gill and t'other were in town getting yet more uniform) and then stacked sticks, again with some help from our youngest... who by his good behaviour earned a little bit of pocket money.

I popped down to Country Fresh and was shocked that because of the Green Festival, they'll be shut on Sunday! Richard is the drummer in The Falling Spikes and will be enjoying the festy... and as the other staff member won't work weekends, the shop will be shut. I picked up three boxes of gunk for composting and some broccoli for eating.

During the evening we all watched 'Wainwright's Walks on telly, as it was Helvellyn and Striding Edge, my favourite Lake District walk. I did this with my bone surgeon Roger Austin when I was a teenager... he mended my smashed elbow and became a friend (also he worked with my Dad who was an anaesthetist)

When the boys were in bed we had a game of Scrabble and Gill won by 6 points! I cut up and peeled some of the plums, mainly ones which had some rotten bits (which I cut off!) and placed them on the fruit-drying rack on top of the stove. These then turn into one of the best dried fruits, a kind of prune, minus stone, and wonderfully chewy and sweet. One of my favourites!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

ave' 'e tried a 'solar fruit dryer'? I ere's that them's rare good.

Compost John said...

I've never used a solar dryer as I've no need for one. I suppose my stoves are a sort of solar dryer as sometimes I regard logs as 'bottled sunshine'. The heat is infact stored energy squirrelled away by th slow action of trees.. so it is solar in a way.
I would be interested to hear from readers who have used solar dryers.