Grasses in the breeze

A day of action! First cleaning, then into the garden to move the log store off the patio and around to the back of the garage. We’ve been discussing the idea of doing this for some time, to give us more sitting space on the patio. So in 26 degrees of heat I unloaded the logs, shifted them and the log store behind the garage (with Andy’s help), then restacked the wood. Then swept the patio and shifted the outdoor seating around to try to find a pleasing and practical arrangement - that’s still a work in progress.

After lunch I made another batch of strawberry jam. This time I used preserving jam and a sachet of powdered pectin, along with the juice of a lemon. The preserving jam is formed of larger than usual crystals so it dissolves more slowly. I’ve not used it before but the packet claimed this helped create a better jam. I’m not sure but certainly this lot of jam had a slightly thicker consistency and deeper red colour than the last batch.

As the evening drew in, rain clouds appeared and the wind picked up. I think we were on the edge of a thunderstorm but only received a few big spots of rain. As I walked in the village I noticed how tall the grasses are now. They almost obscure some of the graves in the churchyard but were looking so serene as they gently rustled in the breeze.