Moving on

Laura_Elsewhere

I used half a bottle of 'Certo' liquid pectin from Tesco last week for making strawberry jam and I really can't think why I never tried it before.  I feel I need to move to a village so that I can enter it in a Flower & Produce competition! It's set perfectly, and is the most amazing scarlet... tastes deliciously strawberryish too  
If yours is really really runny, you could tip it all out into a pan again, and add some pectin and boil it back up again? Although that may make it too set now, I suppose... but you certainly can boil it up again and re-pot into clean sterilised jars- I've done that before. 

Cherryfudge

Laura_Elsewhere said:

I used half a bottle of 'Certo' liquid pectin from Tesco last week for making strawberry jam and I really can't think why I never tried it before.  I feel I need to move to a village so that I can enter it in a Flower & Produce competition! It's set perfectly, and is the most amazing scarlet... tastes deliciously strawberryish too  
If yours is really really runny, you could tip it all out into a pan again, and add some pectin and boil it back up again? Although that may make it too set now, I suppose... but you certainly can boil it up again and re-pot into clean sterilised jars- I've done that before. 

I used some last year, @Laura_Elsewhere, on the marrow and ginger jam most of which is still cluttering up the fridge... I didn't have any to hand this time and wanted to do something with the strawberries before they spoiled. It's only one jar's worth, and half gone already, but next time I will certainly try to up the pectin.

I know what you mean about the colour - totally magnificent!

Cherryfudge

Oops, very late tonight having been sorting out the spreadsheet. Most of it is okay though the phone bill seems to have gone mad: it's around 3 x what I expected so I need to look into it tomorrow afternoon. I think there's something like a four-weekly payment taken out twice at the beginning of the month then once at the end - but I don't think we have anything like that. However, our broadband provider sold out to another company so I wonder if that's affected it. Anyway I'm not going to look into it this late at night.

I've also been sorting out the 'emergency' cupboard and discovered we have more jam than we need, ditto more meringues and tinned salmon. The jam will sort out over time but I need a plan for the rest. Meanwhile I've taken chicken liver out of the freezer to defrost for tomorrow.

We are back to our old routine of taking DGD to a toddler club on a Tuesday, at least DH is. I stayed in to get on with budgeting and laundry, then met them in town and walked back. Another lovely day and a shame to be inside. It was so nice sitting out in their garden playing with the little ones and recalling exactly that feeling of endless peaceful summer from before I started school.

DH had another episode of speeded up heart rate: a doctor friend has told him what she thinks it is and he's made an appointment to see the GP. 

We went to the garden centre this afternoon and spent the rest of my voucher on compost for the succulents and an orchid, then called in for groceries including an unreasonable amount of DH's savoury biscuits while I can get them at two thirds the price.

Expenditure:
Housekeeping £14.84
Garden £13.50 via voucher
Phones etc £1.79

Was going to pay off small credit card bill but the service is unavailable.

KeepOnKnitting

Cherryfudge said:

I've also been sorting out the 'emergency' cupboard and discovered we have more jam than we need, ditto more meringues and tinned salmon. The jam will sort out over time but I need a plan for the rest. Meanwhile I've taken chicken liver out of the freezer to defrost for tomorrow.

I am very unsure what sort of emergency requires meringues?!  

You are right about that summer feeling, it always felt like it would be forever. Very nostalgic.

WelshmansDaughter

Perhaps one needs the meringues to numb the pain of the emergency?

Floss

WelshmansDaughter said:

Perhaps one needs the meringues to numb the pain of the emergency?

Well they say sugar is good for shock!

Cherryfudge

Ha ha, yes it's a very loose interpretation of the word! The cupboard has evolved to hold things I got on discount or, in the case of the meringues, and emergency ingredient for a pudding in case we have guests and I'm too rushed to make crumble. Not a real emergency, obviously.

I've solved the phone bill issue: the broadband payment went out on the first and thirtieth, but I put the TV in the same category and the amount is very similar and was also taken out on 1st, hence three similar amounts in the same category in one month.

Also paid cc up to date.

KeepOnKnitting

Ah, that sort of emergency. My favourite type.

WelshmansDaughter

So it’s a pantry 😂😂😂

Cherryfudge

A pantry with blankets, tealights, matches and a lot of jam!