i love juice

After a reasonable attempt at making elderberry wine last year i have decicded to give elderflower champagne a go (not supposed to call it champagne though). The edlderberry came out reasonable well and got slightly more alcoholic as time went on, the plum wine that i did off the cuff turned out to be rocket fuel and undrinkable so im sure to give that one a miss this year. Anyway the elderflower is sure on its way and unlike the the berry the flower smells alot nicer and less intrusive to have in the house. Thud and i will be making an attempt at cider this year once we return from our hols so there will be plenty of the home brew floating about come christmas. the recipe for the the elderflower champagne is below which i got off the internet, i wanted to use the simplest method as this was what i did for the berry.

•35 elderflower heads – pick the ones with the strongest scent
•2.5kg granulated sugar
•2 proper tablespoons of white wine vinegar
•5 litres boiling water & some cold water
•Juice and grated skin (zest) of 5 lemons – unwaxed if possible
•Juice and grated skin (zest) of 1 lime – also unwaxed

Read more: http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/blog/elderflower-champagne-recipe/#ixzz1PrEgEV1N

i dont blog about technology very often but because of my job a regularly read several design sites, some daily to keep myself on the ball and my mind fresh with new concepts and ideas. working with students you find that they are very much about whats new and what come out in the future so its important to try and be on the same wave length even if i do listen music older than them and smell of old spice.
reading through one of the sites today i dropped on this little gem, as it seems as smartphones are the way forward these days, all the kids have them, i have one and the internet is even more accessable. mobile devices are becoming even more compatible with everyday life and i can see how they could easily do away with thing we take for granted like cash and keys.
what is a little unrealistic in the video is this device being compatible with such tech like Apple, apple only likes apple.

Rimino - A Human Touch on Mobile Experience from Amid Moradganjeh on Vimeo.

As i have said before its busy busy right now but yesterday we (the cool gang) took time out during the day to go and have lunch up by the ship canal. the weather was good, nice and hot so sitting on the jetti with our sarnies we made a small fire and had tea. im lucky in my job to on rare occassions get times like these (the boss was away on this day) and we make the most of it afer an hour or so it was back to the hectic asylum that is my job. five more weeks to go and away it is for the summer.

Its back to the train for me as a regular lift to work is moving from a very convienient next door to chester. As much as i enjoy getting a lift to work and it saves alot of hassle and money i kind of like the train journey too. Im not really a huge morning person and i often just need to sit in my own little bubble until i get to work where i have to be socialble as soon as i walk through the door, i like to sit on the train and feel i dont have to speak to anyone or listen to anyone and that can make a huge difference to my day, its just unfortunate that i have to pay extra for these simple things.

im dreaming of my holidays, 7 weeks from now flying to the states for a life changing summer. i just have to get through the next few weeks with work and everyone around me getting ill. my only rest bite has been getting out doors when the weather has been good enough as it takes the stress away and lets me think. although having two goes a cutting the grass this afternoon was my idea of stress relief......bloody rain.

nope, its all with this guy

I have walked past it many times often stopping to look in the dirty window at the items gathering dust and the labels fading with time. It seemed like the chandlers on lark lane had been locked in time, the owner just closed up shop and never came back. Yesterday while passing I noticed the door open and the shop being emptied, I was told the gentleman owner had passed away after being ill for some time. After talking for some time with the daughter I asked if I could take some photos before it was all gone. It will be a shame to see the shop disappear and become something else but I suppose time moves on even in those places where it seems to stand still.

It’s been a little grey the past few days with rain and wind making it unpleasant, so a few snaps from Thuds garden should brighten it up. I’ve been so busy the past few weeks and it’s only going to increase as students finish their projects and I plan for 70 plus exhibitions ranging from photography through to fine art installations followed by planning for next year, organizing spending and stock for the department and a major building refit that will go on over the summer. This has made me a little touchy in work and quite sick of hearing my name. I’m lucky that tenbellies is a lot more organized even though her job is way harder than mine she has to put up with looking after me and overseeing our wedding. Definitely got a keeper here.

I seriously spat tea over the rug when i saw this on the news today, its bloody hilarious. its the noise it makes, and the noise of the griver filling his shorts.

as mentioned in Thuds post we have had a rather busy day, a quick trip out to do a little barge board spotting and then on to the veggie patch to get the slightly over due seedlings in. it was overcast most of the day but quite warm with a drizzle of rain. it was hard graft but rewarding to see the patch starting to take shape, the hard part as thud says is to keep the critters away.........well i assure you they may have a couple of weeks of thuds kind heartedness but I'm not so forgiving watch out little bunnies i have you in my sight!