Preserving time
Preserving time, the time when I peacefully get on with the process of preparing fruit for bottling together with preparing fruit for pickling. A time for thinking and contemplation and making sense of all those thoughts that run through my head at breakneck speed and sometimes do not get to see the light of day. A time for cogitating and making sense of a number of factors. The beetroot is bubbling away in the big stainless steel pot on top of the cooker, as I write, following a well versed process in readiness for being pickled. Alongside in a saucepan sugar is melting into water in readiness for being made into syrup to preserve the blood red plums and the blackberry, pear and apple mix, the pears and the nectarines for the pantry shelf. All is calm apart from the gentle hubble bubble of the water as it reaches peaks and troughs and slowly cooks the contents of the pan. The work is methodic and calming and the peace and tranquility gently ch...