Getting in touch with my creative side, and Elder

I am quite sick of painting.  It seems never-ending in a house this size.  As I have been sorting out my craft room and my new bookcase, I've been moving old craft magazines (some dating back to when we first moved here) and seeing some of the quilt patterns and x-stitch designs again has made my fingers fairly twitch.  I have various things to repair/restore as well, but everything is on hold until the beautifying of the house is complete.  Mind you, it is STILL shrouded in scaffolding, and so putting it back on the market is on hold until that is down, and the remains of middle daughter's boyfriend's gutted and flatpacked caravan are gone (they are fitting out their big LWB van as a camper van) and the paddock is cut and the rubble removed . . .  Sometimes I think the world is just against us EVER moving from here, but I am trying to take a positive view and think everything has to be in place at the right time, so the right people come along and the right house for us to buy . . .  Otherwise I will go quite mad.  Don't get me wrong, this is a wonderful house, in such a beautiful valley, but once you have made up your mind to move, it is very difficult to take much pleasure from enforced staying put!

The cold spring has made everything late, and that includes the Elder.  Our two bushes at the bottom of the yard had to be cut right back because there will be a digger going in soon, to sort out the ditch behind the stables.  However, I have my eye on the huge bush the other side of the track at the top end of the yard, later on for Elderberries for Syrup and Tincture, and at present, although I shan't be making Elderflower Syrup this year, I will be making Handcream this week.  Photos to follow in due course.

The tadpoles in the main pond have grown legs, dropped their tails and left the pond.  Which is good, as it means I can have a cull of the Canadian Pondweed which has quite taken over in there.  In the wildlife pond, they still have tails and fewer legs, and all the undergrowth around the edges is leaning across it, which makes it difficult to see what is in the deep part, although I know there are a dozen or more newts, and half a dozen frogs in residence.  Damselflies have been mating in the past week or two, so the ponds have been busy with them.

My husband has gone out without the shopping list (sigh), so I have just quickly started off a Rustic Loaf in the breadmaker in case he forgets to bring in bread (it was meant to save me having to make one whilst we are so busy).

Later on I shall make the handcream (which is a healing one) and some Elderberry Syrup which I shall start taking as soon as I am off the anti-biotics (another 6 days to go) as I have just realized that the reason my immune system is so depleted is the constant barrage of anti-biotics and steroids have left my body almost defenceless.  HERE is a link explaining why antibiotics can also be the Bad Guys as well as saving lives.  Fortunately I have a big bag of Elderberries in the freezer and shall make gallons of Elderberry Syrup and Tincture (as in alcohol) this autumn.