I have had a recipe for Elder Blossom Fritters for nigh on eighteen years, and never got around to making them. But yesterday the sky was a bright, clear blue and the blossoms were in perfect bloom... the temptation was great.



I whipped up the batter and made a blueberry sauce, snipped large pregnant flowers from the bush and set the table in the backyard.



The Russian got the oil hot, and we took turns frying and dusting them with powdered sugar. Only... there were SO many blossoms and SO much batter left that we just kept - on - eating.



I cannot tell you enough what a bad idea that was. The kids stopped after one or two fritters, but we had at least seven each. And all last night - and all this morning - we have been holding our middles as if we'd swallowed rocks.





I got up early and went for a run in the hopes of a little weight relief, rode bikes to school with my daughter in yet another scramble for absolution... but alas! There is nothing to be done but to just wait it out. And learn a lesson in piggishness.

:)



My generally light-footed Tarzan says he can't wait to get home and eat tea and jell-o for lunch ... his last words this morning being, "I think that after all they ought to be eaten as a delicacy. Just one flower each."

Ya think?

I nearly forgot ... a very happy Memorial Day to you!

On Saturday, two of the best floor ball players I know battled it out at a friendly tournament ... and we watched on as they lost because of unfair-play.



What do you say to a couple of kids who've worked hard to play fair but have just been cheated out of first place by someone who didn't?

I listened as the fathers spoke to the team and was inwardly proud, the recurring theme being fair-play... play to have a good time... play to be proud of the game... don't stoop to that level.

Their attitudes were solid and sound despite the disappointment, and I say they're the winners this time around. First place.

It's time to make elder blossom syrup.

First you take your favorite basket with you and snip twelve or so blossoms off the bush (I use maybe twenty blossoms - I like it strong).

Place them in a large and lovely bowl (lovely for your benefit) and pour four liters of boiling water over them. Add the juice of four lemons. Cover and let sit for two days, stirring occasionally.

Clip cheesecloth to the sides of the biggest pot you have, and pour the infusion through it. Add four kilos of sugar and bring to a boil, stirring now and then.

While you're waiting for it to boil you need to do two things:

1. Boil water and pour it over and into your sparkling clean bottles.
2. Have a glass of wine (again, for your benefit).

As soon as your syrup is boiling, have muscle man pour it into the hot, empty bottles. Close.

This will stay good for six months to a year. How to drink it? Pour a little in a glass and add ice-cold water to taste.
Served in a martini glass, it easily replaces an alcoholic beverage for those who prefer staying away from the hooch.
:)

la simplicité rend la vie si belle

Einfachheit macht das Leben so schön

(c'est juste mon allemande?)

My eldest and I were on a reconnaissance mission yesterday, spying on our neighbors' sizable "trash". This is what we loaded into our car:



I'm awaiting the day I have a vineyard of my own and can celebrate the Vendanges with baguette and aged cheese.



What does hubby think of that? He's already planted our first vine...

Perspective changes everything