Wine glasses

Believe it or not, at the moment(well now a couple days ago), I don't possess a single glass wine glass. Sure in my time I have had lots. Lots of matching ones, that was before I had kiddlywinks. Before they all got broken by kids, or drunk people, none of which I will admit, or remember was me.

Summer broke the last one a week ago, while trolling my crockery cupboard, like one year olds do. It's like letting the proverbial bull loose in the china shop, leaving the child lock off the door. Mind you, my child lock consists of an egg flip through the handles of the cupboard! It is amazing how this works, and not so freaking amazing when it is not there. Sucker for punishment I am!

Wine just isn't the same in a normal glass. It doesn't have the same appeal. 

I scoured the caravan for a plastic wine glass, you know the ones you buy at the supermarket, the throw away kind. I am always going to the caravan for missing or extra bits of cutlery or crockery. In fact when we run out of just about anything, toilet paper, cling wrap, oil, dishwashing liquid, shampoo, the caravan is the first place I go for backup supplies.

I don't know why, but the ones from the picnic wine set a friend gave me years ago, escaped my memory. I only thought of them today. It is a pretty cool picnic set, even though plastic, and years ago who would have thought that it would come in handy(stored in the bottom of my pantry), more than ever right now. I think in over 5 years I have only used it once, maybe twice. I am sure I will use it much more now. How cool is it? I have to admit, it comes with a cork screw, but these days, I don't come across many corks. Am I not spending the dollars to get the cork, or have they become totally redundant?

So I have been on the scout for wine glasses. My first idea was to check out the local op shops for interesting and cool vessels (not necessarily matching), to drink my wine from! I came across five goblets for $4 on my visit to Lifeline. The box had the original retail sticker on it, $30 for six. Score!

The Lifeline shop has come leaps and bounds in the past 6 months. They have become so much more upmarket. From a dinky dive, to a modern second hand shop. The ladies who now run it are ex fashion goddesses and have brought second hand to the fashion forefront. I love the new look store. It is so much more appealing to walk into and look around. 

I got the five goblets(huge) for $4.

The others I got for $3 from a garage sale on Saturday. Now I just need an overhead wall cabinet to display them in, maybe in this corner away from kiddy hands. That will be the next project.

Plum and Port chutney

We didn't get many plums this year. I have to prune our tree properly. Myself. The last time it was pruned, a couple of years ago, Brett did it. I could hear him out there, I was feeding Izzy at the time, and I was telling myself "trust". Gotta love him. I could have cried.

It has just finished fruiting, we got about 5 plums. Dismal. So I need to prune it NOW, all the crossing and inward facing branches and beat it about the trunk. Yes I mean beat it. Frighten the living daylights out of the tree and give it a bash around the trunk with a piece of four by two, not damage it completely but scare it into fruiting next year. Sounds silly doesn't it. But I did it years ago and the next year got a bumper crop!

Mum's got plums, and of course, she gave me some, well forced them on me. Not complaining though, they are yummy. I love these ones.

I like finding recipes like this. Ones that sound interesting, enough for me to be inspired to cook stuff, like chutney. I changed it a bit, the original had real spices, I had a half a bag of mixed spice in the cupboard. It called for dried cranberries, hello, none of those. 

Plum and Port Chutney

1 kilogram plums

1 cloves garlic, chopped

250 grams chopped onion

100 grams chopped apple

1 1/2 tspn mixed spice

100 gr soft brown sugar

150 mls white wine vinegar

100 mls port

Deseed the plums, and chop (I quartered them). Place in a large saucepan with all ingredients except the port. Bring slowly up to the boil, then simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the port and simmer for another 40 minutes. 

Put into jars. Leave the chutney for a month before use to let the flavours meld.

 I can't wait to try this out with some cheese and crackers.

To sterilise the jars, I put them in the oven, and lids, at 150 degrees for 20 minutes. Use them straight out of the oven, don't forget to use a dry tea towel or oven mitt. 

DO NOT put hot jam into cold jars or cold jam into hot jars, the glass will shatter. If you don't have lids, you can buy round cellophane toppers with rubber bands, jar labels usually come with these too, at the supermarket. 

The left over port goes well at night as well as a night cap, warming, calming and uplifting all at the same time. Take it from me!!

Men and glad wrap

What is it with men and gladwrap? I should rephrase that and say, what is wrong with my man and gladwrap?

I am sure somewhere there are men who can manage to roll out a square of cling film for their sandwich without fucking up the whole roll. I sit in the lounge and listen to the grumbling and can only think what a useless dickhead my husband is. Maybe I will surprise him and make his sandwiches for work again, like I used to, with the little love note under the wrap, every now and then. But I have enough to do without making a big boys lunch.

Are they all inept of covering anything they put back in the fridge too? The half arsed attempt of rewrapping the fritz, or devon, or whatever you call where you live, covering that plate of food. And there goes the other thing, the plate of food, or plate, of nothing.

Who leaves and empty plate in the fridge?...... My hubby. Who leaves a half can of dogfood in the fridge with no covering?....My hubby. This grossed me out, who wants eggs with that hint of dogfood? I shake my head in astounding wonder sometimes. Like the two crusts, left in the bread bin. We have a chook bucket, and more bread in the freezer, or just right there, right next to where he's standing, there's a bin! Astounding me, again!

Are these familiar sights in your house, or is it just me?

Linking for for Totally Thursday with Jacana :)

Bronze Sunflower