Christmas Chutney - Around the World in a Jar!

Marrow Chutney made and bottled for Christmas Breakfast.  Locally grown vegetables, fruit from England and from Europe, English mustard powder but all other spices from the Far East and Middle East, sugar from the Caribbean and - very important - little red chilies from the landing window - thank you Son!  And thank you to all the men, women and children from countries all around the world - let's share Christmas!

Something Told the Wild Geese

The other day, Mum mentioned the following poem after noticing something on a dog walk up at Newtonhill Croft in Caithness.  I always think of it whenever I see the 'v' of a flock of geese making their way across the skies in preparation for winter. 

I think it's one of those things that justifies that early Christmas feeling, don't you?

I think nature tells us a lot about when to start preparing for things.  I'm not very good at the natural world (some members of my family, including contributors to this blog, are excellent naturalists, but I'm not really.  However, I have noticed the high quantities of berries on the bushes and trees, which even I know to be a sign of the hard winter.  Time to go out and buy fat balls and seed-cakes for the birds to help them survive the coming cold weather.

Driving down from Newtonhill, the fields really were golden.  But, indisputably, something is telling me to get ready for Christmas!

 

 

Something Told the Wild Geese

by Rachel Field

 

Something told the wild geese
It was time to go;
Though the fields lay golden
Something whispered, - 'snow'.

Leaves were green and stirring,
Berries, luster-glossed,
But beneath warm feathers
Something cautioned, - 'frost'.

All the sagging orchards
Steamed with amber spice,
But each wild breast stiffened
At remembered ice.

Something told the wild geese
It was time to fly -
Summer sun was on their wings,
Winter in their cry.

Peas and Goodwill

Peas freshly picked by Clemency,  from Robert's croft, were shelled last night and frozen this morning at seven minutes past the witching hour - labelled as such AND " for Christmas dinner ".  This is the first item to go into the freezer for Christmastime. At Christmas we love to eat or use things which friends and family have given to us through the year as it prompts thought and remembrance when everything is so busy-busy-busy.