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like the sound of Blackberry Gin where could i get the recipe for that?

Thanks all i've got some good tips. We've even manged to make a start for this year.
Thanks all

Blackberry gin is just the same as sloe gin: 1 pint gin, 1 Lb sugar, 1lb blackberries- stir daily til the sugar dissolves, three months later....

I tried a recipe this year with 3/4 of the sugar -it's more awakening that the sweet smooth full sugar recipe

I used to make homemade elderflower "champagne" and give it as pressies to the adults at Christmas. It was an effort to make but I enjoyed doing it and it tasted fab.

Then I learned that no one even opened it, let alone drank it, and I felt really let down. Wish I'd bought them all a pair of socks each!

I may be a bit of a misery but I think Christmas has lost it's sparkle. Everyone I know has a "list" of what they want and aren't grateful for anything unless it's on the list.

I really need to make new friends!

Me and the other half enjoy chrimbo though. We make lots of things, only spend a little and enjoy everything.

I didn't do it this year but I usually sew Christmas pressies for my family. Through the year hoard bits of thread, ribbons and scaps of fabric. Old ladies are often a good source, so if you know any who won't mind you asking if they've got any scaps. Then go to the library and get out a few craft books, leaf through them for inspiration and you'll end up making wonderful, recycled and original pressies.

the crumpled shall inherit the earth! (irons are just not green!)
Apart from that, I'll take a leaf out of Hancock's book - "I shall retire to bed early, with my copy of Bleak House"
Bah humbug!

I hide until it's all over, although for years would go to The Lake District , Cumbria with just a bottle of whisky, stay at the same hostel, same people, for a whisky tasting holiday. Then some of the walkers started buying each other prezzies....ye gods.

I make blackberry vodka and sloe gin (missed the damsons this year for damson brandy, unfortunately.)
Last weekend we went to London for my sister's 60th birthday party, and we loaded up the camper with all the ancestral portraits and big bits of silver that I haven't got room for since we moved, and gave them to my sister and brother!
I bought an antique top hat for my other half, but have to admit it cost an arm and a leg. Why he wants a top hat when he is already the tallest man in Cornwall I don't know, but he does...

teraivyyr wrote:I make blackberry vodka and sloe gin (missed the damsons this year for damson brandy, unfortunately.)
Last weekend we went to London for my sister's 60th birthday party, and we loaded up the camper with all the ancestral portraits and big bits of silver that I haven't got room for since we moved, and gave them to my sister and brother!
I bought an antique top hat for my other half, but have to admit it cost an arm and a leg. Why he wants a top hat when he is already the tallest man in Cornwall I don't know, but he does...

Well I do believe that is the first time ancestral portraits and antique top hats have been mentioned on SSish

We made Beth (2) a little version of our croft house to go with her farm this Xmas, and luckily she loves it (very relieved parents who had spent hours in the shed swearing at wood ). Not perhaps the best piece of woodwork but never mind, she doesn't care! We also cheated and bought her the farm animals new and a wooden barn (which, although brand new, did come from a charity shop ).



Hope I am ok to post this as a pic rather than a link.

I'm very impressed!

Thanks there were definitely blood sweat and tears went into that as neither of us have done any woodwork since school

It is a rather simplified version of our house which is longer (but still as low) in real life...but the colour scheme (including the ummm interesting brown skirting boards is right ).

Well done it looks great
it reminds me of when my children were young and we made them farms out of paper mache (hope i spelt that right spell check broken)
i am just in the process of making wooden building blocks for my grandchildren

thats beautiful - well done

Esther.R wrote:Thanks there were definitely blood sweat and tears went into that as neither of us have done any woodwork since school

It is a rather simplified version of our house which is longer (but still as low) in real life...but the colour scheme (including the ummm interesting brown skirting boards is right ).

And that is SOOOOO much nicer than some shop bought plastic tat that will fall to pieces after a few days - well done. You deserve to be rightly proud of yourselves

(Wish I was good at woodwork)

Excellent work! Reminds me of my knitted Action Man clothes mum knitted for Santa to bring me when I was wee