And so another week passes.  No news on the solar stuff - still waiting for the new pressure release valve (and the plumber's been having brain scans, etc, so probably has other things to think about right now).  Oven testing is still ongoing - the top oven seems OK, but I haven't actually tried the main oven again.  Fingers crossed, the internet's been OK this week.  The CD player is still brilliant.  So, that's you caught up on those troublesome areas.

We have been doing some work on the oak room this week and have cleared it our and started putting the insulation in the roof.  No point in us heating our end of the house to have all the heat disappear through the slates in there!  We also grouted the hall floor this afternoon and it just looks so much better and more finished.

We are still - yes, still - waiting for the doors to dry out!
They must have had such a good soaking at the strippers.
Whenever the sun comes out we lug them all outside to soak
up the rays and they appear to dry out, but I guess that's just the
surface and when we look the next day they are wet again!  So,
these are the two we need first ready to spend the night in front of the fire!



 Last night , when I got home from work, we made chutney using produce from our garden - plums, apples and green tomatoes.  Because you have to let it bubble away slowly we did it on the Ironheart.  Wow, this is just the sort of thing I've pictured doing in this kitchen for so long.  I'm quite glad Bob was up for helping out, because there was an awful lot of chopping to do!  It's now all in jars to mellow and mature for three months and so it should be ready just in time for Christmas.  It tastes OK at the moment, but a little harsh and presumably that's what mellows out over the weeks. 



 This morning I started to make plum jam, also from our own plums.  I say started because I had to stop half way through because we had a delivery of plasterboard and insulation for the oak room including a coffee and chat with the delivery chap.  I then cointinued with the jam after lunch - hope it's OK.  This time I used the conventional cooker as it has to boil fast and the woodburner wasn't lit, so wouldn't have been much help!

So, here's the fruits of our labours.  In addition I have some
damson vodka on the go and several jars of damson puree
for ading to yoghurt and so on.  We have eaten the bowlful of
damsons from our own trees, but a neighbour gave us two
carrier bagsful!  Just look at those apples - the tree they came off
is really quite small, so they are quite impressive.