This isn't just jam....

 

...this is hands cut to shreds by the thorns, sweat dripping in the eyes, attacked by wasps, slaved over the cooker on the hottest day of the year, dropped heavy glass jars on the toes, jam.

And very fine jam it is, too. This is the gooseberry, made from berries aquired from Gordon and Juliet, along with some fine Shetland cross fleece, which has converted me to preparing raw fleece - but not to put in jam pots, which could so easily have happened in the preserving frenzy.In addition to the gooseberry came grawberry, raspberry, strawberry conserve (yup, a bit different from jam) and gooseberry chutney). Tomorrow I am going to make banana chutney.

This is what I have been doing for a lot of the week - spinning in the dappled shade in the garden. On Tuesday I had the pleasure of Mhairs's company as I taught her to spin. Yesterday evening was spent in the company of friends, and today we popped over to The Hill House , which for those of you who don't know, was designed by Rennie Mackintosh and his wife, Margaret. Well worth it, even though it was the third (maybe fourth) time for me. Oh, and it has a great tea room :0)

Like most of the UK, I have been melting in the heat, but as I haven't been at work, it hasn't been too bad. Have to say that I am glad that our main accomodation is not in the attic. because I truly think that we would have ended up with heat stroke - although Mr India has been systematically putting insulation dowm under the floorboards in the attic, there is no insulation to speak of under the tiles, so the sun turned the place into an oven.

Tomorrow, I think the party is over - I have the Gaelic assignment in, but unfortunately my post-grad thing awaits. Still, I have a fortnight in the islands to look forward to - Mull, Iona and Skye. So, things will be a tad quiet on the blogging front - I don't imagine I can persaude my mum to update the blog for me while she is house sitting. But maybe I can persuade her to do a bit of housework. What doyou think?

In the meantime, I'm off to do a spot of knitting. Tioraidh.