ABC WEDNESDAY - O

I've had terrible problems connecting t the Internet and my phone has gone haywire too....I think I'll be phoning BT this afternoon. Thank goodness this post was in draft or my O post would have been 0 (zero).

O IS FOR ONION

The common garden onion or Allium Cepa is, like garlic (another member of the Allium family), thought to lower high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke. Of course peeling onions can make you cry. As onions are sliced, cells are broken, allowing the realease of sulphenic acids; these decompose into a gas which diffuses through the air and eventually reaches the eye, where it reacts with the water to form a diluted solution of sulfuric acid. This acid irritates the nerve endings in the eye, making them sting. Then the tear glands produce tears to dilute and flush it out.

I love pickled onions and usually make my own. There are many recipes and everyone has their favourites but this one seems to work for me.......

4lb Pickling onions (or shallots if you prefer them)

8oz salt

2 pints Pickling Malt Vinegar

Peel the onions and place in a large bowl (to make peeling easier soak them in warm water to soften the skin). Dissolve the salt in about 4 pints water and pour over the onions to completely cover them (a plate over the op helps to keep the onions under the surface) and leave for 24 hours. Drain and rinse under cold water and then pat dry. Pack into sterilised jars and cover with cold vinegar. Seal, label and store for 2-3 months (if you can wait that long!)

You can tailor the recipe by adding mustard seeds, black pepper corns or a couple of chillis. A clove of garlic or herbs like rosemary, bay and thyme will all give their unique flavour.

And of course if you remembered to collect the seed heads of your decorative garden Alliums

now's the time to spray them gold or silver to use for Christmas displays.

ABC WEDNESDAY BLOGROLL

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JUST ONE MORE THING

Whether you agree with it or not there could well be a knock on your door from trick-or-treaters. If you do have children or grandchildren who are going treat-or-treating please follow these guidelines.
Trick-Or-Treat Safety Tips

Make sure young children are accompanied by some responsible teenagers or adults when they go trick-or-treating from door to door.

Ask your kids to go trick-or-treating in known neighbourhoods.

Tell them to use pavements, cross only at the corners and strictly instruct them never to run between parked cars.

They should not go inside anyone’s home unless it’s someone known.

If they go out in the dark, give them a flashlight and ask them to stick to well-lit streets.

NEWSFLASH

Moi - Not by a long shot has successfully defended her thesis and next month will be graduating. Well Done Moi!!!!!

FENCE TO FENCE SUNSHINE

What fabulous weather we had this weekend....the heavy rain and cold nights of last week seem a distant memory now...and the sunsets have been glorious! The bees have been busy and are loving the foxgloves

and the dragonflies and damselflies have been whizzing around like mini helicopters...some even sitting long enough for me to take a photo!

And love was definitely in the air for this pair...they actually landed on my teashirt...I felt a bit voyeuristic as I grabbed my camera!
No digital enhancements on this photo...Lesley Joseph really is this vibrant!

The newts are still around...I'm seeing them on land a little more now...
and the Lantana are really enjoying the sunshine...they are still such small plants...can you imagine how spectacular these will look as they grow into a small bush... I also have a yellow one and a pink one..will get some photos when they come into flower.........
I love the way the seed heads of the Allium bulgaricum point to the sky...only a few weeks ago they were like little bells hanging down....
The colour of the Acer Dissectum is at its best at the moment.................

You'd be forgiven thinking there had been a wedding outside the front door; the flower petals are dropping quickly from the tree outside........this is now so tall and so close to our houses...I wish the Council would take a look at it as it could do serious damage to property if it came down in a strong wind....branches are always falling off and hitting the cars below and the noise the Crows make in the morning!

A quick update on the Great Pip Challenge; avocado, lychee and oranges all doing well...not growing much but healthy
Yes I certainly think Summer is on it's way at last...I HOPE I've not spoken to soon!

AN ONION BY ANY OTHER NAME IS STILL AN ALLIUM

Remember the pickled onions I did a while back. Well they are coming on a treat; as is the Sloe Gin. I'll give the gin another week and then strain it. Of course Mick and I will have to have a little taster - can't put it out for public consumption unless we are SURE it's tasty.

Now as I may have mentioned before (have I?), onions are part of the Allium family. As a reminder this is what the alliums in our garden looked like this year.
As the flowers die off they leave the most spectacular seed heads. I kept these, hung them up to dry and have now sprayed them silver. Don't they make a lovely Christmassy arrangement?

You'll be pleased to know that I have managed to sort the bedrooms out ready for Leanne and co on Saturday. I must admit it was a One o'clock in the morning job!!!!
Notice how I've printed these pictures smaller; so you can't use them in a "SPOT THE COBWEB" competition!!!

I had intended to cook a cake today but as it's the School Christmas Fayre tonight I have given Manda some money so she can buy one off of the cake stall. It will help school funds AND save me some time.