Well I thought I had rings, lids and clips to fit my bottles, but it turned out I had rings, lids and plastic storage lids instead. So a frenzied search for clips was in order. I had my fruit in the jar, the syrup ready to bring up to heat, the thermometer on standby but no clips - quelle crise! In the end I had to go all the way to Derwent Park to get them, so I had better not get botulism from this lot!!

They do look rather pretty though, now they are done. The next batch will be the super-red version from the community Garden so it will be interesting to see how they compare. It is sitting to soak overnight in syrup as we speak and will be bottled tomorrow since apparently I have a free day!! Woopee. Don't speak too soon though as I have already been roped into going into the garden in the morning to help with some work. Poo.

It does seem that far too many people depend on me at present. I tried to log into facebook for five minutes over lunch and had three conversations going simultaneously while I was trying to frame a post to someone who had taken something personally when it was a general conversation we were having (several of us were involved in the conversation but one took the whole issue personally - what can you do). So meanwhile I am fielding requests to organise the anti-shale gas committee to have monthly meetings with all members present and for us to all go down to Hobart to do passive resistance training, another person wanting to know if I had got his email and if so was it OK for me? (I had spotted his email and was planning on dealing with it when I had had five  minutes break), and a third person trying to pass the time of day with me because clearly she had nothing better to do. Since I had just got in from cleaning the bank and spending the rest of my time conducting unscheduled tours of the garden for visiting community garden people (apparently they sent us a message via FB before they set off from Spreyton this morning) while organising the Workskills team and assisting them also I really was not in the mood. Gargh!!

Not quite sure how I got to be the go-to person for every project south of Launceston, but it feels like that at times. It would be nice to have the time to mix up some concrete and put in the post for the clothesline while the weather is clement (not raining too much and not too hot), but I guess it will have to wait until after Christmas now. At least the Workskills people are apparently taking January off, and this morning was a token appearance, so I get to avoid having to dodge off to clean apartments without letting it be known it is not just the bank I am cleaning. Speaking of which, it is a hectic couple of weeks on the apartments so I am glad I am only working half the week there. Lots of all-three units days. Since one unit includes five beds and another has a king bed that variously becomes two singles and also a fold-down bed that may or may not be required it will take a bit of effort methinks.

The cherry jelly, by the way, is more of a cherry syrup. So the question is, do I use Jam-setta or do I cut up and apple and pop it in a muslin bag and boil it up with the syrup and see what happens. I suspect I will lose the glorious plum purple clarity of it if I do that, but the flavour is going to be less artificial..... Will ponder it overnight since it way to late to start anything now.