ooh you are such a busy little bee

that is just what Joe said to me yesterday afternoon.....

yesterday went to Rozelle flea markets - me with my camera slung over my shoulder like a tourist - hoping to capture some photos like Corey & Tara do - but of course nothing but junk, real junk. Oh I guess not - there were some gorgeous vintage clothes & jewellry, vintage books galore & I did mangage to buy some old matchboxes & vintage cards that I thought I may be able to use.. and I bought an old beaded purse for the doll I am making for sewing group. I thought of taking some photos of the stall holders but their faces didn't look like they would wanting to be having that - they were hot & grumpy. so I smiled and went on my way.

then we trotted off to Frasers motorcycles to buy something for Joes bike...hmmm I got to thinking - strawberries are in season, how about a trip out to the strawberry farms? so off we go - through the city traffic and out to the country side.

along the road are many stalls that sell fruit and vegetables that are grown by the farmers. Little stalls made of corrugated iron and maybe a little shade cover. I jumped out and this poor elderly italian woman was sitting there in the oppressive heat selling strawberries by the bucket. Her hands were stained red - from picking or maybe it was from eating them... I felt so sorry for her in the heat. "How much?" - I asked .."$5 a bucket" she said - "I will take 4 buckets and a bucket of tomatoes - thankyou" and she smiled. back in the car - excited that I was going to be bottling that afternoon - not thinking that I was going out to a Christmas party at 6. oh no! that didn't cross my mind.....so we got home & I got all my paraphenalia out to begin bottling.....and proceeded to wash and hull the strawberries * eating as I went - thinking of the little italian lady- it was 4pm by this time. then I realized I hadn't prepared the syrup - so I quickly got that done and put it in the fridge to cool. packed the strawberrries in the jars, feeling very much like sweet Kansas Rose - taking a photo to show everyone, thinking myself very, very industrious and feeling very connected to my grandmothers befor me and another brain storm PORT ! - I will use port to preserve them in..what a delicious idea - so I went and got the port decanter and proceeded to half fill the bottles. topped them up with syrup and in they went.

put them on to preserve, raced in the shower, dressed and ready to go. Time to get the bottles out. done - all put out to cool over night. Showed Joe - who said - 'how much port did you use?" - I told him only what was in the decanter and he laughed . ' You know - that was more than a bottle of port?' ------ do you think they will be yummy? one botttle of port between 7 bottles of strawberries.