Jan Edwards's Blog

The cherry plum tree in our front garden has had a chequered history since we moved in eight years ago.

Once we had cut back the years of ivy growth (which had pulled down three substantial brick pillars down the side of the garden)  and removed three x 20ft cypresses and a 15ft holly tree, the tree was revealed in all its dubious glory. With the undergrowth cleared its six distinct stems had the impression of a veritable thicket.

In the middle of a woodland that would not have been a problem but as the sole tree in a domestic front garden it was, not to put to finer point on it, just plain ugly.

A native cherry plum would never have been my choice for the front garden but it was an established tree and after a tree surgeon pared it back to a single trunk did at least look relatively ornamental.

For the past few years, since the drastic culling, it has treated us to a fabulous annual display of white blossom in the very early spring.

With such open branches it was not a suitable tree for nesting birds but the plethora of insects that it supported did attract many small varieties; Dunnocks, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Long-tailed Tits, Sparrows, Blackbirds and even a Wren or two,  plus the usual Magpies and Wood Pigeons attracted by the hanging bird table suspended from a lower branch. The tree was also the favoured vantage point for our resident Robin, who would sing heartily from there every morning and evening.

Last weekend Storm Claudia hit the islands, bringing 50+mph wind gusts that caused damage all over the neighbourhood. It brought down many trees, caused damage to fences, roofs and other structures as well as raising flash floods in lower lying areas.

Sad to say our poor cherry fell victim to Claudia’s whim.

We heard the wind but not the tree’s demise from indoors. It was around 10-30 p.m. that Peter looked of the front windows and saw destruction.

The tree had fallen!

By sheer luck the cherry had come down between the garden wall and our brick porch and come to rest across our car! There was nothing we could do between us with the gale still blowing and torrential rain lashing down.

Next morning we went out to assess the damage, fearing a new car was on the cards.

With aid of a local garden services company the tree’s remains were gone by midday and the  full extent of the damage revealed…

Once the trunk and main branches were cut away we were amazed to find the Kia virtually untouched!

The gardener contractors opined that it must have been a slow and graceful fall to cause so little damage – just one depression in the roof that was too small to even dignify with the term ‘dent’.

Once Peter had taken the car down to the car wash to remove the sawdust and debris its hard to see where it is.

What to do with the empty space left by a quite substantial tree?

We had a Red Sentinel malus tree in the rear garden in a large pot that, though still small,  we had already decided was in need of more root space to thrive so a quick hole was dug  and Voila!

It will be a few years before its reaches its predecessor’s stature – but from little pips large crab apples tress grow!

Bunch Courtney Investigations – get all 5 on your Kindle for just £10.88!

It occurs to me that my current needlework project is in some ways a form of meditation.

One of the main aspects/knacks of meditation is to ‘still the chattering monkey’ and is something I have always struggled with. I don’t have just a chattering monkey swinging though my resting thoughts but an entire troupe of gibbering chimps; coupled with a crouching and restless tiger, or possibly that wolf gazing back at me from the tapestry frame – constantly urging me to be up and moving.

I suspect most of us across the neurodivergent spectrum recognise those beasts.

Looking back my parents plainly found my perpetual motion and constant chatter a trial. Phrases like sit still, stop fidgeting, ants in you pants, ball bearings in your backside and yes, fidget arse  punctuated everyday life. To modern ears that sounds appalling but to be perfectly honest they were wasting their breath because I never took a blind bit of notice.

My severe stammer at age 5 was put down to an ‘over-active brain’ but it was another fifty years before a Uni tutor sent me for an assessment for dyslexia that also threw in dyspraxia, autism and adhd for good measure. Useful to know but not especially surprising to me at least.

How does that tie in with crafts? Because, for me at least it allows the chimps something simple to concentration on and the tiger that sense of movement that some of us need to channel and ground our excess energy in the same way that a walking meditation does, and where the traditional seated meditation often fails for us fidget-bums.  The satisfaction when the project is completed almost goes without saying.

It occurs to me that my current needlework project is some ways a form of meditation.

One of the main aspects/knacks of meditation is to ‘still the chattering monkey’ and is something I have always struggled with. I don’t just a chattering monkey swinging though my resting thought but an entire troup of gibbering chimps. but a crouching and restless tiger, or possibly that wolf gazing back at me from the tapestry frame – constantly urging me to be up and moving.

I suspect most of us across the neurodivergent spectrum recognise those beasts.

That restlessness can be Looking back my parents plainly found my perpetual motion and constant chatter a trial. Phrases like sit still, stop fidgeting, ants in you pants, ball bearings in your backside and yes, fidget arse  punctuated everyday life. To modern ears that sounds appalling but to be perfectly honest they were wasting their breath because I never took a blind bit of notice.

My severe stammer at age 5 was put down to an ‘over-active brain’ and it was another fifty years before a Uni tutor sent me for an assessment for dyslexia that also threw in dyspraxia, autism and adhd for good measure. Useful to know but not especially surprising to me at least.

How does that tie in with crafts? Because, for me at least it allows the chimps something simple to concentration on and the tiger that sense of movement that some of us need to channel and ground our excess energy in the same way that a walking meditation does, and where the traditional seated meditation often fails for us fidget-bums

I have always needed something to distract restless limbs. More so now with the winter evenings drawing when my study is too chilly to work. I have always read a great deal because the act of immersing myself in fiction stills the restless tiger within. Jigsaws, knitting, hand sewing applique (illo right) and wool tapestries have also provided a distraction while watching TV. With cool nights coming on I realised I needed a project to get me through to spring and raided my stack of craft supplies for inspiration and unearthed hidden treasure.

Well over a decade ago I started a somewhat ambitious counted-crossstitch kit depicting wolves in  a beech wood, titled Guardians of the Wood. This was shelved when packing up to move house, and left in one of my ‘craft boxes’ while the great ‘hand stitched embroidered bed quilt’ marathon was completed.

A couple of weeks ago I raided the craft box and dragged the wolves out of hibernation.

First thing to note was the tiny stitching – which I swear has got smaller since I last laid eyes on it.Back upstairs to dig out my lighted magnifying lens.Then the realisation that as the threads (floss) were all carefully labelled with the yarn number and suspended from cards they were bound to wind themselves into colourful birds nests that would, under my careless hands, very quickly become grubby and frayed.Off to Abakhans – the milliner/craft shop – for a case and floss cards to tidy them away.Start sewing – and realise this was very different from wool tapestry kits or embroidery where the pattern is printed onto the canvas/cloth. As the name suggests I need to count stitches in holes that are just 1mm apart. The recognised solution is, of course, to tack grid lines onto the canvas as guides from which to translate/count the stitches from the chart to canvas without going completely cross eyed and potentially insane.  When I first started this all those years back I had managed, with my customary impatience to dive straight in without any preparation, and yes I did sew the wolf head without them – but my eyes were better back then!

This is my winter project. Whether my patience holds out long enough to finish it is another matter but so long as its sitting on the end of the couch reminding/prodding me into picking it up it should go well – though if Mother, an accomplished embroiderer, was to have seen the rat’s nest of threads on the back of the work she’s be unpicking it and starting again… but hey – if it didn’t involve a little chaos it wouldn’t be me!

With pear harvest in full swing here is a recipe for an old favourite!

Sponge layer

200g golden caster sugar200g dairy free spread200g gluten free flour1 tsp xantham gum2 tsp baking powder1 tsp vanilla extract3 medium eggs

Fruit layer

6 conference pears – peeled and quartered100 gms sugar500ml water50 gms butter3 star anise (or your spice of choice)1tsp vanilla essence

Method

Pears

In a covered pan poach the pear pieces in the sugar, water, vanilla and anise until almost tender.Remove pear with slotted spoonBoil liquid until it starts to form a syrup and turn colour.Remove star aniseAdd butter and cook until it begins to thicken once more – be careful not to burn it!Return pear pieces to the pan and coat with the syrupGrease a dish with butter and place pear pieces in the base with rounded side down. The pears should form a snug layer.

Sponge

Mix butter and sugar until light and fluffyAdd vanillaAdd beaten eggs and flour (in alternate portions to prevent curdling)Pour over pears and bake on a moderate oven until golden brown and springy to touchEase sponge around the sides of the dish with a palette knifePut in inverted plate over the top, turn over and with luck your upside down cake will fall onto the plate!

Serve with cream, ice cream, custard or just as it comes!

A very quick note to you all now that September is already here and the new titles are proliferating at an alarming rate!

Last month saw In Cases of Murder revamped with the Alchemy Press and for September a brand new edition of Deadly Plot is out in paper and kindle.

What is it about? “When a body is dug up in Wyncombe’s Victory gardens, Bunch Courtney’s investigations unearth far more than an escaped POW. What at first appears to be a cold case takes a darker turn as she uncovers links far beyond her Sussex home … and the body count begins to rise!”

The previously unseen Book 6 : A Party to Murder will be with you at the end of October!

The new revised edition of Deadly Plot is out on 11th September,  bringing all of the current titles in Bunch Courtney Investigations series into in the Alchemy Crime fold!

To be followed in late October by the brand new sixth book in the series A Party to Murder  so reviewers raise your hands for a review pdf now

Cover reveal for  A Party to Murder coming soon!

Flan/quiches are one of the easiest ‘from the fridge’ meals to make and can be tailored to any family’s palette. Here is one I made this week in a vague attempt to use up the glut of courgettes and tomatoes flooding in from the allotment, plus half a block of feta in dire need of using up!

Pastry ingredients:

250 gms gf flour125 gms butter (or veg alternative)1 tsp xantham gum1/2 tsp salt 1 egg yolk cold water

Method:

Mix dry ingredients and rub in butter into a breadcrumb textureAdd beaten egg with enough cold water to make a pliable dough (important to be really pliable or dough will crack when being rolled out!) 

Filling ingredients:

5 beaten eggs300ml milk 100 gms feta cheese2 tomatoes1 medium courgette (I used a yellow globe but any variety is good)salt and pepper and herbs of choice 

Method:

Roll out pastry and line your flan dish. Chop feta and toms into cubes and slice courgetteAdd to pastry caseMix beaten egg and milk, add seasoning and add to pastry caseCook in a medium oven until top is golden and filling set

And if all else fails leave out the pastry and call it a Baked Spanish Omlette

Notes

Some people prick the pastry base to stop it rising but I’ve found with gf flour that its seldom required. Baking blind is not a good idea with gf pastry – its already dry so prone to cracking!Full milk, lactose free or oat milk are all good – nut milks are often too thin.Its traditional to use cream in quiches but obviously not good for the lactose intolerant. For me in any case it makes a rather cloying texture and detracts from the more subtly flavoured fillings.The feta, tomato and courgette can be replaced with just about anything that will hold its integrity when cooked: asparagus, mushrooms, peas, figs, caramelised onion, sweetcorn, leeks – and for the carnivorous: salmon, grilled bacon (yum!), ham, chorizo or other grilled sausage – the list is close to endless. If you use cheddar or other hard cheese they are best grated, blue cheeses cubed as with feta.Root veg are usually best avoided but if you must then precook them. Beyond salt and pepper the herbs and spices used are down to you. If in doubt a good pinch of dried mixed herbs sprinkled over the mix just before cooking always does well. Likewise a sprinkle of smoked paprika. Fresh herbs are often best mixed into egg and milk mix. Likewise hot sauce with chorizo are best mixed into egg and milk mix before. You flan – your choice  

The new updated Alchemy Press edition of In Cases of Murder is out today!
Buy it HERE!