...and then there was fire

So, when a person decides that burgers sound nice for dinner and they don't have a barbeque, and they don't want them pan-fried, and they have a garden.... dinner might get more expensive than their shopping partner bargained for (even though they are stood in Waitrose).

The dinner shopping trip then might take one on to a Homebase store (where they sell grilles et accoutrements. And also propane and propane accessories, but we didn't need any of that.).

And then one might end up leaving Homebase with a Weber charcoal grille, a bag of briquettes, some organic balsa twigs from Romania (for fire lighters)... and a hand fork and a pitchfork -- because you might need them, too.

Then, before one gets one's dinner, one must wait until said grille is put together :) Kittehs is helpful as wellllllll.

At the edge of the grill construction photographie, one can perchance spy some of the lettuces, which are doing extraordinarily well. Well, since I have never grown lettuces before, I think they are doing very well! That was the lettuces yesterday (above), and this is my harvest of lettuces today (left)! They are being taken to work to share tomorrow (the tidy ones, that is... I am keeping the ones that are a little tattier, but still scrummy!).

*******
Earlier in the week, The Grille Man was also The Golfing Man. The first bringing out of the clubs in Norwich and what more fitting outing than the Royal Norwich Golf Club with Stan? Oh, certainly, my good fellow -- simply smashing! I am threatened with becoming a golf widow... so I may have to start grilling all by meself.

However, as smashing as the golfing is, the hollyhocks (at R in photo) are fabulously smashing and are blooming magnificently! However, there is a slight problem with rust -- which one can combat organically with milk (?) or non-organically with chemicals. The rust is winning. Any recommendations welcome.

*******
In other news, there is still concocting going on with the elderflower! On Monday, concern kicked in because there was a type of scum on the top and no bubbles; I was distraught. On Tuesday, we decided to add a pinch of yeast, just in case it wasn't quite dead yet. And it has resurrected! (Or maybe it wasn't actually dead yet; the scum appears to be part of the normal process. Coming from the land of swamps, scum to me generally means 'ick'. But no more -- this is delish!)

Tonight, Clare confirmed by phone brewing consultation that scum is normal; one is also meant to stir so that the sugar gets eaten by the yeast, causing it to ferment more (although elderflower is not going to really get anyone tipsy). The big puffy bubbles are a good sign of life. And I tasted it, too -- YUM! But it is still sweet, so Clare says it is not ready to bottle.

Updates will be forthcoming! Bubble, bubble, toil, but no trouble.