Rock Chick at work...

I have pinched this picture from TCI's facebook page; if I get a bollocking for it, I'll have to delete it!  But it's not often you get to see a photograph of me (I'm camera shy) so I thought this might amuse.  Chutney-making is a serious business, don't you know? 

We made about eight lbs of Apricot and Walnut Chutney, about six lbs of Mixed Fruit Chutney, and about 4 1/2 lbs of an improvised (& very pink) jam made of apples, pears, raspberries and a healthy slug of Crème de Cassis.  "We" being TCI, her pal Alex and me; G. was rehanging the kitchen door at the same time, so there were wood shavings flying around as well and a fair old racket going on.  It was a bit manic, but huge fun.  Having three of us doing all the chopping up made things a lot quicker, though the actual cooking still took a couple of hours for each chutney. 

We had just a scrap left in the pan from the mixed fruit one, so sampled it dobbed onto chunky slivers of sheep's milk cheese.  God, that was good!  I must remember that if I am ever trying to make food I can feed someone with in tidbits. 

In the end we all flopped down exhausted and drank several large martinis, and then went out for gnocchi (+ lashings more cheese) at a local Italian restaurant.  Then I crawled home on the Tube.  A productive Sunday.

Saturday was productive, too; I managed to sort out about half my Christmas gift buying in one mad swoop on Oxford Street.  And in and around all this busyness, sitting on Tubes or buses, or crashed over coffee in John Lewis's, I wrote a couple of short extra sections for "Gold Hawk" and made a pile of notes towards a potential sequel - which led me to start wondering if there's even room for two sequels. This is ridiculous, but a fun thought.  I mean, I started off with just this vague idea for a story, just five months ago, and now I'm getting sequelitis.  I love The Muse; she is the most wonderful thing in my life.  Blessed be!