I hope this isn't hemlock

RTFM Im not very good with instructions. I tend to skim, then just bowl straight in and make a dogs breakfast of it all. What i should have done was boil the water and sugar first, take that off the heat and then add the flower heads, lemon and citric acid and leave to infuse for 24 hours. I just battered it all in (apart from the citric acid lol!), boiled the life out it and left it over night. I have to say though that it does resemble the elderflower cordial you buy in the shops, but there is a bit of a strange after taste, might be the lack of citric acid, but im too para to go and look for it now! But its pretty good anyway, i think the citric acid just acts as a preservative. Im enjoying a glass over ice as i type this, so hopefully its not some poisonous plant that looks like elderflower!!!

I found the elderflowers walking home from gibshill yesterday and I bought the sugar and lemons with the money i saved on bus fares

Ach, just bang it all in there

I shouldve cleaned the tiles before i took this pic!

This was the only bottle i could fine to put it all in, must try not to recycle everything in future

Lolly for Molly

This glass is quite apt after sending G on a hunt for citric acid, not realising that most places stopped selling it because junkies use it to make heroine more soluble. hehehe ooops!

The Great Glen - June 2009

I hate going on holiday for one reason, I need to come home again. We had such a lovely time on the shores of Loch Oich. So much to see and do, so little time. Apologies for the megablog, i trimmed it down as much as i could.

In and around the Great Glen Water Park

The swans turned up every night at 5pm sharp for dinner, right outside our lodge, it was really cool to be so close to cygnets.

Wide-o duckie

Why do all children do this?

The view at 11pm from just outside our lodge. Im surprised you can see it for the midges!

weeeeeee

Bad pole

Too much fun!

Our lodge, far left

So cute!

Laggan swing bridge

The view from the kitchen window. There was a mole busy digging lots of holes just out of shot here

The view from our lodge

Our home for a week

Commando Memorial, Spean Bridge

Neptune's Staircase, Banavie

Nevis Range, Aonach Mor Gondolas

OI! NUTTER!!

Aonach Mor, Carn Mor Dearg and Ben Nevis

My feet are tingling just looking at this picture

Grey Corries

Trip to Mallaig and Morar

The Harry Potter train (apparently)

Mallaig Harbour

The Silver Sands of Morar, one of the most beautiful places ive ever visited. I left a piece of my heart here.

Highland Wildlife Park, Kingussie

The coolest [wild]cat ive ever seen!!

Day trip to the Drumnadrochit tourist trap

Urquhart Castle viewed from the carpark, im not paying £7 a head to visit a ruin!

We had to bribe her away from this thing

Fort Augustus

I left another piece of my heart here. What a lovely little place.

Loch Ness

The worlds smallest lighthouse

Lochwinnoch Gala Day

Eggy pieces

OUWT!

THIS is the way all tombolas should be!

Lochwinnoch Gala Day

Mums budding trucker

OUT OF MA WAY!

Bubboos!!

On yir marks..

GO!!

I seem to end up in Lochwinnoch quite a lot these days! We went along to the gala day yesterday for a mooch. £1, A POUND to get in!!! Wasnt too pleased about that really! But still, as far as gala days go, it was alright. Book stalls, tombolas, kiddies fairground rides, crazy races for the kids, lovely weather, Molly seemed to enjoy it. I won a bath spa thing and some smellies from one tombola and a bottle of white wine and a bottle of 'flemish castle' from another tombola (can you remember flemish castle? OMG how long must this bottle have been sitting in someones cupboard!). It was a nice wee afternoon though.

Im gutted that im going to be missing the gourock garden party. Inverclyde Breastfeeding Mums are having a stall there next week, but im going to be up north on holiday by then. I only made the connection between the 2 a few days ago, ive been looking forward to it ages. There will be loads going on, face painting, freebies and giveaways, tombola, home baking and fruit, competitions for kids, prizes, baby changing and nursing areas, lots of information and support on hand for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers plus much much more. Pop by and say hello.