Sumac

The sumac trees have lost their leaves and all that’s left are their red seedheads, and the occasional spider’s web. They look wonderful against the blue sky we continue to enjoy.

We also continue to have negative temperatures each morning. It was -3 today. So Bean and I had another quiet morning in the study with the potbelly keeping us warm. 

I had planned to make cheese, but it would have been a challenge to maintain the temperature of the milk at 32C for two hours while it ripens and sets. 

I put the pot of milk into a sink full of warm water to keep the temperature steady, in lieu of a double boiler which would cost me an arm and a leg. In very cold weather the water in the sink cools quickly and I need to empty and refill it with warmer water every few minutes. It’s too much hassle, and a 24 hour delay is easier.

Instead of cheese I made some new pillowcases from a couple of cotton sheets I found in the St John opp shop earlier in the week. 

All my pillowcases seem to be disintegrating simultaneously: the cotton and the polycotton ones. They are all between 20 and 30 years old, so if the new ones last as well as that they might outlast me. 

The afternoon reached the dizzying heights of +6C. I kept warm having a fast walk with Bean, then some more line-trimming. 

We ended the outdoor bit of the day sitting next to each other on the guest cabin deck enjoying the final rays of sun, before ducking inside to warm up with food and a blanket (Bean) and a cup of tea (Mima).