Marmalade . . . and a few other things

I had a really productive day yesterday - I made two batches of marmalade.  Our 'new' greengrocer let me have his last remaining Seville oranges (almost 3kg) for just £1, as one or two were looking a little marked, and with some lemons and sugar, I spent nearly £4, and for this I have made 7lb of marmalade so far.  

There's enough for another batch today, but I'll check the fruit over first as some of the skins are a bit brown.  It may well end up as lemon marmalade instead.  I used to make marmalade when I was first married, many years ago, but probably not for at least 15 years now - I think time was always the excuse - and I had forgotten how enjoyable the process it, and how satisfying is the end result.  We had to have a good hunt round for enough jam jars, so that's obviously something we will need to be on the look-out for in future. 

Having thought I'd finished cleaning the kitchen, I happened to glance at the back of the radiator and really wished I hadn't!  Gosh, how does it get so dusty?  Or perhaps I should really ask myself, why haven't I cleaned the radiator before?!  

It's a bit frightening just how much dust a radiator collects!

We've got a flexi-brush especially for the job and when we first bought it I used it thoughout the flat, but I suspect that was the only time.  NTS - not much point in buying a nifty gadget if it's not going to be used.  Having dealt with the radiator, I then cleaned in other places that don't always see a cleaning cloth - the skirting boards (tucked away behind the recycling bins), the tops of the cupboards (which have come into use for extra storage so really ought to be part of the cleaning routine), the door . . . by the time I'd finished, I was happy I'd done a good job.  

On 'computer-free Sunday' I managed to do all the things on my list.  I finished my book (I'm slowly working my way through the works of Agatha Christie, or at least the ones I can borrow from my local library), and I finished the knitted hat for OH.  Then I unpicked it, yet again, as it had made up just a tad to big.  Never mind, I'd rather get it right.  It's the problem when you don't use a pattern.  By Tuesday morning, the hat had been re-knitted, and fits a treat - finally!

I've done some alterations to OH's new trousers (just taking the hem up a bit), so that's another little job completed.  I'm glad I have the skills to alter, mend and repair clothes and furnishings.  It's certainly saved me a small fortune over the years.  OH and I were commenting the other day that as a society, we don't seem to be equipping children with the basic homemaking skills any more.  Schools no longer teach the boys' and girls' crafts that we were taught in our day.  Cookery, needlework, domestic science (how 'old-fashioned' does that sound nowadays?), woodwork and metalwork - I don't think these have any place in the modern curriculum timetable.  But it means that, unless they are taught at home by their parents, so many youngsters today don't know how to make a simple meal, mend a hem or sew on a button, or use a saw and hammer safely.  When did those skills become unneccesary?  Or not useful?  I would definitely put them back on the curriculum, together with money-management and budgeting.  OH and I discuss this at length, frequently.    

Changing the subject completely, I've had a couple of health check-ups this week - just routine ones, but it made me think how much I take the NHS for granted.  Having spent some time reading blogs from around the world, it's brought home to me how very fortunate we are in this country to be able to access free medical treatment.  I suspect many American citizens would be quite happy if that were the case for them.  I'm not sure I'd really given it too much thought before (and that's to my shame), but I am going to make the effort to be appreciative of such things from now on.  And to say 'thankyou' for those who provide the service.