Summertime

Went blackberrying for an hour and a half this afternoon.  I do enjoy this activity even though there is a tussle to pick the fruit which is so well guarded by thorns and nettles and the juice of many over-ripe berries stained fingers and clothes.  Many have been picked now but there are still more that are developing and won’t be ready for some time.  

Surprisingly I found a place where blossom is still forming, giving the bees yet more pollen to collect.  A few Gatekeeper (?) butterflies were in evidence though the grasshoppers were silent.  I managed to collect three tubs-full and, having bought gelatine this morning, experimented with apple juice to make apple and blackberry jelly.   The jam made last week seems to have worked out well but I will have to wait until tomorrow to find out whether the jelly has set.