Happy New Year! I hope
the festive season overflowed with treasured memories and many quiet hours with
a good book.
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| Yes, this really is our beach at Phillip Island. |
We’ve returned from
our summer fun at the beach. For now, anyway. There’s a heatwave
forecast in our part of the world, so we won’t be turning our back on the beach
for too long, I imagine.
What I didn’t imagine,
is the generous gift to our family from my Beloved in the shape of an above-ground
pool. We’ve managed to squeeze a henhouse, berry patch, veggie garden and 20
fruit trees here at Crabapple House, but no matter how we tried it on paper…. a
swimming hole never made the cut.
Until this year when
we took the plunge (sorry) and tried on a pool. Well, it fits. Very well… and
now we’ve a summer of pool adventures ahead of us.
Plastics never really
call to me when I collect whimsies for the yard. Rustic, weathered, reminiscent
of another time, yes… but never the heavy duty rubberised tub now sitting by
the back porch.
I’m more your rusty
farmyard kind of girl. Eggs for sale. Lavender and mint in old
wheelbarrows. A bird bath. That’s why today’s launch of 52 Steps to Yesteryear
cheers my soul. It’s my way of catching all the wisps of yesteryear I love. The
counterbalancing of all things modern with the old-fashioned charms I throw
into the mix. The homemade, homespun, home-grown additions longed for in our
fast paced, plastic world.
So each Friday I’ll
share one way I bring this to my home. I hope you’ll join me, and write your own. You may not be into yesteryear the way I am. And that’s ok. I hope my
weekly prompt will grow an original idea in your heart for a story, picture, blog post,
devotional or poem.
So where do we start? With a favourite I selected weeks before the pool became a shimmering
reality. But perfectly apt for an afternoon in the sun. It’s Lemonade.
In a time when summer
days floated by without the aid of modern cooling, those frugal enough to have
put aside a bottle or two of lemon juice, sank into the welcome refreshment of
homemade lemonade.
I’m a loyal fan of
lemon drinks. The icier the better. So here’s my recipe for summer tang.
To make: Juice your
lemons and set aside. I had eight lemons this time. Measure out whatever quantity you have in juice, in water
and sugar. I had 550 grams of juice, so I made a sugar syrup of 500g water and
500g sugar. Boil until dissolved. Add to juice and bottle when cool.
To drink: To a glass
of ice cubes, add enough lemon syrup to your liking. Add tap water or soda water and mix. If you like to be fancy,
(and who doesn’t?) you can drop a few crushed raspberries in the mix for pink
lemonade. A mint sprig, a cute paper straw, a shady corner… and you’re savouring a slice of yesteryear.
What's the first thing you think of when I say, Lemonade? A favourite lemon recipe? A lemons to lemonade story?
This is your chance to share. I have a packet of paper star straws for one lucky Ink Dots visitor who leaves a comment this week. Next week I'll add a linky button so you can share your own posts, inspired I hope, by 52 Steps to Yesteryear.
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| Cute paper straws and mint for my raspberry lemonade. |
And the prompt for next Friday is...
Berry Picking... and not the supermarket, frozen box kind of berry picking. I'll be announcing a new prompt each week, so if you're a blogger needing inspiration by week's end... please consider this your invitation to scribble along.
