Sunday 25th January 2026 - Two Threes, Jamming and Camelia

Earlier in the month, I mentioned about ‘things’ coming in threes.  We’ve now had two threes.  Adding to the two electrical failures (Freesat box and tumble dryer) and two excellent services (UK Power Networks and Currys) is, our cooker hood. 

Some time ago the cooker hood went ‘pop’ leaving no light above the hob but the extractor still functioning.  On dull days, I’ve really missed not having any light when cooking.  The time had come for a replacement.  The hood is almost eleven years old and the model is no longer available from the supplier who provided the units etc. when we had our kitchen refitted.  Internet searches failed to find one the same either.  I decided to contact local electrician, Dan Wilkinson, for his advice.  I sent him a message on Monday and within hours he came along to take a look.  He agreed, it was unlikely an exact replacement would be available.  Dan told me, yes he could fit a new one and recommend a carpenter who may be able to alter the adjacent wooden panels to fit around it, or he may be able to repair the light.  Dan said he would come back, when he had more time and see if a repair was feasible.  Accompanied by his eldest son, Callum, he was back on Wednesday morning and in under an hour he’d located the problem and fixed it.  Impressed?  I most certainly was and delighted to once again having a light above the hob.  So there you have it, third electrical failure and third excellent service.  You can find Dan’s contact details under ‘Useful Information’ tab on the ‘Tradespeople’ page here on my website.  There are a number of villagers who have used Dan’s services – they all highly rate and recommend him.

Having started our last pot of raspberry jam, yesterday, I retrieved three of the four bags of fruits I’d frozen last year from our canes.  I made three jars and one small of jam and of course having light over the hob, I had no problems keeping an eye on the pan, making sure it didn’t boil over.  I left the fourth bag in the freezer to make more jam at a later date.  I always do two checks (the frozen plate/saucer and flake tests) to make sure I’ve attained a reasonably good set, with the set depending on the fruit and the amount of pectin it contains.  Raspberries are not considered to be high in pectin but despite this I’ve never needed to add lemon juice or use preserving sugar to achieve a set.  The vibrant red of homemade raspberry jam surpasses those produced commercially and I think the flavour is far better too, with jars stored in a fridge, keeping up to two years with no loss of colour or taste.

Two of our four camelias have open blooms.  Not the earliest they have flowered in January but like any colour in the garden, at this time of year; a most welcome sight.