moon through the window

The other night I was sitting on the couch, feeling a bit tired and worn, just having put the polishing touches on the day. And when I looked out of my front window, I noticed the moon was shining directly through a glass ornament I had hung from the window over the Christmas holidays. (The truth is, I have a number of places in the house where I've left up the decorations. It's part laziness and partly that I like the way the ornaments look.) These are two pictures I took, ten minutes from each other. These are small blessings; these windows that bring me the moon.

plum jam

I've made plum jam every year for years, from a plum tree in what is now my mother's back yard. Years ago, it was my back yard. We had transplanted a plum tree from the bush and my Italian neighbour grafted the tree with a branch from his own plum tree. This year, we must've had over a hundred dusty-blue plums... or "plooms", as my wonderful now ninety-year-old neighbour pronounces it. Each year, I skin the plums and make the plum jam and though it tastes delicious, it always looks a bit brownish in colour. This year, I did not peel the plums. Instead I simply cut them in half, added a cup of honey and a bit of agar-agar. I brought the mixture to a boil and then poured it into two large jars. The colour is so amazing.... a brilliant, deep purple-red. It's a bit like the colour of red currents. And it also tastes amazing. I love it on toast with a nice nice of swiss cheese on top.