Short detour on my bike to old haunts

I only had a short ride on my bike Sunday morning, down between the old River Lea and the football pitches on Hackney Marsh. But as it hadn't started to rain and I had made good time on the way back so,  instead of going along Marsh Lane, I made a short detour along the new path alongside Orient Way (the Ruckholt Relief Road) to see where it took me.

No undergrowth yet, and the sound of the traffic only yards away, I still enjoyed the ride.

It took me to the section of the section of the Dagenham Brook where I used to go blackberrying. Every now and then a car or motorbike would be dumped and set alight. This kept the path open, but the putting up of a style made it impassible.

There was also a plum tree. I think there was only one person other than myself also blackberrying along there, and some years he (though it could have been a she!) beat me to the plums and sometimes I go there first. The plum tree was on the edge of the steep bank above the Dagenham Brook  so a lot of the plums were left as it was too dangerous to try to reach them!

I made blackberry and plum jam. The blackberries didn't have to be strained like one has to when making blackberry jam. The one and only time I made blackberry jam I got splashes of blackberry juice everywhere - I swear it managed to pass through solid objects!

Slow picking sloes for sloe gin

After a visit to Waltham Abbey with friends for King Harold Day I was dropped off at Chingford Plain so  could go looking for sloes.

Quite a bit of walking and pressing into sloe bushes to get enough berries as they were scattered.

I did wonder if someone had been before me and these were their left overs, but I think there would be more high up, out of reach, if that had happened. With all the programmes, books and articles it seems strange to think that only I have wanted to pick sloes at such a popular walking spot.

Pricking them now to use my neighbour's recipe: one part sugar, two parts fruit, three parts alcohol.

Two bushes full of crab apples, but I don't like crab apple jelly.