Elderberries

There looks to be a good crop of elderberries this year. I didn't get around to making any elderflower cordial this year as I have so much in the cupboard left over from the last lot. I also have a couple of bottles of elderberry syrup made by a friend that I haven't got around to opening yet. I love the colour of the berries but find the flavour slightly dull. Maybe the syrup will be better.
I headed up to Waverley this morning to meet my sister from her train. She'd travelled up from Leeds, first class in the hope of escaping the crowds. There were only two others, a father and son, in the entire compartment all the way so she felt pretty safe. She'd have had to go to the refreshment car for her freebies though and as it was the other end of the train didn't bother.
We went to Ali's on the way home to see the changes to their house and to pick up this week's washing. Stopped at Gregg's (as one does) on the way there and picked up some jam doughnuts to go with our cuppa.
This afternoon Eilidh and Isobel came to play while Jon went shopping. We had lots of fun and made a batch of pancakes, Eilidh's turn to be chef today. I boiled up the bramble jelly and got that into jars too. Ali tells me not everyone feels compelled to pick brambles when walking and to take them home to make jam but I find that hard to believe!
Ali came to join us for dinner, today chicken, yummy, we've kept our dining table at full extension to allow us to stay as far apart as possible when eating.
This evening Colin, Joyce, Ali and I played Mah Jong. Joyce's first time since the late '70s when she was still a teenager and used to come up to our flat to escape the parental rule. I think I was a good big sister! She moved down to Leeds in 1983, just after Kathryn was born, the same year Freddie went to London.
Good news today about an elderly friend from church who went through emergency major heart surgery this week and seems to be making a very good recovery.