Buisson de Ronces
October 13, 2010Yesterday was a glorious autumnal day, clear blue skies, crisp fresh air and beautiful, amber, crunchy leaves. The conditions were perfect for a walk in the water meadows. The previous day I had made a secret promise to myself to collect as many blackberries as possible for a scrummy jam, so armed with tupperwear, water and a trusty rucksack we ambled down the hill to the river and began our journey. Horses greeted us on one side of the path, whilst the River Meon trickled down the stream, carrying leaves and twigs along with it's gentle current.
I am a massive fan of the great outdoors, and nothing beats a walk to clear the head and save the pennies.
After stopping a few times to spot fish and investigate the odd ripple, we began to pick a few blackberries here and there, salvaging berries from the tangled branches and occasionally nipping our fingers on unruly thorns.
Carrying on down the muddy footpath we met other walkers out, catching the rays and enjoying the breeze. It wasn't until halfway down to the sea that we hit jackpot. A bush standing a little bit back from the path was dappled in sunlight, the dark purple of the berries shining against the dull green of the leaves. Perfect for the picking. My little plastic tub was brimming with berries as we gentle teased the berries away from thorns, ushering them into the container. It seemed that my jam was really going to happen. I had been a tad worried that I had just missed the season, luckily we caught the last few. I will upload a picture of the hopefully delicious jam when it is finished. As for now, here are some berries.
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