First Harvest

The early days of June usually find us keeping a watchful eye on the elderflowers in our garden. As soon as the big, showy blooms blossom, we brave the little clouds of pollen and fill bowls with the glorious scent of summer.

It's always a time tinged with sadness, for I was standing at the kitchen window, making elderflower cordial when the phone call came from Cyprus, with the dreadful news that Daddy had suffered a fatal heart attack. But the process reminds me that though life changes, the seasons come and go and the little family routines continue.

Until - crisis - the recipe is lost! Though I have made this dozens of times, the first batch of the year is tricky, when it's so long since the last time and quantities are uncertain.

Fortunately, Mark was a little more diligent in searching the recipe folder and before long, the crisis was averted.

And just in case the little newspaper cutting goes missing again, a recipe monitor has been appointed. Congratulations on your new responsiblity, Hobson!