To Spurtle

I got to use my new utensil at the weekend and enjoyed a spot of spurtling. A little of the inspiration for the character of Caitlin, in The Glass House, came from my love of gardening. My veg patch has been a sorry affair this year but the rhubarb was the one thing in it that didn't mind the wet, humid weather. In a bid to use up some of the abundance of stalks I spent Saturday afternoon making a rhubarb crumble and a rhubarb and ginger baked cheesecake, together with some rhubarb and strawberry stewed to mix with ice-cream and topped with fresh picked blackberries. So, out came the spurtle to stir the bubbling fruit and, from the belly rubbing and contented sighs that issued from the family that evening, it seems the spurtle was a success.