Last weekend we fixed our fence at the bottom of the garden. Doesn’t sound like that much of a big deal does it? Well I can tell you, it is! After a week of fence-related admin, including calculating sizes, negotiating delivery logistics and hiring My First Skip, we were finally ready to begin. My mum and her fella, J-boy, turned up rearing to go and with all of the knowledge you need to fix a fence, all of which I lack.
The three end panels had been completely eaten away by the neighbour’s ivy, so we needed to break that down, chainsaw through ivy branches which had interwoven themselves with a brick wall, chuck everything in a skip, dig several 2-foot holes, cement posts in, chop a bit of tree down, and slide in the panels on a windy day. I think you can see what I’m getting at… it was hard work!
Obviously hard work requires booze to help you through it. Despite the heavy machinery on site and risk of having a 50kg fence panel blow onto your head, we started with my mum’s homemade champagne. How she makes it is a secret, in that I’ve never asked her, but it tastes like elderflowers and went down a treat to encourage the necessary work ethic required on the day.
Then came the rain… sitting in a puddle on your hands and knees and scooping soil about with your hands on a Saturday afternoon while the heavens open above is a depressing thing, even if you do have your nearest and dearest around you. My mum requested a drink to sort her out so I went with a new adaptation of my emergency mojito. It went down a treat.
Finally, the fence was complete and it was time to celebrate! We were lacking energy and had just wolfed down a curry, so the only way to go was of course an Espresso Martini. I’ve made an Espresso Martini or two in my time, but never four at once. Obviously, it took me quite a long time!
1 1/2 measures Absolut Vodka
1 measure fresh coffee (I used this lovely one)
1 measure Mr Blacks / Kahlua coffee liqueur
1/2 measure simple sugar syrup
I started with Mr Blacks but only had enough for two drinks, so moved on to the only coffee liqueur I had left… salted caramel Kahlua! Despite me reducing the amount of sugar syrup to adjust, it still came out too sweet. I used fresh ice for each drink (which made my mum proud apparently!) but the drinks still got less dense foam as I made them… perhaps my arms were tired!
