Lately, we’ve been having to remember to close the door to the dining room when we water the house gardens.

Today, mainly because a vigorous tug on the snagged hose resulted in my head-to-toe drenching, I decided its repair had became a priority. Ridiculous really when you consider the whole job took ten minutes start to finish, including boiling the jug and tidy hose coiling but that’s the way life rolls. Now we can once again simultaneously water the garden, partake in any dining table conversations that may be happening and referee overzealous inside-the-house dog shenanigans.

It has taken me a long time to understand the concept of priorities; that you can make all the lists you want but, when it’s brought to your attention the tiny puppy-nibble leak in the hose has now grown to resemble Lady Knox Geyser, it matters not a jot what’s at the top of the list. Lists are a fluid thing, if you’ll pardon the terrible pun.

This week, priority has been given to food preservation – and not a moment too soon as Homestead jam supplies totally dried up a couple of weeks ago. We’re a family that enjoys a slice of toast and jam so this drought was keenly felt. Temporary relief was brought in the form of rhubarb jam, a delight The Princess recently introduced us to (on homemade scones with cream…bliss!), but our rhubarb supplies weren’t extensive so when Shirley the Retriever starting bringing in apricots there was great excitement. The homestead has two apricot trees; last year the one we had thought was destined for the chainsaw suddenly burst into life and is, this season, recuperating from a much overdue “hard prune” while the other generally produces ten wonderful apricots to taunt us from the absolute tree pinnacle and which generally end up as food for the local possum population. This season it was laden right down to the reach-on-tippy-toe branches. I’d only just finished with that jam making and freezer stowing when the first plum tree became ready so the production of another variety of jam, plum sauce and what we call juice but is really a sort of cordial took up all my list tending time this week. I did manage to plait up the garlic harvest while waiting for the jam to reach setting point, though.

This year’s garlic harvest in place while Marilyn enjoyed the remnants of last year’s

Laying by for winter: a priority. Priority trumps list.

But hopefully, next week, I can go back to my list without any queue jumping priorities. I like order and planning, and progress is so much more fun when it’s accompanied by a tick in the box.

And then, oh joy of joys, I looked at my list to see if it was photogenic and/or interesting enough to decorate this entry (it’s not) and what did I see fifth from the top, hurriedly bashed into my phone and forgotten about in the hustle of list-bumping priorities? One word: Jam!

Tick!