Countryside foraging and the Prince of Swords.

First of all I have to tell you about my foraging in the countryside today.
We are going to have a go at making sloe gin this year ready for a Christmas warmer drink.
But, after listening to folk describe them, we didn't actually know what a sloe tree looked like.
Until my aunt and cousin showed us the sloes that they had harvested yesterday morning!To my suprise and feeling silly, I realised that I had at least three trees bearing sloes nearby and today I have gathered them. We have also located a few more trees within a mile of our home as well! I can't actually believe that I had overlooked them before!

The tarot card that I have drawn today is the Prince of Swords.
The image on the card depicts a blonde handsome young man. He is walking alongside his horse and is gazing back looking longingly at the walled city that he has left.
He is aware, or seems to be aware by his gaze that he is not going to lay eyes on his homecity for a long time. He is literally drinking in the sight of the city with his eyes and is making a mental picture of this place.He is also thinking deeply about all the loved ones and friends that he is leaving behind in the place and is aware that when he returns he will have been made a different person by his experiences.

This prince of men is holding a sheathed sword and this can represent the training and skill of a soldier or member of the armed forces who has the knowledge of how to harm someone but also has this tempered by the knowledge of when to use force and how to show restraint and mercy.
This man can also be headstrong and often thinks that he knows better than anyone else!
And now, to give you a touch of knowledge, here is the recipe for sloe gin.

Get a bottle.
Clean it.
Fill it half full of cleaned sloes that have been picked after the first frost (or have been put in the freezer to mimic that), and have been pricked to pierce the strong skin.
Add enough sugar to fill the bottle half full and add a further half a bottle of gin making enough room in the bottle by dissolving the sugar by agitating the bottle. Seal the bottle with a stopper or cap and agitate the bottle every few days for the next three months. Strain the mixture into another clean bottle and it is ready to serve as a winter warming liquer.
Cheers!julietarot