Easter Eggs 2017, and concertina/accordion books coming up

So it's that time, when I blow and decorate a bunch of fresh eggs for Easter.  I make one for Handsome Son's collection, one for mine, and a few for other people.  My lovely cleaning family gets one each. Six this year, and today I emptied the eggs, so they have time to dry out before I decorate in a couple of days' time.

You know how to do this, yes? take a skewer, work it through one end of the shell, move it around inside a bit to break up the yolk and white, make another hole in the other end, then blow hard to get the contents into a bowl.  You notice I chose white eggs, better for a decorative background than brown, which a lot of eggs are these days.

In the background, three empty shells, foreground three remaining eggs. Resting on an ancient hand knitted cotton dishcloth. The reason for the skewer rather than a needle, is that it's easier to blow through the hole it makes than through the tiny opening of a needle point.  You might have to start with a needle hole, though. The better the egg the harder to get through the shell, so you have to work at it a bit, trying not to crack the shell.  Then rinse it out, blow out the water from inside and leave to dry.

 Egg contents ready to freeze, empty shells looking on respectfully.
The contents are six good eggs, so what I do is freeze them flat, in a ziploc bag.  Then when I need an egg I can just break off the size I want to cook with. I freeze it on a plexi board at first, to make it stay flat in the freezer, then remove the board.

I decorate in different ways each year, and since the eggs are empty and have clean shells, they last forever.  The Dollivers will no doubt get all togged up in their hats and dresses and insist on taking part in this, but I did the egg blowing in secret. Hard enough with two cats assisting.

 Here's part of the collection as of last year. In the left foreground eggs from my late dear cockatiel Emily, decorated and sitting in a Wedgwood cup and saucer. You don't blow cockatiel eggs, since they dry out naturally. Further back the Boehm bunny.  And various porcelain eggs among the handpainted ones. A couple of eggs which a good friend had in her collection came back to me after her death, and I added them back in to mine, at her family's request.  

 Then tomorrow is Week Two of the AIR 2017, this week accordion books, which I often refer to as concertina books, originally a joke, but now it's become interchangeable!  Same thing, and a lot of fun to make.  Simple construction, but endless scope for artistic playing.  If you're local, do come.  2-4 p.m. at Plainsboro Public Library.  Only two more weeks after this one, don't miss it!