True Love....

was looking for some other pictures to post and came across this one.. i'd been wondering where it was... my mass disorganization in effect....sometimes nature appears to be gentle and loving...
the weather is wonderful... warm during the day, freezing at night.. not time to plant... must control my urge... soooo have been sorting out more things, transfering 'junk' ( you know the 'stuff' that you've saved and just KNOW that one day you'll use it for that whatchmacallit) from the little shed to the bigger shed/studio... the little shed will become what it was supposed to be.. a garden shed... also some 'recycled' cabinets will be coming in a couple of weeks... hoping they will work in my small kitchen, if not.... out to the big shed they go and will work as a great work station!!

Leftover soup....

just how many times can one eat the same soup........ i don't seem to be able to manage to just make a small pot of soup, it always ends up to be a big pot of whatever kind of soup i'm making... yesterday's  fare was leftover leftover potato leek soup... not the mushy creamy kind but soup with chunks of potatos, leeks, carrots, celery and whatever else i had handy that i thought would make it tasty.... when i made it a few days ago, it was fresh and tasty, served with fresh french bread, butter, cheese and a most delicious lemon cake, which my friend brought.. mmm was very good... but unfortunately that was a few days ago.. now the soup flavours have melded together,  the potatoes more than soft, the leeks turning to semi-mush... still tasty, but i'm sick of it, and i've still got a quart or so leftover ... time for a transformation i'd say... Veggie Pot Pie ...  i cut some cabbage, red peppers and mushrooms, sauteed them in a bit of Olive Oil, added a cup of Barley and about a teaspoon of Bragg ...  for those who might not know.. Bragg is a tasty 'alternative' to soy sauce... the flavour is close enough for me... adds a rich flavour to whatever you add it to... and according to their website 'good for you' and all i know is  that it's been around for a long time .... for the pot pie, i made a biscuit topping from my biscuit mix recipe  and baked for 30 mins... i tried taking a picture of the end product but nothing seemed to work.. my lighting just wasn't co-operating so i gave up and ate some!  was delicious... the barley worked great in soaking up the excess flavours and liquid, transforming my 'soup' to a great little pot pie... kitchen recycling at one of it's best!!!

here's my photo for today... in the Bee Theme... i took this a few years ago... the Comfry flower supplied the backdrop for a bit of drama....

Valentine's Visuals.......

today was an absolutely stellar day... the sun shining, the crocus and primulas blooming.. and the bees!!!!

there are some hives at a neighbour's and for the past 2 years, the bees have arrived early, unfortunately if there is a cold snap or snow it could be disasterous for them..... but for the moment, i had a great time, just sitting and watching them be 'in love' with each and every flower... 

 i got to sit and bask in the sun... my vitamin D fix!!

 'just hanging around'  

  

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Wanna see........

 my new deck!!!  and with the extension to the small shed... originally it was supposed to just be the upper part then do the rest later when i had more money... but i changed my mind, the idea of 'running out to the shed' without walking in muck was very appealing... so much against my better judgement i bit the bullet and did it all at once... and yesssss i'm sooooo happy.... i can't wait for summer to have it all painted or solid stain... the half with the table and chairs is covered, the lower half is not.. later later!!  my handy dude put up a great gutter system which will drain into some of my barrels... just can't get enough rainwater in the summer.. every drop is precious!

i'm afraid my greenhouse dream has been put on hold for this year... but am thinking of making some cold frames with the windows that i got from freecycle... will have to scrounge up some more boards for them, but since it's only early February, i'm not too concerned yet...i need to be content with cruising the internet for ideas and watching diligently for freebies... for this year i'm going to use my big shed for starting my seedlings, i already have the lights and racks set up, it's not large, but enough for me... i'm thinking that my new deck will cheerfully be graced with potted peppers and tomatoes... mmmmm can't wait!!! 

i've been checking on the garden to see what is growing... my rhubarb is peeking out, the swiss chard is looking very soggy and just hinting at waking up, i still have brussel sprouts to use up and the kale is wonderful... green and lush looking...just daring me to pick and cook... my favorite way is steamed and top dressed with butter and sweet pickle juice... yum yum!!!  i've found some recipes online for a Portuguese Green Kale Soup so my next soup will be some sort of variation of it.. i love to make soups, nothing says warm and comforting that a big bowl of soup, besides what better way of getting rid of leftovers....

A walk in the woods......

turned up a very lovely suprise... beautiful orange fungi

i wish i knew what kind it is, but i'm fungi challenged.. i've never really gotten into mushrooms, beyond buying them from the store, at one point many many years ago i did pick some shaggy manes and did a stirfry with them but that was it... i'm afraid i'm hesitant to go out in the woods and pick dinner... anyways if you scan the fungi, you will see 'someone else' is having some dinner!! Someone once said to me 'don't you get tired of viewing things through your lense... i don't.. and as you can see, this is why... when i looked at the fungi with a naked eye, i didn't see those wee critters, it was only when i uploaded the pictured did i SEE... if you click on the photo you will get to see a larger version... if anyone knows what kind of fungi and or insect i'd love to know!!!

another one

whatever they are, they turn into this gelanitious blob

as i mentioned in an earlier post, i've been going through old photos and on a buggy note here is a photo of a very large and exquisite wasp 'abode'... i'd had some foamies rolled up in the garage.. one was green and one was cream coloured... the wasps had utilized the foam to make their home...i wish that i'd gotten a better picture

this picture didn't do it justice.. nor does it show the size of the nest.... it was HUGE, this was only one portion of it.. originally i'd gone into the dark garage, spotted a blanket which i'd been looking for... went to grab it and realized that it was moving!!... it wasn't a blanket at all, it was wasps, thousands of them!!! anyways... sadly, i had to get someone in to 'remove' them ... did i feel bad? Yes... us gardeners KNOW that wasps are equally good, just don't get in their way!!!

Decking decisions.....

had to be made this week... my wee porch is just that... WEE, only 6 1/2 x 7,  so i wanted some sort of addition, i wanted a greenhouse, i wanted a sunroom.... i wanted i wanted... but had to settle for something multipurpose... at least for this year...

i now have an 8x10 deck addition which will have a clear polycarbonate roof next week.. this ensures that i won't lose much light in the kitchen window or the bathroom window.... i've requested it to be built so that eventually it can be enclosed and become a 'sun/greenhouse room, with steps and a lower deck leading to my small shed.... oh and did i mention in my 'dream' a small hot tub sitting on the lower deck... . one day!!! in the real world i'll be saving for my 'real' greenhouse, you know the kind.. with automated vents, glass windows.. good flooring... and enough space for a comfy chair for when i'm old grey and needing a good warm sit in the early spring.... okay okay... back to reality .... i'm very excited about this new addition... it maybe small but when one lives in a single wide mobile... any addition is a good one!!!

not only is there a new deck in the works, a new raised bed!! YAY.... now my lilacs and mulberries will have a home!

   in case your wondering about the pictures... i took the above one many years ago... a few houses ago... fond memories of sitting in the shade, on my balcony, with my new Canon SLR camera, experimenting with different shots... my Oakley's when i didn't need glasses and a gorgeous begonia flower...

 

i believe (please correct me, if i'm wrong) that this was a ladybird larva.... there were several attached to piece of grass ....i love insects, as long as they don't eat my veggies or bite me or my dogs... RAIDDDDDDD .... just kidding!!!!

Monday Monday....

is dark and dreary and rather blustery.... a typical January morning.... a cup of coffee and one puppy snuggled behind me, another at my feet, life is pretty darn good...on Saturday i went for a bit of a drive, cabin fever finally getting to me, and ended up at Russel's Farm Market....  they had red peppers and cauliflower on 'special' so ended up with a big bag of red peppers and a couple of heads of cauliflower.....
daughter has been hinting at the fact that there was no more red pepper relish left and could i make some...
the jar of relish that she had actually was made by a friend.. so i got the recipe from my friend and sunday morning was spent making relish...
the recipe is very simple, not a lot of ingredients, the hardest part was chopping and grinding the peppers the night before and then doing the same in the morning for the apples....

 Red Pepper and Apple Relish


12 Red Peppers
10 Apples

grind peppers and put in a colander, sprinkle with
2 tbsp of pickling salt

let drain minimum of 4 hrs, best overnight

in the morning
grate or grind peeled and cored apples
add to drained and lightly rinsed red peppers
add
3 cups of white pickling vinegar
5 cups of white sugar
2 tbsps of pickling spice in a spice bag

cook till peppers and apples are soft, and thickened, about 40 mins at about medium low... or low if sticking to bottom of pot...
ladle into hot sterilzed jars, seal

this relish reminds me of a sweet, slightly vinegary jam and is delicious on rice, with meat, on crackers with cream cheese.....

also this past weekend i was sorting out my photos... yes REAL negatives, with REAL pictures... not digital... i must admit i really miss film... it's getting harder and harder to find and expensive to process.. which has encouraged the digital age... unfortunately i think that a great deal of our history will simply vanish... the quick turnover in technology will see to that... remember the 'floppy disc'? cds which are soon becoming defunct, replaced by huge storage external hard drives which will be replaced by..... ???  i still have floppy discs and one very old laptop which i've saved because it still has a compartment for floppy discs... anyways... you see where this is going.... the mom and pop history will vanish quicker than the dodo bird...
i've scanned a few of my pictures just to post here...
i took these 2 pictures in Alberta, about 100 miles south of Calgary.. i don't know if those are 'pre-tornado' clouds or not, but definately not something i'd seen before... imagine the wind blowing, distant thunder and standing on the edge of a field in the middle of flat land... was very cool!! i left the date on the picture, just for historical sake... i should actually hunt down the negatives and scan them.. some day!

if you've noticed some changes in my blog your correct... i've been trying hard to organize it, so one could find that old recipe of Grandma Wilson, or how to made Antipasto... i've change the header, put in a spot for 'home' so i can change the photo once in awhile and added a few more links to some great blogs...

just a quick mention of a GREAT blog, done by a friend of mine...

Rambling Jill  if you haven't checked it out please do.. you will see some truly spectacular underwater photography.... jill and her husband are friends of mine, on 'vacation'... national geographic move over!!!