101 things to do with a courgette

summertime
and the living is easy

our vege garden's growing at an alarming rate of knots, staying green and as lush as the spring's first bud. and we have courgettes. oh yes. zucchini to some folk, marrows to others who don't pay attention. the challenge is to come up with a new recipe every day. our first courgettes joined humble eggs and shallots to become a part of a garden fresh ommelette. the second group married carrots and parmesan in a set of scones. i bought a french cook book and they've suggested courgette gratin and souffle; but you know how it is, they just keep coming and coming. pascal's thought of combining them with chocolate to make a cake...

next on the harvest agenda is the tomato. i watch them flower; i watch the fruit become plump; i survey their progress daily as it seems my little tomato jungle grows before my eyes. 'tis a variety that should be good for drying & bottling. which is nice, because it looks like we might have a few million on our hands any minute now.

and then there's corn.

oh yes..

corn...

we already know there's 101 things to do with corn, beside feeding it to the chickens.

but for now, it's courgettes. we've up to 5 things to do with a courgette. suggestions, ideas on the back of a postcard to:

mama b
(lover of all things green, especially the royal courgette)

the history of wallpaper

who invented this muck?

and while we're not renovating

oh, don't get me wrong- it's not all hard work renovating, gardening, building chicken homes and the likes. we've still got plenty of time for loving, for sharing, for nourishing, and for lying about on couches having wee snoozes... (that's if it's chilly out)

cos if it's sunny...... we've got our mates over!!! KERSPLASH!!!



(wouldn't it be great if i could attach a mystery icon here and a bucket of water would arrive ;) )

xxx
mama b (snooze support, photographer and wearer of soggy trousers)

growing|expanding

the republic would like to welcome and honour our newests citizens: sunnie and chèr, and simonette and garfunkella- chickens extarodinaire. s&c are shaver hens, rescued from a farm and a fate worse than cat biscuits; s&g are little black silkies, just on the roost and cute as all heck. they are a little too little still for our catghetto neighbourhood so we've built them a firstclass 5* luxury house. sunnie and chèr, in thanks for the freedom and plentiful love respect and vegescraps have given us this beautiful feast: mercikapaithanks!

and on the peace front, our first tree, the olive lovingly gifted to me for my birthday, is starting to fruit! ok, so it's no commercial crop but we cheer those babies on daily! olives! of our very own!!

and here's c, once again, supervising work in progress, his hammer ever-ready. this time the boys (papa and grandad) were stripping wallpaper using almost sweat alone... why not renovate in the summer?

we've not decided if, forever carrying his 'security' hammer if he's going to be a future carpenter or perhaps was a former viking goddette.

and finally, there's nothing like the greengreen of corn on the grow. oh our lovely silty soil is so nutrient rich that this team of future fingerlicking gorgeous barbecue treats are galloping away. like nobodies business.

xxx
mama b (gardener/carpenter/faerie)

kitchen storms (aka dance of the seven teatowels)

woo baby

bathilicious

there is no button for attaching sound:
i am singing
singing while i bathe.
and i can do it whenever i want.
have i ever expressed the joys of running hot water?
have you ever wondered how underrated hot water is?
check out that shiny tool: by the miracles of not so modern modern technology i can lift that lever and woohoo, steamy, cleansing hot (or cold, take your pick) water arrives into my bath. inside the house. whenever i want.

when

ever

i

want


xx
(shiny) mama b

summersun

i love that smell
you know, when the rain hits the hot concrete and gathers on top of the parched earth. after days and days of relentless sunshine and hot winds the southerly arrives in the rara republic with an attitude somewhat reminiscent of a child experimenting in a kitchen- random acts of clashing pots and pan lids of thunder...
a neighbour pops her head over the fence 'i've just heard from my friend down south- rain, hail. it's on its way'. we were prepared.
a good weather head knows the story- the dance of the gardener. sunshine, cooling nor'easterly- busy; building up, nor'wester, hot hot evaporative violent wind, lashing out, breaking branches. and then, this wind meets the sou'westerly change: the crescendo is reached. the sky now tells the story with colours, the cloud maker gets creative- deep grey almost black apocolyptic clouds.
tis not a good day to be a fisherman.
these summer storms are the bane of the gardener.

3 days into this calender year saw the citizenry up, as dawn cracked, and off to the beach, ready to beat the heat. yesterday was too hot for doing anything other than lounging about in the shade, or looking for a breeze and a book. we paddled in our paddling pool and otherwise sweated, rather pleased with ourselves that these days we're not as boozy as we used to be and don't have to try and recover from our newyears hangovers in the heat.

still makiing progress, p painted and sanded and built compost bins. me, i'm happy in the knowledge that i can have a bath now whenever i fancy

whenever i fancy.

so, newyears was spent with good friends and toasted with bubbles atop the sanddunes, looking out to where the world begins. we hope yours was similar.
xxx
b