Sunday 26 July 2009

Docks, butterflies, avos and quiches


An update on this stupendous butterfly which was fluttering about around me earlier on this month. According to Boffin Shaun (my son): "That lovely butterfly you photoed is called a Swallowtail butterfly, very rare, flies in May-June and again in August. I have a book on wildlife just incase you thought I was an anorak!" Ah bless. Anyway, a swallow tail butterfly it is. Beautiful.


Oooh and I am sooo stiff! Have been sitting for hours and hours of late updating and housekeeping my Aspects of Self website. Not to worry, though, nearly done. Had to do all the updates in one hit otherwise the site would have looked too scruffy out on the web. Should be posted up tomorrow. Then on to getting another chunk of the site designed. Plus finishing off the polish to Psychic Virgin, getting the pdf format done for My Psychic Toolbox, to name but a few tasks that are in the pipeline. But it keeps me quiet and occupied. Can't do much anyway, in this heat. It has been boiling again today, although it is noticeably cooler in the evenings and early mornings. Gives us respite. Can race around and do a few jobs. Then into the office when it gets too hot, or off for a siesta.

Dinner today:

'Sara's quiche' I call it, because lunch at Sara's recently removed my original thoughts about what a quiche is supposed to be. She doesn't have much time to do fangly recipes, so sort of throws anything in she has to hand. Like you would do to make a stew. Or curry. Throw everything in, the more the better. Food. I mean food. Obviously I mean food! Sorry I felt a silly moment come upon me just then! What I mean is, that one can assemble various fillings for the quiche once the basic requirements for the making of the quiche have been made. In other words, a lump of pastry and some eggs. The rest can be left up to the imagination, providing they are sensible. Anything sweet, like a lump of banana wouldn't do, nor would anything sugary. So, veggies, a slice of ham, a couple of lumps of brie, and that was my offering for today. Should you feel inclined to have a more indepth look at how I make Sara-type quiches, pop over to Foody-ing.


Lester's avocado project is cracking on at a pace. With one now being upgraded to being planted in a pot. Mind you, I had to keep an eye on his method of planting. I sensed he was erring towards donkey or camel manure again. So with deliberation, I placed a bag of potting compost down beside the avo pot, and since it was too hot for him to go wandering out back to get some manure, the plant was potted on in, what to me, is the proper stuff. Not that manure is not proper stuff, but if I was a baby plant who had up until now had my bottom half immersed in the soft environment of water, then I really would not like my rear end being jammed in amongst the lumps of manure. Further info about the avo project are over on Jumbly Gardening.





In between editing the web site, I have been surfing the net for info about docks. This is an ongoing project again, but the time will soon be here when I need to get out into the fields and harvest the docks, if indeed they are worth harvesting. I think it would be a waste of wild food if we don't, but Lester tends to look at me a bit baffle-eyed when I mention the docks. I don't think he regards them in the same light as wheat, barley, oats, etc. But since we have a veritable harvest of them, then I think we should have a go at collecting them.

The main problem with this is that I am going to be seen by all. Nothing can happen on our fields without everyone knowing what we are doing. Hatted, gloved, with wheelbarrow handily placed to one side, I am a little concerned about what the locals are going to make of me as I fill the barrow up with the dock heads. But then we have got up to quite a lot of other surprising activities, so perhaps they will just see it as ongoing activities.





So, I must away onto my other work now. The porta potti needs attention, it is cooler so I can do the washing up, and the front needs watering via the well. Then back onto my web site to finish off the updates. So, bye for now.

2 comments:

DUTA said...

Hi Vera,
Luckily it was a butterfly and not a bee. I got stung by a bee several times in the past and the pain was agonizing.

"Sarah's quiche" looks great. I bet it tastes great as well.

You seem to be a very prolific person, Vera. You have a hand in a lot of things: cooking, gardening, computer, farm work, etc..
Keep up the good work, as they say.

Vera said...

This butterfly was too beautiful to sting, Duta! Indeed, Sara's quiche did turn out OK, and it seems that more one uses one's instinct in cooking, then the more tasty the food seems to be.
I do like to be involved in lots of things, and even though I am over sixty, I have a thirst for knowledge, and also a thirst to pass on to others what knowledge I have already accumulated. It keeps my mind young! But you are doing all that travelling, and I think that is great too.