Just For The Record

Before autumn’s cobwebs well and truly descend time for a recap of what has been happening or not at the allotment. The weather has been challenging to say the least. The long cold winter meant that it was late in the day before any serious seed sowing began but some benign spring weather kick started everything off quite fortuitously.

I think that I have finally got my head round the art of what distance to leave between various crops when I plant them at the lottie. It has only taken five years! I now know that I can fit five French beans in across the raised beds whilst six shallots will rub along nicely head and shoulders together. Tasks that used to be a matter of serious measuring on the whole can now be accomplished by eye.

The year’s successes? Without a doubt it has to be the strawberries. The plants were given to me as runners by my lottie neighbours in the late summer of 2008. I potted them up in a hurry, before we went on holiday that year and planted them in the ground in late spring of 2009. This year they produced more than enough strawberries for us. Throughout June we dined on strawberries most evenings as well as passing them on to neighbours and friends. I almost got to the stage when I never wanted to look another strawberry in the face again and was almost gleefully pleased to turn my back on what was left of them when we went on holiday in July.

The other satisfying crop was the shallots -bought from Wilkos but annoyingly I  have forgotten to record the variety. From less than half a raised bed we now have over a couple of hundred shallots to enhance winter stews, casseroles and soups. I will save some of the smallest ones to plant in the spring. Other successes this year included courgettes - ‘Romanesco’ fared better than ‘Green Bush’, French beans flourished including the new to me dwarf 'Stanley’ and my tomatoes did so much better than last year’s dismal showing. Note to self ~ grow ‘Czech’s Excellent Yellow’ and ‘Ferline’ again but not’ Japanese Black Trifele’.

In the iffy category - garlic - some absolute monsters but also some diminutive heads - quite puzzling as all planted in the same area and no pattern to their final size.

There were of course disappointments - peas and potatoes did not flourish. I have never grown potatoes in the ground before only in containers. Whether it was the dry spring and early summer that did not agree with them I don’t know but the yield was poor. I will try again next year. The other challenge I set myself this year was to master successional cropping but have to admit failure as far as this objective is concerned. Life has been a bit topsy- turvy since May, so sometimes there has been unplanned physical distance between myself, greenhouse and the allotment. Still there’s always next year. In the meantime I will soon be setting down to some serious reading of the new catalogues, as well as a couple of new books which look as if they might be influential and inspirational when it comes to making my plans for a new season.

Secret Film Development Process

I have been working on a new top secret film developing process which I shall now explain for the more technically minded among you. Please keep it to yourself because if this gets out then everybody is going to be doing it and it won't be unique, or secret, any longer.

Here it is step by step:
1.) Acquire any old 35mm film camera (cheap because nobody wants them any more) I used a Trip 35, but this process should work equally well with other types/brands too.
2.) Find some heavily expired, discontinued slide, E6, film. It's even better if it has been hand rolled into a C41 negative film canister. For the purposes of this scientific, photographic research I used Kodachrome 64, hand rolled into a 200 ISO Agfa negative film canister.
3.) Load said film into purchased camera.
4.) Find a subject and shoot it.
5.) Take film out of camera.
6.) This step is very important. Take film to local film development lab and hand it in without telling them what the film really is. They should just stick it through the regular C41 machine and press "go", or whatever it is they do back there that got so expensive to do in the last ten years.
7.) When you go to pick up the film they will think the film is ruined and they might not charge you for the development. Make sure you take the film home anyway, don't be a sucker.
8.) Scan your film as negative film.
9.) Mess with the resultant images in the GIMP/Photoshop/Paintshop Pro, etc. until it looks kinda old and groovy like the samples below.
10.) Post them on-line for all to see and claim that you have discovered a new top secret process for developing film.

What are you doing here reading this blog post, get out now and go have some fun! GO!

Back From Iceland, But Can't Stop Thinking About the Lobster

 We're back from an incredible journey.  Iceland is such a beautiful country with ever changing landscapes and scenery that stimulates the imagination.   The people speak English though I had lots of fun trying to say words like Snaefellsness or Vatnjokull but mainly stuck with English with the exception asking for a kleina (yum) or saying  "takk fryrir" which means thank you.  

We spent a lot of time driving, both on and off the Ring Road.  After a couple of days in Reykjavik, we drove the southern coast to a tiny harbor town called Hofn.  In this little village we enjoyed spending time in local hangouts, visiting secret waterfalls, soaking in the local "hot pot" or geothermal spa, taking private walks on the beach and going to a secret place where seals sometimes hide out.  We even found a miniature viking village that was built as a film set for an upcoming movie and series about the vikings.  

s

Hofn is a place well-known for its langoustine and while there, we feasted.  One of our favorite restaurants during the trip was a place called Humarhofnin.

A brother and sister own the restaurant.  The brother works in the kitchen and the sister serves, visits with clients and grows the herbs used in their cooking (pictured in the restaurant window).

The owners were delightful people and because of our love for lobster, we got a private tour of the restaurant and a few details on their cooking techniques.  

The black sauce you see below is unbelievable.  It's served as a dipping sauce to accompany the grilled langoustine.  It really should be bottled and sold.  The pink sauce is good but doesn't begin to compare with flavors of the black sauce.

There's another place in town that in travel guides is well-known for its lobster pizza and let me tell you it is scrumptious.  The chef has just published a cookbook which is a wonderful guide to the cuisine of the region of Vatnakojull (aren't Icelandic words interesting) and Iceland in general. 

Of course I brought home an autographed copy! 

Closer to Reykjavik, in a coastal village called Stokkseyri, we dined in a well-known restaurant called Fjorubordid.  It has been featured in the New York Times and has been visited by a number of folks you might know, like Martha Stewart and Bette Midler.  

Yes, the lobster soup is magical but in my opinion the best place for a langoustine is Humarhofnin in Hofn.  I hope you get to visit.

Buenaventura and Paloma do fall…

Sadly…

This is fall in our casa.

all of it.

...and yeah I name my paintings...don't you?

Yep…

Happy fall…from Florida.

sigh

Wanna see real fall? Click here

My favourite guest house in Witbank

If you are going to be staying in Witbank at any time in the near future, I highly recommend the D&L Guest House! Great guest house, fantastic service, personal touch.

Messing with reality.

'What A Good Year For The Roses'

I returned yesterday from a visit to my parents. Sadly my father was diagnosed with vascular dementia last year and seems to be slipping away each time I visit. A bad fall in May which resulted in a broken hip has hindered his mobility and he seems to have gone downhill since. Whilst I was with them he was unwell and was admitted into an intermediate care centre. I am not sure how long he will be there and indeed wonder if he will be well enough to return home again.

Dad has always taken much pleasure from their garden. He sees this rose from his armchair near the window in the living room. He thinks that it is the best rose he ever planted. Although Dad struggles so much now with his short term memory he told me quite clearly on Saturday, that this rose needs pruning after it flowers earlier in the year, so that it will have a second flush later on. I wondered whether whether it is because that he is so fond of this rose that he could remember those facts. The intricacies of how the brain works are an amazing phenomenon which never cease to amaze.

So Many Photos

This place is amazing.  I told my husband that I feel like we are driving through an issue of National Geographic!  Here are just a couple of pictures from yesterday (I think we've taken more than 400 so far)!  

 

Oh Shoot!

Exposures…little bits of life in lime in the coconut…

A day in the life.

click.

Enough with the portraits already!

After a barrage of portraits, here's something to break the trend!

Inside a room of my favourite 100+ year old hotel in the whole of Parys.

Snaefellsnes Pennisula

This the land of the elves - they're hiding under rocks everywhere.   It's also one of the seven power points of the earth, the place where Jules Vernes began his Journey to the Centre of the Earth, home to a glacier, home to fifty-four species of birds, a place to whale-watch and and home to an active volcano.  It holds a sacred place for allowing three wishes and if you abide by the guidelines, wishes come true.  It's just amazing.  

Helgafell - A Place for Wishing

We started our day at 9am and arrived back at the hotel at 8pm.  And we have so many pictures.  I'm just sharing a few before we get tucked in.  Tomorrow is going to be another beautiful day.  I just know it.

A View From the Top of Helgafell

On the drive to the glacier

Don't blink or you might miss a waterfall - they are everywhere

Kirkjufell stands as proud as a prince

And for my family - we are everywhere here!!!

Time to call it a day

With some beautiful Icelandic music.

Contemplation

Another natural light shot, with harsh light streaming in through a window. I like to think it adds mood...

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day ~ September 2010

I know I'm late but Wednesday's combination of gusty wind and spitty spotty rain completely thwarted me.  I did get out though in the garden yesterday afternoon to photograph these two late flowering hardy geraniums which give me much pleasure at this time of year  ~

The first is geranium wallichianum 'Buxton's Variety', also known as 'Buxton's Blue' which is in flower here from July to the first frosts. It has a trailing habit and is one of those unassuming plants that just gets on and does without needing much fuss or attention. It produces a modest number of seeds for me, which if sown in early April in a cold greenhouse will produce flowering plants the same year.

Another more vigorous trailer/scrambler is geranium 'Salome' which starts off each year as a neat mound of attractive golden leaves before sending out a myriad of long stems. Again it is in flower for a considerable spell - from midsummer onwards until those first frosts. It can be propagated by taking stem cuttings early in the season well before it comes into flower ~

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day is kindly hosted each month by Carol at May Dreams Gardens ~ do visit if you have not already done so and be certain to add to your wish list.

Kinda Hard Not to Be Excited

I won the Empress of the Eye, Lars Bolander book giveaway.  Click on the title of this post to read more about the book.  Celebrating now!

Interesting Vacation So Far

We are just starting our vacation but it's been interesting so far.  For lunch we enjoyed smoked puffin (yes, those cute little birds) and an amazing fish gratin with yellow carrots. 

Smoked puffin with a sweet and sour sauce

 While dining we noticed several men passing around a few fishing lures, some were framed, and one was handed to one of the men.  There was lots of excitement but we couldn't tell exactly what was going on.  It was awkward but I was trying be discreet in getting a photo of the fishing lure conversation when one of the men turned to share what was happening.   

During the recent economic downturn, relative to its size, Iceland’s banking collapse was the largest suffered by any country in economic history.  Inflation during 2009 was at an all-time high, and now you're probably wondering what this has to do with a fishing lure.  

Notice the tiny object in the man's hand

Well, the owner of the restaurant, Prir Frakkar, or Three Coats,  decided to grow his beard and vowed not to cut it off until the interest rates dropped below 10% at Citibank.   Apparently the owner's beard grew quite long and he was looking something like a Santa Claus before things improved.   In the first quarter of 2010, the rates finally dropped below 10% and in celebration the owner shaved his beard.  One of the restaurant clients decided to take the beard shavings and use them to make celebratory lures specifically for use when fishing for salmon.  

Proud owner of a new lure

Today's lunch event was the funniest fishing tale I'd ever heard.  I'm not sure that anyone has actually used the "bearded" lures yet but the recipient of this lure was plenty proud and say's he's going on a fishing trip this weekend.  

We are so excited that at least we have internet access.  Apparently coverage can be spotty so we are enjoying it for now.