Alnarps Slott på Hösten.

Alnarps Castle in autumn. The leaves of the trees and vines are displaying beautiful autumn colours in southern Sweden right now so get out with your cameras and don't miss it!

Nikon D90, Aperture Priority Mode, Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX, CPL filter, tripod, f/10, 1/15s, ISO200, edited in Corel Paintshop Pro X4.

Wordless Wednesday ~ 17th October 2012

Texture of Bark on an Old Oak Tree (five)

Nikon D90, Aperture Priority Mode, Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX, CPL filter, tripod, f/10, 1/4s, ISO200, edited in Corel Paintshop Pro X4.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day ~ October 2012

Just the odd photo from me today to celebrate the October blooms in my garden. This morning was peppered with shopping and drizzle and looking at the just photographed sky there could be more of the wet stuff on the horizon. Everything is looking decidedly bedraggled now although there are still flowers about amongst them astrantias, various hardy geraniums, penstemons, the deadly 'Yellow Peril', nicotiana 'Lime Green', Swan River daisies, cosmos bippanatus 'Purity', verbena bonariensis, dahlia 'Bishop's Children', scutellaria and a couple of pale yellow daisy type flowers whose names escape me at present. Nothing is at its peak but they are winding down slowly as autumn progresses but one or two are still in full flow ~ 

Above an old favourite  - erigeron karvinskianus or Mexican fleabane which is dotted about the north facing courtyard in front of the house. The white flowers age to pink. This is the subject of contention ever year as himself sees it as a weed and I am convinced that he has tried to kill it off, luckily without success. It is one of the longest lasting flowers in the garden and will go on until the first really sharp frosts. There is some question about its tenderness but here in the north west of England it has survived for years, even coming through the harsh winter that we had a couple of years ago. Maybe it picks up on heat thrown out from the house or it self seeds each year - whatever I'm not complaining.

I don't know the name of this hardy fuschia which is the palest of pinks. I plucked a few cuttings years ago from a bush that was overhanging onto a pavement . Since then it has grown into a monster and is in line for some serious pruning. 

Finally I'm going to cheat with one that I took earlier  a couple of years earlier in fact - aster 'Little Carlow' which is bearing a myriad of little flowers at the allotment just now. It has come into flower later than usual but other than that it does not seem to be affected by the wet summer. It attracts both bees and butterflies and a couple of divisions  headed to the bee keeping area earlier this year. Must see how they are doing next time I'm at the plot. 

I will be putting the kettle on later for a cuppa before heading over to
May Dreams Gardens, where Carol kindly hosts Garden Bloggers Bloom Day each month. A most pleasant way to while away some time which invariably sees my wish list growing and growing.

Julie Cannon, You Will Be Missed

I'm extremely saddened to learn that Julie Cannon, a wonderful Georgia author has passed away.   You may remember me posting about a writing class that I took at the Margaret Mitchell House last year.   Julie was the teacher of this very special class.   Our small group, which started with a group of twelve, dwindled to a group of six women, plus Julie.   I think each of us in the class realized that our group was special and part of the reason was because of Julie.  She encouraged each of us to write "just 100 words a day" and to build time to write into our day.   Julie celebrated being southern - 'mater sandwiches and all, and it was wonderful to listen to how she would write about all of her day-to-day southern experiences which would eventually end up, in one form or another, in one of her books. 

 

 Here is a link to Julie's books in case you want to enjoy some southern stories.  Julie, you will truly be missed.

Fall cooking…Join me…

Yep…That time of year. And while we don’t grow pumpkin and apples down here

I have enough northern roots left to want to cook with Fall.

which means I pretend 

Quintessential fall.

…Enter these two guilty characters

 

These two ought to be outlawed They are that dayum good together.

Regular Bonnie and Clyde of the salad set.

These two, and the fact that a very good friend who runs a 100 year old apple orchard in NY…who every year at this time…sends us a BIG box of straight off the tree apples. LOVE her and her apples!

Heirloom and tart, crisp and sweet

THAT is the fall I remember. Bring it ON!

SO

My cooking juices get going….on windy, salty ocean swept days.

Today we are making a Quinoa salad with apples and cranberries, toasted walnuts and gouda.

I am adding the crunch of crisp fennel….that goes SO well with apples. And peppery arugula

and red onions cooked in balsamic vinegar….Red Apple. Which I so happen to have. See Bonnie above.

I like to toast the quinoa in a dry hot pan after I have rinsed it….helps retain the crunch.

Bought some cider and a whole organic chicken…so am adding them to the party.

Hellooo  smoky warm Gouda.

I make a stuffing with dried whole grain  bread, onions, celery, diced apple …some cider…and lots of fresh sage.

Stuff the hen.

Baste with extra cider….A good friend in NYC taught me this way to cook a bird in the fall….and it is oh so perfect! And smells like fall and covered bridges and picking apples and…..

The salad is truly wonderful and would make  great vegetarian fare at your thanksgiving table…It tastes so much like thanksgiving…..I think Bonnie and Clyde add the perfect touch. You can add some of the roasted chicken to the salad for the next day. It’s THAT good!

It just doesn’t like to take pics as well as it should…

Or…is that me?

Quinoa Salad adapted from this fine recipe.
Chicken….ya gotta wing it.
Bonnie and Clyde found here

I LOVE fall….even though I have to borrow some of it.

You?

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