Sunny Sunday and the highest sunflower

An outdoor living as long as the weather let us :-)

So what we were doing? Collecting melissa for calming drinks, fixing the gate, knitting with a very fine wool [I bought some Debbie Bliss Rialto Lace from Deramores, lovely but ultra thin].

We also split our first coconut... Not the first which we have grown, because that would be some sort of miracle in the UK, but the very first we ever bought! Honestly. Always though that opening a coconut is an impossible job to do at home. Clearly I was wrong. We did it and, it was simple and the coconut was delicious.

I also had to bake a plum cake to take it to my work on Monday, just as promised.

Celery and Cucumber Green Juice recipe here.

And this is the highest sunflower in our village [or even in the WORLD!] and we are the very proud owners of it :-).
Have a sunny rest of the day!

Summer, spring and backpacks

Quickly before I get to bed :-)

On my holiday [tomorrow I am going back to work and sadly I may not have too much time for sewing and crafting] I managed to make couple of backpacks. One fancy, made of leatherette and the other... of old J's trousers!

I even managed to keep the original back pocket which was originally in his trousers [the image on the right]. The trousers I also made many years ago and the fabric was still very good... the size of the trousers was not.

Some accidental crops in our garden - they grow in the pot which was under the bird-feeder. 

And I even got some flax seeds for myself. OK, so it is not a vast amount, but still, out of couple of seeds not a bad turnover?!

Food-wise- a lot of updates at ricewithapples. And here something which is not yet there - beef burgers on home-baked rye and walnut buns. J, holding the plate, was so keen on eating it, that his hand was a bit shaky... bless...

And one more thing- spring or summer?
Primula is flowering already/again?!

 And who said the the strawberry season was over?

And just to remind ourselves that it actually is August and just because I can not get enough of them -sunflowers

and some dill...

Still enjoying summer?

Because we do :-)

My holiday is about to end, but the summer continues. Good - I need more sun for my tomatoes.

In the meantime we enjoyed long days [couple of them really] on the beach. The temperature of the water was just right and the sound of screeching above our heads seagulls did not leave us in doubt where we were. What a divine way of spending your leisure time...

Best food- baked potatoes with green sauce full of something=everything!
I recently discovered this simple food and we are more then happy to eat it more often. I blend to a paste any herbs and greens I can find in my garden, as long, as they are edible  [sage, rosemary, lot of dill, garlic, leaves of nasturtium - lovely peppery taste, we eat it in all sort of ways- as a salad, in stews, in the sandwich...- dandelion leaves...] with some olive oil, couple of spoons of water and some salt. Then coat some sliced potatoes and baked them in about 200°C [gas mark 6] for about 35 minutes or 45 for more crispy look. After that what you need it either only cold buttermilk as a drink with this dish or some baked/grilled chicken with it - it is your choice :-)

After that something sweet of course!
Banana and Honey Oatcake - some sort of healthy snack - no dairy, no wheat, no fat... And despite all of that - YUM!

Because we do :-)