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July 10 2010
Silmarils
Listening to an audiobook of The Silmarillion just now while browsing the Atlas of Middle Earth. This follows on from our epic watching of the extended versions of all three Lord of the Rings films in preparation and inspiration for our own mountain quest. Nice to be back in Middle Earth 
other jewels: smoothie and brambles. Todays smoothie consisted of LOTS of kale and leaves from the overwintered cabbages which are now huge, LOTS of borage flowers, cleavers, a few black and red currants that are just starting to ripen, bananas, brazil nuts and an apple.
a contrived pic of a smoothie with bramble flowers and honeysuckle
The brambles (blackberries) are growing all through the honeysuckle and produce wonderful big juicy berries in autumn so there is no thought of ‘weeding’… the flowers are very beautiful:
bramble flowers and buds
pink
Related posts:
June 24 2010
fruitful flowers and summer reading
pea
It’s wonderfully warm here just now. In between all the cycling, walking, climbing and meeting badgers in the woods were loving the cool of the pool and reading in the sun 
Fiction being perused: Mariana, a gentle tale of reincarnation and time slipping and the latest Sophie Hannah, A Room Swept White – very impressed with this author’s progression. Non fiction-wise: The Moneyless Man, a guy who lived without money for a year (and continues to do so – see his blog), quite mind blowing, lots of info about the financial system as he was an economist and The Age of Absurdity, a great antidote to, well, total nonsense and status quo worship and it’s very funny too!
Jodie Picoult’s House Rules is also well worth a mention, though I read it a while back, as the main character has aspergers syndrome. He may have been given almost every trait going but he does come over as an authentic aspergian person and Picoult makes so many good points and references much current research, I feel it’s a valuable title to have in the mainstream.
borage
grapes
toms
red peppers, just watered
parsley, getting ready to self seed
melon
Related posts:
June 12 2010
trees for life
Four of us girls (Charlotte, me and Lucy and Eleanor from moonrabbits) are doing a sponsored climb to raise money for trees for life, the wonderful charity that is replanting the Caledonian Forest. We intend climbing Bennachie 3 times in one day, taking all three routes to the Mither Tap in about a months time. Trees for life is not a member of just giving or any such online fundraiser but please feel free to donate directly on link above if you wish For every £5 raised a tree will be planted.
A favourite of our kids years ago, the lorax speaks for the trees. Richard St. Barbe Baker “the man of the trees“ who inspired Trees for Life, was sometimes fondly known as the lorax
(lorax on amazon) Buy UK or Buy US
A nice tree filled place we cycled round recently, thanks to a neighbour telling us the best way to get in there:
rhododendron way into the woods
more rhoddies
a little loch
June 06 2010
mellow
iris by pond, cleavers among
a very mellow listen: Deltadream - based on the ancient lost Solfeggio frequency “Ut”, a tone linked with releasing guilt and fear, the shorter track there is a free download.
mellow and cooling eat: minted noodle soup
books weve been mellowing out to in the sun: Named of the Dragon, a gentle mystery, writers, Arthurian and Tudor themes; The Other Half Lives, from Sophie Hannah, the best of her psychological thrillers I’ve read so far and Ask Mother Nature, another nature spirity book responsible for me feeling happy about all the chickweed growing in with the lettuce now
chickweed helps retain water in the soil and is a nice inclusion in salads
bridge over totally calm waters
Had a nice time with some more pilgrims to the house, this time the grandson of the man who built it. We all learned much from each other – apparently the roof used to be covered in solar panels, was the first house up here to have them… no trace of them now… hopefully one day we’ll have them again
borage buds, soon time for blue stars and berries in the smoothies
fully open
May 25 2010
faeryland
the borders
highly perfumed bluebells, wild garlic in back
on the faery path
path
flowers
These cards remind me of the woods – a lovely story telling tool
story telling cards
Other faery places:
gorse blooms
pink snow is falling in the garden
CD of ROC’s lectures UK and US, there is deep wisdom within, much before it’s time as concerns the environment.
May 24 2010
herbish
sage
dill
thyme
golden oregano and marjoram
self seeded borage
wild garlic in flower
blackcurrant leaves drying
fruitish:
red currants and apples
apple blossom
and finally some more plantings of lettuce and salad leaves:
salad station
a favourite book being perused just now – the complete book of herbs
May 10 2010
a spot of sun
Fantine and Toby - not the best of friends but they will share a sunspot
and some ballet feet pics:
in parallel
rise
must learn to pull socks up
April 25 2010
wood sorrel
wood sorrel on forest floor
beautiful plant – edible too
in a tree stump
Perfect book for this time of year if interested in wild foods and foraging: Richard Mabey’s Food for Free
April 15 2010
growth
colour
Planted my berry bushes from Suttons yesterday, well protected there from the rabbits Potatoes are going in today… Dipping into the Anastasia series again to get truly inspired again with growing, so different from anything else I’ve ever read.
honey berry bush, in beside goji and blue
Made wonderful leek, potato and wild garlic soup from the recipe on Cat’s blog
pond flowers
fairy all springlike now beside the Archangel dead nettles
rabbit bones
daff
new leaves on sweet chestnut
flowering currant - is full of bees, lovely noise
new mint
February 02 2010
cheap
a frugal recipe again, basic pasties :)
and bargains to be had – the book people are offering 10% off all orders until midnight tomorrow (Wed. 3rd Feb) – just enter WIN10 at checkout for offer.
January 30 2010
among the snowdrops
more snow… some little bits I’ve been meaning to mention spread among the lovely signs of spring to come
Wayne Dyer’s new program: Excuses Begone! – been enjoying listening to that – he is always so motivational and uplifting.
The Bristol Dyslexia Centre has some interesting stuff on it’s site including some free educational games taken from the Nessy learning program.
Sensory Perceptual Issues in Autism and Asperger Syndrome: Different Sensory Experiences, Different Perceptual Worlds
Olga Bogdashina has written a wonderful book here – helpful in very practical ways and quite refreshingly non-patronising in it’s manner of looking at autism and the associated sensory and perceptual issues. There is evidence that these may be at the core of ASDs and what is actually physiological has been treated as purely psychological for far too long by the so called experts. A fascinating read
Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
January 23 2010
blog, Illich and broth
Have finally got the blog how I want it – a terrible tale of databases, installations of wordpress and corrupted (by me) css files ensued but I’ve now uploaded the archives (see drop down on sidebar) and cleaned up dead links too
Reading a book lent by my mum. She found it while scouring her shelves during the snow time (unable to get to a library) and thought it might actually be mine… can’t imagine why
Ivan Illich’s Deschooling Society is full of wonderful radical thoughts on education, reminds me a lot of Holt and Gatto. The previous owner has hardly left a page untouched, with highlighting and notes everywhere, which somehow makes reading it more interesting, an extra dimension, what someone else finds of import. I think he went a bit too far in sometimes underlining whole pages of text, but there we are
Enjoying Scotch Broth, not the most photogenic of soups but it tastes good:
Maybe Soup is currently being updated? I'll try again automatically in a few seconds...
