Showing posts with label garden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label garden. Show all posts
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
More Keukenhof and tulip fields
The Keukenhof's many greenhouses were exhibiting different flowers and arrangements, many of them playful. R and I played dress-up at one of the exhibitions, with me donning a bright yellow boa, then picking up an accordion. This was so much fun!
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| Narcissus and daffodils in an interesting shape |
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| Cyclamens in hot pink |
Monday, May 9, 2011
Champs des fleurs: Keukenhof
I've always wanted to visit the tulip fields of Holland. Lured by dreams of colorful champs des fleurs, and a well-timed canal tour outing with R's family and aunties, R and I headed north.
Driving through the beautiful French countryside, we couldn't help being thankful for the continuing great spring weather and the thousand shades of green in the fields, meadows, and mountains. At this time of year, the green is cut with vivid blazes of yellow colza, a plant that is grown en masse in France, Germany, Belgium as well as the Netherlands for its seed which is turned into cooking oil. With the windows rolled down, the scent of colza permeated the air as we drove by fields of it on both sides of us.
In the Netherlands we visited a number of places, including Leiden a cute university town with many cafes and canals...more canals than in Haarlem and Amsterdam. While there we visited the nearby Keunkenhof, a stunning garden/art space set next to the tulip fields.
Driving through the beautiful French countryside, we couldn't help being thankful for the continuing great spring weather and the thousand shades of green in the fields, meadows, and mountains. At this time of year, the green is cut with vivid blazes of yellow colza, a plant that is grown en masse in France, Germany, Belgium as well as the Netherlands for its seed which is turned into cooking oil. With the windows rolled down, the scent of colza permeated the air as we drove by fields of it on both sides of us.
In the Netherlands we visited a number of places, including Leiden a cute university town with many cafes and canals...more canals than in Haarlem and Amsterdam. While there we visited the nearby Keunkenhof, a stunning garden/art space set next to the tulip fields.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Swiss knoepfli in a herb butter sauce
Sorry I haven't posted any stories or photos of Paris yet. Since returning from Paris last Monday night, R and I have been quite busy, doing daytrips to Geneva then Lyon. And on top of that, we've had brilliant weather. Warm enough that I'm wearing skirts, shorts, and my Tevas everyday.
On Friday I spent many hours shaping the garden, planting seeds and transplanting some of the seedlings that had been germinating in the serre, including tomatoes, leeks, salad greens, courgettes, kales and kohlrabis. After a long day of gardening and on my knees, a good warm shower never felt better. As the sage, chives and thyme plants are growing strong, I decided to make something using fresh herbs. And what better then a big plate of Swiss knoepfli or spätzli which is sort of like German spätzle.
On Friday I spent many hours shaping the garden, planting seeds and transplanting some of the seedlings that had been germinating in the serre, including tomatoes, leeks, salad greens, courgettes, kales and kohlrabis. After a long day of gardening and on my knees, a good warm shower never felt better. As the sage, chives and thyme plants are growing strong, I decided to make something using fresh herbs. And what better then a big plate of Swiss knoepfli or spätzli which is sort of like German spätzle.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
A field of snowflakes
If the blooming forsythia in our garden is any indication, c'est déjà printemps. But on our walk today, R and I found fields upon fields on snowflakes. Confused? Enjoy a pictorial story of my day with R and learn more.
Vivid yellow forsythia blooms on the tree outside my kitchen. When I'm cooking, this is my view.
Vivid yellow forsythia blooms on the tree outside my kitchen. When I'm cooking, this is my view.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Stalking the wild asparagus
With so little snow this winter, and temps in the mid 50's this weekend, my mind is turning to spring and springtime activities. Yesterday, I started thinking about my 2011 garden and remembered R saying morels, or morilles grow along the fence, near the new raspberry bushes. A Google search to learn more about these springtime delicacies resulted in a pleasant find of "Stalking The Wild Asparagus". Published in 1962 it's Euell Gibbon's account of finding and eating what nature provides. I'm sort of living that life now and it's interesting to see what Mother Nature can provide, as long as you know how to identify and prepare the food.
A list of wild (and not so wild) finds. The next time you're out walking in the woods or even in Central Park, look around, up and down. You never know what you may find. In NYC, there's a mushroom expert who leads classes on foraging in NYC, something my foodie friend A and I would like to try one day.
March to April - Wild asparagus can be found nearby. I think I've seen the evergreen parts of these plants, but never gotten close enough to see the tender spears. Come spring, I will be keeping a close eye on the nearby fields, dry walls, country roads and around oak trees. If you want to try stalking them with me, take caution. The evergreen part has thorns, so wear gloves and bring a sharp knife. Harvest carefully so there will be more for the next harvest.
A list of wild (and not so wild) finds. The next time you're out walking in the woods or even in Central Park, look around, up and down. You never know what you may find. In NYC, there's a mushroom expert who leads classes on foraging in NYC, something my foodie friend A and I would like to try one day.
March to April - Wild asparagus can be found nearby. I think I've seen the evergreen parts of these plants, but never gotten close enough to see the tender spears. Come spring, I will be keeping a close eye on the nearby fields, dry walls, country roads and around oak trees. If you want to try stalking them with me, take caution. The evergreen part has thorns, so wear gloves and bring a sharp knife. Harvest carefully so there will be more for the next harvest.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Blueberry, a superfood
Are blueberries also blue on the inside?
I puzzled on this question during my time in Boston. I was eating a pint of blueberries one day with my nephew and was surprised at the size of the berries as well as the pale whitish green color on the inside. Was I dreaming, or have I eaten blueberries that are also blue on the inside? Let's find out together.
I puzzled on this question during my time in Boston. I was eating a pint of blueberries one day with my nephew and was surprised at the size of the berries as well as the pale whitish green color on the inside. Was I dreaming, or have I eaten blueberries that are also blue on the inside? Let's find out together.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Seeds of change
It's one week into 2011 and I'm still here in Boston. The original plan was to return to France on Mon Jan 10th, but I decided to prolong my stay for a bit longer to see more of my friends and family! I'm flying American and BA and I just want to say what a pleasure it has been! Actually this is the 3rd time I'm flying them this year (same itinerary from Boston to Geneva) and I love them. See my PROS and CONS list below.
With an extra week, what to do? This Saturday, my awesome sis treated me and my Mom to a facial and massage (2 hours) followed by Oga's Japanese Cuisine in Natick. Then today, shopping with my sister and helping my nephews get ready for bed. I received and gave giant wet kisses from my two awesome nephews.
With an extra week, what to do? This Saturday, my awesome sis treated me and my Mom to a facial and massage (2 hours) followed by Oga's Japanese Cuisine in Natick. Then today, shopping with my sister and helping my nephews get ready for bed. I received and gave giant wet kisses from my two awesome nephews.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
August 22 harvest and food, food, more food!
Yesterday was a good day. Before R and I drove to Lausanne, a French-speaking Swiss city north of Geneva, I had the best omelette I have ever had. On Friday, at R's invitation, our neighbor Pierre came over to pick the mushrooms in our backyard. And yesterday morning, his wife Denise made the omelette below using eggs from the chickens that they keep! The mushrooms were tiny, but full of flavor and this is a taste memory that will last a lifetime for me. Mmmm.
Pierre and Denise's chickens and rabbits - the eggs came from these chickens, which ones exactly, I don't know! The big breeder rabbit is going to have a new litter in a few days and I can't wait to go over there and meet the new bunnies.
It's been a strange, wet month...but now the sun is out and my garden is thriving. The past week, I've been harvesting 5 tomatoes daily; smaller in size than the ones you may find at the market, but these ones taste so much juicier and full of tomato goodness. Yesterday I harvested another monster zucchini, or courgette in French.
To combat the heat today, I decided to make something fresh and healthy using ingredients picked fresh from the garden: Vietnamese summer rolls with peanut sauce. Everything you see on the plate was picked this morning (except for the store bought red peppers and carrots): garden lettuce, mint, baby tendrils of cilantro, tomatoes, 1 lonely baby beet with beet greens, and zucchini.
With so much zucchini, I wondered what I could make. After a quick Google search, I found a great recipe for Korean zucchini pancakes, or Pa Jeon. Has anyone made these before? Looks simple enough...if only I could also have Korean BBQ and all the side dishes with it too.
Yesterday, before driving to Lausanne, R and I stopped at Mekong Market at Ferney-Voltaire so I could stock up on a few Asian staples. I got nori, pho paste, cha lua, rice flour, and tapioca starch to make Bánh Cuốn, steamed Vietnamese rice rolls with pork sausage.
I also got some nems, yellow mung mean cakes, sate paste (to make satay skewers), and a Chinese pork bun with Chinese sausage, egg, and pork in it.
And finally a view of the mountains from a skylight in my bedroom - the mountains you see are the Juras, a chain of mountains that are older than the Alps but much lower. They run from this area all the way to Basel, Switzerland, which is near Germany. I often hear and see cows grazing on grass on these meadows between our house and the mountains.
Pierre and Denise's chickens and rabbits - the eggs came from these chickens, which ones exactly, I don't know! The big breeder rabbit is going to have a new litter in a few days and I can't wait to go over there and meet the new bunnies.
It's been a strange, wet month...but now the sun is out and my garden is thriving. The past week, I've been harvesting 5 tomatoes daily; smaller in size than the ones you may find at the market, but these ones taste so much juicier and full of tomato goodness. Yesterday I harvested another monster zucchini, or courgette in French.To combat the heat today, I decided to make something fresh and healthy using ingredients picked fresh from the garden: Vietnamese summer rolls with peanut sauce. Everything you see on the plate was picked this morning (except for the store bought red peppers and carrots): garden lettuce, mint, baby tendrils of cilantro, tomatoes, 1 lonely baby beet with beet greens, and zucchini.
With so much zucchini, I wondered what I could make. After a quick Google search, I found a great recipe for Korean zucchini pancakes, or Pa Jeon. Has anyone made these before? Looks simple enough...if only I could also have Korean BBQ and all the side dishes with it too.
Yesterday, before driving to Lausanne, R and I stopped at Mekong Market at Ferney-Voltaire so I could stock up on a few Asian staples. I got nori, pho paste, cha lua, rice flour, and tapioca starch to make Bánh Cuốn, steamed Vietnamese rice rolls with pork sausage.
I also got some nems, yellow mung mean cakes, sate paste (to make satay skewers), and a Chinese pork bun with Chinese sausage, egg, and pork in it.
And finally a view of the mountains from a skylight in my bedroom - the mountains you see are the Juras, a chain of mountains that are older than the Alps but much lower. They run from this area all the way to Basel, Switzerland, which is near Germany. I often hear and see cows grazing on grass on these meadows between our house and the mountains.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Busy, busy comme une abeille
Bon vendredi! R and I finished the 2nd week of French classes today with 1 week remaining out of our 3 week session. I've been occupe comme une abeille! Learning a new language is hard work and fun at the same time - there's so much to learn and I'm like a sponge, absorbing everything in and outside of class. The world is my classroom.
At school, we've quickly shed our initial trepidation, and everyone (myself included) is speaking with more ease...though not always with the same graceful rhythm or pronunciation of the French/French-speaking Swiss. The students/teachers are serious about learning...so it's not always fun and games, but we're often laughing together while doing role play/oral exercises. Other times, especially in my phonetique and pronunciation classes, we are working the muscles in our mouths, jaws, lips and tongue to make French sounds and it's pretty hilarious to hear a whole class in unison try to make the 4 nasal sounds of "an", "in" "on" and "un". Or when one of my classmates brayed like a donkey in pronunciation class when she was asked what sound a donkey makes in her native Greek. A theatre student by training, she gave it her 100% and it was the best darn donkey I have ever heard in my entire life.
At the end of the day, I am super tired and my brain is buzzing with new vocabulary, grammaire, tips from my phonetique classes, or French idioms (like busy as a bee and strong as a Turc or as tall as 3 apples..meaning, not very tall at all).
The biggest progress I've made is that I can now formulate sentences using a few verb tenses! I'm super excited I can finally communicate in French...albeit a bit slowly and with poor pronunciation. This weekend, I have to work on an expose - basically a 5 minute speech about a theme of my choosing to present to the class next Tuesday! Wish me luck..I'm either going to write about Boston..or about what I like about living in France.
I don't know about your neck of the woods, but SUMMER is ripe here. We're having a canicule - a heatwave of 30+C (which is 90+F) this week. Thank goodness for 3 things to beat the heat: 1) climitasation in some classrooms at UNIGE 2) free cold eau potable at most fountains in GVA 3) the huge, clean municipal pools close to our parking spot in France. Twice this week after school, R and I spent the afternoon at the outdoor pools. J'ai saute dans l'eau et j'ai nage! There are 3 pools, a tall slide, ping pong tables, mini golf, and lots of green park where we can lay in the shade. I tried the water slide twice...you climb up the stairs, sit your butt down, and then weeeeee!!! I thought I was moving fast, but apparently, I was slow..the little kids were zipping along but I was happy to be going at my pace. I heard it was hot in Boston too - and my nephew Isaac swam for the first time by himself!
R and I have colorful plans this weekend - what about you?
1. I will sleep in both days as much as possible on my new mattress! And I'm hoping to tend to my garden..R saw a few green tomatoes today. I'll also keep in touch with my family - my 97 grandmother broke her hip this week and just had surgery. She's awake but not quite alert yet and unfortunately, she's at the age where her short-term memory often fails her. So she will sometimes wake up and forget why she's in the hospital.
2. The Tour de France is passing by this Sunday on their 8th TdF stage! R and I will be dressed in yellow and will be supporting Lance and the hot Spanish one (or at least I will be. Heheh.) I can't wait - so excited! I'll be thinking of you Steven + Yoshie - who's your favorite rider? I will try to take a pic of him speeding by.
3. World Cup finals on Sunday: NL vs ES. We'll be sporting our oranje again and hoping for the first Dutch World Cup ever.
Lastly, here are some pictures from the past week or so. Enjoy! And keep cool.
The vide grenier (flea market) with 200+ tables in our little ville. R and I bought 3 copper pans, 12 DVDs, and an old leather briefcase for a great deal!
Picture of one of the cheese stations at the Fete de la fromage a few weekends ago. I sampled beaucoup de fromage...comte, reblochon, and more. So good!
At school, we've quickly shed our initial trepidation, and everyone (myself included) is speaking with more ease...though not always with the same graceful rhythm or pronunciation of the French/French-speaking Swiss. The students/teachers are serious about learning...so it's not always fun and games, but we're often laughing together while doing role play/oral exercises. Other times, especially in my phonetique and pronunciation classes, we are working the muscles in our mouths, jaws, lips and tongue to make French sounds and it's pretty hilarious to hear a whole class in unison try to make the 4 nasal sounds of "an", "in" "on" and "un". Or when one of my classmates brayed like a donkey in pronunciation class when she was asked what sound a donkey makes in her native Greek. A theatre student by training, she gave it her 100% and it was the best darn donkey I have ever heard in my entire life.
At the end of the day, I am super tired and my brain is buzzing with new vocabulary, grammaire, tips from my phonetique classes, or French idioms (like busy as a bee and strong as a Turc or as tall as 3 apples..meaning, not very tall at all).
The biggest progress I've made is that I can now formulate sentences using a few verb tenses! I'm super excited I can finally communicate in French...albeit a bit slowly and with poor pronunciation. This weekend, I have to work on an expose - basically a 5 minute speech about a theme of my choosing to present to the class next Tuesday! Wish me luck..I'm either going to write about Boston..or about what I like about living in France.
I don't know about your neck of the woods, but SUMMER is ripe here. We're having a canicule - a heatwave of 30+C (which is 90+F) this week. Thank goodness for 3 things to beat the heat: 1) climitasation in some classrooms at UNIGE 2) free cold eau potable at most fountains in GVA 3) the huge, clean municipal pools close to our parking spot in France. Twice this week after school, R and I spent the afternoon at the outdoor pools. J'ai saute dans l'eau et j'ai nage! There are 3 pools, a tall slide, ping pong tables, mini golf, and lots of green park where we can lay in the shade. I tried the water slide twice...you climb up the stairs, sit your butt down, and then weeeeee!!! I thought I was moving fast, but apparently, I was slow..the little kids were zipping along but I was happy to be going at my pace. I heard it was hot in Boston too - and my nephew Isaac swam for the first time by himself!
R and I have colorful plans this weekend - what about you?
1. I will sleep in both days as much as possible on my new mattress! And I'm hoping to tend to my garden..R saw a few green tomatoes today. I'll also keep in touch with my family - my 97 grandmother broke her hip this week and just had surgery. She's awake but not quite alert yet and unfortunately, she's at the age where her short-term memory often fails her. So she will sometimes wake up and forget why she's in the hospital.
2. The Tour de France is passing by this Sunday on their 8th TdF stage! R and I will be dressed in yellow and will be supporting Lance and the hot Spanish one (or at least I will be. Heheh.) I can't wait - so excited! I'll be thinking of you Steven + Yoshie - who's your favorite rider? I will try to take a pic of him speeding by.
3. World Cup finals on Sunday: NL vs ES. We'll be sporting our oranje again and hoping for the first Dutch World Cup ever.
Lastly, here are some pictures from the past week or so. Enjoy! And keep cool.
The vide grenier (flea market) with 200+ tables in our little ville. R and I bought 3 copper pans, 12 DVDs, and an old leather briefcase for a great deal!
Picture of one of the cheese stations at the Fete de la fromage a few weekends ago. I sampled beaucoup de fromage...comte, reblochon, and more. So good!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Sunny days
The full moon is two days from now, on the 26th of June. For the past two nights, I've fallen asleep to moonlight streaming into our bedroom and woken up to blue skies and sun. Thank goodness because it's about time the sun decided to come out.
For the past two weeks, it's been raining steadily with only some slivers of sunshine. Some days I was even wearing my down jacket and sweaters, in the middle of June! I stayed out of the rain and worked on my French conjugations, did some driving lessons, and baked. David Lebovitz's supernatural brownies came over so well that I can hardly keep them from being eaten. Yesterday I drove on a real road within a business zone so there weren't that many cars around, but I had to navigate rotaries, stop and restart, and then reverse. I'm used to the clutch and the gear box, so it's getting easier and I hardly stall the car anymore. Yay for that!
R and I finished working on the former bedroom...it's now a reading room with some outdoor/indoor deck furniture. It's next to the guest bedroom which is next on our DIY list.
Real summer is here now to stay until September or so and my vegetable garden and I are happy for that. Because the days are longer here, I'm hoping the cherry, quince, and plum trees will be ready for picking in a few weeks. In the vegetable garden, the 9 tomato plants are doing well, and are slowly climbing up their spiral stakes. The 12 lettuces and single zucchini plant are growing fast as well. When I checked yesterday, two large yellow zucchini flowers had bloomed, and under them were two three-inch zucchinis. About five other zucchini flowers were just starting to bud. As for the three eggplants, they're surviving, but no flowers yet. The seeds I planted for melons, beets, and leeks may have sprouted but they're difficult to pick out because there's also a lot of weeds in the mix. But good news on the herb front: the coriander, basil, ciboulette, and mint are all doing well. When they're full grown, I won't have to buy any of these until late fall. If I have too much, I'll dry or freeze some in ice cube trays so I can use them way past the harvest season.
Today, R and I walked down to the farmer's market—tomorrow is R's birthday and I still need some fresh berries and nectarines to top the fruit tart I'm making. We didn't find berries but we got some fresh baguette and smoked salmon—and had that for lunch in the park by the river.
Tonight, we're going to Geneva again for a World Cup party—the Netherlands vs Cameroon. R's Dutch friend is hosting again so we were encouraged to wear Orange, the Dutch color for the Royal house of Orange. R is not only wearing orange, but he's decided to bring his giant Dutch flag to the party.
What's your favorite thing to do in the summer time? For those of you with green thumbs...how does your garden grow? Are you watching the World Cup and who are you cheering for?
For the past two weeks, it's been raining steadily with only some slivers of sunshine. Some days I was even wearing my down jacket and sweaters, in the middle of June! I stayed out of the rain and worked on my French conjugations, did some driving lessons, and baked. David Lebovitz's supernatural brownies came over so well that I can hardly keep them from being eaten. Yesterday I drove on a real road within a business zone so there weren't that many cars around, but I had to navigate rotaries, stop and restart, and then reverse. I'm used to the clutch and the gear box, so it's getting easier and I hardly stall the car anymore. Yay for that!
R and I finished working on the former bedroom...it's now a reading room with some outdoor/indoor deck furniture. It's next to the guest bedroom which is next on our DIY list.
Real summer is here now to stay until September or so and my vegetable garden and I are happy for that. Because the days are longer here, I'm hoping the cherry, quince, and plum trees will be ready for picking in a few weeks. In the vegetable garden, the 9 tomato plants are doing well, and are slowly climbing up their spiral stakes. The 12 lettuces and single zucchini plant are growing fast as well. When I checked yesterday, two large yellow zucchini flowers had bloomed, and under them were two three-inch zucchinis. About five other zucchini flowers were just starting to bud. As for the three eggplants, they're surviving, but no flowers yet. The seeds I planted for melons, beets, and leeks may have sprouted but they're difficult to pick out because there's also a lot of weeds in the mix. But good news on the herb front: the coriander, basil, ciboulette, and mint are all doing well. When they're full grown, I won't have to buy any of these until late fall. If I have too much, I'll dry or freeze some in ice cube trays so I can use them way past the harvest season.
Today, R and I walked down to the farmer's market—tomorrow is R's birthday and I still need some fresh berries and nectarines to top the fruit tart I'm making. We didn't find berries but we got some fresh baguette and smoked salmon—and had that for lunch in the park by the river.
Tonight, we're going to Geneva again for a World Cup party—the Netherlands vs Cameroon. R's Dutch friend is hosting again so we were encouraged to wear Orange, the Dutch color for the Royal house of Orange. R is not only wearing orange, but he's decided to bring his giant Dutch flag to the party.
What's your favorite thing to do in the summer time? For those of you with green thumbs...how does your garden grow? Are you watching the World Cup and who are you cheering for?
Saturday, May 22, 2010
At Home
It's a nice drive up to our house—we take a small windy road from town to our village, and then a left turn onto our small private lane which leads to the house and large stone-paved driveway. With all the rain we've been getting, we're growing a garden of weeds and grass in between the stones. The moss is also threatening to take over.
While I love to garden, I loathe weeding because weeding is the opposite of growing something good to eat! While I cursed the state of the driveway (and weeded), R used the high water pressure jet to clean the stones and border wall in the driveway. After working outside for many hours, we were famished and ate a big lunch—grilling outside is wonderful and I hope to BBQ more this summer. Today we grilled pork and chicken marinated with my homemade Teriyaki sauce, a nice steak, prawns, onions, potatoes, and tomatoes.
After lunch, I ran inside to clean up so I could Skype with my sister, brother in law and nephews. I was "seated" with them at the table while they had their breakfast. The video quality was much better this time, so it was a nice experience. I even played peek-a-boo with nephew A just like I was there...except I couldn't pick him up after to give him a kiss. Nephew I said "You could come back to Boston now." I miss my family and can't wait to visit them soon.
After dinner R and I tried to visit neighbor P who helped plow our vegetable garden. When we were greeted by their three-legged dog Oxanne, we knew they weren't home. Instead we took an evening stroll, past the cows in the meadows. It was 20:30h and still daylight as the crickets started singing their evening song.
Tomorrow R and I are driving to Germany for my friends' J and M's wedding. Have a good Sunday.
While I love to garden, I loathe weeding because weeding is the opposite of growing something good to eat! While I cursed the state of the driveway (and weeded), R used the high water pressure jet to clean the stones and border wall in the driveway. After working outside for many hours, we were famished and ate a big lunch—grilling outside is wonderful and I hope to BBQ more this summer. Today we grilled pork and chicken marinated with my homemade Teriyaki sauce, a nice steak, prawns, onions, potatoes, and tomatoes.
After lunch, I ran inside to clean up so I could Skype with my sister, brother in law and nephews. I was "seated" with them at the table while they had their breakfast. The video quality was much better this time, so it was a nice experience. I even played peek-a-boo with nephew A just like I was there...except I couldn't pick him up after to give him a kiss. Nephew I said "You could come back to Boston now." I miss my family and can't wait to visit them soon.
After dinner R and I tried to visit neighbor P who helped plow our vegetable garden. When we were greeted by their three-legged dog Oxanne, we knew they weren't home. Instead we took an evening stroll, past the cows in the meadows. It was 20:30h and still daylight as the crickets started singing their evening song.
Tomorrow R and I are driving to Germany for my friends' J and M's wedding. Have a good Sunday.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Planting and a hidden economy
It's almost 1am. My circadian rhythm is still off, and I find myself waking up late, staying up later, and napping somewhere in between. But at least there is sun today. R and I postponed going to Geneva until later this week, opting to work on the garden and researching French language classes instead.
How does our garden grow?
Neighbor P's rototiller did a great job of turning over the grass, weeds, and compacted soil to unearth the black gold in our vegetable patch. Life was teeming underneath the super aerated rich soil—in addition to lots of worms, there were snails, ants, and beetles including one beautiful metallic green/blue/yellow beetle.
How does our garden grow?
Neighbor P's rototiller did a great job of turning over the grass, weeds, and compacted soil to unearth the black gold in our vegetable patch. Life was teeming underneath the super aerated rich soil—in addition to lots of worms, there were snails, ants, and beetles including one beautiful metallic green/blue/yellow beetle.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Springing forward
Spring is in full bloom in our mountainside. I just missed the cherry trees blossoming, but everywhere around us, plants and animals are waking from their hibernation. After many months away from R, I am so happy to be where I am right now.
For the past few days, I've been getting over jetlag and settling into my new environment. R and I visited our town's farmer's market yesterday and today we visited le mairie and strolled along the belle river walkway. Throughout the day, we spotted a woodpecker, a sleeping bat behind our shutters, large snails without shells called limas, swans, and creamy cows grazing across the meadow. At the nursery we looked for plants and seeds and came home with strawberry, tomato, eggplant, zucchini, lettuce plants; raspberry and groseille bushes; and seeds for beets, leeks, basil, coriander, mesclun, green onions, and bell pepper. Still looking for mint. Looking forward to doing some planting tomorrow!
For the past few days, I've been getting over jetlag and settling into my new environment. R and I visited our town's farmer's market yesterday and today we visited le mairie and strolled along the belle river walkway. Throughout the day, we spotted a woodpecker, a sleeping bat behind our shutters, large snails without shells called limas, swans, and creamy cows grazing across the meadow. At the nursery we looked for plants and seeds and came home with strawberry, tomato, eggplant, zucchini, lettuce plants; raspberry and groseille bushes; and seeds for beets, leeks, basil, coriander, mesclun, green onions, and bell pepper. Still looking for mint. Looking forward to doing some planting tomorrow!
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