After Easter
Hello lovelies, it would seem that I unintentionally disappeared from my blog for the whole of the Easter holidays. While I had tonsillitis I pre-wrote enough posts to cover the first week of the holidays...but then somehow the weather was so lovely, the children so much fun and my laptop so broken that the second week passed me by too. I realised when the end of the holidays came that despite my tonsillitis loitering with me for much of it, it had felt incredibly relaxing and restorative: it was the first school holiday for over a year where someone in our family hadn't either died or been seriously ill...the relief of pottering about with the children with less to pull at our minds and without such an undercurrent of sadness and worry was immeasurable.
There was only a little sewing...a quilt patch to embroider for a waiting quilt, a hem shortened, a few tiny felt mice made for the children. Other than that it was all about eating outside in the sunshine, visiting swing parks, long walks, bike rides and playing in the garden. And a fair few pub lunches. After a two hour walk can you imagine how happy we were to find a pub that serves its risotto strewn with pink flowers? Does anyone know what they are? I'd love to grow* some.
The supercharge of a generally happy Easter holiday found me in an unusual state of efficacy yesterday and I decided to leave my blog and any sewing for one more day in the hope that I might achieve something that I've always aspired to do for the last few years: I completed my tax return before the end of April. Stultifyingly dull, but such a good feeling to have my receipts stash now filed away, my accounts up to date for the last year and a message in my inbox from the Inland Revenue saying that my tax submission is complete.
However, despite there being very little sewing that's gone on over the last two weeks, as soon as I've taken some photos I have lots to show you from before the holidays...
I hope you had a lovely Easter break too,
Florence x
* One evening Mr Teacakes and I sat on the patio potting new plants and both marvelled at how every year we are both filled with a baseless optimism that we will not somehow kill them. So when I say I'd like to 'grow' some of this risotto beautifier, I use the term loosely but hopefully!
Hallo Florence. I'm not an expert but they do rather look like they may be a micro green instead of a flower - maybe a purple basil?
ReplyDeleteI was thinking the same- micro leaves- just tiny seedlings and very nutritious and easy to grow as you eat them almost straightaway. Herbs and salad leaves work for this.
ReplyDeleteOh, thank you so much for putting me on the right track - I didn't actually know that you could get purple basil, but it looks lovely. However, Google Images seem to be showing that the purple basil leaves are much larger than whatever it was that decorated our risotto...so I'm still hunting.
ReplyDeleteThat's fantastic to find that they're easy to grow - herbs do seem to be my one area of success.
Hmmm they look very like something that was on Masterchef the other night - very fancy! If only I had paid more attention I might be able to help you out, but sadly not....sorry! Good luck discovering the identity of these mysterious leaves! (I realise this post is ultimately not very helpful but oh well!) x
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOpps not sure what happened there...I seem to have posted the same thing twice!!
ReplyDeleteGosh, fancy doing your tax return already - I'm still waiting for information from various sources filter so it sits at the back of my mind as something I must remember to do.
ReplyDeleteThink those must be micro-leaves but not sure of what!
They ARE micro-greens - I think of amaranth or radish. Hard to tell from here. Here's how to grow them:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2007/dec/08/foodanddrink.gardens
Hi Florence,
ReplyDeletePretty sure that's red amaranth seedlings, which taste a bit beetrooty. You can buy them here...
http://www.theenduringgardener.com/living-greens-microgreens-amaranth-red-army-1-packet
Kx
I love risotto and I love the decoration - I'm glad some people here can tell what they are. I am intrigued by the quilt patch, looking forward to seeing the rest! (note to self, must try making a proper quilt like one of yours with a story in it)
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a lovely relaxing time - just what you deserve.
ReplyDeleteHappy Easter and can't wait to see the catch up
Allie xx
I agree with everyone else - those look like some kind of sprouts, not flowers. Maybe the fact that you can grow them in your kitchen, rather than having to put them out in the garden, will mean you can make a success of it?! Not sure if it is purple basil, but the purple basil pictures that come up on Google Images are of fully grown plants, whereas you just need little sprouted seeds. Sprouting is fun (I think) and also allows you to generate a lot of super-healthy salad for very little money. Mung beans are probably the easiest, but they don't produce things that look like pink flowers.
ReplyDeleteMe again. Just Googled and found this: http://sproutpeople.org/ which seems to have lots of information. By the way, don't be fooled into buying "special" beans and lentils in small, expensive packets for sprouting - the ordinary dried beans that you buy for cooking work fine (although obviously you need whole lentils, not the split ones).
ReplyDeleteI am ENORMOUSLY impressed at you getting your tax done. I am always reasonably proud of myself if I get it done before about the 25th of Jan!
ReplyDeleteAgree with others about micro herbs, and hopefully you'll have no time to kill them as they're eaten so quickly after shooting!