When Acorns Fall

Do you remember

when you were a child

and catching those first falling acorns

was such an exciting moment?

Sitting in the park the other day

my grandson and I were overjoyed to see the first acorns fall!

Balancing them on our noses, without laughing,

and looking up at the brilliant blue of the sky!

The first autumn leaf  landed among my asters

and children had decorated a young tree with colourful pom-poms

in the yard of the local community centre.

This summer has been changeable and moody and unpredictable

rather like a child leaving childhood

and moving towards adolescence.

I love the autumn

the cooler days

the clear skies

the colours.

I love living in a country with seasons

even if they don't quite know how to behave!

What's your favourite time of the year?

Watery Moods

Green and blue intermingle

to set the mood

for our watery meanderings.

Soft curves and tiny wavelets break the surface.

Ribbons of different colours and texture

ever-changing and forever fascinating.

Such suppleness in movement

the art of non-resistance

and complete adaptation to the circumstances around us.

Mediterranean Cooking

One of my favourite dishes to cook in the summer months is

oven-roasted Ratatouille!

First of all, the colours and shapes of the vegetables are so gorgeous:

The deep purple, smooth-skinned aubergine (eggplant),

the shapely bell peppers,

the fresh green of the courgettes (zucchini),

the juicy tomatoes

and red onions.

Herbs from my herb garden:

Rosemary, thyme and basil

and a little spicy long red pepper.

Cut everything up into big chunks.

I like to add a couple of sweet potatoes as I love the taste and the colour.

I don't use garlic because it's a personal choice.

Fill your biggest shallow baking tray up to the brim

Add the herbs, pepper and sea-salt.

and a good quality olive oil.

Toss all together.

Put into a 200C preheated oven for a good hour 

or until the vegetables are tender.

Turn a couple of times during cooking.

The whole of your home will be filled with marvellous aromas!

Garnish the dish with fresh basil.

Serve hot or cold.

Invite your family or friends

and create a great atmosphere with your home-cooked Mediterranean dish.

I had my family over for Sunday lunch and served the Ratatouille with pasta and grated cheese.

I did my own interpretation  from this recipe here

For dessert we had this:

Lemon Posset

served in mocha cups on saucers

with dainty silver spoons.

***

While we're on the subject of cooking,

I would like to give you a link to my daughter's Instagram healthy recipes

here

I give her top marks for presentation and her recipes taste mighty good too!

Try them and see!

Click on all the photos to see them in full size.

A Breath of Mountain Air

When I think of the mountains

I think of the fresh, pure air

the peacefulness away from the noisy city.

The morning mists which drift in and out of the slopes

and the smell of pine trees.

I love the wooden chalets

 the reflections in their windows

the lace curtains

the shutters and the geraniums in window boxes

Can you imagine that this was the fabulous view from my window?

Look at the greenery beyond the balcony.

I want to take it all back to the city with me!

This was the view on the left

Each room has a balcony and a window box of flowers.

This is the view straight ahead

zooming down to the nearby village

We stayed in a chalet style hotel.

My balcony is on the second from top floor

to the left of the pale yellow parasol.

We were so lucky with the weather

after quite a rainy month of July.

There was a pond down below

and the wonderful luxury of an indoor swimming pool 

which I used every day

and it was especially delicious to swim early mornings before breakfast.

We stayed for just two nights

but I was so grateful to be offered the opportunity

of getting away from the 

 noise and pollution of city life.

Sheer bliss!