All Hallows' Eve

Where I come from, there are no carved pumpkins or trick-or-treating on the 31st October. Instead, we get ready for All Saints' Day, the 1st November, which happens to be a bank holiday: we buy bunches of chrysanthemums and multi-packs of grave lanterns. Then, on the 1st November, we visit the graves of our loved ones to leave the flowers and lanterns, think about those who are no longer with us and maybe say a prayer for their souls. Most people do that in the morning, hoping to avoid the biggest crowds and packed car parks, but I like to go after dark. The thousands of lit candles and lanterns give a truly magical, if slightly spooky, effect. If anyone has candles to spare, they put them on the most neglected graves nobody visits, so that every soul has at least one candle burning for it. It's all very beautiful, in a sad way...

Where I live now, the tradition is very different, and I don't have any family graves to visit here if I wanted to. I do like Halloween; I enjoy all the horror films on TV, I like the dressed-up kids touring the neighbourhood, and I absolutely love all the pumpkins. We carved our Jack-o-Lantern last night! Still, I can't help but think of all my loved ones who have passed away. Cherish all the good memories, let go of the bad ones, if any. This memento mori is a good opportunity to slow down and think about the most important things in life. I like the reflective nature of All Saints Day. And I do like that Halloween is a less serious counterweight to it. I feel very lucky to be able to experience both.

Another week gone

View from our back garden

This has been a busy week, at work and otherwise. Autumn in full swing, generously spreading beautiful colours and offering gorgeous views, such as the one above. 

My garlic has finally arrived, but I'm not happy with it at all. The variety is called 'Provence Wight', so I thought it would be sent from somewhere in the UK, but it turned out the seller was based in China. That's why it took 22 days to arrive! The bulbs were wrapped in plastic, got all moist in transit, and started sprouting and growing roots. I had no idea if they were still suitable for autumn planting, but I gave it a try - they're all in the ground. I am not expecting much, I imagine they will die over the winter, but it was better than throwing them away.

Ever since the farmer who owns the field behind our house harvested his barley, we've been getting visitors on the other side of our fence. Lots and lots of cows! They're quite friendly and lovely to look at. 

We've been to Lanark Loch recently - we took a walk around the loch and had a look in the surrounding woods for mushrooms. We didn't find many - maybe 4 or 5 - but one of them was so huge it probably weighed about 350g on its own. I sliced them all and added to the bag of mushrooms in my freezer - it's getting really big!

Lanark Loch's swans

We went to the cinema on Wednesday night to see Inferno, based on Dan Brown's latest book. I absolutely loved the book and was so looking forward to seeing the film! But I have never been more disappointed with a book-to-film adaptation. I had expected minor changes - after all, film is a very different medium so things have to be adjusted - and that was all fine. But they also completely changed the ending! I won't go into details and spoilers, but I had not expected them to turn the ending around like that, and I really did not like it. 

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Christmas is less than 2 months away. Shops are full of decorations, ''gift ideas'' and Christmas issues of all the magazines. We are planning to shop for presents for all the kids in the family very soon, to avoid the madness closer to the time (and to spread the cost!). I usually start thinking about my Christmas menu in early November - we have a few staples, but I usually try to include something new every year. We expect around 10 people at our table this year. This will be our first Christmas in our new house, and first Christmas ever for our cat Banjo, which worries me a little because he is definitely going to climb the Christmas tree. Our other cat Diuna has never tried that and we've never had any issues, but with Banjo it's pretty much guaranteed. He loves climbing and has already conquered all the spots in our house I thought were out of his reach. And he is definitely going to steal the tree decorations too. This should be fun!

Resident mice

We spotted this little guy not long after we moved in to our house. He was very curious and not at all scared of us - he let us get very close before he run away. We guessed he lived under our decking. Last week I saw him again (or one of his family, who can tell!) and he actually let me stroke him (!!!) a couple of times before he walked away. I am absolutely in love with this sweet tiny face!

We have two cats in our household, so I always thought mice would stay away, but as the days started to get much colder, the mice moved from under the decking into our house. They're in the walls so we don't see them, but we can certainly hear lots of tiny feet running around. This drives the cats mental as they can hear them much better than we do, but can't see or catch them! They jump at walls and floors, knowing something's there, but not being able to see anything. Looks like we have a few interesting months ahead of us.

I know some people hate mice, but we're not that bothered. They will never venture out of their hiding places as I'm sure they can smell the cats and wouldn't risk their lives like that. They were here before us, and if they need shelter for the winter months, that's fine by us!

Polish-style beans and sausages

Baked beans don't have to come from a tin. They are really simple to make. This filling and tasty dish (fasolka po bretońsku in Polish) used to be one of my childhood's favourites, and if served with a slice of home-made bread, makes a full meal on its own rather than just a side dish.

Ingredients:

400g bag of dried butter beans 

500g carton of tomato passata

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

2-3 smoked sausages, sliced

A little oil for frying

Herbs and spices:

Marjoram (2 sprigs fresh or 1 teaspoon dried)

Oregano (2 sprigs fresh or 1 teaspoon dried)

3 whole dried allspice berries

1-2 bay leaves (dried or fresh)

1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds

Salt and pepper.

Method:

Place the dried beans in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Leave them to soak overnight.

The following day, pour the beans together with the soaking water into a large cooking pot, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, cover and cook on medium heat for about 2 hours or until the beans have softened. You might need to top up the water during the process.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pan and sauté the onions and garlic. Add the sliced sausages and fry for another 5 minutes.

When the beans are soft, check how much liquid there is left in the pot. You don't want more than about 1 cup of the liquid, or the sauce will be too runny. I just removed the excess with a ladle.

Add the onion/sausage mixture to the pot, along with all the herbs (if using fresh herbs, chop them up), and cook together for 5 minutes. Add the passata, cover, and cook for another 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Discard the bay leaves and the allspice berries before serving.

If the sauce tastes too sharp, you can add 1 tsp brown sugar and/or 1-2 tablespoons cream to make it milder.

Afternoon walk

I went for a walk this afternoon and was so awed by the beautiful autumn colours that I had to take pictures. Leaves, branches, fungi, berries, moss and lichens, with a thousand shades of green, brown, yellow and red and so many different textures and shapes. The beauty and perfection of nature always amazes me. A picture is worth a thousand words so here are the photos I took...

The last garden update for this year (probably)

We recently had fairly good, dry weather here for almost 2 weeks, which allowed us to do a bit of last-minute work in the garden, but it seems like that's it for the year. It's been pouring down for several days, which is annoying as I still haven't planted my garlic - it's not been delivered yet!

Nevertheless, I realised the other day that I have already planted so much more in the garden than I had planned when we first moved in. The plan was only to plant an apple tree, but it didn't stop there.

Majority of the things I've planted are perennials. I have:

- apple tree

- red currant

- white currant

- Japanese quince (pink)

- Japanese quince (red)

- aronia

- Jerusalem artichoke

- hardy kiwi

- goji berry

- onions (early variety)

- garlic (still on its way!)

- rhubarb

- mint

- bay tree

- sage

- rosemary

- oregano

- marjoram

- lavender

There are a few plants in the garden that had been left by the previous owners - four conifers, a small tree that looks to me like it could be a cherry (we'll find out next year!), some heathers, a potted chrysanthemum and a few shrubs I've not identified yet.

I recently discovered, and started reading on, permaculture. I absolutely love this concept of gardening that respects and mimics the ways nature works and feel that this is something I want to try. Having only a small garden I won't be able to make full use of my newly-acquired knowledge, but I will try to do the best I can with the space and resources I have. It should be very exciting! :-)

Furry things

I have mentioned my cats before, but never properly introduced them. I have two furry little things - Diuna and Banjo - and love them both to bits. 

I met Diuna, the tortoiseshell Maine Coon, when she was 1 year old. She came to me from someone who could no longer look after her. She was my first very own cat and quickly stole my heart with her sweet, quiet and gentle personality. She's the perfect companion for lazy days and quiet evenings - she loves nothing more than to sit on my or S's lap and purr. She's a very shy cat and doesn't like strangers; every time someone visits she disappears for hours (most of the time she can be found on the top shelf of my wardrobe). She's very well behaved, calm and placid, and very patient with our little one.

Diuna, born December 2012

Now Banjo is the complete opposite of Diuna.

I had wanted a second cat for a while, but without a permanent home it just didn't seem like a good idea. But when we finally knew we were getting our own house, S surprised me one day with the sweetest little kitten! Banjo fell in love with me immediately - on our way home in the car he snuggled into my neck and purred away. This has been his favourite sleeping position ever since. Banjo is the friendliest cat I've seen; he's very confident, loves people and other cats and will play with anyone. Being very young, he gets up to all kinds of crazy mischief all the time,  but he's so adorable he gets away with it all.

Banjo, born February 2016

I can't remember ''life before cats'' and never want to go back to it.. Cats are awesome, and watching the two interact with each other is the best entertainment ever. I'd love to get a third one some day, we certainly have enough room for it, and I'm determined for it to be a rescue cat this time.

The pond is gone!

The small pond in our garden was a controversial subject from day one. On one hand, we really liked it and loved the wildlife that had made its home in it. On the other hand, unfortunately, we felt it wasn't worth the risk with a 4-year-old running around. We decided the pond had to go.

One thing we definitely didn't want to do though was harm the wildlife. We were determined to save every last tadpole, and there were hundreds of them. We caught them all with a tiny fish-tank net, carefully filtering every bucketful of water before pouring it away. It was a massive job. As we were catching the tadpoles, we could see toad heads popping up here and there. At first we thought there was only one, but then found one more.  Then we noticed another two. As the water in the pond went down, more and more toads appeared... In the end we counted 19! All of them were safely caught and released, along with all the tadpoles, in their new home in Lanark Loch.

The first few toads we rescued.

Lanark Loch, the toads and tadpoles' new home.

We were sad to see the pond go (and I already miss the toads, considering the amount of slugs in the garden!!), but once we were left with a big empty hole in the ground, we started filling it up with turf mixed with tree clippings, leaves and weeds and in the end we knew we made the right decision. The garden is now a lot more child-friendly, looks bigger and we have more space to grow things. The spot where the pond used to be looks a bit sad at the moment, but I am looking forward to making use of it.

Where the pond used to be. So many new possibilities!

Gardening books

As a gardening rookie, I try to educate myself on the subject as much as I can. Internet resources are invaluable, but I like a good book, too! Between my small collection and the local library, I have read a fair amount of gardening books. Here are my favourites.

1. A potted history of Fruit: A kitchen cornucopia by Mike Darton and

2. A potted history of Vegetables: A delicious, dip-in kitchen cornucopia by Lorraine Harrison.

These two little books don't contain much gardening advice per se, but I really like them. They are full of interesting facts, curiosities, legends and superstitions as well as historical notes on various fruit and vegetables. They are unique in the way that you're very unlikely to find this information in your regular gardening manual. But the thing I love the most about these books are the illustrations, most of which are reprints of old, beautiful botanical drawings. I sometimes like to just flip through them to admire those beauties! 

3. Forgotten Fruits: A guide to Britain's traditional fruit and vegetables by Christopher Stocks.

This is definitely a book 'to read' rather than 'to look at' as it doesn't contain many pictures. It is the newest addition to my collection and I haven't finished it yet, but I already like it a lot. It goes over many varieties of fruit and vegetables that have been forgotten over the years but are worth bringing back due to their remarkable taste or other qualities. Fascinating!

4. Grow all you can eat in 3 square feet: Inventive ideas for growing food in a small space. 

A richly illustrated book for newbies like me, with step-by-step advice on gardening in raised beds and containers. With hundreds of photos and easy-to-follow advice, this is the book that got me dreaming about my own little garden months before we bought our house. One of my favourite chapters is the one on re-inventing every-day objects as containers for plants, which inspired me to turn an old pallet into a planter (a project for next spring!)

5. The New Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency by John Seymour.

This is a classic that most people who are into gardening already know. I had heard about this book long ago, but found it a bit too expensive to buy. But luckily, I came across it in my local library! A few sections of this book are irrelevant to me, as I don't keep livestock or have a lot of land (they're a good read anyway), but the gardening section is full of invaluable information. It was this book that inspired me to try and grow plants that are a bit more unusual than the standard carrot, cabbage etc. I have already planted Jerusalem artichoke, Chinese kiwi, Japanese quince and aronia and am thinking about a few more to sow and plant next year. Of course there's nothing wrong with the 'regular' veggies and those will be the majority in my garden. This book offers plenty advice on growing pretty much everything you can think of, with a detailed calendar of things to sow, plant or harvest each month of the year; it also has a very interesting chapter on pest control with multiple simple, biological tricks to try. It also contains chapters on preserving foods, brewing and wine-making, cooking and baking. I have to return this book to the library next week, but I think I will be getting my own copy now as I really don't want to part with it! If I was to have only one single book on gardening, it would be this one without a doubt.