Sunny delight

PPP-lite . . .

This is our 2008 squash harvest from The Three Sisters bed (not a bumber crop). What will the giant yellow 'squarrow' be like inside? We'll try this one first.
The other three will provide lots of lovely nutty squash for risottos, mash, soup, muffins . . . what's your favourite squash recipe?

Oooooh... I do like to be beside the seaside!

PPP-lite . . .

This is where we went for lunch yesterday . . .
Cromer on the North Norfolk coast, that's the North Sea (yes, really!!!!)
as flat as a mill pond.
and yes – THE SUN WAS SHINING!!!!!!!
Of course we had Cromer crab salad at the Wellington Hotel.

After lunch we went to Felbrigg Hall.
We had tea and cake and then explored the gorgeous walled garden.
It gets better every time I visit! There are now white doves living in the beautiful red brick dovecote and some very very lucky bantams residing in the vegetable garden!

A cliché to say 'I was tired but happy' – but I slept until 11am this morning!

A Nepalese supper

PPP-lite . . .

Dal baht takari with gundruk cooked for last night's reunion of
'The Tai Chi Girls' by their erstwhile teacher, Nicky,
in her Mum's kitchen in Cambridge.

Nicky is home for a short visit to see family and friends, from Nepal
where she now lives and works. Instead of meeting in a restaurant,
we were treated to some typical Nepalese dishes, including bitter gourd
(a vegetable I've never eaten before) and for dessert a delicious
noodle pudding with dried fruit and nuts served with
nuggets of hard smoky toffee.

Instead of paying a restaurant bill we donated money to
the Rangjung Yeshe Shenpen Vajra Varahi Healthcare project's
mobile clinic where Nicky works as a homeopath.

The dragon slayer

PPP-lite . . .

In the still, early-autumn, evening garden the dragon hunted – to and fro.
Then the dragon hunter leaped and danced and pounced
with strong ginger paws, sickle-claws and strong jaws –
he slayed the dragon.

I spy grapes!

PPP-lite . . .

Sylvie loves grapes and she knows where to find them!

Despite the sunless summer the 'Rondo' vine has produced
a fine crop of juicy, sweet, black grapes.

Sylvie can eat a grape in the blink of an eye!

Bring me sunshine . . . pleeeeease!

PPP-lite . . .

We have four large squash, six cobs of corn, and a good harvest of beans.
Looking at the Met Office stats for August 2008 it's amazing that
we had anything at all to harvest!
"SUNSHINE: The provisional total for the month is 115.9 hours, which is 67% of the 1961-1990 average. Dullest August in series back to 1929. Previous dullest was 1954, when 123.7 hours was recorded."

Afternoons

PPP-lite . . .

I found a stash of embroidered pieces stitched years ago and packed away.
Now I have time to embellish them and make them into cushions.

Out of a pig's ear . . .

PPP-lite . . .

Pig's Ear or Cotyledon orbiculata.
Beautiful silky coral bells on my souvenir from
East Ruston Old Vicarage Garden in Norfolk.

Stripy strømpe

PPP-lite . . .

My Grandma's heavy steel sock needles have been put to work,
they've not met funky Danish sock yarn before,
just sensible 'green lovat fingering'!

Monster munch

PPP-lite . . .

While my back was turned . . .
munch munch munch munch munch munch munch
caterpillars ate the Cavolo Nero for lunch!

Zingy Zinnias

PPP-lite . . .

Zinnias – my favourite summer cut flowers,
in a little green glazed pot from Languedoc.

The best thing . . .

PPP-lite . . .

The best thing that I did today was to walk to my vegetable garden in the sunshine and to pick three ripe Cambridge Gages for my lunch.

Magic Cochin takes it easy

Purple Podded Peas is about 'what's going on in and around my studio'. That includes my garden and the heritage vegetables that I love to grow, I also include adventures that give me inspiration for projects in both my studio and my garden. The studio assistants and under-gardeners make an occasional appearance.

After next week activities in my studio and garden will be restricted to light duties only, that's because I will be recovering from a major operation. Purple Podded Peas will not become a medical drama, it will stay 'on topic' but you may notice a change of style . . .

. . . normal service will resume when I've fully recovered.