Sun on my face . . . and short hair!

This week, like last week, has been quite busy.  

I tried to take it easy while waiting for the steroid injection of last

 Friday for my back/leg pain to literally kick in, and sheltered indoors

 due to the continuing heatwave.  I did manage to get out for an

 afternoon tea with a dear friend. We had much to catch up on as we

 had both been across the pond since our last meeting, she to Paris and

 Provence, me to England. We both had a wonderful time and there

 was so much to chat about.

I also had to get my hair cut as I was two weeks overdue and beginning

 to appear a bit shaggy . . . . . . and yes it's really short for this hot spell

 which isn't promising to end any time soon.  Summer in the south is

 always like this so not such a surprise for us.

~ A few more notes for the week gone by ~

• The figs are now ripening fast on the monster tree!
• I made my first Roasted Feta Pasta dish - it was great.
• Baby rabbit sticking close to the house nibbling mostly grass and growing big.
• Robins, dozens of them, eating the figs high in the tree along with ones falling beneath.
• Hydrangeas fading BUT a few new blue ones opening.
• Rain yesterday, just a shower, but heavy and the garden soaked it up.
• Cat sitting Ms. Nala - she's warming up to me this second week as always.
• An 'ant attack' in the kitchen, coming through the electrical outlets, yikes!
• Cleaning countertops and putting out bait - think they've gone as of today.

Oh yes, the spinal injection seems to have worked this time (first one in

 Jan. didn't help) and I'm so thankful. Have tucked the big bottle of Tylenol

 away for now in hopes I won't be needing it.

Stay cool, those of you in your unusual overly hot locations.

Water bottles, lemonade, iced tea/coffee, extra chilled wine if that's

 your thing - I put my wineglass in the freezer for a little while, makes

 a difference to a great rosé or white on a hot evening!

"Cheers" to a good weekend.

Summer Saturday. . . . . . . . . . .

Early this morning was perfect with almost cool temperatures. 

Now and then a tiny breeze rustled the outdoor flag but wasn't enough

 to play the wind chimes. 

Almost zero humidity is so special here in the south during the

 summertime and this morning we were gifted.

We enjoyed our coffee on the front porch, reading the newspaper, knowing 

how it will get hot later and we will be inside keeping busy until the evening.

I need to bake blueberry muffins - Bob bought far too many - and I'll

perhaps make a veggie pizza and cook on the grill as the sun goes down.

We do plan a quick shop at our local LIDL to pick up the veggies as I

also want to make that wonderful oven-roasted ratatouille recipe this 

weekend. I shared it with you last year and will do so again later.

Tiny new potatoes are hopefully still available as I love the looks of 

this easy peasy dish - from UK Country Living.

We don't have one of these!  Lucky you if you do.

I took this photo at our hotel recently and think it looks so cool!!!

Have a great time this weekend whatever you are doing.

The history of 'the Picnic'. . . . . . . .

'Picnic'. A word shrouded in mystery.

'Picnic' has also changed in meaning over the years.

Originally it was a group feast to which each member brought along a share

 of the food and drink. . . . . and it's doubtful they were held outdoors. 

Although the association of outdoor eating and the picnic is not yet 200 years old, 

records of meals eaten outside go back centuries. In those days al fresco eating

 wasn't necessarily organized with pleasure in mind. The majority of cases were

 travelers wending their way over rough roads and dirt tracks, carrying provisions

 with them, and there was no choice but to eat out in all types of weather!

I've yet to get my picnic basket out of storage this Summer.

The intense heat, and many house and garden chores requiring attention before we

 left on the trip north, left no time for preparing a portable meal. Time for languishing on

 a grassy country spot in sensible temperatures just never arrived.

Looking through this little treasure of a book, once again I'm feeling up for planning

 a real picnic. . . . . . . if not this coming week, perhaps the next when hopefully it will

 cool off a bit.  Driving out into the countryside will be more enjoyable, spreading a 

tablecloth on the grass less buggy, and popping open a nice chilled rosé while nibbling 

tasty morsels, a Summertime adventure.

Are you planning to picnic this Summer?

Do you have a special place you return to. . . . . . . . or just drive

 through the countryside until you find 'the perfect spot?'

Of course one can also plan a kind of makeshift 'picnic' at home if traveling is not possible.

We often eat al fresco no matter the weather by sitting in the gazebo in the back garden!

There are no sweeping vistas, rippling streams, ponds, lakes or rivers. . . . . . 

. . . . . just bird baths, and a little tinkling fountain. 

Massive old trees overhead, with patches of blue sky just visible here and there, 

offer cooling shade.

The overhead fan turns silently, stirring the humid southern air.

Now and then a breeze sweeps through and rustles the tablecloth, lifts a napkin. 

 The birds sing loudly, take a bath then preen on a branch.

Yes, come to think of it, perhaps the home picnic is one of the most enjoyable.

This weekend will be very hot, I think I'll get the basket out and pack a picnic

to enjoy right here.

Saturday morning. . . . . . .

 . . . . and the morning glories crept silently up the porch almost
 overnight to wind around the sleeping angel with its tiny wren friend.

I've been pruning the vines back, they're getting a bit unruly this
 late in summer, but I didn't have the heart to cut this one

 back when I noticed it clambering over the porch rails. . . . . . 

. . . . . . such simple blooms in truly spectacular colors and, like their names,
 just lasting one brilliant morning in the early sunshine.

Wishing each of you a pleasant weekend - they certainly come around quickly!

Today, and for the coming several days, my thoughts and prayers are with

 my friends who live in the area of Texas impacted by Hurricane Harvey.  

May you all remain safe and ride out this vicious storm without serious

 damage to yourselves, your loved ones, and your homes and property.

Sunnies, sunshine, summer cooking, Spanish summer wines. . . . . . . .

Saturday already! 
I've had a really busy week and am behind in many things. But I haven't been

 basking in the sun wearing new 'sunnies' (I love how Australians call sunglasses

 by that name). . . . . . . . . . . . 

via Zara

. . . . . . . .or lazing on a beach under clear blue skies with my hair held

back by a new velvet turban headband (I'm actually growing my hair a bit and 
one of these might useful).

More sunnies. . . . . . . .but I've been in the kitchen where I only need my

 magnifying readers which I now purchase in a 3-pack - and I really like the

 Costco version. Somehow though they all end up in the same room - and it's

 never the room where I need a pair!

Yes, said I wouldn't make any this year!  Again I was talked into a small batch 

as just when I thought that really severe Spring frost had damaged the trees

 and the figs would suffer, they are awesome and just keep coming. . . . . .  into

 the kitchen via my fig-picking husband! Sharing fresh figs with neighbors,

 friends and of course birds and squirrels - plenty for all.

This year's jam is so good - I added strawberries

 and really like the flavor.

Cutting off fresher than fresh summer corn and cooking up a pot

 of the best Corn Chowder ever. . . . . .thanks to Barbara Kafka's recipe 

in her great cookbook SOUP.

Lastly, drinking good rosé wine is part of Summertime refreshment around

 here in our hot, humid southeast climate. My favorite is always dry but there are

 many for those who prefer sweet wines. I still think Spain produces some of the

 best rosé and these are two I have found to be reasonably priced, available locally

 and good. There's a huge selection of rosé this year from France, California, 

Argentina, and Spain.

 I contacted my brother in the south of France to see what they are drinking and

 he recommended the Garnacha (Grenache) from an area of Spain not far from

 his home. They are fruity with notes of ripe strawberry, orange, hibiscus, and

 sometimes a hint of allspice. Often with more color than the palest pink rosés

 from Provençe etc., they have moderate acidity and must be served well-chilled

 to keep them zesty.

Cheers!

Have a great weekend.

Edited: Aug. 16, 2017

Both of these wines have been tried over the past week and I just wanted to say the LAGRANJA far surpasses the ORONTA for my taste buds!  It's a beautiful color and has much more flavor, dry but fruity. The other one is more mineral tasting. Just a heads up!

NO green thumb required!

Word Origin: 

Noun - green thumb

An exceptional aptitude for gardening or for 

growing plants successfully

House plants provide much pleasure for the city dweller with a green thumb. . . . . 

. . . . . and you can always cheat a little bit!

You just knew, didn't you? It didn't take long to realize I was not satisfied with

 two planters taking up all that dining room table space! 

We don't eat every meal there but when we do

it's good not having to move too many items, including faux plants.

Yes, tried placing them UP on the top of the Welsh dresser - much too close to

 the ceiling - I wish I had high ceilings. Cottage style homes don't of course!

I decided to split the planters - leaving just one on the table - and this is working well.

Yesterday morning when granddaughter Jasmin came 
for breakfast (she's dog sitting for my neighbors this weekend), we indulged
in fresh-made fruit smoothies with scrambled egg croissants and had plenty of
 room to eat.

Photo via Jasmin's iPhone

 The second planter I've placed here on the hearth, lightening it up,

bringing a little more of a summery feel to the living room.

Heavy rain last evening - I swear the grass grew an inch over night.

Today is so humid - the only garden activity here will be squirrels, birds,

and I see my very tiny chipmunk already out there munching on 

dropped seeds under the bird feeder.

Have a good Sunday - 'see you' here during the week!

Clouded views from the neighborhood. . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . but we are not complaining at all!

This Summer's clouds have been especially beautiful, often
piled up like whipped cream in the Carolina blue sky.

I whipped my iPhone out to get these photos as we drove past this building just

 minutes from our home. Yes, the latest hi-rise to be completed - there are several others

 plus more under construction - on land which at one time was most likely part

of the farmland (we dug up a vintage tractor seat in our back garden) where

 our older neighborhood stands tucked in between massive oak, hickory and pine trees.

We have lived in this area of Raleigh, north of downtown, for almost 40 years.

The changes to the landscape were slow at first, then with more roads, high-priced

suburban neighborhoods, and strip shopping areas gradually stretching even further

 north, the countryside has been eaten up, bite by bite, year by year.

It's called progress!

Across the main road from our neighborhood, built just prior to our move here in 1977,

 was the only enclosed 2-story air-conditioned mall between Washington D.C. and

 Atlanta, Georgia. 

It was also Raleigh's only mall with two levels of department stores, shops and

 restaurants, a fun place to visit for many years. Later it was sold and gradually

 went downhill when other more modern upscale malls started springing up around

 the growing city. 

In 2001 along came a man with great vision who bought the dreary mall,

 a nearby shopping plaza, aging apartment complexes, and much of the

 surrounding area, eventually building what has become known as Midtown. 

This North Hills area is an ongoing expansion of quality hotels, hi-rise office

 buildings, posh apartment complexes, great shops, a multi-screen cinema, 

hi-tech bowling alley, brewery, outdoor park and performance/concert areas,

 and many excellent restaurants of every type. 

Now under construction, along with three more office buildings and a boutique hotel,

 is also a wonderful retirement/assistive living complex.

The design and quality construction of this entire new area couldn't have been 

better. We do have more traffic, and lots more people, but with something

for all age groups we enjoy how lively this destination close to home has become.

The fact that our property values are increasing as we now sit on a prime location

 is good. There are a lot of people moving to Raleigh/Wake County - they 

estimate 63 per day - who work for these national companies, many of them

 want to buy homes!

   Older homes are selling quickly, some becoming tear downs, and larger, 

elegant houses are being built in their place, this helps breathe life into a somewhat

 tired neighborhood. We enjoy hearing the music wafting over from the Thursday

 evening Summer concerts, and a Saturday morning Farmers' Market brings 

plenty of fresh farm bounty almost to our door.

During the holiday season from November thru early January, there is plenty of

 entertainment and we can walk from home - no searching for a parking spot.

The outdoor concert/performance park.

Construction continues with more office/hotel/apartment high rises underway.

Will we remain here in this now busy urban neighborhood? 

Who knows what the future may bring!

Have you lived in your neighborhood many years? 

If so, has it changed much?

Winging it . . . . . . . . . .

As mentioned recently, there are still surprises hidden in the garden even when 

the flowers aren't blooming due to the weather conditions.

Yesterday I found two - a dragonfly wing and a huge toadstool which had popped up 

under the fig tree. The lumpy fungus cannot be mistaken for a mushroom by any means, 

but it definitely has an astonishing beauty all of its own.
I think this is the Black-staining polypore -  Meriplus sumstinel- which 
grows around the base or stumps of deciduous trees, July through September, and can
reach 32 inches across - this one was about 10 inches.

As for the ethereal and delicate beauty of a tiny wing, discarded on the front 
steps . . . . . one wonders what happened to the dragonfly. 
I so hope it had its days in the sun.

Here's hoping your weekend has a few lovely 

surprises in store for you.