Book worm

I used to profilic reader. And I mean it, I used to read a book a day, sometimes two. When boys died, I lost reading. I couldn't read a book - I couldn't even read an article out of a gardening magazine. Heck, I couldn't even read product labels of the food stuff I was buying!

But I've always been a reader, and it was another thing that hurt me,  another thing I lost with my children.

It took me years to be able to read any kind of fictional texts,  scientific and professional stuff came back first. And now I hope I've gotten reading back to me.

Last week d had to go to town because she needed a new bank account, internet banking stuff etc. So visit to bank was needed - we had to book meeting beforehand, and when I contacted that specific bank I got a meeting... In five weeks! It's impossible to rob a bank nowadays. Firstly, they don't let you in unless you have booked a meeting, they'll check your id before you even step inside the bank! And most notably, they don't have ANY money in bank!

Anyway, we managed to get everything done and on our way back to our car we spotted a small book shop of old/used books. We stepped in, and I lured d to look for reference books for her art and I was drawn to a scifi shelf... Now I'm owner of Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-earth (edited by J.R.R. Tolkien's son Christopher). It was labelled 40€ which was way above the price I could pay for one book. D found wonderful huge anatomy book (with a lot of drawings of dead people - what is that thing with anatomy drawings and dead people?) I found Asimov's The Gods Themselves and another scifi book I've wanted to read ever since it eas published,  but it's been available only in UK and I'm not there. I don't buy my books from net. And I don't read ebooks!

I left the Tolkien book on the shelf, and when we stacked other books on the till the owner told me he could sell me the Unfinished tales a bit cheaper. After some hmmms and ummms he made an offer I couldn't refuse! I won't be buying anything for quite a long time, that quick visit was way too expensive... but I know I'll be reading the Tolkien book for years. Asimov is already read. I sat down on Friday night and I thought I'll just read the first few pages. After four hours I had only few pages left. So I thought I might as well read the whole book in one sitting.  I hadn't read it before, but it's the same age I am! It was about time to read it!

But honestly, I don't remember when was the last time I was able to read a whole book in one go. And it was nice to find out that I'm still able to do that.

Tolkien book will not be read in one go. It will be read during several years. It's heavy, text is unfinished (as per title) and not a story, not even a background story, it's compilation of Tolkien's notes. 

I'm quite convinced my children will hate when I'm gone. I'm sorry.

This summer

Is an odd one. No frosts in  the spring, no rain in June and a heatwave running from June to The mid July. Now we have had several very cold nights. Last night was worst so far, 5C. It is July! Luckily temperatures didn't drop below freezing, that would have been a bit too much!

We've been splitting and cutting wood, 3/8 stacks done. It's just so freaking hot during daytime, should be doing perhaps at night but hb has so poor vision in dim light that it's impossible.

And still no rain.

No rain means no mushrooms, no juicy berries but constant forest fire danger. And we do live in  the middle of the woods... We still have water in the well, but this is happening like every other summer (no rain) so I've started to gather up ideas how to collect water during wet seasons. Australian have several solutions, but problem is they don't have to mind water freezing. Digging a pond might sound like a good idea, but it's not reliable one in the end. Old man thinks we have to get bore well, he wants to have one for heating purposes, one for the mansion for drinking water, and once the company is here it might just as well drill a home for us, too. It's just is't so expensive I can't afford it, something between 10 000€- 15 000€ minimum!

Oh well. It might happen anyway.

The hottest summer

I think we are having the hottest and driest summer ever. We had some rain roughly a week ago (for an hour or so, light drizzle), and before that it was two weeks without rain. June is supposed to be wettest of our summer months, and yes, it did rain at least in four days in June vs one day in July so far. 

But the heat! Our temps have been over 25C since Midsummer, 3 and half weeks, and no cooler weather is promised. Nights are warm, over 20C, which means house doesn't get any cooler during the night. We have our cooler, but it isn't meant to cool down this much. There's no night mist, I need to water my plants every day. But I just can't water potatoes. They have stopped growing and are drying. But at least there's some potatoes, and they  will keep nicely underground. It's not like they will rotten! More likely they'll bake...

But the soul is rock hard. Clay keeps moisture for a very long time, but not for ever! I dug first potatoes today, and it was hard work. I ended up breaking several spuds just because I had to use my hoe as an axe to get through hard dry clay!!! Potatoes are small, but at least I don't have to scrub them much, just to blow dust away before boiling!

Lidl's veggie box

Local Lidl sells past best before products (vegetables and fruits) in 2€ boxes, I think this is all over Europe thing?

I don't usually shop at Lidl, their range is just not for our family. I mean if we could eat ready made meals, there would be a lot of cheap and affordable stuff! My shopping is usually done at lunchtime or early afternoon,  and 2€ boxes are available in the mornings. When on rare occasion I'm nearby in the morning, I'll take a look.

Last Friday I was lucky, there were two identical boxes left! I bought only one, not wanting to be greedy.

I think contents were much much more worth than 2 euros I paid! I've already mentioned dill and lettuces. So 1 bunch of dill and purple seedless grapes, 2 bunches of seriously wilted lettuce, 12 mushrooms, about one kilo of new potatoes, 3 apricots, nectarines and oranges, and one huge apple and three  normal ones.

Some grapes were moldy, and some lettuce went to compost, too. One spud was spoiled, and that's it! Everything else was,  if not fine but at least edible.  I've made fruit salad twice and have still two apples and an orange left, lettuce is eaten, and potatoes were part of our lunch today. Os ate fried mushrooms while others had sausages.

Tomorrow D is having a meeting with school nurse, so I quess I'll pop at Lidl to find out if I'm lucky again.

Salmon soup

I bought a Lidl's 2€ boxes of past their best veggies. It had a bunch of dill in it, wilted as they are in those boxes. I just cut the stems and submerged tips in to ice cold water for a while. Tadaah! I had fresh dill. I don't usually use dill in cooking, because hb hates it. It was in fridge for several days smelling wonderful. D got an urge to have fish soup! I had bought yellow stickered  gravad lax for 1,5€, it wasn't much (150g) but I knew it was enough.

Had some old potatoes ( made mashed potatoes, you can't make mash with new spuds). They were on sale for 0,19€/kg, it was a shame I couldn't buy much... anyway. With 2 carrots, six potatoes, handful of peas and that gravad lax I made a very nice salmon soup. First I boiled peeled and diced potatoes and sliced carrots in mushroom salt seasoned water with some black pepper. Then I added fresh peas, the lax cut into small cubes and a cup of cream into a pot. It needed only few minutes to cook, and some more salt (using gravad lax you need to taste soup before adding any). Me and D shredded some dill in to our plates, hb ate as it was.

With some sourdough rye bread it was  delicious! I don't often make any fish soups, because none of boys eat it.

There were two bunches of sad and wilted salad in that box, too. I just picked all bad/brown/slimey leaves and submerged what was left in cold water. After a hour or so I got two perky bunches of crunchy salad! I'm quite convinced most people who bought those boxes just tossed away those salads,  which is a pity. With so little effort I got plenty of green to eat for three days, and now I don't have to buy any, because garden produces enough for us.

Heat is on

Most of Northern hemisphere is having a heat wave. If not, they are having floods. We are now on the heat cycle of it. My veggie patch is in dire need of weeding, but I can't do it. If I do weeding, my plants will suffer a heathstroke and they will die.

I'm watering, twice a day. I have finally - finally! - planted all my pumpkins and zucchinies and pickling cucumbers and they need constant watering. I don't water potatoes, but everything else.  I weeded one strawberry box and it was a mistake, now those plants are drying. But the box  was full of nettles... I need to replant more strawberries when I find some morsel of motivation.

Because of this heat I don't take 'Sumawalks at all, we wander aimlessly in near by woods which offer some shadow. 'Suma doesn't seem to mind.

I got an invitation to a hen party ( and to the wedding, too). I've never been in one! And the wedding, we realised it's the first time D will attend one, she's been in dozens of funerals, but never in a wedding! When I was a kid and a teenager, there were at least one wedding per summer, and not a one funeral per three years. Now it is complete opposite, well, the last 1,5 years funerals have been a small affair, but if it were normal times we would have attented at least three funerals (hb's old aunts and uncles have died during this coronatime, of old age, not on cancer or corona or whatever, and hb's old neighbour passed away, too). 

The hen party will be a small and quiet affair. We'll be having some western riding lessons, and nice evening with a small group of bride's friends, we'll be having sauna (bridal sauna), some good food and some bubbly. I'm suprised I'm actually looking forward to it!