November

As sad it was, it wasn't totally unexpected. My grandmother died peacefully with her daughters by her side and the funeral will be on Saturday. Just a small gathering, there isn't much older generation left, grandmother's brother will not be coming, he lives in Sweden and is too poorly to travel. Ballbearers are decided, and my mother wanted everyone to bring just one rose for grandma. There will be a heart of pink roses on the coffin, grandmother loved pink.

If pallbearers are capable - there's a lot of covid going rounds, my brother just got sick, his girlfriend is healing, all boys at home have it now (I've skipped it so far) and hb is having mild symptoms but we've run out of tests. I need to go and buy some more tests, but I have to go to the town to buy them because our shops and pharmacy had run out of tests, too. Whole school is having covid now.

We were supposed to go shopping for trousers for boys, but of course couldn't. I know grandma wouldn't mind boys going in old trousers, but they are all grown over their old trousers and they look just... ridiculous. Not shaggy, not poor, not even like Sunak with his short trousers. I don't know, if nothing changes I need to go by myself? and hope for the best. Everything else is ready.

My mother in law fainted at the nursing home, she was attending to afternoon coffee break at the communal room. Got to hospital in an ambulance, got tested and scanned - she's having some "shadows" in heart (that's what she said) but there's nothing that can/will be done. She should continue on going her daily walks and to try to be as active as possible. I know she has had her diet changed a lot during the summer because she's eating FODMAP food now and although it is good for her gut it is not good for her overall wellbeing, she's cut out a lot of vegetables and not brought any new ones to her diet. Because I'm not her daughter, so I have no say on things. Once everyone at home is cleared of covid I'll go and see her if I can find anything I can do. But, she's 90, and stubborn as ever.

(I know FODMAP is recommended by many, but it shouldn't be just cutting out unsuitable foods)

Another working trip

This last week I was away most of weekdays. 'Suma is really upset, she worries every time I move that I might just jump into car and drive off again. Poor girl.

I was in Spain, sunny and rainy Spain (the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain - in my own language it was not this phrase but completely different, but is worked the same way, taught to say words right way). I'm totally knackered, not only because each travelling day was over 10 hours (and mine wasn't even the longest). This time I talked not only English, but some Swedish, Norwegian (nynorsk), Danish (never again, I swear every time!) Spanish, Italian and... not French! I did sit next to a nice French colleague who was nice enough to talk to me in English, because French is something I just don't get. Other colleagues pointed out that it's scary they'll never now whether I understand them or not, when they are speaking their own language. But it all comes down to the fact that most European languages are all derived from same origins, Latin, Viking (ancient Swedish I think), German something. The words are similar enough for me to understand the basic meaning, so I know roughly the issue people are talking about. Nynorsk is basically written Danish, so much easier than Danish.

All my colleagues are really nice people, I hope I would met their expectations, too. I got some contacts/names for my work - I really should update my LinkedIn profile.

But now my head doesn't work at all. That may be due to flu I got after I came back home, definitely something I got from during flights. Oh well, it is not Covid (according to test). And I'm cold. But that on the other hand is mainly due to the fact it's -10C outside.

So very accurate beginning of winter time. I was planning on mushrooming today with sys (his idea), but no, not now. If it's getting any warmer, we will go for the very last time for this year. I need the silence of my forest after all that hassle.

And winter is about to be here, again

 It's 2 degrees of Celsius outside and raining heavily. Only a bit colder and rain will turn into snow. It's only matter or hours, maybe.

It's not funny. We had unusually warm September - average temperature was the same as in unusually cold July we had this year. My vegetables were on their most profilic state this week, and I had to harvest them all... Well, not all, but most. Like all beans (I have some in the polytunnel, but they will keep few more days), and most of pumpkins. I couldn't get all corn harvested before we had the first frost night last week, but it seems to be ok. For now.

Something ate all my carrots while I was away. It kindly left me all the tops, but unfortunately they were all wilted by the time I was able to take a look of what has happened. Some sort of ... big mouse? A water mole, I think. I know, I know, it has a big family to feed, too. But I would have loved to eat more of my own carrots, they were lovely.

Broad beans had grown whole new growth in September, they all had few new stalks with dozens of flowers. Such a pity :-( In summer they didn't had that much flowers.

I was again asked to get some food bank/distribution items, because they had abundance on produce and bread. I got nine bags of bread/rolls and few french loafs as well as pasties. I got lettuce, apples, plums, nectarines, beets, potatoes (why I didn't take carrots?  I knew I don't have any...) purple cauliflower etc. I made subway-type dinner that night, everyone chose their own toppings and I slightly toasted them in the owen - just to melt cheese.

Today I made jam with plums and apples and one nectarine. I just cut them into small chunks (took off  cores/stones and spoiled bits) and cooked with jamming sugar (it has pectine). It was lovely, os had spoonful and said it's nice - so it was really yummy!

I've been freezing and dehydrating mushrooms, and we have been eating them daily. Maybe next year we will not have a good mushroom year, so we try to enjoy this years abundance as much as possible.

Mil is moving in to supported living next weekend - she was signed in the queue last spring and was told it might take up to two years to be able to have a place. She has trouble hearing, is loosing her eyesight and have slight memory issues. She had her 90th birthday in September...

My grandma on the other had is put on palliative care. She's 93, and more or less blind, half deaf and has had alzheimers over 10 years. My brother went on to see her today, and sent messages that she's really poorly.  She doesn't eat or drink. She's lost her oldest son and son's only child this year (both had cancer).

We are expecting her to go in two weeks :-( 

That's how it is.

Home sweet home - for now

 I've been travelling a lot lately. Poor 'Suma is completely depressed, and I feel sorry for her and also so sad I can't avoid these travels.

I'm still afraid of flying, but I'm not tasting vomit in my mouth anymore all the time.

Someone would think it's so wonderful to be able to travel as a part of one's work, but I don't feel that way. Even though the meetings were very good, productive and funny, too. I've got lovely team mates and I really appreciate them more and more. Days are long, and my brain is still boiling over all foreign languages I had to use. I really really don't speak French.

Meanwhile at home.

Our forest neighbour sold his trees and there was a harvester working while I was away. I would have love to watch it working, but not such luck. This picture is taken along our border, some of the logs are laying partly in our land, but not a single twig was cut from our side. Now all logs have been removed so there is only the mess left. It isn't that bad, I expected it to be worse.

So - I haven't been able to do ANYTHING at veggie plot or greenhouses, and it makes me soooo fustrated. Maybe next year.

(at least I got garlics harvested, and corn is having best harvest ever, but beets are tiny and cucumbers did badly this year - and I haven't been able to check out my pumpkins, zucchinis OR beans on my plot at my sisters - only good thing is that there has been no frosts yet, which is a miracle of sorts)

A little break before the madness

 

We are on a holiday cottage for the weekend with hb's nephew and his wife. Back home tomorrow, and then on Monday I will leave 9 o'clock in the morning to a three day seminar. And next week another four day trip. 'Suma is already miserable 😔

Food, veggies, mushrooms...

 I'm trying to get my budget on track before winter's high costs. This month (August) is usually the most expensive summer month - not only because kids go back to school, but our insurance and property tax bills are due on August. Hb's car needed repairs (and some are still coming) and it isn't cheap. My car is due MOT on October and I need to fix it before that, and I know it will be another expensive one. Our cars suffer because we live in the end of long gravel road, and no matter how slowly and carefully you drive, something WILL broke during the year. There is always a lot of bumps and potholes and sharp gravel to kill your tires if nothing else.

On the food front I have been relying heavily on my garden and forest produce. We have been eating mushrooms every day last six weeks, and I'm digging potatoes three times a week (kids don't want to eat potatoes every day). But there's berries, zucchinies, kale, beans, peas, carrots, nasturtium, garlic...

The cheapest dinner is boiled potatoes, butter-fried mushrooms and fried zucchini with garlic and honey (because I get honey from my brother). Only salt and butter are shop bought!

Some mushrooms:

Chanterelles usually yield the highest harvest - and they grow from end of July to the end of November (if there's no snow). They are easy to find - they grow in our backyard (which is a forest).

Porchini. Little piglet.  This was a good year for them, and we ate many meals with porchinies. I'm really REALLY particular about that there's no wormholes in my porchini - if I accepted some holes, we would be eating tons of porchinies. but nope, I don't want to eat worms.

I would guess porchini and chanterelles.

We did have some sunny days then.

I don't pick many white mushrooms, but sometimes I can't resist - champignons are quite rare in my woods and this one didn't have any maggots.

(and I do know the difference between amanita virosa and champignons)

And it REALLY was champignon.

Agaricus sylvicola (wood mushroom)

There's only that much one can eat mushrooms. Bilberry pie!

Of course you can't only eat forest food. You have to use garden produce also! I've made several stews or soups or sauces with a lot of veggies.

For this I'm happy I don't have a picture of the green one I made - it looked like sheep's diarrhea😂

 But everything is edible. This is beetroot and sundried tomato houmous. Very yummy! The green one was pesto with wild and garden greens (sorrel, kale, nasturtium leaves, beetroot leaves, carrot tops etc). I made about 4dl or each, but in this picture is only the remants I scooped from my blender.

I use both houmous and pesto as a spread on my bread.

For houmous I use 1 tin of chickpeas, 2dl of cooked root vegetables (carrot, parsnip, beetroot, swede; either one or all mixed), 2-3 cloves of garlic - they are my own grown and huge! olive oil, some lemon juice from bottle, roasted sesame oil (because I forgot to buy tahini and tried with sesame oil and found out it was fine), salt, chili, some leftover pickles like nasturtium seeds, pickled chili or olives or pickled radish seed pods... some pepper, some salt and jeera or garam masala or curry powder - whatever I have. This is my winter spread.

For pesto I use greens, again some leftover pickles from fridge, some lemon juice, few cloves of garlic, any nuts or seeds I have, olive oil, salt, pepper and chili. I don't use parmesan or any other cheese in my pesto - I didn't have any when I made my first ever batch and it was fine. So this is vegan, too. Pesto is my summer spread.

I don't know how they compare to shop bought or ordinary houmous and pesto, because I've never eaten one - they usually have some onion and I can't eat (or touch) any onions.

Some nettle pancakes/crepes. They are delicious and cheap. And they take forever to fry, because I use 1l milk on the batter...

These are zucchini fritters. Also very good.

And zucchinies.

This is best potato year in long time. Potatoes don't like hot or dry weather, and we had coldest and wettest July in decades.

Gooseberries have goosebumbs!

(here they are called hairy berries for obvious reasons)

Chili sin carne with one tiny tiny beetroot. Beetroot really dyes everything.

Basic soup with minced meat. All vegetables from my own garden.

Peasoup - it's like split pea soup but dried peas are whole. Some minced meat, oregano (or majoram, I have no idea which it is, for me they are the same) and salt. One of the cheapest meals you can cook if you use shop bought items (British dried peas are 0,49€/500g). And believe or not, our children eat this - os usually have seconds.

More medieval

We had quite fun time at the medieval fair few weeks ago. Ys and number one had a blast and they are eager to go next year, too. Number one actually went there on Saturday, too, but it was so crowded they couldn't see or do anything, so next year we will go on Friday again.

More pictures:

Ys told me I have to make pair of trousers for him - and most likely I have to make a hood like this to him, too. But now I know what kind of clothing is needed so it's much easier from now on. Maybe something less poor looking.

Sunset behind the castle and park with medieval camp, photo says 21:14.