2010-06-25

my herby baby

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as i am living alone, i sometimes think of having a furry companion.
it would be great if i could walk him or her in the park.
i always find myself being negative, though.
not only because of the neighbourhood residential regulations i have to keep,
(banned from raising dogs and cats in our housing complex, still some do)
but also because of my possible heavy responsibility.
i doubt i can be a better caregiver than i am now to my potted herbs.

i love them like my babies.
but, no matter how well i look after them,
some would get sick or do a perish unexpectedly.
tending furry animals can never be easier than that.
i admire all the animal guardians.

so, i settle for being a happy herb-grower.
they look pretty on my balcony.
besides, my babies are edible.

and it’s time to pick a little,



...hang them in my kitchen


how’s that for my green babies?


...then put them in jars.
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all herbs are good.
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enjoy the last weekend of beautiful june, my friends!


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2010-06-21

hydrangeas in the rain

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rain, rain, rain…



i am living in a nation blessed with rain at the moment.
but who’d love a rainy month all the way through?



only thing people love about this wet month is hydrangea.
hydrangea is the june flower in japan.


they are blooming on my balcony, too.
so i am happy to forget about rain adorning my home with them.

i love that.


maybe, happy monday?
wishing you all a happy new week!



p.s.
dear vale, n and kate,
thank you very much for your wonderful comment on my mulberry post!

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2010-06-13

good black mulberry


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what i wanted to post last time is this:



there are several mulberry trees in the park,
but no one seem to be keen on or keen to notice them.
maybe because they are truly tall trees
unlike ones you may usually imagine in your garden?

meanwhile, this time of year,
everyone would certainly notice a score of the purple stains on the park path.



last week, when i was walking through the park,
one mulberry dropped from up above.

now, you can guess what was in my mind?

i really hope you'd never think i’m a rubbish-picker, though.
it’s fun and quite palatable to do this.
yes, i started picking up mulberries, but only genuinely fresh ones.

as my crop piled up in a small bag, just enough to fill a small café-au-lait bowl,
i took it home and washed and hulled thoroughly.
voilà, my own homemade mulberry jam



it’s yummy to have some with yogurt,



it’s even yummier to be used for victoria sponge!







yesterday was a perfect summer’s day.
i saw a huge number of ripe mulberries still dropping from trees in the park.
disappointingly, the weather turned humid and bad today.
this year’s rainy season has just begun in my region...sigh.



how are you enjoying your sunday?

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2010-06-09

tussie mussie, nosegay

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it’s mid-week.
how's your week going?

i wanted to report on something.
but, i don’t seem ready for it.

instead, i just have some pictures of my posies to post here.




i always love playing with wild flowers.



 
my report on something delicious will be posted shortly.
till then, enjoy the rest of the week,
however busy,
everyone!

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2010-06-05

chamomile

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it’s been sunny and hot.
at last, my little chamomile flowers have come into bloom.




meanwhile in the park, all the chamomiles disappeared from the flowerbed.
apparently, the blossom seemed already over.
still, i could smell the sweet and fruity scent of chamomile.



aha!
they were just whisked away and some flowers were fallen.
i could see many of them around the empty flowerbed.
one splendid thought sprang up in my mind.


back home, i washed them.
and then i had to wait and see them drying up.




the weather was perfect for drying herbs.
several days later, i happily made a glass of chamomile tea.




let’s enjoy the herby season before the rainy season approaches!
well, this applies only to the japanese, though.

anyway, enjoy the weekend, everyone!
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