If there was any doubt that Australia is a sports mad nation, a stamp that arrived on a letter erased it. In the wake of Australia’s recent domination in the Ashes cricket series, Australia Post has released a pair of stamps celebrating the fact. I can’t imagine it happening anywhere else in the world (maybe in a soccer-obsessed nation after winning the World Cup?). Of course, given Australia’s recent one day performance against England and New Zealand, everyone might be feeling a little silly about the celebratory stamps.
I caught the Julie/Julia project just as it was finishing (always late to the party), but I enjoyed it, and I looked forward to the book – with some reservations. I was worried that the book would read like a series of blog entries (there’s nothing wrong with a series of blog entries, mind you, I just didn’t feel like I needed them bound up into a book). The good news is that this is a book on it’s own. You don’t need to have read or to have loved the blog. It certainly tells the same story as the blog, but it does it in a way that’s appropriate for a book.
Julie and Julia isn’t great literature, but it is a fun, quick read. I like it when ordinary people take on extraordinary goals (and cooking all of the recipes in Mastering the Art of French Cooking in the space of a year is certainly an extraordinary goal, on all sorts of levels). It’s particularly good when, against the odds, they succeed.
I got some decent potting mix this weekend (specifically for seedlings) from the hardware store, and embarked on some more seed planting. I now have the following seeds waiting to germinate:
- Perfume Delight Sweet Peas: This packet came as a bonus when I ordered my bean sprouter. Like the other sweet peas I’ve planted, I’ve put just a few of these seeds in the pot that they will end up in, to minimize transplanting. These are climbers, so I’ll put them along the railings on the balcony, just as soon as the weather is warm enough. This is really one of those cases where it pays to include a bonus. I found myself browsing the Renee’s Garden web page, and have placed an order for their container collection, and for some Alpine Strawberry seeds.
- Bibb (or Limestone) Lettuce: Again, this has gone directly into the pot that it will stay in (while it sounds a bit ridiculous, I’m just having one or two pots of everything – my deck isn’t that big, and I’ve decided to sacrifice quantity for diversity). I picked this variety off lettuce specifically because it says “Easy to Grow” on the packaging. I need all the help I can get.
In news of things I started earlier:
- Mung Bean Sprouts: Have sprouted and been eaten. They were delicious (and, I suspect, nutritious). I love a quick plant growing result! I probably won’t grow many more sprouts until the summer. Right now I have all my week day meals provided, and I just don’t have all that many opportunities to get through sprouts! However, once we’re in summer, and I’m making myself lunch and dinner, I’ll definitely be doing this.
- Narcissus: There doesn’t seem to be a problem (so far!) forcing this bulb! The roots are going crazy! One of the things I like about forcing bulbs is being able to watch the root development as well as the shoot development. I was worried about the closet I was using to keep the bulb in the dark (I don’t close the door as often as I should), but it doesn’t seem to be a problem. Nearly photo-worthy. Perhaps next week?
- Siam Queen Basil: There are the beginnings of shoots pushing up through the soil. Nothing definitive yet, but definitely promising!
Some questions:
- Does anyone have a favorite online source for bulbs (in the US)? What bulbs are good in pots in the spring? When do they need to go into the soil? What bulbs can be forced?
Last night Stéphanie and I hosted a dinner party together. I think we’ll do this again. The party itself was a success, with a nice mixture of people, and it was really nice not to have to do all the cooking. It was also really nice to have people (David came early and helped with the food preparation) with me in the kitchen while I cooked. I think I had the easier end of the deal: I took care of dessert and the appertizer, while Stéphanie organized the main course. Stéphanie made a delicious tomato and mushroom quiche, which she served with a simple side salad and potatoes, and I made Apple Crumble, using the usual recipe from my mother.
I ended up substituting the rolled oats in the crumble recipe with sliced almonds. I could also have used coconut as a recplacement, and I think it would have been equally good. Alan bought ice-cream with him, which is the perfect accompaniment for apple crumble, and we were lucky enough to have several bottles of excellent wine that went well with the meal. The appertizer was just cheese and crackers, but this seemed to be fine with everyone. A perfect dinner party, with a minimum of stress.
