Hello My Friends,
We are fast approaching mid-August which seems so impossible to me. And the mornings are so much darker now. Getting up at 6 is becoming more and more difficult.
The garden continues to flourish. Well, the yellow beans and cucumbers that is. I did spot 3 tomatoes on our plant but they are still firmly green. And there seem to be many figs, but they don't seem to be growing larger or ripening. Oh well. Happily Rob, our neighbor across the street, said a resounding yes to beans and cukes. I went out and picked roughly 100 beans (I tend to count as I pick) for him.
I walked over to meet him in his garden (and included two cucumbers) and he told me to cut some flowers. YAY! He has gorgeous zinnias and black eyed Susans.
It was way too hot to stay outside for very long, so I hurried back with the flowers and into a cooler house.
Seeing as it's Wednesday, let's link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers for a look at knitting and reading. The past week found me adding a number of rows to Semplice, but I didn't bother with a picture since it really just looks the same. My second Simple SKYP Sock is now at the heel flap. I was working on this yesterday afternoon and should have finished the flap and heel turn, but instead I ventured into the garden and over to Rob's. I never got back to it.
Ten rows on an Eye of the Partridge heel flap. Maybe I can work on this today while Iris naps? Maybe not...
The only book I finished the last week is Our American Friend by Anna Pitoniak. Another spy type novel. This one felt a little closer to home: an unlikeable president in for a second term married to a foreigner, connections to Russia, etc. It was ok - not wonderful and it felt a bit slow to me. The pace did pick up towards the end.
A book that I have been lingering over is Bruno's Cookbook: Recipes and Traditions from a French Country Kitchen by Martin Walker and Julia Watson. Walker is, of course, the author of the Bruno, Chief of Police series. The last thing I need is yet another cookbook, but I am really enjoying this one. There are many recipes I would not make, but there are an equal number of recipes that (to moi) are mouth watering. I will be copying some of those down (or just taking a picture of the page). I'm enjoying the way the book is broken down as well: a section on The Vegetable Plot and Market, Fisherman, Hunter, Butcher, Cheesemaker and Dairyman, Baker, Forager, Winemaker. Each section begins with an essay which makes for enjoyable reading.
Once again, time for me to pour another cup of coffee and then pull some things (knitting and a book) to take with me when I go over to watch Iris in a short while. Here's hoping your Wednesday is a good one. Fingers crossed we get the forecast rain this afternoon.
Your sock is really lovely! I don't know if you'll get the rest of the heel flap knit while you're with Iris, but it will certainly get knit sometime soon. I think it's time for me to read another Bruno book and I definitely have to request the cookbook from the library after reading your thoughts. I didn't realize how dry it was here until I was taking pictures of my sock on the grass yesterday; the grass is quite crispy so I'm also hoping for rain.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the rest of that heel flap will get knit soon, whether it's today or later. That cookbook sounds like a lot of fun to flip through. With a few exceptions, I don't cook a lot of recipes from my cookbooks, but they're always enjoyable to use to cook in my imagination!
ReplyDeleteYour sock is lovely, Vera! I will be sending good vibes for a row or two while Iris naps! Your description of the Bruno cook book is just what I needed to pull the trigger and purchase the book! Thank you!! (and I am on the wait list for Our American Friend!)
ReplyDeleteI have an awfully lot of hard, green tomatoes on my vine. I hope the hot weather speeds them along, but who knows. Enjoy your time with Iris - and the socks will get done . . . eventually. XO
ReplyDeleteWhy is it that some socks seem to just take forever? In cleaning out a shelf this week, I found d a project bag with an almost finished hat so I am determined to remedy that very soon.
ReplyDeleteI have gotten a total of THREE beans from my plants lol. But I added some fertilizer and they seem to be picking up a bit so maybe I'll get some. I know I have a couple cucumbers to pick today. I looks like the lemon cucumbers are going to explode over the next couple of weeks
ReplyDeleteI love zinnias. Every year I say I am going to plant some and I never do. My grandmother's yard was filled with them. She just took packets of seeds and threw them all over the place and it was spectacular.
ReplyDeleteI spent 7 weeks working with Baby Grand on his crawling and wouldn't you know it...on his other grandmother's first day back, the little bugger crawled for her. I have to confess I had some unpleasant feels about that yesterday...lol.
Hooray for zinnias! I need a neighbor to bring me veggies in exchange for flowers!
ReplyDeletenothing like some yellow beans for dinner! The new socks are growing!
ReplyDeleteI hope you get rain soon. I love summer zinnias. I planted mine late and only have one or two flowers. Keep on with the socks. Lately I have enjoyed the Eye of Partridge heel flap pattern. Variety is the spice of life - or at least in sock knitting.
ReplyDelete