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| "Poodle Skirt" Dahlia |
I'm sitting in our back garden as I write this, and it's a blissful 66º F (or 19º C)! The heat has broken, at least in our part of the world. As I understand it, it's still hanging over central Europe and creeping slowly eastward, but at least it's gone from here.
Yesterday was still pretty warm, 88º F at 3:30 p.m., but that's within the realm of reason and comfort. It is summer, after all. There will be warmth.
Dave made plans for dinner last night at a French place he'd read about on Instagram. (Dave is on Instagram? I had no idea.) Anyway, I reminded him that we had fish, pre-cooked vegetables and an entire chicken in the refrigerator, all of it set to expire within a day or two -- not to mention leftovers. So he cooked the chicken yesterday and we stuck it back in the fridge, and we'll be nibbling on that for the next week. The fish and veg will be tonight. We never throw away food, but sometimes getting everything eaten requires some logistical planning!
We also have a couple of entrees in the freezer from times Dave overbought groceries. I think we ought to focus on eating everything down over the next ten days or so before our trip. Once food is in the freezer Dave forgets about it entirely, so that will be my campaign -- to remind him.
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| "Gallery Valentin" Dahlia |
Now that we've been released from the oven, I mowed the lawn yesterday afternoon and I have some trimming to do in the area of the blackberry patch. That part of the garden tends to get, well, brambly.
I also noticed several days ago that our yellow and Asiatic lilies were afflicted with scarlet lily beetle. Their larvae were all over the plants, rapidly devouring them. I dithered for a while on what to do, because you know I hate killing anything -- even garden pests. But yesterday I finally took the hose and washed off all the larvae in the middle of the lawn, where they will never be able to get back to the plants on the patio -- and I stepped on them for good measure. No more scarlet lily beetles, at least from that particular batch.
I once read about a Buddhist teacher who would say, every time he killed a mosquito or some other pesky insect that it was necessary to kill, "Better luck next time." Despite my Buddhist training I don't think there really is a next time -- I think these insects are living their one precious life. But as my Zen teacher taught me, killing is unavoidable. We kill every time we take a step. It's the way of the world. All we can do is minimize our harm.
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| "Bishop's Children" Dahlia |
I started a book by Australian author Tim Winton called "Juice" that I picked up a couple of years ago at a bookstore. (Although I got my public library card this week, I'm still working on my own reading pile!) From what I can tell so far, it's a survival tale about life in a post-apocalyptic Australia -- kind of like "The Road" transplanted Down Under. I've liked Winton's other books and this one seems promising.
Oh, and we did go to Dave's French restaurant last night. We thought it was just OK.
the first flower shot shows a delicious colour...seeing the light through the petals
ReplyDeleteI tried to photograph it from a different angle for just that reason, and to catch the sun through that water droplet.
DeleteLucky you - 19C sounds heavenly right now! I'm fine with summer sun and warmth, but once it gets past 30C and especially when it does not cool off over night, I reach my personal limit and feel half brain-damaged most of the time.
ReplyDeleteWe're expecting the drop from 37C today to 27C tomorrow, and the thought of that has kept me going for the past three days :-)
Yes, killing is unavoidable in the circle of life and to keep ecological systems going. Animals do it, plants do it (in their own way). But it doesn't mean we like it, or have to do it deliberately.
"Brain-damaged" is a good way to put it. That's exactly how I felt, too. Like I was mentally altered!
DeleteThe lily beetle is so striking, staying one's hand over killing it's larvae is compassion, even though you did stamp on them in the end. It is cool now, and it seems next week it will rain a lot of the time in Tod.
ReplyDeleteI have to show compassion for my lilies, too!
DeleteIt was still 28 most of yesterday here, so still no gardening, and no rain, everywhere is parched again, I do water pots and edibles.
ReplyDeleteWe've had rain here and there but we do a lot of watering too.
DeleteI applaud your use of the term "brambly" to describe your bramble patch. And food in freezers? It could stay there for years. There's always the obstacle of defrosting as well as the "out of sight out of mind" phenomenon.
ReplyDeleteI thought you'd appreciate "brambly." LOL! I'm still not calling them "brambles," though.
DeleteI suppose you've already read Winton's book Cloudstreet. I read another of his books but I can't remember which one. After finding myself suddenly being Household Management a couple of years ago, I now have to work out the food in the fridge. I've had to learn to ask to be shown what is leftovers and available for me to eat.
ReplyDeleteYes, I loved "Cloudstreet," "Dirt Music" and "Breath." So this is my fourth Winton.
DeleteOoh, 66 sounds like heaven. We’re heading for over 100 again today and tomorrow and... You have such a way with words. Imagine. Brambly brambles! It’s poetic. The flower photos are wonderful. Apologies to the larvae, but not sorry! (Sorry.)
ReplyDeleteHa! Well, that's specifically WHY I didn't call them brambles -- so as not to be redundant. :)
Deletehello there. You have a distinctive weather. well, Indonesia has a tropical climate with two seasons
ReplyDeleteFYI,Indonesia uses the Celsius (°C) temperature scale because it follows the International System of Units (SI), the global standard used by most countries. Fahrenheit (°F) is used mainly in the United States and a few other places, so Indonesia has no practical reason to adopt it..
I still think of everything in Fahrenheit, the system I grew up with, but I try to express temperatures both ways for readers all over the world.
DeleteWe're about to embark on a heatwave next week so I'm walking now, to enjoy while I can. Since I joined the xerces society I'm much more tolerant of insects of all kinds. Even if they're biting holes in my flowers.
ReplyDeleteWalking in the morning is the key to successful walking in summer. Get out there early! :)
DeleteSometimes you don't want to eat down the fridge and you just have to. Use it or lose it and it's too expensive to lose. Cooking up the chicken seems smart -- at least you can have cool chicken meals during this heatwave!
ReplyDeleteYeah, at some point it makes no sense to buy more food when you've got a ton of it on hand. Stuff keeps in a freezer but I'm always afraid of the power going out and losing it all. (This is part of my Florida upbringing.)
DeleteDave and I have the same problem when it comes to the freezer. Once I put it in there, it gets buried and I forget about it! Glad you have cooler weather again.
ReplyDeleteIt pays to "excavate" the freezer frequently!
DeleteOur heatwave is this week but we have AC as do nearly all businesses so ... in the words of Gloria Gaynor ... we will survive.
ReplyDeleteThat song is applicable to many situations in life. LOL
DeleteWe are smashing spotted lantern flies as fast as we can, an aggressive invasive species with few natural predators to keep it balance.
ReplyDeleteYeah, thank goodness we don't have those here, though they are pretty.
DeleteWe are counting down the hours to the promised break in the heat - for now.
ReplyDeleteYou've got another retirement job now it seems. Keeping a tab on food stocks.
I onced stayed at a Buddhist retreat in France where the shower room was inundated by ants and we tried multiple ways to reroute them to avoid hurting them until a smiling Buddhist nun walked in, put on the hot shower and washed the bodies down the drain.
Ha! That's a very Buddhist way to handle the problem, actually. Buddhists practice compassion but they're also very practical. (At least from my experience.)
DeleteGlad to hear you are getting a break from the heat. We don't throw food away either. If there's not enough for leftovers it goes in a container in the freezer for soup. I will trap bees and wasps and beetles that make it into the house and release them outside but ants and mosquitos and flys are not so lucky. They need to stay outside where they belong.
ReplyDeleteYeah, when I go back to Florida, I never have any qualms about smashing a mosquito. There are just too many of them. I do liberate flies.
DeleteThere are some bugs that one has to kill.
ReplyDeleteI like those bright flowers - thanks for sharing!
Yeah, there's just no compassionate alternative with these lily beetles, unless I just put them on a neighbor's lilies -- which would hardly be very neighborly!
DeleteGood to hear the heat has let up. Lots of pretty blooms!
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to be at the time of year when all the garden work "pays off."
DeleteSo glad London is finally cooling off a bit. Blessed relief.
ReplyDeleteAn FYI on having a stocked freezer given you are soon going away, you might try a trick I have used to ensure frozen things stay(ed) frozen as I have needed it since our area is prone to losing power. If you aren't aware of a prolonged power loss things can thaw and refreeze without your knowledge (and lead to food poisoning). To avoid this situation I keep a mug with water in the freezer. Once it is solid ice, I place a coin on top of the ice. If, when I return, the coin has sunk to the bottom of the mug, I know I have to throw away the contents of the freezer (as I have had to do more than once). You might not have to deal with frequent power losses in London--though another heat wave might easily zap the grid--but this is a simple way to make sure your frozen food stayed frozen while you were away.
Have a great time on your cruise.
Oh, that's a clever solution! We don't have to worry about power outages here -- if they happen they are always very short. But when I lived in Florida they could be a problem, especially after storms. My stepmother used to keep a freezer in her guest house stuffed with frozen steaks, and I told her that it was risky for just the reason you mentioned. She gradually emptied it out, but I wish we'd thought of your mug idea!
DeleteLily beetles are such attractive beings, but so destructive. I used to put them in the pond for the fish. I don't know whether the fish appreciated them.
ReplyDeleteYeah, would a fish eat a lily beetle? I have no idea! They ARE pretty -- it's a shame they're so terrible.
DeleteThe newly arrived cool weather is such a great relief for all.
ReplyDeleteMy freezer is full too. Everything will be used in good time. Like you, my policy is no waste and if we do not eat everything, the wildlife will get a treat.
French restaurants can be disappointing. I often feel the food is too rich.
That's part of the appeal of French food, but I agree -- it's not really the way I like to eat. (Dave is the real French food aficionado.)
DeleteNothing feels quite as good as cleaning out the refrigerator. And freezer! I just finished up some soup and sorry, but I'm about to compost some salad I made last week. I ate it about four times and that was ENOUGH! It's not Glen's type of salad.
ReplyDeleteOne of the best things about chickens is that they happily ate up almost any scraps you threw their way. It made getting rid of things so much easier and more guilt free.
So glad your heat broke. I imagine ours will too, probably in October.
Well, at least you can compost the salad so it will go toward something beneficial -- your garden. Here our local government composts food scraps, but we don't get the resulting compost. (In fact I have no idea where it goes.)
DeleteGlad to hear you're enjoying the book. My friend who read it said she kept picturing Mad Max, even though it was kinder and gentler than that. "Better luck next time" made me laugh!
ReplyDeleteIt IS very "Mad Max"!
DeleteManaging food menus is a challenge.
ReplyDeleteDave usually handles all that, but occasionally I have to speak up if he's buying something unnecessary!
DeleteWise idea to eat things down before your trip. I haven't read a single book by Tim Winton, and don't want to add to the pile of unread stuff I already have. But I made a note of the title. Your dahlias are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI think he's a really good writer, and as an Australian you'd probably appreciate a lot of the history and culture even more than I did.
DeleteI am all over being quite diligent with leftovers, although it does tend therefore to be ME who has to take the leftovers to work because even if I remind, sometimes other household members "don't feel like that" when they have to graze in the fridge! Enjoy the cooler weather - its midwinter here and 22 celcius at 3pm - bit cool :D
ReplyDeleteYeah, I often wind up being the person who has to eat the leftovers, too. :/
DeleteSomewhere during the 43 hours of traveling that I did on my way back home, I heard about the "oven" in your part of the world. Global warming at it's finest I guess. Although I spent a fair amount of time in the lowlands of the Philippines which was plenty warm, the bulk of my time was spent in the mountains where the temperature varies between 68 and 74 most days. I know I'm in for a rude awakening now that I'm back home with mid 90's in the forecast every day this week.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea the Philippines could be so cool, even in the mountains!
DeleteI'm glad to hear that it's cooling down. I love high 60s! We're around there or low 70s and it can stay that way forever as I'm concerned. I'm sure many Washingtonians are complaining about the grayish (partly cloudy) skies and talking about Juneuary though! Leftovers never sound that appetizing to me but I also hate waste!
ReplyDelete"Juneuary" -- ha! I can tolerate some clouds if the temperature is right.
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