Staying indoors was not an option this weekend. After weeks of rain and gloom, the sun shone (albeit intermittently) and the rain ceased to fall. A tiny bit of warmth from the sun caressed our faces and we smiled.
On Saturday I spent some time in the garden, trimming bushes, yanking some weeds, and harvesting the last of the carrots I planted late last summer. There were more than I thought, and very muddy. I rinsed and scrubbed them before drying them and storing them in the fridge. We'll be having some of the smaller ones, roasted whole, with our dinner this evening. Others will go into a carrot ginger soup. We ate a few raw, crispy, crunchy, and oh, so fresh-tasting.
On Sunday afternoon we walked around Thetis Lake(s). It was cooler in the woods along the shore and I was thankful for a warm scarf and gloves.
It was very peaceful in spite of the number of people on the trail, couples, families, dog walkers, and even a few runners. Everyone wanted to be outdoors!
Water ran in rivulets and streams, trickling, gushing, racing to the lake. It pooled in shallow, moss-lined depressions. There has been so much rain recently. In places along the trail, the force of water washed away stones and gravel, leaving exposed roots and jagged rocks to cause us to watch our footsteps carefully.
I made a rich Flourless Chocolate Cake over the weekend. It's in one of Laura Calder's cookbooks, but I found a link on-line, if you would like to try it. Easy and gluten-free without all the folderol of strange flours. With it I served a blackberry and raspberry sauce with berries from the garden, frozen last summer. And softly whipped cream. I love whipped cream, and much prefer it to ice cream.
There was some sewing over the weekend, dinner with new friends, reading, and a very little bit of house-keeping. The Christmas cactus that was given to me a number of years ago by a friend has decided to bloom and is brightening up a corner of the living room.
So here we are at the start of another week. No rain, for the THIRD day in a row, but it will likely begin again this evening. I'm glad the wild storms predicted for the UK and Europe have abated. I'm off to school soon, and looking forward to another week. Next weekend Iris is bringing her parents for a visit, so I have some preparations to make for their stay.
Have a wonderful week!
