Froggy on my finger!

Remember: One must never touch the skin of a frog. Frogs breathe through their skin and if you touch, the pores can become blocked and the frog can die of suffocation.

The Golden Oriole - a very efficient alarm clock!

During the spring this lovely bird wakes me up at around 6.15 every morning. What a beautiful song.

There seems to be two different types of oriole on this video. The one we hear is the first. (It changes at 1.00) If you listen very carefully at the beginning you can also distinguish a cuckoo singing in the background.

Busy, busy, busy

We've been:

reaping what we have sown, our first radishes,

studying (and eating) our lettuce which shows the typical Fibonacci spirals,

making chickpea bread...

...and apple crumble muffins,

making bridesmaid dresses for three ladies...

organizing, classifying,

and boxing up,

and rescuing weird little men from Cucumber Palm Island!

Frogs and silkworms

Here is a photo of our first little froggy from the black tadpole type:

He loves to sit on this weed and look around. Since he has been officially a frog out of water he has gradually lost his blackness and is slowly turning brown. He's about the size of my little finger nail.

As for the silkworms, we have some cocoons already, although none of them are complete yet:

Munchy Monday #38: French bread pizza

This is what we had for supper last night. It is very easy and quick to prepare  and the ingredients are basic items which we always have in store.

You will need:
French stick loaves (half per person)
Fried tomato sauce
Tin thickly pureed tomato
Pkt. grated pizza cheese
Dried oregano

Toppings can include ham, pineapple, cooked bacon pieces, mushrooms, prawns, olives, artichoke, peppers, left over fried mince, chicken, corn... whatever you have available.

Method:
Cut the stick loaf into four equal pieces. Cut each quarter in half lengthways and spread a small amount of fried tomato sauce over each one. Then do the same with the other, thicker sauce. Shake a little oregano over the tomato and then sprinkle on some cheese. Add your chosen topping. Lay the mini pizzas on an oven tray. Grill for just a few minutes until the cheese has softened and browned slightly.

Cheese and bacon

Ham and mushroom

Eat hot, or take out for a picnic lunch with a difference. Delicious either way!

This is a fun recipe for small ones to lend a hand in preparing. Just be careful when grilling!
 

Garden update

I have been very busy with the garden, planning, weeding, planting... This year, thanks to my lovely son-in-law-to-be who cleared the land from unwanted trees and much more, I have been able to extend the planting down to the front part of the garden : )

To be able to take advantage of the first spring rains the potatoes have to be in by St. Joseph's day, also Fathers Day, which is March 19th.

I have only been 'doing' the garden for five years and every year I like to try at least one new thing. This year I have put in radish and carrots. The radish is already up but I think the carrots must have rotted as there is no sign of them.

Now, in photos, I will work down the garden from the top.

The dwarf bean patch

Spuds

The salad bar! I have here 70 lettuces, 12 plum tomato plants, 4 salad tomato plants, 12 cucumber plants (2 x 2), a row of radishes and 3 aubergine plants.

More spuds

Sunflowers and courgettes

Today I bought 50 sweet, purple onion plants (cebes de Lleida) and now I have to figure out where to put them.

Yesterday evening it rained a little, the first time since middle March. It's dry this year which means that every three days or so I have to water all this lot.

Do you plant veggies? I'd like to hear from you : )

Silk worm update

Just a photo, aren't they huge? Soon they will start weaving their cocoons. I must give them a bigger box and poke in some dry sticks for them to weave around.

The wriggling munchkins, last Saturday...

...and today, Tuesday

Munchy Monday #37: Marinated strawberries

I imagine that for many of you the strawberry season is yet to be enjoyed, but for us, it is almost over. From late February through to about the middle of May we can buy a variety which is BIG and not quite so sweet as the typical summer kind. Therefore, most people prepare them somehow. This is my favourite way of serving them.

You will need:
1 kg strawberries
3/4 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of red wine (optional, if no small children will be eating them)

Method:
Wash and hull the strawberries. Chop them into pieces and place them in a serving bowl. Add all the sugar (and wine, if you are using it) and stir well. Leave to marinate for at least half an hour, stirring occasionally. (The longer the strawberries are marinating, the more syrup will be produced.)

Tadpole update: Froggy

As they turn into little frogs we will take them to where we found the tadpoles and release them back into the wild. What a cute creature. This one is called Polly. At this stage, can you tell between male and female? Hmm... That is something I have to look into!

Tadpole update: Froglets

He is not the only one. In fact, we have three more or less at the same stage.

Just one month to go today...

Cute poem

While I was out weeding in the garden yesterday I made up this poem about Toryn, my little teddy bear, who, indeed, was sat in the apricot tree for a long time while I worked. I hope you like it. 

Ode to my Teddy Bear

My Teddy Bear

Comes with me

Everywhere.

If I'm shopping

He's there,

 If I'm cooking he's sat

Next to me

On a chair.

Then, when I'm out

In the garden 

He's there 

Watching me

From a branch

In the tree.

My Teddy Bear

Has chocolate brown eyes

Which shine

When he smiles.

And he's cuddly

From the tip

Of his nose

To his toes.

When it's time to sleep

At the end of the day

My Teddy Bear

Lays his head

At the end

Of my bed.

It's nice to know 

That my Teddy bear

Is there.