Canned

Ages ago I needed some smoked paprika for a recipe but I could not find it anywhere, then I spotted some in Pigfinca in these lovely cans. So now I'm hooked on collecting them.

For Illustration Friday © 2008 Nicky Linzey

Slow Sunday

A couple of years ago I bought the book 'In Praise of Slow' by Carl Honoré which had a real impact on me. It's all about slowing down in our hectic world and savouring the moment rather than thinking about what you are going to do next. Making time for each other - slow food, slow cities, slow sex.

July 27th celebrates the first Slow Sunday in Britain where we are urged to bake bread and help save the planet, to garden, to walk, to paint, to read ... whatever.

Today we're going for a swim, Gray's made the bread and later I will lay the table in the garden and we'll sit and sloooowly eat a leisurely meal of home grown vegetables and enjoy a cold bottle of rosé. Who knows what will happen then! What are you doing today?

No hope!

Last weekend we cleared the bottom of our garden to create a shady area to sit in. As it has a few trees we decided to grass it over and keep it fairly wild rather than pave it. We levelled it all out and sowed the grass seed. That is where the problems began.

..

No matter how many barricades we put up, My Jack Russell can still find a way in. He hops over the wire netting or squeezes through a tiny gap, scampers over to the tree, cocks his leg & scampers back.

Then there's the blackbird - he's working so hard to feed his young that I cannot shoo him away from the seed, infact I often find him fat juicy slugs from my veg garden and leave them on the lawn where he can find them.

And yesterday I saw this little wood mouse, munching away. He always used to be eating our vegetable left-overs in the composter which we've moved to another part of the garden so I didn't have the heart to frighten him off.

Will our lawn ever grow? I don't think it stands much of a chance with this lot!

Early morning

At last some lovely warm weather - got up early to do this walk I hadn't been on for ages. It was wonderful.

Enough

Gray makes the most delicious home-made pizzas - I just can't get enough of them.

3 of my favourites here: chorizo, basil, tomato, & olive; anchovy, tomato, chilli & olive; and rocket, tomato & olive with a free range egg on top! Mmmm...

If you click on the illustration it will appear more clearly on your screen.

© 2008 Nicky Linzey. For Illustration Friday

Summer's evening walk

I love the summer, mostly because of the light evenings which give me a chance to go for a walk and see this beauty after sitting infront of my computer all day! The harbour when the tide is out.

Foggy

Even in the middle of Summer, a sea mist can roll in over the harbour and completely change the temperature to freezing cold - when only a few miles inland it's still hot and sunny.

For Illustration Friday - 'Foggy'

© Nicky Linzey 2008

Sour

I used to love buying all these sweets - sherbet fountains, love hearts, swizzle lollies, refresher chews, sour worms. I'd stand in the sweet shop clutching my pocket money savouring the moment. It took me ages to make a decision. Now I don't eat sweets, apart from Haribo star mix that is, oh and I've just had the lemon refresher chew and most of the love hearts . . . .

For Illustration Friday

© 2008 Nicky Linzey

Midsummer madness

It was a lovely day yesterday so we made a rash decision to shut down our computers and head to the beach with a picnic. It always seems more enjoyable doing something like this when you really should be working! I won't tell if you don't.