The lovely Juniper Moon Farm has a new issue of By Hand, readable online. Rhubarb compote!
And, as if that wasn´t enough, they have new lamb pics too. This year´s naming convention is Downton Abbey - meet Bates.
Friday, March 22, 2013
By Hand Magazine
The lovely Juniper Moon Farm has a new issue of By Hand, readable online. Rhubarb compote!
And, as if that wasn´t enough, they have new lamb pics too. This year´s naming convention is Downton Abbey - meet Bates.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Happy Saint Patrick´s Day
Another fine food blog.
Farmette - Married an Irish Farmer.
Comforting Roast Chicken
Farmette - Married an Irish Farmer.
Smoked Irish Oat Crumble
Friday, March 15, 2013
Spring springing
Just some shots from the park where I walk my imaginary dog most mornings. The rains have turned warm and spring is definitely on the way.
Grass is greening.
An abandoned chapel (or something) in the Civil Cemetery.
Very wet going in the park.
Some trees blooming. I don´t know what they are, no fruit, so I´ll call them redbuds.
I´m a little surprised that birches do so well in Madrid. And just read you can tap birches for syrup like maples.
The great wall of the Almudena Cemetery.
I like this skylight - wonder if one could be put on a chicken coop.
Galicia isn´t the only place where things turn green!
Grass is greening.
An abandoned chapel (or something) in the Civil Cemetery.
Very wet going in the park.
Some trees blooming. I don´t know what they are, no fruit, so I´ll call them redbuds.
I´m a little surprised that birches do so well in Madrid. And just read you can tap birches for syrup like maples.
The great wall of the Almudena Cemetery.
I like this skylight - wonder if one could be put on a chicken coop.
Galicia isn´t the only place where things turn green!
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Museo Sorolla
The museum is his 1910 house, surrounded by a lovely courtyard garden.
The museum is quite small, but the house is lovely with beautiful furnishings and decorative pieces of porcelain and sculpture. Getting in is a little confusing, you have to go through the garden, past the pergola and downstairs to get an entrance ticket, then go outside again and upstairs to start your visit.
Joaquín Sorolla (1863-1920) was a very successful Valencian painter. His early academic and historical work eventually gave way to a freer style with brilliant brushwork that deftly captures his fascination with sunlight.
The museum has a current exhibition of his paintings of his patio garden called Jardines de Luz or Gardens of Light, until May.
My favorite? Hard to choose, but this one is a symphony in not-white. Simply. brilliant.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Vines
Even though we have a ton of work ahead of us to rehabilitate the walls with cleaning and repointing, frankly I´m already imagining what they´ll look like with some vines.
There´s just something about vines on stone - newly renovated structures always look a little too pristine and ¨new¨ to me.
On the other hand, or builder, when asked about an arbor, sucked his teeth and shook his head and dismissed it as an invitation to bugs and moisture and directed me to put vines on the barn.
But there are so many tempting possibilities. The classics -
Ivy (insulating, bee/butterfly attractor, vigorous, invasive, maintenance)
Virginia Creeper (shading, bird attractor, fall color, medicinal, vigorous, invasive, maintenance)
Source
Climbing hydrangea (shade tolerant, medicinal, fall color, low maintenance)
Roses (fragrant, edible, medicinal, requires structure, maintenance)
source
The most romantic - Wisteria (nitrogen fixing, vigorous, invasive, high maintenance)
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Or perhaps something practical and edible
Grapes (edible, shade, requires structure, maintenance)
Source: weheartit.com via Coco on Pinterest
Morning Glory(shading/screening, medicinal, self seeding, requires structure, invasive)
The most romantic - Wisteria (nitrogen fixing, vigorous, invasive, high maintenance)
Or perhaps something practical and edible
Grapes (edible, shade, requires structure, maintenance)
Passonfruit (edible, shade, requires structure, vigorous, invasive, maintenance, frost tender)
Kiwi (edible, shade, requires structure, vigorous, invasive, maintenance)
Hops (edible, fragrant, medicinal, requires structure, vigorous)
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Sunday, March 3, 2013
House Update
We have a roof!
Roof is now mostly tiled, just a few ridge caps left to be placed. The two chimneys look great, one for the living room woodstove and the other for the kitchen range and evental range hood.
The constant rain has left the interior very,very green, though the outside seems to be drying off. Overall we´re thrilled.
Now, we have some budgetary and logistical challenges to confront. The builder recommends pressure washing and repointing the stone, first outside and then inside before tackling the windows and doors, electrical and plumbing. He gave us a rough estimate of 25€/m2 and there are a lot of m2 of stone. Approximately 7000€ worth. Yikes. We can only get up there for occasional long weekends, and of course the surface won´t stay clean for long after pressure washing.
Also, he recommended doing the pressure washing and repointing before installing the windows (whch we got second hand from a guy in Lugo who had replaced his with aluminum clad double glazed units.) The carpenter is very impressed with the Douglas Fir windows and, while he can reuse some parts of the frames that came with the windows, recommends framing in the same wood. Apparently, Douglas Fir is highly desirable, better than chestnut or oak, and wildly expensive over here. Around 30% more €€€ for frames and installation.
So we may be looking at an extended pause while we figure out a way to proceed. So frustrating.
Coming along isn´t it?
Roof is now mostly tiled, just a few ridge caps left to be placed. The two chimneys look great, one for the living room woodstove and the other for the kitchen range and evental range hood.
The constant rain has left the interior very,very green, though the outside seems to be drying off. Overall we´re thrilled.
Now, we have some budgetary and logistical challenges to confront. The builder recommends pressure washing and repointing the stone, first outside and then inside before tackling the windows and doors, electrical and plumbing. He gave us a rough estimate of 25€/m2 and there are a lot of m2 of stone. Approximately 7000€ worth. Yikes. We can only get up there for occasional long weekends, and of course the surface won´t stay clean for long after pressure washing.
Also, he recommended doing the pressure washing and repointing before installing the windows (whch we got second hand from a guy in Lugo who had replaced his with aluminum clad double glazed units.) The carpenter is very impressed with the Douglas Fir windows and, while he can reuse some parts of the frames that came with the windows, recommends framing in the same wood. Apparently, Douglas Fir is highly desirable, better than chestnut or oak, and wildly expensive over here. Around 30% more €€€ for frames and installation.
So we may be looking at an extended pause while we figure out a way to proceed. So frustrating.
Coming along isn´t it?
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