Tuesday 7 June 2011

Elderflower, Strawberries, Piebald Mares

Oh my little pinto beans, I have neglected you. I have not read any blogs, I am another week behind on this one, have hardly tweeted on my newly set up Twitter account. But, I had an interview I was preparing for, and now that is out the way, I can write.

The Bank Holiday weekend. Black beans and rice on the Thursday night, Mexico and The Lacuna and Frida are still inspiring me. Too many parties on Friday night - goodbye drinks for a colleague at work, darling Anna's birthday party, to which I take peanut butter cupcakes, peonies wrapped in brown paper, Saipua soap, a copy of The Lacuna for her to get lost in. East London line up to Highbury and Islington, third party in Finsbury Park, housewarming. Nightbuses home, witnessing a fight in Camden opposite The Lock Tavern, police cars, torn t-shirts, glad M is with me.

Up to Norfolk, to celebrate my sister's birthday, present unwrapping and Italian food. Elderflower hunting in hedgerows, making bottles of elderflower cordial, elderflower fizz, hoping against explosions. Punnets and punnets of strawberries, all to be hulled in preparation for jam making for our WI tent at The Big Feastival. Following a caravan down twisting lanes. A visit to some friends and their chickens again, eggs, freshly laid, stuck with bits of straw. Honey from their bees in my Bircher muesli each morning, I can taste the honeycomb. The Mellis Common, prolific daisies, piebald ponies and their foals. In the garden, the ground is hard, dry, but the poppies are still blooming, petals like crumpled skirts. I take some home with me to London, peonies and roses too, put them in vases on my bedside table and dressing table, wish I had a garden.

Monday night, it rains, M and I take our brollies and head to Spuntino, no queue, because of the time, perhaps, and the weather, perch ourselves at the bar (on the 'lovers' seat we're told - a double width barstool), eat all things deep fried and delicious from enamel dishes (deep fried stuffed olives, SO mind blowingly tasty), sip at cocktails (Clover Club, wow), watch the umbrellas go by outside.
















16 comments:

  1. Wow no wonder you did't have time to post, what a busy life you have, love all the photos.

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  2. Oh my goodness me! Peanut butter cup cupcakes?

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  3. Everyone is making elderflower cordial/fizz and I really want to try. One of these years I will need to head out to the countryside to pick some. How was Spuntino for veggie food?

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  4. Busy you may have been, the resulting photos are delightful. The caravan photo is my favourite.

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  5. How I envy your country life friends!!

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  6. Lovely sounding food, beautiful pictures, and what seems like a very eventful weekend.

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  7. Everything is so beautiful about your blog Becky. Love getting lost in it! :-)

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  8. The peanut butter cupcakes went down a storm! I had to forcibly stop myself from hiding them in a cupboard so noone else could eat them. I felt a warm glow but a sense of loss at seeing them scoffed by all the party guests, kind of glad i suppressed my guilt, kind of not!

    Axxx

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  9. @ Erin - yes! yet another from the amazing Primrose Hill Bakery cookbook

    @Michelle - not bad, I'm a veggie myself and had eggplant chips, truffled egg and toast, fennel and fig pizzetta. And could have had macaroni,egg and soldiers, various salads and sides.

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  10. Sounds great, although makes me feel exhausted! Maybe the WI should organise an activity at the blognic!

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  11. Oh wow... I so shouldn't have looked at this while hungry! Is it wrong that even the flowers look appetising??

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  12. Spuntino duly added to my list, thank you Becky, as always!

    Peanut butter cupcakes look gorgeous- love the half discs on the top.

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  13. Mmmm.....I want to jump straight into your pictures.

    Did you make the beans and rice? And if so, do you have the recipe to share? Looks yum.

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  14. peonies, horses, cameras....what wonderful photos!

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