Happy Halloween

Coaxing Her Little Brother into the Pool

What follows is a conversation overheard (and overseen by my camera) at the pool this morning. I think the photos speak for themselves, though I thought I'd add a little commentary.

"Oh my gosh, it is so much fun in the pool!! You should soooo come in."
"Come on, kid, do it for me?" I'll be your best friend......"

"Get in, or else!"
And in typical big sister fashion, after exhausting every other negotiation skill at her disposal.... "Loser."

Tucson This Morning

The first thing that's so striking about the Southwest is the architecture. All these colours and textures that just wouldn't work anywhere else. Certainly not in my village back home! This was a jetlag inspired ungodly early morning walk I took this morning.


The next thing that jumps out at you (and in the case of Cholla sometimes literally!) is the plant life here. The variety seen in a 30 minute walk is truly astonishing.

Happy Husband Salmon Chowder

So, what's a girl to do? I can't just leave him to his own devices while I'm away....can I? The solution: Happy Husband Salmon Chowder. I'm guessing it should stave off the late night trips to the chippy and the pizza deliveries for at least the first 3 or 4 days that I'm gone. Hopefully, it'll keep his tummy happy as well.

This is by far my favorite and by far the mostest tastiest soup that I've come up with yet, and a perfect way to end a chilly day. It first happened entirely by accident, when I was panicky about all the food I was leaving behind when I left Seattle for Europe. I was scrambling to pack up and move out of my house and it was one of those.... so I've got a freezer chock full of food, I can't just let it all go to the compost bin, what's a girl to do sort of dilemmas.

See, the biggest bonus about having family in Alaska is that when you go for a visit you inevitably go fishing. And not just any fishing, but Kenai River Red Salmon fishing (Sockeye salmon to those of you not Alaskan). This is the kind of fishing that everybody limits out on, even if you're not really trying. See, I'm not much of a fisherman. I talk the talk, but when it comes down to it I don't really walk the walk. Sure I've got the fly rod and the hip boots and I know how to tie a constriction knot, but I don't really have the "Fishing Force" like the rest of my family. The Force is strong in those ones. Their fingers merely touch a bit of fly line and there's a fish on the end of it. Me? I just get lucky. Or else there's just that many fish in the river!

That said, it's virtually impossible to leave without at least 50 pounds of fresh fish. The upside? A freezer full of fish! The downside? A freezer full of fish and you're about to move 6,000 miles away! The downside to moving 6, 000 miles away? No more fresh Alaskan salmon in the freezer! Nevertheless, this soup is gooooood whatever you can throw at it. In a pinch, I've even used canned salmon and it's turned out just as gorgeous as the day I came up with the recipe.

Today, it was Scottish Salmon (Atlantic salmon, very much like King Salmon - a mushier, pinker meat as opposed to the Sockeye's firm red flesh) that I threw in and a variety of canned veg. To be honest, I think you could throw just about anything at this soup and it would still be delicious. This is one bona fide, genuinely infallible, indubitably foolproof everything-but-the-kitchen-sink soup.

What do you need? I'll list the essentials and then a list of optional additions.

1 cup each, carrots, celery, onion - coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic minced (or 2 tsp from a jar)
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1-2 cups water, divided
boullion cube - veg, chicken or fish flavor
2 tbsp Italian Seasoning or alternative fresh herbs (anything works!)
1 tbsp each onion and garlic powder
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/4 pound baby new potatoes
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 can corn
5 oz fresh salmon (2 small portions cut into 1 inch cubes)
1 tbsp creme fraische/sour cream


Optional :

Garbanzo beans/ chick peas
Green beans
Peas
Okra
Bell peppers
Any pulses or lentils you can think of!
Any other fish! Or crab, or mussels, or prawns all add to the flavor

It all starts with a good stock. What follows is a description of the stock I use for every soup I make. Don't panic, it's easy. I finished up my last day of work today at the country park, and within an hour of getting home, my bags were packed, my e-mails were answered, my morning train was booked and this stock was at a boil.

It starts with the big three: carrots, celery, and onions. Give 'em a good chop and throw them at the bottom of a soup pot with a bit of olive oil and some minced garlic. I totally cheat and buy the jars of pre-minced garlic. (Have you heard the skinny on garlic?) I gauge the done-ness of sauteeing the stock veg by when the onions go transparent. I've learned the hard way that if you walk away too long and the onions burn, then that's one nasty soup you've got to eat. So do, kindly, stir frequently, won't you? Add some fresh herbs! If you haven't got any, use the dried kind. I find that any good Italian mix will work wonders with this stock. Here I've got some dill, parsley, rosemary and thyme. I like to have basil and oregano around, but the greenhouse is suffering from a bad case of black fly at the mo, and this is all I could rustle up. The soup was gorgeous even without the dynamic duo.
Add a bit of onion and garlic powder, some salt and pepper and then cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. I'll often add a boullion cube (oxocube for the Brits) at this point just to add a bit of depth to the flavor, but I find that it's tasty even if I don't. This is also a good place to add about a tablespoon of flour if you're looking for a nice, thick broth. If you add the flour before the water comes to a boil, you'll never have to worry about the lumpy dumplings that can form later on.
Once you've given it a good simmer, about 15 minutes or so, you can throw the kitchen sink at it. If you're using canned food, include the juices from the can. It all adds to the flavor. Hold out on the salmon and the sour cream/creme fraische until just before serving. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour. I've managed it in less time before, but just keep in mind that the longer you simmer it the better the flavors mix.
Meanwhile, cut your salmon into one inch cubes. When you place them in the simmering soup, about 15 minutes before you're ready to serve it, they'll flake up a bit and sort of disintegrate. This is a good thing. That flavor will infuse every square inch of that soup making it the most irresistibly delicious concoction you've ever come across. Trust me. Even 4 year olds will eat their vegetables if given this soup. It's been proven in my own scientific trials. Okay, just with my own nieces and nephews - but damn, they're picky kids. (I lied to them and told them it was chicken nugget soup. Works every time.....)

Just before serving mix in the sour cream, or half and half, or just milk if that's all you got! It turns the soup a lovely orange color and adds a bit of richness to an already rich soup. Go ahead and skip it, if dairy's not your bag.
Serve with garlic bread and a hearty red wine. Voila! Happy husband (or insert significant other title here)!
post script: If this post feels a bit rushed, it's because it is! T-minus 7 hours until lift off!! Tootaloo! More from the other side of the Atlantic!

One For The Road

I'm still not sure how it all happened so fast, but my departure for America is only 3 days away! After digging around in the To-Do box, I pulled out this start on the felted Pippa bag on the cover of the Rowan book. Swoon. Sigh. It's a perfect airplane knit. Since it's felted I opted to do it garter stitch instead of stockingette as there's just that much less thinking involved.

Consider this. Thursday looks like this for me: Leave house 7:30 am to catch train to London Gatwick. Arrive Gatwick at 11:30, flight to Detroit leaves at 2:00. Arrive Detroit at some ungodly time in the morning for me though bright day time for Detroit then catch another flight to Phoenix in which I arrive at 9 pm Phoenix time (6 am GMT). Then it's a 2 hour drive back to Tucson!! So that's a good 24 hours of traveling I've got to look forward to, so any less thinking I have to do, in my view, is a good thing.

Ankle update: Looking good, looking good! Only slightly swollen and just a tinge of green to be seen. Walking now with only a slight a limp. But man, have I got a lot done since I hurt myself in the line of duty! I can't drive yet though, and the anxiety is building regarding all of the running around I need to do before I leave on Thursday. What is that they say.... where there's a will there's a way.

The Wagtail on the Roof

The view out my work space window this morning. I am completely in love with this photo!

Have you seen this? I sooooo need to start journaling again......

So, get this! You know how I've been moaning about how homesick I am? Well, I finally said sod it and I just bought a last minute ticket to the States. I leave on Thursday! Woot Woot!! It's not exactly home home, (sigh.... Seattle) but it's my parents' home in sunny Tucson. And get this! My sister's flying down from Alaska with her herd - how lucky are we that we can all just get together in Tucson on a whim!? Thanking my lucky stars.... Or as a Danish vet I once worked with always said in a singsong instead of thanks: 'Thanking You.'

Where I live: a walking tour.

I've been so homesick lately and so caught up in where I've been, I thought it was about time I showed up in my present. Time to be here now, as they say. It's time for a tour through my village....
Our tour begins out my front door. Hey! Who's that in the window?

Yup, it's the traditional Victorian semi-detached (I've always found the term semi-detached so optimistic! You're still attached to another house, just not on both sides!!) 'two up two down' style of old worker's accomodation. There's this big farm out behind our house, which I reckon was once much bigger and more productive and probably the reason the houses in this row were built, for the farmhands. But now the land is used as pasture and a portion of it as a fair grounds for the weekly car boot sale (kind of like an antique fair, but anybody can bring anything down to sell - so there are also lots of pirated DVD's and CD's and probable stolen goods as well! You drive in and set up a table stall in front of your trunk or your boot if you're British).

The rest of the week the farm is inhabited entirely by....
Donkeys! Thus our journey begins with a big hello to my donkey friend, Abner. Abner is called Abner only because Donkey Doodle Dandy is already taken. Here, you can also see scenes like this - proof that it's not only Americans who leave their cars up on blocks in the back yard!
From the donkey farm we'll walk down the lane to the centerpiece of the village, The Green and the Village Pond.

The banners are up already in anticipation of Guy Fawkes Day. Remember, remember the 5th of November.... See that big Tudor house in the background, apparently Queen Elizabeth I stayed there from 1572 to 1575. I wonder what she was doing here?

Here's the ugly duckling on the pond. More about him later......

The light was fantastic this morning.....So, we've fed the ducks our moldy bread and we're off into the center of the village where.....

you'll see things like this as you're walking through....
A few folks are showing support for England in the Rugby World Cup tonight. England v. South Africa! Go England! But, why would you want to go anywhere else?


As a girl who has spent most of her adult life living in the city, there's something I find so charming about having to clear out of the way for a tractor.

So, we've made it through to the other side of the village and we're now on Stonebridge Lane which leads us through the surrounding farmland and under believe it or not, a stone bridge! This is where I try and jog most mornings.....
The horses have got their jackets on to protect against the freezing cold nights we've been having.


Or else they've got a rider to keep them warm.Did you notice that she's on the phone?

This is where our journey ends, because it's here where our narrator was looking up at some birds flying overhead and not watching where she was walking and rolled her ankle off the edge of the pavement! This only slightly proves her husband's description of her as someone with her head in the clouds, but her feet on the ground. She took a good fall into a nice deep pool of mud, banged her shoulder and her camera up and was rolling on the ground in self pity when a nice little old lady drove by and asked if she was alright and was kind enough to offer her a lift home. A big shout out to Pam of Long Itchington, you're a peach! Thanks!

Bisbee Fridays!

Kitty in the mist.