03 June 2021

bear with me

It's very late at night or early in the morning, take your pick, and I am sitting here with the whole interwebs because my digestive system is in crampy and colicky disarray. I am so used to it, you have no idea. I know it will take between four and six hours since my last bite and we are almost there. Also, the messaging app from the insurance keeps bleeping about heavy rain and thunder to come.

So far, I have watched the last episode of Mare of Easttown and I did cry a little bit. I recommend this series to all, you may not cry. Then I watched The Mauritanian which is pretty much as expected when you have read the book. In between, I edited some boring stuff on end-stage liver disease. You know the drill, surely, alcohol is No Good. The liver is the diva of our organs. One glass of bubbly and all else falls to the wayside. Sorry, if this sounds disrespectful of divas. Not all divas are into drink the way the liver is.

It's summer, I am serious! After a cold and wet spring, at last. We have been told by those who have the authority, including my father, that this year's spring was close to what a normal spring used to be before climate change, we had forgotten or rather, we got so used to early heat waves and drought by mid May.

Look, clustering iris with buttercups at their feet:

and fancy clematis:



So all is gorgeously pleasant, we are picking strawberries for breakfast and pull up those cute little red radish for dinner and so on. The spuds and the brassica are coming along nicely:

white and purple allium this year:


 incredibly interesting fact:


 this quote describes my current state of mind.

I think of my brain as a dog whose owner is asked politely to leave obedience school because the dog is hopeless and is causing problems for the other dogs.

 Evie Ebert

Yesterday, we received an elaborately cooled parcel by post all the way from the coast near Huelva in Spain containing two kilos of freshly picked blueberries, fat and round and deepest purple-blue deliciousness. I put half in the freezer and the other half is sitting in the fridge, from where R has been gulping handfuls. This evening I prepared a pile of last year's almonds (soak in hot water and slip off the skin) and ground them up so that by tomorrow, once my intestine cramps have gone, I can make Ottolenghi's blueberry, lemon and almond cake. Because, tomorrow is that other holy Thursday, corpus christi, when all is shut and so on. Actually, it's already tomorrow. I can smell some rain.


9 comments:

molly said...

So, Lindt chocolate is good for the brain? I knew it! And look at that - Germany and Ireland are neck and neck. The Blueberry cake sounds worth a try as I have all the ingredients on hand. If you're going to be in pain (I wish you were not) it is comforting to at least be surrounded by a beautiful and bountiful garden, warm weather and beauty. Happy summer Sabine...

am said...

Definitely another case of one thing leading to another. I'm right there with the wonder dog's stream of consciousness leading to the enjoyment of a homemade blueberry, lemon and almond cake. Who needs obedience school, anyway?

Pixie said...

I'm sorry your tummy is giving you trouble but on the upside, I get to see lovely photos of your garden because of it.

I hate end stage liver disease. I've taken care of way too many patients with it and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. My dad died of idiopathic cirrhosis and it was awful. The hepatic enchephalopathy is the worst I think.

Apparently I need to up my chocolate consumption significantly:)

And my poor brain is much the same as that quote. It does as it pleases and drags me along for the ride. Probably about the time I finally do figure out how to settle my brain and become calm and peaceful, it will be time for me to shuffle off this mortal coil.

Enjoy your cake and your corpus christi.

Steve Reed said...

Beautiful irises! I haven't watched the Mare of Easttown or The Mauritanian yet, but both are on our list! We have that same pink clematis.

Ms. Moon said...

Oh, Sabine! To not be able to sleep is the worst. I love these pictures but I wish you had been sleeping instead of posting. I hope you got rain. I hope there is cake today.

Colette said...

Thanks for all you gave us in this post. I will be watching both shows, and making Ottolenghi's blueberry, lemon and almond cake. And the irises! I can't grow bearded iris down here, and I miss them. I hope you're feeling better.

Anonymous said...

I hope you are feeling better, Sabine. and that the weather is still good and the garden abundantly beautiful and that the cake was delicious.
I've seen many good reviews of Mare of Easttown. I'm going to have to see if we can stream it here.
Take care there.

37paddington said...

I hope by now you are well again, Sabine. Your culinary foray sounds absolutely divine, I hope you will share photos of the result. I plan to watch Mare of Easttown, I too have heard good reviews.

ellen abbott said...

well apparently we Americans aren't eating enough chocolate. love the picture of the irises and buttercups. I don't have any of the bearded iris. it's blueberry time here too. I need to go to Costco and stock up. last year I went to a pick your own place with a friend but it's so rainy, muddy, and mosquitoey that I'm not tempted.