I have every intention (I know, I know, road to hell, paving, all that. . . ) of posting something more thoughtful, even substantial, one of these days. But wow! Fall is Busy!!
And we have house guests this weekend — as my GF says, we’re having a pyjama party! Her husband has organized tickets to Cirque du Soleil’s Luzia, and we’ll have a few easy meals together (pizza; coffee and muesli; something small-plates somewhere Spanish; coffee and croissant). So I’m cleaning this morning, doing laundry, and for some odd reason, making up another batch of bread. Oh, and I made up a batch of sourdough pancakes, most of which will go in the freezer for future breakfasts. . .
All of which means that the best I can do this morning is offer up a Five on Friday. Very random and domestic and quotidian, but we’re mostly good with that, right? We know it’s the underpinning and undercurrent of the more contemplative, even the more cerebral. We know that whole Mind-Body separation is a false dichotomy perpetrated by The Patriarchy, right? Just kidding. . . (defensively? am I rationalizing? Whatever. . . .)
Okay, now that the throat-clearing’s done, shall I get on with it?
1. Friday’s first Show-and-Tell item is this cardigan (above). I’ve made a bit more progress since I snapped that photo — one sleeve’s close to complete now and I’ll start the second one this weekend. My goal with this project has been to knit up the stash of leftovers I’d somehow accrued in the three years since we moved (having divested myself of a very large such stash when downsizing). Some days, I’m quite keen on the colours I plucked from my leftovers; other days I wonder if I’ll ever be energetic enough to wear this (indoors, sure, but take it outside?)
But then this ad from the British brand Toast popped up on my IG feed, and while I won’t pretend my sweater meets those lofty design standards, I do think we might share a zeitgeist. . . . Autumnal stripes are okay. . .
2. Just quickly, to show you that I have managed a bit of sketching lately. Top of my list a few weeks ago was to assemble a mini-sketch-kit; second on the list was to sketch with it, out of doors. . .
I finally managed this on a walk in Oak Bay last week. Sketched one of the impressive older homes, peering over its hedge and stone wall, surrounded by a variety of tall trees. I sat on a bench across the road, trying to get caught up in the drawing and painting and not feel too self-conscious. . . .
3. A few weeks ago, I posted a photo of the fuchsia plants on our terrace, and I mentioned that I’d just read that fuchsia berries are edible. (In the photo below, the dark berry at low centre is ripe, the one at the right edge, centre, probably won’t have time to mature now the colder days are here). I’ve since eaten a few and had the oldest grandkid and the Granddad try them as well (yes, I waited until I didn’t die before I let the Not-So-Little experiment — and she knows all the safety stuff about eating wild). And they’re good! Next year, I’ll take more advantage of them, perhaps use them to decorate cakes or enliven a salad. This has been a Public Service Announcement 😉
4. I mostly leave the kitchen to Pater these days, at least for our evening meal. But I saw a suggestion for roasted beets served with a dollop of sour cream, then topped with chives and roe, on Laura Calder’s IG feed — as she does, I roast the beets whole, drizzled in olive oil, then wrapped in foil. I usually trim the stems and root, but I liked the way she left them on — I scrubbed carefully first, of course, making sure any grit was gone, but also reminded myself that the roasting time would kill any lurking microbes.
Fish roe’s not for everyone, for a variety of reasons (expense, taste, accessibility). I like it and so does the main cook here, but I thought I could get a similar effect with Pater’s house-made tapenade (black olives, anchovies, a bit of olive oil, pulverized/blended, but not too. . . )
And instead of the sour cream, I used crème fraîche. . .
I served it with the beet greens (chopped coarsely, then sautéed in bit of olive oil in which a chopped-up garlic clove has first been lightly sautéed)
and with aLemony Mushroom Risotto made with cremini mushrooms and some gorgeous dried mushrooms a good friend brought from France when she stayed here a few weekends ago.
5. Finally, and I really need to get going — these floors aren’t going to wash themselves! — I will confess to a little fall garment-shopping. Both that burgundy-striped T-shirt (Minimum Essentials) and the olive linen jumpsuit (Seek Shelter) are recent purchases, and I’m pleased that both were bought in a local shop and they’re both made by companies that take environmental and ethical responsibility seriously — Seek Shelteris a local (Vancouver Island, BC) company; garments designed and made on the island. I love the statement on their About page that “each cut honours the architecture of the body, making space for women to move, play, and work. Huzzah!!
I’ve been looking for another jumpsuit, a bit more fitted than the one I wear through the summer. . . . I don’t do well in garments that are belted at the waist (I’m really short-waisted–plus increasingly, I’m finding that my G-E Reflux is exacerbated by confining waists) — this one has elastic gathering at the back of the waist, which gives the “bottom” some shape and is flattering enough.
PLus, can you tell it makes me feel insouciant? Always a good thing, in my book. . .
I like the way it layers withmy Strodie pullover, one of my favourite handknits ever.
A silk scarf from Club Monaco, way back. . .
The classic wool coat (Fleurette) I bought last year and expect to wear out, unless I go first. . . .
In fact, I loved wearing this wool coat last week, loved the warmth of my lined leather gloves, enjoyed popping on a beret. . . .
Not so keen on the raincoat and umbrella and rainboots I need these days, but at least I’m not in full snow gear as some of my compatriots have been already. . . .
Okay, so that’s Five this Friday. It’s been fun, lately, reading what the rest of you have been up to as you respond to that question when I’ve posed it at the end of recent posts. (Breaking News: More sharing of readers’ thoughts to be featured here soon. Watch for it!) So let me ask you again, as I head into my weekend. What’s up with you? What are you doing today or planning for the weekend? (or, of course, I’m keen to read comments otherwise connected to the post). . . .
Your turn,
Happy Weekend!
The autumnal striped cardigan will be magnificent when it's finished. I do like the word insouciant, it's so expressive and exactly how I like to feel when I'm satisfied with an outfit!
We moved three weeks ago and we're juggling priorities just now as the new house needs a good deal of updating. In spite of that, it has a lovely feeling so we're happy and will just need to be patient! Wilma
A fun post!!!
Here one can buy roasted beets at the market. In fact, finding uncooked beets can be the challenge.
I love the look of jumpsuits but am put off by the bathroom wrestling.
I love your sketch!
Glad you found some clothes that do exactly what you want them to do: make you happy and comfortable. Heading up to the mountains (molehills, if you're thinking of Whistler) for the day tomorrow. Not sure if there will be much autumnal colour this year. Had a fair amount of drought (other than the downpour the other day). Enjoy your time with friends.
Just for fun, I would wear your new t-shirt with stripes under the sweater you are knitting with black jeans and black short boots. Would also try the sweater with a silky black t-shirt under it and wear it with your black leather skirt and those wonderful beads Paul gave you (once shown with one of your opera outfits), I think. I like that mixture of the elegance of the leather skirt and the funk of the sweater.
Had a visit with my very favorite cousin over a quick breakfast today. He drove up from DC to see his mother who remarkably (soon to be 95 year old) somehow managed as a young teen, living in a small mining town in Wales, to bring herself to the attention of Harvard University from whom she received a total scholarship for her 4 year degree. She became a school psychologist for grades 1 to 6. I am proud to know him, and her,and count him among the people who mean the very, very most to me. In a world so uncertain, his decency is a beacon of hope for me; that has been so for a long time.
My sister and BIL are cooking me lobster tomorrow night as a belated birthday present. A chief reason to be in the great state of Maine- home of delicious lobsters.
A PJ party sounds like lots of fun- great plans for a week-end. You really know how to live, Frances…with such spirit and style.
A. in London
I am in AWE of how much your sketching has grown since you started. So accomplished.
Love your new sweater, fabulous colours. I once wore a jumpsuit on an airplane, never again; it was so complicated.
I have saved your risotto recipe, it’s one of our favourite dishes, and will pick up some dried mushrooms at a market to travel home
with us.
Ali
Love how that outfit comes together later after layer. And how great it will be as you reveal all the cool underlying combinations when you get where you are going. Stu says to tell you we know what we’re having for dinner when we get home and can hopefully salvage the last of our beets from the garden. XO
The striped jumper is gorgeous. Inspired colour pairing.
Fish roe is indeed an acquired taste. Here fishmongers sell thick slab-like slices of cod roe, pale-coloured, and you fry the slices. My parents loved it – it was one of my 'sitting at the table refusing to eat it' trials of childhood. Still can't face it! Tho I do like wee pearls of the expensive stuff!
Your dungarees are lovely. I do regret getting rid of a pair I had in my late teens. They were all the rage then and I would still fit them. Never have been good at keeping things which will much later be highly desirable – what about you?
In 1970 I spent a year studying in France and came home with a denim jumpsuit that was one of the very few transformative pieces of clothing I've ever owned. I felt so chic and oh so French! Perhaps it's time to try another one.
I agree with a previous poster – your sketches are awe-inspiring. And we too will be having roasted beets for supper tonight – a delicious-looking recipe.
If the rain holds off I need to get out in the garden and restore a too-flimsy trellis that toppled in the wind under the weight of the autumn clematis (luckily, the mass of tiny white flowers had all but finished.)
Enjoy your weekend.
Frances in Sidney
I concur with your comment about October being busy. I feel like I'm never going to catch up. That said, I've taken a short nap this afternoon and feel all the better for it. The riff on Laura Calder's roasted beets looks delicious, as does the risotto. I do enjoy these posts on the quotidian, as well as the deeper thoughts.
I do love your five, and think that sweater will be very appealing when winter dreariness rears its head. I tickles me to read of your beets, my favorite way of roasting beets, roots and alll. I also like sautéed beet greens, and serving them together, but I often sprinkle a little fennel pollen on the greens just as they finish cooking. It is one of my most used spies (herbs?).
I hear you on the busyness of October. Mine has been frantic and I appear not to have managed it very gracefully. Four trips and frustration over how slowly I am settling back into my house are not helping. Hope your next week is good, and you get to enjoy more sketching time (if you so desire). Thank you, as always for sharing, and lifting my spirits this morning.
Thanks, Wilma, for the encouraging comments re the cardigan. I wish you the best as you settle into your new place and sort priorities for the update. How gratifying that the space feels so good to you.
Taste of France: I've bought those cooked beets at the market — very handy!
Mary: A "molehill" would suit my hiking ambitions very well — hope you had a good day enjoying the view!
A in London: Fun styling suggestions for my cardi — thank you! Your cousin and his mother inspire. . . . and mmmmm, lobster!
Lisa: Thanks!
Ali: It's a satisfying recipe, not hard and the stirring is so meditative. For me the trick with the jumpsuit is that mine don't have sleeves — and this new one is easier to manage in difficult bathrooms (trains, planes) because the legs are slimmer. . .
Sue: By the time you read this, Stu will be out harvesting those beets and you'll have had a good sleep in your very own bed. Welcome back! (and the results will be in — cross your fingers!)
Octoer has been very busy here, too. Lots of gardening (I planted some strawberries, cleared some space to plant raspberries, and trimmed the red and black currant bushes), a short trip to see a friend and investigate some details of my mother's life, pulling the dinghy out of the water and putting it into storage for the winter, taking off the planks from our little jetty, in case there should be ice this winter (which I doubt, said Eeyore), knitting three pairs of sockes (two of which are still unfinished), and starting a new Italian course. And all this in almost perpetual rain for which I am extremely grateful, because slowly, slowly, the lake is filling up again…
I love your sketch. I could feel the sun and the breeze and smell the scents.
Linda B: The sliced codfish roe sounds like one of those acquired tastes I'm not going to work at acquiring. Salmon roe is not my cuppa either. But caviar itself, of course, and lumpfish roe. Tobiko (flying fish roe?) as in sushi, I love. . . . No, I wasn't smart enough to hang on to my old jumpsuits either (I made a couple, back in the day) nor have I hung onto anything, really, long enough for it to be desirable again. I wonder if some are still circulating, though, someone's happy Vintage find in some thriftshop or other.
Frances: Wonderful! That jumpsuit probably deserves its own essay, maybe even a short story. . . Hope you got your trellis mended in the brief respite from the rains — pelting down here today!
Lorrie: Well, your October has been particularly busy, having to accommodate Barcelona and Madrid! 😉
Mardel: Hm, now I've got to investigate fennel pollen — I don't know it at all as a spice. Thank you!
Eleonore: Your October does sound busy — and full of a variety of interesting projects. It sounds quite satisfying to me, actually.
And thank you for the kind words re the sketch.