Even these neutral colours, illuminated as they are by afternoon sunshine, seem brilliant compared to today’s stormy offerings. I took these several weeks ago after noticing the rich combination of decaying fall leaves and needles against the gravel and dirt of our roads — in fact, I’ve been noticing this combo for the last few years, always meaning to, never quite managing to capture them on film. And finally I have — ta-da! This may well be a case of beauty and the beholder’s eye, but I love these browns and greys together and often copycat this in my wardrobe stylings.
Today, though, no sunshine to illuminate anything, and there’s little colour left to enhance anyway. But what we lack in colour is more than made up in drama — the wind is howling outside right now, and while it’s howling, it’s hurling cones, twigs, even branches, against my skylight to scary effect. Pater called a while ago from town where he was supposed to be catching a seaplane flight to Vancouver. Apparently, not only the four-foot waves but also the winds into which the plane had to take off were just too much, so the flight was cancelled, as he’d suspected it might be. Instead, now, he’s taking the ferry over, a much longer proposition, and the sailing will be a rough one. Cross your fingers for him that there are no further complications, as he has to fly to Toronto early tomorrow, and I like him to conserve his strength when possible!
Other than doing a two-hour run yesterday morning (and keep in mind that I do run slowly — my two hours might well be your 90 minutes or less!), taking my old sewing machine in for servicing, and getting a proposal almost completed, I spent a lazy weekend with my guy hunkered down against the wind. We kept the fire going (I just slipped out to re-fill the wood boxes in case the power goes out in these winds), read, watched Week 4 of In Treatment (have you been watching this clever HBO series featuring Gabriel Byrne as a psychoanalyst? — brilliant!), and ate very well indeed. Shall I tell you what we ate?
Friday night, I welcomed my man home after a tough work week with the smell of a pork roast, slathered in grainy mustard and rosemary — complemented by potatoes roasted alongside, the very classic cauliflower in cheese sauce (Balderson’s Extra Old Cheddar, very good!), and butternut squash roasted, then mashed with cinnamon and maple syrup.
Saturday for dinner, he outdid me by marinating two sockeye salmon fillets in a dill sauce and cooking them in the oven to moist perfection. But first he kept my late-afternoon hungries at bay with sashimi tuna slices, then with mashed avocado and shrimp (very 70s, but we’ve revived it of late — retro never tasted so good, so simple). The sockeye was served with a great salad of greens, tomatoes, and sautéed oyster mushrooms, spaghetti with homemade pesto, cauliflower blanched ’til tender then sautéed in a bit of oil and garlic. And then he grilled 6 brown turkey figs on the barbeque, plumped those down on some vanilla ice cream and drizzled it all with a Balsamic Cream sauce — yumm! all very worth staying home for.
Earlier on Saturday, I had quick-soaked some navy beans, then boiled them tender to add to the leftover pork roast along with some canned tomatoes, finely-diced carrot, molasses, mustard, and tomato paste — simmered the whole mess in the oven for quite a few hours at 350. We had some for lunch today and I’ve put the rest into freezer containers for my lunches and dinners in the next week or two. Easy and delicious! And frugal as well.
Doesn’t that sun-dappled road look inviting? Sadly, I’ll only be travelling wet and muddy ones this week, looks like. Still, let’s try to make it an adventure, shall we? At least I’ll be well-fed!
Oh, I would like to have your days as a fire enhancer. Throw them in my fireplace and watch and get warm.
Your meals sound fabulous! These days if I can sauté a trout fillet to serve with a salad, I feel as though I've triumphed.
As much as I'd love a bit of your rain, I don't envy your having to get around in it. Hope Pater gets where he's going safely and without too much trouble.
mmm…the food list sounds tasty….the fire cozy…I wonder, will you both retire to that idyllic island of yours someday?
Ha! You took my cooking mojo! Sounds fantastic, all of it. I've got a ham bone in the fridge, so I think I'm going to follow your lead and do some baked beans – a bit hot here for them right now, but I can always put them in the freezer and have them later. I hope your weather improves!
Bizarrely we seem to be having very similar weather at the moment. We too have had gale force winds plus torrential rain, hence I bought a new coat!
The only thing Emin ever cooks is bloody aubergine which quite frankly bears too much of a similarity to slugs for me!
That whole slate grey plus rich camel is a beautiful combination of colour. I thought we would see more dark camel in the shops this year but I have yet to find it as that and something in mustard is what I currently crave.
If he gets stuck in Toronto give him our number and we'll feed him! You two are making marvelous music- wait! I mean food- together.
LPC: Packaged up this way, our lives can look awfully attractive, I see — it's a useful therapy.
Pseu: He's pretty innured to travelling in bad weather, being rather used to it by now, but I reserve my right to fuss and worry.
Lordfam: We actually consider our island home to be our main residence — I'm here almost full-time and work nearby, but Pater works in Vanc'r where we have an apartment. We're hoping that retirement will mean living in the same place at the same time, but we'll probably still be back and forth between city and island — who knows!
Tiff: That's funny, 'cause your earlier posts inspired me — better guard that mojo more carefully! 😉
IndieAl: I knew you'd appreciate the colour combo! I love mustard in garments but can't wear it. Ever. Ochre, mustard, camel. Just can't do it, but I admire them as somehow very sophisticated colours.
Duchesse: You're very kind (and what's more, I know you're absolutely sincere in this offer!) — as for the food/music-making, I know that you two also know what a great bond it can be.