Monday morning musings . . .

Flower of friendship!
Every year, when forget-me-nots appear . . .
around the borders, hazy blue.
My long lost friend,
I think of you . . .

These tiny flowerlets of May . . .
Take me back to yesterday . . .
and walking in my garden plot,
I hear you say . . .
Forget-me-not!
~patience strong



Oh how I love forget-me-nots . . . all pretty and dainty and . . . blue. Were I to be a young Bride in the month of May, for my bouquet I would choose lovely little blue forget-me-nots, and have daisies wound amongst my hair. Oh what a pretty thought that is!!!



Our little garden plot is full to bursting with them right at the moment, and . . . surprise of all surprises, yesterday I discovered a singular Golden Poppy, growing like a rogue beneath the spent rhodendron bush . . . what a lovely little surprise it was to see it growing there. I would have missed it completely had I not been so observant!



This new garden of ours is just chock full of secrets and surprises! Each day brings new mysteries to discover. They do say that you should not make any changes to a garden for a full year, just so that you can see what happens. I can't wait to see what pops up next!!!

I was thrilled to have sold my British Flag Pillow so quickly!! Yay! That means we are a little bit closer to being able to pay the rent in full in June! Every little helps! I did think it was rather cute. I'll have to make another one I guess! My dollies are still sitting there on their lonesome though. *sniff *sniff That one primitive Ginger one has been there ever so long though. Perhaps she is a bit too different and unusual. Nevermind, I rather love her myself, so it is not a hardship to keep her around.



I saw the cutest puppy last night. Well, I say puppy, but he is full grown now. He was a Pug/Jack Russell cross and just adorable. I think they call them Jugs. He was a lovely brindle colour and had the body of a pug, but his face was not quite so squat. He was so sweet with his adorable curled up tail and fluffy hair. It was a long longer than a pug's coat. He was so lively and loveable. I am not sure if we are quite ready for another pet though. It is a huge responsability to take on, emotionally and financially and we are just not in a place for that responsability just yet . . . one needs to be very sure before they commit themselves. Having a pet it like having a child. You need to be able to take care of them in every way. Vet bills can be very expensive, and you need to be able to spend lots of time with them.

(Note that is not a picture of the actual puppy, but one I found on the internet that looks very close to what he looked like!)

It was nice and sunny yesterday, but that cold wind was still blowing. It's still soup weather here, and after talking to my mom yesterday I reckon it's still soup weather there! Spring is here with all the lovely blossoms and flowers, but the temperatures still have not quite caught up with the flora!!! Nevermind . . . soup helps to warm up the bones doesn't it. This is a lovely soup. Substantial and filling, this is a meal in and of itself! All you need to make it complete is a lovely pud for afters.



*Leek and Bean Soup*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This soup is a complete meal in a bowl. It's really a rich and comfortable leek and potato soup with the addition of beans and toasty little cheese croutes on top. Lip smacking good and very quick to get on the table!!

1 TBS olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
2 large leeks, washed and chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into small dice
3 cups vegetable stock
4 TBS finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
410g (14 ounce) tin of borlotti beans, drained and rinsed
1 small french baguette, sliced into 8 slices
115g (about 1 cup) of sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Once it is hot, add the garlic and leeks and cook them over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until they are soft but not coloured.

Add the potato and the vegetable stock. Stir, then bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and then simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are quite tender. Remove from the heat and then puree with either a stick blender (my preferred choice) or in an electric blender or food processor. Be very careful is using this method. Only puree a small quanitity at a time. The heat causes the air inside to expand and the lid can blow off if you are not careful. I always put a tea towel on top and hold it on securely when I am using a regular blender to do this.

Return to the pan (if using the blender or food processor) and add the beans, along with half of the parsley. Heat through.

In the meantime, set the grill to high. Place the slices of bread onto the grill rack and grill on one side for about 30 seconds, or until toasted. Remove from the grill, turn over and then return to grill the other side. Once golden brown on both sides, sprinkle one side of each slice with a small portion of the grated cheddar. Return to the grill and toast until just melted. Stir the remainder of the cheese into the soup, stirring until it is melted.

Ladle the hot soup into four heated bowls. Float two cheesy croutes on top and sprinkle with the remaining parsley to serve. Delicious!



Over on The English Kitchen today, deliciously moist and tasty Butter Chicken. Scrummy good!