July ...ing












A bit later than usual, here my monthly round-up of happenings

Eating fresh produce from our garden. The artichokes are very prolific this year, and there is masses of salad and berries and the first courgettes are ready, too. I noticed little gherkins growing on my porch cucumber plants, exciting. I might move these outside as it is very warm 

Cooking chanterelle risotto. We have a friend (let's call him the mushroom man) who regularly supplies us with freshly picked chanterelle mushrooms. The season has started and we received a large bag full, complete with moss and grass from the forest floor. 

Making  pesto with my home grown basil. I also made a few small bottles of elderflower squash 

Reading several books at once. My favourite so far this month is "How we disappeared" by Jing-Jing Lee.

Celebrating my University Teaching Excellence Award (for individual excellence!). I am really happy about this award, it means a lot. It comes with a small honorarium, so maybe I'll finally buy a new sewing machine.

Trying (and failing) to conquer the laundry mountain

Buying clothes and trainers for James and Alistair. I don't know how they do it but they do wreck trainers and garments very quickly, faster than they outgrow them. 

Quilting my Lucy's Terrace Quilt. This has been waiting for 6 months and I decided to get it done before starting something new. I am machine quilting, it is hard on the wrist but quick. 

Cutting out a black floral viscose crepe fabric for the short version of the Sylvia robe. 

Wanting to sew a tank top but not with any of the jersey cottons I have. By the time I make up my mind it is probably winter

Thinking of Sam who started his one year paid internship this week. Moving to a new city and starting a new job is not easy.

Kicking myself for buying a parasol that does not tilt (it works ok during the warmest hours of the day)

Searching in vain for wild raspberries in the woods but there is just too much Himalayan Balsam choking native plant growth. I pull some up every time I walk past a patch but it is a battle lost. I noticed that somebody has burned off patches Japanese knotweed along the river. At least I am not the only one who cares!

Enjoying the amazing weather we've had. It is proper summer and our bifold doors are open all day long. Jack likes baking in the sun.

Enjoying the company of new and old friends. The good weather is excellent for socialising safely outdoors. 

Spotting a flock of long tailed tits in the garden. This is a first and I am really excited about it. I also noticed a single Common Spotted Orchid along the canal when jogging along at a leisurely pace. I hope my identification is correct!

Realising that I get an extra day off work at the end of my holiday. I forget Glasgow Fair Monday every year. 

Thanks for visiting 🙂


Comments

  1. Sounds like you are enjoy...ing Summer! Well done by Sam, you must be so proud. And growing boys, well I had two of them. Little Buddy grows like a snail and can't wear regular tennis shoes or trainers because he ruins them in 3 weeks. He is a Croc boy, well that is until he realizes they aren't the coolest.

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  2. Wonderful! I've especially enjoyed the images of your fresh produce. I didn't get around to collecting raspberries this year, so I'm not sure there will be any left now.
    Sleepy Jack looks very content :)

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  3. Well done for the Excellence award - good that it comes with a financial bonus too. You basil is clearly more successful than mine which seems to being eaten by som insect. Sun now blazing down here too - we Celtic fair-skinned types are not so keen on this heat. Have a good week! X Doris

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  4. Congratulations on the excellence award, so nice that all your hard work is rewarded. The temperature has gone up a little here but we are not getting the amazing temperatures the mainland is getting. Plenty of rain here too...I am not going to complain. Wonderful to see the garden produce, another reward for all the hard work.

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  5. Congratulations on your award, that's a great achievement and I know it is really well deserved, I can tell how much time and effort you put into your job. I was just thinking about writing in my next blog post about wild raspberries, I don't believe I have ever seen a single one, and yet everyone else seems to come across them. The quilt is looking lovely, you have reminded me how much I love quilts. My youngest is a wrecker of trainers and clothes as well. He is famed in this house for getting through so many pairs of shoes. Hope you have a good week. CJ xx

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  6. Well done to you and good luck to your boy. The birthday cake and pesto look delicious. I'm scrolling quickly past those mushrooms, though, otherwise nightmares.

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  7. Great news on your award Christina and good luck to Sam with his internship, you must be so proud of your kids.
    Have a good week and enjoy the good weather whenever you can x

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  8. Best wishes nad cong on the award, greetings from Anna

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  9. Congratulations on your award. Your hard work paying off and appreciated!

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  10. Congrats on the Teaching Excellence Award, Christina, as we all know you put in much hard work and glad it was recognized and how nice that it includes a cash award as well. What great looking pesto and how nice that the basil was so abundant in your garden. The risotto sounds as wonderful as those mushrooms look, but that cake made me want some dessert tonight after dinner. Just caught up oh your previous post vacation post and sounds like a great getaway and how nice to get an extra day at the end too!

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  11. Congratulations on the award. That's fantastic. Love your photos and descriptions. I have been picking blackberries at the cabin, too. It is so satisfying to grow them at home.

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  12. Just catching up with your blog. Love the sound of your camping holiday and well done on a much deserved excellence award. The mushroom risotto sounds delicious and I’ve added mushrooms to my shopping list. Probably not exotic ones like yours. Good luck on your sewing. B x

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  13. Christina you sure are busy in all you do. Mushroom risotto yum. Excellent teacher congratulations and *hugs* like Teresa used to do ❤ Delta a concern over here and we are vaccinated but can still catch. Take care xo

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  14. Congratulations on your award!

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  15. I love a homemade pesto. Loving your ...ing post, photos and news. Looking forward to seeing your quilt. I had a quilt finish a few weeks ago and will find some pictures soon. Jo x

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Thank you for visiting and leaving a comment, I love to hear from you, I really do. I sometimes reply by email but I am not all that reliable... Christina xx

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