Staying indoors was not an option this weekend. After weeks of rain and gloom, the sun shone (albeit intermittently) and the rain ceased to fall. A tiny bit of warmth from the sun caressed our faces and we smiled.
On Saturday I spent some time in the garden, trimming bushes, yanking some weeds, and harvesting the last of the carrots I planted late last summer. There were more than I thought, and very muddy. I rinsed and scrubbed them before drying them and storing them in the fridge. We'll be having some of the smaller ones, roasted whole, with our dinner this evening. Others will go into a carrot ginger soup. We ate a few raw, crispy, crunchy, and oh, so fresh-tasting.
On Sunday afternoon we walked around Thetis Lake(s). It was cooler in the woods along the shore and I was thankful for a warm scarf and gloves.
It was very peaceful in spite of the number of people on the trail, couples, families, dog walkers, and even a few runners. Everyone wanted to be outdoors!
Water ran in rivulets and streams, trickling, gushing, racing to the lake. It pooled in shallow, moss-lined depressions. There has been so much rain recently. In places along the trail, the force of water washed away stones and gravel, leaving exposed roots and jagged rocks to cause us to watch our footsteps carefully.
I made a rich Flourless Chocolate Cake over the weekend. It's in one of Laura Calder's cookbooks, but I found a link on-line, if you would like to try it. Easy and gluten-free without all the folderol of strange flours. With it I served a blackberry and raspberry sauce with berries from the garden, frozen last summer. And softly whipped cream. I love whipped cream, and much prefer it to ice cream.
There was some sewing over the weekend, dinner with new friends, reading, and a very little bit of house-keeping. The Christmas cactus that was given to me a number of years ago by a friend has decided to bloom and is brightening up a corner of the living room.
So here we are at the start of another week. No rain, for the THIRD day in a row, but it will likely begin again this evening. I'm glad the wild storms predicted for the UK and Europe have abated. I'm off to school soon, and looking forward to another week. Next weekend Iris is bringing her parents for a visit, so I have some preparations to make for their stay.
Have a wonderful week!
How wonderful to have no rain for three days! We havent had a day without it for weeks, and with the high winds of Storm Ciara we are feeling very blown away.
ReplyDeleteYour first photo reminded me of a beautiful piece of embellished needlework.
Beautiful place to live, and I think I 'll try to make that cake, looked tasty.
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ReplyDeleteOh my! Walking outside in milder weather seems so delightful.
ReplyDeleteOh pleasant week ahead as you prepare for weekend guests. Iris is growing so fast.
ReplyDeleteWhen the sun does come out it is impossible to stay inside for sure.
ReplyDeleteYour cake looks yummy. What pretty outdoor pictures.
I'm salivating over the flourless cake! YUM!
ReplyDeleteHow glorious to have three days in a row without rain! Lovely! I'm not sure which is more appealing . . . your bounty of fresh carrots, or that yummy chocolate cake with berries and whipped cream.
ReplyDeleteHarvesting carrots in February...your climate sounds lovely!
ReplyDeleteIn general, I prefer ice cream to whipped cream but your photo was so tempting that now I really would like a piece of chocolate cake with softly whipped cream.
Wishing you sunny winter (or spring?) days!
The carrots were a delight to see and wonderful that you were able to harvest them at this time of year. The cake looked yummy too... Whilst the storm has abated we are still struggling with high winds and rain and feel blessed that we have no real damage.
ReplyDeleteOh Lorrie, your photos of anything and everything always draw me in! Those carrots, what a gift from your garden, and then the torte with the frozen berries and softly whipped cream, how I wish I had a slice. Happy Valentine’s week to you and Tim! ❤️
ReplyDeleteIt certainly was lovely seeing that sunshine!
ReplyDeleteThe cake looks and sounds delicious.
And what a bountiful harvest of carrots...so amazing to be able to enjoy them in soup and I love roasted veggies.
Thank you for sharing such pretty pictures with us.
Let’s hope for more sunshine ☀️
When you start counting the days with no rain you know it has rained a lot. Glad you got out into the sunshine and were refreshed. That dessert looks yummy!
ReplyDeleteI admire anyone who can grow carrots like that... in the ground. Well, I guess that's where everybody grows them. duh.
ReplyDeleteAnd, Laura Calder.. just love her and hate that she is no longer cooking for tv. That was one food show I would faithfully watch. I just wish they'd take that Guy F... what's his name off. They've over done him. And, like a good steak... if you cook it overdone, it 'ain't' worth a thing. (grin)
Hi Lorrie,
ReplyDeleteYou all have some really good places to walk where you live! The lake is very pretty. :) Yes, we've had weeks and months of rain here. I feel positively waterlogged. :>( I'm thankful we haven't had the storms they've had in Europe this past week; I feel so bad for the people there.
Your flourless chocolate cake looks delicious, Lorrie! I'm sure you and your hubby enjoyed it very much. Have a great week, my friend.
Hugs,
Denise
It is quite amazing that you can harvest carrots in February! I'm sure they taste divine. Your lake photos are so beautiful and I wish you'll have more pleasant weather. We had sun too today, yesterday a rainy storm. Wishing you a lovely week Lorrie.
ReplyDeleteIt is a lovely time to see folks outdoors in the sun after a rainy spell.
ReplyDeleteThe cake looks wonderful.
Lorrie - Northwest Montana can be fairly gray in the winter, so when the sun comes out, it is always a bit of a (pleasant) shock. I am particularly struck by the intense warmth of its rays, and find myself shedding layers!
ReplyDeleteHow blessed you are to have a supply of fresh carrots in the depth of winter. But I can easily say I would choose the cake first! Enjoy the rest of your week!
Isn't that a perfect little world in your first picture! I wish I could just touch it very gently. And those carrots! We've never grown them so I'm impressed that they're so straight and pretty. I haven't fixed a ginger carrot soup in years, even posted about it years ago and then forgot to make it again. I must dig out my recipe. I can taste your cake because I did make one like that a year ago and I still remember the wonderful dense texture. But your sauce on it would be perfect. And absolutely, whipped cream instead of ice cream!
ReplyDeleteI don't think you've ever posted about a dish you made that didn't look wonderful to me!
Sounds like the perfect weekend. Beautiful walk, vegetable harvesting and cakes baking. Glad the weather has improved a little for you. We’re hoping to get out for a walk today before the storms return at the end of the week. Happy days:). B x
ReplyDeleteHello Lorri. I seem to spend more time on IG than here at the blog and I am thinking that I should be more faithful to my blogs where the details are rich and colorful, such as you carrots nicely balanced with a rich dessert with beautiful landscapes. Lovely post. Seems that spring comes early for you.
ReplyDeleteDear Lorrie,
ReplyDeleteThat is a fine crop of carrots. And to think that they have survived the worst of the weather.
How gratifying it must be to garden in your climate.
It really does feel great to get outside. It was warm here today but we hiked and the breeze made it nice. And guess what....my Christmas cactus is blooming right now too! lol I guess we both got the Valentines cactus! Hugs!
ReplyDeleteSend us some of your rain, please! I don't mind not seeing the sun, if we can get rained on.
ReplyDeleteThat cake looks so do-able, and definitely eat-able! That quantity of ingredients seems that it wouldn't produce too huge a cake for a small household :-)
Look at those carrots!! So lovely. And your cake is making my tummy grumble...lol We are cloudy over here with some snow flurries. Happy Valentine's Day! 😊 Kit
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh SUCH BEAUTIFUL SPRING PHOTOS. I am brining carrots to the horses these days. The tiny ones. They don't need tons of treats in winter when they don't move as much!
ReplyDeleteNow you have me thinking I should go dig up my garden boxes. We might just have some fresh carrots and beets on the table one of these days! We had rain on 57 out of 60 days, so sunshine has been very welcome! Enjoy your visitors this weekend.
ReplyDeleteThose carrots look great …
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful time with your visitors …
All the best Jan
Beautiful
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful photos!
ReplyDeleteAnd delicious too!
I am new here... And am so very happy to find, that you blog, the way I do!!!!! We do not reply to comments, on our own blog!!!
My way, is to go to the blogs, of those Dear REaders, who comment on mine, and read/comment on their blog.
I call it, the Old Fashioned Way.
Seems *everyone* now, replies in their own comments, since Blogger made this possible. I dislike it. It implies that people expect Dear Readers to return to their blog _twice_. And who has time for that?
And I think, it cuts down on commenting, in the blogs of others. After all that replying-to-every-comment, on their own blog, some have used up their commenting mojo, and do not visit other blogs. But feel very "virtuous", because they replied on their own blog.
-sigh-
Thank you!
😊 😊 😊