Thursday, July 23, 2020

Days of Zucchini and Roses



"What a lovely thing a rose is!"
Arthur Conan Doyle

Outside my window clouds cover the sun and a light breeze stirs the leaves and ripples through the garden. A couple of cooler days are here before the temperatures warm up to summer weather on the weekend. The first flush of rose blooms is over, but some, like Boscobel, are producing more beautiful blossoms the second time round. This soft pink colour is such a delight and the scent simply amazing. 


From my garden I pick a several slender, dark green zucchini two or three times a week. I spent a couple of mellow hours one morning making ratatouille. Each vegetable is sauteed separately, then combined at the end with fresh basil and a bit of lemon juice. We enjoyed it with a grating of Parmesan as part of our dinner. I froze three containers of it for a quick hit of summer when it's raining and cold outside in a few months. 


When we were in Wales four years ago, we enjoyed a delicious Courgette, Garlic and Stilton Soup in the tea room at Newton House. I found the recipe on the National Trust website and made it exactly as it reads for a simple tasty meal. I hope we'll be able to return to the UK one day. For now, I'm finding contentment in reading my travel journals and reliving some of the wonderful trips we've taken. I'm enjoying this quieter summer and have been spending more time in the garden. 


To serve alongside the soup I made a sourdough focaccia bread that turned out well. There is really nothing like fresh bread and soup for satisfying the tummy. 


"...it's a blessed thing to love, and to feel loved in return."
E. A. Buchhianeri

Who are these kids? They thought they were all grown up 43 years ago. I'm so thankful to God for my husband and for the life we've spent together. We're venturing out to a restaurant to celebrate this anniversary. 

Last year we celebrated in Leonding (Linz), Austria. How the world has changed for all of us since then. Still we live and love, and try to make the most of each day. 

The days pass, a mixture of the sublime and the mundane. Beauty exists in both. 

28 comments:

  1. What a lovely wedding day photo of you both - enjoy your 43rd wedding anniversary celebration at the restaurant.
    It is good that you were able to find the courgette, garlic, and stilton soup recipe - the NT are good at sharing their recipes. It probably tastes similar to one that I make which uses broccoli rather than courgettes.

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    1. Broccoli would also be good in this soup. It did taste very good.

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  2. Your roses are beautiful! Thanks for the link to the soup. I have pinned it! Happy Anniversary.

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  3. Just typed a comment and when I went to hit publish it disappeared. I have had this happen several times on your blog only. Keeping this short to see if it goes through.

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  4. Congratulations on your anniversary! In your wedding photo you look so alike to me I might have thought you siblings. ;-) Maybe it's that you're equally young and blissful. God bless your coming years together!

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  5. Happy Anniversary to you both! I look back at photos like this and think we all look about 12 years old! heehee! But you are right...how blessed we are to have happy marriages. Enjoy your evening! Hugs...to you both!

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  6. Happy anniversary, and how nice to be able to go out for a change.
    Boscobel rose is a beauty. It's lovely to have a few roses still doing their best in the garden.
    I'm going to try the soup as my courgettes are doing rather well. Thank you for a new recipe.

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  7. Happy Anniversary to you. A long marriage is a true blessing.

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  8. Happy Anniversary. A long happy marriage is a blessing from God but it's not a gift... you have to earn it.

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  9. Happy anniversary!! That's a lovely photo.

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  10. Happy Anniversary! You look so young! It is a blessing to find someone to love.

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  11. Happy Anniversary! Wishing you many more wonderful years together! Beautiful roses!!!

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  12. A very happy anniversary to you both! It's good to have a good husband and long life together. That soup looks delish! We will be having quite a harvest of garlic here so I'll need to track down that recipe. Beautiful pink roses! Happy weekend to you!

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  13. Such a lovely wedding photo. 43 years...well done :). I’m going to give that soup recipe a go. Sounds delicious. Just made a lovely pasta dish with zucchini by nigella lawson. It is online from her Nigelissima recipe book. I think you would enjoy it and a great way to use all those zucchini’s. Have a lovely weekend. B x
    The recipe is here. https://www.nigella.com/recipes/pasta-with-courgettes

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    1. The pasta dish sounds like a great way to use up more zucchini!

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  14. Happy anniversary wishing you both many more happy years together. I love filling the freezer with a little taste of summer for those cooler months.

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  15. Hot and so very humid here so not conducive to being outdoors at all. Homemade bread and soup always hits the spot, even when the weather is steamy. Goodness, you two were kiddos when you got married :) Happy anniversary! Still no restaurants open here yet, except for pick-up or delivery.

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  16. Congratulations Lorrie. What a beautiful couple. Your happy smiles tell all.

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  17. Happy, Happy Anniversary! Many wishes for many more!

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  18. First time here... Your photos and blog, are lovely.

    Oh your meals look so very delicious. I see some ratatouille, in our future. ~smile~

    Looking for sign of Autumn
    🍁🍂🍁 🍁🍂🍁 🍁🍂🍁

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  19. Oh and yes, Congratulations!!!

    Our wedding pictures are wonderful, aren't they?

    Looking for sign of Autumn
    🍁🍂🍁 🍁🍂🍁 🍁🍂🍁

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  20. Happy Anniversary!! What a lovely picture. I hope your meal was great. I am glad you are enjoying your summer. I cant believe we are almost done with July. We are having very hot days but the mornings are cool. Smells so good out. Take care, Kit

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  21. Happy belated anniversary. You sure were a cute couple, though it appears you may have married a 12-year-old. ☺️ I can see the stars in your beautiful eyes. Hopefully, you will be able to travel again since you enjoy it so. In the meantime, you are accepting this summer as a gift. Such beautiful roses!

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  22. What a cute couple!

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  23. Dear Lorrie, Your roses are lovely as well as your beautiful wedding photo. Congratulations to you both and best wishes for many more. We celebrated 48 years on July 1. July must be a good month.

    Many thanks for the soup recipe, I will certainly give it a try. We are soup fans and it is something I enjoy cooking.
    Enjoy your beautiful roses and these summer days.

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  24. Delicious food.
    Beautiful roses.
    Lovely wedding photograph.

    Congratulations and Happy Anniversary Wishes to you both.

    All the best Jan

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  25. For a split second I felt like you had posted our wedding picture! Wish we could put them side by side!

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  26. Happy Anniversary! Enjoy the hot summer temperatures!

    Since I've been working from home (WFH) with no A/C, I caved and purchased some linen shorts (I usually wear capris to the office). So my new WFH style = Camp Counsellor.

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Thank you for your comment. I read and value each one, cherishing the connections we can make although far apart. Usually, I visit your blog in return, although if you ask a question I try to contact you directly.

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