Saturday, it's a Saturday

a moment from a morning.

I’m standing at the front door, a wicked wind whips around the garden with a half rain that is barely there but somehow everything is soaked. I shiver as I wait for the dogs to come back inside. They scurry about with an early morning urgency which wasn’t present a few minutes ago when they were lying on the bed asleep. I love how they got from zero to full energy in a matter of seconds, especially when a door opens. It is like the cue, adventures are to be had. A rooster crows across the valley. I watch Atlee snuffle around a bush and then circle back with purpose, following the path from the house to the honey house (our fancy name for the garage filled with honey kit), he turns left and heads off along another path. I watch this, the determination, the knowledge, the purpose. He knows what t he wants to do and how he wants to get there. Paths give you this, purpose and direction. I stand and think how wonderful dogs and paths are in a garden.

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After sending the dogs out, I return to bed with my cup of tea. I feel slightly startled from the bracing cold air that greeted me at the door which makes returning to bed that much more enjoyable, the blankets are still warm from where I left them. I look across the valley and see the mist is sitting heavy on the hills. It will be a day of hibernation. I realise my plans of washing on the line, time in the garden cleaning up that one space I have wanted to get done all week are not going to happen. It will be a day of dog walk, errands and then return home. I think of indoor chores that I could do, tidy the spare room again, organise my books and then I think there is always tomorrow to do stuff and maybe it is just a day to read, to watch something and eat well. It feels an attractive way to spend the day and as a dog hopes on the bed and curls around my feet I realise that perhaps the weather is suggesting that is what we should do as well.

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I don’t grow veg anymore. I did when we first moved in and my ma in law was surprised that I grew corn in my first season, apparently it is a rare thing this far south in NZ to get it cob form. It was a very warm summer that year and I will note that it has not happened since. Instead of growing veg we get a weekly delivery of veggies from an organic grower north of where I live. The weather outside seems to call for hearty food today and so a chicken is found for roasting and I hunt my cookbooks for inspiring veg dishes to accompany. Due to allergies we are a dairy free, soya free household which means I tend to turn to middle eastern or Italian cook books for inspiration. Current favourite is Moro Easy ,which I flick through as I plan our meals. I find a recipe for roast red onions and beetroot which will use the beetroots from the box. I will repeat the sprout dish I made last night (bacon, almond, sprouts with lots of butter (diary free)). I find a recipe for potato, cauliflower and pumpkin with tomato and green chillie but I think I will keep that for another day and return to the spuds, and pepper ad-lib I made last weekend. I find a roast chicken marinade of thyme, fennel and garlic. On days like this when the weather blasts spending all day pottering in the kitchen seems like the best use of my time.

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Things from Saturday:

• READ: Pleasant Place Magazine - Nasturtiums - now inspired to grow nastrutium towers in the garden.

• WATCH: Saipua TV - I have admired the work that Sarah has done at Worlds End for many years so to be able to support her farm in New York and the ideas it presents is something I so happy to do. Sat and watched the films on hellebores which was magical. Mine are just starting to flower, I feel so inspired.

• LISTEN: “Wiser than me” podcast'. I’m not a big podcast listener but I have been listening to Julia Louis-Dreyfus ‘Wiser than me’ where she talks with older women who offer lots of guidance, inspiration and of course wisdom. I love it.