Pick Up Stitches

Solied, but earthy scented hands is what I have right now after spending an afternoon in my garden. I went of bit overboard, sowing packets of seeds that have been sitting in the top drawer of my cupboard throughout the harsh winter - which has given me plenty of time to think of ideas for this summer.

I was sitting down last Tuesday having a cup of tea with a client of mine and he dug into he pocket and passed me a packet of seeds. They were "Nasturtiums." Im by no measns a plant expert, and couldnt picture the specices in my head at all until he started telling me that they are considered both a flowering plant as well as a veg! The flowers as well as the leaves have a quite a peppery taste from what Ive read (although I guess it depends on the variety of plant you have,) and can be used in salads, for soup garnishes and the chopped leaves can make a zesty addition to mayonaise of vingegarettes- the options it seems are endless :)

In addition, the buds of the plants can be picked, pickled and stored in a jar where a flavour alike to that of capers is developed.

I look forward to enjoying colourful flowery salad with friends on a warm summery afternoon!

I was quite surprised by their appearance. These are the Nasturtium seeds! They look like tiny little brains, the folds similar to that of our cerebral cortex. Each crevice in the brain is know as a sulcus and the ridges between the crevices are known as gyrus. Our cerebral cortex is folded in this simple way to increase the surface area allowing for an increased number of  neurons to develop and thus function together to make us those 'higher functioning organsims'. I wonder perhaps maybe this is why these seeds are folded in a similar way. Perhaps one seed produces more flowers than most seeds and therefore needing to employ a more complex root/energy system to monopolise enough resources for the plant to survive? I really have no idea.

I also went a a little OTT on the lupin front too. I love lupins! However their flowers never seems to last for very long. They bloom from the bottom upwards and it seems the moment the very tops have reached the peak of their blossom, the flowers at the base have already begun to discolour and drop. I think this is quite normal of this plant but in my opinion its well worth it for those long bright stalks of colour, plus new buds will open at different points throughout the summer, so there will always be some in blossom! I found these quite difficult to grow last summer, so I have planted a good few, hoping that I will have at the very least a handful to take over the the new house and put together a cheerful border with them.

My tomato plants are sitting in their grow bags, but not behaving too well. I wonder perhaps if they are getting enough sunlight so I have moved them to a brighter spot. Its seems that they have stayed the same size for the last week or so. Perhaps its Psychologically, I do spend a lot of my time checking on them, its no wonder really that they looked the same as they did the day before...

I do tend to have a little worry- Ive walked past a few plant stalls recently through the open markets around the cathedral green in Exeter. Everyones tomato plants are quite large and far more developed than mine. Perhaps I was a little late sowing my seeds this year. I wonder if anyone knows the best time to start sowing tomato seeds?

Bright displays of colour. You can see here there are protrusions of the green pods which have formed as a result of the fallen flowers. These will  have next years seeds inside, however you must wait until the pods have shrivelled completely till they are crisp and to a dark brown colour as the seeds are still developing inside and wont be fully matured. 

This stands for "Medium Pink and Yellow." I like to mark each coloured stalks, so when it comes to harvesting the seeds at the end of the summer, I can label the envelopes and know exactly what varieties they contain.

Oliver enjoying the sun in the afternoon. He likes to lie across the concrete in the shade to cool down.

In no hurry to be anywhere!

Another of my favourites is Love In The Mist. However they take seed absolutely everywhere and if you're not careful, they really will take over! I have the blue and white variety in my garden however I think you acn get pinks and purples too. Anyway, that was really enough gardening for one day and so, returning to my kitchen, I spent a good twenty minutes trying to scrub and remove all that compost that had coated my hands. Having been unsuccessful from removing all from my fingernails (yuck, i know) I decided that a well deserved cup of my favourite cinnamon tea was much in order.

Ive really never known where to buy this tea from, a friend of mine bought me a box for my birthday. They have these thought provoking little anecdotes or quotes which are extremely cute, plus allow you to ponder away whilst enjoying a warming cuppa. I just love those christmassy smells, cinnamon and nutneg, cloves, oranges, just fantastic.

And so, project number three, a knitted jumper. Not exactly plain, but I quite liked the autumnul colours.

The fiber is an absolute dream, so soft and I can instantly imagine coming home from a day at work when the temperature starts getting that bit colder and snuggling up with a cinnamon tea in my warmest jumper. The only thing is, it is a little whispy which from time to time can make the stitches easy to split and become easily tangled but apart from a few minor instances, its been no problem at all.

I shall post another update when it begins to take proper shape :) I cant say I did much knitted, I was completely cream crakered from my gardening antics. However its been lovely enjoying a relaxing afternoon. Metaphorically, on occasion, it seems like relaxation and self enjoyment are stitches that are often dropped as a sacrifice for busy everyday life. I feel all the better for picking up those stitches today and really must make the time in future to do so. As I read somewhere in the week 'knitting, if you choose, can be at the heart of  fulfilling and creative way of living.'
Enjoy the rest of the week!