It’s a been a while since I’ve blogged about five things that made me smile this week, so here goes! And I won’t talk too much about my still deactivated Instagram account that I’m fighting for – puurrrlllleeeeaaassse can I have it back, Instagram!
Our Holiday
I’ve not quite finished my blog posts on our lovely break away, but it truly was fantastic. Smelling that sea air, a break away from home and some quality time with my favourites.
Cooking
I’ve got all kinds of motivation going on at the moment to cook up a storm in the kitchen! It’s because this is the time of year where I can be found with my head buried in a cookbook, usually Nigel Slater, which always inspires me. Well that and my hatred of waste. On the menu last night, I made supper using a couple of lamb loin chops that I found lurking in the freezer, a tin of cannellini beans, a lone leek, some lentils and some herbs out of the drawer.
I cooked down a leek with a drizzle of olive oil to release their sweetness, added a few whole (but peeled) garlic cloves, a teaspoon of herbs de provence, some sliced mushroom, cooked for a few mins and then added in a vegetable stock cube and some green lentils (and seasoned). I then covered this with water, put on a low heat and went for a bath, whilst the lamb loin chops came to room temperature.
Suitably fresh from the bath, I made a marinade of olive oil, tsp of lazy garlic, juice of 1/2 a lemon, chopped parsley and salt & pepper. You might be thinking, ‘I thought this was just a fridge find??’, but there are always lemon and flat leaf parsley on the shopping list every week – these ingredients are used all the time in my kitchen.
To cook the lamb chops, get a skillet nice and hot and drizzle in some oil (a skillet that you can put in the oven as well as use on the hob), preheat the oven to 180C and toss the lamb in your marinade. Once the pan is hot, hot, hot, put the lamb skin side down and let that crisp up. The quickly brown each side and pop into the oven for five minutes to finish cooking. Serve with the lovely lentils and that’s supper sorted!
All my girls
The Handsome One is severally outnumbered in this house – me, Bella and three female chickens. Some might say that he’s very lucky (well that’s what I say!) and everyday these girls (and the Handsome One, of course) put a smile on my face.
It might be that you let Betty, Edna and Matilda (the chickens) out in the morning and they chase you down the garden, then about 10 minutes later they’re tucked up in front of the bifolds, cleaning preening and snoozing, whilst you’re drinking your morning cuppa.
And Bella, oh Bella, just your adorable little face makes us happy all the time 💖
Autumn
If this isn’t reason enough to smile, then I don’t know what is. After all..
“Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;
Lengthen night and shorten day;
Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree.
I shall smile when wreaths of snow
Blossom where the rose should grow;
I shall sing when night’s decay
Ushers in a drearier day.”
Beautiful poem by Emily Bronte.
Involuntary Instagram Break
Now saying that this made me smile, might be a push, but actually it’s given me a break from a platform that I really love, but probably used a bit too much.
What I miss most are the interactions and conversations. I miss sharing pictures I’ve taken that I feel proud to share, but it’s also given me a break that I didn’t realise I needed. I don’t now think when I’ve taken a picture, “right, I need to get that edited and posted by X time”. However, I’ve noticed I’ve taken less pictures, so I’ve made a concerted effort to use my gorgeous camera and take pictures of things that make me happy, but not necessarily fit into my theme on the ‘gram.
Also remembering I have this platform, my blog! No, I don’t have anywhere near as many followers or engagement, but maybe I need to invest my time in my blog like I have in my Instagram?
The quite intense missing of my Instagram profile, has definitely dwindled, but I do still really wish for it back! So, let’s just see what happens…
A x
Abi in the Garden 