Amy added 18 photos to https://i.amy.gy/growstuff/
Out of office: I'm going on a Vipassana meditation retreat, offline until the 24th of January.
Beach and sunrises are much the same as I left them.
Amy added 11 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-fife/
Mum was struggling with very fiddly reindeer antlers, so I did one for her.
Amy added 1 photos to https://i.amy.gy/madestuff/
Serving at Dhamma Dipa. On a day off, I walked with others to an old ruined churche in Llanwarne. Dhamma Dipa is beautiful, and the skies were clear and blue during the day, and bright with stars and moon at night. The clouds came back as soon as the course ended. I stayed a couple of extra days anyway.
Amy added 12 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202201-en/
New year's day loony dook, and walks around the village. It was 13c! Practically summer.
Amy added 14 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-fife/
Amy added 12 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-fife/
It was drizzly and grey but Max doesn't care. He got very muddy. Fortunately the sea was on hand. (A couple of hours, to Wemyss and back.)
Amy added 23 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-fife/
A braw sunset, seen with Max from a loop around Ravenscraig Park. (I still can't believe I live here.)
Amy added 48 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-fife/
A bus to sunny Edinburgh, then a train (not the one I planned on, obviously, that was cancelled) south. Through snow in the north of England. Then cosy at my Mum's house. Visited Dad and Ruth too; the tradescantia cutting I gave him is thriving.
Amy added 16 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202201-en/
Another couple of days at Mum's, eating and working, then back home.
Amy added 5 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202201-en/
I finally took up the carpet in my bedroom. To my great disappointment, someone poured concrete under the front half of the flat. So my dream of having a secret trapdoor to underfloor storage in the 3-4 feet of space I thought was down there has been dashed. Some of the floorboards are knackered, so I might end up having to replace the lot.
Amy added 7 photos to https://i.amy.gy/diy/
Picked some carrots I planted last autumn. They're not going to grow any more and if I leave them the slugs will eat them. Not sure what's going on with the chicory.
Amy added 2 photos to https://i.amy.gy/growstuff/
Foraged oyster mushroom and lentil pie (my first hot water crust pastry - fabulously cooperative!)
Amy added 6 photos to https://i.amy.gy/madefood/
Finished painting the hallway. Worked on some BODS stuff, but kept getting stuck on silly things. F came for new year's weekend. We ate lots, watched movies, and wandered around with Max. Went in the sea at sunrise on the 1st of Jan. Sun didn't come out til later, but the air was warm. Finished I, Robot. Started Ender's Game. Walked through the woods to Wemyss and picked up rubbish. Foraged an improbable amount of large oyster mushrooms. Prepared an improbable amount of mushroom soups and bottled diced mushrooms.
Watched all of Godless. Started The Book of Boba Fett, continued The Expanse. Stole Max again. We walked to Wemyss and back and got very muddy, and around Ravenscraig Park. Made mushroom pie. Weeded the garden. Wrapped up BODS work, for now, and Co-op recruitment/onboarding admin. Took the train to Mum's after handing over my flat to E&M. Spent the weekend resting, reading, eating, cooking, crocheting, moving blocks of wood. Did my tax return. Tried to catch up on photo uploads.. Finished Ender's Game (actually fab!). Started The Death of Grass (not enjoying this so much).
Saw my Grandma and Dad. Read The Death of Grass, but I didn't like it at all. Went on a Vipassana meditation retreat as a server. Cooked for 200 people, made amazing new friends, and found my meditation vibes again. Read the Sattipattana, Sayagi U Ba Khin Journal and an anthology of Buddha's words. Stayed at the center an extra couple of days. Then back home via another couple of night's at Mum's (watched Vivarium). Immediately messed up my sleep pattern. But the beach is good. Caught up on Co-op and started thinking about BODS again. Took up my bedroom capret but can't make a secret tunnel because concrete. Caught up on Expanse and Boba Fett, watched The Eternals and started Speaker for the Dead.
The cosy vegetarian cafe in Kirkcaldy (Anderson's) has been made-over as a grill house (by the same owners). Paint me heartbroken.
The Kirkcaldy Artisan Friday market is back! To celebrate, in exchange for goods, I gave money to Mix Fruit, Hughes Bakery, Grain and Sustain, (Not) Just Herbal Tea, The Happy Go Lucky Dog Company, Ecobean, and The Tiffin. I do love to keep the Kirkcaldy economy moving.
On this day in 2021 I moved into my flat. I got the keys two weeks prior, but one week prior the boiler gave up and it was freezing, so I had to postpone. On February the 14th, Dave and I unpacked boxes, cleaned anything we hadn't already cleaned, and exhaustedly wondered what we should do for dinner. I begrudgingly started getting out some vegetables. There was a knock at the door with an Indian food delivery. We hadn't ordered Indian food. The guy left, then came back again. Were we sure? Dave checked the name on the order. It was ours. Only then did we remember we had pre-ordered it some days before, knowing we would not be in the mood for cooking dinner that night. Great work, past us. When I bought this flat, I was full of doubts. I'd never expected to own property, nor particularly wanted to. It was in a middling state of disrepair - habitable, but not pleasant - and I didn't know anything about decorating or have any idea what work would be involved. I thought I'd be on the road again, nomadding, within a few months, and that this would be a place for Dave to live if he hadn't found somewhere else by then. It turned out to be a great decision. I've made amazing friends here. The local community is wonderful. The local nature is incredible. I can see the sea from my window and go down to the beach every day for spectacular sunrises. I can borrow my neighbours pets. I have learned a ton of DIY skills. I have barely had itchy feet to travel again the whole time. I still feel like I'm on holiday every time I walk outside. What I saved in rent I sunk into improving the flat interior, which would have been difficult if not impossible without the hands-on help of friends and family. I tried to do as much secondhand as possible, or failing that, using local companies. There were a few big chains involved as well though. All of my furniture is from local secondhand shops, Gumtree, Freegle, given by friends, or a nearby skip. As of last week, I've almost done all of the refurbishments I want, so this seems like a good time for some before and after pictures. You can see all of the in-progress DIY photos here. In lieu of a fisheye lens, I used vertical panoramas to capture as much of each room as possible, so some of the photos are a bit janky. Living room This is the boring one. No redecorating, just furnishings. Before, after: Dining table and chairs: thanks Felicity Sofabed: free from Gumtree Chaise long: Furniture Plus Cosy chair: Gumtree Coffee table: Furniture Plus Rug: Gumtree Chaotic plant table: Furniture Plus, was my desk in the old place Snazzy clock: Kirkcaldy Boot & Mart (20p) Oil paintings of Dysart Harbour and Ravenscraig Castle: Methuselah's Speakers: Freegle Projector: Kit and I bought this 50/50 in about 2012. My turn for custody. Curtains: original, but cut down and lined by a local seamstress I gave away two old sofas, two TV cabinets, a coffee table and a great deal of bric-a-brac on Freegle/Gumtree or to local charities. Kitchen The kitchen, once all the grime was cleaned off, was the best room in the flat. We took out some weird electricals, gave away a tiny dishwasher and washing machine, and carved out some cupboard space for an under-counter freezer (The Bed Shed). Replaced the fridge freezer (Andy's Buy & Sell) as the one in the flat gave up after a few months. Put up some hooks in a few different places. Before, after: I'd definitely like to replace the floor, as it's all warped MDF tiles. Maybe some dark green subway tiles on the walls, too... but that's a long way off. Bathroom I count myself extremely fortunate that my Dad is a qualified plumber. And that he was well up for coming up here for a month to completely refit my bathroom. I helped. Before: After: Wall tiles: Tile Warehouse (local) Floor: Tapi Toilet: ripped out of Mum's new house Corner bath: original; frame made from the old one plus floor tiles Shower, sink and bath taps: Ebay Shower screen: Gumtree Sink bowl: B&Q Sink cabinet: Furniture Plus, upcycled by me Mirror: gumtree Heated towel rail: B&Q Shelves: wood scavenged from R's shed down the road (sanded and oiled) Ceiling bar and towel rail: Ebay I gave away the old toilet locally, bath taps on Freegle and built-in cupboard on Gumtree. Dad took the mirror. The sink is still sitting in the flat stairwell because I refuse to send it to landfill. Many of the old tiles are smashed up and serving to help drainage in pots in my footpath garden. The radiator went to the scrap metal dealer. My bedroom The walls were such a violent blue that I had to repaint them before I even moved in. Removing the built-in wardrobe yielded gaping voids that needed plastered. The carpet in my room was the last to go, and I think what finally got the smell of 12 years of cigarette smoke out of the flat. Floorboards needed replaced. But any amount of work was worth it for the sea view. Before: After: Walls: Silver Birch from Victory Colours and Otillie from Craig & Rose Floor: Tapi; edging: ebay Hammock: ebay; wall fixings: R's shed Cosy chair: Kirkcaldy market Desk: thanks Kit and Mariette Chair: ebay Standing lamp: thanks Kit and Mariette Chest of drawers: thanks Kirstin Bookshelf: Furniture Plus Yarn shelf: Barnardo's Rug: Cancer Research Curtains: original I gave away the bed, smelly mattress, and built in wardrobe on Freegle/Gumtree. Dave's The guest room Removing all the built-in cupboards wasn't quite as bad as in my room, but we did do quite a lot of damage to the walls that needed plaster to fill in the process. As well as visible redecorating, a weekend was spent crawling around under the floor to insulate all the pipes. Before: After: Walls: Victory White and About Damson from Victory Colours Floor: Carpetright; edging: B&Q Bed: Furniture Plus; mattress: Freegle Desk: Ebay Chair: Dave's Drawers, bookcase, shelves, bedside: Furniture Plus Built in wardrobe: original Curtains: Barnardo's Blind: Furniture Plus I gave away the bed, smelly mattress and extremely excessive built-in cupboards on Freegle. Dave put up with extensive inconvenient redecorating by complaining the whole time, but I think he enjoyed it really. The ensuite Dad came for a second trip to refurbish Dave's bathroom the guestroom ensuite. This involved knocking out a bit of a wall, which went surprisingly well all things considered. Before, after: Walls: tiles from Tile Warehouse (local) and Victory White paint from Victory Colours Floor: B&Q Ceiling: Rembrand Timber (Glenrothes) Toilet: ebay Shower tray: original Shower, sink taps: Ebay Shower screen: B&Q Sink and cabinet: Freegle Mirror: Furniture Plus Shelf: wood scavenged from R's shed (sanded and varnished) Heated towel rail: ripped out of Dad's old bathroom Cabinet: Castle Furniture, yet to be upcycled Towel rail: original, moved Old sink, toilet and shower enclosure were rehomed on Gumtree. Dad took the mirror. Hallway This years dream is to replace the half of the hallway floor that is terrible MDF tiles with something nice. I also plan to rip out the two built in cupboards and replace them with organised shelves instead of chaos drawers or useless space. One of the cupboards (with the electric meter in) can only be opened when the bathroom door is open. Before: After: Walls: custom mixed of Craig & Rose Lady Emma, by Victory Colours Floor: original Barometer: Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland etching: Furniture Plus Coat hooks: original Hat stand: Ebay Shoe racks: one from the Bed Shed, the other homemade from scavenged wood The hallway was originally divided into two by a brown glass sliding door. I gave this away on Freegle. So what? This has been a really fun adventure, and absolutely not what I'd have imagined myself doing a year before. I don't think it's over yet.
Max thinks yoga is a funny game that is all about him.
Amy added 16 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-fife/
Sunrises, beach walkies, full moon.
Amy added 10 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-fife/
It's amazing what a bottle of raspberry coulis can do to make anything fancy. Today's michelin star quality Community Kitchen desserts, peach and coconut jelly set with agar, with a spring of mint from the garden. I also made lemon and coffee jelly this week, on my six-monthly agar kick.
Amy added 8 photos to https://i.amy.gy/madefood/
Rainy walk along Ravenscraig beach.
Amy added 9 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-fife/
Amy added 17 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-fife/
Max was a lazy bean. Weather was drizzly so we only did little walks, but he didn't mind. Big rainbow.
A beautiful sunny day in Edinburgh. A wander around town, across the Meadows, climb up Arthur's Seat, food in Beetroot Sauvage and The Doghouse.
Amy added 36 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202202-edi/
Espresso machine havoc that lasted for weeks is finally put back together.
Amy added 3 photos to https://i.amy.gy/diy/
Took up the smelly old carpet in my bedroom and removed damaged floorboards. Insulated what was possible of the pipes beneath, and fit new floorboards. Then laid new laminate floor, as modelled by Max.
Amy added 22 photos to https://i.amy.gy/diy/
Finished floor edging and skirting for the missing bits of skirting, and put my room back together. Also got an adorable stool for the extra couple of inches I need to get into the hammock now.
Amy added 7 photos to https://i.amy.gy/madestuff/
Berry muffins at Community Kitchen. Homemade seedy bread at home.
Velvet shanks on homemade seedy bread. Blackcurrent pie with a nut/date crust and peanutbutter cup topping. Lemon pies and choc chip muffins in the Community Kitchen.
Amy added 12 photos to https://i.amy.gy/madefood/
Almond chocolate brownies in the Community Kitchen. Super gooey. Even the gluten free batch (which were identical except for gluten free flour). Refined-sugar-free blackcurrent cakes at home (contains banana and coconut sugar); the batter was art. And a loaf of seedy bread.
Amy added 9 photos to https://i.amy.gy/madefood/
First foray of the year. Winter oysters and velvet shank. A bit slimy, but fine on toast.
Amy added 8 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-foraging/
Tomato, gherkin, courgette, cucumber and fancy squash seedlings are coming along. My purple sprouting broccoli, that I thought capterpillars killed last autumn, is sprouting once more! And onions I planted in December are still coming up.
Amy added 4 photos to https://i.amy.gy/growstuff/
My hammock is now attached to the walls instead of on a stand. This gives me a lot more space around it, but more importantly makes it high enough that I can see the sea and the sunrise from it, so I never need to get up again.
Amy added 4 photos to https://i.amy.gy/diy/
I made krompiruša! My favourite Bosnian (or in fact Balkan) food. I never made it at home before because the pastry is complicated, but I was left some pre-made puff pastry which worked out perfectly. I rolled one a bit thin and it broke but had the best texture, and the other less thin so it held together but wasn't exactly right. But still delicious. Obviously I also got some Vegeta for the occasion. I'm feeling very nostalgic for Sarajevo right now.
Amy added 7 photos to https://i.amy.gy/madefood/
Lowenna came to visit. She and Max tornado'd around for a while until Max decided she smells tooooo good and they had to be separated by a door. Outside, the ball was not enough of a distraction, and I had to pry Max off her then hold him down with my full weight while M took Lowenna out of the way. Sigh.
Amy added 19 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-fife/
Max had a run in with a beagle thing called Banjo in Ravenscraig Park. We crossed paths twice, the first time was fine though it was clear Banjo didn't like Max. The second time Max was strutting a bit but keeping his distance, then Banjo just went for him. It does Max good to get snapped at from time to time, especially by smaller dogs, because he's used to being the alpha. I didn't realise Banjo actually drew blood until we were a little way down the path (and I could hear Banjo getting a good telling off behind us). It was just a nick to his ear, but turns out they bleed a lot. When we got home he splattered blood all over the floors and back of the sofa. I washed it out and he rolled onto his back with his head in my lap to let me do it. Then I nipped to the pharmacy for bandages. I put an adhesive dressing on it and tied his ear down to stop him from flapping, but I wasn't sure I'd cleaned it well enough, but also didn't want to do more damage by cleaning too hard. Plus I was worried about infection from Banjo. So I called the vet, they booked me a slot an hour and a half later, and K came to rescue us in the car. That was an exciting adventure for Max. He was in there for over an hour. They shaved a bit of fur, cleaned him up properly and glued the skin flap down, then bandaged him really tightly to stop him flapping. He shook it off before I'd even paid. So they took him back, and tried again with extra heavy industrial strength bandage. He was gloomy about this, but had squirmed out of it by bedtime. Thankfully he seems to have stopped bleeding, though.
Amy added 6 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-fife/
Put socks on Max. He loved it. Silly Max.
Amy added 7 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-fife/
Max being cosy in various chairs.
A drizzly walk in between showers/snow/gales. After which Max had zero-gravity dreams in various places.
Velvet shank and jelly ear in Ravenscraig Park.
Amy added 1 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-foraging/
Amy added 9 photos to https://i.amy.gy/madestuff/
Monster leeks from the garden! Also, not pictured, celeriac and salsify. And seedlings sprouting for another round... tomatoes, cucumbers, gherkins, squash, courgette.. and some strays.
Some braw sunrises, as usual. Some days freezing, some days mild. And views from my newly elevated hammock.
Amy added 30 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-fife/
The sky was such an unearthly shade of blue at sunrise today I was convinced we were in a simulation. Obviously my camera couldn't capture it in its true glory.
Amy added 13 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-fife/
Braw morning for a walk to Dysart harbour.
Amy added 8 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-fife/
New tea stall at the Friday market. Walkies and snoozles with Max.
Amy added 22 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-fife/
Max watched over me while I watched the sun rise. Then we ambled a third of the way to Wemyss before I decided I should change out of my pjs and put my coffee cup down, then try again for a proper walk. Braw day!
The tide was out further than I've seen it in a long while. Perfect for a walk to Wemyss along the beach, instead of the coastal path which is really muddy at the moment. We visited the fossil spot, and Max chased the ball almost the whole time. The solid rock part of the 'beach' at Wemyss is usually completely submerged when I'm around there, so it was great to wander over it like the surface of an alien planet. Max was a Very Good Boy and zonked right out when we got home.
Amy added 71 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-fife/
Monday and Tuesday beach walkies.
Amy added 25 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-fife/
Sunrises, and walkies to East Wemyss (out along the coastal path, ice cream shop stop, back along the beach.
Amy added 27 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-fife/
Max takes downward dog very seriously.
Starting to wonder if I can get from the UK to Vancouver by freighter and long distance train for W3C TPAC in September. Definitely possible, but I'd need a good month and a half, and a few thousand $$. There were a lot more options before covid.
A year since I moved into my flat; drafted a post but haven't finished it yet. Hung out with Max loads and loads and went on short walkies and long walkies and shared sunrises and many snuggles and also yoga. Finished Xenocide, started Children of the Mind. Definitely Speaker for the Dead is best so far though. Also watched the Ender's Game movie, just to see. Not as bad as I'd been led to believe? But not good. Maybe better having read the book to fill in all the shortcuts the movie takes. Watched loads of Disenchantment. Read, napped, too much. Baked things. Finally reassembled my espresso machine! It espresses! And I learnt so much about espresso in the process! Potted up more gherkin and courgette seedlings, and watched things emerging in my footpath garden. Measured and sawed up all my door threshold strips, but haven't screwed them down yet.
More sunrises and walkies with Max before Max went home. Made krompirusa! Or some approximation thereof. Made dead fancy desserts in Community Kitchen. Finished a narwhal. Worked on BODS translation workflow. TAG IRL f2f got postponed/reconfigured again again again. Read How can I get through to you which was better than I expected (actually really good). N came to visit. We watched sunrises, walked Max to East Wemyss and had a day in Edinburgh.
Seedlings sprouting! Tomatoes, squash, cucumber, gherkin, onions. It all begins again.. Made berry muffins for Greener Kirkcaldy Community Kitchen. Reminded myself how the BODS translation workflow works. Attended a meeting of the Vipassana Trust Accessibility Committee. Found and fixed underfloor problems, and replaced some floorboards in my bedroom. Got the hammock up on the walls! Now I can see the sea from it, which means I never need to get up again. Laid new laminate in my bedroom. Dismantled my espresso machine. Cleaned out limescale and gunk. Discovered it never has had a shower screen. Have not yet reassembled it. Dave came back, brought Sri Lankan tea, made curry, left again. Tinkered a bit with sloph. Kirkcaldy Friday markets are back on!! Watched all of Reacher. Max is back! Walkies.
Found velvet shanks in Ravenscraig Park, and a couple more oysters. First forage of 2022. Made "peanut butter and jam" pies, with blackcurrents, coconut oil, and date/coconut/nuts crust at home, and lemon pies and choc chip muffins in Community Kitchen. Co-op coworking days. Visit from M and Lowenna. I have Max all to myself for a week. Many cuddles and a trip to the vets after a run in with a Beagle.. Sunrises and walkies. Still haven't reassembled the espresso machine, but cleaned more of it. More seedlings sprouted. My last cherry tomato ripened, but it's flowered again.... Started morning yoga again, with Max's help.
Wood ear mushrooms in Ravenscraig Park. They're very reliable all year round. I gave a handful away, and put a handful in a stirfry.
I've been failing to set lemon juice with agar for some weeks now, and it's just been sloshing around in the fridge. Every few days I'd reheat it, add more agar, try again. No dice. Finally this evening I thickened it with cornflower and oat milk and made it into lemon curd instead.
Amy added 1 photos to https://i.amy.gy/madefood/
A selection of braw sunrises and sunsets in Dysart. As usual.
A spontaneous decision to get the last bus to Crail and camp by the sea. This meant we'd be there in time for low tide (the first bus in the morning was too late) for optimal seaweed foraging. Then we helped to plant lots of trees in the nature reserve with other volunteers arranged by Footprint East Neuk. Chips in Crail ended a great day.
Amy added 52 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-fife/
A day in Edinburgh with J and BT. Lunch at Seeds for the Soul.
Amy added 7 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202203-edi/
Arrived into Edinburgh before 8am, and a while before the Sunday buses to Fife begin. A nice sit on the edge of Holyrood Park, then breakfast at BBL.
Amy added 6 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202203-edi/
Baked mac n not-cheese. Sweet potato coconut pie (refined sugar- and gluten-free, with a coconut/buckwheat crust). Overnight bread getting better and better.
Spotted dick and saffron custard at the Community Kitchen. Sprouted mung beans at home.
Amy added 3 photos to https://i.amy.gy/madefood/
Homemade dal makhani, accompanied by mustard greens pakora. More bubbly overnight bread than usual - I accidentally added way too much water, then evened it out with rye flour, to great effect. Homemade sushi (avocado, courgette, pepper) with foraged wakame salad.
A mini footpath garden harvest! (Chard and purple sprouting broccoli.) and a pretty weed is growing in the Cloud Garden.. I'm leaving it be.
Amy added 3 photos to https://i.amy.gy/growstuff/
Braw still day! Kayaked to Wemyss. I put my wetsuit on, but was far too hot. My arms ached all day afterwards.
Most of a week in London. It was exhausting. I saw more people per hour than I see in a month at home. Everything is loud. Overstimulating. Too many people. No stars at night. Did I mention the crowds? It's like another universe. I walked as much as possible, and took the bus as the next option, but due to logistical.. challenges.. ended up on the Tube more than I would have liked. But it was fantastic to see TAG colleagues, Co-op colleagues, and old friends, who I haven't seen in three dimensions for well over two years. Also to eat lots of exciting things. Ethopian and Indian food. Falafel. Seed Cafe. Temple of Seitan. Purezza. Finally a Sri Lankan feast with D. Then the night bus home.
Amy added 32 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202203-ldn/
Cleaned the beach between Dysart and Wemyss on a warm, sunny, March Sunday. Stopped for a snack on the top of the tall rocks by the fossil spot. Returned through the woods. About 6 large bags of rubbish in total.
Tomato, cucumber and courgette seedlings. Hungarian black pepper is flowering again.
Awake at sunrise for low tide seaweed foraging near Crail. Sea spaghetti is so cool! Its strands grow out of little mushroomy buttons, and it has a great crunch raw. We also got tons of wakame and kelp, as well as carrageen, dulse, and bladderwrack. Most of it went on the washing line or over the dehumidifier to dry. Also experimented with blanching it to colour it bright green. Some went in salad.
Amy added 72 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-foraging/
Struggling sunrise (cleared up eventually). A communal paper recycling bin on the beach this morning. Monstera unfurls big new leaves.
Amy added 21 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-fife/
Rainbow, watercolour skies, sunset.
Amy added 20 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-fife/
Huge surf all day. Sunset from the coal binn.
If you see this before 18:30, scheduled posting does not work.
time to leave the house, i'd better put on something more presentable. *changes from baggy trousers covered in dog hair, dried mud and paint stains into different baggy trousers covered in dog hair, dried mud and paint stains* that's better.
I want to make an AP client to do scheduled posts, which first means I need to sort sloph out so it doesn't show posts dated in the future, and oh boy am I creating so many bugs right now. (Maybe one day I will create tests instead of bugs, eh.
Spent monday getting part of my body fixed that wasn't working ideally, and the next couple of days recovering from that. Scraped websites that don't want to be scraped. Braw weather. Foraged seaweed and planted some trees near Crail (including spontaneous last minute camping trip). Made foraged seaweed salad, among other things. Spent a day in Edinburgh.
Went to London. Got total culture shock. Too many people in too small spaces. No stars. so loud. Started The Lefthanded Booksellers of London (though I haven't finished The Overstory but the former was lighter for taking on a trip. Also thematically appropriate.) Recorded a podcast?! (as a guest). Had IRL TAG meetings! Did IRL Co-op coworking! Saw IRL friends I haven't seen for years! Returned from London. Two-day long migraine immediately went.
Walk with N and Max into town and back and watched a final sunrise before N left. Started working on a project with Woodland Trust, about TREES! (I call it Laboratree). Made a hasty apple and sultana pudding at Community Kitchen, and other things. Braw weekend. Worked in the garden, litter picked the beach to Wemyss then back through the woods (no mushrooms).
Went out on the kayak! To Wemyss. Finished Children of the Mind, started The Overstory. Made spotted dick and custard, and gluten-free cranberry muffins in the Community Kitchen. Decided to get some new glasses. Maybe I'll actually wear them. Got stuck into trying to make sense of Tree Preservation Order data and Planning Applications. Co-op admining. Broke and fixed my image proxy. Did a bunch of work on sloph to make sure it doesn't show posts dated in the future (so I can schedule posts). sunrises, sunsets, sunrises, sunsets,... time in the garden.
Another weekend squandered.. .. no wait. I rested, read, crocheted a bunch, baked a bit, sorted out all my yarn, watched several movies I should have seen as a child but didn't, went on some wikiventures, and even did a bit of work. That's probably not squandered.
I make 'West African style' peanut stew fairly regularly, so what else is there to this collection of hearty and rich cuisines? Babenda from Burkina Faso immediately jumped out at me as something I'd love to try. Funky smelling fermented locust beans? Sold. They're called soumbala, dawa dawa, or iru, and after failing to find them during a brief trip to London I ended up ordering some off ebay, dried. I looked through a few recipe variations, and most closely used this one. Of course, no anchovies for me, but locally foraged seaweed (dulse in this case) gives it that salty fishy edge. The first step is to blitz everything in the food processor: peanuts, iru, spices, and also the uncooked rice. I was using sushi rice, because that's all we ever have in, and it didn't break down much. Also probably because the tiny food processor was too full. Then I simmered everything until it seemed cooked, and stirred in some homegrown bitter greens. I think I added too much chilli, using both dried and fresh. I loved it. Everyone else who tried it agreed it was funky and weird, and didn't seem convinced. They did eat it all though.
Babenda, Burkina Faso: food I've never eaten
I read about the iron ore train in Mauritania and added that to my definitely-to-do list. But probably not any time soon. In lieu of that, I made what felt like either a hybrid of or transition between African and Middle Eastern food: cherchem. Recipes online were consistent more or less with the spices that go along with the millet (which, incidentally, I like way more than cous cous, but all my brother can connect it with is that my parrot used to eat it / scatter it everywhere) - mint, oregano, thyme, bay, coriander, garlic and paprika. Plus some tomato paste, and boiled up all together. I served it dolloped on top of salad for lunch.
Cherchem, Mauritania: food I've never eaten
I had a fabulous sunny time at Kirkcaldy Artisan Friday market today and am feeling so much appreciation for the local community here.
The local 'ooligans tipped a communal paper and card recycling bin over the bank onto the beach (again) last night, so cleaning all that up at 7am was how I started my day. Some critiques of my neighbours' paper recycling practices though.. good job to whomever flattens and packs everything inside everything else, including toilet roll tubes within toilet roll tubes... Zero points to the person putting mixed waste in a bin bag in there.
I love a good Star Trek time travel back to the present day episode as much as the next guy, but did Picard S2 run out of budget or something..? (I'm almost caught up but still one or two behind atm.)
I started making a hat but ran out of yarn and didn't have anything else to match, so I backed up and turned it into a tea cosy instead.
Amy added 3 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-foraging/
Helped to make (well, mostly watched.. did some sanding..) a hefty chopping board from an irregular chunk of scavenged oak worktop. Why do I never remember to take before pics?
Finally getting up closer to sunrise again. Motivated this week by those planets that were supposedly aligning, but cloudy horizons meant I didn't manage to see the spectacle. Still, it's always worth rising early for coffee on the beach.
Adventure day! the main goal was to scout fields for St George's mushrooms, or tufty grass ring evidence thereof, but there were none to be found. First walked around Balbirnie Park in Glenrothes. Then to Falkland. Cake and coffee and lunch at Pillars of Hercules, before a couple of hours walking around Falkland Estate. Saw friendly bluetits and robins, amazing shell-like bracket fungi, enormous hundreds-of-years-old fallen trees ravaged by honey fungus, tree art, the ruined Temple of Decision, the Bruce monument, the waterfall at Maspie Den.
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Curry-y bread; apple caramel pie and baked apples; gingerbread; buckwheat apple pancakes; urid dal with greens; sprouted chickpeas and brown lentils.
Amy added 13 photos to https://i.amy.gy/madefood/
Made some very tasty food this week, including: apricot and coconut scones; Burkinabe-style babenda; chu hou noodles with homemade seitan. The babenda is peanuts, iru (fermented locust beans, very stinky), chilli and rice blitzed together, then simmered until thick, with bitter greens (I used chard and mustard greens) stirred through. As promised by various blogs, taste was funky and unusual - a combination I love. Seitan was improv; veg stock, nut. yeast, soy sauce and spices with vital wheat gluten, boiled in miso, then sliced and fried with the veg. Chu hou sauce came in a jar.
Mauritania-style cherchem: millet with tomato, herbs and mint.
Amy added 2 photos to https://i.amy.gy/madefood/
No-recipe sugar-free carob brownies. The secret ingredients are sweet potato, cooked and blended with a bit of coconut cream, as well as sunflower butter. Besides that, they have coconut sugar, carob, flour, apple cider vinegar and bicarbonate of soda. Chopped hazelnuts inside, and hemp and goji berries on top. They turned out well! Fudgy and chocolatey.
Back at the Community Kitchen after a month! I made experimental (no-recipe) cookies with gluten free flours.. A risk on several counts.. but it worked out well. They had lots of ground almonds in. I also made chocolate cake with secret cranberry sauce inside (not pictured). I started on some vegan haggis spring rolls, too, so I could nab some before I left. Also pictured: soba in miso with tofu and foraged seaweed.
Amy added 4 photos to https://i.amy.gy/madefood/
Chia puddings with coconut milk, topped with fruit cocktail, for something different at the Community Kitchen. Grilled peppers stuffed with delicious teriyaki-adjacent lentil mush (three kinds of lentils plus mung beans) and topped with tempeh, for K&M.
Finally able to work in the garden. Planted tomato seedlings, radishes, dwarf purple french beans in the polytunnel; romanesco, more dwarf french beans, aubergine, celery, runner beans, in trays; beetroot and chard in the garden; and overhauled the footpath garden with fresh mushroom compost; pulled out the chicory (to eat) and dead plants and got it all ready for seedlings in a few weeks. Remember last year's rhubarb that definitely died completely and rotted into a ball of mush? I threw it in the weeds across the road. It... has come back to life. Whilst lying on top of weeds and grass, over the winter. Retrieved it and potted it back up. Who knew.
Amy added 5 photos to https://i.amy.gy/growstuff/
Romanesco sprouted. A new raised bed erected, new home to a squash and a cucumber. Planted onions, soy beans, mange touts seeds; and pepper plants into the polytunnel. Kale in the footpath garden is flowering; I should probably eat it.
Amy added 9 photos to https://i.amy.gy/growstuff/
A week of astonishingly beautiful days. Walked into town a couple of times, and mornings on the beach of course. Enjoyed a quiet cove off Ravenscraig Park for a while, before heading back to Dysart beach for a dunk in the sea.
Amy added 55 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-fife/
Made krompirusa again: premade puff pastry rolled thinner, potatoes, onions, vegeta. Mmmm.
Amy added 5 photos to https://i.amy.gy/madefood/
At the last minute, Lowenna was deposited on my doorstep on Thursday evening. She was full of bounce and beans and buzz as usual, and has decided that nonstop barking at Dave is now a thing. I was still in covid isolation on Friday, so we snuck down to the beach at sunrise, then she spent the day alternately lounging around and barking at nothing (until Dave got home, then she barked at Dave). She also thoroughly systematically dismantled Max's colourful string ball, and set to on his fancy olive stick thing so there is woodchip everywhere.
Lowenna and Max frolicked on the beach for a lot of Saturday. Then they snoozled inside. Once Max had got past his most primal urges, he started trying to romance her properly. They would gaze into each others eyes, or delicately lick each others paws and faces, sweet little puppy kisses.
On Sunday Lowenna was knackered from all the walks on Saturday. We worked in the garden, and the doggos chased the ball and frolicked. Lowenna is faster than Max, but less precise, so they're evenly matched in ball chasing competition. Lowenna is definitely learning good behaviour from Max, and Max is learning how to be socially normal from her.. In the evening, Max took over 2/3 of the sofa as usual, and Lowenna discovered the best way for her to fit on was to lie directly on top of Max. On Monday Lowenna was scared to go outside because there was an Alsatian very far away in the distance who she is for some reason terrified of. She wasn't really okay until Max came over and demonstrated that outside is safe. K&M came for her in the evening, and after about an hour of sitting around and talking with Dave, ignoring Wenna's barking, she suddenly realised Dave is not actually a threat, and brought him a toy to play tug with. Hurrah! Then she went home.
Hung out with and fed Maud and Jess over the long weekend. Mostly Maud. Jess put in a couple of token appearances, but soon realised I wasn't going to let her outside while her human was away and resumed her usual state of sulking in the airing cupboard. Maud, on the other hand, is a tiny zooming blur of affection and excitement. Though she forgot how to eat, and only managed it if I hand-squeezed food from the pouch directly into her mouth, or handed her one tiny biscuit at a time.
Amy added 33 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-fife/
Market day! First trip into town in at least three weeks. Pizza from Roastie Toastiez on Pathhead beach. Max kicked sand into it but it was still good. Later: Max tried on my new tea cosy for size. Last night was an enormous blood moon.
The oxalis is flowering! I didn't know it flowered when I bought it, I just liked the foliage, then I saw one in flower at Inverness Botannical Gardens some months later. So I've been excited for it, but not hopeful, because it has seemed to be struggling. Nonetheless, tiny delicate pale purple flowers have emerged! The tradescantia that I got at the same time has had ups and downs too, but is thriving on the mantel piece at the moment. My chillis are all bearing fruit or flowers now, and my ridiculous inside cherry tomato has three more tomatoes on.. French beans, runner beans, aubergine, onions, romanesco planted last week are all sprouting in the polytunnel.
Amy added 6 photos to https://i.amy.gy/growstuff/
Planted a ton of chilli seeds of various different kinds. Most of them were out of date. We'll see what comes up. Also potted up a thousand romanesco cauliflowers... not sure where they're all going to live when they're bigger.. Oxalis flowers are lovely!
Crochet tea cosy, using alpine stitch. It started out as a hat but I didn't have enough yarn, so I backed up and tea-cosied it instead.
Amy added 4 photos to https://i.amy.gy/madestuff/
Made ugali / sima from maize flour, for something different. Ate it with a spicy root veg and bean stew. This week's bread came out fluffier than usual. Possibly I put fewer seeds in.
I have tried sadza in Zimbabwe, made from sorghum flour. The Tanzanian variation on a similar side dish is ugali, made from maize. Every 'recipe' I found seems to be different, but I felt the most coherent instructions on WikiHow. I already had maize flour from when Grain & Sustain had run out of gram flour and offered me that as an alternative. I used one part maize flour to four parts water and mixed them slowly together. The texture was smooth, and it held together without being sticky once it had cooled enough to touch. Dave said he would have believed me if I told him it was mashed potato, but he isn't very discerning. I served it with a vegetable and bean stew.
As of this week, previously 'public' facebook pages seem to be behind a login wall. I can't check the menu for my local Indian takeaway, see which stalls are on the market this week, or get a clue about things happening in the community around me. I can't find anyone talking about this online, and the only thing anyone - even local biz owners - seem to be able to say to me is *shrug*. What the fuck.
Finished Ender's Shadow, started Shadow of the Hegemon. Lowenna went home, then Max came back By mid-week when my flat was no longer full of doggos it was quite strange. There is still fur and grime everywhere though. Made scones, babenda, seitan. Continued to work on scrapers for Woodland Trust, though we really should be wrapping this up. And did some final translation workflow wrangling ready for the BODS 0.3.0 release. Sorted out slides and stuff for my spot on a panel about sustainability at the W3C AC meeting. Went to the market! It's been so long. Made up for 3 weeks of missing out by buying loads of stuff. Caught up on all the local Kirkcaldy news from Real Humans instead of Online. Made loads of garden progress. Helped to sand a chopping board. Caught up with Picard and finally finished Uncanny Counters. Hung out with Maud (mostly) and Jess (token appearance).
Finished Shadow of the Hegemon, started Shadow Puppets. Wrapped up the Woodland Trust 'LaboraTree' project, for now. Did some stuff with DeepNote dashboards for the first time, which was interesting. Made Mauritanian-style cherchem, carob brownies, and finally got back to the Community Kitchen. Planted a load of things in the footpath garden on Friday afternoon, but was so foggy from lack of sleep that I forgot immediately what I put where. Sunflowers, nasturtiums, wildflowers, carrots and chard... I'll just have to wait and see what pops up. My oxalis is flowering, tradescantia are taking off, inside cherry tomato has more fruit, and all four remaining chilli plants are bearing fruit or starting to flower now, despite the aphid infestation. Seeds planted in the polytunnel last week are sprouting.. french beans, romanesco, aubergine, onions. Got up to watch planets aligning, but didn't see them. Saw sunrises instead. Watched Y Tu Mama Tambien and The Lady in the Van. Made a website for The Tiffin so I don't have to depend on facebook to check their menu. This was the first time I've made a simple website in years and ohemgee the state of the ecosystem. It's amazing. The CSS Grid? The browser dev tools? Lightyears ahead of what I remember. Started another crochet project.. writing the pattern for this one. Went on an adventure to Glenrothes and Falkland and around.
Finished The Lefthanded Booksellers of London. Resumed and finished The Overstory; it's a hard read. Started Five Ideas to Fight For but so far that's just making me as mad as twitter does. Purple sprouting broccoli was ready to harvest when I got back. Two new inside tomatoes have appeared on the scraggly monstrosity I should have kicked out ages ago but didn't. Covid finally arrived in my life. Presumably from London. Sealed myself in my flat and ordered groceries for delivery like it's 2020. Worked on planning application document scrapers for Woodland Trust and i18n stuff for BODS. Crochet slippers are not going well, so sidetracked on a tea cosy and a scarf. Very sensible episode of the DID Rubric podcast aired. Cooked and baked some things. Watched Raya and the Last Dragon, both disney Atlantis movies, and Treasure Planet. Share offer extended for the co-operatively owned wind farm being built on the West Coast of Scotland. If you're in the UK you should really check it out.
Still in covid isolation most of the week; mornings okay, but fatigue hitting like a ton of bricks in the afternoons. Tested negative on Saturday. Crocheted a tea cosy. Worked on BODS and Woodland Trust and logistics for May CoGM though. Seem to be more productive with covid than not. Made ugali, or some approximation thereof, from maize flour. Had Max for a day. Then Lowenna for the weekend. Max came to play as well and they are too cute together. Did loads of work in the gardens, including giving my footpath garden an overhaul with mushroom compost. Almost caught up with season 2 of Picard and watched a couple more Uncanny Counters. Read a lot of Ender's Shadow.
That feeling when you are braced for a drawn out and infuriating customer service experience, but your problem is solved without any hassle within 2 mins of an online chat. Now I feel like I have the whole day free!
This week I checked out cuisine from Liechtenstein, and came across kasknopfle or spaetzle. I more or less followed this recipe for a veganised version. The texture of the batter was surprisingly compliant. I used a chopping board and bench scraper to make strips to drop into the boiling water. The main mistake was making them far far too big. But they nonetheless cooked quickly and tasted fine. I layered the dumplings/pasta with grated not-cheese. In lieu of dried onions to top with, I used the tops of home-grown onions, which caramelised a bit in the oven, and baked it all together. I would have just eaten that alone, but I was feeding my brother too who has greater quantity and diversity requirements for his evening meal, so I served it with breaded chicken-of-the-woods from my freezer (the closest thing I could think of to thematically appropriate schnitzel) and steamed broccoli from the garden. There were plenty of leftovers, and they reheated well for a substantive lunch.
Kasknopfle, Liechtenstein: food I've never eaten
One day I'd love to visit Laos, and making kanom krok made me even more keen. They are small coconut pancakes, vegan without any modifications, also commonly found as street food in Thailand. I made the pancake batter up ahead of time and left it in the fridge for a couple of hours. It seemed quite thin. I combined coconut milk (the thickest parts from a can that had separated in the fridge) with rice flour, desiccated coconut, some leftover cooked rice, and brown sugar in the blender. For the filling, I whisked coconut milk (again, the thick part) with a little white sugar and cornstarch. Lacking a proper kanom krok pan, I made do with a muffin tin and the oven on high. I heated the tin to melt coconut oil in each one first, then poured the batter in. It sizzled. Baking these until they had a small skin on top took about 7 minutes. I pulled them out, added the filling, topped with sweetcorn and spring onion, and put them back in for another 12 minutes or so. I could/should have probably cooked them slightly longer to make the edges crispier. They were delicious, if a little soggy or droopy. I waited just long enough for the tin to cool enough to hold it with a tea towel before removing them with a spoon. They came out surprisingly easily and had more structural integrity than they looked like they should. I got eighteen in total out of the mix, and most of the first twelve were eaten before the second batch were done. An eater-of-eggs who tried them swore they would have passed as eggy desserts without question. They were easy and quick to make, and so so good, I'll definitely be making them again.
Quiche was on the menu at the Community Kitchen this week, so I swooped in to make a vegan one with gram flour as well. I also used aging mincemeat for tarts, plus jelly with the rest of the fruit cocktail. At home I baked seedy bread, and a victoria sponge with homemade raspberry compote, and coconut cream. Dusted with coconut flour, instead of icing sugar, and only uses coconut sugar inside. It's a bit denser than ideal, though not solid. I might have a go with margarine (instead of oil) next time.
Carob and hazelnut cake. Perfect texture! Used my usual coffee cake recipe but subbed in carob.
Coffee, almond and sour cherry cake at Community Kitchen. Carob nut muffins for hiking.
A few hours in Buckhaven, helping CLEAR out with a plant and local produce sale and gardens open day. Then a walk through the woods to admire the bluebells. Found a few dryad's saddle, but not a lot and nothing else.
Day 1 of a walk to Dundee: Dysart to Falkland Hill.
Amy added 22 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202205-walk/
Day 2 of a walk to Dundee: Falkland Hill Pitmedden Forest.
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Day 3 of a walk to Dundee: Pitmedden Forest to Balmerino.
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Day 4 of a walk to Dundee: Balmerino to Dundee.
Amy added 109 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202205-walk/
Cellophane addition to my bathroom light to change the moooood.
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More dryad's saddle on the Early Warning Tree. But either someone had taken most of the new baby fruits, or the slugs had had a mega party. Kind of hard to tell, but I'm sure they were taken too young. A few survived under the nettles at the back of the log (until I got to them).
Amy added 4 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-foraging/
A few large dryads in the nearby woods. Some already too old. Not all within reach. More than enough for dinner.
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A week of sunrises, blue skies, and nice walks. Some big waves in the mornings. A longer-than-usual visit from Stagecoach.
Amy added 41 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-fife/
Early starts, but most day snot as early as I'd like. Did catch a couple of sunrises though.
A lift to Edinburgh with K for a visit to the Scottish Vegan Festival. I bought many treats. Then an afternoon and night with K, M and Lowenna. Before heading back into Edinburgh for a train down south... by way of a long chat with a Cat's Protection charity man who persuaded me to sponsor a moggy.
Amy added 13 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202205-travel/
Dinner at the Wee Buddha with Co-op colleagues in Edinburgh. I've always wanted to eat here, and it lived up to expectations!
Homemade onion- and garlic-free falafel for J.
Beach walkies. Max was getting in the way of mowing the lawn so we put the seedling-protector over him. He was happy. Wagging for a new ball access challenge.
Khichdi (mung bean dal, rice, tomato, spices), an Indian dish I picked up from Vipassana kitchen. Spaetzle (veganised with semolina and spelt flour instead of egg), baked with not-cheese and onion, served with breaded chicken-of-the-woods and greens, from Leichtenstein, Germany, Switzerland and thereabouts. Kanom krok, sweet/savoury coconut mini pancakes from Laos or Thailand.
Amy added 20 photos to https://i.amy.gy/madefood/
My upstairs neighbour left me a bag of massive cabbage leaves, so what else is there to do but make stuffed cabbage rolls? I've eaten the like in Czech Republic, Ukraine, Poland, and doubtless other places in Eastern Europe too. I didn't follow any particular recipe, but made the rice filling with brown and black lentils, onion and goji berries, and the sauce from onion, tomato and carrot. After blanching and stuffing the cabbage leaves, I simmered them in the sauce for about an hour. Delicioius! In a further burst of inspiration, I made matcha and white chocolate cookies, and they came out perfect. I have been seeking this cookie texture my whole life. I hope I can replicate it with other flavours. Also pictured: lunch with Kama vegan bakes pies and homemade pickled tomatoes.
Amy added 14 photos to https://i.amy.gy/madefood/
Homemade ravioli stuffed with smoked cashew cheese (from Kama Vegan Bakes) were a success! Tried to adapt my perfect stuffed matcha cookies to use peanut butter and be stuffed with compote, but they were way too soft, and should have baked longer. Also bread.
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Matcha and chocolate cookies at the Community Kitchen. Only vegan margarine available was in 10g sachets.. we make do..
A boatload of dryad's saddle. Found a chicken of the woods that is not ready yet. Plus a too-old ring of St George (finally) and other unidentified things.
Amy added 14 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-foraging/
Planted out tomatoes, cucumber and dwarf french beans in the footpath garden. Some things are sprouting in places I do not remember planting them. Also more aubergines have come up, some very belated sweet peppers, and a whole load of long slim chillis.
A wee chilli harvest. Many long peppers are growing. Planted out brussels sprouts and romanesco in the garden. Potted up aubergine, sweet peppers and yet more celery. Planted sunflowers and rockery plants in the footpath garden. Look at the flower on the salsify we have been neglecting!
Amy added 7 photos to https://i.amy.gy/growstuff/
2.5 hour each way trip on a bus full of football fans, was worth it to hang out with J and F in Glasgow and get tasty lunch at Mono, doughnuts at Tantrum, and fancy half price hot chocolate from Hotel Chocolat.
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Max time, a couple of walks into town (coffee at Black Cat Cafe), braw days and grey days.
R and I had a mushroom pie competition, impartially adjudicated by Dave. We presented two entries each. Competition was fierce, but I won. My homemade pastry tipped it. R got more points for presentation; his fillings were basic dryad's saddle and onion, and dryad's saddle with split peas. My "forager's pie" (the winner) was a dryad's saddle and black lentils spiced mince (Cornish-pasty-esque); and my "winner winner chicken dinner" pie was chicken-of-the-woods chunks and sweetcorn in a creamy dryad's saddle gravy with thyme and rosemary.
Marinaded thick wedges of dryad's saddle in homemade BBQ sauce, then stuck them in the oven for an hour. Result: tasty mushroom steaks! Served with sweet potato mash, and homegrown sprouting broccoli.
A quick detour through some woods on the way to Perth and.... spent the rest of the afternoon there. Just a few agates. Canny tell ya where.
Checked into a room bigger than my flat, including a bathroom with ceiling arches, and a view over Wortley Hall's fantastic grounds. Day one of the CoGM, with some team building and strategic thinking, lunch with aggressive ducks, plus a long walk through the fields in the afternoon.
Amy added 28 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202205-travel/
A sunset walk in the hills around Wortley. Definitely no getting lost, confrontations with cows, or strange men burning logs. Found an inkycap, and left it to go splat to make some mushroom art, before redistributing it in the Wortley Hall grounds. The next day, clear skies for sunrise, and I had front row seats. Into Sheffield for a fantastic brunch at South Street Kitchen. And then the train ride home.
Amy added 45 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202205-travel/
It's the time of year again for a long hike. This time, through the middle of Fife to the north coast, then along the coastal path to the Tay bridge, and over to Dundee. I had thought if we were at the bridge with enough time and energy, we might continue round to St Andrew's from the other direction instead, but that was not to be. We had way points, but not a route plan, and figured it out as we went along. The result was less direct than it could have been. The weather was primarily great, and although my walking boots rebelled and were causing pain by the end of the first day, it was still a fab trek. Loading... Distance: mi — Duration: — Pace: /mi — Avg HR: bpm — Elevation: + ft, - ft (net: ft) The quality of the photos is atrocious; my camera is now completely out of focus on the right hand side. Day 1: Dysart to Falkland Hill I was absolutely convinced we could get to Pillars of Hercules by tea time, but after 12 and a half miles of walking we had barely even made it to the Lomond Hills. We followed Queen Mary's Road from Wemyss to Balgonie, went through Markinch and skirted around the east and north of Glenrothes via a little detour through Balbirnie Park, and stopped to fill up our water bottles at the Pitcairn Center, before heading towards the Lomond Hills and pitching camp at the corner of some woods, away from the main trail at the foot of East Lomond. This was all familiar territory, and we were perhaps overconfident in terms of ground we could cover, and did lots of unfocussed zigzagging. At some point Max picked up an empty plastic bottle and decided this is much better than a ball for fetch. See all photos from day 1. Day 2: Falkland Hill to Pitmedden Forest We walked between East and West Lomond, along the lime kiln trail, and into the back of the Falkland Estate. We finally got to Pillars of Hercules, in time for a spectacularly disappointing not-sausage sandwich. But a nice coffee, and some communing with a friendly robin. The accessible footpaths were not giving us a lot of options north of Falkland, and we took an indirect route to Auchtermuchty via Strathmiglio. We almost had to detour all the way to Dunshalt, but cut through a field instead. On the way into Auchtermuchty we passed through the grounds of a big fancy house, which were very nice. In Auchtermuchty itself, we looked around the high street and old buildings, said hello to friendly locals, and then I stuck my head into the one cafe in town thinking - after the Pillars disappointment - that maybe they'd have one vegan cake, for a treat. A treat! Almost all of the cakes were vegan, and there was a range of about twenty options. They had vegan cream and marshmallows for a hot chocolate, and vegan dog treats (handmade in East Wemyss!). They took a picture of Max doing 'nose' for their facebook page. Even though he was wet and muddy, and slobbered the treat all over the floor, they made him welcome. We stayed for a while, enjoying the fab treats and lovely atmosphere. The cafe - the Old Barn - is also (was originally) a furniture upcycling shop. Definitely recommend if you're in the area.. or even worth going out of the way for. Out of Auchtermuchty and into Pitmedden Forest we went. We've been here before, but took a route through the woods which was new; one that skirts around several hills. The woods were full of downed trees from recent storms. Ancient things with huge roots which had hoisted enormous clumps of soil up into the air, and sometimes nearby fences to boot. We camped under the conifers, out of sight of the well-used track. Our longest day, at 17.9 miles. See all photos from day 2. Day 3: Pitmedden Forest to Balmerino The next stop was Newburgh, which would signify us finally reaching the banks of the Tay, and the Fife Coastal Path at last. In fact, Newburgh is the very start of the Fife Coastal Path, and I was determined to find the beginning of it. I backed up along the coast until I ran out of signs, but saw nothing of any significance. But later discovered I should have gone inland a bit, for the true start. Maybe next time. Or, close enough. After Newburgh the coastal path goes inland. On OpenStreetMap it looks like there is a trail running right along the coast, but being somewhat time constrained and not sure exactly how accurate that was, we stuck to the signposted route. I expect to return in future to attempt the very coastal trail though. We passed along the edge of fields with lovely views over the Tay, and regular alternating between drizzly grey and warm blue skies. After Glenduckie we veered from the official path and took a shortcut through the woods alongside Norman's Law. Again, lots of downed trees. We stopped to look around a very old and overgrown churchyard at Creich. I really wanted to camp closer to the coast, so we pressed on despite being pretty much ready to stop. We finally turned into a narrow strip of trees off the main path, and pitched the tent in a quiet spot, after a total of 14.4 miles. See all photos from day 3. Day 4: Balmerino to Dundee Almost as soon as we got to the wood that runs along the edge of the Tay we found a far more perfect spot for a campsite. Next time! We lingered over an hour there; Max systematically destroying every one in a giant pile of sticks, and R scouring the beach for agates. Our next stop was Balmerino village, which is super lovely! I'd move there. We looked around the grounds of the Abby, which includes a giant and stunningly gnarly 400 year old chestnut tree. The path leads shortly to Kirton of Balmerino, and then, after longer than it feels like it should, to Wormit and Woodhaven. The weather continued to change between extremes at short notice. We passed under the rail bridge, and along the beach a way before realising we had only sheer cliffs and crashing waves in front of us; but instead of turning back to find the proper path, we dug through the undergrowth to scramble up and alledgedly disused stairway and through some spiky bushes and over a 5 foot high brick wall, to the road. It was still far to walk, mostly through the town streets, to get to the pedestrian bridge at Newport-on-Tay. A storm cloud passed over us as we crossed the bridge, and soaked us. The bridge is infinitely long when you're on foot. Max was thoroughly unimpressed by the loud traffic on either side, and positively tore my arm off with the lead, forcing me to walk at a hitherto unforeseen pace to make it to the other side. At last, Dundee! 12 miles on the final day. The sun promptly came back out. I made a beeline for Rad Apples but found it closed. So we summoned just enough energy to head across town to Loco Rita's, where Max was welcomed despite, once again, being wet and muddy, and we ate great vegan tacos on a comfy sofa. Then we conked out for the hour and a half bus ride home. See all photos from day 4.
Finished The Vampire Lestat, started Queen of the Damned (but already, totally different voice, not so into it). Caught up on Co-op admin and governance stuff. Gave away loads of excess seedlings on Freegle and to Greener Kirkcaldy. Made many cookies at the Community Kitchen, and dal, and ravioli, jam stuffed peanut cookies, falafel, and hazelnut carob cake at home. Self-seeded nasturtiums, chard and mysterious other things continue to sprout in the footpath garden. Jalapenos sprouted on my windowsill. Tried St George's mushrooms for the first time, courtesy of Veg Man. Went to an amazing talk in Aberdour by Debora Kayembe, in support of Aberdour Refugee Resettlement and Support. Had a fab day in Glasgow with F and J. Nice weather. Went out for a mushroom walk, and found lots of dryad's saddle, baby chicken of the woods, and a too-old ring of St George..
Did tons of Co-op work/thinking about governance, cohesion, and decision making for staff welfare. Made mushroom steaks, teriyaki mushroom stir fry, and had a mushroom pie competition. Dinner at the Wee Buddha in Edinburgh with Co-op colleagues was fab. Another week of nice sunrises. Made coffee, almond and sour cherry cake, and stir fry at the Community Kitchen. Set out to walk from Dysart to Dundee. Day 1 was Dysart to the Lomond Hills, day 2 was the Lomond Hills to Pitmeddon woods and day 3 was Pitmedden to the hills outside of Balmerino.
Took the week off work! But still had loads to do. Took part in a panel for the W3C AC meeting, about sustainability and web standards. Planted chillis and potted up romanesco. Made coconut chia puddings at the Community Kitchen, peppers stuffed with lentils and mung beans with tempeh on top, and krompirusa again. Called the fire brigade for the first time ever. Fortunately nothing turned out to be on fire, but better safe than sorry.. K, M and Lowenna came to visit. Dryad's saddle season is beginning. The early warning tree is fruiting, but nothing so far anywhere else. Did clean up a load of stuff from the woods when we were out looking though. Went in the sea. Some beautiful days. Caught up on Picard.... quite disappointing tbh. Got various little DIY things done... or partly done... door thresholds in hallway, internal kitchen cupboard improvements, clocks/hooks on the walls.. Went on an adventure to [redacted] woods in Perthshire, where we discovered large quantities of amazing shiny rocks...
Caught up on Co-op stuff that I've been neglecting. A grey week, in contrast to last week, warm and cold. Finished Shadow of the Hegemon, started The Vampire Lestat. Baked vegan quiche, mincemeat tarts (still dragging out the christmas leftovers), and made jelly at the Community Kitchen. Made khichdi, a victoria sponge cake, spaetzle/knoepfle (Liechtenstein) and kanom krok (Laos). Went to the Black Cat Cafe, and discovered many exciting new things down the far end of the High St where I don't normally go.. a new veg shop and organic food store! Also got top Kirkcaldy gossip in the cafe. Harvested more dryad's saddle from the early warning tree. Potted up French beans. More aubergines sprouted, and sweet peppers, better late than never. A few nasturtiums and mystery seedlings sprouted in footpath garden. Planted out tomatoes in footpath garden. Only inkycap mushrooms are coming up in the new chilli farm, but Hungarian black peppers are ripening. Soya beans hadn't come up, and some digging around revealed they seem to have rotted. Will be contacting Johnson's.. Hung out with Max. Put yellow and pink cellophane (that I found in Furniture Plus!) in my bathroom light to make it warmer and less stark. Definite improvement. Started a series of posts on cooking experiments from countries I've never been to. In lieu of actually travelling, and inspired by worldle generating a new inspirational country every day. Went to the Scottish vegan festival in Edinburgh, spent about £100 on hot sauce and other tasty things, then stayed over with K&M and poor wee Lowenna who is recovering (well) from emergency surgery.
Long peppers sprouted! Many! Three days in Wortley Hall with ODSC! For our first almost-whole-coop IRL meeting since the beforetimes. We had a great time, got some useful strategic thinking done, went on long walks in the Yorkshire countryside, and - as is traditional - ate lots of carbs. Attended a W3C FO Council meeting. Saw the Ethical Web Principles and Privacy Principles move onto the W3C Statement Track. Looked inside some rocks. Enjoyed a day in Buckhaven for a CLEAR gardens open day and plant sale. Helped out at the stall selling locally grown and made jams, chutneys, relish, etc. Came home with two sunflowers, and two pretty rockery succulents.. Looked for dryads saddle on the way back, and found enough for a few meals, but not a ton. Planted out brussel sprouts, and many romanesco, and for some reason loads more onions. Potted up even more of the celery seedlings, with a view to giving as much away as possible, and also the aubergine and sweet peppers that sprouted late, though no idea where they're going to live yet. Someone deposited a bag of large cabbage leaves on my doorstep, so I made stuffed cabbage, Eastern Europe stylee.
Some Dysart sunrises. A great brunch in Roots & Seeds in Kirkcaldy. An adventure to Bowhouse market and Pittenweem with K, K&M and Lowenna. Too blowy to swim (except for Lowenna), but we had hot chocolate in Cacao Tree and Lowenna was a super good girl.
Rhubarb crumble sponge at the Community Kitchen.
Three layer muffins - matcha, lemon, strawberry - went down a treat.
I made loads of stuff at Community Kitchen today, but was so focussed on making it that I forgot to take photos. Today's challenge was: use up as much as possible of the leftover christmas mincemeat. And we had lots of lemons. So I made a lemon tart, with mincemeat and oats as the crust. And a lemon fruit sponge, where the 'fruit' was, you guessed it, mincemeat. And then blended loads of mincemeat with various combinations of oats, cacoa, ground almonds, coconut, to make energy balls.
Rose, coconut and almond cake (with homemade rose water of course); raspberry ruffles (with homemade compote) and loads of chocolate muffins (with secret raspberry compote inside too) for the Community Kitchen.
Mostly braw mornings this week, besides the actual solstice.
Coworked in Edinburgh with JL, KA and MW; we had lunch at Holy Cow. Then had another fab dinner with JB, MW and J at Wee Buddha.
My sister and I stayed with our Mum for the latter half of the week, and worked from there. We ate lots of cake, and had many tours of the garden. Mum is managing to grow enormous strawberries, and has a grapevine in the greenhouse. And the wildflower meadow is looking great! And that's just a little bit of it. We had a successful family game of Who Did This Poo. And went for some walks in the woods. Then we drove across the country to visit my Grandma, who had just turned 90. My brother drove down to join us too. We ate more cake. Grandma remembered who we all were the whole time and was as sweet as ever. Afterwards, we managed to squeeze in a half an hour visit to Dad and Ruth, before catch our respective trains back up north.
Amy added 22 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202206-uk/
Fancy flapjack. The base is coconut (soaked in freshly squeezed orange juice) with orange rind, pistachios, and the usual oaty mixture. I was very short on golden syrup, so there's only a squeeze in there, but the result is that it isn't as horribly sweet as flapjack often is, and it has a good texture that is not too dry and not too dense. The middle layer is dates cooked to mush, topped with crumbled pistachio halva. Then another layer of coconut/orange/oat mix. The last of the halva went on top 5 minutes before the end of baking. We've had this halva to use up for weeks, which is actually the reason this flapjack was born. Hm, what goes with pistachios? Orange, obviously. Originally I had thought to top it with crumbled halva, but fortunately it occurred to me to test how halva responds to being baked first. I took bets in the kitchen as to whether it would burn or melt. After 10 minutes in the oven - it did both. Not good. Though underneath the burnt part, it was deliciously gooey. So I topped it 5 minutes before the end of baking, and it melted into an absolutely delightful sesame mush. People who tried it were still talking about it next week, which doesn't often happen! Community kitchen food memory is short.
Big harvest of strawberries, so I made tarts. The crust was dates and nuts; the middle dessicated coconut with last year's strawberry compote, topped with a layer of fresh strawberries, coconut cream, and more strawberries. I made a version with grated chocolate instead of fresh strawberries for me, which was better, but strawberry ruins anything for me..
Pakora (carrot and red pepper) at Mum's. Rhubarb crumblejack at home. Particularly fluffy homemade bread this week.
A visit to the nearby oak woods. A feast of dryad's saddle, and a little chicken of the woods. Just a mouthful.
Amy added 11 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-foraging/
Flowers and beans in the footpath garden. Planted brassicas, mounded potatoes. Look at the salsify flowers!
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Potatoes are thriving; purple beans and lemon chilli are happy in the polytunnel. Planted out celery in the footpath garden at last, but it's a bit cramped.
Planted turnips, carrots, mange tout and choy sum seeds, and lettuce seedlings in the garden. Got first courgette/squash harvest, and purple french beans, plus raspberries and lots more strawberries. In the footpath garden, I have a self-seeded nasturtium bent on world domination. And its minions, which are crowding out the beans and celery. Rhubarb is finally coming back to life.
Amy added 11 photos to https://i.amy.gy/growstuff/
Mega strawberry harvest, and first artichokes.
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Made a Jaffa Cake for Dave's birthday. The base was a thin lemony sponge, overcooked to be drier than cake but not quite biscuit. The orange jelly was made with agar and fresh oj, and was my second attempt - better with some lemon juice to bring out the orange flavour. The top is melted chocolate chips, tempered using a couple of squares of dark orange chocolate I happened to have. It went down well!
A wonderful weekend of snuggling and long walkies with Lowenna. Since her recent near-death experience (from which she is now recovered) she has become accustomed to sleeping in the bed with her humans.. So I let her cuddle up with me too. She expands to fill the space available, and if she gets to bed first I just had to work around her. We walked through Bellsquarry woods a couple of times, and did a long round trip to Livingston Village, where I finally managed to get mac n cheeze from Castaway Coffee.
Amy added 40 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-livingston/
Mega mushroom feast after an evening of foraging. Breaded chicken of the woods and dryad's saddle worked great. Plus a teriyaki dryad stirfry, and veg from the garden.
We were convinced it has lately been too dry to expect much, but we haven't been to "the oyster woods" in a while, so thought we'd wander through to see if anything was starting to fruit. But as we passed through nearby redacted , we filled up our boxes with good quality, perfect condition oysters of at least two varieties (branched and 'normal'), and started to worry. Sure enough, we got to the oyster woods and had an immediate mushroom emergency. In fact, there were four or five logs that were too old - we had missed by at least a week! But several more that were fruiting prolifically and in absolutely great condition. No worms, and they barely needed cleaned. We filled up a bag and my backpack directly, and got extremely picky with them. Heroic K came to rescue us with the car, as we began to lose the light. This saved us over an hour walk home, which we needed as processing them took ages and I was asleep on my feet at this point. We roughly chopped and boiled most of them in salted water, bottling 9 large jars full. There is still a good kilo left fresh, and I made up a box for a neighbour.
Amy added 23 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-foraging/
After harvesting rose petals at dawn on the solstice, we made rosewater. Then proceeded to add it to everything. Rose lemonade, rose iced tea, rose hot chocolate, rose syrup. Fancy desserts with a layer of rose jelly (lemon juice and agar) and rose custard (almond milk and cornflour) topped with pistachios, almonds, pine nuts and pecans.
Amy added 17 photos to https://i.amy.gy/madefood/
Sunny the morning before the solstice, then cloudy and drizzly for sunrise on the solstice, of course. I sat resolutely on the beach in the rain at dawn with my coffee, just like last year.
Another try at solstice-adjacent sunrise was better. Walked to Wemyss, cleaning the beach on the way, then harvested wild rose petals, which grow there in great abundance.
A hasty tart that worked out really well. The base is dates and oats; the middle berry compote and dessicated coconut, and a bit of coconut oil; and the top is carob with creamed coconut. The top separated a bit, but you could pretend it's a feature. Tasted great.
Worked on reviewing the extensive quantities of Web of Things specs; and working out Staff & Welfare related things for the Co-op. Planted out celery seedlings, but they're still a bit small. Mounded potatoes. Made lemon fruit (mincemeat) cake, lemon tart with mincemeat oat crust, and energy balls made primarily from mincemeat at Community Kitchen. We have vast quantities of mincemeat still left to use. Also matcha/lemon/strawberry muffins at home. Finished The Lair of the White Worm; started and finished 2001: A Space Odessey. Spent three days at Mum's with my sister, then visited Grandma.
Got first purple french bean harvest, and raspberries and strawberries. Planted turnips, carrots, mange tout and choy sum in the garden. Made rhubarb crumblejack. Got up at 4 for solstice sunrise, but it was cloudy. Tried again the next day, then cleaned the beach towards Wemyss, and picked wild rose petals to make rosewater and added it to everything, including fancy rose jelly custard desserts. Had a mega migraine and lots of sniffles (but negative covid tests). Continued early mornings. Thought about Quest for Brothers spinoff novella.. though I should finish the novel first, shouldn't I. Worked on Co-op governance and employment stuff; coworked in Edinburgh. Started and finished Circe. Started, finally, Entangled Life. Got a jolly rug from Furniture Plus and filled my hallway with it. Remember the painting of Seafield Tower I saw in January at the market and been thinking about every since but never again seen the shop open? Walked into town for the Saturday market, and the shop was open, the painting was still there, and he'd knocked £15 off it :D Went to Errol Sunday Market, which is enormous and full of treasure. Watched the new Doctor Strange, and caught up on Stranger Things.
Finished walking to Dundee from Dysart. Day 4 was Balmerino to Dundee. Did Co-op work on Staff Welfare processes, and stuff. Made rhubarb crumble sponge at the Community Kitchen. Had a mega mushroom feast. Made berry coconut tart, and a jaffa cake for Dave's birthday. Hung out with Max. Planted wild flowers in my footpath garden, more brassicas in the garden, mounded potatoes, and and potted up some things. Looked after Lowenna for the weekend. Revamped my sloph CSS and templates.
Finished Queen of the Damned, started The Lair of the White Worm. Passed my Food Hygiene certificate. Got a mega strawberry harvest, as well as artichoke and onions. Made amazing fancy flapjack, with a date layer and pistachio halva at Community Kitchen, and strawberry coconut tarts and mushroom pies at home. Had an amazing brunch in Roots & Seeds. Went on an evening adventure with K to pick up a giant wooden chest from Cowdenbeath. Went on a Saturday adventure to Bowhouse market, Pittenweem and Blacketyside Farm with K, K&M, and Lowenna. Went on a Sunday adventure to visit J and H in Currie with K.
Removed an inbuilt kitchen cupboard to fit a bigger fridge freezer. Polyfilled the holes, sanded and sealed the unfinished wall behind, and painted it. Then covered it all up with the new fridge, of course.
Staying in Edinburgh under Tara's supervision. Such a fluffy little mischief. We had walkies around the Meadows and the Union Canal, and she accompanied me to Vitality & Kynd on multiple occasions. Made herself quite at home there. She's also good at yoga assistance. She likes to chase the ball by throwing herself into the air as high as possible in the vague vicinity of it, and then searching frantically after both she and it have landed. Pizza photographed is from Sora Lella. Mushroom photgraphed is extremely early agaricus near the Meadows. Dinner at the newly opened Sen Viet Vegan, which was not Tara-friendly.. but was very tasty.
Amy added 38 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202207-edi/
Max came to visit Tara and I in Edinburgh. Look at them being little tourists. We hung out in Princes St Gardens, had lunch from Sen Viet Vegan on the Meadows, and a fancy dinner at Sora Lella (the staff there said, of Max and Tara: "omg this is so good for my mental health" and "made my day"). Tara's ball chasing enthusiasm has increased tenfold in Max's presence.
Amy added 17 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202207-edi/
We walked all day. It was hot. But Tara and Max are powered by sunshine and the idea of the ball. We crossed Edinburgh and had brunch at Beetroot Sauvage. The continued on to climb Arthur's Seat, and wander around Holyrood Park. Made it to the Auld Hoose for giant nachos (which have not changed in size or quality since last I had them years ago, but have doubled in price).
Amy added 53 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202207-edi/
Another day of walking with Tara and Max. Breakfast at Vitality & Kynd, then a lovely wander through the woods around Blackford Hill. Tara, after initial hesitation, discovered a love of fetching the ball from the stream. To the point that if we weren't throwing it for her, she'd drop it off the edge herself then run off to find a way to get it back. She went from barely wanting to dip her toes, to absolutely fearless by the end of the day. Max's example helped. They both got muddy. We found ourselves later at ConsiderIt for doughnut ice cream sandwiches. Then had wraps from the African Wrap Place - as a throwback to my PhD years - which have not declined in quality, size, or value.
Amy added 37 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202207-edi/
Went to Edinburgh to pick S up after slightly disastrous travel complications. It was a glorious hot day. We had breakfast at BBL, wandered around Holyrood Park, picked up Tara for a walk in the Meadows and lunch at Vitality & Kynd.
Amy added 9 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202207-edi/
Plants in the polytunnel at the Greener Kirkcaldy gardens in Ravenscraig. Local history exhibition in Dysart.
Edinburgh is nice, but nothing compares to the sunrise from Dysart. Remember that giant picture of Seafield Tower I saw back in like January on the market?? Methuselah's was finally open again so I went in and he still had it AND knocked £15 off the price. Super.
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Walkies and a swim with Max towards West Wemyss. An evening wander through Ravenscraig Park.
Amy added 32 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-fife/
Many things with foraged oyster mushrooms this week, including a stir fry and tempura.
A cracking pizza with lots of courgette from the garden. It was supposed to have chanterelles on, but we accidentally ate them all for breakfast.
Mostly ate out in Edinburgh this week, but did find time to use old veg and a foraged field mushroom for a stir fry, and to make a rose water cake for J&F.
Made an absolute village worth of food for the Howard Place Picnic, though most of it didn't get eaten. Waded through glorious salads for a week, and froze what leftovers I couldn't give away. The vegan quiches were a surprise hit though. The raspberry chocolate muffins were an un-surprising hit.
Tempura mushrooms. Excellent homemade pizza (with an overnight rise dough, super cooperative)!
An evening trip to the oyster woods - mushroom emergency! Huge flushes, in great condition, nice and clean too. A late night after bottling most of them.</p.
Walked about 12 miles for a mere handful of chanterelles. Visited the dryad fountain, but was too late for the latest huge flush. Found a few charcoal burners in reasonable condition. And a old tragic yellow cracked bolete, anticipating a good summer for boletes? We can hope..
Amy added 25 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-foraging/
Nasturtiums, pansies and daisies are flowering. Ladybirds in the polytunnel seem to be finally getting the aphids under control. Dwarf purple french beans and strawberries are abundant; raspberries are starting.
Nasturtiums are going large. Cucumbers emerging. Footpath garden generally looking great.
Caught up on garden work. Harvested many things, including but not limited to: tomatoes, potatoes, chillis. Protected brasscas from the butterfly threat. Courgette apocalypse may soon be upon us.
After most of the week in London, it was nice to get back to the garden(s). Stocked up on mega UFO squash, courgettes, tomatoes, chillis, potatoes, three kinds of beans and various lettuce. First cornflowers bloomed in the footpath garden. I grow edible flowers on purpose, but because I want the path to look pretty I never end up picking them to eat.
Nice nacho lunch at Roots & Seeds. Then the train to Dalmeny to catch a boat to Inchcolm Island. Half of the island was closed due to our seagull overlords, and we had to arm ourselves with sticks to visit other parts. But it was a nice trip and plenty to explore.
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A relief to be back in Fife. Kangus has reopened! Promptly went for lunch.
Some days in London for the TAG face-to-face. Great food at Mildred's, Temple of Seitan, Luminary Bakery.
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At the Old Barn in Auchtermuchty, astonished to find a full lunch menu now that is very vegan friendly! Went rock hunting and found many excellent agates and some amethyst.
After Community Kitchen I hopped on the train to Burntisland to meet S, and we had cake at the Roasting Project (everywhere for lunch was closed, alas). Then had the bright idea to continue walking to Aberdour, arriving just in time for Dave to finish work and bring us home.
Walked to Buckhaven and back. Saw again the rocks that inspired my hallway paint colour. Met a polydactyl cat (cousin of Maud!) in East Wemyss. Classic East Wemyss chips and curry and ice cream.
Amy added 26 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-fife/
Checking the woods for mushrooms. Taught Max to pick wild raspberries himself. Slurp slurp chomp.
A little visitation to the chanterelle woods, but not much out.
A long walk from Berwick-upon-Tweed to Eyemouth, along the coast, with some of my Co-op colleagues. The weather was alternately gloriously warm, and torrentially wet. We saw some tucked away coastal villages, wonderful cliffs and bays, and a ruined wee castle. Chips in Eyemouth were well deserved.
Amy added 100 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202207-walk/
Returned to Dysart. The garden survived my absence. Continued to be inspired by Many Voices One Song and bought my own copy. Spent most of the week reading that, whilst doing other Co-op governance and admin related things. Caught up on garden work. Made a ton of food for the Howard Place Picnic. Not very many people turned up, but I did meet a few new neighbours, and am grateful for the ones I already know for making an effort to stop by or help. It didn't rain, and Max made lots of new friends. An evening mushroom emergency in the oyster woods.
S came to visit, so I had the week off work. A day in Edinburgh. A local walk with Max. Made many courgette cakes (which I somehow failed to photograph) at Community Kitchen, then cake in Burntisland and a walk to Aberdour. A boat trip to Inchcholm Island. Got a bigger fridge from Furniture plus. Had to disassemble the kitchen cabinet to fit it, then fill and paint the unfinished wall behind, but so much better. Freegled the smaller one. Fancy dinner at Koku Shi, and many beach sunrises. A long walk to Buckhaven and back. And made lots of tasty food. Then the train down to London. Watched Space Camp which was great.
London for TAG meeting, and dinner with timbl. Productive week, and marginally less awful time in London than usual. Enjoyed Kirkcaldy Friday market, featuring Kama Vegan Bakes (who I told about the KDY market when I saw them at the Scottish Vegan Festival) and lunch at the newly opened Kangus! Went on a long mushroom walk not far from home but didn't come back with much. Got chanterelles, but failed to put them on pizza. Good harvests. Went on a rock trunting hip to a new agate spot.
Did some procrastawork on sloph. Had an oyster mushroom emergency. Walked from Berwick to Eyemouth. Made rose, coconut and almond cake, raspberry ruffles and chocolate muffins at Community Kitchen and mushroom tempura at home. Enjoyed the Greener Kirkcaldy volunteer social in Ravenscraig Walled Garden. Harvesting and flowering is beginning in earnest. Went to Edinburgh to dogsit Tara for a week.
Read The Song of Achilles. Most of the batch of oyster mushrooms we bottled went bad :( Ate loads of good stuff in Edinburgh and had nice walkies. Made a squishy rose cake, and visited J and F in Falkirk. Picked up Many Voices One Song and felt very productive for Co-op governance stuff. Max and R came to visit, and we went on long walks up Arthur's Seat and to Blackford Hill.
Pretty fairies bonnets. A poor showing of chanterelles and a sorry cracked bolete.
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Puffballs, birch boletes, not chanterelles, pretty amanitas. Pretty sure it's a bit early for this many agaricus!
Amy added 17 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-foraging/
Front seats at the Kirkcaldy marathon (which is going past my window). There are some stewards clapping everyone who passes, so I can pretend that I'm getting little rounds of applause every time I achieve something very small today.
Apple and oat muffins, spiced fruit cookies, and not-meatballs, at the Community Kitchen.
Braw summer days. Beach wanderings and swims with visitors (G&K) and Max.
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Sunrise with Max, who slept over at mine. He's so good at sitting quietly first thing in the morning now.
Walk with G&K along the beach to East Wemyss. The ice cream shop was closed :(
An uncharacteristically braw 10th of August. Sunrise, brunch at Kangus, Community Kitchen, then a glittering walk home. Plus an epic moonrise.
Courgette choc chip cake, beet brownie (roasting the beets instead of boiling does keep the pink colour!), seedy bread, more breaded chicken of the woods.
Apple crumble cake, and almond lime pie at Community Kitchen.
A trip to Dundee with L. We visited the V&A, Verdant Works, and the street L's ancestors grew up on, and had lunch at Rad Apples. Pizza and hot chocolate pics are actually from Nova Pizza in Edinburgh, where we had a reunion with A!
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Coconut jam cake to use misc leftover jams and coulis; radically improv gluten free brownie, with cranberry sauce, teff flour, and all manner of other strange things.
Coronation chickpeas (something I've always wanted to make) for jacket potatoes at the community kitchen. Just nayo and curry spices, basically. Also made a chocolate biscuit fridge cake, because there was a bowl of broken digestives to use up. It hadn't set by the time I left, but apparently it all got eaten.
Breaded chicken of the woods. One needs nothing else in life.
I've never tried butter chicken, but it always sounded so appealing. I followed a normal butter chicken recipe (subbing coconut cream, cashew cream, margarine, etc) to make butter chicken [of the woods] and it was fabulous! Accompanied by courgette pakoras, naturally.
I marinaded chunks of chicken of the woods in lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, sage, thyme and rosemary (herbs from the garden) for most of a day, then seared it in the pan. Served with spaghetti, chard and green beans (from the garden) and drizzled with the rest of the marinade. *chef kiss*
Thai green curry with chicken of the woods. Incredibly good.
Spicy Mexican chicken (of the woods) with black beans, in fajitas.
Chicken (of the woods) karaage. Marinaded in soy sauce, mirin and cooking sake, then coated with cornflour and plain flour before deep fried. Also a giant pot of soup made from excessive garden vegetables.
This is the best one yet. Sweet and sour chicken of the woods balls. I read a bunch of recipes, then improvised. Blitzed the chicken of the woods and stirred in Chinese 5 spice and vegeta. Bound it with soy sauce, cooking sake, cornflour, plain flour and chickpea flour. Mushed into balls, and deep fried. They held together perfectly. Then stir fried them along with veg from the garden, and sweet and sour sauce (ketchup, white/coconut sugar, rice/apple cider vinegar). Reviews included: "this tastes like KFC?!". I also made matcha chop chip cookies, cos I had a craving, and courgette and rhubarb cake, cos I had a glut.
I made this crust for a tart, finally using the gluten free oat flour I've had for ages as well as hazelnuts, coconut oil and rose sugar syrup, but it a) only made half what I thought I'd need and b) completely fell apart so was no use. It tasted nice anyway though.
A gluten free, beetroot brownie, full of good stuff. And my perfected homemade falafel, because I have a craving. Also dyed macaroni pink by cooking it in beet water. And two courgette cakes for the freezer.
BBQ pulled jackfruit at the community kitchen - a first for me - to go inside tacos. The BBQ sauce was improv from what we had to use up, but I brought my own liquid smoke. The canned jackfruit has been kicking around for ages. I also made a coffee and walnut cake.
"What is... spotted dick?" asked one of my guests from Europe.
A decent flush of chicken of the woods in the same log that last year I found one as big as my torso. A few baby dryads and oysters around, too.
After a hot week, and a thunderstormy weekend, it was time to see if all the newfound rainfall caused the oysters to flush again. It had, but a week earlier! Somehow we missed it, it must have been wetter in the woods than in Dysart. But there were still a couple of boxes worth that weren't too old, though the rain had splashed them all over with dirt. We also got a handful of charcoal burners in surprisingly good condition.
Went to a spot where we missed chicken of the woods last year, and found a nice flush in perfect condition. Then went to a nearby spot where we got chicken of the woods last year, and saw none. But stayed a few more minutes to look around near by trees, and lo! 5.5kg in total. It's chickeny meals for the next weeks.
Footpath garden: cool spider, second(?) tomato, pretty wild flowers.
First poppy in the wildflower bit of the footpath garden. More cornflowers and teeny pansies.
A tiny wee harvest from the footpath garden. Enough courgettes? Big enough tomato?
Caught up on work in the garden and had a couple of big harvests. Loads of tomatoes and courgettes, UFO squashes and chillis, green and purple beans. Fewer cucumbers than last year. The raspberries are wrapping up but the blueberries are starting. Picked my first celery! Relieved the heat wave didn't wreck it. The rest of my footpath garden sunflowers have opened and are making the place look nice. Distracting from the caterpillar apocalypse that is shredding everything else.
First mange tout and carrots. Picked a load of celery. Romanesco looks like it's trying, but may be suffering from caterpillars. Not sure if it's right or not. Rainbow chard still going strong. Small sweet turnips. Tons of chillis. Mutant giant capsicum.
Amy added 14 photos to https://i.amy.gy/growstuff/
Lucy is back for a longer stay. I love how her little velvet ears flap from side to side as she trots along. Last week I met someone on the late bus back from Edinburgh. We had a lot in common, and she told me about a wellness weekend in Silverburn Park this weekend. So I went, along with K and R. We had a tour of the flax mill, and learned about all the amazing stuff in Silverburn park we didn't know about! Then had a very disappointing lunch experience at Blacketyside Farm.
Amy added 15 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-fife/
Cutie Lucy came to stay over. She's 14 years old, blind, and deaf. She wanders around the flat gently bumping into things while she works out the smellscape. If she happens to bump into a human, she wags her tail in delight. She doesn't care who it is, she's just happy to find herself not alone. Even Dave is charmed.
Lowenna (and K&M) came for beach walkies. Then we went to Auchtermuchty for lunch in the Old Barn, a wander around the open gardens. Finally off with R to look for agates.
Amy added 43 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-fife/
Dave and I went on a somewhat ridiculous adventure to a loch near Pitlochry. Something about UFOs. We walked further than planned, and I saw lots of interesting mushrooms, and almost fell for false chanterelles. I had multi-layer redundancy for where to stop for lunch, and about five places were inexplicably closed or had stopped serving food by the time we got there. We settled for very mediocre hotel restaurant chips.
Making pizza from scratch just for myself feels like such a treat. Not having to care about what anyone else wants on their pizza. Not having to stretch the dough or toppings as far as they'll go to make as much pizza as possible. Just one pizza, exactly how I like it, just for me. This one has chicken of the woods, and all veg from the garden apart from the sweetcorn.
Gorgeous summer continues. It's magical every day. There really aren't words.
A huge haul of agates to clean up. More braw sunrises.
Next level sunrises. L came to visit! Food at Kangus.
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The sunrises and glorious beach photos are old news at this point. Supper Club by Louise at Grain & Sustain is new though! Fantastic food and company.
I saw false chanterelles in the mushroom book last year and was like pffffttt they look nothing like chanterelles what idiot would fall for that. Yesterday I climbed up a steep bank and picked a load of... false chanterelles. Sigh. (I definitely did think they were a bit shifty at the time though.)
Caught up on work in the garden. Flowers. The heatwave finally broke, and we got some thunder and lightning and heavy rain. An evening forage in the oyster woods was decent. Got a huge haul of chicken of the woods, but the chanterelle showing is poor. Made some great chicken of the woods based meals, and BBQ pulled jackfruit and coffee cake at Community Kitchen. Soooo much Co-op admin. But in a good way. Liz came to visit! We wandered around Kirkcaldy and had a lovely day in Dundee.
Kind of a zombie week of recovering and questionable productivity. Mystery flowers blooming in the footpath garden. Made coronation chickpeas, and chocolate biscuit fridge cake at Community Kitchen. Made courgette cakes, a great beet brownie, and falafel at home. G and K came to visit, and we enjoyed the Fife coast together.
Finally did some work on the TAG Privacy Principles document. Had dinner in Edinburgh with Liz and Agnes. Made progress on some finance-related Co-op proposals; on S&W processes; on visa sponsorship admin. Baked. Ate so much chicken of the woods. Went to the first Grain & Sustain Supper Club. Made apple crumble cake and lime pie at the Community Kitchen, and matcha cookies and courgette rhubarb cake at home. A wellness weekend event near Leven. Watched the first two Matrix movies, but slept through half of Reloaded.
Had the esteemed Max for a night and a day. Walked to East Wemyss with G and K. Made cranberry gf brownies, and coconut jam cakes at Community Kitchen. Made a delicious dessert with a citrus cashew cream layer and an orange jelly and fruit layer, but all I managed to take photos of was oat hazelnut crust that completely fell apart and I didn't use (but ate as biscuity bits). Got a haul of oyster mushrooms, and good harvest from the gardens. Found and breaded some of chicken of the woods. Swam a few times, and had many extremely braw sunrises and moonrises. Looked after the sweet Lucy for a night and a day. Lowenna, K and M came over and we visited the open gardens at Auchtermuchty. Started watching Sandman.
Braw sunrises. Wild tomatoes growing on the beach. From sewage, presumably. But still quite impressive.
Instead of a bagel, it's a croissant! With not-pastrami and not-cheese, salad and chutney. Genius. At Kangus, obviously. I hope this creation actually makes it onto the official menu.
Two trips to different parts of the same local woodland, two days apart, yielded about 6kg of ceps. Unbelievable. Went there multiple times last year and only got a few. This is next level.
An evening trip to a similar but different strip of trees yielded approx another 2kg of ceps. What a week!
Amy added 7 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-foraging/
Churned out a lot at the Community Kitchen today. Many courgette choc chip cakes; apple and raisin swirls; not-meatballs.
A busy week in Den Haag at the Rebooting the Web of Trust conference. I was mostly on the registration desk and helping people with any issues as they arose. Oh, and organising good dinner venues of course. Pictured: Dim Sum at Full Moon City. Pizza from Vegan Pizza Bar. Breakfast at Club Vers. Also one evening was a trip back to Rotterdam Markthal (and I detoured to Vegan Junk Food Bar again).
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Went to Edinburgh to stay with Tara for a while. Max and R came for a day and we all had a frolic around Holyrood Park, and ate at The Doghouse and Considerit. Happened to see cannons being fired from the castle. All the roads were closed on the way out of town for hours. But heaven forbid anyone inconvenience anyone 'royal'.
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Walkies up Corstorphine Hill with R and Buddy. Dad and Ruth came to Edinburgh; Dave, E and M (and Tara of course) joined us for dinner in Henderson's!
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After some time away, a bit of work in the garden. Dug potatoes. Lemon chilli is going wild. Brussel sprouts are coming. No idea what the romanesco is playing at though.
Bottling abundance of things from the garden and the wild. Courgette/bean/tomato soup; mixed berries; pickled courgettes.
On a rainy Rotterdam day, I took the water taxi to Kinderdijk. Saw the museum learned the history of water management in the Netherlands, wandered among the windmills, went on a boat ride, and walked miles along the water and back.
Amy added 81 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202209-nl/
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Adapated a 'purrmaid' pattern to create amigurumi Mertiger for Baby Tiger.
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My first trip out of the UK since I got back to the UK in 2020. What a radical lifestyle change I had. It wasn't far. I took the Eurostar to Amsterdam, arrived late and stayed in a hostel, then the train to Rotterdam the next morning. Rotterdam was much more of a Big City than I expected! I had a picture in my head based on nothing in particular. I stayed in a hostel in the Cube Houses, which were pretty cool, although extremely loud due to the proximity of a large road and nightlife. After checking in, I visited the Cube House museum, which only takes a few minutes but I'd definitely recommend. Then I went for a wander around the general area. The Markthal is excellent architecturally, and also has lots of good food. I ate ice cream while I waited for a walking tour, and then followed that for a couple of hours. There are really a lot of interesting buildings in Rotterdam. I ended the day with copious amounts of junk food at the Vegan Junk Food Bar.
Amy added 96 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202209-nl/
I stopped by Florentina's for a hot chocolate and discovered a ton of unexpected vegan options. I bought fancy truffles and chocolate and hot chocolate to take home, and enjoyed a croissant and a soft serve chocolate-dipped ice cream as well! Went for a wander and ended up in the museum quarter. Yet more amazing architecture. Some lovely parks. Stumbled upon the totally unexpected Depot, which reflected the city skyline in the most epic manner. And I got to ascend to the roof garden in time for a cracking sunset. Peering through the glass interior from the lift, I could not fathom what this place was. I looked it up later - art storage facility! Super cool.
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Journey onward from Rotterdam to Den Haag. Met D for dinner at Leaf vegetarian Chinese restaurant.
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Delicious button porcini in a nomelette with veg from the garden; and as simple as they come, lightly fried on rice.
More culinary delights with the foraged porcini. All over a pizza. A lasagne that was just layers of mushrooms and oat cream sauce. Mmmmmm.
Amy added 19 photos to https://i.amy.gy/madefood/
Tara and I took the bus from Edinburgh back to Dysart. Walked along the coast into Kirkcaldy, and Tara had some good beach frolics, but didn't want to go in the sea. We stopped for brunch in Kangus, then walked through town to watch the Fife Pride parade. It was wonderful to see the High St all decked out in rainbows, and so many people celebrating. We spent the afternoon in the chill space in Grain & Sustain, where we met some lovely people. Then, back to Edinburgh.
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Enough big city, so a retreat to the woods. I walked up to Kralingen area, to the botannical gardens. There was a harvest festival/fair happening, so nice vibes in a beautiful place. Lots of mushrooms. Including a massive amount of (finished) chicken of the woods around the corner from one of the cafes! Probably they have to leave it alone though. I had vegan bitterballen and a cup of tea there. Then walked on, to do a loop around an enormous artificial lake that was lined with woodlands and trails around three sides. The city skyline glimmered in the distance, reflected in the still water. Yet more mushrooms everywhere. A big splat of old chicken of the woods on the ground at my feet; I looked up, and 20 feet above me in a tree was a huge amount that was probably still good. After some hours wandering the trails, I had a fantastic Brazilian-style brunch at Veggies cafe.
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Mushroom stroganoff from birch boletes, agricus and puffballs. Served with fancy spelt pasta.
Life oriented around Tara's walkies and mealtimes. The weather in Edinburgh was lovely. Did Co-op work, and read, and enjoyed the company of Tara's ridiculous furry family who live next door. Went to Falkirk to see J, F, E&E on one afternoon. Met M and Lowenna in town for dinner on another. And spent an afternoon at Rhyze anarchist mushroom co-operative, for a talk about radical mycology. Ate so much good stuff. The new Henderson's is fabulous. Discovered #fish and their full vegan chippy menu. But my new favourite is the very dog-keen Chapter One Coffee Shop!
Amy added 43 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202209-edi/
Went on an adventure with Dave to a loch near Pitlochry and found some mushrooms. Also field mushrooms seem to be coming up everywhere. Did a ton of Co-op work for visa sponsorship, Staff & Welfare group processes and proposals, and governance stuff. Nice walkies with Lucy. Made not-meatballs, spiced fruit cookies and apple oat muffins at the Community Kitchen. Made a tasty mixed wild mushroom stroganoff. First carrots, and other harvest.
OH: Where's Guy Fawkes when we need him now, eh?
Inordinate quantities of rocket, and the tomatoes are still coming. So we cooked a whole load up with celery and onion and made it into a kind of vaguely unpleasant rocket passata. It's alright when mixed with other stuff though!
Creamy lemon bars at the Community Kitchen. Used - finally - the last of the mincemeat to make the crust.
Hallowe'en themed baking at the Community Kitchen, so I made spooky ghost cupcakes (coconut and cranberry), oozing blood (raspberry) chocolate peanut butter cups, and a mutant spider army (fruit/nut/cocoa energy balls).
ODS Co-op came to KDY! A productive week of coworking and channelling Co-op money into all of my favourite local businesses. And some braw sunrises and evening wandering.
Lots of walking on my last day in Den Haag. A visit to the Peace Palace. Then, to Vegane Glorie for an excellent brunch, and then to Scheveningen and along the beach and through the dunes until the sun began to set. At which point, we hopped on buses to reach the Hook of Holland port, and boarded a ferry back to the UK.
Amy added 68 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202209-nl/
Finally home! Evening walk to show D around, with big moon. The next morning checked on sunrise, good, as I left it.
Various wild mushrooms on toast, pizza and omelette. Also many apple crumbles. Donated bag of figs at the Community Kitchen of course meant... homemade fig rolls! But completely improv in the end as we had essentially none of the correct ingredients. Apparently they turned out fine, but I had to leave before they finished baking.
Walk and foraging near Wemyss; blackening waxcap, puffballs, shaggy pholiota.
Shaggy parasols and puffballs from Dysart; loads of delicious shaggy inkcaps from Livingston.
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A score of hedgehog fungi near Loch Lomond. And some other randos, which I did take home and ID but didn't record and now can't remember, alas.
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A minor chanterelle emergency in nearby woodlands. But this is the beginning - more are definitely coming. Some very nice birch boletes, and a load of big amethyst decievers as well. Plus one of my fave very weird mushrooms aesthetically, the white saddle - in exactly the same spot I found them last year. On the fence about whether to eat these. There does not seem to be consensus.
Shaggy inkcaps in Ravenscraig Park. IDing some from the last forage - a new bolete, and a jellybaby!
CHANTERELLE EMERGENCY. 3.5kg. Also loads of other fun things. Weird bobbly guys. Orange grisette (yum! first amanita I've actually eaten, after excessive amounts of double checking. Sweet and mushroomy), tiniest russula, some way past it ceps, my first common inkcaps, and even some oysters. This is all essentially on my doorstep.
Amy added 49 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-foraging/
A bag of shaggy inkcaps just on the way into town. 1kg of chanterelles in the dryer at G&S (turned into 160g). Very unusual boletes near a carpark.. under birch, but with very scaly and chunky stems, so 99% sure not birch boletes. A good haul of beautiful purple wood blewits from Ravenscraig Park.
A few more wood blewits from Ravenscraig.
Nice grey mushrooms that I eventually concluded to be clouded agaric/funnel (I even did a spore print) but didn't get confidence in time to eat them. There were a lot though. And a new spot for massive pile of great condition wood blewits. Loads of fun things coming up in the cemetery; mostly waxcaps and friends, but also shaggy parasols and blushing agaricus.
Amy added 41 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-foraging/
Really enjoying these pink flowers that are blooming from a wildflower mix. Tons of things have self seeded in my fishing crates - a mix of the pink wallflowers and rocket/mustard greens, I think. A tiny romanesco yield. Another beautiful artichoke.
Wednesday: Brunch at Kangus, Community Kitchen (not pictured) and then a drive to Burntisland for chips and then Livingston (also not pictured). Thursday: Road trip to Loch Lomond, where D went in the sea and I wandered the woods looking for mushrooms.
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A drive to Auchtermuchty for lunch at the Old Barn, and then a walk in the rain to Maspie Den with B&G&C.
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Wood blewit, agaricus and puffball stroganoff.
Old tshirt is developing holes. I sliced it up to use in a rag rug.
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The November Sea is coming early. Also, brunch in Roots & Seeds with B&G.
Some next level beach sunrises. I can't believe that every day we have the opportunity to witness this incredible cosmic spectacle, and most people choose to sleep through it. After two years, it's still leaving me breathless.
D left. Sunrise. B&G arrived. A visit with Maud. An afternoon in KDY. Dinner at Koku Shi with B&G&C.
Walk to Buckhaven along the coastal path to see some of my all time favourite rocks. D and Max went in the sea.
Visiting C, B&G left, and I had an afternoon for a breather before my Co-op colleagues started to arrive. A wee forage for chanterelles, amethyst deceivers, and a fun box to ID. Finished, finally, Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake. I'll probably read it again tbh. Open Data Services Co-op coworking meeting in the small seaside town I call home! It felt extremely positive and we moved forward with shared understanding around governance structures and business strategy. Lots of work to do to use this momentum to help us develop though. Found some excellent shaggy inkcaps. Saw some excellent sunrises. Started watching Foundation and reading Mortal Engines. Watched Cats. Found 3.5kg of beautiful chanterelles.
The sea started to glow in preparation for November. Daily breathtaking cosmic spectacles. Foraged many apples from Buckhaven community orchards, and sliced them for the dryer. Made fig rolls at the Community Kitchen, and lots of things with chanterelles on at home. Worked on Co-op business strategy stuff. Finished Mortal Engines.
Finished watching Foundation. Started watching Invasion. Started reading Shifting. Cooked excess rocket and tomato. Baked spooky things at the Community Kitchen. Got lots of wood blewits and agaricus (and ate them). Braw sunrises.
Final day in Den Haag before returning home, with a visitor. Walked to West Wemyss and the nice rocks at Buckhaven. Made lemon bars with mincemeat crust at the Community Kitchen. Spent some time with K and Lowenna; found some shaggy inkcaps (same place as last year!) Had an adventure to Loch Lomond with D. Found some hedgehog fungi. Picked up C from Edinburgh and had a wander. Visited J, E&E in Falkirk D left, B&G arrived. We wandered Dysart and Kirkcaldy, and went for lunch in Auchtermuchty then for a walk around Maspie Den.
This month was too busy to keep on top of posting, so I've lumped them into one as best I can. Co-op work.. got our visa sponsorship license after much admin (phew).. Prepped for CoGM in KDY... worked on the business strategy... Found an unprecedented 6kg of ceps from two trips to the same woodland . And then another 3kg from somewhere else. Cooked loads of things with wild mushrooms and garden veg. Sunrises. Hung out Edinburgh with Tara. Went to Fife Pride (with Tara). Visited lots of friends, and visited Rhyze, helped by staying in Edinburgh with Tara. Read The Joy Luck Club. Dad and Ruth came for a visit while I was between trips. Went to Rotterdam. Visited Kinderdijk, did touristing, found nature. Went to RWOT in Den Haag. Generally neglected the gardens. Read a bunch of Philip K Dick, but now my extremely old Kindle won't charge. Watched all of Our Flag Means Death <3
I have so far managed one word sprint. I did not factor in the amount of time I would spend on novel-related wikiventures today.
I was recently asked about "fediverse culture" - whether there's one, or many? Where the technology stops and the culture starts? I have turned my reply into this not-very-refined blog post. The short answer, in my opinion, is that there is definitely no universal culture on the fediverse. There are certainly lots of people who have ideas about what the "fediverse" is or should be. Note that the fediverse is not Mastodon alone; Friendica and GNU Social also interoperate with Mastodon to degrees, and that there are different frontends for Mastodon available that might impact how people feel about their community and interact with the system(s). And other non-twitter like sites that also interoperate - peertube, pleroma, pixelfed - and that very small customisations to the normal Mastodon software done by server admins can have an impact on the usage and expectations of that server. And I'm just talking about the UI here really, not even moderation tools/rules. That's a whole nother blogpost/thesis. For example: when I joined toot.cat, many thousands of years ago, the UI was customised to read "boop" and "bap" (or something) instead of "toot" and "boost". It was my first time on a mastodon instance (pre-ActivityPub, can you imagine?!). I posted something like "what is the difference between bap and a boost" and had a lot of responses from people on other servers along the lines of "what are you on about". Only people on the toot.cat instance understood, and as a new user I didn't know that every other server did not present the same experience. It's a tiny example, but scale that up across thousands of different UIs, norms, and contexts. That line between technology and culture; I posit: no such thing! I find this whole thing absolutely fascinating, and tried to write about it in my thesis, but it was more of an afterthought than a focus at the time. Thinking about the circular relationship between UX and human behaviour - how they shape each other. The affordances of the system determine certain usage patterns, but people subvert those affordances, turn them to unexpected ends, and the system is often changed (if not directly by the designers, then indirectly through reinterpretation by the users) as a result. I don't see how there could possibly be anything like a uniform culture across the fediverse. There isn't a uniform culture on twitter, and everyone is using more or less the same UIs/apps to interact with it. Anyone who says there is is actually just describing the part of it they've experienced - which might be significant - but there's no way it's "all" of it. Related tangent: Most of the focus in terms of development has been on the federation - server-to-server APIs. Which is all well and good, but I've always been more interested in the implications of standard client-to-server APIs. Mastodon doesn't implement the ActivityPub client-to-server last time I checked, which hampers my dream. The dream: is as many options for your posting apps as there are for todo list apps, or, I dunno, raincoats. Posting clients would fall along the spectrum from highly specialised (do one thing - eg. individual photo sharing - and do it well) to very generic, and along the spectrum of highly personalised for your specific context to super generic everyone's is the same. We have a lot of options for raincoats, from really fancy high tech water repellent ones, to basic plastic ponchos, to ones that are cosy and warm, to ones that keep the wind off best or are lightweight and optimised for hiking, and you can usually get them all in a range of colours and sizes, but they're all recogniseable as raincoats. Federation in that world is to me extremely exciting - it probably opens up a lot more questions than answers, but I'd love to see how it played out. It would necessitate 'reader' applications (whether or not these are integrated into posting applications) to be a lot more able to gracefully handle post formats they weren't specialised in (fortunately(?) we have standards to help), which probably mostly means being able to fall back on a plain text representation for everything as a minimum. I'd love it to be normal and everyday to not assume that when you post a message on your social network, every person is reading it in a similar UI, either to the one you posted from, or to the one everyone else is reading it in. I love it because it embodies the fact that everyone really is operating from a different perspective, in a different context, a different mood, with a different set of life experiences, than everyone else. I see a lot of people forgetting this when they're discussing/arguing about stuff in general (in 'normal' life, not even web standards!) and find it uniquely frustrating.
Good morning! The first day in November I have had no plans! So my plan for today is to alternate catch up on photo posts with NaNoWriMo word sprints. I started strong with two pages of plot outlining at 1am, and a page of story progression on the beach at sunrise.
I'm seeing a lot of mixing up ActivityPub with Mastodon/implementation details and I keep almost replying but managing not to. Deep breaths. I'm much happier when I keep my head down and stick to foraging mushrooms and sitting quietly on the beach. I think it's mostly just the novelty that so many people are talking about ActivityPub at all tbh.
Lots of people I know from not online and also not web standards world are starting to show up on mastodon which is really exciting but also quite strange?!
Good morning, final day of November. As braw as the first. But colder.
A break in the Peak District. I stayed at the Quaker community in Bamford, where I met some truly wonderful people, ate fantastic food, had plenty of time to write and read, and also learnt hedgelaying. I've never had the chance to swing a billhook with my full strength before. It was mostly drizzly/overcast, but I did catch a best-effort sunrise.
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Another day of woodland working, where I weeded a vegetable plot and pressed apples. A walk to the nearby dam/reservoir, and a muddy stomp back in the almost-dark, to a cosy bonfire (and cake).
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Dramatic sunrises and beach walkies with Max, by seas serene to stormy.
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Cold but clear days, sunrises, sunsets and beach walkies.
Turned the massive tomato and chilli harvests into 15 jars of spicy tomato sauce and 5 jars of pickled whole chillis (in homemade apple cider vinegar).
Rose and pistachio cake with a lime drizzle at the Community Kitchen, as well as homemade baked falafels.
Nachoooos. Orange coconut cake with apricots inside. Nice texture.
Matcha and mixed nuts cake with dark chocolate ganache. Mmmm. Improv spiced pumpkin pies at the Community Kitchen. Nachos with leftover bolognese-turned-chilli and 'cheese' made from carrots, potatoes and nutritional yeast. Surpisingly good!
At the Community Kitchen this week I was charged with making pfeffernusse - which I hadn't heard of until that moment - and also they had to be vegan and gluten free. I have no idea how authentic these are, but the main thing is they tasted nice.
Sunrise. And a visit with Jess and Maud.
Matcha cookies with secret dark chocolate inside for Community Kitchen.
A couple of mushrooms to ID from the walk home. The big ones growing out of logs I'm not sure but the best guess is a pluteus of some kind. The very wee one was already kicked up, I didn't pull it out. It's probably an agaricus - growing in a spot where I've found Prince before.
Amy added 10 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-foraging/
A tall tree of old oyster mushrooms. Would have been a huge flush if I'd found it in time! Maybe a couple of weeks to a month too late.
A hidden stash of shaggy parasols in mounds of leaf litter and woodland waste in a nearby park. The big ones are too old, but a whole flush of babies is coming up. Pictures are from two visits, 3 days apart, but they're not growing very fast. Also found lyophyllum decastes ("chicken mushroom" or clustered domecap) for the first time, though it was too old to eat. I'm 99% sure that's what it was, anyway.. I brought one home to ID, left it on the open mushroom book, which my brother moved to a different table, I forgot about until some days later when the mushroom had completely decomposed and was wriggling in a big splat. A circle of damp shroomy damage done from parasols to just before the amanitas xD
Tomatoes in the polytunnel are still ripening. Chilli harvest is also still huge. Giant brussels sprouts from the garden. Picked the last of the tomatoes from the footpath garden as the plants are basically dead. These can ripen on the windowsill.
I was running late, but that didn't prevent me from stopping to take pictures of this beautiful little inkcap in the park.
Amy added 2 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-foraging/
A morning of writing with Maud, in which she stole Jess's biscuits, sunned herself, and helped really excellently with nanowrimo.
K and I went for a sunset wetsuit swim at Pittenweem tidal pool. Promptly followed by hot chocolate and hearty soup at Cocoa Tree.
Amy added 18 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-fife/
I got enough writing done in the morning, so I went on a rock trunting hip. The quarry at sunset was great inspiration for alien landscapes. Quartz crystal and amethyst abounds.
I absolutely lost my mind at these clouds. I was raving on the beach. Rendered utterly helpless. Was it aliens? Was it a dragon? These possibilities and more occurred to me. My phone doesn't even come close to capturing the depth and power.
A bright and vivid sunrise over very very big waves. Lunch at the Aberdour Hotel (which has a revamped "green" (code for vegan) menu) with friends from Greener Kirkcaldy. Later, walkies with Max, and then he curled up to help me with my novel.
Amy added 28 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-fife/
Lunch at Roots & Seeds. Burying Max in leaves. Sunset walk home.
A small writing retreat. Lowenna/void was very helpful. She also took excessive mud baths. And I painted a ceiling.
Amy added 16 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-livingston/
Starting to discover that one of the things I liked in particular about my mastodon feed(s) is that it wasn't full of the same people as twitter. But as I see people I follow on twitter moving over, I have to follow them via mastodon because I don't necessarily want to lose them, but don't have the headspace to sort things out properly right now.
Wrote every day, with help from Max and on the beach. Lunch in Aberdour. Switched to alternately reading Stealing Light and one of Dave's Lovecraft short story collections, depending on which thread of my novel I was working on. Accidentally wrote about fediverse culture instead of my novel. Spent a few days in the Peak District, learnt how to lay hedges, general woodland working and gardening, and writing and meeting lovely people. Ended the week with 23,511 words.
Wrote every day, on the beach. Made pumpkin pies at the Community Kitchen, and matcha/nut/chocolate cake, and nacho 'cheese' sauce at home. Visited with Jess and Maud. Went to look for shiny rocks. Generally snowed under with TAG and Co-op stuff. Stressed. Dave has been looking after me. Walkies and lunch with Max. Found shaggy parasols and chicken mushroom. Ended the week with 32,870 words.
'Did' hallowe'en at K's house. I was in charge of activating the smoke machine whenever trick-or-treaters rang the bell, and was rewarded with small screams. I wore my dinosaur onesie (which I wear all the time anyway). This was the most hallowe'en I've ever done. NaNoWriMo begins! Poor progress. Writing on the beach during braw sunrises though. Productive co-op business strategy coworking in Edinburgh. Max is back. Made matcha cookies at the Community Kitchen. Started Lovecraft Country. Ten thousand people an hour are starting to follow me on mastodon which is slightly alarming. Absolute next level sunrise one morning which almost drove me mad through its beauty. Really gorgeous days; went for a dusk wetsuit swim near home. Ended the week with 5068 words.
Week in review: 31st October - 6th November
The Mastodon influx continues. Lots of things resurfacing... Tried to make space for nanowrimo with limited success. Mostly writing on the beach, at Kangus and Grain & Sustain. Visited Lowenna (and K and M) for walkies. Found wood blewits and put them in a burger. Made rose and pistachio cake and falafel at the Community Kitchen, and orange coconut cake at home. Ended up helping out with a bid for Co-op work which took time I was intending to use for other things. Also Co-op business strategy, and governance stuff. Many beach walks. Hastily assembled my TAG renomination statement as I discovered the deadline day on the deadline day. Went for a swim in Pittenweem sea pool (and a hot chocolate after). Ended the week with 14,648 words.
Celebrating the end of NaNoWriMo (and this extremely stressful week) by cleaning my desk. I made it to 36,267 words, in spite of everything else going on this month, which is more than last year, and I haven't run out of steam for the story itself, so I'm happy all round.
Simple crochet plantpot hanger to get my baby string of hearts plant off the windowsill and let it dangle in its full glory.
Amy added 5 photos to https://i.amy.gy/madestuff/
I neglected to top some plant pots in my flat with gravel recently, and had a bit of a fungus gnat population explosion last month. I was worried it was getting out of hand again, but the entire generation seem to have all expired overnight at the same time (and I have since covered all exposed soil, so hopefully they have not managed to lay more eggs) which is great for my wellbeing but they also all expired in the same place, so I now have a fungus gnat mass grave on my living room floor o.O
K and I went for a late lunch at the Aberdour Hotel to try the recently revolutionised seasonal menu. There is now a "green" (aka vegan friendly) option for a three course meal with three options to choose for each course, thanks to Iain of Greener Kirkcaldy fame :) After a two hour recovery from the meal, we rolled down to the beach to find someone in the sea in just a swimsuit at sunset. Brr.
Another trip to the Aberdour Hotel for the seasonal menu, this time with K, M and Lowenna. We went for a beach frolic afterwards and Lowenna got soaking wet and found a big stick.
The sun hasn't really been coming up, so I've had to drag myself down to the beach mid-morning. It's nice once I get there, if a bit cold. Went for a litter run between Dysart and Wemyss, and picked up a lot.
I had the oven on for something else, so obviously threw in some muffins as well. These are carob and mixed nuts, low sugar, oaty, fluffy, and healthy tasting.
Brownies and gluten-free chocolate coconut cake at the Community Kitchen.
Ginger choc muffins with ganache.
Stripped the rest of the tomatoes in the polytunnel, and turned most of the green tomatoes into chutney - with chilli, apple, apple cider vinegar, paprika, thyme, sugar (not too much).
Apple cake and gluten-free lemon coconut cake at the Community Kitchen. Also, not pictured, made three flavours of banana ice cream; vanilla, peanut butter, and raspberry. Another (last??) harvest of tomatoes, and stripped the lemon pepper because the frost got it, and made 2L hot sauce.
A blanket shaped like a tailfin, with alternating rows of shell and v stiches. Reverse crochet edging, which I always find difficult to get started with, but really enjoy once I (re-)figure it out. Just the actual fin part remains. The yarn is really nice.. charity shop stuff I picked up ages ago, in lovely colours. I'm using two similar but slightly different balls, doubled up.
I woke up one morning last month to strange bulbous shapes silhouetted against my window on my big orchid stem. Almost overnight, it seemed, it had put out a load of blossoms! I'd given up on seeing it flower again. One of them has opened this week. Other photos show inside and footpath plants in October and November.
Amy added 10 photos to https://i.amy.gy/growstuff/
A very local winter forage, in which I discovered a nearby old graveyard which is absolutely brimming with exciting fungal life. Some fantastic slime moulds, along with old waxcaps, still edible blewits and agaricus, and some dead cute smokey spindles and a pinkish coral fungus. Then onto the nearby big park to check on the shaggy parasols. So many, all up in a line! And they're massive! Picked the biggest ones because they are already getting wormy. And an absolutely amazing patch of common inkcaps around the corner too.
Amy added 26 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-foraging/
Winter chanterelles! From the same local woods that was great for normal chanterelles this autumn. I didn't pick them, R did, because I didn't feel like going out. But I washed and cooked them. (The other picture is the slow growing shaggy parasols from earlier in the month.)
Packaged up homemade/grown/foraged things in reused packaging for a wedding gift.
Ending the year as I started it (in the sea). It was overcast, but the sea was so smooth and still it looked like CGI. It was cold AF though. Met Max on the beach, and he kept trying to rescue me. He went really far out and wouldn't leave me behind, I was worried he'd get too cold.
My mince pie presentational skills are poor, but I made some anyway (Mum sent me homemade mincemeat). I also made improv gluten- and sugar-free festive tarts for someone eating a mostly keto diet. They went down well. The crust is dates, cashews, hazelnuts, flaxseed, ground almonds, coconut flour and coconut oil, blitzed together and pressed into silicon cases. They set pretty well in the fridge so would have worked raw, but I baked them for a few minutes to ensure their structural integrity if they were left out just in case. They were filled with apple and sultanas that had been baked with cinnamon and ginger and the water from soaking the dates.
Amy added 11 photos to https://i.amy.gy/madefood/
A cloudy, dramatic sunrise. And then a walk home from town at sunset, under an enormous bright moon, and shades of purple in the sky that defied description.
The first snow of the winter, dusted on the beach like icing sugar. Another big moon over picturesque Dysart, and beautiful sunset colours.
Paintings commissioned from Sarah Wakeford, inspired by rocks at Buckhaven beach are finally on the wall - one in the hallway and one in Dave's bedroom. They're gorgeous in and of themselves, but I love that Sarah walked to the coordinates I gave her to see the rocks in-person in order to create the paintings.
Amy added 5 photos to https://i.amy.gy/diy/
Dramatic tides. A cold and bright morning, in between the grey ones.
A bitter, frozen week, so I didn't go out much, and took pictures of the sunrise from my window instead of the beach. I am eternally grateful to live so close to the sea.
Do I take too many photos of the sunrise and sunset? But how can I stop when it's so glorious and different every day?
Stayed with Wenna so I could catch a train from Edinburgh the next day. Eventually train delays meant I gave up and went home, but not before lunch in Holy Cow.
Amy added 7 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2022-livingston/
After one false start, finally made it to York to celebrate the legal union of two friends. I met lots of awesome people there. I didn't have much time to explore York in the end, but did get to eat great tacos at El Rayo, and surprise fantastic vegan food at Cafe Frida's.
Amy added 27 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202212-york/
My two year term on the W3C TAG has flown by, and it's election time again. If you're a W3C AC representative, you can vote here (link restricted to AC reps) or read all of the candidate nomination statements here. Please consider ranking me favourably! I grew up alongside the Web, and have never known the world without it. Early tinkering with HTML and CSS shaped the course of my life and became a formative part of how I interacted with the world. It is deeply important to me to see the Web move forward as a positive force, and to push back against the surveillance, manipulation, and abuse that are routine across many parts of the Web today. The TAG has a great record over recent years of promoting security, privacy, and accessibility as core parts of Web architecture. I have spent my efforts during my two years as a member of the TAG pushing to go above and beyond these foundations; as a member of the TAG's Privacy Task Force, as well as editor of the draft Societal Impacts Questionnaire. I intend to continue enabling and encouraging specification authors and implementers to consider the broader consequences of their work in the context of a global web which is part of an enormous and ever-changing landscape of cultural norms, legislation, and innovation. I hold a PhD in Informatics from the University of Edinburgh, with a visiting year at MIT. My thesis builds on my personal experiences with online communities; I researched self-expression on the Web and how interconnected social and technical systems support or impede online interactions. At the same time, I helped shape the future of the social Web through co-editing and implementing several specifications of the W3C Social Web Working Group, including the ActivityPub specification which has seen recent attention due to a surge in public interest in decentralised social networks. I also spent a year and a half as the Working Group's Team Contact, which familiarised me with W3C processes and politics. I spent the years since developing software to support openness and transparency for public good. I have worked with investigative journalists and open data activists, facilitating the efforts of civil society groups, governments, and the private sector internationally. I continue this work as a Director of Open Data Services Co-operative, building and maintaining tools that use the Web to promote civic use of data and fight corruption worldwide. I also work with Digital Bazaar on Web standards related to decentralisation, with the goal of enabling a foundational layer of technologies to support individual agency on the Web. These experiences at the intersection of civic work and cutting edge standards development give me a unique perspective for my time on the TAG. There is no need for trade-offs between participation and privacy, or between community and autonomy, when building empowering Web technologies. My strengths lie in listening to input from a range of perspectives, discerning the common grounds on which to move forwards, and turning consensus into concrete specification text. Should my term be renewed, I will continue to advocate for thoughtful and intentional design of web platform features which account for diverse perspectives and usage scenarios, as well as bringing this mindset to specification design reviews. Find me at rhiaro.co.uk.
Snow and ice arrived. Did some gardening until my hands froze off. Harvested loads of frosted celery and turned it into stock. It's all collapsed, but will see if the rest recovers or not. Finally got my Buckhaven rock-inspired paintings on the walls. Made lemon and coconut cake (gf), apple cake, and three flavours of ice cream (banana base with vanilla / raspberry / peanut butter) at Community Kitchen. Picked more shaggy parasols but they haven't grown much. Felt a lot of stress and pressure around Co-op restructuring. Trying to get agreement on how to get our internal operations in-hand is harder than expected. Co-op OGM. Visited Lowenna, who has hurt her little toes from zooming too much in the snow. Tried and failed to catch a train from Edinburgh to York. The lemon pepper and other chillis in the polytunnel also got frosted. Stripped the chillis and made 2 litres of super hot hot sauce out of several dozen green lemon peppers, tomatoes, apple cider vinegar and salt. Had Friday off work, as I was supposed to be in York, and didn't do much (except make hot sauce). Started How to get away with murder. Watched all of Obi Wan Kenobi, and some movies (The Princess and the Frog, Willow). Actually managed to go to York, for M&Y's wedding. And return, without incident.
Spent many hours emergency navigating Dave back from Finland at short notice. Alas Vipassana was not to be this time (they kicked him out because he was coughing, despite a covid test being negative and other people also coughing. Sounds like they made up policy on the spot. Sigh. Last minute international travel over xmas? Sure no problem. Never have I been more grateful for spending an extra few euros on flexible ferry tickets and an interrail pass!) Had lunch with K and M and Lowenna, and a beach frolic in Aberdour. Very Good Girl. Got re-elected to the W3C TAG. Slept for a day with a migraine. Co-op, co-op, I do not want to write about the co-op right now. Went to Edinburgh to pick up some stuff, and gave Dave a change of clothes so he can spend xmas in Edinburgh. Astonishingly he made it back with a few delays but nothing traumatising! After all that. Made vegan and keto-friendly mince pies. Enjoyed The Tiffin's wonderful food again after a while. Sat on the beach, but not as much as I shoulda. Started a new crochet project, and ate lots of chocolate. Finished Nova War. Distinctly mediocre. But started the next one - Empire of Light. Finished The Ocean at the End of the Lane (super!). Trying to rationalise the number of books I'm reading at once as I've had three on the go for a while, but it's not working as I also started The Birth of the Chaordic Age - though that doens't count as it's 'work', right? I still have a HP Lovecraft collection that I'm half way through. Acquired winter chanterelles for the first time.
Finished NaNoWriMo with 36,267 words. This is better than last year, and I'm feeling good about the story, so very content with this outcome. I feel like I managed to write all this in spite of a ton of other things occupying me this month. But far from being an extra thing to contend with, I think the writing helped to ground me and force me to step away from stressful things. I did a vast majority of my writing on the beach, on paper, and the November Sea showed up consistently. There's no way that wasn't good for me. Made pfeffernusse at the Community Kitchen and carob muffins at home. Caught up on a bit of gardening and bottled tomatoes and chillis. Finished Stealing Light and Lovecraft Country. Started Nova War. Still stressed. Started watching Wednesday. Finally installed a programmable thermostat to mitigate in my flat Heating Wars. Made a hanger for my string of hearts plant, so it can show its full glory in my window.
Week in review: 28th November - 4th December
Went for a winter forage and found some good things. Did extremely loads of Co-op admin and wrangling. Finished The Wolves of Midwinter which I've been reading in snatches at someone else's house, and stuck with it from a morbid curiosity. I am so very disappointed in Anne Rice, because I loved the Vampire Chronicles so much, but these wearwolf ones are just dire. The plot meanders, the characters are completely vapid and sickly sweet, the dialogue is frankly bizarre, and there's abuse apologia and transphobia (or, if I'm really squinting, an extremely clumsy attempt at not being transphobic that is done so badly it comes across as transphobic. I really can't tell, and can't be bothered to look up where Rice stood on that when she wrote these. Either way, it comes up about twice, is completely unincidental to the story and again, just bizarre). Made brownies and chocolate coconut cupcakes at Community Kitchen and chocolate muffins at home. Finished Wednesday and Peripheral and Over the Garden Wall. Watched Slumberland. Dave went off on his grand adventure! Visited F&J&family. The weather has been quite shit, but the moon has been good. Snow, and sunset is better than surnise at the moment. Had a fantastic seasonal lunch at the Aberdour Hotel with K.
My work days are Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. At the moment, Tuesday begins around 3pm on Monday and ends around 11am on Wednesday.