wow! can't believe it's been a week since i posted!

it really has been a week since i last posted! that's just crazy! but understandable given the circumstances! a week ago the cord for my camera went belly-up and i have a really hard time writing posts without at least 9,746 pics to add - bahahahahah! but then came the equinox...and my female monthly stuff....and for the last few days i haven't even been able to get off the couch. sorry if that is TMI, Duke, my dear buddy!

so here is a beautiful sky pic for my sis Helga...i think she may be in withdrawals - bahahahahah! sorry sis!



so when you are feeling like crap and have a migraine for days - you eat. at least that's what i do. and this is what i eat - peanut butter toast - oh yer darn tootins' baby!



and of course, savoury home-made croutons. i love croutons with garlic, parsley, olive oil, a ton of sage, rosemary and thyme - comfort snacks baby!



i ate this whole container of croutons, by myself, in one evening. i should be ashamed but i am not! while i lay on the couch moaning and groaning, with jambaloney constantly running to refill my water glass (that man is a saint. and a gorgeous one at that!), i snacked and watched my favourite show:



i looooooove Hell's Kitchen. when we left the city, we had only seen up to season 4. then we were here on the island for over a year without tv. then we got netflix. netflix only had seasons 1 -3. no matter. we re-watched them all (much to the chagrin of poor, bored jambaloney). but then he ordered me seasons 5, 6,  and 7. we have already watched 6 and 7. hopefully today, because he went to town, we will get season 5. i don't care if i have to watch them out of order. i just love watching that show!

even though i haven't been feeling well, we still eat some good and proper meals. again, i can't stress enough - make sure to include raw food, fermented food and cooked food in every meal! here is some delicious kafta-like hamburger patties (filled with herbs and grilled on the bbq), pita, hummus, couscous, rice, fermented beets and daikon radish.




not the breakfast of champions (which is fresh trouts and sprouts), but close to it - grandma's fluffy pancakes with fresh blackberries and jambaloney's step-dad's awesome maple syrup - yummeh!



how about some delicious caesar salad with real bacon, parmesan, shrimp, and home-made dressing and croutons? oh this salad was to die for. we split it into 2 plates and both of us ate every last bit! and had some more for snack later - deevine!

 

here's a beautiful sunset for my sis Helga...hope you like it sis. i also hope my other friends like it - you know who you are!



and then there's comfort food when you are feeling a little under the weather. how about some good 'ol british bangers and mash?
 
 

sausages, mashed potatoes and gravy (my absolute favourite food in the world!), some turmeric stir-fried cabbage, some fermented beets and daikon radish...and some kimchi. i loves me some kimchi!

 here's a little maniac hawk who's been hanging around for over a week now...he thinks our yard is a buffet! jambaloney chases him off whenever he shows up and we have been wondering about his particular "catching" skills as hawks kill other birds in the air to feed. this guy seemed pretty dumb as he kind of swooped around the yard but really wasn't catching anything (not in the yard - thank goodness. i know that he needs to eat - i just don't want him eating a fresh kill in front of me!). but apparently, small hawks like merlins and kestrals like to sometimes just play around, swooping in on birds with no intent to kill, just practicing and/or working out. hmmm....oh well. as long as he doesn't eat any of the birds that come here regularly, i am fine with him using our yard as a treadmill.



next up....some fermented food that we like to eat. beets and garlic, beets and ginger, carrots and ginger, radishes, and cucumbers with dill and garlic.



wild fermented food is incredibly good for you...do a search on google to learn more. we have been incorporating more and more fermented food in our diets. and it's a great way to preserve food if your garden isn't harvesting enough to can. we love fermented food.

lastly...and this is a bit of an ick. every now and again when it rains alot, we get an oily residue in our small trenches in the back yard. here is where it always starts:

 

 it starts at a trench that is kind of in the middle of our backyard. it is filmy and floats on top, it doesn't smell like anything though.

here's another pic further down the small trench:



does anyone have any idea what this could be? we are terrified to do any searches on the internet...simply because we are terrified that the previous owner might have buried an oil drum or something? does that make sense? would anyone do that? and for what reason?

as i said, it doesn't smell like anything but it is a definite oily film....any ideas?

anyway - sorry to have been offline for so long. i hope that all of you are well...and give me a day or two to catch up on all of your most recent posts!