a crazy few days!

it's been a little crazy around the Manor for the past several days! we've had low-pressure systems and high pressure-systems move in and out and that always sets off my migraines! here's some beautiful pics of a few days of high-pressure systems:

the clouds look like you can just reach out and touch them and the air is so clear! here's our hugelkulture bed with all 25 strawberry plants in them - woohoo!

i got them planted even tho i was dying with a migraine - but i had to get them in the ground and am so glad that i did!

my friends - THIS is a tea biscuit!

you may all be thinking - "hey kymber. that's a nice tea biscuit". but you would be wrong! that is the best tea biscuit in the world. that's a tea biscuit made by my friend L. we met L and her husband D last year - they found us through our blog, bought a home here in Framboise and then we met up last summer. we had a wonderful visit. she made tea biscuits for us when we met up and had a wonderful supper together. you can read more about us meeting up here - we had a wonderful time! she did not know at the time that i was a tea biscuit connaisseure nor that i was a tea biscuit snob - i can't help it people - i just am!

anyway L was down for a few days to get the house ready for when they come down with their family in august. she had no running water and the hot water tank had blown up over the winter. she and her Dad tried to fix it but then D called us on the phone to ask if jambaloney could go over and help. he went over this past saturday but because i had a migraine i couldn't go. that's how bad the migraine was, friends - i really wanted to go and see my friend but i just wasn't up to it. jambaloney got the water running and will fix the hot water heater before they return in august. i already have a pile of plans on surprises for my friend L but i can't go into detail because they read our blog. she will be mightily surprised tho!

back to the tea biscuit! i am dying with this migraine and jambaloney comes home with a bag full of tea biscuits mad by L!!! i haven't eaten in a day and a half - i can't eat when i have a migraine because i can't keep anything in my stomach. when jambaloney came in and said that L had made tea biscuits for me - i almost started crying! and i nibbled on that tea biscuit above and it was like the heavens opened up - finally i had some food that i could eat, it settled my belly, it was absolutely delicious and it felt like love in my stomach! that was such a sweet gesture when she was dealing with all kinds of problems! i ate another tea biscuit a couple of hours later and it was divine.

now when i say that i am a tea biscuit connaisseure - i mean it! most people slather their tea biscuits with butter, jam or honey - and you can hide a crappy tea biscuit by slathering it with the afore-mentioned 3 things. not me! i am a purist! i eat my tea biscuits plain...and you can't pass off a crappy tea biscuit on me - no way! and L makes THE BEST!!! i will try and get her recipe, kids, but i can't make any promises! she's a little sneaky, she is! bahahahahah!

allrighty - can you believe that we transplanted all of our over-wintered peppers? and found this tiny orange pepper who flowered over the winter, in the house, and became a pepper?

check out the high-pressure system being kicked out by the low-pressure system. it sure makes for amazing skies!

here are the overwintered peppers, transplanted and moved to the greenhouse:

these things are becoming bushes and trees!

more low-pressure system moving in:

it's amazing to look at the skies here - they are always so clear and beautiful!

you never know from one minute to the next what to expect!

such deliciousness!

here's a flutter of red and gold finches - they come several times a day to our apple trees and bird feeders!

here's a delicious salad made from our own greenhouse greens and that little orange pepper that grew over the winter:

here's a new product that i got from fermenttools.com. it seems like a fantastic product so far...i am testing it out and will give a proper review in a few days!

here's some blackened hot and sweet chicken drum sticks with vegetable kebabs, cucumber, pear and pomegranate salad, extra hot sauce for dipping and yummy yoghurt!

here's a carrot, raisin, mint and sorrel salad - deelish!



here's our little friend fat boy:

he comes here every year and guards that feeder like mad! we love him! this year we have been standing close to the window and talking to him and i swear - he recognizes us!

here's a beautiful sunset from the other night:

i love the skies here, they make me feel like a part of something way, way bigger than me!

and lastly, tonight's supper - shrimp pasanda, coconut rice, greens that we grew ourselves and corn, yellow pepper, cucumber and cauliflower salad - it was yummeh!

so even though i was down for a few days with a migraine and jam was at work - we still managed to get a lot done in the garden. today was cloudy and gray all morning and then the sun burst open and the sky was clear. we downed tools at about 1:30 and nekked suntanned for the afternoon. we're a tiny bit sun-kissed - jam is working on his contract and soon we'll head outside to watch the sunset. then some hottub dips and perhaps a movie on netflix. it's been a mish-mash the past few days but hey - all is good!