Bank holiday weekend - Mezze lunch on Saturday at my sister's with a long-time-no-see dear friend. Humous in foreground - can't see the babaganoush - but discovered why it wasn't quite smokey enough - didn't leave the aubergines under the grill long enough -although the skins were burned black. I read a recipe today by Yotam Ottolenghi where he says grill them for an hour and 20 minutes which would certainly give that charcoal flavour - provided you can keep your nerve and not set the kitchen on fire.
After lunch we walked in sunny bluebell woods and
checked out the new Jacob lambs - this darling one lost his twin after he was born.
Sunday - Although Robin was with friends in the morning I felt guilty about leaving him on his own most of the afternoon and evening on Saturday, so on Sunday I packed a picnic and drove us up to North Somerset to one of our favourite NT properties - Dunster Castle.
I love all the tropical plants in their gardens....
I told Robin this was a banana tree - the best way to describe a banana to him is to say it's the fried fruit you have with bacon when you have the French toast that we had in New Zealand - and then sometimes he knows what it is. Afterwards I realised it wasn't a banana tree but a giant canna - but no point in confusing him with that one.
This flower of a huge palm tree looks like millet to me....
As we walked around the gorgeous gardens I picked a few leaves of sage and rosemary for Robin to eat - he loved them - and as there was so much wild garlic lining the paths I thought it was OK to snip some leaves to add to our egg salad picnic.
Bank holiday Monday - late afternoon after strenuous shopping at Waitrose and buying begonias and geraniums at Otter Nurseries to plant in my neglected hanging baskets we headed out to Dartmoor and walked along the river bank at Parke.....
loving the new soft green of the beech leaves over the water....
and this pink campion.....
and Robin's big smile....and nearly a whole afternoon with no obsenities spurting unbidden out of his mouth.
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