Bouquet Garni ... Soup, Art and Films

'A bouquet garni is a bundle of herbs that is added to casseroles, stocks, sauces and soups. It traditionally comprises parsley (or parsley stalks, which have lots of flavour), a few sprigs of thyme and a bay leaf. These herbs may be bundled into a strip of leek or a piece of celery stalk, or tied in a muslin bag or with string, to keep them together during cooking and allow easy removal before serving'. 

I have never heard it called this before...I do like learning new words.  I've done this many times to add flavour to dishes especially stew and soup dishes...

On a bright, Crisp Autumnal day I felt like making Soup. Lately, I have become a bit more frugal. So I delved deep into the back of the fruit and veg baskets...Looking for what we had left.

And remembered the loose carrots Stevie had picked up at the Farmer's market...and found several big loose onions.  So after a good read through several cook books, including Jamie Oliver, The welsh Cook and Miss Dahl's (which in the past have been my favourite go to's) I ended up scouring the internet...For simple recipes...That kind of recipe that you dont need to plan for (or run to the shop for extra ingredients like I usually have to). I found the  BBC recipe website really helpful.  

And the Curried Carrot recipe really grabbed me with hints of spice.

I did change mine a bit, adding grated mild chedder cheese. I added snippets of herbs from my own garden...and making it more chunky and less of a smooth texture...Mainly because my blender is on the way out...blades kept stopping. It tasted just fine to me....Sure warms the soul on an Autumnal day.

Starting to look quite Autumnal out there in the woods....

(Little evening drawings, knitted hand made Foxy from my Twinny for Sophia)

I have noticed that in the evenings now I am reaching for a jumper...Still, resisting putting the heating on!...Well,  at least 'til October. So, Big snuggly jumpers and woolly socks....

I have also been reading snippets of my new book 'Say Good bye To The Cuckoo' by Micheal McCarthy. Heart warming...'The first call of the cuckoo. Swallows swooping through the sky. A nightingale's song at dusk'...the celebration of our spring-bringers at a time when they may be disappearing.  I call it a 'New book', But I found this book on the local Market a week ago. Just £2....I am more of a magazine girl~ Not Vogue or Celebrity mags!, but 'Simple Things' and 'Country Living'  magazine. Those two are my usual pleasures. And I keep all my copies. I do have two scrap books too with snippets of visual fav's from older mags. But I do like to read a book now and again. Usually books that document wild life, nature, country and living in the wild. 

(google search images, readers digest . films)

 There's a special 12th birthday looming...Oh' My, how did my girl grow so quick!? We had a pre- birthday celebration with family over the last weekend and We did a special Cinema trip to see the 'The house with a clock in its wall'...12A , We saw younger children in the cinema and I think some of it was a bit scary!...But Sophia loved it...There is something quite exciting about going to the cinema ( I dont go often...once maybe twice a year!). I think I should go more often. My Partner loves, Marvel, Sci-fi, Star wars anything a long those lines and he will book tickets and Sophia goes with him. So they must have been to the cinema at least 4-5 times this year. I  also watched the new film 'The Guernsey literacy & potato peel pie society'...Years ago, when Sophia was about 4 years I'd found the book in a charity shop...I kept reading snippets of it for about two years. The film really brought it to life. I loved it.  Sad and heart warming.

Autumn Fairs looming too...This October is going to be a busy month!...At least i've been motivated to print, mount and package all my prints up...My partner has been busy re-organising our Etsy, We even plan a change of name~ And photographs need to taken, endless listing of artwork and makes~ even needle felting too.  I've even been trying out a fairy garland with flowers and fairies using my own artwork.  So much to do, very little time...Story of my life!.

And despite all this I found time to join a little swapsie circle on Instagram and have been packaging up some sweet parcels and some illustration gifts for my swapsie partner~ The october swap. Actually, feel proud as Ive managed to send it off today~ A head of time!. 

*My father has been back in to hospital again...Its worrying because they've found new tumours and at the moment he's trying out a new drug....I wish I lived closer to him...To hold his hand and give him a well needed hug.

x    K a z z y    x