Last days of summer

Finding time to relax between deadlines and enjoying the last days of vacation, before the new school year starts, with my favorite things and my favorite persons.

Good intentions

This Red cross poster belonged to my mother in her childhood. It is marked Popular Republic of Romania and this places it before 1965 (when the name of the country changed to Socialist Republic). It says: “In order for you to grow up healthy, strong and cheerful”. I like how the two kids have the same silhouette, even if the girl has red pajamas and the boy blue ones. But the text is written only in male form. Good intentions, never fully materialized, same as many things in socialism.

Linking up with Vintage Bliss Tuesdays.

Passion flower

It bloomed again next to one of our windows, after we didn’t have any flowers last year. Now, there are several buds waiting to bloom.

Portraits in the evening light

They really like lying in the sun beam, a perfect setting for baroque portraits :).

Green beans soup

I’ve cooked this soup a while ago, but I was too busy to post it here. But I want to document it on the blog mostly for myself, to remember to make this again sometimes. I have used for this soup a large bag of green beans, 3 chopped onions, 2 large chopped red bell peppers, 2 chopped carrots and 2 cilantro roots, a piece of a medium sized watermelon diced and without the seeds, of course, one peeled and diced tomato, cooking oil and salt. I cooked the onions, carrots, cilantro roots and peppers for a few minutes in some cooking oil with salt and then I added the green beans and the watermelon with water. When everything was almost cooked, I added the tomato and let it boil for a few more minutes. This simple soup had a very nice sweet and salty flavor and a pretty color. In a different version of this soup I had used one very ripe and sweet peach instead of the watermelon and it was also very good.

Paulownia tree

Planted by one of our neighbors, one or two years ago. So big and beautiful already, in this peaceful Sunday afternoon.

Vegan creamy rice

I woke up today with the thought that I really want to cook something interesting and experimental. So, I cooked a green beans soup that I seasoned with a few cubes of watermelon and a rice with pickled cabbage and cashew nuts. I have seen this mix somewhere online, but I couldn’t remember where to check the recipe. So, I have improvised my own version.

These are the ingredients: 4 smaller onions diced, 4  green and red bell peppers diced, 1 mug of rice, some shredded pickled cabbage, one cup of cashew nuts, 2 spoon of capers, 3-4 spoons of sesame seeds, a few pieces from a diced tomato, lemon zest, salt. As usual, the quantities are really just a guess :), as I mostly improvise when I cook.

I stir fried the onions, peppers and rice with cooking oil and a bit of salt (the salt will add up from the capers and the pickled cabbage, too). After stir frying for a few minutes, I added water for the rice to cook. When the rice was half cooked, I added the pickled cabbage, the capers and the cashew nuts. When the rice was almost cooked and the water evaporated, I added the tomato.

While the rice was cooking, I blended the sesame seeds with a bit of salt and some lemon zest, same as for a tahini sauce, but without the garlic. After the rice was cooked and I turned of the stove, I mixed in the hot rice the sesame sauce. We ate it topped with some more shredded pickled cabbage, some more cashew nuts, tomatoes and black caraway seeds.

It is very comforting and creamy and delicious! And really nutritious too.

 

 

Evening in the neighborhood

People walking their pet dogs, kids playing, mums pushing the strollers, teenagers on their bikes and boards. Catching fragments of conversations about everyday stuff. Looking at the gardens around the buildings. So peaceful and safe and familiar, but anxiety about all the smaller or larger gestures of everyday exclusions and unfairness always lurking in the background.

Late afternoon light

We are chasing it every day, while we take long walks filming a video about neighborhood gardens. But it is also a nice light for portraits of our dogs (when they are in the mood to pose). I plan to take more of these portraits this summer, even if our dog Lulu turns her back when she sees the camera :). Cici is a better model, though.

New weavings

It is a busy summer for me, with very few days without to do lists. I’m not complaining, I do prefer to be busy and accomplish things, but I’m also stressed these days. So, I do weave a lot. I have finished my entire stash of darning yarn from the seventies or eighties that I have unintentionally collected from different sewing baskets and boxes from the flea market. Also I will finish soon the yarn that I have made from colorful tights and this feels very satisfying.

I’m just loving it, I wake up in the morning thinking that I cannot wait to find some time to weave a bit more. This is evidently a sign of anxiety for me but on the other hand finding so much pleasure in something so insignificant seems really nice. Just letting my fingers work, my eyes enjoying the colors and my thoughts wandering is the most calming feeling.