In the last few days, I’ve drawn a cyclamen leaf and seed pod, a dandelion leaf (the flower was far too hard) and a pansy flower. I tried a wooden bowl and gave up after a few minutes. I acknowledged that a simple, symmetrical shape is way beyond me.
In fact, the detailed study of a small object is very tricky. I’m not being judgemental and just taking the fact that I’m doing it as the achievement. It’s really a struggle and there’s no point in berating myself for not making much progress for now. I think that using colours would make leaves and flowers far easier, in fact.
Tonight’s dinner was nice. I’d bought a couple of crabs, which we had with a salad last night. I thought I’d bought some watercress, but it was rocket. Rather a lot of rocket, we’d never eat it up – not that it would be entirely wasted because the chickens would. Still, we couldn’t manage all the crab either, even though Eloise cat helped. So I suggested making a rocket and walnut pesto, stirring it through spaghetti and adding the crab meat. And that was dinner tonight, with the addition of a few asparagus tips. We amused ourselves thinking how chefs in the Sunday supplements would present this simple meal. Nigel Slater in particular would talk it up and Delia Smith would emphasise the ‘leftover’ crab. It wasn’t walnut in the end, though, because what I’d thought was a pack of walnuts was a second pack of pine nuts. It was actually very nice. I’ve still got half the pesto left and a small amount of rocket, so more inventiveness is required in the next couple of days.
Plans are afoot for a new chicken run. There’s a family of foxes very close by and I’m anxious about letting them roam freely. Also, I don’t want more chicks, but it’s their safety I’m more concerned about. I’ve come up with a Plan and Wince and Richard are going to help me with it.
The pesto and crab recipe sounds delicious.
Electric hen netting – now available at 145cm high – is your answer, as I’ve said before. Easily moveable. I’ve just bought some new, as our old is 20-odd years old now, and has been strimmed my Mr BW once too often.
My chickens fly up on a 5 foot high wall, I’m not confident it would keep them in. A nearby farm has it and, though it mostly works, chickens do get out on the road sometimes. What I have in mind is movable between two areas and I can’t connect more than that to the hen house.
The pesto and crab recipe sounds delicious.
Electric hen netting – now available at 145cm high – is your answer, as I’ve said before. Easily moveable. I’ve just bought some new, as our old is 20-odd years old now, and has been strimmed by Mr BW once too often.
the fact that I’m doing it as the achievement. Too right!!
Sx
Thank you, dearest x