tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24057368077019991822024-02-07T03:37:36.912+00:00The Voyage of the Battenbergmuffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812585945670166540noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2405736807701999182.post-78444452989077148272013-03-10T22:18:00.000+00:002013-03-10T22:21:07.114+00:00Marching towards spring<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<img align="left" alt="W" src="http://dailydropcap.com/images/W-10-cap.png" title="Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische" />hile March continues to fling the occasional snow shower over the hills of Edinburgh, determined daffodils in green corners are quietly insisting that spring <i>is</i> on its way. Watching the seasons has become something of more than idle interest, as my PhD research is all about phenology, or seasonal timing.<br />
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Waiting and watching for budburst and blossom, spring will find me wandering woods, tracking trees and gazing into the canopy with my binoculars. Before the first leaves are unfurled, there is much time to anticipate the seasons to follow, remembering the busyness of June skies, when the butterflies come out to play.<br />
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One glorious weekend last year, a pilgrimage to Collard Hill and a trip to the Cotswolds with a certain Large Blue butterfly botherer, brought lepidopteran adventures.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigFL1OvAhyu6fFTUs8FxHayFOtF6FYei9SkyW2CikdGLBeNDwRhsgZwiBOmZc-lLMeyZ4ePIX0v9PY3RJ1IrF14PJMrLMMw3O_CzAmQVtGbc9N5nYPQh-bpXcgbreFtBySGFFDGVVlBGw/s1600/Small+blue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigFL1OvAhyu6fFTUs8FxHayFOtF6FYei9SkyW2CikdGLBeNDwRhsgZwiBOmZc-lLMeyZ4ePIX0v9PY3RJ1IrF14PJMrLMMw3O_CzAmQVtGbc9N5nYPQh-bpXcgbreFtBySGFFDGVVlBGw/s320/Small+blue.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There were clouds of Small Blue (<i>Cupido minimus</i>)...</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2RNxZVzycWgnI8i3PxMF66cFb7H4zmYa13WIkFplkk0ImoUTF_nKK04gHGgMXpo7ZFPAEfqSFGbi8GbTNcZltYw5vlHilrdZ8yI9UCMBSIN_TA3mqAkW063vf1DRyM08AdPHlhGcPll4/s1600/Adonis+blue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2RNxZVzycWgnI8i3PxMF66cFb7H4zmYa13WIkFplkk0ImoUTF_nKK04gHGgMXpo7ZFPAEfqSFGbi8GbTNcZltYw5vlHilrdZ8yI9UCMBSIN_TA3mqAkW063vf1DRyM08AdPHlhGcPll4/s320/Adonis+blue.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... Electric Adonis Blue (<i>Lysandra bellargus</i>)...</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFBvgx0r0QoWfFE63454YG5_RHugDNtaowG54Qsf8uJRZCtTNJPd4SynMNH-qwTtcEoCncVumy3MuRVv7goePWBDuJsXFyRD_FdnYZy5SeeUWFM4HutQ_wljxp2FyCL5zt5XY2G6XJQmk/s1600/Grizzled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFBvgx0r0QoWfFE63454YG5_RHugDNtaowG54Qsf8uJRZCtTNJPd4SynMNH-qwTtcEoCncVumy3MuRVv7goePWBDuJsXFyRD_FdnYZy5SeeUWFM4HutQ_wljxp2FyCL5zt5XY2G6XJQmk/s320/Grizzled.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... and a Grizzled Skipper (<i>Pyrgus malvae</i>) or two.</td></tr>
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As well as seeing a bashful Cotswoldian Large Blue, which was part of the generation that had been reintroduced using individuals from Collard Hill and other sites in 2011, orchid spikes were scattered across the slopes. Sweet pink Fragrant orchids were interspersed with my first Fly orchids, and back at Collard, some the 'Wasps' had appeared again.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiET6R9h5PuG42ZoSlx24jE8CmHaHQX5J9dZhke5_bimz8ZY0auhM9JK7x8NX21JFK347g_bP-sBw3gVFYTfWbuLWKJMycLUP6D6r1z0KSxrQYN0p_AQwLGA3CNS-pUFPKPr-hMVRkIGw/s1600/Fly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiET6R9h5PuG42ZoSlx24jE8CmHaHQX5J9dZhke5_bimz8ZY0auhM9JK7x8NX21JFK347g_bP-sBw3gVFYTfWbuLWKJMycLUP6D6r1z0KSxrQYN0p_AQwLGA3CNS-pUFPKPr-hMVRkIGw/s320/Fly.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Super Fly (<i>Ophrys insectifera)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttcFoQlVsMcpcuVouelXEgrj2LjUtfZF8eSCyLerRKrQF3eArvFthoOxZPtxzq8R7MQ1iapIDSBkEVso4cSgReABKl-9IQkovMBg6R2puW5CSdMMZviS_y7VofcmxjNynDLVAvnfXJAw/s1600/6-spot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttcFoQlVsMcpcuVouelXEgrj2LjUtfZF8eSCyLerRKrQF3eArvFthoOxZPtxzq8R7MQ1iapIDSBkEVso4cSgReABKl-9IQkovMBg6R2puW5CSdMMZviS_y7VofcmxjNynDLVAvnfXJAw/s320/6-spot.jpg" width="248" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Six-spot Burnet moth caterpillar creating its cocoon</td></tr>
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Back in the wind-blown present, an essential part of braving the woods and occasional hail is having cake wrapped up in paper, ready to be eaten with cold fingers in five minutes of crisp sunshine. Today this was 'wrinkly apple cake', a vegan version of my childhood favourite. Made with the ageing apples left at the end of a long winter...<br />
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3/4 cup non-dairy milk<br />
1tsp apple cider (or other) vinegar<br />
2 1/4 cups plain flour of your choice (I used 1 1/4 cup rye, 1 cup plain white, wholewheat would be nice too)<br />
1 1/2 tsp baking powder<br />
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda<br />
1/2 cup brown sugar<br />
1/2 cup sunflower oil<br />
1 tbsp golden syrup or treacle/molasses for a darker cake<br />
2 tsp ground nutmeg (freshly grated is perfect)<br />
1 tsp cinnamon<br />
1 tsp vanilla essence<br />
1 cup slightly stewed wrinkly apples (sweeten to your own preference)<br />
a handful of sultanas/walnuts if you like them<br />
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Preheat the oven to 160C<br />
- Mix the milk and vinegar in a bowl and leave to one side while preparing the rest of the ingredients.<br />
- Mix the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda in a large bowl and set aside.<br />
- Whisk the sugar, oil, syrup, spices and vanilla thoroughly in a bowl.<br />
- Pour the milk and sugar mixtures into the flour, and beat everything for at least a minute.<br />
- Add the apples and dried fruit or nuts if you are using them and mix everything well.<br />
- Pour into a lined loaf or cake tin, sprinkle with brown sugar and bake for ~50 minutes.<br />
This cake is best cooled and eaten the next day on a chilly walk, or with lots of tea at home.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-cN5s-jIeAjC59R3WHrDCfjYoXqLWJwk1es7Zd3wcUMx6XZWONXpMsD0lfz5DaiJlypiQZ3y9_vMNQZCsLoUG5otBlJK6ZnrmGVc3XJwPY61IG4r0x2diiuiBn-oZen9Nrq_8sTZ5HQY/s1600/cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-cN5s-jIeAjC59R3WHrDCfjYoXqLWJwk1es7Zd3wcUMx6XZWONXpMsD0lfz5DaiJlypiQZ3y9_vMNQZCsLoUG5otBlJK6ZnrmGVc3XJwPY61IG4r0x2diiuiBn-oZen9Nrq_8sTZ5HQY/s320/cake.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The Woodland Trust and their <a href="http://www.naturescalendar.org.uk/" target="_blank">Nature's Calendar</a> project are partners in my phenology adventures, and I'll be posting updates like <a href="http://wtcampaigns.wordpress.com/2012/11/15/citizen-science-data-addressing-important-questions-on-the-future-of-uk-woods-and-trees/" target="_blank">this</a> on the Woodland Matters blog as the research progresses, or stalls. I may even report on what baked goods are being taken on jaunts to the woods...<br />
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muffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812585945670166540noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2405736807701999182.post-80737311588818242772013-02-01T20:44:00.000+00:002013-02-01T20:44:27.116+00:00What May have been...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<img align="left" alt="M" src="http://dailydropcap.com/images/M-6-cap.png" title="Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische" /><br />
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aybe the imminent signs of Spring are reminding me of last year, or perhaps it is the shamefaced realisation of how long it's been since the Battenberg had its hatches battened... Whatever it is, here are some memories of long ago avian adventures. May 2012 was a month spent slipping over saltmarshes in search of waders. I attempted lesson two in cultivating a love of birds; studying them. As a field-assistant for Elwyn's PhD research, looking at the influence
of saltmarsh management upon breeding birds.<br />
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Marshes in Wales and the North West were sites of nest-finding, navigating creeks and avoiding cattle. Being based on Anglesey meant travelling between sites in the time-honoured tradition of fieldwork. Muddy clothes, muddy wellies, and muddy vehicles filled with equipment, folders and food. In between there were days off wandering along the beautiful Aberffraw sands and coastal paths, taking in wild flowers I'd not encountered during my inland life.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNx2W5zWNY6rvkdYHRVNrIBmnwCMKo55vZTYd13dPs3FaTDKOF0WY6iF2sBGiv0Gsj_aBaQo3K6tTWg4k2WZj9FE6xUWRWRjAbGXayTk5Gc6BPRSoOjjAx-FNvlVRGLw0hylZgUfz-jDQ/s1600/Sea+Squill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNx2W5zWNY6rvkdYHRVNrIBmnwCMKo55vZTYd13dPs3FaTDKOF0WY6iF2sBGiv0Gsj_aBaQo3K6tTWg4k2WZj9FE6xUWRWRjAbGXayTk5Gc6BPRSoOjjAx-FNvlVRGLw0hylZgUfz-jDQ/s320/Sea+Squill.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lilac bells of Spring Squill (<i>Scilla verna</i>)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4yQXyTT5NlMBDZjNu8ww4lxyk3wWsY0qX7xHwTMZgePZWMS03l38htsrWP6CnrtpyfC1YO90_9Ma5wxQnaBTCOmkzhfjPT0lw_vKj03b4rCL0QdYAsP_m4AvDFzgsVDFT6BqzxKB57w/s1600/Pink+Kidney+vetch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4yQXyTT5NlMBDZjNu8ww4lxyk3wWsY0qX7xHwTMZgePZWMS03l38htsrWP6CnrtpyfC1YO90_9Ma5wxQnaBTCOmkzhfjPT0lw_vKj03b4rCL0QdYAsP_m4AvDFzgsVDFT6BqzxKB57w/s320/Pink+Kidney+vetch.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some peachy pink blooms of Kidney Vetch (<i>Anthyllis vulneraria</i>)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJWrlpeU-TfACTiePDKS2lRF-9Kep7pE4C0yT2k-99RmzDVgLzXMAKhQUN0C_pq2fJ8MnDRb-8upt5g0QeDYDqij6GTViYFd0-fxUwSq-abSZPZMXOO2x94O0s6LxUo9XA0HjuIq247Y/s1600/Sheeps+bit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJWrlpeU-TfACTiePDKS2lRF-9Kep7pE4C0yT2k-99RmzDVgLzXMAKhQUN0C_pq2fJ8MnDRb-8upt5g0QeDYDqij6GTViYFd0-fxUwSq-abSZPZMXOO2x94O0s6LxUo9XA0HjuIq247Y/s320/Sheeps+bit.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sheep's-bit (<i>Jasione montana</i>) near the shoreline</td></tr>
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We recorded breeding Redshank and other birds using the saltmarshes. Lapwing, Oystercatcher, Meadow Pipit and Skylark were the most frequent users, with a few Mallards also choosing these sites. Days were spent scouring the marshes with our binoculars and investigating likely looking vegetation, which was usually across several large and very muddy creeks. <br />
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Spotting nesting passerines was largely through chance; seeing a small brown
flash fly from beneath the grass as we wandered the marshes, occasionally glimpsing a bundle of
small mouths clamouring to be fed. As well as our study species, being on the marshes provided many opportunities for watching flocks of Dunlin and Ringed Plover, encountering Shelducks and Shelducklings and the occasional Little Egret (reminding me of those plentiful <a href="http://voyageofthebattenberg.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/birding-for-beginners-india.html" target="_blank">Indian egrets</a>). Wheatear and Reed Bunting were also frequent visitors.</div>
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Elwyn's research should increase the understanding of saltmarsh management for birds and biodiversity in the long term. It was a fantastic opportunity to get involved a research project observing breeding birds from a privileged perspective one would never normally see. <br />
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At the end of May I retreated home with a sprained ankle, and spent several days cooking (to make up for the fieldwork diet of soup and pita bread) and eating in our sunny and green garden. Clearing out the herb patch involved a great deal of excess Lemon Balm, which became a pesto to eat with some <a href="http://voyageofthebattenberg.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/yorkshire-autumn.html" target="_blank">homemade wholewheat gnocchi</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIgTVjR1j1tN-jGI72Our2iE5aseuGsSEeTDv7ZSI7im778x5iPeRpWWd7HtL_2J8RppR4fJWWX3avveaZOIgjOOxQ7gpNJ6CqUnCocXkFxrh0jhPq-6soVp9o3OdTwvbxeaDNi9AhlSg/s1600/lemonbalm+pesto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIgTVjR1j1tN-jGI72Our2iE5aseuGsSEeTDv7ZSI7im778x5iPeRpWWd7HtL_2J8RppR4fJWWX3avveaZOIgjOOxQ7gpNJ6CqUnCocXkFxrh0jhPq-6soVp9o3OdTwvbxeaDNi9AhlSg/s320/lemonbalm+pesto.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enough pesto for several meals...</td></tr>
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To make the pesto you will need approximately:<br />
1 cup lemon balm leaves (rinsed)<br />
2-3 garlic cloves<br />
2/3 cup walnuts<br />
1/2 - 2/3 cup olive oil (depending on how liquid you'd like your pesto to be)<br />
salt and pepper <br />
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Whiz the dry ingredients together in a food processor and then add oil to reach your desired consistency. Season to taste. It is quite delicate, so is particularly nice served simply, over your pasta of choice.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwNoiow-xOWR7RRwyVYKT7cQcHTl_d6TUST3Kw644XmDzbByUkXjbzb4CsctxjIaUzXygWatAHgH9oVZmIoLs4eff14UTaJ4g25CCec4ClQ-MB2BGe9NxLjhJXJC1qBVXCJrhDwou7fuw/s1600/gnocchi+pesto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwNoiow-xOWR7RRwyVYKT7cQcHTl_d6TUST3Kw644XmDzbByUkXjbzb4CsctxjIaUzXygWatAHgH9oVZmIoLs4eff14UTaJ4g25CCec4ClQ-MB2BGe9NxLjhJXJC1qBVXCJrhDwou7fuw/s320/gnocchi+pesto.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wholewheat gnocchi with lemon balm pesto</td></tr>
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Lastly, I recently came across a great blog called <a href="http://ecologicalspaceship.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Ecological Spaceship</a>, which is concerned with many issues facing the Earth and its inhabitants. My <a href="http://ecologicalspaceship.wordpress.com/2012/05/23/george-bush-is-an-environmentalist/" target="_blank">favourite post</a> so far is a reminder of what it is to be an 'environmentalist' i.e. someone who is dependent upon the environment, which is in fact, everyone. <br />
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muffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812585945670166540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2405736807701999182.post-91632376533719559712012-05-07T12:50:00.000+01:002012-05-07T12:50:24.575+01:00What goes on Inside<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In case you read my last post and were wondering (just like us) what is inside that pretty green tube? Gorm opened it up to reveal bee larvae in their own little compartments covered in a film of pollen and something else we don't know. It is a fairly nondescript small, white, segmented worm-like creature lacking legs and eyes. The tube has been rolled up again and left alone. If the bees emerge I'll try to get a picture of what they look like. </div>
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There is a European leaf-cutter bee (<i>Megachile rotundata</i>) that seems to be better studied than the African ones. Has anyone seen it around?</div>Radishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09006343998152068362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2405736807701999182.post-47536139754034669882012-05-03T16:51:00.000+01:002012-05-03T16:51:08.310+01:00Green Homes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Leaf-cutter bees (Genus: Megachile) are absolutely awesome! Have you gone into your garden or bit of wilderness and seen leaves with perfectly cut circular or semi-circular holes in them? That's the leaf-cutter bees at work. They carefully stick these bits of leaves together to form the most beautiful, neat and complex nests. Gorm, Mr Dal's Phd partner, has been putting out paper tubes to attract wasps to nest in them. One morning we were called by an excited Gorm to come see this amazing construction inside one of his tubes. With his permission I share this photo with you. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBXhds-A_9cst-mxGDynXRbLAkST_DTWHtzuI3k6e3rHlw6TppeAz25b51-iFpVdBJMP7H_2CfQjZrSf7cxEr_f8RGwSYd7Dh7WXEeyCDB7RAmPMaubHG-R5ML9H1N-KWfePfJwPXmeouU/s1600/P1070698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBXhds-A_9cst-mxGDynXRbLAkST_DTWHtzuI3k6e3rHlw6TppeAz25b51-iFpVdBJMP7H_2CfQjZrSf7cxEr_f8RGwSYd7Dh7WXEeyCDB7RAmPMaubHG-R5ML9H1N-KWfePfJwPXmeouU/s320/P1070698.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The puppy that adopted us was very ill. We haven't even known him for very long but it is surprising how quickly we fall in love. After some frantic calls to all the vets we know and some medication he seems to be doing fine. Here is Casper, the puppy with Bruce, his mama (we didn't name them).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-cbcfoz4Xp0MLfPH-L6MxdeDHmR69WE1MfM6bSo-23xj4NdB5wks_5L4mOxmeUkFC8hyh9TerYte7OwegFyPHLOjo4tt0jjx4DGomfER4hCrUCYU7X7NzXvQGMHUmRPfyLyJRCB60BuvN/s1600/P1070704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-cbcfoz4Xp0MLfPH-L6MxdeDHmR69WE1MfM6bSo-23xj4NdB5wks_5L4mOxmeUkFC8hyh9TerYte7OwegFyPHLOjo4tt0jjx4DGomfER4hCrUCYU7X7NzXvQGMHUmRPfyLyJRCB60BuvN/s320/P1070704.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Janet lives on the same hill as us. We are very lucky indeed as she makes mean chapatis. I always thought chapatis were an Indian thing but they are very popular all over Kenya. They are made slightly differently though. Make your dough with 1 kg of wheat flour, warm water and lots of salt for 13-14 fat chapatis. Knead it till its quite soft. Then make three huge balls and roll them out. Put oil all over them and cut them into four strips each. Then each strip gets rolled into a smaller ball. Then roll these balls out into round chapatis about 3-4 mm thick and 6-7 inches wide. Now heat your pan and put a spoon of oil on it. Cook your chapatis on both sides with sufficient oil. When they have big brown spots on them they will be ready. They obviously taste so good because people here are not worried about oil consumption! :)</div>
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<br /></div>Radishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09006343998152068362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2405736807701999182.post-32192930548480741962012-04-29T19:58:00.000+01:002012-04-29T19:59:17.261+01:00Birding for beginners: India<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<img align="left" alt="O" src="http://dailydropcap.com/images/O-7-cap.png" title="Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische" /><br />
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n a trip for the glorious Indian nuptials of Roald Dal and Radish, some bright-eyed eco-geeks took the wonderful opportunity to travel across the world and, after the feasting and dancing, attempt to see as much of the local wildlife as possible. For a few of us, it was the perfect chance to practice our novice birding moves.<br />
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Lesson 1 for the reluctant birder is a simple one; leave the country. If you happen to be someone who feels a little overwhelmed by the brownness of the UK's finest avian residents, the perfect way to muster some enthusiasm is to go elsewhere. Luckily for us, India offered up a range of winged beauties, vivid colours and fancy shapes to make the shallowest wannabe birder go 'ooooh'.<br />
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There were numerous lessons learnt on our travels but only some come with photographic evidence, taken by Laveesh, finest hat-wearing ecologist in the land. Ready with bins, book, pen and camera we identified 93 species, and saw a few more. Here are just a few of the birds, and lessons, for your pleasure...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix-sQr-Vb9ZmiCBotmteh6SeWpQANGJwZQDOJ8iqlHjQHe0R2GbLiHyBCgfYBF3259ROgO0v8y68SSmsB1xEab3onnQxY7qg3q63xOPeVGtM4YLLANyRJ5wa5XtqOlOC7PT2IIj0IPFgU/s1600/P1040322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix-sQr-Vb9ZmiCBotmteh6SeWpQANGJwZQDOJ8iqlHjQHe0R2GbLiHyBCgfYBF3259ROgO0v8y68SSmsB1xEab3onnQxY7qg3q63xOPeVGtM4YLLANyRJ5wa5XtqOlOC7PT2IIj0IPFgU/s320/P1040322.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seeing large charismatic species gives you confidence - White-bellied Sea Eagle, Goan coast</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVd91A_6YDVQGC_jDooLcRYI8aN7sSaBKPX-uzANWg2aVQAex9xSpNjccP1GPmr3Y1IvAjz5wSGBcC_6npIfR6qQwIC92ILLQjTW1iF4p0JVUUH6QWItbsEyRxg276Fj_2kMaHlqNfLBA/s1600/Orange+threaded+thrush.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVd91A_6YDVQGC_jDooLcRYI8aN7sSaBKPX-uzANWg2aVQAex9xSpNjccP1GPmr3Y1IvAjz5wSGBcC_6npIfR6qQwIC92ILLQjTW1iF4p0JVUUH6QWItbsEyRxg276Fj_2kMaHlqNfLBA/s320/Orange+threaded+thrush.jpg" width="233" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's ok to have a favourite when it wears zebra stripes - Orange-headed Thrush, Goan Ghats</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLWkKXbaK3LgEH4siiAE0bOt3wZnzX7TGJQqAH5jQn_6sfunIWgc5iRr4nzZZD6CrwNsWz9zOvPwK25i8D_LMuROMn6UUS5pYBqkeT0lwGERf9xRW3lKWrf7pe7as6X51OLg710QajNQ/s1600/P1040341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLWkKXbaK3LgEH4siiAE0bOt3wZnzX7TGJQqAH5jQn_6sfunIWgc5iRr4nzZZD6CrwNsWz9zOvPwK25i8D_LMuROMn6UUS5pYBqkeT0lwGERf9xRW3lKWrf7pe7as6X51OLg710QajNQ/s320/P1040341.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watching birds tackle their prey makes them much more interesting, doubly so when you're on a tropical beach - Common Sandpiper, Goan coast</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsTDmqLIRekAsxcPM-1LBSp2gcx7cc0O5vzqVUx1EzbbaJr7GTHA4PvhpEFbLXqh78g3UXg9tzUHIp7eVE2lsW2ta6niBzF7wpnHu3RiOSPgqtSkSz_IyTXj8cTftu4IKb2Lf-IvbA9Ko/s1600/Hoopoe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsTDmqLIRekAsxcPM-1LBSp2gcx7cc0O5vzqVUx1EzbbaJr7GTHA4PvhpEFbLXqh78g3UXg9tzUHIp7eVE2lsW2ta6niBzF7wpnHu3RiOSPgqtSkSz_IyTXj8cTftu4IKb2Lf-IvbA9Ko/s320/Hoopoe.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hoopoes will always bring a smile to your face, even when tired and dehydrated - Hoopoe, Hampi</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQkTgfluy2kMAU6r5pm8KKwGtlO-4AlhbroY4enPwonXQlG860TCfGSR6qHP-yfE91Jecp34jKtpkiHBj8ceTn2vF9Riz2OfG5Sdz3o6I1liz7rU3VWypV5gMBW9qypfMDkZC53GO20Y/s1600/P1040660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQkTgfluy2kMAU6r5pm8KKwGtlO-4AlhbroY4enPwonXQlG860TCfGSR6qHP-yfE91Jecp34jKtpkiHBj8ceTn2vF9Riz2OfG5Sdz3o6I1liz7rU3VWypV5gMBW9qypfMDkZC53GO20Y/s320/P1040660.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Learning to love herons will make your stay next to paddy fields much more rewarding - Indian Pond Heron, Hampi</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilXpK1IYiYp08F-_o00bpG5-rZ7ztdQtREISjKyFerpJIvKu3ar8AF620_tthEF-p9AoeK4ENwl3ovCYEnPFp_XU6w3Pz4a2Zk9z2TRDJhoCiNyrYMrUcmTqGQ3Zorm-EY_hlV95mBQpI/s1600/P1040749.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilXpK1IYiYp08F-_o00bpG5-rZ7ztdQtREISjKyFerpJIvKu3ar8AF620_tthEF-p9AoeK4ENwl3ovCYEnPFp_XU6w3Pz4a2Zk9z2TRDJhoCiNyrYMrUcmTqGQ3Zorm-EY_hlV95mBQpI/s320/P1040749.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When you are this handsome, you do not shy away from your public - Plum-headed Parakeet, Hampi</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvGFpweoavaDeRoA9zKEK7E4VrVjwfAiYMhaxvY8x6O4opsbIaS4Ii4E7eMUKCaZdB1_QI1ruJt6w54UCLMNTAMu5XY26RhoXXNQV2TXqKtz1rOBif_0izNfJoGRChfuV6rgRWv4y5sA/s1600/P1040779.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvGFpweoavaDeRoA9zKEK7E4VrVjwfAiYMhaxvY8x6O4opsbIaS4Ii4E7eMUKCaZdB1_QI1ruJt6w54UCLMNTAMu5XY26RhoXXNQV2TXqKtz1rOBif_0izNfJoGRChfuV6rgRWv4y5sA/s320/P1040779.JPG" width="320" /> </a></td><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All birds are fond of ruins and elephants. Fact. - Ashy-crowned Sparrow Lark, Hampi</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPBEU2B2_D6etbkWxygR67A4PqLu7iKxtvXJn-1SjJwI0kY5UUXx52sHIhtZ9IvasTLunY8idppym4lhWIt2c0vVaWwovSQIIjjDqzlcNpNSmQT7AtNi7UIx7tRUmQie-Fi-XaGPXM7g/s1600/Stork+billed+kingfisher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPBEU2B2_D6etbkWxygR67A4PqLu7iKxtvXJn-1SjJwI0kY5UUXx52sHIhtZ9IvasTLunY8idppym4lhWIt2c0vVaWwovSQIIjjDqzlcNpNSmQT7AtNi7UIx7tRUmQie-Fi-XaGPXM7g/s320/Stork+billed+kingfisher.jpg" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One can never see too many species of Kingfisher - Stork-billed Kingfisher, Keralan backwaters</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkDzs7jdzryOZEaN0U7yrMPDFO2H4n8bKFr_LP2lD3Dp21Leeq0nRE0pf044Eji4YXqs5x3cfulKFTDbcb0ifORtA0m_OWLhWzysA_zZSdaghfYyaMKl7tG52KGzZs3QPvitYTALsmRiQ/s1600/P1040969.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkDzs7jdzryOZEaN0U7yrMPDFO2H4n8bKFr_LP2lD3Dp21Leeq0nRE0pf044Eji4YXqs5x3cfulKFTDbcb0ifORtA0m_OWLhWzysA_zZSdaghfYyaMKl7tG52KGzZs3QPvitYTALsmRiQ/s320/P1040969.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wherever you are in the world, Cormorants look like crooked umbrellas - Little Cormorant, Keralan backwaters</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf0HeM5_5PWFFZaW5GCDy1sTTaTObSKueSbBfd8FFoui5yucKNYDMDj9_FhYAw_Eo08Cqk6seTKLcO7XEbj-G6U8UeslBF5JdcJgT9gPwjQ67A_drkny-2G7QQg9bst9qwsTvNnDPfuQg/s1600/P1050197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf0HeM5_5PWFFZaW5GCDy1sTTaTObSKueSbBfd8FFoui5yucKNYDMDj9_FhYAw_Eo08Cqk6seTKLcO7XEbj-G6U8UeslBF5JdcJgT9gPwjQ67A_drkny-2G7QQg9bst9qwsTvNnDPfuQg/s320/P1050197.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A bird requires impeccable balance when residing on spindly vegetation - Purple Heron, Keralan backwaters</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLjbVLxAPBongLHpRZVc4tXcYgq4I7zYamPYwWAe3SZF26TTwMcEEatKUeU1ZykrXongzxxTT4Vhfs-Kp0-Jzn5nwa4FVSSj9xcFZnsLfwZ4YodWe2HY019xjPTbKHN59S507RvrqCAko/s1600/Bulbuls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLjbVLxAPBongLHpRZVc4tXcYgq4I7zYamPYwWAe3SZF26TTwMcEEatKUeU1ZykrXongzxxTT4Vhfs-Kp0-Jzn5nwa4FVSSj9xcFZnsLfwZ4YodWe2HY019xjPTbKHN59S507RvrqCAko/s320/Bulbuls.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birding is easiest when you breakfast on the balcony - Red-whiskered and Red-vented Bulbuls, Keralan Ghats</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQIDBbYOWOLuRJHdfyZD-8k72hX7jV8e5RTV-4qPqAav5x5X1TXBca1FHrvYdz6tgqDNYIQZ0icXBovLLxk4zAOUmUVKzOv9jR1ERRKUAKaD2pRWTc9u-2ovSQBIaii2bMFYk6H7vDmuk/s1600/P1050206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQIDBbYOWOLuRJHdfyZD-8k72hX7jV8e5RTV-4qPqAav5x5X1TXBca1FHrvYdz6tgqDNYIQZ0icXBovLLxk4zAOUmUVKzOv9jR1ERRKUAKaD2pRWTc9u-2ovSQBIaii2bMFYk6H7vDmuk/s320/P1050206.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, birds will turn their back on you - female Scarlet Minivet - Keralan Ghats</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWGNiSdw-rs9L6tR0FiXjsqs385IT8TcKT1a4L1gVWTEXYppj18WZSgJjB0pPFMk5dt7Tc3Of74MskMh5jQhyFT1ph42S7-0xhEUAMZnSMNzmFiJYyIo8rm_ezIjdd0DlaLO0yxHh9qI/s1600/P1050073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWGNiSdw-rs9L6tR0FiXjsqs385IT8TcKT1a4L1gVWTEXYppj18WZSgJjB0pPFMk5dt7Tc3Of74MskMh5jQhyFT1ph42S7-0xhEUAMZnSMNzmFiJYyIo8rm_ezIjdd0DlaLO0yxHh9qI/s320/P1050073.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And sometimes, they are attention seeking posers - male Scarlet Minivet - Keralan Ghats</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjIM2cT7WFLhWg6OJgaIToJshHOXeAXzyj-OOtKRGs7etC0_WF3-sXSqZRlHc1RwoghyphenhypheniyNtm_d6GMzFIIREmTZza63Vqlm-7nrbwokB6ZAolYmnmgFw4Q08Uo-8v6z64M7IWz6P1Wos4/s1600/P1050128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjIM2cT7WFLhWg6OJgaIToJshHOXeAXzyj-OOtKRGs7etC0_WF3-sXSqZRlHc1RwoghyphenhypheniyNtm_d6GMzFIIREmTZza63Vqlm-7nrbwokB6ZAolYmnmgFw4Q08Uo-8v6z64M7IWz6P1Wos4/s320/P1050128.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All roads lead to India for the chickens who crossed them - Grey Junglefowl - Keralan Ghats</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUxuxU76TTfqIBHdtiieqqWY_Rl7Wtkme9xw_q9krH-Ul8jP8K9R4e_ghmx2LOBPjn3qoea3xQYVpbpdmjuoRunfalrbH7RvfuHq4tN1dSfaUYrDuahqM3uj4eUNgLvwi8WD0Q4LvszMA/s1600/P1050183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUxuxU76TTfqIBHdtiieqqWY_Rl7Wtkme9xw_q9krH-Ul8jP8K9R4e_ghmx2LOBPjn3qoea3xQYVpbpdmjuoRunfalrbH7RvfuHq4tN1dSfaUYrDuahqM3uj4eUNgLvwi8WD0Q4LvszMA/s320/P1050183.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Night birding is best with good hearing - Jungle Owlet (we think!) - Keralan Ghats</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
And finally, the lesson that holds true everywhere, there is always something small and brown that you can't identify!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7rm38pvhx1ohZyeYeaHXksKTzSwE9Yo1WM7JqN9SLM6510gOJyywL5Bi3xXeH_DRrl-1UBaBFpD6sbqRtXsOFdCyotoCUx1C8OEOehMeSH9v53G-1FzK3UCKssECmsQcyRUahgbc-PDk/s1600/Prinia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7rm38pvhx1ohZyeYeaHXksKTzSwE9Yo1WM7JqN9SLM6510gOJyywL5Bi3xXeH_DRrl-1UBaBFpD6sbqRtXsOFdCyotoCUx1C8OEOehMeSH9v53G-1FzK3UCKssECmsQcyRUahgbc-PDk/s320/Prinia.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An unknown Prinia? - Hampi</td></tr>
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Naturally, some of the most exciting sightings were imprinted not in pixels, but only our minds, and we jumped around with glee seeing wonders such as a very unexpected chestnut coloured female Sri Lanka Frogmouth, and the Malabar Trogon. We admired the punk-crested Black Lored Tit, watched open-mouthed as the huge wingbeats of a pair of Great Hornbills echoed above us in the Western Ghats, and saw a Black-rumped Flameback woodpecker scamper up palms in the backwaters. We learnt that the best way to pronounce 'Drongo' was with an Australian accent, and preferred to call the Greater-racket tailed Drongo the 'fancy-tailed'. Rufous and White-bellied Treepies made us happy, the tails of Asian Paradise Flycatchers and blue flashes of Velvet-fronted Nuthatch causing much geeky joy. We also saw an awful lot of Egrets. <br />
<br />
Our final few days were spent around Kumily and the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala, an area whose hills were etched with tea plantations and spice gardens were tucked into lush grottos. Before leaving we packed our bags with sweet and pungent vanilla, conker-like nutmegs and tiny green rugby balls of cardamom. Since returning from India my favourite way of using some of these aromatic delights has been in a cardamom and orange syrup cake.<br />
<br />
It's a version of wonder cake, the extravagantly named recipe I <a href="http://voyageofthebattenberg.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/illustration-and-other-wonders.html" target="_blank">wrote about</a> last February. Follow the recipe as suggested, using ground almonds and vanilla essence. In addition, finely grind the seeds from 5 cardamom pods and grate the zest of one orange and add to the dry ingredients before adding the oil etc. When you've stirred it all together, sprinkle flaked almonds over the mixture before baking.<br />
<br />
While it's in the oven prepare the syrup, bash two cardamom pods and add to a pan with 40g sugar (granulated or caster) and the juice of 1-2 oranges. Put on a low heat until the sugar has dissolved and then set aside for the flavours to develop. When the cake is cooked and a golden brown, remove from the oven and pierce all over with a skewer in between the almonds. Strain the syrup and pour over the hot cake, it should be absorbed as you pour. Allow to cool before slicing. It is a very aromatic and sticky cake, good with hot black coffee and memories of India.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvPSlEnrk28CwO1wFkb_4NilAs14l3lxzutG7X4WOJlWLjK3uiDiLQEuLXiruXAOZ69HM_2Q4dlp1w3GJ-rkf3t87_0ZjuaLcAmXrQ_9fVVljVfg0prlLbjO_CUV-b9QZWfK0gBBsYao/s1600/cardamom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvPSlEnrk28CwO1wFkb_4NilAs14l3lxzutG7X4WOJlWLjK3uiDiLQEuLXiruXAOZ69HM_2Q4dlp1w3GJ-rkf3t87_0ZjuaLcAmXrQ_9fVVljVfg0prlLbjO_CUV-b9QZWfK0gBBsYao/s320/cardamom.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First attempt - no flaked almonds, but it's nicer with!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>muffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812585945670166540noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2405736807701999182.post-68372021780865617042012-02-29T23:05:00.000+00:002012-02-29T23:05:39.124+00:00Warm Winter Passing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img align="left" alt="L" src="http://dailydropcap.com/images/L-5-cap.png" title="Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische" /><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">eap day in a leap year, winter seems to have gone, shifts and stirrings appear. Boxing day primroses finished 2011, Lesser Celandine flowers waved yellow as January began. February frosted all life at the start, now there's crocuses, butterflies, snowdrops and bees. Adders in East Anglia, frogspawn all over, Todmorden toads on the 27th, and no time to take a breath.<br />
<br />
Hello, spring.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJoNRyGkrmU6VeNYUazA1jQK7Dx4KOx5KHWD7liTvDbB9WmpcBpebsSXC5qLPd-qTcjF289sRqIcxKzEIbdtO8UeMAVpqtsWcoNiF7th0Ya_MBBH4Hecev6pXJyIxeMCnQ7b7am9cZgU/s1600/2012+spring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJoNRyGkrmU6VeNYUazA1jQK7Dx4KOx5KHWD7liTvDbB9WmpcBpebsSXC5qLPd-qTcjF289sRqIcxKzEIbdtO8UeMAVpqtsWcoNiF7th0Ya_MBBH4Hecev6pXJyIxeMCnQ7b7am9cZgU/s320/2012+spring.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
</div></div>muffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812585945670166540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2405736807701999182.post-83134926846301556872011-12-01T01:04:00.000+00:002011-12-01T01:04:53.908+00:00Cold weather comforts<img align="left" alt="N" src="http://dailydropcap.com/images/N-11-cap.png" title="Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische" />ovember is often full of pumpkins, roots and stews, tea as recommended by Radish below, nourishing baking and that dark steel blue rain reserved for the boundary between autumn and winter. And so it has been, with some added dairy-free kitchen experiments, one of the best being a cobbled together pumpkin and leek quiche.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJpp0nayOamzu5GW3uxG_EG_XDBOr6YBVK9E5tWXwMRoffskqxGJSb3NwOm8jddO6GU-ZGBjF4Uu2km87j6cTnzkwQhpnPQtOwaVaZUNBVBf980uVx8ntx9gr6vN2fttcWHsC9hHWaJLQ/s1600/Quiche.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJpp0nayOamzu5GW3uxG_EG_XDBOr6YBVK9E5tWXwMRoffskqxGJSb3NwOm8jddO6GU-ZGBjF4Uu2km87j6cTnzkwQhpnPQtOwaVaZUNBVBf980uVx8ntx9gr6vN2fttcWHsC9hHWaJLQ/s320/Quiche.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No soggy bottom here...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>To make this you'll want roughly the following:<br />
A blind baked pastry case using pastry of your choice<br />
1 small butternut squash or pumpkin<br />
2 small leeks<br />
1 onion<br />
2 garlic cloves<br />
1-2 tsps English or wholegrain mustard<br />
Freshly ground nutmeg<br />
1 packet silken tofu (pressed to remove liquid)<br />
~ 1/2 cup soy milk<br />
Salt and pepper<br />
<br />
Preheat the oven to 180C or Gas mark 4.<br />
- Cook the finely chopped onion and garlic gently in a little olive oil in a large frying pan.<br />
- Add the butternut squash, cut into small cubes (1-2cm ish) and chopped leek. Saute everything gently for 10-15 mins until all the vegetables are soft.<br />
- Blend the tofu, soy milk, mustard and nutmeg until smooth. Season to taste.<br />
- Add the tofu mixture to the vegetables and mix before adding to your pastry case.<br />
- Cook for 30-40 mins until golden brown and set in the middle, and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing.<br />
<br />
Silken tofu experiments also led me to the quickest and richest chocolate pudding... All you need is a block of silken tofu to blend until really smooth with a couple of spoons of cocoa powder and maple syrup, and then add in whatever you like best with chocolate, try peanut butter or finely chopped stem ginger. If you blend this and then add it onto a biscuity base and leave it to set for a couple of hours it makes a beautiful chocolate torte.<br />
<br />
I got the chance to visit the lovely <a href="http://ntlargeblue.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Collard Hill</a>, scene of my June Large Blue Butterfly adventures this month, for the end of year wash-up meeting to discuss the season. Somerset was damp and green, and my feet remembered many of the hill's lumps and bumps as we walked the transect route in the rain, discussing the successful increase in Large Blues during 2011. Happily, we were also able to find a Brown Hairstreak (<i>Thecla betulae</i>) egg on the Blackthorn hedge, and peered at its intricate golf ball like indentations through a hand lens. Unfortunately, my camera couldn't get that close.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQXFquFn6fNC6VkksmM9Vaxh9l847sZoGepsqdD_bnlp98YDApr3L7oGvBpILQh0_jTAbABi9vyCGO3HLIvyILC5aku0IvAsTJ8VUQCbUatH4MomDRcx-ZC0HWnnB8ugfmc2NaX5MPUY/s1600/Brown+Hairstreak+egg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQXFquFn6fNC6VkksmM9Vaxh9l847sZoGepsqdD_bnlp98YDApr3L7oGvBpILQh0_jTAbABi9vyCGO3HLIvyILC5aku0IvAsTJ8VUQCbUatH4MomDRcx-ZC0HWnnB8ugfmc2NaX5MPUY/s320/Brown+Hairstreak+egg.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lepidopterist finger for scale.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>There was some further Lepidoptera related excitement when I went out to the woods one evening with the Yorkshire mothmen... It being chilly there wasn't exactly a lot of activity, but by peering at the trunks of Beech, Birch and Ash trees we found the somewhat elusive flightless females of the Winter moth (<i>Operophtera brumata</i>) and Scare Umber (<i>Agriopis aurantiaria</i>). We also found a pair of copulating Winter moths, sometimes you can watch a female drag the male way up a tree trunk, in order to get to her favoured ovipositing spot. Sadly my photos are not amazingly clear as it was rather dark out, but the <a href="http://calderdalemoths.blogspot.com/2011/11/winter-moths.html" target="_blank">local moth blog</a> has some good close ups of the females.<br />
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<i><i> </i></i><i></i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwqmp5Yi2f2uBDQbFsllP0Ie7dfrvFzuzUCQSZgN0O_Qn5F0BmSMsbPhjIGZcGyEpT7wbPjoTjvmHM_DY6xT0ur-_rGPC6Tdba7ZnQNUEE00qovIeJqcNznVOgDVEOHwslRCwcPCKFQ08/s1600/Female+winter+moth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwqmp5Yi2f2uBDQbFsllP0Ie7dfrvFzuzUCQSZgN0O_Qn5F0BmSMsbPhjIGZcGyEpT7wbPjoTjvmHM_DY6xT0ur-_rGPC6Tdba7ZnQNUEE00qovIeJqcNznVOgDVEOHwslRCwcPCKFQ08/s320/Female+winter+moth.jpg" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lady winter's vestigial wings</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp6gdB9vs2RXrmnmOxPWK6LlN0po5gz6VEf_gDkrBIj_j0RvWp3sZZnYO2RByq2XaeXpkF7AS95xgdk0hnSuRNFvvF1THuTATd8JSZIdEl9dEtgYUWgR_lncv4HlIe_3Np5q9X0KCDq54/s1600/In+cop+Winters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp6gdB9vs2RXrmnmOxPWK6LlN0po5gz6VEf_gDkrBIj_j0RvWp3sZZnYO2RByq2XaeXpkF7AS95xgdk0hnSuRNFvvF1THuTATd8JSZIdEl9dEtgYUWgR_lncv4HlIe_3Np5q9X0KCDq54/s320/In+cop+Winters.jpg" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birch for a bed...</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCWudjWHaM5VumSlIQcgXhPorYvPymH0vGXe4SvM5USGv3zS3n2YNJh7w0h4QKr_GlVqEsI_Rg8sLgx4OuE6A_PnspCdEYRaOtG7pkguqNBUZr3LrJ6p8yeKbLlwVilp-RraXb4YrO17Y/s1600/Scare+Umber+female.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCWudjWHaM5VumSlIQcgXhPorYvPymH0vGXe4SvM5USGv3zS3n2YNJh7w0h4QKr_GlVqEsI_Rg8sLgx4OuE6A_PnspCdEYRaOtG7pkguqNBUZr3LrJ6p8yeKbLlwVilp-RraXb4YrO17Y/s320/Scare+Umber+female.jpg" width="237" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scarce Umber girls are stripy</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><i></i><br />
Nippy Novembrr eco-endeavours require some dense sustaining baked sweetness to keep one going, which has mainly been taking the form of flapjack. I like them to be slightly crisp rather than soft and stodgy and my favourite recipe works well with either butter or dairy-free margarine. You'll need:<br />
<br />
150g butter or margarine<br />
70g light brown muscovado sugar<br />
3 tbsp golden syrup <br />
pinch salt<br />
125g jumbo oats<br />
125g porridge oats<br />
200-250g combination of dried fruits, nuts, seeds, chocolate.<br />
<br />
Grease or line a 30 x 20 x 4cm baking tin and preheat the oven to 180C or Gas Mark 4.<br />
- Heat butter, sugar and syrup gently in a pan until butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool a little.<br />
- Stir in the oats, salt and dried fruit etc. If you want the whole flapjack to be chocolatey then stir in your chocolate here and it will melt through, if not, allow it to cool some more and then plonk choc chunks in so they remain whole.<br />
- Put the mixture into the tin and spread evenly. Bake between 20-25 mins, until golden brown. If you prefer softer flapjack, bake for less time, and if you like crisper, it'll need slightly longer.<br />
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely in its tin. If you fancy decorating it a little, melt some chocolate and drizzle over the flapjack then allow to cool before cutting.<br />
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You can put pretty much anything in this, recently i've tried dried pear and crystallised ginger with dark chocolate, and coconut chips, cranberry and dark chocolate with sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Mmm, time to embark on more winter walks armed with oats...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxD_wTX5Ug1n2YCOSBKzlBPer4K2bQTQXIdprgD3XfIQoZ5MCIPuRsoKlbfCeZCxwisiPyswhVTY_T1aoZh3XJPZwWpMM0l6bGL8yH4RAwy8GsE2pgvNxXui4puzeR2v0-BREY4IIAQzc/s1600/Flapjack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxD_wTX5Ug1n2YCOSBKzlBPer4K2bQTQXIdprgD3XfIQoZ5MCIPuRsoKlbfCeZCxwisiPyswhVTY_T1aoZh3XJPZwWpMM0l6bGL8yH4RAwy8GsE2pgvNxXui4puzeR2v0-BREY4IIAQzc/s320/Flapjack.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coconut and cranberry</td></tr>
</tbody></table>muffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812585945670166540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2405736807701999182.post-74877741913448311532011-11-23T14:10:00.010+00:002011-11-23T15:28:09.206+00:00Misty Hills<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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</style><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 100%;">It is the season of the short rains in Kenya. The Taita Hills are lush and wet. We sleep to the beat of rain drumming on our metal roof and wake up in a house drenched in mist. The red-chested cuckoo is constantly singing its three note song which sounds like 'it will rain'.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA9wG2x6niJfIlrFE8wgBA6IwCdL5VD3Z63qS3DM-Egs7fTRULzJciPM80XugOA4SDscpTQ5B2vfIU_8V-J59DGrwaQ989hyVY1HOVmFu_RQuodemy5wn0yo3eS4SBHnDDBYS8fyS9eS8K/s1600/IMG_8261.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678203511245705938" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA9wG2x6niJfIlrFE8wgBA6IwCdL5VD3Z63qS3DM-Egs7fTRULzJciPM80XugOA4SDscpTQ5B2vfIU_8V-J59DGrwaQ989hyVY1HOVmFu_RQuodemy5wn0yo3eS4SBHnDDBYS8fyS9eS8K/s320/IMG_8261.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 214px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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</style><span style="font-size: 100%;"> </span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: black;">It is a wonderful time to look out for creepy crawlies. As soon as the sun comes out of the clouds the garden is buzzing, humming, clicking and chirping with bees, wasps, moths, butterflies, grasshoppers, beetles, spiders & other arachnids.</span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 100%;">Two adorable dogs, a puppy to die for and a whiny but sweet cat have adopted us for better or for worse. Mr Dal is very concerned about their nutrition and feeds them wholesome vegan food as a supplement to whatever it is they are hunting. Unfortunately we do not see many birds from our house, we believe they might have been killed as they can be crop-pests.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ_fQwlzQLVjy34lc1q4iBZAWdz5Ud64kv5prxO8OsgoiWEG15WuCIJri541AsXjvXQmPSjKCdtTNRthDHam62aLfRnEN86NIcENVOIZX_V7FlmuCmb4uS4Bndmdf0ZQJ9BhgED_5fqjV0/s1600/puppy.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678197195194005490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ_fQwlzQLVjy34lc1q4iBZAWdz5Ud64kv5prxO8OsgoiWEG15WuCIJri541AsXjvXQmPSjKCdtTNRthDHam62aLfRnEN86NIcENVOIZX_V7FlmuCmb4uS4Bndmdf0ZQJ9BhgED_5fqjV0/s320/puppy.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The cutest little puppy in Wundanyi</span> </div>
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</style><span style="font-size: 100%;"> <span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 100%;">It is also my favourite time of year to have countless cups of tea (actually my favourite would be the monsoon but this is just as good). And not just any kind of tea – a special masala tea with ginger and mixture of spices – cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves, black pepper and nutmeg. The most comforting and tasty tea would be made by boiling tea leaves with milk/milk alternative and then adding sugar and spices. But if there is a ready spice-mix to sprinkle on teabag-tea, its just as yummy! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiPuOsN0Q2rJAmhFrhTw3AL022tjlpO02H69UUp0SzEDLngFN6h06bQbgNbfCnoduMPQx4SFB4f1oxv4Qie8bG1TTfovYshXiAaDbgkKqTIc_o-fxl6U8knpq-4xSsyfwSGIH9K_73rEEZ/s1600/Tea.JPG" style="color: black;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678200844460246770" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiPuOsN0Q2rJAmhFrhTw3AL022tjlpO02H69UUp0SzEDLngFN6h06bQbgNbfCnoduMPQx4SFB4f1oxv4Qie8bG1TTfovYshXiAaDbgkKqTIc_o-fxl6U8knpq-4xSsyfwSGIH9K_73rEEZ/s320/Tea.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 198px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 100%;">Masala tea and peppermint tea with ginger biscuits - perfect for elevenses</span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 100%;">(And did you know that according to Wikipedia the term 'elevenses' was first used in East Anglia :))</span></div>
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</div>Radishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09006343998152068362noreply@blogger.com0Wundanyi, Kenya-3.397711 38.359379-3.413562 38.339637999999994 -3.38186 38.37912tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2405736807701999182.post-75500118883467184802011-10-31T23:22:00.002+00:002011-10-31T23:23:45.529+00:00Adventures in Meddling<img align="left" alt="C" src="http://dailydropcap.com/images/C-6-cap.png" title="Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische" />runchy gold, rust and red tree shrapnel is carpeting the pavements, darkness is falling at four-thirty, wood smoke is permeating the valley, and autumn is well and truly here. Being alternately mud-spattered or wrapped up in voluminous knitwear at this time of year is strangely comforting, but before settling into such a rhythm, I spent rather a lot of October gadding about...<br />
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It started off in glorious Grasmere, before quick jaunts to Scarborough's shores and ghost hunting with Pudding Pie in York, a delightful trip to Brussels and Ghent, before the main event; East Anglia, the scene of so many MSc moments. Given that I am, alas, once again without work, what better way to spend time than bother those of you who do have eco-geeky jobs? So I started off with Mrs Teacup, who now works in community development for local food in Suffolk. She took me to an allotment, which is getting turned into a community orchard, and we happily weeded away in cold sunshine, while other volunteers dug a very big hole.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrkTee-C7tgOoivcp9ekE59-_Xh4Z2a2Iw6Y_56plIAjCFr6LQHhqoM8D5zrn-UdPNZdVuO-_tsk28Milm_qYTTCqW0r9867VZHvbVw56Q3ZV7f0NJY_Mmba4ex5d_R2AzFBBKXTHp0tA/s1600/allotment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrkTee-C7tgOoivcp9ekE59-_Xh4Z2a2Iw6Y_56plIAjCFr6LQHhqoM8D5zrn-UdPNZdVuO-_tsk28Milm_qYTTCqW0r9867VZHvbVw56Q3ZV7f0NJY_Mmba4ex5d_R2AzFBBKXTHp0tA/s320/allotment.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you like orchards brandish your garden forks! Well, that's one. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>While at Mrs T's, I gazed with interest upon two huge platters of Medlars, gathered from a tree in Dunwich. They were being left to blet (rot to a delicious ooziness) before being eaten. She very kindly gave me a few, and they've slowly been ripening to collapse in my fruit bowl. Tonight I ate my first 'naked' Medlar, and it was lovely. It has the grainy texture, but not the juiciness of an overripe pear, and tasted delicate, almost like partly cooked crumble filling. There is a particularly evocative and almost joyously lascivious description of the <a href="http://medlarcomfits.blogspot.com/2006/06/medlars-their-innies-and-outies.html">bletted Medlar </a>from an enthusiast who urges one to 'nip the medlar in its side as if you are a vampire and its tender, turgid, russet-skinned being is a plump neck. Now suck its guts out.' Ooh er. <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDOUYk_w0wmqg96AAQq_oZW49Wo2QMC7izdFOxSqmfM6S7PwSi-8IIda0j2W9Mvea-qnUACXaL3H9WihYt5VS-XFOCp9jmjFdrb0c183cz76y0Ci8yo60mHJWjz_ypiHYsVMb_b5HVWlY/s1600/medlars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDOUYk_w0wmqg96AAQq_oZW49Wo2QMC7izdFOxSqmfM6S7PwSi-8IIda0j2W9Mvea-qnUACXaL3H9WihYt5VS-XFOCp9jmjFdrb0c183cz76y0Ci8yo60mHJWjz_ypiHYsVMb_b5HVWlY/s320/medlars.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blet you darn Medlars!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Next up was Mr Watervole, who is very busy and important working for the National Trust at Orford Ness on the Suffolk coast, looking after its glorious wetland haven for waders, vegetated shingle, and decrepit abandoned MoD buildings. And a really big nuclear bomb. Mrs Teacup and I got to experience the Orford Ness ferry, saw much damp red Salicornia, watched diggers build new lagoons and walked through the strange shingle at sunset.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz65xaILxAMtxGZDV6UoRYPVJWTrz2Ofy2_kdR5RdVBiW0PhcGk5Dnm5ot0j1P0FHwvPWeVxtjRGb-yfUNsQruAEcPGv1_3Ws4dXk-0TBPK-6NDRpdzu1_8RxWWzBP9Q6N0b3g1mH-f64/s1600/Orford.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz65xaILxAMtxGZDV6UoRYPVJWTrz2Ofy2_kdR5RdVBiW0PhcGk5Dnm5ot0j1P0FHwvPWeVxtjRGb-yfUNsQruAEcPGv1_3Ws4dXk-0TBPK-6NDRpdzu1_8RxWWzBP9Q6N0b3g1mH-f64/s320/Orford.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you ask nicely you can ride in the Landrover...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>A short, flat train ride took me to Norwich, where I headed to Goat Manor, home of Luscious Lemon, the lovely Grazing Officer at the Norfolk Wildlife Trust. On a truly beautiful blue Saturday we cycled through narrow lanes to Buxton Heath, one of the sites she looks after. In search of the ten or so Dartmoor ponies that graze the heath we wandered around in thick afternoon sunshine, avoiding the mire, but finding no equines. Finally, on our way home we screeched to a halt on our bikes, spying the cheeky faces of the ponies peeking over a gate at a side entrance. They were rather enthusiastically curious, and quite boldly surrounded us. Unfortunately this suggested that they had been fed by visitors to the heath, which is not ideal for semi-feral beasts... Hopefully with a little more interpretation (my favourite!) on site, they will start to keep their distance from people again.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6WdI4ylTw3yjMGTXB5KZl80JNDL1IUIrblK5sCBvTgV0fZzYT0qO6UTNkBh8K1b0rICqRpHsuqyL-AgdxEOplzLf1ybJaYsbvDFt3Ntb5V-UQB6PjxY6VGXT3_wCZFx4QvwL3ir3pXvo/s1600/Buxton+Heath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6WdI4ylTw3yjMGTXB5KZl80JNDL1IUIrblK5sCBvTgV0fZzYT0qO6UTNkBh8K1b0rICqRpHsuqyL-AgdxEOplzLf1ybJaYsbvDFt3Ntb5V-UQB6PjxY6VGXT3_wCZFx4QvwL3ir3pXvo/s320/Buxton+Heath.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A golden evening on the heath.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj91pGTHc-hj__NGrCf39gCkCklh1EIqBeSrhKmVzlGh9cl-o7pubRt9YPPZ9BJv2gutsPNohPIGKEqs6LaTT_aQOJh2CBgr-_6PraKZyW7LTxy4PvVICTu7SJgrWwd3CbqZ5i8KUPTL1s/s1600/Dartmoors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj91pGTHc-hj__NGrCf39gCkCklh1EIqBeSrhKmVzlGh9cl-o7pubRt9YPPZ9BJv2gutsPNohPIGKEqs6LaTT_aQOJh2CBgr-_6PraKZyW7LTxy4PvVICTu7SJgrWwd3CbqZ5i8KUPTL1s/s320/Dartmoors.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They all have names, I just can't remember them...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>A rather momentous moment for the blog now, as the first actual Battenberg makes its appearance. . Not homemade, but made especially delicious by eating it off Ms Lemon's wildflower and moth covered crockery! Well deserved after finding two lonesome and chilly Green Brindled Crescents (<i>Allophyes oxyacanthae</i>) in the first moth trapping session at the Manor. One day, it'll be a carefully hand constructed chequered creation gracing the tea table.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEpOtDvTeR6h44Sq758-JGEwsCIO70hBTuHDBtU2PezAt8J6i5kRQv8lJs4hyphenhyphenH9rPEPbGYqPeBlMSuzRFkXiVfaEL8EZCRDcu5cNAdr4Y6Yo7qHh_JE8WwvSeI-jZJ4D6jbddMLfQyK4E/s1600/battenberg%2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEpOtDvTeR6h44Sq758-JGEwsCIO70hBTuHDBtU2PezAt8J6i5kRQv8lJs4hyphenhyphenH9rPEPbGYqPeBlMSuzRFkXiVfaEL8EZCRDcu5cNAdr4Y6Yo7qHh_JE8WwvSeI-jZJ4D6jbddMLfQyK4E/s320/battenberg%2521.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mrs Teacup I hope you approve!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Now that the season of conkers, treacle toffee and dragon breath is upon us, it's time to reacquaint ourselves with those sustaining foods that will, ahem, cushion us against the winter. Behold, the veggie toad-in-the-hole! Oh, there will be more...<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSdF91c-DlufVuKsREt9wRit6eEaBCLzstxbVQ9KTteGPioXeffXk2kHfGvvy_rFjJ5unHSRpuFHyJptgQyejf-6WuxxxXaUYYQQFmQEaRjKLjiXrrR4ZDO0z_4pzkStj-9WBqNegzQsk/s1600/Toad+in+the+Hole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSdF91c-DlufVuKsREt9wRit6eEaBCLzstxbVQ9KTteGPioXeffXk2kHfGvvy_rFjJ5unHSRpuFHyJptgQyejf-6WuxxxXaUYYQQFmQEaRjKLjiXrrR4ZDO0z_4pzkStj-9WBqNegzQsk/s320/Toad+in+the+Hole.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmm, fluffy and pillowy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>muffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812585945670166540noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2405736807701999182.post-86226662675428784422011-09-30T02:46:00.001+01:002011-09-30T02:50:22.437+01:00Butterflies vs Summer<img align="left" alt="R" src="http://dailydropcap.com/images/R-1-cap.png" title="Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische" />ather unexpectedly, summer has offered us a sunny renaissance. This week has brought the warmth and calm that was much missed during July and August. I spent those months as a field assistant for a UEA project. Like Mrs Teacup, we were studying the behaviour of a range-expanding butterfly species in core and margin populations. In this case it was Brown Argus (<i>Aricia agestis</i>), with Common Blue (<i>Polyommatus icarus</i>) as our control species.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGLV_w0JN_S1DidIHHvWGekIBNNBs14fBasn_SIjnE6TYNz7ugjxVf6y6aGFpQt5Rhi2TMCFpKc1XiSBr7L8wVUeGRYqNE3qy2LO9UPGGJXXx9Ft_ESKr2YCxx24A2PGmc-ed7c1dSYv8/s1600/brown+argus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGLV_w0JN_S1DidIHHvWGekIBNNBs14fBasn_SIjnE6TYNz7ugjxVf6y6aGFpQt5Rhi2TMCFpKc1XiSBr7L8wVUeGRYqNE3qy2LO9UPGGJXXx9Ft_ESKr2YCxx24A2PGmc-ed7c1dSYv8/s320/brown+argus.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Brown Argus of the season!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Also like Mrs Teacup, the summer activities involved chasing butterflies that had been caught and marked, before releasing them on a host plant or nectar source. As our study species were small, and often rather brown, there were many occasions when despondent field assistants peered around, vainly looking for a butterfly that had lured them into a false sense of security, nectaring for minutes on end, before promptly disappearing into the ether.<br />
<br />
Ecology takes you to some exotic places, and this project explored the glories offered by Leicestershire and Bedfordshire. Such were our adventures up and down the M1, to sites that were full of dog poo, Dartmoor ponies, sunflowers and lovely landowners, ice cream sellers, dog poo, mites and brambles, motorbikes, cattle, secret glades, dubious dogging carparks, kites and dog poo. At all of these places we wandered, waving our butterfly nets to numerous cries of 'are they fishing?!' from children passing us by. We even got a little bit of sun, when we could watch our butterflies basking surrounded by flags and ragwort...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWjLBQ7Pm6JJGnm7hZEOjGuyQydFahFMYkIXGcQNlqGp1DqwRllOB6vM5kudRw-oPuZbnUl7B88jA_7mjDEvTP6ygk6wQQxFLypXaP8mKnTwhXT8bBKSdusOo1qsvnk7mEQI-LwbcpJLg/s1600/boys+watch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWjLBQ7Pm6JJGnm7hZEOjGuyQydFahFMYkIXGcQNlqGp1DqwRllOB6vM5kudRw-oPuZbnUl7B88jA_7mjDEvTP6ygk6wQQxFLypXaP8mKnTwhXT8bBKSdusOo1qsvnk7mEQI-LwbcpJLg/s320/boys+watch.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boys watch butterflies</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Bumblebees, geese and other lepidopteran delights distracted at times, bright Small Coppers, Ruby Tiger moths, visiting Clouded Yellows, Purple Hairstreaks at dusk and many ghostly Chalkhill Blues.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcrpTiysT7F4DRoqJ5YH-apquuUcHCSmUfFQy2HMeXvC722-t1vJn-ZYw9dFVsFrdcEOsfVALo84zTgzJG4rQrKMQ5CO0SN-vfq1oKKrCceXdBaW1vEQHUPq8FeWycjXHDg2_HMbNQ34M/s1600/chalky1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcrpTiysT7F4DRoqJ5YH-apquuUcHCSmUfFQy2HMeXvC722-t1vJn-ZYw9dFVsFrdcEOsfVALo84zTgzJG4rQrKMQ5CO0SN-vfq1oKKrCceXdBaW1vEQHUPq8FeWycjXHDg2_HMbNQ34M/s320/chalky1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Icy Chalkhill Blue - <i>Lysandra coridon</i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYw-Vb5eUmFmfSNvYjXD6pN8iMZOLGw1UaQvq-RC8VOi6nmToYSM2Am2d4qz5J2kRk6ftMTS2AwBo5dYoPC-k3nl2Y9oyDPj9oAkO65ttnWz0NVr3EqO2lfvWuYeLMfqePX3kQuRwaWbM/s1600/chalky2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYw-Vb5eUmFmfSNvYjXD6pN8iMZOLGw1UaQvq-RC8VOi6nmToYSM2Am2d4qz5J2kRk6ftMTS2AwBo5dYoPC-k3nl2Y9oyDPj9oAkO65ttnWz0NVr3EqO2lfvWuYeLMfqePX3kQuRwaWbM/s320/chalky2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another Chalky distracts me</td></tr>
</tbody></table>A day off's visit to Canons Ashby, south west of Northampton, provided a gleeful episode of bonding with other visitors gathered around a huge Mulberry tree (<i>Morus</i> genus). Next to the croquet and quoits we stained our fingers and faces with beautiful ripe Mulberries, surreptitiously glancing around for National Trust staff ready to quell our feasting. As I am not currently imprisoned in a William Morris papered drawing room, I am happy to say we got away with it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJP3PE9pkFvhwZATjC1bQfof77T4RCpuc9i6T0e8CmTeRv_bSNwlTqIwAJq8vx-PVkHRxutPnnn1JG-puOywbs9JNTWI0sEVeIpDYpvHvan10b_YCaJDkhsVzq_YXgBPX5DmX7jNiAKw/s1600/mulberries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJP3PE9pkFvhwZATjC1bQfof77T4RCpuc9i6T0e8CmTeRv_bSNwlTqIwAJq8vx-PVkHRxutPnnn1JG-puOywbs9JNTWI0sEVeIpDYpvHvan10b_YCaJDkhsVzq_YXgBPX5DmX7jNiAKw/s320/mulberries.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here we go round the mulberry bush, guiltily stuffing our faces.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I returned to Yorkshire in September, to find an empty house and a fecund garden. One afternoon's foraging produced quite a haul of goodies, runner beans, roses, broad beans, strawberries, windfall apples, lavender, and some rather suggestive courgettes, the trombetti plants having rather taken over! Dinner that night was two bean salad, for which you will need:<br />
broad beans<br />
runner beans<br />
walnuts<br />
fresh mozzarella<br />
basil<br />
raspberry or redcurrant vinegar<br />
balsamic vinegar<br />
honey<br />
olive oil<br />
salt and pepper<br />
<br />
- Pod and prepare your beans and lightly steam them. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.<br />
- Toast your walnuts in a hot oven for about 5 minutes. Remove and cool before using.<br />
- Make a dressing with the honey, vinegars and olive oil. Season to taste.<br />
- Rip up your mozzarella and mix everything together, adding in some torn basil.<br />
Change cheese/herbs/nuts as you wish. <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm8rtSjzOun7hN-A_pZfLyY-FmZCuLVt3c6X4SOnW5erbwMtN3yb0ao0AuVXKFkFa5kdDisA4N1ejJZrufZVCVPHRNR38SgVghaRRwviS5bVnKcvyZSOfxKBvj18wx_3EeuNNE8ExTuhY/s1600/produce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm8rtSjzOun7hN-A_pZfLyY-FmZCuLVt3c6X4SOnW5erbwMtN3yb0ao0AuVXKFkFa5kdDisA4N1ejJZrufZVCVPHRNR38SgVghaRRwviS5bVnKcvyZSOfxKBvj18wx_3EeuNNE8ExTuhY/s320/produce.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1u4TP9LNq54yLzXlT9By5KlOlgJpPJZm7emx4obzk3KHngEPRSifllT1_qtEocaLAlTZjslz_ubvojMTPKfIsk90iwMdO78l244sblSKVNbIptgrdjsTKIU7vWUF-8tnDwssCbqOR0LI/s1600/bean+salad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1u4TP9LNq54yLzXlT9By5KlOlgJpPJZm7emx4obzk3KHngEPRSifllT1_qtEocaLAlTZjslz_ubvojMTPKfIsk90iwMdO78l244sblSKVNbIptgrdjsTKIU7vWUF-8tnDwssCbqOR0LI/s320/bean+salad.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The beans and courgettes are still going, the apple tree is 'rude with fruit' and tomato and pepper plants on the windowsills are laden, oh, autumn's bounty is nearly upon us!muffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812585945670166540noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2405736807701999182.post-63353389624122676932011-08-13T09:19:00.002+01:002011-08-13T10:21:06.212+01:00Pedro in India<span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgMmWif-xbdSUhPT-NaFTPfioCgyG2ItrAllrrE4MBY2YNv5d1nvBj44v91EiG8v9UvSvVIoStVp_vwqd_zZq_UqeK-emD5W9gJIMYfyeoVVVIAg7NYgINfzrHuQEzOyzJvRE6qY2S2Rdp/s1600/Lingmala+Falls.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgMmWif-xbdSUhPT-NaFTPfioCgyG2ItrAllrrE4MBY2YNv5d1nvBj44v91EiG8v9UvSvVIoStVp_vwqd_zZq_UqeK-emD5W9gJIMYfyeoVVVIAg7NYgINfzrHuQEzOyzJvRE6qY2S2Rdp/s320/Lingmala+Falls.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640255102604190914" border="0" /></a> </span><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-520092929 1073786111 9 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Comic Sans MS"; panose-1:3 15 7 2 3 3 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0cm; margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:11.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page WordSection1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="line-height:115%;Comic Sans MS"font-size:10.0pt;" >India was an amazing and immense experience, it would take a 1000 pages to describe everything! </span></span></p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="line-height:115%;Comic Sans MS"font-size:10.0pt;" >Main point is everything went surprisingly and almost mysteriously well with Radi’s parents, family and friends. They were all very excited, sweet and accommodating. So we are now officially finance and fiancée! Provisionally the wedding will be at Saj Resort in Mahabaleshwar, 5 or 6 hours inland from Bombay, on the weekend of the 13-15<sup>th</sup> of January 2011. We’re hoping to have a “small wedding” of 100-150 people. </span></span></p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="line-height:115%;Comic Sans MS"font-size:10.0pt;" >The landscape of Mahabaleshwar is stunning, it’s high in the ghats with deep valleys, huge waterfalls (Lingmala Falls) and forested plateaus and hillsides. We visited at the start of the trip and loved it. It’s a small town of less than 15,000 full of strawberries and sandals.</span></span></p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:10.0pt;" >After Mahabaleshwar we were driven down to the coast to Tarkarli, a relatively undeveloped resort quieter than bustling places like Goa. Rajeev, one of the families drivers, was hilariously inept at directions (but great at avoiding seemingly inevitably collisions) so everytime Radi fell asleep we ended up getting lost (a lot). Eventually we arrive at a government resort of little bungalows, complete with hammocks outsole, right next to a long stretch of beach. The beach was bustling with people playing cricket, ecstatic kids, swimmers, camel rides, cart rides but best of all where the white-bellied sea eagles and kites gliding close overhead. The next day we took a little boat ride following the coast to see dolphins and gull colony, beyond the shore and beach palm trees loomed mysterious through the thinning morning mist. Next on the agenda snorkelling in shadow of the awesome Sindhudurg Fort, an island completed ringed by thick old stone walls with regular round towers rising straight out of the sea. The water was a bit turbid, and most of the coral bleached (apart from spreading fan-like corals) but judicious use of bread attracted huge shoals of colourful fish to us as we paddled in the intense midday sun.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjya1UUsjZJDR079o8l7RS9-9Wi33KuSkOsBj6k6Wo_EgJ5Ok2mn7vQzRFq5lsjXTc1JOFkSLnM_Fsn4sxTKe3t3K5iicxYY-zGj1znfGap_62WmyVhTezXy8bMCerU415B3YLWh3AIe-I-/s1600/Tarkarli.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjya1UUsjZJDR079o8l7RS9-9Wi33KuSkOsBj6k6Wo_EgJ5Ok2mn7vQzRFq5lsjXTc1JOFkSLnM_Fsn4sxTKe3t3K5iicxYY-zGj1znfGap_62WmyVhTezXy8bMCerU415B3YLWh3AIe-I-/s320/Tarkarli.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640267237426438370" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHuU6z0tpYgm7dWWlSuRneSyCF7M4w9k37ZInTj_9Evspz5mm6Hu8SjBclGPBTORU58L6F4idVUGHFNUDCij7aL49-4bh8h25jnHo-NC1qiKzGRMG2nIj0BJNEExKnF9cO9lhprpaKX-uu/s1600/Tarkarli_1.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHuU6z0tpYgm7dWWlSuRneSyCF7M4w9k37ZInTj_9Evspz5mm6Hu8SjBclGPBTORU58L6F4idVUGHFNUDCij7aL49-4bh8h25jnHo-NC1qiKzGRMG2nIj0BJNEExKnF9cO9lhprpaKX-uu/s320/Tarkarli_1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640267229404744066" border="0" /></a></p> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Arial; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Arial; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-520092929 1073786111 9 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Arial; panose-1:3 15 7 2 3 3 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0cm; margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Arial; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:85%; mso-ansi-font-size:11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Arial; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page WordSection1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; font-family:Arial;"><span style="line-height:115%;Arial;font-size:85%;">Main point is everything went surprisingly and almost mysteriously well with Radi’s parents, family and friends. They were all very excited, sweet and accommodating. So we are now officially finance and fiancée! Provisionally the wedding will be at Saj Resort in Mahabaleshwar, 5 or 6 hours inland from Bombay, on the weekend of the 13-15<sup>th</sup> of January 2011. We’re hoping to have a “small wedding” of 100-150 people. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; font-family:arial;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:85%;">The landscape of Mahabaleshwar is stunning, it’s high in the ghats with deep valleys, huge waterfalls (Lingmala Falls) and forested plateaus and hillsides. We visited at the start of the trip and loved it. It’s a small town of less than 15,000 full of strawberries and sandals.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd14esQPOrxMt75dIoPt0NZqi4eqhEz61dLlvjeXNIplFa3iIKJx3Vb_eZbDoBGLHaXhwVsFUmzt1q177zvoXvtWokY9G7P8ycfwlQ1p4Jsxkztxl6yrC7laV434ak5a6q8eJCLDiTm_Kc/s1600/Tarkarli.png"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd14esQPOrxMt75dIoPt0NZqi4eqhEz61dLlvjeXNIplFa3iIKJx3Vb_eZbDoBGLHaXhwVsFUmzt1q177zvoXvtWokY9G7P8ycfwlQ1p4Jsxkztxl6yrC7laV434ak5a6q8eJCLDiTm_Kc/s320/Tarkarli.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640257598512230802" border="0" /></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; font-family:arial;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:85%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMADkKtwmC2xfjs0kIIgU76bteyz7qV7aL1ZNnj80vd_nupo41iPhYrmd4C4UGDch-Teo7YlsfYmpgvaQBfSE68pVx6kqo_fDhMETotsEl5cIAkf1CLJ-c5ttjAZ-B7N3PTGfGY7NDJkv2/s1600/Tarkarli_1.png"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMADkKtwmC2xfjs0kIIgU76bteyz7qV7aL1ZNnj80vd_nupo41iPhYrmd4C4UGDch-Teo7YlsfYmpgvaQBfSE68pVx6kqo_fDhMETotsEl5cIAkf1CLJ-c5ttjAZ-B7N3PTGfGY7NDJkv2/s320/Tarkarli_1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640257603184490466" border="0" /></a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; font-family:arial;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:85%;">After Mahabaleshwar we were driven down to the coast to Tarkarli, a relatively undeveloped resort quieter than bustling places like Goa. Rajeev, one of the families drivers, was hilariously inept at directions (but great at avoiding seemingly inevitably collisions) so everytime Radi fell asleep we ended up getting lost (a lot). Eventually we arrive at a government resort of little bungalows, complete with hammocks outsole, right next to a long stretch of beach. The beach was bustling with people playing cricket, ecstatic kids, swimmers, camel rides, cart rides but best of all where the white-bellied sea eagles and kites gliding close overhead. The next day we took a little boat ride following the coast to see dolphins and gull colony, beyond the shore and beach palm trees loomed mysterious through the thinning morning mist. Next on the agenda snorkelling in shadow of the awesome Sindhudurg Fort, an island completed ringed by thick old stone walls with regular round towers rising straight out of the sea. The water was a bit turbid, and most of the coral bleached (apart from spreading fan-like corals) but judicious use of bread attracted huge shoals of colourful fish to us as we paddled in the intense midday sun.</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwPsNZZrJYMuHibOCSW4-0hLWiZDYu6FPXrFRTUZhxJDbAqvggTyfI0Ojz3sFG0doH2TdNuz-c3PpfsvC2I4VDE2JLnBUvFof3BnQ4ee2zbGkXv9WCc34FKNXLCjeUfj-DbjeI-BXJDQcN/s1600/Goa+boats.png"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwPsNZZrJYMuHibOCSW4-0hLWiZDYu6FPXrFRTUZhxJDbAqvggTyfI0Ojz3sFG0doH2TdNuz-c3PpfsvC2I4VDE2JLnBUvFof3BnQ4ee2zbGkXv9WCc34FKNXLCjeUfj-DbjeI-BXJDQcN/s320/Goa+boats.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640255951881061106" border="0" /></a></span></div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvloU_tSvLDMzl8knqn8HvD_br2S-UchGLmvE9x8fetVjE3RzhVgWS-1zmypLQ3W8Ai9UAZnJxod_MSyJQjrFvtT8NHW9ACPyok0ZCFUUWfJyZbzWqF7aVmj_Gw_OOuKnoLYbZL_kVbPqO/s1600/Goa+beach.png"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvloU_tSvLDMzl8knqn8HvD_br2S-UchGLmvE9x8fetVjE3RzhVgWS-1zmypLQ3W8Ai9UAZnJxod_MSyJQjrFvtT8NHW9ACPyok0ZCFUUWfJyZbzWqF7aVmj_Gw_OOuKnoLYbZL_kVbPqO/s320/Goa+beach.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640255947017960050" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMADkKtwmC2xfjs0kIIgU76bteyz7qV7aL1ZNnj80vd_nupo41iPhYrmd4C4UGDch-Teo7YlsfYmpgvaQBfSE68pVx6kqo_fDhMETotsEl5cIAkf1CLJ-c5ttjAZ-B7N3PTGfGY7NDJkv2/s1600/Tarkarli_1.png"><br /></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; font-family:arial;"> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-520092929 1073786111 9 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Comic Sans MS"; panose-1:3 15 7 2 3 3 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0cm; margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:11.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page WordSection1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> <p style="font-family: arial;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" face="arial" style="text-align: justify; "><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:85%;" >From Tarkarli we headed 160km south along the coast to Goa, we stayed at a swanky hotel apartment near the famous shacks, clubs and restaurants of Baga beach. Parth and Almitra (Radi’s brother and sister-in-law) came to join us after a day and Goa became a blur of restaurants, bars, rum and karaoke (I gave it all for Johnny Cash’s Boy Named Sue). We visited a really cool bar perched atop a cliff right next to the glittering ocean, an authentic Tibetan restaurant and classy jazz bar which served fancy desserts to die for (including a vegan coconut selection with a yummy Australian coconut cheese which tasted like Wensleydale). Rajeev got the car stuck in the beach sand and was freed by an industrious group of guys who must have set it up as a trap, they demanded 500 rupees for their troubles and gleefully ran off to buy booze from the nearest beach shack, it was all pretty amusing. Parth met an old school friend who coerced us into a night club full of an amazing assortment of clubbers from all corners of the world, the best was a deranged disco-dancing wanabee cowboy. We did manage to visit a quiet little beach hidden around the corner from the craziness of Baga and swam as the sunset into the sea. Radi and I also managed to take a bird watching trip one morning, unfortunately the guide was a reptile expert and wasn’t all that interested or good at birds. We did get to see a Changeable Hawk-eagle and Vernal Hanging Parrots though, very cool.</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSaE4c_-hpWwG0eYnQkwLBXh10XGkkrb9KPjHE0tT_JIJlci0ESS-OtVK7IVnLfMtSp43xTHfL0C7A4Ye5b6maz01brhTl4zoypXaKxgbxkrpkeqkFyGaZBx1zjHuDBa0X-N6KeyC0KWAG/s1600/Rafting.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSaE4c_-hpWwG0eYnQkwLBXh10XGkkrb9KPjHE0tT_JIJlci0ESS-OtVK7IVnLfMtSp43xTHfL0C7A4Ye5b6maz01brhTl4zoypXaKxgbxkrpkeqkFyGaZBx1zjHuDBa0X-N6KeyC0KWAG/s320/Rafting.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640259789062193426" border="0" /></a>
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_aA-9Ct4wC-LndC4YTyZdtjouEd8x9pxsRJLqk4Ge0q7_ItJxdKTuFl1LWGksdIjx4hnSfvy7kNhG_xtmqJ8L7xnB_usR7M6BX7d5G28m7A3PqvsqW_GknG0SLnNbA5ZGvkfyb0l04ViT/s1600/River+from+treehouse.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_aA-9Ct4wC-LndC4YTyZdtjouEd8x9pxsRJLqk4Ge0q7_ItJxdKTuFl1LWGksdIjx4hnSfvy7kNhG_xtmqJ8L7xnB_usR7M6BX7d5G28m7A3PqvsqW_GknG0SLnNbA5ZGvkfyb0l04ViT/s320/River+from+treehouse.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640259793306798482" border="0" /></a></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; font-family: arial;"> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-520092929 1073786111 9 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Comic Sans MS"; panose-1:3 15 7 2 3 3 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0cm; margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:11.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page WordSection1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; font-family: arial;font-family:arial;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:85%;" >
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<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; font-family: arial;"> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-520092929 1073786111 9 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Comic Sans MS"; panose-1:3 15 7 2 3 3 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0cm; margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:11.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Arial"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page WordSection1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11.35pt; font-family: arial;font-family:arial;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:85%;" >After Goa we took a taxi and struck south-east inland through farmland and huge verdant hill forests (real forest not little the grotty little remnants we have in the UK!) to get to the Hornbill Resort near Dandeli, which was freakin’ amazing by the way. Radi had booked us into a little slice of paradise, a beautiful rustic tree house cradled in mango and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Terminalia</i> boughs above a deep blue river with forest hills all around. Just a little upstream of our arboreal abode dozens of large Malabar pied hornbills played and foraged in the trees of a lush riverine island worrying a pair of Brahmini Kites nesting nearby. White-browed wagtails perched on bare branches poking from the swirling currents, cormorants and herons commuted back and forth and kingfisher could be heard calling all around. <span style="font-style: normal;">We were visited by Malabar giant squirrels in the morning and Gray </span><em style="font-style: normal;"><span style=";">langurs played the canopy beyond the window. The loo had the best view ever, “www.loowithaview.com” if someone hasn’t invented it they should. Radhika was so excited, she was bouncing of the walls! We did lots in our short time there, kayaking, swimming, white water rafting, morning bird walks, night walks to see giant flying squirrels and nightjars and a visit to a Malabar pied hornbill dustbath a dusk where about 50 birds gather to clean.</span></em></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><em><span style="line-height:115%;Comic Sans MS"; mso-bidi-Times New Roman";mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; font-style:normal;mso-bidi-font-style:normal">The white-water rafting was brilliant and exhilarating, we started just downstream of a huge dam and travelled over 10km through 8 rapids. Rahul & I manned the front probably thinking we looked cooler than we did, Radi was at the rear and then there were 3 very weak uncoordinated young indian guys making up the rest of the paddlers making the adventure that little more exciting (avoiding getting bashed by their paddles was a bigger challenge than the rapids!). The ride was stunning, cool, clear, fast flowing water, sparkling in the sun, forest rising all around, no sign of man. As the river was high submerged copses and flooded forest were everywhere, some of the overhanging riverine trees were festooned with scale-like epiphytic orchids so dense that the trunk looked like it was covered in scaly armor.</span></em></span></p> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:arial; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-520092929 1073786111 9 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Comic Sans MS"; panose-1:3 15 7 2 3 3 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0cm; margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:11.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page WordSection1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> <p style="font-family: arial; text-align: justify;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em><span style="line-height: 115%; font-style: normal;">From Goa it was another long taxi ride to River Tern Lodge (Bhadra Reservoir, Chickmaglur) approaching the dam the arid landscape turned in verdant green rice paddies and betel nut plantations irrigated from the impounded waters. River Tern Lodge was another triumph of Radhika’s brilliant planning. A water landscape stretched out towards the mountainous horizon, the tree clad tops of drowned hills poked from the reservoir and forest ringed the shores in all directions. The lodge was a collection of 30 or so little wooden houses sympathetically set amongst trees and scrub (considerately labelled for the botanist visitors) perched on a hillside above the reservoir. I took a noisy, bone crunching, morning jeep safari on which it was almost guaranteed not to see the tigers in the Bhadra Reserve. As expected no tigers, but the forest was beautiful with the morning light patterning through the canopy. We saw a whole lot of tiger food, spotted deer, sambar deer, barking deer and bush pig and there were some fantastic storks, Wooly-necked and Lesser Adjuntant, near the waters edge. Around midday we had our personal boat safari around the reservoir to see Ospreys and the colony of breeding River terns and Little Pratincole.
<br /></span></em></span></p><p style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3pKpUiCHyWfCeUe7TIS2bTD-7bGWlXjOtn7KpchaHTUlOII4ElxhDGfDSUGGXpUmzS0HnLhyphenhyphenqoAbDFfSXdj7shv_XFhcCEZRX3oq5LdoAQ63PbWQzxQbU7N_3-6jmMlks5quAZsnIXhSg/s1600/Bhadra1.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3pKpUiCHyWfCeUe7TIS2bTD-7bGWlXjOtn7KpchaHTUlOII4ElxhDGfDSUGGXpUmzS0HnLhyphenhyphenqoAbDFfSXdj7shv_XFhcCEZRX3oq5LdoAQ63PbWQzxQbU7N_3-6jmMlks5quAZsnIXhSg/s320/Bhadra1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640262124281878258" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:85%;">View from the room in Bhadra
<br /></span></p><div style="text-align: center; font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLLT61feF7dTpVeQy1CNs_sM66trSvKniR8DSZn0_Dt9Pg5V782eIQivgGEfFvO5mKW8E2mRIX-pJN3kh7xathcZ2YPzEuj5u416GCkT-oNeZgi8hAXU4m2QFvEZcZvcjw-IsyJo4ujSqB/s1600/Hornbills.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLLT61feF7dTpVeQy1CNs_sM66trSvKniR8DSZn0_Dt9Pg5V782eIQivgGEfFvO5mKW8E2mRIX-pJN3kh7xathcZ2YPzEuj5u416GCkT-oNeZgi8hAXU4m2QFvEZcZvcjw-IsyJo4ujSqB/s320/Hornbills.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640262120467251842" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:85%;">Malabar Pied Hornbills having a dust bath, Dandeli
<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center; font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs3EAZMlCy6LhYBs99nd8-qiEruuE339WreRqB45D5XUoXQIWj7_fJQ50m-mCPZ00F2TdEF1PMySkSy8vxKO7ZQ98A9IzGi08id32f37QTYVkMXk99KzJYiwnZmcO0evsmOSBCxf0MrDa-/s1600/Bee-eaters.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs3EAZMlCy6LhYBs99nd8-qiEruuE339WreRqB45D5XUoXQIWj7_fJQ50m-mCPZ00F2TdEF1PMySkSy8vxKO7ZQ98A9IzGi08id32f37QTYVkMXk99KzJYiwnZmcO0evsmOSBCxf0MrDa-/s320/Bee-eaters.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640262110270093490" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:85%;">Blue-tailed bee-eaters, Goa
<br /></span></div><p style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTMXyHedvpdIPvURI88Pkf6U92PdI8HE1EwQdpCXmS8CgKwAdTnikY3VrUFGg-vlhCvjCQpvYxe8GWwhGO29Wb8FxEqN6fHH-ngzB9xNNvt8pit24fI3a0KxjvHQLGrupnvTsBsrw2KPDJ/s1600/1.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTMXyHedvpdIPvURI88Pkf6U92PdI8HE1EwQdpCXmS8CgKwAdTnikY3VrUFGg-vlhCvjCQpvYxe8GWwhGO29Wb8FxEqN6fHH-ngzB9xNNvt8pit24fI3a0KxjvHQLGrupnvTsBsrw2KPDJ/s320/1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640262122308916226" border="0" /></a></span></p><div style="text-align: center; font-family:arial;"> <span style="font-size:85%;">Bhadra Sanctuary
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<br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">Note: Pictures and text by Pedro
<br /></div></div><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" ><em style="font-style: normal;"></em><em></em></span><p style="font-family: arial;"></p> <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: arial;font-family:";font-size:85%;" > </span><p style="font-family: arial;"></p> <p style="font-family: arial;"></p> Radishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09006343998152068362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2405736807701999182.post-63501901729248686892011-07-01T11:07:00.014+01:002011-07-03T18:18:24.655+01:00Orange-tip chasing<div style="text-align: left;">Mrs Teacup spent April and May in deepest Scotland chasing Orange-tips polewards with a UEA research group, investigating the responses of range-expanding butterflies to climate changes. In comparing populations from the core and margins of the species’ distribution, we hoped to quantify increased dispersal in margin populations, and establish whether a correlation with morphological characteristics (wing lengths) could be detected. We expected margin populations to be flying further and straighter, with a longer wingspan, to aid their dispersal to new thermally suitable habitats. Sciency stuff aside, what a glorious species to eye up for 8 weeks! The challenge commenced in what was forecast to be the hottest April on record – an amazing stroke of luck.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Admiring these insects was a joy - characteristic bright males and the more understated females, both with gorgeous green mottled underwings aiding flawless camouflage. This species has a huge amount of charm. It is no surprise then, that the males were chosen as a pin-up in a public awareness campaign in 1990s for range-expanding species, adorning the front of thousands of postcards sent to the public asking them to report sightings in Scotland. Over 1000 sightings were reported and even today inquisitive members of the public all agree, “there’s a lot more of them around this year”. And lots we found, over 300 individuals were tracked in 23 days, in Carlisle and Kilmarnock.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624335463688303858" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6T73u0R8e22XRRqRQxRBrF029icDZDf1WF2OC1nnqNuDWZBdj_7ahetBHsTbqAhR2w-ZtARacHqHDF9GvL4Q4v8Zq3ZGYlYn-nUjg2_OSgi36u98Vfec7Qx1E9hZhVOXX88LjhlXLOdU/s320/ot1.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /><br /><div class="MsoNormal">Northern populations of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Anthocharis cardamines</i> like damp habitats, which required much chasing along rivers and streams with wet feet! Upon catching the critters (along with many Green-veined whites), individuals were cooled in a glorified picnic cool-bag to calm them down, before being marked, sexed and assessed for condition. We then released them on food plant (Cuckooflower - <i>Cardamines pratensis</i>, or Garlic mustard - <i>Alliaria petiolata</i>), or a nectar source, and waited for take off. On warm days, tracking with a GPS antenna attached to our backs (no laughing please) was quite an exhausting exercise – these orangey wonderments fly almost 2 metres a second, often through high swards, across brambles and nettle beds – chasing them was a high risk activity, filled with lots of comedy moments launching ourselves head-first into nettle beds as a patrolling male glides away across the river!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">On cold days, the waiting game often took 20 to 30 minutes – what a wonderful opportunity to watch this species at close range, basking, nectaring, and even some ovipositing occurred, not to mention a lot of Orange-tip loving! Males often swoop on a hostile female who curves her abdomen out of reach despite repeated attempts to mate. Watching females on host plant was glorious, flitting from plant to plant, nectaring like mad – if butterflies could smile I'm certain there’d be a lot of smiling faces in the sunny meadows of central Scotland <span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span>. All in all, a fantastic few months in the field; birds singing and butterflies meandering, through bluebells, red campion, herb robert, wild pansy, daisies and lots of forget-me-not. Forget it? I will certainly not.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624335279004504866" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia2aYm0C2XBRX613nbhUaysQvCHy8EBdI-XuERF79yjGsIRbRGIux7Ir0arE_y7wxTDYOPqZZZFbHyxcmExvuiFAj8XUWyRezrC1XEu2tN7r8O2z7HWNtxCQAejsgLTwy-vWOel6J7ro8/s320/forget-me-not.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></div>Mrs Teacuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12577044607101130181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2405736807701999182.post-18009674191803018462011-07-01T08:19:00.002+01:002011-07-01T18:05:35.053+01:00June bugs and blues<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><img align="left" alt="H" src="http://jhische.com/dailydropcap/H-5-cap.png" title="Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische" />ow June has flown, in a haze of wind, rain and butterflies... I moved to Somerset at the end of May and was immediately thrown into the whirl of Large Blue butterfly rangering, as they had emerged early, with the first sighting on the 27th May. <br />
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My days have since been filled with transects, thunderstorms, sheltering beneath the Turkey Oak, Large Blues a go go, sunburnt noses and a lot of chasing flutters in the distance. Here are a few of my favourite pictures from Collard Hill so far...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_y4KF9aj7yslT99AIPjnSZu2HROmEVYYM0wyE2T1vZyxruRztu1UrgkOMO0CWkd1mgLVSocCtJO5uL_A-XBrUJ-fVMuEXNaaj6poZYdHZ6RlV7atG1rcDeX5qqwFRv25KW-C9L9RqUHY/s1600/Collard+in+the+sun+-+23rd+June.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_y4KF9aj7yslT99AIPjnSZu2HROmEVYYM0wyE2T1vZyxruRztu1UrgkOMO0CWkd1mgLVSocCtJO5uL_A-XBrUJ-fVMuEXNaaj6poZYdHZ6RlV7atG1rcDeX5qqwFRv25KW-C9L9RqUHY/s320/Collard+in+the+sun+-+23rd+June.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the office - the 'Land of Counterpane'</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKv_6py8FmUhNcdAO-IbM-PGsL3Qx_P0U-UQfz-EWCPrzmrc47nkzl5rmKPTRDeHnRQuRTwvbCCu1Z7PRrrVRPYbP9W3rA0MAyAEN0dARp9D4WWjj_ieo3KdERsjgUQzqHbedUE7yQsMc/s1600/Newly+emerged.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKv_6py8FmUhNcdAO-IbM-PGsL3Qx_P0U-UQfz-EWCPrzmrc47nkzl5rmKPTRDeHnRQuRTwvbCCu1Z7PRrrVRPYbP9W3rA0MAyAEN0dARp9D4WWjj_ieo3KdERsjgUQzqHbedUE7yQsMc/s320/Newly+emerged.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freshly emerged on Wild Thyme</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVoDuBpbj8sIo4FYRXcFCk0cwLU_wd2-4tio64Ff8cUO61ZqfnZGEH-iDyC8a4a_7FpV1VVwQzbeLHbfqFDJdUE86nHRHDjZnGFB4GqsGLCJv2VlYMFLbgJGg-IVnr6ba_H2-IC1-OwHw/s1600/Open+wing+in+Quarry+-+19th+June.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVoDuBpbj8sIo4FYRXcFCk0cwLU_wd2-4tio64Ff8cUO61ZqfnZGEH-iDyC8a4a_7FpV1VVwQzbeLHbfqFDJdUE86nHRHDjZnGFB4GqsGLCJv2VlYMFLbgJGg-IVnr6ba_H2-IC1-OwHw/s320/Open+wing+in+Quarry+-+19th+June.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Open wings!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUHn3GOQ0KWRWzYCopxwCjqQK4b10ZMdKTuG82zHghyJZg5DdeM-yOnWiRTD8-sK6knO-DkS2BGxW4oL4xYou_U4-rO3cfGgCWI3OSJr6giVJRbF3zSMKEUSIZoYWB85ea0kSAz415IGg/s1600/Large+Blues+mating+-+11th+June.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUHn3GOQ0KWRWzYCopxwCjqQK4b10ZMdKTuG82zHghyJZg5DdeM-yOnWiRTD8-sK6knO-DkS2BGxW4oL4xYou_U4-rO3cfGgCWI3OSJr6giVJRbF3zSMKEUSIZoYWB85ea0kSAz415IGg/s320/Large+Blues+mating+-+11th+June.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A prickly boudoir for love</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW3fQURh8Ss-gDCtNxR3-76zZMuqzBZvI0B2IBq1-oesMJfA88XnlxRjO5kMD5d8N9FxxisCl4DR1vVIhz5DtiVm9_ykjUiqWA5T7wb7mdRUGAO-8uIajCpakS3czxK4_CYSDap2Yr4rk/s1600/Wasp+orchid+-+8th+June.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW3fQURh8Ss-gDCtNxR3-76zZMuqzBZvI0B2IBq1-oesMJfA88XnlxRjO5kMD5d8N9FxxisCl4DR1vVIhz5DtiVm9_ykjUiqWA5T7wb7mdRUGAO-8uIajCpakS3czxK4_CYSDap2Yr4rk/s320/Wasp+orchid+-+8th+June.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wasp Orchid - <i>Ophyrs apifera var trollii</i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6aBvCvQj7AEVYAfUPNUHC-7a2sjyNoj0FLg5aPXugJoPXdykmnO5J_R9sdlSujeBy3NvRH72ZnePMFuhrRqvopuE-XvfTjpXg8JwMmFQfP9qWAuKUWaIuLlmjAS1WV1M_yYAvQBrkhrQ/s1600/Marbled+-+29th+June.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6aBvCvQj7AEVYAfUPNUHC-7a2sjyNoj0FLg5aPXugJoPXdykmnO5J_R9sdlSujeBy3NvRH72ZnePMFuhrRqvopuE-XvfTjpXg8JwMmFQfP9qWAuKUWaIuLlmjAS1WV1M_yYAvQBrkhrQ/s320/Marbled+-+29th+June.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marbled White nectaring on Small Scabious</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Land of Counterpane</b><br />
by Robert Louis Stevenson </span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span> </div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">When I was sick and lay a-bed, </span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I had two pillows at my head,<br />
And all my toys beside me lay,<br />
To keep me happy all the day.<br />
<br />
And sometimes for an hour or so<br />
I watched my leaden soldiers go,<br />
With different uniforms and drills,<br />
Among the bed-clothes, through the hills;<br />
<br />
And sometimes sent my ships in fleets<br />
All up and down among the sheets;<br />
Or brought my trees and houses out,<br />
And planted cities all about.<br />
<br />
I was the giant great and still<br />
That sits upon the pillow-hill,<br />
And sees before him, dale and plain,<br />
The pleasant land of counterpane.</span></div>muffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812585945670166540noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2405736807701999182.post-59545990271833256252011-06-30T14:27:00.003+01:002011-07-01T18:09:32.182+01:00The Safari Book<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoFt2iHP7wz4903QC5TkJuzJsXzVtZU4f3HVxRzi6cGkz_p0LaYKElQwFlx0KLee7D9copcik7AkkYEOHxVP3dzCi7M6GE0ezOoEiYY7itVSiyptgZvHg5jLU9eVYQo2tD-bVzUjhEZdDK/s1600/IMG_1299.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624302536437040354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoFt2iHP7wz4903QC5TkJuzJsXzVtZU4f3HVxRzi6cGkz_p0LaYKElQwFlx0KLee7D9copcik7AkkYEOHxVP3dzCi7M6GE0ezOoEiYY7itVSiyptgZvHg5jLU9eVYQo2tD-bVzUjhEZdDK/s320/IMG_1299.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 208px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 306px;" /></a>Masai Mara last weekend was fabulous. The highlight of the trip was a lioness with three suckling cubs! And a whole pride of lions walking across the endless grassland and two lionesses eating a zebra and five cheetahs of which three were lying in formation! Also a zillion zebras, hundreds of elephants, giraffes trying unsuccessfully to hide behind acacias, antelopes, gazelles, cute little silver galagos (bush babies!), fat bloated hippos and dangerous looking crocodiles, pink ostrich and a very strange secretary bird with stockings! :)<br />
Well I do exaggerate a bit but we saw so much including some amazing birds. I can email a complete list to anyone interested. We were a little bit surprised at how close the animals let us come. They didn't care at all that 15 cars were surrounding them - the lionesses continued yawning/eating the zebra, the cheetah looked up and then turned away disinterested. I felt a bit let down as if this wasn't the "real" bush. A fantastic experience nonetheless getting to see such spectacular animals up close in the wild. It is crazy to think how many strangely patterned and uniquely beautiful animals there are in East Africa!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcwH2H_EiezAtHQ9XOezFpbnTpDPxNIX0xtiJugbaxxjsHTmuAo3-csXec0UN2KcMZq2no4_UOL_yQ7wd3OzCiSKfV_GsPCc-G3eEHxwvfZ311ygvgUBVIswMmRTF3_nn4l0IWqF6sp21H/s1600/IMG_2372.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624304015321668050" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcwH2H_EiezAtHQ9XOezFpbnTpDPxNIX0xtiJugbaxxjsHTmuAo3-csXec0UN2KcMZq2no4_UOL_yQ7wd3OzCiSKfV_GsPCc-G3eEHxwvfZ311ygvgUBVIswMmRTF3_nn4l0IWqF6sp21H/s320/IMG_2372.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 214px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>A mini crossing!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDOGBfY5XapgifHnvore5-EJwx_c9IaJHa-MZ_cvuFfYG95O3NbY47SJYfufLHMUFYP2vVAFCXyaVEYl5X2nnKS-ybbL4D5mloSA1EfVOPPA3dLOADikGB-kYjaknV2xPa7wahL9sR8b9p/s1600/IMG_2048.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624304007635458866" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDOGBfY5XapgifHnvore5-EJwx_c9IaJHa-MZ_cvuFfYG95O3NbY47SJYfufLHMUFYP2vVAFCXyaVEYl5X2nnKS-ybbL4D5mloSA1EfVOPPA3dLOADikGB-kYjaknV2xPa7wahL9sR8b9p/s320/IMG_2048.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 214px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>My favourite family of lions. :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsaM49cUzOcjkDVMqD9-S1Qd9Rhc3dZuN5veZrJLwifR5kaK8W3ahyphenhyphenPsDWmmrjhjz0rydlMXU97Ez6f8KNz80JH15NT9ztrYuli26UxcFJ1FcRgW4Mk_azdF_w2ReXY3P-TEg7fwIToBKq/s1600/IMG_1435.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624304005139737634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsaM49cUzOcjkDVMqD9-S1Qd9Rhc3dZuN5veZrJLwifR5kaK8W3ahyphenhyphenPsDWmmrjhjz0rydlMXU97Ez6f8KNz80JH15NT9ztrYuli26UxcFJ1FcRgW4Mk_azdF_w2ReXY3P-TEg7fwIToBKq/s320/IMG_1435.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 214px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" />Silver galago</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwF1g7GzOfvCPo28_WTwJ3unkPIVlBcvx0RFTutFCG9VQDgZKL1cbock3I54AFW1aWvn74LlIhIXGE7GkY_Tm6ZIzGlejEGLTFlF688lp02jn66gXZefchGq3i6owQ2PPIJA4u2mCt57MR/s1600/IMG_1859.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624304013140780178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwF1g7GzOfvCPo28_WTwJ3unkPIVlBcvx0RFTutFCG9VQDgZKL1cbock3I54AFW1aWvn74LlIhIXGE7GkY_Tm6ZIzGlejEGLTFlF688lp02jn66gXZefchGq3i6owQ2PPIJA4u2mCt57MR/s320/IMG_1859.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 214px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>Secretary bird with stockings!</div><br />
<br />
Kenya has been good to us and in spite of its bad reputation I've only had very positive experiences. I left my phone in a taxi and the driver actually returned it the next day. Also we don't have a car and we've still managed to travel around quite a bit. We went the the Kerio Valley where surprisingly they haven't seen any Indians before! And guess what I get asked about? The size of my nose... We went to the Aberdare National Park and saw some forest elephants, which are genetically distinct by millions of years from the bush elephants. Our lodge was a very curious little place shaped like a huge wooden boat with a viewing area from the 1960s, it was called "The Ark Lodge". You were just supposed to sit there and wait for the animals to come to you! Hehe! We got lucky though with the giant forest hogs, mongoose, porcupine, hyenas and 3 forest elephants going crazy eating great big mouthfuls of salty mud.<br />
<br />
We missed our friends and families at our birthdays this year! But we celebrated Pete's birthday with a very yummy and easy to make double-layered vegan chocolate cake with a peanut-butter filling and a chocolate ganache topping! Here's the recipe (adapted from http://www.theppk.com/2008/08/just-chocolate-cake/):<br />
<br />
1 cup soy milk<br />
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar<br />
3/4 cup sugar <br />
1/3 cup oil <br />
1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
1 cup all-purpose flour <br />
1/3 cup cocoa powder<br />
3/4 teaspoon baking soda<br />
1/2 teaspoon baking powder <br />
1/4 teaspoon salt <br />
Preheat oven to 180C . Mix all the wet stuff and then all the dry stuff and then everything together till there are no lumps. Grease an 8 inch pan. Pour in the batter and bake for 32 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted through the center comes out clean.<br />
Gooey Ganache<br />
2/3 cup soy milk, 1/2 bar of good dark chocolate , 3 tablespoons honey<br />
Melt everything together!<br />
Use the recipe to make 2 cakes. Put peanut butter in the middle (or whatever you really like) and then just pour the ganache over the cooled cake and kind of tilt the cake at all angles to get the ganache to drip down the sides. Refrigerate to cool and set the ganache. :)<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJN6FYL9zqk4Ol5uUAVtL2Um1Z-L826JDorLeFv2g6ivDXpPW8XB3uGC9GV0BvL-t56S77q3BlQnC__TUSRsiAz9XMLHEhfgyCdB7Z5FVdKX9949K-2Z9tOAuJMUSQAYP_pmtv5_EmxHRX/s1600/P1050619.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624305845348049202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJN6FYL9zqk4Ol5uUAVtL2Um1Z-L826JDorLeFv2g6ivDXpPW8XB3uGC9GV0BvL-t56S77q3BlQnC__TUSRsiAz9XMLHEhfgyCdB7Z5FVdKX9949K-2Z9tOAuJMUSQAYP_pmtv5_EmxHRX/s320/P1050619.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>Birthday cake</div><br />
Oh and I have to mention - a Sykes monkey visited the garden yesterday to eat bird food! I love this place! :)Radishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09006343998152068362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2405736807701999182.post-17643364662967554052011-05-31T09:13:00.001+01:002011-07-01T18:10:53.593+01:00Lovely Lepidopterans<img align="left" alt="P" src="http://jhische.com/dailydropcap/P-8-cap.png" title="Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische" />erhaps only the first of many butterfly encounters this summer, a perfectly glorious day was spent Swallowtail hunting by a trio of intrepid ecologists in the notorious wilds, or well kept paths if you will, of Strumpshaw Fen in early May. A visit to reacquaint myself with the joys of East Anglia coincided with the early emergence of these languidly flapping giants of the broads. We watched one particularly vigorous specimen patrol a territory that included a Blackthorn (I think) dripping with blossom, chasing off any butterfly that dared to linger near its flower laden branches. There may even have been an attempt to lure said butterfly closer to us by a camouflage worthy of an undercover birder. Strangely enough the strategy of holding out a branch and 'thinking like a tree' did not seem to convince the remarkably perceptive individuals we encountered. We must have seen over ten Swallowtails in our wanderings that afternoon, and perseverance paid off as we watched and stalked those that obligingly settled on perches.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1OqyaW8zRo9yMwNanltsWHVryLqfQ2Ml2LLVZu1dMUqBIeNdv1hU-TyJmSYR9m5gxAjnPY9uS6dvjVKQIpoif6pThOqGQlLWc6tZ6Rov_Uvn1vAWD1q0dzIa-lTwA61whu_cEcrxA2Qc/s1600/big2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1OqyaW8zRo9yMwNanltsWHVryLqfQ2Ml2LLVZu1dMUqBIeNdv1hU-TyJmSYR9m5gxAjnPY9uS6dvjVKQIpoif6pThOqGQlLWc6tZ6Rov_Uvn1vAWD1q0dzIa-lTwA61whu_cEcrxA2Qc/s320/big2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swallowtail - <i>Papilo machaon</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj34DN1sJoUbenUTrwkh8XNglGrnRHW8zpVOIyCBRYWaXL3uuF0M95pel7CrI92ppVN5fHO5B0w9NUgTV95YQJPBjrB6UR1zWZ1EhOrs6Q6Z80C1b_qHUl7IqZEEGwEsQ3XblGGRfQcIY/s1600/swallow+perch1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj34DN1sJoUbenUTrwkh8XNglGrnRHW8zpVOIyCBRYWaXL3uuF0M95pel7CrI92ppVN5fHO5B0w9NUgTV95YQJPBjrB6UR1zWZ1EhOrs6Q6Z80C1b_qHUl7IqZEEGwEsQ3XblGGRfQcIY/s320/swallow+perch1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Favourite perch!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinb-bBQjkX7O2jp5TopflImXKddYije0NTjqu1s62C0gfV7koK7oFktB-hgc188HryXpfxkOSFrV_UcgdZyudNXCAJ87ZittK9Rl_5JptHQUIcp8i1-rsO5DOrKHYJcYB5SonuJLEjGwc/s1600/sky+swallowtail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinb-bBQjkX7O2jp5TopflImXKddYije0NTjqu1s62C0gfV7koK7oFktB-hgc188HryXpfxkOSFrV_UcgdZyudNXCAJ87ZittK9Rl_5JptHQUIcp8i1-rsO5DOrKHYJcYB5SonuJLEjGwc/s320/sky+swallowtail.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gazing up at the tails.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Other pleasures of that day included booming bitterns, a distant cuckoo, a terribly noisy wasp and a 2D chick, confidently proclaimed to be a robin by DN the dead bird detective.<br />
<br />
My last couple of weeks in Yorkshire brought few moths to the trap, with the occasional bright spot, the quiffed Spectacle (<i>Abrostola tripartita</i>) and lurid but handsome Elephant Hawkmoth (<i>Deilephila elpenor</i>) greeting me on separate occasions. The robust acorn like body of the Cockchafer beetle (<i>Melolontha melolontha</i>) also proved a lethargic visitor, but eventually fanned out its antenna beautifully before being deposited back into the rockery to go about its business.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPYigRxiMciiuURMFraCyKozVvZ9ec8Ii4q2XHtVfRlgLl3FysWXwhm2Q61vIlYRkuk5XF5f3JcXnXCM3Evto1HijIAqIQ4HwTfIQlwhl8r8AmCAiduU7YwlH9XVaemighSC1C530fhUo/s1600/hawk1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPYigRxiMciiuURMFraCyKozVvZ9ec8Ii4q2XHtVfRlgLl3FysWXwhm2Q61vIlYRkuk5XF5f3JcXnXCM3Evto1HijIAqIQ4HwTfIQlwhl8r8AmCAiduU7YwlH9XVaemighSC1C530fhUo/s320/hawk1.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ooh, gaudy green and pink hawk.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfqx_BFoL8341skzWen430fZAI4hEZCfydo805V-7AB-9weU9FRzJbKkYKobpnUHtuRfBpikkBKsStwColcqlYt48ZNB6SayHy3CavpwvzQ8ba388mXpS3pfQJBoK1UNOkjDhvWySSbU4/s1600/hawk2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfqx_BFoL8341skzWen430fZAI4hEZCfydo805V-7AB-9weU9FRzJbKkYKobpnUHtuRfBpikkBKsStwColcqlYt48ZNB6SayHy3CavpwvzQ8ba388mXpS3pfQJBoK1UNOkjDhvWySSbU4/s320/hawk2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beady eye.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivlht-f32LTOqdKetotavuMdmNdrlNfDsZil8h5DUMShLwj0BWcaqkdip_MPj_iDdNEzgkuzxVKvt16hO3Y8W4wVM31ozf3hx6RmW-x2TrpVkBfEVXqjyj1DSwtFAZB8RImUShXuamOMg/s1600/cockchafer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivlht-f32LTOqdKetotavuMdmNdrlNfDsZil8h5DUMShLwj0BWcaqkdip_MPj_iDdNEzgkuzxVKvt16hO3Y8W4wVM31ozf3hx6RmW-x2TrpVkBfEVXqjyj1DSwtFAZB8RImUShXuamOMg/s320/cockchafer.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Furry back.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbibmQnMS92pcYL0xsx_KI88xe-7zkk_DwqTEvzvT5-nveSPY7NE0BHrVSzc3_YKACQc6D3x2gs_0AcOaL3ik98BCebP4kSM3AnU_4HpZI8wIh2-P3eSfsH2B8k83MfpuOlm5kifjRsdw/s1600/cock2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbibmQnMS92pcYL0xsx_KI88xe-7zkk_DwqTEvzvT5-nveSPY7NE0BHrVSzc3_YKACQc6D3x2gs_0AcOaL3ik98BCebP4kSM3AnU_4HpZI8wIh2-P3eSfsH2B8k83MfpuOlm5kifjRsdw/s320/cock2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seven leaf antenna mean its a boy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The summer of butterflies continues, as tomorrow I start as Volunteer Ranger for the Large Blue butterfly at Collard Hill in Somerset. Part of my duties includes writing a daily update on the <a href="http://ntlargeblue.wordpress.com/">Large Blue Blog</a>, where details of the first 'big blue' sighting and all the excitement of the flight season will be posted. If it whets your appetite for the delights of <i>Maculinea arion</i> come and visit the hill please! My goodbye to 'Needles and Pin ups', the pub knitting group I wander along to of a Wednesday evening, combined a vaguely accurate depiction of my future weeks with cookie cutters. And lo, the eco-geekiest biscuits I've made thus far were created...<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIQrhpkKyqUMSt6XTRecNjwQ6hLPZ6EIbLlucDmMbwAgzGEQcf5gR3rEonBK3GYdbmvDqzl9NqHAWOYxHfdu-MRQB-b7eGM9eySJr1YwtrhyXjLCYKeikqoir9Lp_gMBAUArWuH5ynZt8/s1600/blue+biscuits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIQrhpkKyqUMSt6XTRecNjwQ6hLPZ6EIbLlucDmMbwAgzGEQcf5gR3rEonBK3GYdbmvDqzl9NqHAWOYxHfdu-MRQB-b7eGM9eySJr1YwtrhyXjLCYKeikqoir9Lp_gMBAUArWuH5ynZt8/s320/blue+biscuits.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Large and common blues, and grubs!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>muffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812585945670166540noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2405736807701999182.post-61440389944925261452011-05-16T15:32:00.000+01:002011-05-16T15:32:30.102+01:00Dark Nights and Dock Pudding<img align="left" alt="L" src="http://jhische.com/dailydropcap/L-1-cap.png" title="Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische" />ate nights in the dark woods were how I spent many an April evening this year. Punctuated by rustlings and startled Roe deer, Tawny hooting and sudden screeches. I took on the co-ordination of a local 'Toad Patrol', a group of volunteers that monitor a road with a 'toad crossing', where migrating toads on the way to their breeding pond are at risk from traffic. My site was unusually lovely for such an endeavour, a single track road through woodland on the way to a Scout hut. The road was quiet, and primarily used at weekends while the huts were booked up. Traffic use was light, but often has a high impact on the toads due to the narrow, twisty nature of the road.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS5UrczjITKWz8U7mjREoid5MalK_xIb6Gk5j6FRaVSui0UvxHrlWYjjA0Eq90HDCb3vFCSXK6uaqLsZzrmIvxbRdRJITC5W-S7wvczBDh5a5uSt-LN9IysDMs4sEtUsx7cBQiAo1je5k/s1600/Toad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS5UrczjITKWz8U7mjREoid5MalK_xIb6Gk5j6FRaVSui0UvxHrlWYjjA0Eq90HDCb3vFCSXK6uaqLsZzrmIvxbRdRJITC5W-S7wvczBDh5a5uSt-LN9IysDMs4sEtUsx7cBQiAo1je5k/s320/Toad.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovely lady toad (<i>Bufo bufo</i>) from the breeding pond.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I often walked the couple of miles to my site before dusk, arriving with my bucket and hi-vis vest, ready to transport the horny wee toads across the ocean of invitingly warm yet hazardous tarmac. Over the remarkably dry days and cool evenings of the season an assortment of enthusiastic volunteers and I helped nearly 200 toads. A rather wonderful bonus of my site was the presence of Palmate newts (<i>Lissotriton helveticus</i>), which delighted the children of my volunteers and the hoards of Scouts we occasionally encountered of an evening. Over our nights there we helped over 90 newts off the road, one of the largest single records for the area, which seems to be singularly lacking in newt surveys. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdzpb_tv-s39sgaGbiXfvXOB2kHvD12TFR0LkroeTrlOV0vxvd2lUbBQVYlZKxC_FauVU3WA2RZ7H_RK0PngV5HNCbTvvLWDn_IWRBYAewkzZT6PqQ4FV_b_cxM532qgMiRdrQvzDGrT8/s1600/Newty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdzpb_tv-s39sgaGbiXfvXOB2kHvD12TFR0LkroeTrlOV0vxvd2lUbBQVYlZKxC_FauVU3WA2RZ7H_RK0PngV5HNCbTvvLWDn_IWRBYAewkzZT6PqQ4FV_b_cxM532qgMiRdrQvzDGrT8/s320/Newty.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A wee newty cutie </td></tr>
</tbody></table>A couple of weekends ago I was inspired by the event of the year, that's right - <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_60694887">The World Dock Pudding Championship</a><a href="http://www.calderdale-online.org/html/community/life5.html">s</a>, that happen to be held in Mytholmroyd, about a mile down the valley from me. Dock Pudding is a Northern speciality, especially associated with the Calder Valley, that I have never eaten or made, a sad state of affairs I set out to rectify with my first spot of real foraging of the year. It is traditionally eaten with bacon, often with breakfast and is made in spring to see people through the period when not much else green is available. The 'dock' of the pudding is in fact bistort (<i>Polygonum bistorta</i>), which apparently has the most wonderful collection of local names, some of the best being; adderwort, dragonwort, Easter man-giant, passion dock, pudding grass and snakeweed. So off I gaily skipped one Sunday afternoon to a spot where I knew the bistort grew. A wee stream lined with fresh shoots, sorrel and nettles, another ingredient required for the pudding. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Zjs-Wt8ZGFzZes1kxZTUyfjQMmojFfnn3Q5ukI9drrH0YQ-R6HcDNqAvESz_-Pjh6x_FwBp8Z3AnnopoXT4YAZWtOqsqIe4JKqz9_Dt2bdYj_k3835B-Heaulsxk65pALCLz1Z_Z718/s1600/bistort.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Zjs-Wt8ZGFzZes1kxZTUyfjQMmojFfnn3Q5ukI9drrH0YQ-R6HcDNqAvESz_-Pjh6x_FwBp8Z3AnnopoXT4YAZWtOqsqIe4JKqz9_Dt2bdYj_k3835B-Heaulsxk65pALCLz1Z_Z718/s320/bistort.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Young leaves of 'Red legs', sexy vernacular for bistort.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs6WiR164XrrL25FO0Ia9N_tdsgKFhS8uae7pxxs_wbeTJTr2tvstI4WB7Mm6LIj1RpWe_VR3_CrFLDiPgEYd4tCYRuq31ZG_3bwhsCLPm_a4AIfud12jULco92BUv9-szgt1cxMvM-eA/s1600/cream+spot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs6WiR164XrrL25FO0Ia9N_tdsgKFhS8uae7pxxs_wbeTJTr2tvstI4WB7Mm6LIj1RpWe_VR3_CrFLDiPgEYd4tCYRuq31ZG_3bwhsCLPm_a4AIfud12jULco92BUv9-szgt1cxMvM-eA/s320/cream+spot.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruby Cream-spot ladybirds (<i>Calvia quattuordecimguttata</i>) by my bistort.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>There are many variations in recipe, most seem to make pans full of the stuff, which seemed a bit much. For a more modest portion here is what you need for my cobbled-together vegetarian version:<br />
200g fresh young bistort leaves<br />
40g fresh nettle tops<br />
1 medium onion<br />
2 cloves garlic<br />
2 spring onions<br />
2tbsp oatmeal<br />
salt and pepper<br />
olive oil<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6UFdE7goAoA7tHgRVXpjhy-099rbQzIuApfv-2d9vJgNXCOoH3i6dKUjLQCllMrjSUJPcxU0rQ26UUy3AxZREWcSIXqU295sukare6bbgxfHeeMFtWlDsWqxhevjYdrBGdil5uJ6Ch-M/s1600/dock+colander.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6UFdE7goAoA7tHgRVXpjhy-099rbQzIuApfv-2d9vJgNXCOoH3i6dKUjLQCllMrjSUJPcxU0rQ26UUy3AxZREWcSIXqU295sukare6bbgxfHeeMFtWlDsWqxhevjYdrBGdil5uJ6Ch-M/s320/dock+colander.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freshly picked and ready for washing.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table> - Place the nettles in a bowl of cold salted water and leave to one side while you prepare the bistort. Wash bistort leaves thoroughly in a colander and then remove the larger stalks before roughly slicing them. Drain and rinse the nettles then chop roughly (I used rubber gloves!).<br />
- Chop the onion, garlic and spring onion (you can use whatever alliums are available, wild garlic and leek would be nice) and fry gently in some olive oil. Add the sliced bistort and nettles and continue to fry. You'll need to add a couple of ladlefuls of water or stock to the mixture and cover to cook gently for 15-20 minutes.<br />
- Add the oatmeal and stir to ensure the mixture doesn't stick. It will need another 20 minutes or so, with occasional stirring and adding a little more water if it gets too dry. The mixture should apparently be 'moist not wet'. Add salt and pepper to taste.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFc_IGLuyzmA_EhPgNh8VArnzRdkjw4l6O4tmh8-yxgg3w0d-gy_Lcqs6-5EyztLlr767IfE-KZJWpYAbksduz950Q4CgkHarNZQU64xEn8Ozu4pNeQ2xXHUpk70JF7il6t_6h4IUvgxU/s1600/dock+pan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFc_IGLuyzmA_EhPgNh8VArnzRdkjw4l6O4tmh8-yxgg3w0d-gy_Lcqs6-5EyztLlr767IfE-KZJWpYAbksduz950Q4CgkHarNZQU64xEn8Ozu4pNeQ2xXHUpk70JF7il6t_6h4IUvgxU/s320/dock+pan.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pudding at the moist stage.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>- It's now nearly ready, and the final stage, once the pan is removed from the heat and allowed to cool a little is to make up small patties of dock pudding (like potato cakes). These should be fried in a little more olive oil or butter, the crispy outer is said to make the pudding more palatable!<br />
- I substituted the traditional bacon for haloumi cheese and ate my dock pudding for supper. It worked really well with the saltiness and texture of the haloumi.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhluN5vT6_Mt7q9eY_olGr4PraYUWpvy_elpEKsYBfn9hu-ywqhqi7mGdIKFDfj0wsQOsUuUX9GV-Fryq1r2kG1h69XAqXTEptFimTyq_s1oaXwH4j9vnHWdCQC_-5ichzCr39OmeQ2hX0/s1600/dock+fry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhluN5vT6_Mt7q9eY_olGr4PraYUWpvy_elpEKsYBfn9hu-ywqhqi7mGdIKFDfj0wsQOsUuUX9GV-Fryq1r2kG1h69XAqXTEptFimTyq_s1oaXwH4j9vnHWdCQC_-5ichzCr39OmeQ2hX0/s320/dock+fry.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pudding patties.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjopAxC_R8uUtpXmxZr8y3_P_J9cg0q5_66jo2YxuGf57IhuyJXEb1hCE0HCuXJA-ZEXvraH8syQzbbvO7QGmqFHV8fwlsdjeweuHF3pHsQEQpzHgR-mEpJ5GKw0Wfw7zLgpUTOJJ0gDRQ/s1600/dock+fork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjopAxC_R8uUtpXmxZr8y3_P_J9cg0q5_66jo2YxuGf57IhuyJXEb1hCE0HCuXJA-ZEXvraH8syQzbbvO7QGmqFHV8fwlsdjeweuHF3pHsQEQpzHgR-mEpJ5GKw0Wfw7zLgpUTOJJ0gDRQ/s320/dock+fork.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delicious dinner of dock and haloumi.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Dock pudding has that iron-rich tang of spinach based dishes. I even convinced a slightly skeptical family to eat and enjoy it and the amount this recipe made contributed to about three meals. Younger bistort is supposed to make for a better pudding, but leaves can be foraged throughout May, here is a <a href="http://www.crow-pie.co.uk/archive_subjects/dock_pudding_1.html">nice guide</a> to doing so.<br />
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Here's to more foraging!muffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812585945670166540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2405736807701999182.post-6276995399577078242011-04-19T02:40:00.000+01:002011-04-19T02:40:08.882+01:00Merry March Madnesses<img align="left" alt="E" src="http://jhische.com/dailydropcap/E-7-cap.png" title="Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische" />very day now brings growth and colour and change to the valleys and hills that surround me. In the weeks that have passed since Lesser Celandine brightened a February morning, a few jaunts have been undertaken and much food has been consumed. So here are a few of each...<br />
<br />
Mist and snow descended upon a gathering of knitwear swaddled eco-geeks on a February foray to the frozen North. Amongst wintery walks, snowballs and snow angels, aggressive birds tamed by DN the goose-whisperer, kitchen lounging and tea, duck lessons, board games and jigsaws, endless euphemisms involving back passages; there was time for some high quality badger impressions. Perched at the top of steep beech woodland behind my house we investigated the impressive ramparts, fresh spoil and snuffle holes of my local badger sett. It would seem however that some of these chaps are more like miners...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ahUKpovk_oKlGAUzekV8EBKFBapX8KpMwuQTGfyt5KxdhX5CW-Ff8ekiFXw8YdysUJtVRVOC2JUiUTtbIkTmSnbA3JU5t1Tfzycjlfp9RpHaWJK6oTZAdnLLGd2BjNOB9nVJkeBjVIE/s1600/miners.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ahUKpovk_oKlGAUzekV8EBKFBapX8KpMwuQTGfyt5KxdhX5CW-Ff8ekiFXw8YdysUJtVRVOC2JUiUTtbIkTmSnbA3JU5t1Tfzycjlfp9RpHaWJK6oTZAdnLLGd2BjNOB9nVJkeBjVIE/s320/miners.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Did they have pickaxes?!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmSDlj-iKNYZpzBirq1pXig1du4JA6a86Ad8LQvZkSgSQTsvQZfgLvV5vmIKuXElCn99AbnNk72jqJQO1TqL_eMjoKmaj1yNALIx6k7kjbT6N__1K2amDDsIeJZSCU-rJzOatABcqicM/s1600/sett.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmSDlj-iKNYZpzBirq1pXig1du4JA6a86Ad8LQvZkSgSQTsvQZfgLvV5vmIKuXElCn99AbnNk72jqJQO1TqL_eMjoKmaj1yNALIx6k7kjbT6N__1K2amDDsIeJZSCU-rJzOatABcqicM/s320/sett.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We couldn't find the doorbell.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio8f2hOBGyhyphenhyphenQb-62ukCCeZjqQMwhTO4N7jB8mXy3N2xVW3qmXLd5mWY4e-_xewMay6cHaaULGJBy1yvjMLuc-6qmwNwDvBBlCS229Sv34KQMEb-LPSAylYn4kyJDTQVzCEvBuIesWVus/s1600/Hair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio8f2hOBGyhyphenhyphenQb-62ukCCeZjqQMwhTO4N7jB8mXy3N2xVW3qmXLd5mWY4e-_xewMay6cHaaULGJBy1yvjMLuc-6qmwNwDvBBlCS229Sv34KQMEb-LPSAylYn4kyJDTQVzCEvBuIesWVus/s320/Hair.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucky badger-hair for Isla.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Peering through the semi-opaque atmosphere we just about managed to spy Great-spotted Woodpecker, Goldcrest and Fieldfare. Low cloud became a theme of the weekend, and the obligatory pudding course was duly christened 'Yorkshire Fog Crumble', concocted of apple, home-grown blackcurrants and redcurrants, with an oat and walnut topping. The Wilmots provided some of their fungi harvest and Kirst stirred up the biggest pot of mushroom and parsnip risotto this side of Italy. Experiments with leftovers resulted in melty risotto cakes. We shaped them into patties, with a centre of strong cheddar, dipped them in eggs and breadcrumbs and fried lightly. They are definitely a good way of consuming your carbohydrate!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-6TehWFO_IxKXakPS4LIVivzi7O_Ga64SPP7UCQNs-K4dvpgAjoIl_BGo4XqV7lLn4I7JtHtq-Cm18gWF7PBmm0oAjruv4SO4pctPfG58Vjuowgosj6BxNyP97OcWHrUZUqmUsmy4cvY/s1600/risotto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-6TehWFO_IxKXakPS4LIVivzi7O_Ga64SPP7UCQNs-K4dvpgAjoIl_BGo4XqV7lLn4I7JtHtq-Cm18gWF7PBmm0oAjruv4SO4pctPfG58Vjuowgosj6BxNyP97OcWHrUZUqmUsmy4cvY/s320/risotto.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmm, oozy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>A fleeting Yorkshire jaunt by Ms Tinker gave us the chance to bid a tearful farewell to Pete, on his way to start his Indian adventure and Kenyan life. It also provided the opportunity for baking. I made pide, a Turkish pizza-like bread that evokes my very early years there and subsequent visits. There are many possible toppings including a kind of spicy diced lamb, melting cheese or white cheese (the only two kinds of cheese you really find in Turkey), egg, or just olive oil and seeds. My favourite is peynirli (cheese) pide, made with white cheese.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZqbNpQHrOGJ4qWyGa4HU-oXhsUWNZF9v6rTnrNbRIOxdiXzT0ThmdgEkuijXVu5j8g5NSqnD8LHIl6Qdti_f-e-_pTzMgZijkPuS3J5026jnW4p6uwAT5vhs5_LmBotmYIvIXAlaZBg/s1600/pide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZqbNpQHrOGJ4qWyGa4HU-oXhsUWNZF9v6rTnrNbRIOxdiXzT0ThmdgEkuijXVu5j8g5NSqnD8LHIl6Qdti_f-e-_pTzMgZijkPuS3J5026jnW4p6uwAT5vhs5_LmBotmYIvIXAlaZBg/s320/pide.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's pronounced 'pee-day'. Yes, really.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>You will need:<br />
285g strong plain flour<br />
1 heaped tbsp dried instant yeast<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
125ml warm water (may require more)<br />
200g feta or other white cheese, crumbled<br />
2 tbsp flat-leaved parsley, chopped<br />
olive oil to drizzle<br />
<br />
Preheat the oven as hot as it will go!<br />
- In a food processor or large bowl knead the flour, yeast, salt and water until a soft, smooth dough. Leave in bowl until 10 mins before it is required.<br />
- Divide into four, roll out thinly to a long flat strip, approx 8cm/3" wide.<br />
- Place on baking tray and cover the middle of strip with cheese and sprinkle with parsley. Fold edges up and over to give a 1cm border all around (see picture).<br />
- Bake until puffed and browned, drizzle with oil and serve immediately, whole or cut into diagonal pieces.<br />
- If you fancy making it as a plain bread, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with sesame and cumin or nigella seeds before baking.<br />
<br />
March busied itself with shaking off winter, spring budding and bursting out all over, unfurling its foliage on sunny days. My first flying bat wheeled by my window on the 12th March, woodlands echoed with Woodpecker drumming and Hardcastle Crags' millponds quivered with fresh frogspawn by the 19th March. Walking by the river that day I watched two pairs of Dippers display, zipping up and down calling shrilly, before landing, bobbing and flexing their tails for a few seconds before taking off again. All this and the opportunity to make these <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/mar/05/pancakes-yorkshire-pudding-dosa-recipes">sweet potato pancakes</a> on a certain Tuesday.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRyjIPkpZN5ReqCdBZb4QciLPrx2udyGzZZuTTMqSyygSBEAL5W-sSB0tXbK0cKZSZHpOT3AFtBXTZGpXTu0oM-C3zUXJIUO3f_glpGzBOUleIHjBMlXFNCy_PfmOTdXYPtsQfdMiOFAU/s1600/spawn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRyjIPkpZN5ReqCdBZb4QciLPrx2udyGzZZuTTMqSyygSBEAL5W-sSB0tXbK0cKZSZHpOT3AFtBXTZGpXTu0oM-C3zUXJIUO3f_glpGzBOUleIHjBMlXFNCy_PfmOTdXYPtsQfdMiOFAU/s320/spawn.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was so much I couldn't count the clumps.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis400Cujh9lxoxZE84D2WeK3Nmpb-TvzqrgeuhzPnjs0tx2-HUm0cOLb8dmGVBNGp8iiaqQGcH0Rf4s07VN6G0LGXVALskUclM_oY6Si1cIu1I2HKeQ6l6L87WxtK2xkTZat3UoOU-7MA/s1600/pancakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis400Cujh9lxoxZE84D2WeK3Nmpb-TvzqrgeuhzPnjs0tx2-HUm0cOLb8dmGVBNGp8iiaqQGcH0Rf4s07VN6G0LGXVALskUclM_oY6Si1cIu1I2HKeQ6l6L87WxtK2xkTZat3UoOU-7MA/s320/pancakes.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eaten with honey and toasted walnuts.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>New eco-adventures beckoned when I discovered the hiding place of Calderdale's lepidoptera lovers, which happens to be <a href="http://calderdalemoths.blogspot.com/">here</a>. So dusk one evening I hesitantly joined the self declared 'Mad March Moffers' back at Hardcastle Crags. I think they accepted me once I established some reliable species scribing skills while they gleefully leapt and dived with their nets, capturing those moths brave enough to venture into the ring of light. Since then my nights have often included dazzled eyes following fluttering common quakers, chestnuts, twin-spotted quakers, pine beauties, oak beauties, hebrew characters, water carpets, red sword grasses, march moths, engrailed, pugs and baffling micros.<br />
<br />
Amazingly, one of this exemplary bunch has leant me an actinic moth trap, so trapping has now commenced by the rockery in the garden - hooray! Some of the usual suspects have appeared, but I've also had <i>Bombus terrestris</i> and a huge, mite-laden Sexton beetle (<i>Nicrophorus humator</i>) waiting to be released in the morning.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVIwnEK5FDHp_5Lz__ONWxf-TKVg75drm02Dbk6aNu3zuL5zZM1YfOQxdA8yINlqbH93aA7rMlZrnMKAkT8vxjlAvxiVxvB_6fWknVqZRkwPC-gLD9S8YBZqYPfb36rAJCY2mB-g_PrPk/s1600/quaker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVIwnEK5FDHp_5Lz__ONWxf-TKVg75drm02Dbk6aNu3zuL5zZM1YfOQxdA8yINlqbH93aA7rMlZrnMKAkT8vxjlAvxiVxvB_6fWknVqZRkwPC-gLD9S8YBZqYPfb36rAJCY2mB-g_PrPk/s320/quaker.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Common Quaker (<i>Orthosia cerasi</i>)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgENYnrk7IzwbC8qM67S2TBJHVqKj3TJWpOYwUtdjmPLsAtOQxZcC9LtmcqtHfHn9H73E-aDkuEdtTNDXTSI9_7x709WOyZA9zDDL-XCAKsvpUDF1QhJGatt8SFyUg7u0jIV9y8eRRa6FA/s1600/Hebrew+character.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgENYnrk7IzwbC8qM67S2TBJHVqKj3TJWpOYwUtdjmPLsAtOQxZcC9LtmcqtHfHn9H73E-aDkuEdtTNDXTSI9_7x709WOyZA9zDDL-XCAKsvpUDF1QhJGatt8SFyUg7u0jIV9y8eRRa6FA/s320/Hebrew+character.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hebrew Character (<i>Orthosia gothica</i>)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Flying beasties have been abundant since they awoke, my first Northern butterfly spied at a distance on the 22nd March. The first identifiable winged one was a smallish Comma on the 26th March, on the edge of a shingle beach on a Southern soujourn to Gosport. Ms Tinker and I skipped after it with giddy enthusiasm, startling a nearby dog-walker with our excitable shrieks. The baking days have brought plenty since, Peacocks, Commas, Orange-tips and Speckled Wood being particularly prevalent in my garden. Brushing up on butterflies has become quite important, as for six weeks this June/July I'll be moving to Somerset to be Volunteer Ranger for the <a href="http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-chl/w-countryside_environment/w-nature/w-nature-wildlife/w-nature-wildlife-butterflies_moths/w-nature-wildlife-butterflies_moths-large_blue.htm">Large Blue Butterfly</a> at Collard Hill.<br />
<br />
That South Coast Sunday brought another shoreline beauty, the vivid purple leaves of Sea-kale (<i>Crambe maritima</i>) poking through shingle while slightly bleary-eyed geeks oohed and aaahed over its prettiness. Thus March adventures ended, and finally so can this post; with a promise of April amphibians and the first foraging frolics.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmiwgltDjKQJvkpKcYT_NTNQm803hhKbzywb39Tpib3gqwlA95A-5MRM4Q6mX-defYxXW4acAI8kbe1nwt3cxq_zICRSNnzqW0ybshIZUsEwSbjvhIFQafrLV6mxZvHnjSo1K8hH1ukH8/s1600/sea+kale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmiwgltDjKQJvkpKcYT_NTNQm803hhKbzywb39Tpib3gqwlA95A-5MRM4Q6mX-defYxXW4acAI8kbe1nwt3cxq_zICRSNnzqW0ybshIZUsEwSbjvhIFQafrLV6mxZvHnjSo1K8hH1ukH8/s320/sea+kale.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cabbagey</td></tr>
</tbody></table>muffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812585945670166540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2405736807701999182.post-60147056794238182672011-02-16T22:07:00.000+00:002011-02-16T22:07:55.799+00:00Sprung!<img align="left" alt="A" src="http://jhische.com/dailydropcap/A-1-cap.png" title="Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische" />t last! The spring messenger has arrived. On the 14th February I noticed some clumps of Lesser Celandine (<i>Ranunculus ficaria</i>) flowering at the bottom of my driveway, yellow stars embracing the weak winter sunshine. I'd been away for a few days, so they may have braved the Yorkshire elements even earlier. Nevertheless, as the internet has so usefully reported to me, in around 1800 Gilbert White (natural history diarist extraordinaire), recorded the flowers as appearing on February 21st in Selborne, Hampshire. Spring is being sprung rather earlier nowadays.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJJ42lREMyecOr50Ptr8ZaS3QZnba0hyphenhyphenBMBasn4Ok0LeyVll5qohV3zK1WaIUSc7AoVb_FR-Wabcd4vhTbSunS2e3L-2I3HwU2QITIL2xR8PXXT3yKpdRXgU6oSYBRfkewsb4UWtPZ8Yw/s1600/celandine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJJ42lREMyecOr50Ptr8ZaS3QZnba0hyphenhyphenBMBasn4Ok0LeyVll5qohV3zK1WaIUSc7AoVb_FR-Wabcd4vhTbSunS2e3L-2I3HwU2QITIL2xR8PXXT3yKpdRXgU6oSYBRfkewsb4UWtPZ8Yw/s320/celandine.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This year's Valentine, dear Celandine</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>So, the spring's foraging opportunities are increasing and on the wonderful <a href="http://www.eatweeds.co.uk/">Eat Weeds</a> I came across this <a href="http://www.eatweeds.co.uk/lesser-celandine-stroganoff">Stroganoff</a> for my Lesser Celandine... I haven't yet tried it, as it feels wrong to deplete these sunny harbingers so soon. Perhaps when I've found a glossy green carpet of them I'll have a go, or maybe someone else would like to try it out?<br />
<br />
Last week I went to the Soil Association annual conference, and among the absorbing sessions met some interesting and inspiring people. One of whom, the lovely Holly, is part of a project called <a href="http://www.fruitmap.sk/o-projekte">Fruitmap</a>. It started in Slovakia, as a way to map forage-able fruit and nut trees in towns and cities. It's spreading, and aims to be a global network of accessible fruit, so if anyone wants to get involved please do! We can add trees wherever we are in the world, ensuring more people have access to beautiful, free, crumble ingredients...muffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812585945670166540noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2405736807701999182.post-20577820754703429142011-02-03T19:34:00.000+00:002011-02-03T19:34:53.474+00:00Illustration and other wonders<img align="left" alt="C" src="http://jhische.com/dailydropcap/C-2-cap.png" title="Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische" />hoosing the images to beautify the Battenberg was a slightly bamboozling experience that felt like treasure hunting on the internet. I wanted to find some old and evocative natural history illustrations that would convey the variety of ecological wonders that may be encountered on the Battenberg's voyage. I love the ability of illustration to express a quite magical natural world, full of intricacies, and occasional inaccuracies. So sometime this year, a pilgrimage to the new 'Images of Nature' gallery at the <a href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/galleries/blue-zone/images-nature-gallery/index.html">Natural History Museum</a> is definitely in order.<br />
<br />
In searching for something to go with the venerable picture of Darwin's own Beagle, I came across some wonderful sources of public domain images, and thought I would share some of the loveliest. The first is <a href="http://vintageprintable.com/wordpress/">Vintage Printable</a>, from which these beauties come:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgctV4MsMuZeRq9UNRfBzXk1jJ8CNfYi3DsTStmZfRkPlbdNLx70UQX5AOqWj-I9INLYlW5fd5Id2sTFRtb2fC-vruNYDmDZWlAwfzRakWe0YaF_ojMUSZ5-6xyBB2hKzTogTnk_vlXKG4/s1600/Beetles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgctV4MsMuZeRq9UNRfBzXk1jJ8CNfYi3DsTStmZfRkPlbdNLx70UQX5AOqWj-I9INLYlW5fd5Id2sTFRtb2fC-vruNYDmDZWlAwfzRakWe0YaF_ojMUSZ5-6xyBB2hKzTogTnk_vlXKG4/s320/Beetles.jpg" width="206" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Educational beetles</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3rbBrw06HjjnJIScJBfqGA-whfL_n3MF3LCJ7bzhCi2_hH6IECMAxcX0WZM0QEbcNDEKmZd4afZ40TOE3Ti-oYso-CpCxEw-5yT02DTdqQncld0DVGN0dsaWmzc6X6ZCS0P773jPABGg/s1600/Magnolia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3rbBrw06HjjnJIScJBfqGA-whfL_n3MF3LCJ7bzhCi2_hH6IECMAxcX0WZM0QEbcNDEKmZd4afZ40TOE3Ti-oYso-CpCxEw-5yT02DTdqQncld0DVGN0dsaWmzc6X6ZCS0P773jPABGg/s320/Magnolia.jpg" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Magnolia by Mark Catesby</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP-x_zcsYDVBzhwimBai41RpxsYToUOa1UiS_uIoAYN8Gy8Fd-K7qCHwmdctM5PWUSTXy839SAmUBP_LlxS4go0EKSrs2p_G1wWH5VUhtAIlmnc48UFoF6qVECnwTSTnfKtFso2F_T1kg/s1600/Octopus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP-x_zcsYDVBzhwimBai41RpxsYToUOa1UiS_uIoAYN8Gy8Fd-K7qCHwmdctM5PWUSTXy839SAmUBP_LlxS4go0EKSrs2p_G1wWH5VUhtAIlmnc48UFoF6qVECnwTSTnfKtFso2F_T1kg/s320/Octopus.jpg" width="221" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Octopus called <i>Polypus levis Hoyle</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih8VmmsYN8PuPuXolp3GIOHWD22pqPXisa1N_YClrYB-svadSJsBG1dslIt1Cw3KT4xXN_NBqF7iFpYP12ghPlvl7MM14LFmJU-gBba6v_phPXs4Ya46gbIdFzgXu9DR7Ws8FI2eMV654/s1600/IndianOwl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih8VmmsYN8PuPuXolp3GIOHWD22pqPXisa1N_YClrYB-svadSJsBG1dslIt1Cw3KT4xXN_NBqF7iFpYP12ghPlvl7MM14LFmJU-gBba6v_phPXs4Ya46gbIdFzgXu9DR7Ws8FI2eMV654/s320/IndianOwl.jpg" width="244" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indian Owl by Johann Reinhold Forster - any ideas Radish?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJFlwFNF4hsR7h09NfVursieGzFgGE6Es72tQ03X_r0TgQt0s_h70Fuz7oIOAIiiGx10Z6p2Keg_jeT18qVA4QJwJElNHHh14ceYK5sBi0LofZH86LdIGQm_XUmcOhAsTuLv-jUh-UM_0/s1600/Medieval-Flower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJFlwFNF4hsR7h09NfVursieGzFgGE6Es72tQ03X_r0TgQt0s_h70Fuz7oIOAIiiGx10Z6p2Keg_jeT18qVA4QJwJElNHHh14ceYK5sBi0LofZH86LdIGQm_XUmcOhAsTuLv-jUh-UM_0/s320/Medieval-Flower.jpg" width="219" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Medieval - that's all I've got on that one!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Another source led me to Mr Edward Lear's work (not just a purveyor of fine nonsense, but also exemplary painting). So here can be found his famous <span class="indent1"><cite><a href="http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/DLDecArts/DLDecArts-idx?id=DLDecArts.LearParrots">Psittacidae</a>.</cite></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqQEiYsqsOF3t4LT4spROt_KfpNrItiHf-mv8Cd9Cdzc8o_yP0KgzPDuZq_6t1l-DSxLv9-qE3n6bimt05p5gyyiDv-ZdGSe6JpL5YSqIZYVpG0qVvWwXwuWnV_D6QAuZFYFCL7Z9O_LE/s1600/Red-capped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqQEiYsqsOF3t4LT4spROt_KfpNrItiHf-mv8Cd9Cdzc8o_yP0KgzPDuZq_6t1l-DSxLv9-qE3n6bimt05p5gyyiDv-ZdGSe6JpL5YSqIZYVpG0qVvWwXwuWnV_D6QAuZFYFCL7Z9O_LE/s320/Red-capped.jpg" width="201" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red-capped parakeet - <i>Platycercus pileatus</i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioZJ0x-_H8yGgr0rMFacofYbqeYegA-tKTpAhPTUB_RaMsv1IJy7HZf_aW6PjzWalUZ-bhmQFuGr5YsBkcZFBD82EWLn6pmGpzbebGky3HcQwQnTBo0LK8OjOijUqwEh2pOE3xwZ57MXA/s1600/salmon-crested.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioZJ0x-_H8yGgr0rMFacofYbqeYegA-tKTpAhPTUB_RaMsv1IJy7HZf_aW6PjzWalUZ-bhmQFuGr5YsBkcZFBD82EWLn6pmGpzbebGky3HcQwQnTBo0LK8OjOijUqwEh2pOE3xwZ57MXA/s320/salmon-crested.jpg" width="201" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salmon-crested cockatoo - <i>Plyctolophus rosaceus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
The rather splendid <a href="http://www.oldbookart.com/category/natural-history/">Old Book Art</a> brought that elusive lepidopteran resident of Norfolk and a whole book of mushrooms:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh08mWH69Y368DBAA2-ShyQUIttRx9rC0x038OyXNx46N_XcC8Fo3vPkIsjMSgWWTsUzHvzckjI4Qxq9gDi08_wkFgGIDbnH7HWNDj_axP8RXumUFO6rpOWV7TqXpFzOcGUyftpDByQ_A4/s1600/Papilio+machaon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh08mWH69Y368DBAA2-ShyQUIttRx9rC0x038OyXNx46N_XcC8Fo3vPkIsjMSgWWTsUzHvzckjI4Qxq9gDi08_wkFgGIDbnH7HWNDj_axP8RXumUFO6rpOWV7TqXpFzOcGUyftpDByQ_A4/s320/Papilio+machaon.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swallowtail - <i>Papilio machaon</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPkCcOS73ktx1nl2lbsHMkhKGIjNWWJxLdw14rAcA9PgCpIXvaJ2EMZ8lF-dlP_IZtxtDTKf4lCIp1FeiEUxrU34-shyphenhyphenwbHrtEYqG4FxpM0ftTyJLQaV-2C07gfFfqo13UrH45cTFlE24/s1600/Agaricus+muscarius_001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPkCcOS73ktx1nl2lbsHMkhKGIjNWWJxLdw14rAcA9PgCpIXvaJ2EMZ8lF-dlP_IZtxtDTKf4lCIp1FeiEUxrU34-shyphenhyphenwbHrtEYqG4FxpM0ftTyJLQaV-2C07gfFfqo13UrH45cTFlE24/s320/Agaricus+muscarius_001.JPG" width="209" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fly agaric with Linnean name <i>Agaricus muscarius</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
And so to a delight of a different, and more edible kind. Wonder cake, my most frequently made, flexible and reliable recipe. It is particularly useful, because it happens to be vegan, and can be adapted to use whatever ingredients you have left over from other baking endeavours. It can be chocolately, fruit and nutty, spicy or all of the above. This one for example, is an almondy slice with pieces of crystallised ginger and flaked almonds as a slightly crispy topping:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm9C_UdsN4M8d0coSfHAAAyLx4VQfKDpVj5qU7fZd25IBZPf7LSxV4NnyO9F3kuWJH2AVTlbam67xwnrLc6MsJOy8d_envJaPvB-dacS24OWgqzCSYXxSmYOIDlt_msubgxgxAlKi6hV4/s1600/wonder+cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm9C_UdsN4M8d0coSfHAAAyLx4VQfKDpVj5qU7fZd25IBZPf7LSxV4NnyO9F3kuWJH2AVTlbam67xwnrLc6MsJOy8d_envJaPvB-dacS24OWgqzCSYXxSmYOIDlt_msubgxgxAlKi6hV4/s320/wonder+cake.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marzipan and ginger wonder cake</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
You will need much of the following:<br />
175g self raising flour<br />
3 heaped tablespoons cocoa or ground almonds (or some of both)<br />
175g golden caster sugar<br />
5tbsp sunflower oil<br />
1tbsp red wine/sherry vinegar<br />
1/2 tbsp vanilla or almond essence (or orange or peppermint if you fancy)<br />
200ml cold water<br />
<br />
And a selection of:<br />
Flaked almonds<br />
Pecan or walnut pieces<br />
Chopped cranberries or other dried fruit<br />
Chopped crystallised ginger<br />
A few squares of very dark chocolate<br />
Other goodies <br />
<br />
Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4 and line or grease a square/oblong cake tin/pyrex dish.<br />
- Sift the flour, cocoa and spices (if using) into the tin. Add the almonds (if using) and sugar and stir to combine.<br />
- Mark out three parallel grooves in the mixture. Add the oil to one, the vinegar to the next and the flavoured essence to the third.<br />
- Pour over the 200ml cold water, then carefully stir everything together until well mixed, ensuring you get into the corners.<br />
- If adding topping, sprinkle over the mixture your combination of nuts/fruit/ginger.<br />
- Bake for about 20-25 minutes and leave in the tin on a wire rack to cool.<br />
- If you are going for chocolate, melt your squares and flick across the cake using a teaspoon to create a Jackson Pollock-alike pud. Leave to set then cut into slices and have with a hot beverage.<br />
<br />
You can do anything with this cake. If you use the chocolate version and add just a small amount of ground almonds, it becomes a slightly gooier affair. I've made a couple of nice variations recently, one almond, with flaked almonds, cranberries and chocolate topping. The other, chocolate, with cinnamon and nutmeg added to the flour, and cranberries and pecan topping. And the ginger one above of course, which is about to get munched.<br />
<br />
Ooh and lastly, recently my mother made a batch of biscuits which made the biologist in me smile, as they reminded me of either cells with jammy nuclei, or honeycomb with jammy larvae...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0dCnY-7Jfz04Pxw03a6r_GjbFvaeBR1EiXj0z2jSV_bA3VxaGhS7B5p5ppHo09lSr5TrJEViHOrFyM4Qk6ndqwFQnBfH3GP8Tjk1oUky5aj596-pEnRqP10M_cFr6CIO0xryE47BTYck/s1600/cell+biscuits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0dCnY-7Jfz04Pxw03a6r_GjbFvaeBR1EiXj0z2jSV_bA3VxaGhS7B5p5ppHo09lSr5TrJEViHOrFyM4Qk6ndqwFQnBfH3GP8Tjk1oUky5aj596-pEnRqP10M_cFr6CIO0xryE47BTYck/s320/cell+biscuits.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmm, organelles in my biscuit!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Now light is creeping back into the days, and I've seen some Roe deer brazenly browsing the neighbour's field at two in the afternoon, there might even be a few more ecology related posts in the near future... watching for Spring.muffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812585945670166540noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2405736807701999182.post-60445210780343805582011-01-30T14:59:00.006+00:002011-01-30T16:42:45.219+00:00Into Africa.....Hey everyone,<br />
<br />
apologies for the non-foodiness of this post but I though I'd give you an update on me boffin training. I'll be heading out to India on the 2nd March to see Radhika for a couple of weeks then it will be onwards to Kenya on the 21st! Radi will be joining me in April :)<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipx2-JUTaxGxBYN8leLSUcH5w455mxMRew1mfboiLU4ARBN3IhDhxYXX5fOtPyBoKaGV-gLwODvel8QUS7hhQRnv2QtbiQf1nqQ7tH36bwEUC2hiaXmQwu5bRBw2VPmSBJF6d7qHp3_lw/s1600/3-2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567996471360303826" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipx2-JUTaxGxBYN8leLSUcH5w455mxMRew1mfboiLU4ARBN3IhDhxYXX5fOtPyBoKaGV-gLwODvel8QUS7hhQRnv2QtbiQf1nqQ7tH36bwEUC2hiaXmQwu5bRBw2VPmSBJF6d7qHp3_lw/s320/3-2.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" /></a>First I'll do a taxonomic placement at National Museums Kenya so I can identify Kenya bees and common pest taxa (how many species can there be in an equatorial tropical country?). Then I'll be living and working with an institute called <a href="http://www.icipe.org/" style="font-style: italic;">icipe</a> based in Nairobi.<br />
<br />
Fieldwork will be the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taita_Hills">Taita Hills</a>, a biodiversity hotspot part of the Eastern Arc Mountains to the south of Tsavo National Park. We're going to try to piggyback on a big Finnish project that's using altitudinal gradients as a space for time substitution to investigate and model potential impacts of global climate change. I'm hoping to work with pollinators and natural enemies of crop pests in avocado orchards, yum!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4B_1tKPcIp1JfpwWOxSBQEBctNhQOoOdWjwaKRBSuXRH0XS65-nsOPQ1n6uYcwQ_K4nS0ESmeleYlwAJqiY_Gyw7stC3Q2XRCz1Ksx5znCbsUreId0j6IQiSJ8-2OsOZwoMsDHZiqGQk/s1600/Taita_forestFragment_Jun2010_Photo_L_Wagura.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567995136106347042" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4B_1tKPcIp1JfpwWOxSBQEBctNhQOoOdWjwaKRBSuXRH0XS65-nsOPQ1n6uYcwQ_K4nS0ESmeleYlwAJqiY_Gyw7stC3Q2XRCz1Ksx5znCbsUreId0j6IQiSJ8-2OsOZwoMsDHZiqGQk/s400/Taita_forestFragment_Jun2010_Photo_L_Wagura.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 255px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>I'll try to keep you posted of any opportunities regarding fieldwork in Kenya and if anyone is really desperate to get out of the UK I could help develop some funding applications.<br />
<br />
There are plans afoot for a gathering on the penultimate weekend of February ask Muffin McMinihen for the details if you want to come along.<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><br />
</span><span style="font-size: 180%; font-weight: bold;">Pedro</span><br />
<br />
here's a recipe I enjoyed over christmas:<br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/griddledartichokeand_91479" style="font-weight: bold;">Griddled artichoke and red onion paella</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"></span><br />
<h1 class="fn bordered "><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/images/food_16x9_448/recipes/griddledartichokeand_91479_16x9.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/images/food_16x9_448/recipes/griddledartichokeand_91479_16x9.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 184px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 323px;" /></a></h1><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Roald Dalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13071050258863579837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2405736807701999182.post-88615823165418816412011-01-27T20:25:00.012+00:002011-02-01T13:12:30.425+00:00A Wilmot Winter<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Mr Wilmot and I love a good free-food forage, but what could be better than having a supply of mushrooms in our own home? We mused upon this prospect last spring, after meeting a delightful mushroom farmer in a market in Bath, who almost agreed to take me on as an apprentice. His infectious enthusiasm for the profession (combined with his amazing hat and even more amazing variety of produce) seemed to entice me towards a simple existence cultivating fungi.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566968249716781874" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMHq2NckB06kUmPdAGCfuy6N_YqFDGgy781AI02vZu_M4YpjlhHBt8Hc_YyO0EM5C1WgfLxkx4kd5fq4uOBpxpj8BCyMGc8iztjnoXd0qkbmFfRUmT7hP1Qn5__t3BuCywFlQBYn-rJnU/s320/Bath.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 214px;" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span">This, combined with the risk of fatal poisoning wild foraging presented, made me more determined to try and grown my own. But as a summer of elderflower-related distractions came and went, and autumn brought with it new experiments with rosehip syrup, I’d almost forgotten about the mushroom farming dream come winter. Until, lo and behold, a “mushroom kit” arrived on the doorstep shortly after Christmas; Mr Wilmot was keen to put our vague musings into action.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">Chestnut, white button and shiitake varieties were waiting, to be covered with soil before being transferred to a warm, dark boiler cupboard. Attending to moisture levels regularly, we waited for the mycelium to grow through the soil, and for the tiny mushrooms to appear at the tray edges. A watched mushroom tray never sprouts, and after what seemed like weeks of wondering what we’d done wrong, suddenly the silky smooth chestnut caps appeared and ballooned, and the tray on the windowsill started sprouting shiitake practically overnight, which grew larger, it seemed, by the hour.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">Our minds soon turned to what to do with these home-grown delicacies. It would have been rude not to attempt my favourite of all creations, the mighty mushroom risotto, but it was the simple stir fry that surprised us most. In absence of white wine for the risotto, a good slug of rich port gave it an almost magical pale purple colour, and the shiitake (added fairly near the end, after ladlefuls of stock) gave it a delicious flavour. To recreate the risotto, you’ll need:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">Arborio risotto rice (a large mug’s worth will feed 1 giant or two little ladies)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">A few shallots</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">A small glass of port</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">A sprinkle of tarragon</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">A stock of vegan Swiss marigold bouillon, with a big teaspoon of miso brown rice paste mixed in (a good few teacups worth will be needed, depending on the quantity of rice)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">A big handful of shiitake mushrooms</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">Half an aubergine (or whatever else you have to bulk it up a bit)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">Chop the shallots finely and sweat in butter for a few minutes, before adding the Arborio until the grains become translucent. Add port and leave to simmer until adsorbed, before turning the heat down and addling ladlefuls of stock one by one, stirring frequently. Continue stirring and ladling for twenty minutes, before adding shiitake, diced aubergine and tarragon for the last ten to fifteen minutes of cooking time. Try to leave the pan to rest a few minutes before serving, but don’t expect hungry boys to wait!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">For the simple stir-fry, we combined the chestnut mushrooms with celery, broccoli, lemon juice, creamed coconut, tahini, light soy sauce and miso paste, to create a fragrant yet subtle medley of flavours. Served with light noodles it’s an almost virtuous health-giving feast for winter nights. Mushroom fans take note – cultivating these perfectly formed little beauties was so effortless it made our fairly easy-going vegetable patch seem like hard graft. There’s really nothing quite like eating your own home-grown ‘shrooms.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566965566226833666" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicIQQh7rIkuef2ktt1v9xnLp-e-1xlaWTDt7H3ho-Nl4q6CZWydDGmns4e9qbYswmaAFCiLfqIpeeAmO52z3T1vu81qHnNO5C-vwqbuW6GL3c8Q-bM35W0HowekBI5P0ep8az23ImKwKo/s320/Winter2010+028.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></div>Mrs Teacuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12577044607101130181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2405736807701999182.post-44997515508263274502011-01-27T01:52:00.001+00:002011-01-31T11:48:17.134+00:00The Bleak Midwinter<img align="left" alt="J" src="http://jhische.com/dailydropcap/J-12-cap.png" title="Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische" />ust as the memory of the icing white valley has faded, it seems right to write about the snow. Winter arrived with a vengeance, blanketing every branch, rock and tangle of vegetation in my garden, and everywhere else, with cold cotton wool. In those frozen days of tumbling pedestrians and plaintive birdsong I decided to follow the advice of some lovely birdy boys (DN, Gareth and PTM) and have an avian baking session. And so the seedy muffins made their appearance.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEKaWDDqhXb8jIXvElrdWkLuNvWZwAyt5AvCTz-GUkwZ2ncBebrm2Wilx5Telohi8f7lcecWktXW6IrbtcSgxXjIf2TsNXpek9bWWXxRpbOOaG0kJNWcBDhdrvpQebw0e0vz6Ym_FK09c/s1600/seedy+muffins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEKaWDDqhXb8jIXvElrdWkLuNvWZwAyt5AvCTz-GUkwZ2ncBebrm2Wilx5Telohi8f7lcecWktXW6IrbtcSgxXjIf2TsNXpek9bWWXxRpbOOaG0kJNWcBDhdrvpQebw0e0vz6Ym_FK09c/s320/seedy+muffins.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everyone loves a seedy muffin...</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>This highly technical recipe required:<br />
<br />
Some wild bird seed<br />
Some suet<br />
A handful of currants<br />
<br />
Melt the suet and stir in the seed and currants before dolloping into muffin cases and leaving to set. In some I put a loop of string so they could be hung on branches. Others I left without to break up and leave on the sundial for those who prefer to hop. <br />
<br />
In December I spent a long weekend in Brussels, which while providing the Belgian culinary delights of frites, waffles and chocolate breasts (yes, really) did not offer much in the way of natural history diversions. This was until I took a chilly morning walk in one of the parks, where the air was rent with the screeches of Indian Ringnecked Parakeets (<i>Psittacula krameri</i>). I watched several frequent visitors to a cosy looking nesty hole, chuckling to myself as a curious beak emerged from its gloom, while the local joggers gave me a wide berth.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQWYacQeIgqNW0xEg5JeoTJML0tiejVsHgxvPktWrrn1kG2MAhyZmZpPeiJSoECnX8q1dNmqYrDDhJjt8PyXRjSjIF8C1e-i2f3KHnE3PCXV9BDDwlAF37vKTrp30lLRyFwoVXhtXLkdc/s1600/Belgian+bird.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQWYacQeIgqNW0xEg5JeoTJML0tiejVsHgxvPktWrrn1kG2MAhyZmZpPeiJSoECnX8q1dNmqYrDDhJjt8PyXRjSjIF8C1e-i2f3KHnE3PCXV9BDDwlAF37vKTrp30lLRyFwoVXhtXLkdc/s320/Belgian+bird.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The only green in the trees that day</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Back to the Yorkshire chill, and the unusual discoveries one makes as the weather laughs in the face of the memory of summer. We have a tunnel in our garden, which leads to a spring under the hillside. One morning, wandering about in the snow I noticed some interesting icy formations that had popped up along the floor of said tunnel. On closer inspection these phallic sentries were relatives of the stalactites and stalagmites of more adventurous caves. In school geography lessons some people get taught how to remember the different between these as 'Tites hold on tight, and mites might reach the top'. My school teacher had a different phrase, he said all he needed to know was that 'Tights come down'. Ahem.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzBAWC6fYfkfy9nkWM_sVwtCvBaiAnF16IQ13zNwHBI2BWiRAmIwXO7hSwZQomXnE1B1OYwtjONXDSAHVeEJ6uaMekReEXUPopGFyiRlMiM78iRT-O5fe-XBcQM6yZirgqXYcvcPM5ufM/s1600/Ice+tite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzBAWC6fYfkfy9nkWM_sVwtCvBaiAnF16IQ13zNwHBI2BWiRAmIwXO7hSwZQomXnE1B1OYwtjONXDSAHVeEJ6uaMekReEXUPopGFyiRlMiM78iRT-O5fe-XBcQM6yZirgqXYcvcPM5ufM/s320/Ice+tite.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Icemites</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The festive season called for a festive addition to my crumble repertoire, and this has been the favourite combination of the last couple of months, created on a weekend spent with PTM and Shelby:<br />
<br />
<b>Topping</b><br />
Oats<br />
Flour<br />
Butter or magarine<br />
Demerara sugar<br />
Cinnamon<br />
Broken up walnut pieces<br />
<br />
<b>Fruit</b><br />
3 cooking apples<br />
~ 12-15 dates<br />
A handful of sultanas<br />
~ 1tsp cinnamon<br />
~ 1tsp nutmeg<br />
~ 1/2tsp ginger or mixed spice<br />
Grated rind of 1-2 clementines<br />
Juice of 2 clementines<br />
~ 2 capfuls of dark rum<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 180C/Gas 4.<br />
- I tend to part-cook the fruit before assembling the crumble. Peel and chop your apples and put in a pan with the chopped dates, sultanas, spices, clementine peel and juice. Cook over a low heat for about 15 minutes until the fruit has softened, but not turned to mush. Stir through the rum and transfer to your crumble dish.<br />
- Meanwhile make the topping by combining the flour, oats and cinnamon. Rub in the butter with your fingertips, so it becomes like coarse breadcrumbs. Stir through the sugar and walnuts, adding a little more butter if it seems too dusty. Add the topping to your fruit mixture.<br />
- Cook for about 30-40 minutes. Custard, yoghurt, cream or ice-cream all go well with it. Not that I've tried of course...<br />
<br />
Christmas is often a time that my family and I pad ourselves out with copious layers of clothing and venture out onto the hills to see how long we can last before losing feeling in our toes. This year it wasn't long, and I thought the best way to convey the bleakness was probably a picture. Note some <i>Juncus </i>(<i>effusus </i>probably?<i>) </i>in the foreground, it's all the ecology I can muster from this photo.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkJREekOzLLn4f9Pxri07gO4-lkHd1pg2XmFy_mh_xajBldelZeg7kvKRCHWZRkd1SdNlAVHzb0G7kQJWQmPididB1NvrRKfLTj4RcoRpFxNQfC7HijVumB2b5yMHZh_88sgXgRG6V8ns/s1600/Juncus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkJREekOzLLn4f9Pxri07gO4-lkHd1pg2XmFy_mh_xajBldelZeg7kvKRCHWZRkd1SdNlAVHzb0G7kQJWQmPididB1NvrRKfLTj4RcoRpFxNQfC7HijVumB2b5yMHZh_88sgXgRG6V8ns/s320/Juncus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wuthering heights... below Stoodley Pike</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavM_gcOWbiCA0E_2nRxHozJoiSQUhQe5vD7iFkxMKw2vjaOJlKTVJbN_8B9_9mmtIEAT0CxNJQ7KpP8xZ9faB8pOQYp3TzASxAWINz-__P9Qu86bd6fskrdcuGUflgBQ0tqluLj7KyWY/s1600/nice+ice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavM_gcOWbiCA0E_2nRxHozJoiSQUhQe5vD7iFkxMKw2vjaOJlKTVJbN_8B9_9mmtIEAT0CxNJQ7KpP8xZ9faB8pOQYp3TzASxAWINz-__P9Qu86bd6fskrdcuGUflgBQ0tqluLj7KyWY/s320/nice+ice.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Impromptu ice sculpture atop Great Rock</td></tr>
</tbody></table>On a brighter note, I did receive a wonderful gift from my sister this year, it's what every wannabe ecologist dreams of...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCCL0GsT745jN6i_sq0aUKVfav0bj3kUyWKBhyZ3o4KPc_insMcI1GEGwueDLVg1Cpjnv8auv10My_Y9xQmQa5zfzJ7g90xrwpm7LKP50aajmzU-XLXX0cwGG98_nRvPP5P4yiq_d8MA/s1600/Eco+plaster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCCL0GsT745jN6i_sq0aUKVfav0bj3kUyWKBhyZ3o4KPc_insMcI1GEGwueDLVg1Cpjnv8auv10My_Y9xQmQa5zfzJ7g90xrwpm7LKP50aajmzU-XLXX0cwGG98_nRvPP5P4yiq_d8MA/s320/Eco+plaster.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eco-plaster with <i>Amanita muscaria</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>A rather retro dessert was the pinnacle of our culinary creativity over New Year, after about 15 years of thinking about it, my sister and I finally made a Baked Alaska. It was hot, and cold, and really really good.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeJ86giwyDOySjpqfGcL8VKVlosm9BUwwBVWnxyOus8sf2K87IqroQyFD1MEjSMFmlxXfL8wYo6tikTH1QJ72LEtdW1triSXaiGXfZ3VLgsdo9XciAvCABwW-CKq7fxEykBpFOYnuI-oQ/s1600/Alaska.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeJ86giwyDOySjpqfGcL8VKVlosm9BUwwBVWnxyOus8sf2K87IqroQyFD1MEjSMFmlxXfL8wYo6tikTH1QJ72LEtdW1triSXaiGXfZ3VLgsdo9XciAvCABwW-CKq7fxEykBpFOYnuI-oQ/s320/Alaska.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snowy dome of gooey goodness</td></tr>
</tbody></table>To repeat this meringue monstrosity try:<br />
<br />
A medium flan case<br />
500ml tub ice cream of your choice<br />
Some frozen raspberries<br />
3 egg whites<br />
175g caster sugar<br />
Some flaked almonds<br />
<br />
First prepare the ice cream pyramid.<br />
- Line a pudding bowl with cling film and fill with the ice cream and frozen raspberries, pressing to the edges of the bowl. Turn out the bowl into the flan case and leave to set in the freezer for about three hours.<br />
- When ready to eat, preheat the oven to 220C/Gas 7.<br />
- Whisk the egg whites until stiff, then gradually add the sugar, whisking continuously until it is a thick, glossy meringue.<br />
- To assemble, put the flan case on a lined baking tray and spoon the meringue over the top. Spread so it covers all of the ice cream and case, then sprinkle the almonds over it.<br />
- Bake for 7-8 minutes until browned, then dust with icing sugar and eat immediately.<br />
<br />
And now, commence waiting for a verdant spring.muffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812585945670166540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2405736807701999182.post-40923620938914749162011-01-20T12:23:00.001+00:002011-01-27T22:49:11.640+00:00A Yorkshire Autumn<img align="left" alt="L" src="http://jhische.com/dailydropcap/L-5-cap.png" title="Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische" />ast autumn sowed the seed of the Battenberg's voyage, as I introduced Pedro and Radish to my little corner of Yorkshire. Our wanderings took us to tea shops, through woodlands to hilltops and to kitchen tables. The spell of unemployment took me to recipe books and experimental afternoons with the Aga. One particularly glorious day, well supplied with snacks, we three headed to Hardcastle Crags, a wooded valley extending to moorland, owned by The National Trust. Many stepping stones, funny looks from dog walkers and ginger beer in the Pack Horse pub later, we'd found huge ant solaria, flowering Cowberry (<i>Vaccinium vitis-idaea</i>) and Crowberry (<i>Empetrum nigrum</i>) and many fungi, including a bank of moss cushioning numerous puffballs of some sort. We also came across a teepee made of branches and bracken. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipsJ4Q4XBkZy329iq0tHd6ENcnwHS5Nb7gLIIryHyc_XYni4tq5mktNYpzYap7VBU9aZwP6LD5oC5qhS6b1WhUfjbswgw0h2bElKJ-CxIGpzLAWfYldhCUmJQ1X0ezYOy3OcGD3SYwFUA/s1600/Ant+Shadow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipsJ4Q4XBkZy329iq0tHd6ENcnwHS5Nb7gLIIryHyc_XYni4tq5mktNYpzYap7VBU9aZwP6LD5oC5qhS6b1WhUfjbswgw0h2bElKJ-CxIGpzLAWfYldhCUmJQ1X0ezYOy3OcGD3SYwFUA/s320/Ant+Shadow.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Northern Hairy Wood Ant (<i>Formica lugubris</i>)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuyyt2uHYzs13erZmW0bTgq6toW1ZX-xbxAIem9jFAi7sNOIBzkGKaS4Pri2EKxymLnUyCJhZK4qLdz608LOgwcqqDYfz1ikKOT2UnMs5X0gIF2_g5UkvDcnsSFe3_hvpFRprxH0pjdMU/s1600/Purple+Fungi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuyyt2uHYzs13erZmW0bTgq6toW1ZX-xbxAIem9jFAi7sNOIBzkGKaS4Pri2EKxymLnUyCJhZK4qLdz608LOgwcqqDYfz1ikKOT2UnMs5X0gIF2_g5UkvDcnsSFe3_hvpFRprxH0pjdMU/s320/Purple+Fungi.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unidentified purple velvety fungi - any ideas?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Tidying up the garden I salvaged the old lavender flowers from the compost's clutches and decided to try making lavender shortbread to welcome my sister home for a short visit. It was lovely, and floral baking will be making a reappearance in my kitchen when the flowers reappear in the garden.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKsZjH5A2hN8pOOl2FWxBm6sGN269Wuqb7epk3XS2K0agck-SXSSlxTsB-37ag5Z1a0gVKQAMghG4v2rp2FOXRovufKs-FLfnyehO_ZI0PPWFMW7gaq0vaXkXAu2GBbR8q-vRS0VZpTo/s1600/Lavendar+Shortbread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKsZjH5A2hN8pOOl2FWxBm6sGN269Wuqb7epk3XS2K0agck-SXSSlxTsB-37ag5Z1a0gVKQAMghG4v2rp2FOXRovufKs-FLfnyehO_ZI0PPWFMW7gaq0vaXkXAu2GBbR8q-vRS0VZpTo/s320/Lavendar+Shortbread.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Purple sparkly sugar is perfectly respectable </td></tr>
</tbody></table>After stripping the most appetising flowers from their stalks I roughly ground them in a pestle and used this recipe:<br />
<br />
250g very soft slightly salted butter<br />
250g plain flour<br />
75g mixed cornflower and semolina (just what I had left)<br />
70g golden granulated sugar<br />
~ 2tsp ground lavender flowers (more or less to taste)<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 160C/Gas 3 and line a 6x10 inch glass dish with baking paper. If you use a smaller dish it'll take longer to cook....<br />
- Mix butter, sugar and lavender.<br />
- Sift flour and cornflower/semolina onto butter and lightly mix until a smooth dough is formed.<br />
- Press the dough into the prepared dish until vaguely even. Bake for about 30 minutes until top and bottom are both light brown.<br />
- Cool in the dish, cut when just warm but remove when completely cold.<br />
- Decorate with what you will, we used Divine dark chocolate, small purple elephants and purple sugar.<br />
<br />
In October my father spent a week at a conference discussing sustainable food and gender in Italy. While he was there he learnt to make gnocchi from an Italian grandmother, and when he returned we spent a morning learning from him and feasting on the tiny dumplings for lunch.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBc3Mo9ulUbcCTDgtsN1I8iHx1HwHqn8LZcfH_UXiRIC7-8nJNY898Y3XwgUp4d5RjxKZzFLxvDAg8PD0_V68Om8v-10yaQJ7pg1ZyP3b3YR92alUlkYLs_sLgWNeTRxtIEI1S7aWVB3A/s1600/Gnocchi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBc3Mo9ulUbcCTDgtsN1I8iHx1HwHqn8LZcfH_UXiRIC7-8nJNY898Y3XwgUp4d5RjxKZzFLxvDAg8PD0_V68Om8v-10yaQJ7pg1ZyP3b3YR92alUlkYLs_sLgWNeTRxtIEI1S7aWVB3A/s320/Gnocchi.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gnocchi with cherry tomato sauce</td></tr>
</tbody></table>All you need to make them are some starchy potatoes and plain flour.<br />
<br />
- Boil your potatoes until soft, drain and allow to cool completely.<br />
- Next you have to get them into a useable form for kneading, which technically means using a potato ricer. We didn't have one, so used a rotary cheese grater, but I think a normal grater would work too. So, rice or grate your potatoes into a big pile on a floured work surface. <br />
- Now you shake some flour onto your pile of potato and start kneading. Flour must be added and the dough kneaded until it no longer feels sticky, but is instead bouncy and you can feel it stretch slightly. This will probably take a while, maybe 15-20mins.<br />
- When you're happy and no longer sticky, split your dough into three or four and using the flat of your hand roll each portion into a long thin sausage shape. When it's a couple of centimetres in diameter, use a sharp knife to cut small dumpling portions.<br />
- The gnocchi need to be thoroughly floured when then have been cut, so they do not stick together, and laid on a tray for a couple of hours to dry out.<br />
- When you are ready to eat, drop the gnocchi into a pan of boiling water, and remove as they float to the surface, which will take a couple of minutes. <br />
- We ate ours with a sauce of cherry tomatoes cooked in a little olive oil and torn basil. <br />
- Any uncooked gnocchi you don't need, freeze and save for a midnight dumpling picnic in midwinter.<br />
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October offered a great deal of baking opportunity this year, and feeling especially childlike on All Hallow's Eve my sister and I made a lot of very garish creepy crawly biscuits. We did supplement this with a slightly more mature, dairy free pumpkin pie, made with butternut squash. It still had a spider on it though.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-GWsXfYI8nc8Jv1zNBPZld42yBaI4gAnwa5nVfHIukRbVdiS0pnruH_GMd53MUICnVbSmunsgNZuFAKrxESBYfSygxzi-F9KtLbcHIPGfKAUOWdq3a8-l_YQ_5Ej35cOw8zMRlUUPdwE/s1600/bat+biscuits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-GWsXfYI8nc8Jv1zNBPZld42yBaI4gAnwa5nVfHIukRbVdiS0pnruH_GMd53MUICnVbSmunsgNZuFAKrxESBYfSygxzi-F9KtLbcHIPGfKAUOWdq3a8-l_YQ_5Ej35cOw8zMRlUUPdwE/s320/bat+biscuits.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bats in my biscuit tin</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ523U-7VBDj9StTAzGcWPl-XfWaJ3FHKbIRZswSwX4AuCPx0lkTAvX0cozCFfDrVkJGtz3k8B8EGDgHedIoR6LBvEWDLjhxLzleLgD9WmtHtpZDZdDIydNCNYbDtdxFIe-v8SnkDX12o/s1600/pumpkin+pie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ523U-7VBDj9StTAzGcWPl-XfWaJ3FHKbIRZswSwX4AuCPx0lkTAvX0cozCFfDrVkJGtz3k8B8EGDgHedIoR6LBvEWDLjhxLzleLgD9WmtHtpZDZdDIydNCNYbDtdxFIe-v8SnkDX12o/s320/pumpkin+pie.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A pumpkin stares into the future</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Autumn slowly crumpled towards winter, and ice appeared on the inside windowpanes in November. Watching the icicles melt one morning I was surprised to see a disorientated and dozy wasp basking in the early sun on my windowsill. I have his photograph, but we haven't stayed in touch. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Oyfzp-Ork8bcDmP4z-laTkNFPBP5ghoWtFPIDlLn-dA2vani3d3aDP8beDzEas0XypHV_HoakVKU2VIQqAm3_7Pqige_wJ2eXtfh1MMjNU8KiSKwFlTn2t_xEI5tZxknYXnymuJr06o/s1600/wasp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Oyfzp-Ork8bcDmP4z-laTkNFPBP5ghoWtFPIDlLn-dA2vani3d3aDP8beDzEas0XypHV_HoakVKU2VIQqAm3_7Pqige_wJ2eXtfh1MMjNU8KiSKwFlTn2t_xEI5tZxknYXnymuJr06o/s320/wasp.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hairy, but is that enough to keep warm?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>And then, it was winter.muffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812585945670166540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2405736807701999182.post-53847633089274559722011-01-19T23:38:00.000+00:002011-01-19T23:38:45.060+00:00The Beginning<img align="left" alt="O" src="http://jhische.com/dailydropcap/O-7-cap.png" title="Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische" />nce upon an early autumn afternoon, a small flock of ecologists gathered over several cups of tea and slices of cake. Their gently rambling conversation revealed several significant truths. That they loved natural history, eco-geekery and adventures. That they loved to eat. And that they also loved to cook, bake and share food. <br />
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Another certainty emerged that day. Their lives were about to take them in many disparate directions, across the globe, across ecology and across the culinary world. They wanted to share their stories wherever they were, and what better way to do so than the newfangled medium of a blog. It would combine their enthusiasm for baked goods and bird boasts. And invertebrates, plants, fungi, mammals and all other specks of life. <br />
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Discussion and laughter led to a plethora of puns involving ecology and cake. Finally 'The Voyage of the Battenberg' was settled upon. A bit of Darwin, a bit of adventure and a bit of a classic teatime treat. The road to Battenberg was long and arduous and it only seemed right to share the wondrous words that fell by the wayside:<br />
Do Penguins Eat Cake?<br />
Where The Wild Mushrooms Are<br />
Bats In My Baking Tin<br />
The Blind Cakebaker<br />
My Kitchen And Other Animals<br />
The Decent Of Flan<br />
On The Origins Of Cake<br />
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So the few have Battenberged down the hatches and all that's needed now is a crew...muffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812585945670166540noreply@blogger.com0