Journal and barley biscuits

So today, I was looking at a twitter feed which had a pic of the writer's current day, in her planner, complete with drawings, plans, thoughts, rather typically wordy as in writer.  And I thought, self, you haven't done an illustrated journal in yay these many months, why not give yourself one of the books you made, just a little one will do, and make an entry?

No sooner said than done.  And I have little fear that anyone can actually read this, my writing having once been described by my boss, an Egyptologist, as reminding him of Minoan Linear B.  That's one of the writings that has still not been deciphered.

 I should interrupt myself here to say that a neighbor moving out left one of those plastic three drawer storage things at the dumpster. Perfect timing, just as I was unloading the crates from my recent workshops and general bookmaking materials.  All stuffed in any old way, not good.  

So the storage unit is now cleaned up, and filled with my raw materials, organized for the first time.  In the course of doing which I found more finished books I'd forgotten about making, as well as the makings for some others, which may become this summer's plein air paper carrying things. And I have a large empty crate which may go out.  Before it gets all filled up again.

Here's one of the small books I forgot. 

Very simple, just a greeting card filled with good paper, pamphlet stitched, edges rounded, small for putting in purse.  And the small page is about as far as I felt like going. 

Not a journal keeper usually, I sometimes do a few days or more in a journal with drawings and ideas, then I lie down and the mood passes.  But it's an occasional fun thing to do.

As is baking the last of my barley flour (on the subject of crazes, readers might remember the frenzy of flour-making using my coffee grinder?  I do grind spices etc in it, but made flour from walnuts, almonds, chickpeas, lentils, barley, oatmeal and probably other things I've forgotten.)  Anyway, I had this barley flour left over, just pearl barley ground up, and finally put it to use making a batch of hot biscuits; the flour was half and half barley and unbleached ap.

Barley flour doesn't take up the liquid like other flours, so you have quite a wet dough, best baked as one big biscuit then cut with a pizza cutter once finished.  It's a nice flavored, sort of grainy textured flour, browns nicely. Also needs 12 minutes rather than 10 because of the relative wetness of the dough.  But it does come out light.   And it works with jam or with your breakfast egg, or with practically anything that requires a bready accompaniment.  Which for me is practically anything.