Chair yoga to wake with and national flag stew, white rabbits and Brigid

White rabbits and happy Brigid's Day. She seems to be the patron saint of just about anything you need. 

A bit of an overachiever, if you ask me.. started out as a pagan goddess, appropriated as a Catholic saint and protector of Ireland, put in charge of fiber and crafts, all sorts of jobs. That's like being First Lady and Secretary of State and Senator... Yes Hillary did all that.

Edith Holden on February 

If any of my fair maids came up this year, they're under there, a foot of snow. They can come up, bloom and fade, all under snow.  

Twenty minutes of chair yoga is more activity than you might think, but a great idea when you're stiff and chilly on a Sunday winter morning.

It's nicely paced with breathing included in the instructions, always a good thing.

And lunch was a quick stew which reminded me of some national flag. With garlic toast.

I'm reading a mystery where Queen Liz the Two is the detective. There's a series, and this one's at Sandringham, near the Norfolk coast.  

I just got through all the Ruth Galloways set on the same coast, I seem to be in a geographical rut.  This one's really good, funny and fast moving. 

And I completely missed a great online presentation on kilims, through having fallen asleep just before it began. So, sorry, you have no textiles to marvel at today.

Happy day everyone, do what you can, nap if you must. All good.

Spanish stew and two, count them, memorial plantings

Yesterday I tried a Spanish recipe from  Spain on a Fork, the YouTube channel, chickpea stew, which has a posh Spanish name, too.

I had to make stock first, using the clippings in the freezer, which included parsley stems, good because it was an ingredient which I didn't have.

It's an interesting series of steps, from toasting blanched almonds with garlic,  pounding to a paste,  grating tomatoes, here I used green ones from Gary,  not a quick recipe, more one where you enjoy the process.

Stock simmering, and almonds in boiling water ready to blanch 

Almonds and garlic with scallions sauteing 

Almonds, garlic, salt, basil, pounded together then tomatoes added then chickpeas 

Simmered for 25 minutes 

I had to sub a bit, scallions and fresh basil for parsley, green tomatoes for red, because it's what I had.

And it turned out so much more full of flavor than I'd expected, just great. Definitely to make again. Sprig of basil on top.

This recipe made three large bowls or more helpings if you're serving sides. In the absence of crusty bread to mop up all the liquid, I used a spoon.

Then I had the energy to do the snowdrop plantings, small but emotionally very taxing.

It turned into two memorials because I got an invitation to the memorial lunch for the friend who died right at the time Irene died. Can't risk an indoor gathering with no masks because of food, in flu season, so I made a substitute.

I let the hostess know I would dedicate one group of flowers to her sister, the other to mine. She's very happy about this. My front door, where Diane's flowers will be, is in sight of the house a third sister lived in, another close friend who allowed me to help when she was dying at home. There's a history. 

Then I planted the other group on the patio where I'll see them from the sofa.

Front door group 

Ground turned ready at the front door 

Here's the deck out back 

On left, seen between the houseplants 

On left next to the lavender plant the front door group. I sent this picture to Diane's sister.

After this I retired to the sofa for a cup of tea,a paneer cookie, and a little cry.

Just two small areas but in January they'll start sending up the first flowers of the year.

Happy day everyone, plant, and live,  in hope,