Soaking breakfast overnight

Glass after 2hrs soaking in water (hard to see but the water is in there).

Another food photo for Liz (better late than never) I typically soak my seeds/nuts/grain mixtures overnight (at cool room temp or in the fridge if it's too hot) and top up with water as needed. Next day enjoy as raw porridge, as lightly cooked porridge (lovely with fresh fruit added), added to smoothies or drained of any water and used in salads. Full of goodness, particularly if you don't heat it. And packed with protein, for those who think you can't get protein without eating meat.

Food (for Liz)

Hi Liz, it's all very well offering to make you food but you might want to see it first so here a a couple of pics of yesterday's food and ingredients. Most things tend not to get photographed because I'm too busy scoffing, or have made too much mess, but I'll try and document more when I can.

The granola is the only way I can get Mr P to be keen on oats and the refried beans and rice is a great base for then adding raw shredded veg to in the last minute so it gets a little bit limp but doesn't lose any flavour or nutrients. As you can see I only had a wee bit of Rainbow Chard, Tenderstem Broccoli and Spring Onions left, but it was very tasty. It's all organic, of course, and the rice is brown basmati, boiled the day before with saffron, cardamom and a bay leaf. The cannelini beans were slow cooked the day before in my hot box.

Berry coloured kitchen

Sorry for multiple reposts, Blogger is doing horrible things with my text, images and alignment, still trying to fix it so I'm fiddling with posts to monitor changes.

The Berry colours aren't just happening in the garden, they are in the kitchen too with raspberries and beetroot being the main glorious culprits in the making of smoothies, hummus, and all manner of finger staining delights. This particular one (above) was long, dark and quite woody, not juicy like the big round ones I use in salads (shown below), so I was blending into things where the other ingredients would stand out more, like elderflower, aronia and raspberry frosted smoothie, and raspberry ginger pear and coconut milk ice cream (not shown, I ate it too quickly).

Novel Foods Act - Mesquite, Chia, Stevia

Raspberry & Beetroot smoothie with Strawberry, Aronia,
Date, Prune, Cranberry, Viola, Acai and Spinach.

All I wanted was Mesquite powder for my smoothie, is that too much to ask? Apparently it is because I live in the UK where it's been classed as a 'Novel Food'. “A novel food is defined as a food or food ingredient that does not have a significant history of consumption within the EU before 15 May 1997.” FSA. The act was set up to deal with GM foods, but doesn't even relate to them now as they are covered by separate legislation, but it suits big business and pharmaceutical companies to keep these foods from eating into their markets. As with so many of these types of things it's all about politics and money. I hate that.


Pak Choi,and Pear smoothie with Maca, Cucumber & Celery.

It doesn't matter that people have been consuming Mesquite for 100's of years. Places that used to sell it online have, in the last few months, either stopped or are not allowed to sell it 'for human consumption'. It's all very frustrating, but my mood was lightened when I looked at the Detox Your World website who were selling mesquite but giving a suggestion list of what you can do with mesquite other than eat it. Brought a smile back to my face, and of course that's exactly what I'll do with it, I won't eat it, no, I certainly won't eat it (said the child in the berry patch with the purple stained face).

I'm sure we'll be allowed to it it again in time, just like we can now eat Goji berries again (which they put on the Novel foods list around 2004 despite people having eaten them from UK hedgerows since the 1700's). I think they are this year finally giving up their attempts to stop us eating Stevia and hopefully Chia will come soon, though until then we can watch with envy as Americans grow a wie and bizarre range of edible Chia pets, Chia Priesidents and even a Chia Mr T. I'm more partial to a Chia Mac...



Until then, we overprotected Europeans must search out places that will sell us these 'products' for storing in a jar and looking at longingly. I'm off to buy mine now, let's hope none of them spill into any of my meals!

Peppersmith Mints & Gums ( 20% off )

Mmmmm...

Seems there's a bit of a colour theme here of late, lots of yellow which coincides nicely with the arrival of a most delicious new tooth friendly mint from Peppersmith. Sicilian lemon & fine English peppermint Fresh Mints, they are bloomin' lovely, as are the Peppermint ones, but I have a particular weakness for anything with lemon in it (this week I'll be experimenting with Lemon Cornbread, I'll report back if it works). But back to the mints, like all their products they make them with good ingredients like xylitol and none of the nasties that are standard in most of the gums and mints out there. I'll let Peppersmith tell you about them in their own words:

'They’re made with the finest Sicilian lemons from the Femminello and Monachello varieties and picked from the superior winter crop. They also have a touch of our distinctive fine English peppermint, farmed in Hampshire, giving them a nice cooling freshness.

What’s more, accredited by the British Dental Health Foundation for being good for teeth, they actually help reduce the risk of plaque and tooth decay. And as you’d expect from us they’re free from artificial flavours, colours, preservatives and aspartame.'

No Aspartame. That's a huge selling point for me, it's why I stopped buying gum. Now I can have Peppermint or Spearmint, and they are developing a Cinnamon one which I can hardly wait to taste.

A good ethos twinned with good design always gets my attention so I can see myself being a long term customer, a few minutes nosey-ing around their website lets you see what they are all about. I'm quite nerdy about nice packaging and love both the box styles they have (one with a drawer, one with a flip top that catches to close) and they bring a sense of fun with a different moustachio'd movie star or historical figure inside to reflect the twin mint leaved 'moustache' of their logo. I also like the papers included to dispose of your used gum, so no more excuses for leaving it on the bus seat for me to sit on in my new jacket (15yrs on and I'm still annoyed about that).

So there you have it, Peppersmith, great products from great people, so great that they made a code for you to try them with 20% off, just type in CALLY when ordering from their E-buygum webshop, valid until 7th Aug 2011. You can also follow them on twitter and facebook or sign up for their newsletter to get product news and special offers, which is how I got hold of those delicious Lemon mints this week. Click here for stockists, or do what I did and ask your local health food shop or cafe to stock them (thanks Real Foods).

Orgran Gluten Free Cornbread

I'm hugely craving this today. Orgran Gluten Free Cornbread

Fresh out the oven with melting soya spread. Equally delicious the next day when I squished fresh over-ripe raspberries onto it, it made it taste like a raspberry sponge cake. But ever since I've been craving madly. I think it's a reaction to having increased my raw food intake to about 80%. The more I eat healthy vegetables the more I crave sugar, fats and carbs. Mmmm.

7 minutes of sky

July 8th 2008, 8.08pm to 8.15pm (click to enlarge)

A month ago I took pictures of the fast changing sky for seven minutes, these are just a few of them. It was like having a whole month of skies fly by in one ad break. Sky is all I seem to show you these days, but not being out much and not being on the internet either means sky is pretty much the best thing I see each day (not today, day 3 of grey skies and floods).

You probably guessed I've not been well. It takes a lot to stop me blogging. Still not ready to do regular posts but I thought I should update a bit, it's been over 2 weeks. One great piece of news is that my neighbour has asked me to plan her garden for her. When it is done I will be able to enjoy it too so I'm choosing plants for year round interest and going for lots of scents and varied foliage. It feels great to be able to apply my mind to something creative even though I can't do the physical making.

I've still not visited any of you and have taken to inventing stories in my head about what you might be doing, they are all very extravagant... I imagine Susan painting huge murals everywhere, Heather be commissioned to do pinhole wallpaper for a range of exclusive (but not pretentious) boutiques, Lisa collaborating with everyone I admire (oh wait, she's doing that already!), Anna suddenly moving to an island off Indonesia that is threatened by rising seas (not unlikely). I've had these thoughts about all of you who I normally visit. I'm especially thinking of those of you with aches, pains and chronic illness, you know who you all are, I hope you've been having more good days than bad.

Hectic days, sleepless nights

Sun, wind, showers, the gulls are loving it

Once again, I've neglected my blog. I've not even been checking comments, but I am trying to go through them today. And goodness only knows how many emails I've missed. I'll try and catch up a bit this week. For anyone wondering why I've been blog absent read on, for everyone else, some pictures from June.


Thalictrum at Malleny Gardens


Remnants of June

On the day I started to recover from my own infection, the cat began to succumb to one of his own and nearly died. It was awful, and with Mr P away for a week I had to manage all the vet trips myself. Given that I can't even get to the shops to buy my own food, this was somewhat of a challenge. Fortunately my stress levels got high enough that the adrenalin kicked in and helped me handle the travel, after a fashion. The vets got his temperature down after a few days and he finally ate and drank one week after stopping and he was able to come home before Mr P returned. He's still weak and has lost a lot of weight, but he can walk again and seems keen to keep an eye on his territory, though god forbid he gets into any fights at this stage. I bloody love that cat.


My tall Hebes are bursting with flowers for the bees

The nights when he wasn't here were awful, I couldn't sleep at all, and then when he was here I still couldn't sleep as I was so worried about him dying. Lots of tears, then lots of joy. Now that it's all over I'm completely wiped out and have had no oomph for blogging at all. Plus I seem to be having serious problems with my eyes. I'm a bit shocked how fast my sight has deteriorated in just 2 weeks so I'm guessing I'll have to get my eyes tested and start wearing specs. Hopefully that will sort things out. In my darker moments when the cat wasn't here I was planning what kind of art I would make if I went blind! I do get carried away with my thoughts, good or bad. Lucy also got the all clear from the vet, her lump was just a fatty cyst, nothing to worry about, and her wound is healing well.


Such a lovely background for wild flowers.

The perils of popcorn

Blogger won't let me upload images, not sure if it will even let me post this. I'll try again tomorrow. After 10 days of feeling extra awful I realised I had an abscess on my molar. The culprit was a piece of popcorn husk!

Once I realised what it was (when it was so hugely swollen that my self help brain kicked into action (finally!) and I made a mouthwash with diluted apple cider vinegar & geranium oil (because I had run out of Tea Tree oil) to kill the bacteria and sooth the pain which I used every 2 hours through the night. I also made pressed on a teaspoonful of sodium bicarbonate to draw out the nastiness.

By the time I saw the dentist the next day I had pretty much cleared it, except for the piece of popcorn. He said he would have given me anitbiotics if I'd come to them earlier, but that what I'd done had been really effective so there was no need for any medication. I was so pleased with myself, I hate taking antibiotics and you know how much I believe in the power of vinegar for all manner of things.

Apparently the infection had been really severe but I had attributed the feverishness and feeling awfulness to my other ailments and didn't really take the gum/tooth pain seriously until I found a pea sized lump in the middle of my jaw which, it turns out, was a swollen lymph gland. I thought lymph glands/nodes were at the back of the jaw and under the jaw, but there are little ones all over the place. You learn something new everyday. I'm rather fond of my little bit of lymph now, the unsung hero of my jawline. I wonder how long it will take to go flat again?

So the moral of the story, if you get popcorn under you gum and you can't reach it with floss, go to the dentist before it turns nasty.

Ouch

Lucy had a suspicious lump removed. about 10 days ago. Still waiting on the results but the vet seemed to think it should be ok. But look at the enormous patch they shaved off her, I'm glad it's not winter as she'd be really cold. She's not allowed to hop skip jump (or run) and has to be kept on the lead until at least Friday.

I'm sorry to have been off the blog for over a week. I seem to be having a lot of trouble with my eyes, and looking at the screen is really painful. Do any of you with M.E./Chronic Fatigue have eye trouble? I never did the 1st time I had this, so it may just be age related. In fact, I'm getting eye ache already so I better send this before I have to stop.

I hope you are all well, and that those of you with gardens are enjoying the fruits of your labours. I'll try and post a picture of a nice corner of my garden soon, when the downpour stops and the sun shines.

Grey thoughts clouding my mind

Old Dairy (as seen last week)

Have you noticed all the grey on my blog recently? Partly it's all the rain we're having (but interspersed with sun so the gardens are very happy). Partly it's my glum feelings after the family visit. 5 days of trying to fake being well. I don't know why I bother, in all the time I've been ill (15 months for this recent bout of M.E.) my family has never once asked how I am. I think that's pretty weird and I'm finding it more upsetting than usual this month. I'm not sure why. More on this in the comments for this post.


Lucy by a farm door

73,000 Clustr hits

Clematis on stone, only 4 flowers this year :(

A big thank you to all of you who visited, linked to and commented on Cally Creates in the last year. My Clustr Map has just archived and it says there were 73,000 manual hits since 11th May '07. Amazing. I never imagined it was possible. It has cleared the picture now and started a fresh set of red dots on the global map which is nice because I can watch it fill up again and see if the pattern of readers has changed since last year. I've really enjoyed seeing where you all live, getting excited each time a red dot appeared in a new country, or became a bigger size, and now I can have that excitement all over again. Already I see there is quite a nice fresh sprinkle of you, like new Spring growth. Very seasonal.

Thank you all for still visiting, even when I'm not so well and can't vary the blog as much as I'd like. Can you believe I STILL have a load of white posts from Jan/Feb that I haven't got round to fixing the links on. On the bright side, if I don't get them done this year I can just do another White theme next January.

Did you have good weekends? We had thunder, lightening, rain, mist and cold winds, but I was glad because the plants needed the water and now my water butts are nice and full for what looks to be another week of sunshine, though not quite the heatwave of last week. The sun is out today and it's clear that the sun rain sun has really boosted the plant life outside, more amazingly speedy growth (by Scottish standards).

I'm finally able to see where the sun and shade are in my garden, and Mr P's garden, since the new house,fence and shed were built next door and the hedge removed. It's quite a drastic change and neither garden has any private space now, so no sitting around in my knickers doing my skin brushing! About 50% of my shade loving plants are now in sun and 30% of my sun loving plants are now in shade. I'm so desperate to dig them up and replant but I know that I'd be asking for trouble health-wise. I did a very minimum bit of moving to get the strawberries and ferns in better places, and then I got carried away and spent 6 days very slowly digging a hole to replant a clematis (a white one). I felt dreadful after that, completely worn out and aching from head to toe. That clematis better love it there! The upside of all the change is that there are less places for slugs and snails to hide. Now they have to go where the hedgehog can get at them. Midnight lunch munch.

Loosening up

Net experiments 1990-92

I worked out some yoga adaptations to suit my health and my dodgy bones. So far so good. Aching all over from a year of tightening up, but I can feel, under the ache, a loosening up of the muscles (reason for tangled picture above) and a deepening of the breath (reason for picture below, which I've shown before but seems so appropriate just now).


Breath: ceramic tablet (intentionally broken) 1993

I've finally accepted that I simply can't bend and twist in ways that I used to, and it's ok. Even if I only manage 5% of a session it's still beneficial, and at the very least it amuses the cat. He likes it when I'm on the floor, and he can sit above me. Yes Your Feline Highness, you King of all you survey and I prostrate myself at your handsome feet.

Drive-by shooting, the good kind

LA drive-by (click image to enlarge)

Mum used to worry about drive by shootings in LA. But it's ok when it's me doing the shooting, with my camera. This shot, like so many, was taken as we flew by in the car. I love it. I love the degrees of focus/unfocuss, blurring/sharpness. I love the white picket fence with the red/pink flowers peeking over the top against that lovely grey blue background and the man walking by with the baseball cap. I love the soft shadows on the building, the pistachio ice cream colour of the metal tubing (I think it was for a billboard). I love the crisp clean lines of the cables against the sky.


Marina Del Ray drive by (I think)

It's 4.53am. I can't sleep cause my PHN has flared up massively so I've spent 3hrs catching up on Alicia's blog. It's amazing to think that in the past I used to visit the people on my side links most days. Certainly not less than weekly. Now there are many I've not been to since New Year because I'm too tired. I feel bad because I do really want to keep up. My friend in Australia text me yesterday to ask how LA was. I felt so guilty cause I've never had the energy to write up a proper email about the trip. Even what I've posted here has been image based. She wants me to use facebook but I really struggle with anything that requires a password to access it. I have too many passwords to remember.

Plus, I dislike having to read everyone else's comments in order to get a context for what is being said. I mind find it easier if I knew the people, but almost everyone I know on facebook lives in another country, so the people are strangers to me and the extra effort of sifting through their writings fries my addled brain. Anyone else find that or is it just a Chronic Fatigue thing? I like things simple, find site, look at friends post/pics/email,respond if I have energy. No special access required. No unnecessary strain on the brain. My poor confused brain (Liz, your text made me laugh, the one about cognitive dysfunction, especially as those are my initials).


West Hollywood drive-by

The ME/CFS world talks a lot about 'brain fog' and it's certainly been a big reason for my comparative lack of computer use in the last year, especially when it comes to blogs that are heavy on writing and tell ongoing stories. It's like my brain just can't keep all the info together, it muddles up people, places, names and dates (and let's not get into how much is forgotten within seconds of entering, literally seconds). And, of course, I get sucked in, emotionally. I get excited, inspired, enthused, engrossed or perhaps saddened, and I want to leave comments. All things which take up energy I don't have anymore and add to the fizzing in my brain. So, until my brain cells are back to normal I'm afraid, friends, that the blog is still the best I can manage communication-wise. It covers the widest base of people I would normally contact in other ways. A one stop shop, and that all important place where I can feel I achieved something, even if it is just to put a few more pictures up.


Venice drive-by

Well, my goodness, I never expected all that to come tumbling out. Sometimes it just happens that way (usually in the wee small hours if I can't sleep). Yet if I had planned to write any of this it would never have happened. The weight of necessity really pulls me down, so when these spontaneous moments come it's best to go with the flow. But blimey, it's nearly 6am! I've just realised it's daylight outside. I can hear the birds singing and the radiator clickety clicking (weather still pretty cold). I was just saying to Alicia that we are going to have Daffodils in May (unless some more freak weather comes and squishes them before Thursday). It's all ahoo (yes Jill, still plugging away with Jack and Stephen). Speaking of Jack and Stephen, I read a nice line yesterday '...I saw him running about on deck before I came below, laughing like a holiday' (from The Surgeon's Mate, Patrick O'Brian). I like that, though the aforementioned addled brain had changed it to 'happy as a holiday' which I rather like.

Blossom and mesh

Still snowing a bit here in Scotland but not lying on the ground. In fact, it is the strange polystyrene ball kind of snow we got once a year ago, which blows around like dust because it's so dry. Not the snowball making moist kind of snow we usually have in this country.

It was so lovely to be around lots of snow on the trip, but also lots and lots of sunshine. I took about 4000 photo's so my blog should be quite image filled for some time, even if I don't have the energy to get out now I'm back. I'm so grateful to my brother for taking me on this trip, I could never have afforded it myself, and I certainly couldn't have done what I did if I'd had to rely on public transport. I'm not big on cars but for special occasions I'm very happy to indulge. He's a self confessed gadget nerd and had a GPS thingy everywhere we went. He even brought blu tack to stick it to the window of the plane so he could see our height and speed at all times. The other day he sent me a link to a google map that shows where we went each day based on the GPS info. Geeky, but very nifty!

I'm finally passed the worst of the jet lag. I've yet to walk Lucy, L and Mr P have got that covered and I don't need to take her until Wednesday. My bones conked out on me a bit during the trip home so they've been getting full bed rest (well, sofa rest) over the long weekend, apart from a parental visit on Sunday. To ease them back to life I had my first walk out the house today since arriving home, they took a while to get working, Mr P laughed because they weren't bending at the knee so I was walking like a 1950's robot. The arms weren't so good, but I don't need them to walk on my own and with Lucy I can loop the leash over my shoulder until they are less sore.

All things considered I'm pretty pleased with how I've been, I had expected a bigger crash on my return, but I think all the clear skies, healthful drinks (all green in colour and content) and the outrageously huge megadoses of supplements really helped. I have enough to last another couple of weeks. Hopefully by then Spring will have made a more permanent appearance here and that will make things easier on the muscles as the supplements run out... or maybe Mr P will win the lottery (he is trying) in which case he'd buy me a huge supply. Lets hope for both, Spring and supplements.

Mobile Swap 2008 - recycled

Mobile: reused/recycled paper & card, thread, sequins 2008

I had to feel like I made something this year, so I signed up for Elsie Marley's Mobile Swap. Now that I my swap partner Paola has seen her mobile I'm happy to post it here (above) along with the matching paper brooch (below). Paola had listed white and grey as her favourite colours. The mobile and the brooch are both made from my enormous stash of paper scraps and envelopes. Poor Mr P couldn't see his floor for a week while I worked on this.

It drove me crazy at times because when my joints and coordination are normal I could do this in a couple of hours. Taking a whole week was frustrating, but it' was so good to finally have a finished item. Ok, maybe it's not as detailed as I'd like, no stitching, no internal cutting, no drawing... but it was a complete. I started, finished, photographed, flickr'd (here), wrapped, packed, posted it and then cleared up the mountain of debris. In my life just now that's all very close to a miracle so I was pretty happy in the end.



Brooch: reused paper & card, sequin, silver plated brooch pin 2008

My theory was that if I was making something for a stranger, and not for a special occasion, then maybe I wouldn't get performance anxiety. I was wrong, but the anxiety was decidedly less than when making things for friends so I didn't totally freak out when I made mistakes or when the cat, repeatedly, walked over sections with muddy paws. If I'd cut anything intricate the cat may have had a very different experience!

Now you see it...

Now you see it...


now you don't...


Thank you all for your birthday wishes on the previous post, they made up for not having a meal or a cake or even a present from my best friend (it's sitting there in a bag but Mr P is so scatty he still hasn't actually given it to me!). My birthday cake arrived belatedly today. It was part of the vegetarian selection pack from Droppa and Droppa, £19.99. It's all wheat and dairy free so I can munch without trouble. So far I have only eaten the mini carrot cake, and OH what a moist DELICIOUS cake it was, and not as mini as the name implies. Incredibly good, I'd never have guessed it was wheat free. The pack includes a little chocolate cake, bread, rolls, teacakes, a spanish tart, a vegetable pasty and a 'cheezy' leek and potato pie.

The cake is not the only thing that was here one minute and gone the next. Yesterday Mr P had a cancellation so was free to take us for a drive to the hill to walk Lucy. We were only away for an hour but when we got back the trellis that stops Lucy escaping out of Mr P's garden was stolen!

::I've moved the details to the comments section of this post, but here is the picture of the missing trellis which has been spotted in the garden of our new neighbours!!!!


Left: in my garden 2007
Right: in neighbour's garden today!

Mr P plans to talk to the neighbours at the weeekend so I will let you know you next week about the outcome. Till then, I shall control my frenzied thoughts with that veggie pasty.


Wheat & dairy free veggie pasty from Droppa and Droppa

Update - the pasty was really nice as was the 1/2 toasted teacake I tried and the 1/2 of chocolate cake! What a pig. What a happy pig.

PS for those who showed an interest in my mention of Cesar Milan I can wholeheartedly recommend watching his Tv show The Dog Whisperer :: the rest of this section has been moved to the comments for this post


Lucy at Flotterstone


Lucy at Flotterstone

Nasty Virus

Top: Honesty on a morning sky
Bottom: Lichen & frost on the water butt

The sun is shining!
The wind still blows but it is a nice fresh wind, one direction, no big gusts. I think it must still be gusty higher in the sky because all the tracks from the aeroplanes are wiggly, no straight lines, suggesting the wind keeps blowing them off course a little.

Today feels like a fresh start after a very disturbed week. Mr P caught the vomiting virus that has been going round the UK this winter. No-one likes being unwell, but he particularly hates it, more than anyone I know. Being laid so low it fell to me to do the looking after, which presented many logistical difficulties given my own ill health. I had my first trip to a supermarket in 3 months. He had to drive me (with a bucket at his feet!) and then had to wait an interminably long time while I did the tiny shopping that should have only taken 10mins. I think I took 1hr, clinging to the trolley like my life depended on it.

Thankfully he was off food so I was only buying herbal teas, some basics for myself and tins of chicken soup for when he felt able. I never knew there were so many kinds of tinned chicken soup! Ironically he'd decided to give up his favourite Covent Garden Chicken Soup (which was all gone, hence trip to the tins aisle), after watching the Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Chicken Run series. Visit the Chicken Out website for more details. I liked that Mr P was planning to be more organic about his occasional chicken consumption (I'm vegetarian), but I couldn't find any organic chicken soup that day and neither of us were in any fit state to go searching the city. Sorry chickens.

The worst of the virus has passed and by some miracle (and obscene consumption of echinacea and vits) I managed to not catch it! It was touch and go, Mr P and I have always had very sympathetic guts. Every time his guts churned I would burp and my tummy would turn over. So much so that I couldn't sleep last night and feared the virus was upon me. But no. I find that whole thing so strange. He used to get problems with his belly when I had my really severe cramps.