An oldie but a goodie

Jorth glanced out the window, and was displeased with what she saw. The rain was grey, the clouds were grey, and her feelings were grey now that their travelling adventure was over.

"C'mon Jorthy, old lass!" she said to herself. "You know what to do to banish this gloom away. Riffle through the stash and get yourself a sewing project, stat - and better make it nice and pink!"

Monthly Menu Plan - June/July

As a complete and utter soup addict, I welcome winter with open arms. Actually, my arms are far from open. One hand is holding an assortment of celery sticks, onions and carrots ready to be chopped finely into a soffritto, and the other is busy polishing my pride and joy - my extra-large-and-perfect-for-soup saucepan.

I am told that there are places - clinics, if you will, and I hope you can hear the sarcasm verily dripping from the italics there - that soup addicts like me can go to, but whenever this is suggested to me I grab the wooden spoon from whatever soup I can currently making and make the rudest sign imaginable with it. I love soup. I will eat it for breakfast, again for lunch, and then follow all that veggie goodness with more soup for dinner. Winter is here, and I'm making soup, darn it. Nobody puts Soupy in a corner!

Week One
Monday - Bean and roasted sweet potato tacos with green salad
Tuesday - Paprika chicken with quinoa tabouleh
Wednesday - Creamy pumpkin soup, plus schwartzbrot with lentil dip.
Thursday - Coconut rice with hot smoked trout
Friday - Roasted vegetable tacos
Saturday - Pearl barley and smoked paprika minestrone
Sunday - Lemon, bean and pea risotto with garden salad

Week Two
Monday - Buttermilk and harissa chicken with spiced carrot couscous and rocket salad
Tuesday - Chilli beef casserole with brown rice
Wednesday - Zucchini pasta with green salad
Thursday - Beetroot and carrot soup
Friday - Out for dinner for a very special girl's birthday!
Saturday - Rag pasta with tomato, brie and basil, with salad
Sunday - Ratatouille topped with feta on a bed of cheesy polenta

Week Three
Monday - Lentil spaghetti Bolognese with green salad
Tuesday - Sweet potato and chilli soup
Wednesday - Persian style lamb pilaf with sautéed spinach
Thursday - Roasted garlic and tomato soup
Friday - Glazed pork cutlets with coleslaw
Saturday - Baked potatoes with the works!
Sunday - Pearl barley minestrone with Italian sausage

Week Four
Monday - Roast chicken with seasonal vegetables
Tuesday - Chicken noodle soup (made with left over chicken)
Wednesday - Roasted vegetable lasagne with salad
Thursday - Spicy bean soup
Friday - Pumpkin and haloumi burgers with wedges
Saturday - Homemade veggie pizzas
Sunday - Quinoa and spinach pilaf with lamb chops

Week Five
Monday - Primavera pearl barley risotto with rocket salad
Tuesday - Vegetable, bacon and risoni soup
Wednesday - Spinach and ricotta cannelloni with salad
Thursday - Roast garlic, leek and potato soup
Friday - Lemon pepper pilaf

Since it's winter, there's nothing better to finish off a soup meal with than delectable baked apples! And that solves the mystery of why a delicious picture of apple dessert was included in this post, rather than my beloved soup. You can find the recipe I created over at Mum's Business.

Holiday slide show

Hello! Did you miss me? It was pretty darn awesome exploring the world, but as Dorothy once remarked, there is no place like home. We got back on Sunday, and no only has the jetlag pretty much worn off, but the very last load of holiday washing is currently swishing away in the machine, and life is back to its regular scheduling.

I know quite a few of you followed our travels on Instagram, but for those who didn't, here are some holiday snaps. I really, REALLY loved travelling around Switzerland and the UK. If any knitting shops want to sponsor me to live and work over there, send me an email pronto!

Jungfrau in Switzerland. Cold but very, very beautiful.

Exploring the streets of London, near Marylebone.

High Tea at The Savoy. Pure, sugared-up bliss!

Hey look - it's Pemberley! Otherwise known as Lyme Park.

The ruins of St. Mary's Abbey in York.

We drove through Wales on a very wet and wildly windy day. Felt rather apt.

The harbour shops in Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland.

The Quiraing on the Isle of Skye. There was no way I was going to try and climb that monster!

Wildflowers growing in a rock, of all things, at the Point of Sleat beach. Tough flora!

Point of Sleat beach. For most of our time there, we had this perfect beach to ourselves. Bliss!

Last but not least, Edinburgh Castle.