Postcrossing news:

How amazing is this! I sent an official card to Giovanni in Italy, he was kind enough to make me a card covered with used stamps. Great! Yesterday I needed to send more official cards & there was one to Eliana in Italy asking for the card to be sent to her brother Giovanni ….. Yes one and the same…. Out of 74,584 members!!!!

Also this week I was asked to download a card sent to me in 2006 ID 1394. When I found it I put it on my postcrossing wall, it was a scene of ‘Girgaum Chowpatty (MUMBIA – INDIA). That evening I watched as Mumbia was attacked. Still waiting to hear if our fellow postcrosser is OK.

Great place to swim!

At this point I shall add this great recipe for

WATERMELON, FETA AND BLACK OLIVE SALAD (I hope this is OK to copy from Nigella)

INGREDIENTS

1 small red onion

2–4 limes, depending on juiciness

1.5 kg sweet, ripe watermelon

250g feta cheese

bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley

bunch fresh mint, chopped

3–4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

100g pitted black olives

black pepper

Serving Size : Serves 8

1.	Peel and halve the red onion and cut into very fine half-moons and put in a small bowl to steep with the lime juice, to bring out the transparent pinkness in the onions and diminish their rasp. Two limes’ worth should do it, but you can find the fruits disappointingly dried up and barren when you cut them in half, in which case add more.
2.	Remove the rind and pips from the watermelon, and cut into approximately 4cm triangular chunks, if that makes sense (maths is not my strong point). Cut the feta into similar sized pieces and put them both into a large, wide shallow bowl. Tear off sprigs of parsley so that it is used like a salad leaf, rather than a garnish, and add to the bowl along with the chopped mint.
3.	Tip the now glowingly puce onions, along with their pink juices over the salad in the bowl, add the oil and olives, then using your hands toss the salad very gently so that the feta and melon don’t lose their shape. Add a good grinding of black pepper and taste to see whether the dressing needs more lime. Hava Negila! The taste of Tel Aviv sunshine!

To Let

A bird (box) in the hand. Now vacant.

Just another still life

Tiny toms

The first of the tomatoes.... very small but very sweet! Have to do better than this with the next lot.

To wear or not to wear?

Have to get shoes laces - rainbow ones?

Mmmmmmm............

Mmmmmm …. Think I’ll just sit here with my paws crossed & contemplate those two youngsters mucking about in & out of boxes (see Sams blog).

Still Life with Beads

Interupted catnap

3.30 in the aftenoon, I'm on my bed reading the excellent 'WHITE' by Rosie Thomas. Ebony on the widowsill. We both catnapped 10 mins later.

Entwinement

I was lucky to be given bunches of beetroot, spring onions, parsnips and carrots yesterday. So salad tonight and roast on Sunday. Just couldn’t part these two though!