vital functions

Reading. Finished The Korean Vegan, Joanna Lee Molinaro! Definitely some bits in there that are of interest to me, but not a cookbook I want my own copy of given how much it's currently selling for -- partly because I do not actually need careful evaluation of the relative merits of different egg replacers in the context of specific recipes. It has, however, prompted me to go digging for specifically vegetarian Korean cookbooks, and I have two candidates to investigate further.

( In progress... )

Playing. A round of Splendor, where I was firmly in the lead up until, alas, The Very Last Turn.

Cooking. Meera Sodha's beetroot & ginger soup, to use up some beetroot: entirely adequate, but not particularly exciting.

Yoghurt experiments continue. "No, really, temper the culture and then add it back in and whisk really thoroughly again" is getting me some way toward less grainy and more satisfactory yog, but I am a little Concerned that I might need to actually be making multiple batches a week if I want to keep the culture happy enough to not go grainy At All.

Eating. ROCKET from the ALLOTMENT, on a pizza from the wood-fired-oven takeaway-pizza place just around the corner from the allotment, which we were Experimenting with Tentatively.

Making & mending. I have kindasorta taken steps towards Actually Building The Last Major Raised Bed (For Now). Possibly I will actually attempt to put it together (and then get it properly situated!) tomorrow.

Growing. I have planted out a pile of squash! We will See How They Do. I have also begun transferring tomatoes various to their final destinations, done some additional small infrastructure (experimental protection for the strawberry patch; shuffled the bin around and got its paving slab slightly more stable, though I'm going to go back and Put Sand Under It shortly), and gleefully divested myself of the grape vine that was in an awkward place and didn't really fruit usefully (my neighbour was willing to take it off me and I wish them the joy of it). I have been gifted (from two different sources) lovage seedlings and two chillis (a Black Hungarian and an Anaheim). I have made it to the plot many more days than not this week, to water things and weed things, and once again I am sort of maybe starting to get it a little closer to back under control. (Have I mentioned how glad and grateful I am to be able to enjoy our long light evenings? Goodness but that feels like a fragile and precious thing to me, now.)

Observing. BAT bat bat bat bat. The flock of parakeets.

A Bad And Naughty Snail, who I interrupted in the middle of emphatically monching on my aubergine this evening, and who then BUBBLED at me FURIOUSLY when I Removed Them. They have a very pretty shell, and have been relocated to Snail Jail i.e. the vivarium.

Lots of excellent flowers.