wild flower

Photos from the talented Amy Merrick, An Apple a Day

all i can think of is flowers as of late. sweet smells, blooming white gardenias and pots of pinks. getting up at seven am to haul buckets and squeeze sunflowers and lavender and succulents into the back of her purple truck. getting paid in bouquets and bakewell tarts, and what am i really going to do with the rest of my life/september is coming quick.

enjoying whatever kind of summer this is, i miss canoes on lakes, but ocean waves will do nicely.

red hot

dree hemingway in dolce and gabanna via elle uk

my dream outfit for this summer.

wheredidyougo

we had been tricked by spring, a little bit.  except for that one weekend, we set up camp on the black beach and we woke up to the swell, soft and deep just outside the doors.  we wandered down after coffee, march waves, and my bikini even made an appearance.  so long, since then it's been back to the blankets.

i can barely stand to stare at a screen these days. end of the day, no more! my eyes yell.
and so i don't.

double take

via bloesem, Pärlans vintage toffees

via cupcakes and cashmere, homemade orange taffy

my mother is in newfoundland at the moment, maybe i could convince her to ship me some salt water taffy, that is my favourite. soft pastel chewy bits of goodness, i remember in the backseat of the rental car as we drove round the island.

campfire cooking

weekend in north devon, no surf but no rain either. and some really good eats.

who knew graham crackers did not exist here. and them brits have some funny looking marshmellows.

making s'mores in england, a bit tricky to source proper ingredients. but he managed to find it all, and they tasted so good over that flame. messiest pud ever. not pictured, fire roasted bananas.

wild blackberry haul. let's make fresh jam for breakfast, ok.

tart and sweet on toast, staining our lips by the spoonful.

no stars but clear nights, and white horses in the next field over. outdoor showers to soften the fiery smoke in my hair, why does it feel so good to bathe in the fresh air? and the sun even found us a few times, drinking wine in the sand dunes, hunting for more blackberries in the thicket.

vanilla fingertips

it was always a hot day, that my mother would decide to go berry picking. she would invite me, a few times i went. mostly though i just remember her large baskets coming home filled to the top with the still warm raspberries, soft and ripe. her hard work, gone, as i shoved them in my mouth, staining my lips in minutes. my mother though, she would save her handfuls to place atop dessert, usually angel food cake, or chocolate ice cream.

so ode to mom, this one is, from across the ocean, british berries from kent covered in chocolatey goodness.

raspberry brownies
via our kitchen
one hundred fifteen grams butter
one hundred fifty grams dark chocolate, in pieces
one cup sugar
half cup cocoa powder
one vanilla bean pod
one teaspoon instant coffee
three eggs, lightly beaten
one cup flour
one teaspoon baking powder
one cup fresh raspberries

preheat oven to 180C
melt chocolate and butter together, using double boiler. scrape out vanilla seeds and add into chocolate mixture. mix in sugar, cocoa, coffee and eggs, combine well. fold in flour and baking powder, and then fold in raspberris, mushing a few as you go.
pour into greased baking tin, and bake for twenty five to thirty minutes. your flat will smell amazing, and you will be licking your lips in anticipation. serve with vanilla ice cream, or just plain.

summer sun

1. hula seventy 2. because i'm addicted 3. cupcakes and cashmere

i scream

strawberries are in season here now, £1 a punnet, so i bought three. and our new ice cream maker was just begging to be used.

vegan strawberry ice cream
via david lebowitz, with a few tweaks

seven hundred grams fresh strawberries
half a cup sugar
one and a half cup rice milk
glug of orange juice
one and a half shot gin

slice strawberries and toss with sugar, let macerate for about an hour. puree berries and liquid with rice milk, juice and gin. i left the seeds in. chill thoroughly in refrigerator then freeze in ice cream maker, twenty five minutes should do it.
serve immediately, maybe with some west country shortbread biscuits.

i'd like to try coconut milk next, and maybe find soy single cream to make a creamier mint choco-chip. with heston blumenthal's new ice creams (savory mustard, salted caramel popcorn, and chocolate rosemary flavour) hitting waitrose last month, i am inspired to get creative.

and with half a pint of this strawberry treat left in the freezer, i think i have found the key to making new friends here this summer.

sweet summer

via herrenmagazin

being in the ocean last saturday has spurred me on.

corsica

santiago

santorini
via mikoh, sister act with oleema and kalani miller

every summer i think of my the pool at my parent's house. surrounded by trees and my mothers flowers, orange and pink. the backyard was as tropical as i knew in those august months. night swims were a must, the one light darting across the deep end, sparkling and cool. to me that pool is summer, diving deep and floating face up watching the clouds and trees sway. suburban luxury, in my teenage head.

high hopes still set for the bay of biscay, biarritz maybe, this year. sand and surf, beers and bread and cheese. maybe a night swim or two.

hook and line

free people april catalogue diary

tomorrow's to-do, learn to fishtail braid. this could be a good look for me this summer. and it is definately starting to feel like summer, 24C and a few g&ts before the show tonight. maybe even a cheeky bevie on the bridge (public drinking equals the dog days, right), my new fav neighborhood spot.

ice creamy

ellery ss 11/12

via oracle fox

sweet lemon and grapefruit granita, some coconut ice cream, mint vanilla, together, at the same time.

oh bring on the heat summer sun, and then cool me down //

vanilla custard with ginger granita and granny smith apple

via greedy gourmand