PICASSO - APTLY NAMED

'Picasso' holding up beautifully

after the severe frost this morning.

I love a splash of red in the house.

REVEALED

Have you ever 'Googled' your name?  I'm not happy.  Yesterday DMJ 'Googled' his website and there was my name, all over the dubya-dubya-dubya!  And here I am thinking I'm flying incognito, using a name that doesn't ring true and my real identity is exposed!

I even get a mention on Wiki-name; they say my surname means "from the manor"!  Funny that, in Italian it's an ordinary passageway - 'corridorio'!  Haha.

DMJ loves it, he's the extrovert, always has been.  Nothing much I can do about it now.  But from now on I'm Ladybug, everyone knows me as DMJ's Ladybug, so no more Coccinella, my derivative of the ladybug species, Coccinellidae.  That all started when I was told I couldn't have the ladybug.blogspot.com URL as it was already taken. 

Oh well, I care.

I'VE BEEN TAGGED - uum, thanks....

I know, but this is Susan's sunflower and she tagged me! Apologies to Michelangelo - I love you! Who IS this guy?! This is blasphemy!

I thought this was a breeze until I noticed unimportant things that make you happy. Here are my six daggy answers but not necessarily in order!

1. Using my very heavy silver embossed pen - Medium Black, if you don't mind!
2. Watching our vegies grow.
3. Strolling along a quiet beach collecting shells and driftwood.
4. My ride-on mower - love it!
5. Buying interior decorating and gourmet cooking mags.
6. Being let loose on a cosmetic/perfumery floor of a major department store! Like a kid in a lolly shop and a bull in a china shop!

But I won't be tagging anyone - sorry, I broke the rules but I don't know six bloggy people well enough to do it to! I know, I'm a spoilsport......

UNCERTAINTY

"Uncertainty" by Arthur Hughes, 1878

I really have 'blog block' in a bad way today. I worked all morning on the fly-fishing website and my head is still pounding. I am just another who loves the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood works and have the next pic on my desktop.

ITALIAN RENAISSANCE

Recently I read about the work of Rick Everingham, an ex-pat who now enjoys a new life with his wife, Desley, in Soiana, Tuscany, where he gets so much inspiration for his painting. Rick says, "This is a country with an over-all patina that I find irresistible."

His paintings resonate with me as they encapsulate the "go slow" lifestyle in Tuscany, of which I only had a glimpse two years ago; three weeks is not enough!



Have a look at more of Rick's work at his website and see a slideshow of his work here (the slideshow may not be always available).

AUBERGINE & MINT BRUSCHETTE

The frosts have arrived, so I picked at least a dozen eggplant yesterday and went surfing for recipes.  The following I found on Jamie Oliver's site and will make a nice side serve for lunch with visitors on Sunday.  At least it will use up two aubergine.

ingredients

1. 2 nice firm aubergines, the round purple Italian ones if possible, sliced lengthways 3mm/about 1/8th inch thick
2. extra virgin olive oil
3. white wine or herb vinegar
4. 2 sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves finely sliced
5. a small handful of fresh mint leaves finely sliced
6. 1 clove of garlic, peeled and very finely sliced
7. sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat a griddle pan until nice and hot.  Lay your aubergine slices on it side by side and when they are nicely charred on both sides, put them into a bowl.  You will probably need to do this in several batches.

While the aubergines are grilling, put 8 tablespoons of olive oil and 3 tablespoons of vinegar, with the parsley, mint and garlic, into another bowl and season with salt and pepper.

When the aubergines are all done, add them to the dressing and mix around, then check the seasoning again and divide on to the bruschette.  Press the topping into the toast so all the lovely flavour gets sucked in!
 

MAY

The sunshine seeks my little room
To tell me Paris streets are gay;
That children cry the lily bloom
All up and down the leafy way;
That half the town is mad with May,
With flame of flag and boom of bell:
For Carnival is King to-day;
So pen and page, awhile farewell.

Robert Service 1874-1958