Autumn

I love autumn more than any other seasons. It provides serenity in deep warm colors and shades. Taking a walk in the forest with only the sound of your breath as your companion is the closest way to get to know yourself. The view of 360 degrees at Monte Fogliame is extremely breathtaking. I took a Polish girlfriend recently there and she deeply felt like she was walking in the forest back home. Despite the wet season that we are experiencing now, the season never fails to reveal its beauty.

Kiruna,Sweden ....above the Artic Circle

The places on Earth are extremely fascinating with so many different ways to explore the beauty of it. Kiruna is more than 100km above the Artic Circle and around 1200 km from Stockholm and it is absolutely offer you a different way of seeing how you should take a look at your life. We were there recently and we experienced what I called 'real geographical moments' and now I really understand what I learned in geography textbooks.

Since we were there early June, the 'midnight sun' is our highlight of the visit. As the name suggests, the sun never sets! We had the sun and the sunlight in 24 hours! Gosh.....I really had a hard time to sleep at night (or at least what appeared on my watch).

The temperature was around 5 to 8 degrees Celcius and we had good weather throughout our stay.We drove to the Abisko National Park which is located around 100km north west of Kiruna. The vegetation and the landscape is totally make you wonder the force of every living element on Earth to survive in a harsh condition when the temperature can simply go down to more than -40 degrees Celcius in the long winter months.

I have never seen what I called "pussy willow' trees covered almost every inch of the ground....they are everywhere! The warm season is yet to come there but I could see the vegetation is changing rapidly with the advantage of the midnight sun!

May is one of my favourite months because it brings hints of romance in the air....with my roses in the garden. They are so lovely with layers of petals and the sweet perfume is absolutely beyond any descriptions. A simple arrangement of roses freshly cut early in the morning could brighten up my days ahead.

Alluring Aquilegia

Aquilegia is one of the plants that enriched the corner of every garden. They love partly shaded area and not fussy about the soil.The name aquilegia is derived from the Latin word for an eagle as the spurs resemble the talons of an eagle). I have a few aquilegia with different colors like deep red, white, purple, dark purple ( the very popular 'Nora Barlow' named after the granddaughter of Charles Darwin). It has layers of deep dark purple petals like the ruffles on a Flamenco's skirt. As aquilegia comes later in spring, I mix them together with small petticoat daffodils and snowdrops that come earlier in the season so they could become the cover plant after all small bulbose plants fade.

Peas

It is quite pleasant to work in the garden nowadays eventhough, the weather can be very deceptive. The humming of the bumble and honey bees are constant companion while weeding and it is really a work of art of these 'insects' that we could have different fruits or vegetables in different season. The pollination that is done by this 'creative creature' is nothing but a genius symbiotic relation that we have to appreciate.

Peas are in season now, and this year I have planted my peas everywhere in the garden and even in my flower beds. I have planted the real climbing peas. This type of peas do not generate plenty of yields as compared to the 'low creeping' peas. I had the creeping peas in my kitchen garden until last two years. No doubt, they gave us crates of peas to shell but that also caused me 'huge back pain' when picking them from the vines. I am happy with less crops, as long as my back pain is at shore.

Iris

I should say that I am very proud of my irises especially the double colors. Iris does not need particular attention and it is really suitable for any type of soil and resistant to drought, cold and any kind of diseases. In my garden, I combine my iries with roses, daffodils and this year with climbing peas. In short, iris is such a lovely plant and I have them almost at every corner of my garden.

Spring is always an intermediate season for my kitchen garden, when I have only a few vegetables in my hand whereas my body needs a lot of 'freshness' and loads of vitamins. However, my peas are coming up and I have eaten it fresh from the pod yesterday. The sweetness of the peas eaten straight from the vine is absolutely every kitchen gardener would enjoy. This year, I planted the climbing peas together with my mixed borders and they look lovely with the bearded iris.

I also have some rocket plants and some spring onions. Rocket or arugula is best to be eaten now, as the leaves will be hardened later in the season.Yesterday, I had some rocket salad with carrots and spring onions together with shaved parmesan. The taste is really fresh.

Centro Botanico Moutan.

Going back every year during spring time to the Centro Botanico Moutan is like a pilgrimage that could not be missed.Situated in Vitorchiano (45 minutes drive from my house) and which the name moutan is derived from the Chinese word 'Mou Dan' which means tree peony. This 15 hectar area is covered with the herbaceous and tree peony that makes you gasping for air while walking through the plants because the beauty is extremely beyond words.

I fall in love again.....

I fall in love again with Italy... after quite a while of hate and love relationship. I had a chance to take a brief visit to Siena recently. Being in Tuscany region, Siena has a lot to offer. The view of the Tuscany region is very unique and it changes throughout the year. Now, the hills and valley are so 'velvety and silky' with different shades and tones of green. The simple patch of wild grass on the hills adds to its charming panorama. The stone house with lined cypress set a typical scenic view of this region.

From the gastronomical point of view, this region is rich with its specialty and uniqueness. Walking down the main road to the historical center of Siena, my sight and smell senses are at their best. I couldn't resist to walk into the historical pastry shop which is called 'Nannini'.

'Ricciarelli' or almond cookies are their best. You can find ricciarelli in almost every alimentary or pastry shops but at Nannini, they really suit my taste because they do not use any almond flavour ingredients, instead only good quality of almonds and white eggs. Every region in Italy has its own almond cookies but Sienese ricciarelli is one of the bests.

For the cheese lovers, Siena has more than a palate could taste in a day. I have bought 2 different types of goat cheese......eventhough their is smell rather strong, the taste is absolutely divine. For a non cheese lover (like me)... it is also worth a try.

I love paper products and I think you can find a vast selection of handmand beautiful and reasonably priced paper products in Siena. Love to walk into these type of shops which really has a tremendous courage to carry on the tradition despite the availiabilty of mass produced ones.

I think Siena has not been 'carried away' with so much 'mass consumerisim' unlike other cities in Italy. Siena has remain its authenticity as much as possible without falling behind or trapped in its past splendours.

I love small bulbs. This one is from the family of fritillaria. They are very small and yet beautiful with 2 shades of colors. They multiply easily and make lovely clumps too. The first picture is also from the same family and I think it is called 'fritillaria mealagris'. It looks like a checker board. They are quite small as compared to the bigger sister which is called 'fritillaria imperialis'. These small bulbs seldom make a focal point in my garden as they love partly shade area and not many people know about these bulbs so I can really admire them fully.This year, strange enough there is one 'fritillaria mealagris' albino. As the name suggests, the flower is all white.

Spring is also known as 'capricious' season... the weather can change with a blink of an eye. The temperature has dropped to a single digit since yesterday. When I woke up this morning, the sky was dark with chilling air blowing slowly to my lungs. I ran inside the house to take my 'winter coat'..... but still wishing that the sun will show today. My flowers are happy though.... the weeds are happy too.... with my back pain, I just look at my kitchen garden covered with grass and weeds. Nonetheless, the peas are happy climbing through the hazel twigs.... with their beautiful flowers.

Tulips are everywhere in my garden now. They are also in my kitchen garden and near my compost box They are absolutely beautiful with different shapes and colors.

I mix tulips with ornamental grass, bearded iris and bulbuous iris. These combination are working very well as they flower more or less at the same time. Tulips will never go wrong in any garden at this time around and they can really make an impact in a way or another.

Spring is at full blast now and I am enjoying every minute of it.My spring bulbs are flowering at full swing and it is so lovely to see all of them together in harmony with a few new surprises here and there. I have a small clump of daffodils that have stopped flowering for 2 years and suddenly I saw a few days ago, these small yellow flowers which is sometimes called 'petticoat daffodil' are making a comeback.

Abundance

Spring is also about abundance. Abundance in colors, forms and shapes. When we look around us, the signs are everywhere. No heart could resist them. Early yesterday morning, I took a walk around my area and when I came back, my basket was fulled with edible wild plants like dandelion, poppy, wild chard and my favourite wild chickory. These spring wild plants are so good for cleansing our body. I just blanched and simply cooked them with some splash of olive oil, garlic and a bit of pepperoncino.

spring is here.

Spring is finally here.Spring means the awakening from the dormant mode. We have been waiting for this season more ethusiastic than ever. I have planted 1 kilo of red onion and white onion each and sowed some other vegetables like early summer salad and spinach.

We are ready to experience this season with open heart and open arms.

I baked this steamed chocolate cake and decorated with violets that I grow in my garden.

The sunset looked very promising last evening even though the temperature has dropped to zero again. Spring is right at the corner. The colors of spring are all over with the apricot blossoms and peaches blossoms, daffodils, violets, anemones etc. They are simply beautiful.

However, nothing much could be done in my kitchen garden because the soil is still soak with water. It has to dry first before I start planting potatoes, onions and other spring and early summer vegetables. But being impatience, I have sowed some other vegetables like turnips, beetroots, radishes and other simple mixed salads. I have found one garden shop that sells 'bio' seeds. I am not sure what are the guidelines that these seeds are following but I will surely take a closer look at these new developments.

Looking at these flowers and all the changing of colors around me really give such an intense pleasures. These small pleasures shall not be taken for granted. I think there a lot could be learnt from these beauty that Nature gives us. We are not blind but often we are blinded by so many things happening around us and therefore we seldom take a closer look at these 'unfolding' events right infront of us. With the impermenance nature of these beauty..... we will lose them if we do not do now.

The art of making handmade fresh pasta

A few days ago, someone has given me two duck eggs and I was very pleased with that gift. As I also had bought two kilos of artisan flour (non commercial one), I think it was appropriate that I make the best of that two items that I had in my hands. So, my daughter and I have decided to learn how to make fresh pasta from scratch. So, off we went to the house of Nonna Eva (she is 88 year old strong Italian lady) to learn the basic tagliatelle. The fresh pasta that we made was nothing equivalent to the store bought one. Immediately when we arrived home, I prepared the simple tomato sauce and we had one of our best dinners last evening. The procedure of making fresh pasta is very simple (we took around an hour to make more than a kilo of pasta) and I think, I am going to learn to make ravioli stuffed with spinach or pumpkin the next time around.

Snowdrops

It looks that the winter is here to stay and this phenomenon is sweeping through out Europe. We have seen abundance of snow and rain everywhere. However, I think everything has its own cycles. Now it is the 'wet cycle' so my winter bulbs are very happy in this condition especially the snowdrops. These lovely 'bell shaped' flowers are well suited in this condition and I have a few clumps under my hazelnut trees together with the hyacinthes and hellebores. I took these clumps on my Austrian trip a few years ago with my dear friend MM with her family. It was near Klagenfurt when we were about to leave a parking place, I saw clumps of snowdrops everywhere. I could not resist them and packed them up in the plastic bag and they are absolutely happy in my garden now.

Enchanted forest

Crocus

I had a morning walk in this enchanted forest this morning.The silence was so deafeaning as I could only hear my rubber boots stepping down the thick layers of dead leaves.The sunlight was so bright and the sky was azzure blue. The sensation of the 'silence' was so deep. I do not know the names of the trees but I could see some light purple crocus on the ground. They are so beautiful.

Snowing.....

It is finally snowing this morning in Rome after almost two decades since the last time the capital was whitely covered. The Roman landscape has changed drasctically since early morning. The tourists around the city have witnessed something that remain as one of their best memories.I love watching the snow falls, for me as if watching the cotton balls falling from the sky in a slow motion!

Climbing white rose

We are experiencing some fair of variable weather conditions so far this year. A large difference in temperature between one day and another could really make the body difficult to adjust and I do hope that my plants are coping well too. I really think that we as human species do have to 'acclimatizie' and adapt to these variations of weather conditions especially when it comes to the extreme situation.

The end of spring last year, I bought a climbing rose (white with simple 5 petals) which is called Rosa Bracteata Mermaid (Bianco Rifiorente). This is a repeated flowering rose. The plant was covered with so many white and huge flowers and seducingly beautiful. I just couldn't resist it as I could actually hear the plant as if it was crying to me and said... "please, take me home!". However, the price was quite steep for my choice of plant and my friend who came with me that day said nicely... look, we came all the way here and for only 20 Euro, just close your eyes and take it home.

Without thinking twice, I had already put the plant in my car and before I left the nursery, I asked the owner whether should I change the pot as I could see that the pot was rather too small as the roots were coming out through all the holes. He said 'absolutely yes'. Without any doubts, the moment I arrived home, I changed the pot to a slightly bigger (3 cm bigger) one and left it to my friend to take care of it as I was leaving for a vacation.

After a long vacation, I went to take back my plant from my friend and due to an extreme summer last year... the plant had suffered quite a lot. Thinking back, I should not have changed the pot because the roots were not able to grow well due to an extreme heat. Last week, finally I have managed to put it in the ground and i hope it will be OK. Come March this year, I will blend some banana skins and put it around the plant so it will encourage the flowering.

seventh heaven... luxurious indulgence

There is a pastry cafe in Campagnano which is worth to mention here. The work of the pastry chef is really being admired and appreciated by many especially by me. Claudio is extremely meticulous in his work and he really uses the best ingredients for his cakes and pastries. Personally speaking, looking at his works, he is up to the level of Pierre Herme' (Picasso of pastry chef)

Two days ago, I had 2 pieces of each..what are called 'sottile and opera' di tre cioccolato'. Sottile means 'thin' and this piece is actually 2 layers of walnut mousse with apricot compost in between with the last layer topped with halved walnut. Opera' di tre cioccolato consists of 3 layers of white, dark and normal chocolate. The first layer starts with thin almond paste and alternately follows with 3 types of chocolate and covered with thin dark chocolate ganache.

Eating these masterpieces with viennese coffee (double shot coffee with cream and chocolate shavings on top) gives such a luxurious sensation to the palate and eyes too!

trevignano daffodil

The Trevignano daffodil has finally shown its whole beauty! Very sweet and 'bellisima'. Eventhough, the petals are smaller than the hybrid ones, the scent is so remarkably 'dolce'. To mark the occassion, I decided to go for a quick lunch at the lake and thinking of going back to the 'birthplace' of that beautiful trumpet flowers. Trevignano is one of the 3 towns by the Lake Bracciano and it is quite a typical lake town in Center of Italy with certain charming and simple characteristics. The place is almost perfect for me as it has lovely cafe (with special treats), good bakery and seafood restaurants. It was really a beautiful sunny and cold winter day and the moment I arrived at that spot, I saw nothing was there anymore and not even a single flower. I remembered very well, that I did not pull all of the clumps out from the water....

Prunning

The worst nightmare has come.....I have to start prunning all my roses and other plants too. Once, I read in the leading gardening magazine which stated that we should not worry when it comes to prunning.That simple act of cutting is like giving a haircut not a headcut. Well, I am not sure about that!

One of my beloved roses suffered quite a lot last season and half of the plant died so did the yellow climbing roses. Last 2 years the light purple lilac didn't flower that much as I wrongly prunned them. The list goes on and on...

So, I braved myself yesterday to start all over again starting with white climbing roses in my kitchen garden because this rose is very hardy and can stand any extreme cutting. It was really windy yesterday as the siberian wind started to blow from the northeast and after spending almost 3 hours outside, I have managed to prune almost all roses in that area and I do hope that I did not give them any headcuts this year!

Frost

sicilian broccoli

cauliflower

When I woke up this morning, in the freezing cold....the whole area of my place is whitely covered with frost. Frost is rather a tricky issue as it is quite damaging to the plants, vegetables, shrubs etc. Most of the time, I would be able to know when the frost is coming. If it is a clear sky (sometime right after the sunset)... I will immediately rush to cover my kitchen garden with the fleece. However, since we have a fair share of bad weather this season, I have nothing to cover as all my vegetables are gone except my broccoli siciliani, red cabbages, puntarelle (a family of chickory) and a few winter salads.

I love to observe and take note on which vegetables survive each time so I will be able to organize better the following season. I have realised so far that if we are hit hard by frost, most of the salads will be gone (even covered by the fleece), but curly endives, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbages, tuscan kale and peas will survive. These vegetables are really 'the star'!

Trevignano Daffodils

Trevignano daffodil

I think it was almost 5 years ago when I went to Trevignano,a small town by the Lake Bracciano for an afternoon walk when I saw these clumps of daffodils. However, these daffodils were almost in the water! It was really early spring but the air was quite warm and the smell from these daffodils was so sweet and irresistable! I have never seen any wild daffodils with such a pleasant perfume. It is quite difficult to describe the smell, however it is like a mix of vanilla and 'old fashion roses'.

I managed to pull them out from the water and put them in my herbs beds and I waited year after year for it to flower but it always failed to bloom. However, early last December I saw a small bloom coming out in between the leaves. It has been for 5 years of waiting and with a flick of time the plant has established itself from the water to the ground! Now, eventhough the flower is not fully opened yet, the sweet smell is so enthralling and captivating! The Nature has taught me not to rush because every single thing has its own time to grow and live!

Winter sweet

winter sweet

Eventhough the rain has finally stopped, the cold is here to stay. The day is getting a bit longer day by day and I managed to do some clipping and pruning of roses and lavanders. My climbing roses on the main house pillars were badly needed some 'radical' pruning and eventhough I had to climb on chair, the task was done in less than an hour.

This climbing rose is a classic thornless with huge clusters white flowers and it never fails to flower twice a year and rarely needs attention! It needs only some trimming and clipping. As growing roses can give a bit of headache (they really need a lot of attention and love), this white thornless is really a champion.

There is another flower that needs to mention this winter and it is called 'winter sweet' or 'chimonantus praecox'. As the name suggests, this light yellow flower is so 'diorissimo' as one of my friends nicely described its lovely sweet perfume and it can really brighten up your cold and wet winter. I have cut the whole branch and put it in my bathroom and it really wakes my feminine senses everytime I walk in.

Kitchen garden and Hachiko

The weather has been very dreadful lately. Currently, it has been raining for almost 2 weeks and my garden is not able to soak up the water anymore. The soil is so soggy and all my salads have been destroyed. However, I still have my broccoli, endives and my peas are growing quite OK. I think I have to tie them up to the hazelnut twigs so they can grow much better.

Since the weather has been quite lousy, I have decided to watch 'Hachiko'. This is a movie about the loyalty of a dog to its owner. Hachiko, the dog was found by Prof. Parker at the train station on his way back from the university. They became close friends and Hachiko always waited for him at the same time everyday infront of the train station. One day, he had an heart attack at the university and passed away peacefully. However, Hachiko didn't stop waiting for him everyday at the same stop for 10 years! Richard Gere is the leading actor in this movie and it is not only about the actor but it is about the storyline which is so moving. My daughter couldn't stop her tears running down the cheeks and at the end both of us have to hold on tight to each other.....

This movie is actually the American version of a really true story happened in Tokyo, Japan in the late 1920s.