Photo diary: Project 365, week 8

Art and books, is there a better way to escape? This week was busy with art projects and reading, and garden work.

Instagram is a bit of a black hole for me, when it comes to looking at the recipes. There is a young Russian chap called Dima who makes all kinds of dishes which bring back memories of my childhood and uni days. A few weeks ago I watched him making olad'i. They are a cross between pancakes and fritters, popular in Russian and Ukrainian cuisine. I remember making them when I was a teen, and I haven't cooked them in many many years.

There are many variations, some are yeast-based, some use bicarbonate of soda, there is either flour or semolina. The recipe I used this time - 2 eggs, 2tbsp of sugar, a pinch of salt, 250ml kefir, 250g semolina, bicarbonate of soda 1/2tsp. Mix the ingredients, leave for about 20 minutes until there are bubbles on the surface, and then fry tablespoons of batter in lots of hot oil. Once cooked on both sides, place on the paper towels.

They are fluffy and tasty, especially with honey, or soured cream and sugar. Better eat them while they are hot/warm. They don't keep well, and don't taste as nice cold. I think I will keep looking for the recipe I used in the past, as I definitely added flour to the batter, but it was fun to try, and my guys seemed to enjoy them.

The only snap I did on Monday was when I was running home after grocery shopping, and was running out of ideas of what to take photos of.

Our garden is beginning to look prettier and prettier, with snowdrops and crocuses, which grow like weeds everywhere. We had a couple of dry days, so Eddie and I worked in the garden, clearing some of areas. I've been trying to cut down some of the creepers growing from the neighbours' sides. They are taking over the stone walls, and seem to be indestructible. 

Our Tokyo Box arrived this week, it's Valentine Day-themed, and as with the previous box, there are all sorts of sweet and savoury treats that we haven't tried before. Thankfully, there is a booklet, which explains what is what.

On Thursday Eddie travelled to Italy with his father to stay with his grandparents. They haven't been well recently, and were looking forward to seeing Eddie. 

Sadly, Sasha and I don't fly any longer, he is not able to cope with the airports and any possible delays. 

This is the photo Eddie took on the flight. 

I stayed at home, when Sasha went out with his PAs and cleaned his room (the only time I can hoover is when Sasha is out, as the noise of the hoover upsets him). 

As mentioned in the previous weekly post, I have been collaborating with Penandinkchallenge, creating a week of Calligraphy prompts. It went really well, and I am very pleased with how many people took part. It was a joy to see all their creations.

For the last day of the week my prompt was Colour or Black and white. Typically I work in colour, and the black and white palette is a bit of a challenge.

I'm a big fan of The Umbrella Academy, and my sketch is the homage to the clever Tv series. "I think we are alone now" appears in the dance scene of the season 1. You might remember they are all dancing in their own space to the sound of this song.

I tried to do the glitchy fonts to reflect the glitchy universe.

I finished reading The Sun King and his loves by Lucy Norton. 

This was the third book about Louis XIV that I read this year (one fiction and two non-fiction), and it was the most informative, with beautiful colour illustrations. It's quite short and enlightening. 

And while he might have been a great king and all that, Louis XIV was truly a ruthless bastard. His attitude to women, especially pregnant women, was appalling. It's hard to imagine how someone could be so merciless. 

Another book I finished reading this week was The Creak on the Stairs by Eva Bjorg Aegisdottir. I bought this e-book a few years ago, as it had good reviews. 

It is set in the Icelandic town of Akranes. The main protagonist, Alma, returnes to her home town after a personal tragedy, and joins the local police force. A body of a woman is discovered near the lighthouse, and the investigation will uncover a series of long-hidden awful secrets and crimes.

It's very bleak, like many Nordic/Scandi Noir thrillers. The writing is atmospheric and the mystery is well-developed, though the dual timeline plot could be triggering.

And now I'm waiting for my guys to get back from their trip. How was your week?

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