♡ROTTEN TOMATOES ♡

Hello and happy saturday gardening! 

As you may have been reading in my instastories, I won my fight against the apical rot that ruined my baby sanmarzano tomatoes harvest! 

As you know I love recycling and do-it-yourself stuff when it's a gardening matter... maybe I'm also a little stingy about it, but most of all I love creating and no wasting, plus my city's garden center is a bit far from my place, and in this hot summer days, the idea of taking a bus that I might have needed to wait under the sun for a comsiderable amountnof time wasn't very appealing. So, for these and other reasons, when my tomatoes showed symptoms of apical rot, instead of going to the garden center to buy calcium nitrate, I started thinking if I could find another solution., and that's what I thought.

Usually, when you plant tomatoes it's a good thing to put eggshells in the ground, so that they gradually release calcium into the soil and prevent the formation of the rot, but when the rot is already there, the problem is that you need something quicker, available immediately, rapid to absorbe for the plant. And simple eggshells left in the soil do not release calcium quickly enough. So I thought "if it's in the water, maybe the plant can absorbe it right away"...and here is what I did: 

1. In a mortar, with a pestle, reduce at least 3 dry eggshells to dust. They must look like flour. It can be a little pink if the shell of the eggs you're using is brown

2. Put them in a bottle (VERY IMPORTANT use glass bottle because plastic could release harmful substances- I realized that after taking the picture so in the photograph you see a plastic bottle) with half liter of water. 

3. Leave the GLASS bottle in the sun for at least one week, shaking it very well every day. The heat of the sun will help the powdered eggshells to release substances in the water. When shaking the water turns cloudy and makes some foam, but that's totally ok! 

4. Give some of this water (after shaking) to your tomatoes with rot once a week right before watering, but never empty the bottle completely. Always leave 1/4 of the bottle and add water right after. And add in the bottle other powdered eggshells every time you have some. 

To my plant it worked, and my second harvest showed perfect healthy tomatoes, so I thought this might be helpful to share this method with you. 

Hope it is useful! 😄 

This was before

And this is after

♡ THE FLOWER OF HAPPINESS ♡

This saturday gardening features the "flower of happiness" because I so need happiness today! In facts I had quite a bad day today, because of some mistakes about a target that I'm pursuing with my top commitment. And though I'm working so hard for it, not seeing the improvements that I was hoping for (or better, not improving as much as I wanted), just makes me feel bad and disappointed. So today I need a little happiness boost. This flower in the picture is called "the flower of happiness", this name was given to this flower because it lasts open only for 24h and, as my granny used to say, there is a very old saying stating that happiness lasts short. Though this saying seems not the top happiness, my granny used to say that there is a popular belief that this flower brings to its owner happyness in the 24 hours it stays open; and, the more flowers opened, the more days of happyness!

♡ BEAUTIFUL DAWN ♡

Happy monday everyone! This is the beautiful sunrise I happened to see this morning. I do not usually wake up this early, but today, at 4.50-something in the morning, I woke up because of a mysterious, soft, crackling noise... 

At first I started checking the air conditioner hanging over my bed, and the old chinese wooden chandelier hanging in the middle of my room, if they were still holding on... but they seemed alright... I'm quite a scaredy cat so I started saying all my prayers while I started noticing that the noise was coming from behind my bed, under my bed... and then I realized! 

Yesterday night, before sleeping, I ate a little sweet and left the wrapping paper on the floor to throw it away in the morning. But ants ANTS (!) 🐜🐜🐜 tiny little ants noticed it and they were already all over it while I was sleeping. The crackling noise that woke me up was them separating the few little sweet crumbs from the wrapping paper! 

Of course I threw the paper right away in the thrash bin, it was already mornig anyway, so I went to my living room, and this was the amazing scene that was displaying from the french window! 

Everybody have a nice week!  

♡ SO LONG ♡

So long, the time has passed since the last time I went walking.
Unfortunately, for several reasons I won't be able to have my constant walks for a while, but I'll do my best to write about many things (included walking, when I can) from now on.
Recently I started a Instagram account and I'm liking it quite a lot. As on this blog "happy go lucky" I want to talk only about nice and cheerful things! There are already too many angry and depressed things and people in the world, so I think that a online spot where to just relax in a peaceful place maybe is needed.
On Instagram I'm mainly talking about food and recipes, but sometimes also about balcony gardening, and recycling and DIY. I never thought so many people would be interested in such topics, but I already reched 100 followers and I'm so happy that my tips and my recipes can be useful to someone 😊
Back to my walking, yesterday, for the first time after a long time, I went out for a proper walk. The weather was wonderful, so warm and sunny that it seemed already summer. Because of the national holyday -1may, Laborer Day- a lot of people had the same idea and, specially on the lake shore, many people were sunbathing.
Nature was in full bloom, there were beautiful flowers, and poplar dovets were flying everywhere like snow.

The landscape was so beautiful that I stopped at a kiosk to enjoy a (decaf) coffee break. I guess other people had the same idea since the kiosk was literally packed with people! 

I really missed my long walks and I can't wait to start it again! 

Lately, when I went back home I tried a new recipe for my Instagram, but it didn't come out as I wanted it. Today I tasted it and it was good, but I can do waaay better than this so I'll try it again in the future. I have new recipes in mind anyway! And I know that mrs.E. is waiting for me to post about kitchen again! 

But for today I'm gonna post only the beautiful pictures that I took during my walk on the lakeside after a long time ♡ 

October rain

Today is raining, but I'm happy because yesterday I could finally have a proper walk after a long time. I went through the park near my home and I had the chance to see the colour of the leaves slightly starting to change in the colours of autumn. There is a majestic plane tree at the end of the area, last year, while walking on a sunny day, its leaves were completely golden and I took a beautiful picture of it. That time I thought that it would have been great to have a blog to share that picture and my thoughts; and here I am, almost one year later. I hope this year I will have the chance again to take a picture like that.

In the meanwhile, during my walk yesterday, I stopped several times to take pictures here and there, of linden trees and also the big majestic plane tree. It made me happy because I had been so looking forward for the time I would have taken pictures for my blog, since the day I started it.

Behind the majestic plane tree there was a path a little hidden that leaded to the main road running next the park, so I took it. As I saw them I couldn't keep myself from taking a picture of the stoneposts, so colourful and funny, surrounded by the bright colours of the murales on the wall surrounding the path and completely clashing with the natural colours of the grass and the fallen leaves on the floor. Such a postmodern feeling in this sight! 

Then someone on a bike almost ran over me ...too focused on taking pictures as I was I didn't notice it approaching! 

The person on the bike, after avoiding me, looked at me puzzled once or twice while wondering what was I taking photographs at; while I thought that a person on a bike would have added someting special to this photograph 

Rusting off

Today I went to actually walking after a long time of recover.

Today I had the minimum 30mins walk. As I said, little by little.

After a long time resting, looking for a route no longer than 30minutes left me a little puzzled about where to go, at first. I wanted to see people, but at the same time I didn't want to enter the cemented area with its shops and filled with crowd that wouldn't allow me to walk at my pace and maybe would have judged me for walking around in sportswear. Today was a lovely autumn day: though the air was very cold, walking in the sun was still nicely warm. The park behind my place was filled with people, mainly families and little children. A few people were running in the sports area, and a couple of kids were playing soccer in the public soccer field, next to the city team training one. This summer and spring I used to walk in the sports area too but this time I didn't want to limit my walk on going round and round on the same track like a hamster on a wheel, so I coasted the park and its sports area. Aiming for the city's sports hall I saw a happy couple making a video with the phone: in the empty parking area, the girl was learning to ride the bike, and her boyfriend was running with camera on, trying to reach her on foot. They had the happiest look on their face. And their joy and love, in such contrast with the gloomy and neglected sports hall right behind them gave the little "pinch of salt in the sweet's dough" of this sight. The city sports hall was the middle point of my walk today, so I took some time to go near the building to look at it closer. I still remember when I used to go there as a little child to perform rhytmic gymnastics with my team: it looked so huge and I felt so important to be performing there! Now, plants are growing wild on the outside, rusted doors were closed well and it looked like the place was abandoned. I hope it is not, and maybe, for the sports season they would trim the trees and give a little varnish to the doors.

Ramen night

3AM and I'm still awake... Thank you theine from the green tea ice cream! 

Tonight I went to a new Japanese restaurant with my friends A., V. and F. to celebrate A.'s birthday. 

We had been aiming for this reataurant for a while, and we were just waiting for an occasion to go try it out. In particular I was very curious because I heard that this reataurant had ramen in their menu and the last time I ate it was 10yrs ago in Japan. The restaurant was small but nice, and I've found very lovely the Japanese look in the pottery chosen for serving the dishes. We chose different things but we all shared a bite of our dish with each other so everybody could taste. In particular my friends found very interesting the surimi of my dish and though there was just a few pieces we managed to have at least one piece each. 

Everything was really very delicious, from starters to dessert, and even if the ramen I ate in Japan is still unequaled to me, I found this one very delicious too. I think we will go again!

The Library

Last two muffins left, a book to pick-up within 5days and a driving manual to study for getting the driving license. So yesterday afternoon I dusted off an old onigiri bento box that I bought several years ago, I packed my books and snack, and I took the opportunity to go to the library and study in peace. From home to the library: the longest walk that I took in a while. I wanted to do the walk back home too, but at the time I was on my way back, it was already dark outside so I took the bus. Also I wanted to take it slow in my recovery. But it felt so nice there! Silence and peace, yet surrounded by people. I love people and life, it charges my batteries everytime. 

I borrowed a book about ikigai, "The Little Book of Ikigai. TheEssential Japanese Way to Finding Your Purpose in Life" by Ken Mogi. Today I reached chapter 2, but only because I had to stop and study the driving manual, or I'd have read this book all at once. I'm very fond of Japanese philosophy, Japanese was my major at University afterall. And I also like this psychology-ish "self-help" books, because I think they can be very inspiring and show you things from another point of view. I think it is great that with libraries, anyone can read books, any kind of books, the book they need in that moment. 

On that Ken Mogi's book, on chapter two, the author suggests to wake up early in the morning, for several reasons. Actually my paternal grandmother too used to say "morning has golden in his mouth"(=the early bird catches the worm) to my dad all the time, even whithout being Japanese. And, starting tomorrow, I'll take the suggestion and try put more effort in waking up early since recently, I'm indulging in strange sleep/awake rythms too much

Muffins and Roses

It's been a while now that I'm not going to walk.

So the obvious consequence for me is cooking cooking and cooking. Even if the oven is broken. Even if I'm on a diet. That is just a challenge for me. And I wonder what is triggering this cooking thing.

So today I challenged myself to lighten and perfect my recipe of the bread crumbs cake, this time turned into microwaved muffins for a change.

Actually I did try this recipe a few days ago, because I needed something sweet to bring for a tea at my friend mrs.M.'s house, and this recipe somehow, seemed to have been quite a success among mrs.M and her husband. I decided to write down all my recipes in order to write a book sooner or later, and mrs.M supported this idea very enthusiastically, even showing me the book of an acquaintance of hers for an example. But I forgot to take a picture, so I took it today even if the recipe is slightly different this time. I don't know if I'll tell you my recipe because my microwave oven doesn't allow me to choose time and power and I'm still testing in order to find the perfect baking technique... but I'll see if I can do something at the end of this post.

Later today, I trimmed my small mignon roses plants. Unfortunately last week I forgot to water them for two days, two very hot days, right while they were in full bloom. And they burned the most of their leaves and buds. But luckily the main branches were still green so -as every time I make some mistake like this- I trimmed away all the withered parts and sprayed some insecticide for caterpillars and cotonose cochineal, of which I noticed symptoms. This way they should sprout stronger branches and buds and become bigger and beautiful.

This muffins look so messy because I used fresh blueberries (present of mrs.M.) instead of dried ones. But it is said that taste is more imortant than appearence... and they look upside-down because, well, I like the flowery shape on the bottom the most! 

Here's the recipe! As always, if you want to put it on your blog, ask me by message or comments and give me the credits! Thank you!


BERRY BREAD CRUMBS MUFFINS

Ingredients (for 5 muffins):

1 small organic lemon

60g bread crumbs (powdered)

50g raw cane sugar

1/2  banana (ripe)

1/2 whole milk

1 egg

2-3 spoons of olive oil

1 pinch of salt

1/2 bag of baking powder

1 handful of dried blueberries (or cranberries)

A few drops of rum essence or a splash of rum (orptional)

Proceedings:

1) grate the lemon peel in a big bowl and extract the lemon juice into a separated container.

2) in the bowl smash the half banana with the lemon peel until you have a puree.

3) in the order, add sugar, bread crumbs, baking powder and the pinch of salt.

4) add the egg and mix well.

5) add lemon juice and mix well.

6) add oil and mix well.

7) add milk and mix well.

8) optional add rum or rum essence and mix well again.

9) at this point the dough must have the same consistence of yogurt. If it's not soft enough, add milk or water until you achieve the right consistence.

10) achieved point 9, add blueberry or cranberries, mix summarily, and divide the dough between 5 microwave-ok muffin molds. Be careful to fill the molds just until one half of the capacity

11) baking; for LG microwave oven: function "bread", once, then function "cake" 2 or 3 times. Check with toothpick test. For common house oven: bake 200°C for 30-40 mins, check with toothpick test.

Bread crumbs cake ♡♡♡

It's been a while since the last time I posted something. I had a very bad pain in my back and in my hip, so strong that I couldn't stand or walk for quite a while. I don't really know how it happened since it started after I was relaxing at home for two days and only recently I started feeling good enough to try go walk again.

The fact is that staying at home all day I couldn't keep my hands still and I started cooking and baking like a pro. Which means that I invented a couple delicious recipes to add into my little recipes book, but I also gained back all the weight I had struggled so hard to loose in the past months of diet and walking. But let's look at the half full glass and.. I invented very delicious recipes too! This time, my pride is this bread crumbs cake. Luckily I couldn't eat more than a couple of tiny little slices of it because my parents ate it in a blink of an eye (and gave a quarter to our neighbours to taste) and then the oven broke down. There is already a recipe or two of the bread crumbs cake on the internet but I checked and this one version seems to be brand new and only mine. I'll share the recipe with you at the end of this post, but if you want to bring it to your blog please ask me for the credits! 

Back to the walking, since I just recovered from my back pain (even if I'm not completely healed) though I would like to burn all the calories as fast as I can, I also don't want to strain myself with the long panoramic walks I used to do, so I chose to have much shorter and slower walks and, from there, to increase very gradually. This morning, for my daily walk, I chose the local market. I originally wanted to buy a nice dress to wear tomorrow for a sushi and karaoke night with my friends, but actually I was not very confident to buy something new. But right when I approached the marketplace I heard a voice calling my name. It was a high school friend, that I didn't see or hear from for almost 8yrs. She was with her mom who took me into liking, and chit chatting together I almost didn't look at the clothes and ended up without buying anything. Her mom, instead, found two nice blouses and had a discount on a third one. But for me, I didn't see anything special for a party night and at the same time fluffy enough to conceal the big sushi all-you-can-eat belly! Tomorrow I'm gonna search my closet, and maybe I'll go check an outlet. So I'd better go sleep to wake up early! 

Good night! 

♡BREAD CRUMBS CAKE "MY WAY"♡ 

Ingredients (note that the amount of liquids can vary considerably depending to the type of bread used):

1 sweet potato

100g walnuts

150g powdered stale bread 

3 eggs

300ml milk

100g raw cane sugar

1/2 glass of Bailey's 

50g dried raisin

3 teaspoons of powdered cinnamon

1 bag of baking powder

50 ml oil

Pinch of salt

powdered sugar for decoration 

Proceedings:

1) put raisin to soak in water

2)grease a baking sheet, cut the potato in small cubes without peeling it, mix the cubes well until they get greased too and bake them in the oven 200°C until soft. (Around 30mins depending on the size of the cubes)

3) in a food processor, mince the walnuts with a couple tablespoons of sugar, until you get something like a crumbly paste

4) once it's cold put in the food processor the potato cubes and process until you get a puree

5) in a large bowl mix together powdered bread, sugar, baking powder, salt pinch and cinnamon

6) now add and mix well together walnuts first and then potatoes. It must look crumbly but homogeneous

7) add the eggs and mix well.

8) add oil and mix well.

9) now add bailey's and milk until soft. It have to make a dough of the same consistence of yogurt. If milk and Bailey's are not enough to get to the consistence, you can add the raisin water. (If you're vegan you can substitute milk with raisin water, I don't know what you can substitute eggs with)

10) add raisin, mix well once again and then put in the mold. I use a silicone one to get a flower shaped cake, but if you don't have it you can use any mold with greaseproof paper on the bottom to pull it out easily afterwards. Bake in oven 200°C, for 45mins more or less. Make the toothpick test (= pierce with a toothpick to the bottom and if it comes out dry it is ready, if dirty or wet you need to wait a little longer) before turning off the oven. Before serving cover with powdered sugar. I suggest you to eat it after 12h at least for a more rich taste. 

This morning on the lake

This morning I went to the lake with my friend F.. We went to another different part of the lake, and we had quite a long walk I guess around 5-7km.  Even this time we saw many beautiful landscapes and things, so we decided to take some pictures. Let's start! 

On the lake this morning we first saw a beautiful scenery. I wanted to take a picture of the lotuses but they were too far away from there to be visible by camera. Anyway the landscape with fishermen's boats was very picturesque

Later on our walk we met beautiful swans, just ashore, cleaning their white feathers next to the people relaxing on the benches near the water, walking their dogs, jogging or taking pictures like us. 

F. managed to take a pic of swans in the water too! 

And finally we found a place to get some good shots of the lotus flowers in full bloom! Other people stopped their bike and took a detour from the main trail to join us and take some photographs too! But it was actually a perfect place and timing to take beautiful pictures of the flowers! I have never seen them so beautiful myself

F., with a better camera than mine, even took a pic of a lovely, pink bud

While I spotted a small, red dragonfly on a lotus leaf! Look closely, you will find it... 

Later on, we sat on a bench ourselves for a little break and a long chat, and a tiny little sparrow hopped around studying us. It came very near and continued getting nearer and nearer, very intrigued with us and our talk. So I started calling it near and it slightly attempted approaching, like it was considering. I bet that if I stayed a little bit longer, it would have hopped on my hand too! 

After we separated I went back home and I had a nice pasta al pesto that I prepared yesterday night after trimming the basil that I grow on my balcony. But that's another story...