70+ en

Still a lot of figs - now turned into a jar of fig jam. Ingredients: 12-14 figs 1 dl cane sugar 7 cm cinnamon stick ½  vanilla bean split and seeded 2 tbsp lemon juice Atamon (preserve) Wash the figs and cut the stem and  bottom and cut in quarters. Boil with sugar and spices on low heat for approx. 20 minutes until most of the juice is evaporated. Remember to stir often. Then blend - make it boil again - remove from heat and add Atamon. Put the jam in a cleaned jar. I found the label on: avosmarmites.com where many free labels were to be found. Danish

The Red Address Book by Sofia Lundberg Doris age 96 lives alone in an apartment in Stockholm, and manages with the help of a home carer until she falls and breaks the hip. Her only family left is her grand niece Jenny, who lives in USA. They Skype together. Sofia has an address book, but most names have been crossed over and added DEAD. With the names as starting point Sofia writes her memoirs  to share the memories with Jenny. The result is a lovely heartwarming story about a long and colorful lived life. It is  Sofia Lundberg's debut novel and not without reason it has become an international success - published in 28 countries. Danish

Ingredients: 100 g bacon in dices 1 onion 1 clove garlic 3 eggs 1½ dl Isk 1 dl oatmeal 50 g shredded cheese 1 tbsp mustard ½ tbsp fresh thyme 350 g shredded squash pepper Make the pie dough and pre-bake it. Pie dough: 1 dl rapeseed oil ½ dl milk ½ tsp coarse salt 3 dl flour Stir together and put it in a well greased pie plate and pre-bake for 22 minutes at 200 degrees. Roast the bacon in a frying pan and put it on fat absorbing paper. Fry chopped onion and finely chopped garlic lightly in the bacon fat - do not let it get brown. Stir everything together except the bacon. Put it in the pre-baked crust and sprinkle the bacon on top. Bake for approx. 40 minutes at 200 degrees. We had an apple salad to go with the pie and figs for dessert. Danish

Every year I take seeds from lots of plants in the garden to sow the following year. I also take seeds from squash and that sometimes gives surprising results. Last year I had some small, round squash of the same coloring as the one in the picture, and I also had butternut squash. They must have cross-pollinated, and the result is this light green, striped butternut. We have tasted one of them, and it was delicious. A bit more dense in the "meat" than a normal green squash. We will have to see if it is  suitable for storage. I took seeds from  Hokkaido pumpkins as well, but they look as usual 😄 Danish

The Templars' Last Secret by Martin Walker I have reached No.10 in the series:   Bruno, Chief of Police Martin Walker ought to be paid by the Tourist Board of Dordogne. Reading his books you so want to go there - even though we have been there earlier. In this novel it is especially the Commarque castle ruin, and also  the caves and prehistory of the region that takes focus. At the same time it is an exciting story, starting with the discovery of a body beside the chateau of  Commarque . Stories about he Knights Tempar and terror is part of the plot, and luckily we are not being deprived of the region's good food and wine. Translated to Danish: Politimesteren i St. Denis - Bruno Courrèges 1 Dødens Vingård - Bruno Courrèges 2 The series consist of: Bruno, Chief of Police - Bruno, Chief of Police 1 The Dark Vineyard - Bruno, Chief of Police 2 Black Diamond - Bruno, Chief of Police 3 The Crowded Grave - Bruno, Chief of Police 4 The Devil's Cave - Bru...

Now the weather has finally cooled down and made it possible to knit again without the knitting getting sweaty 😎 Cast on 60 stitches and knit 4 rows and then pattern . When the cloth have the desired length you knit 4 rows and bind off. Pattern: 1.row: 1 p, 9 k 2.row: 1 k, 7 p, 1 k, 1 p 3.row: 1 p, 1 k, 1 p, 5 k, 1 p, 1 k 4.row: 1 k, 1 p, 1 k, 3 p, 1 k, 1 p, 1 k, 1 p 5.row: 2 k, 1 p, 1 k, 1 p. 1 k, 1 p, 1 k, 1 p, 1 k 6.row: 2 p, 1 k, 1 p, 1 k, 1 p, 1 k, 3 p 7.row: 4 k, 1 p, 1 k, 1 p, 3 k 8.row: 4 p, 1 k, 5 p 9.row: knit 10.row: purl 11.row: 5 k, 1 p, 4 k 12.row: 3 p, 1 k, 1 p, 1 k, 4 p 13.row: 3 k, 1 p, 1 k, 1 p, 1 k, 1 p, 2 k 14.row: 1 p. 1 k, 1 p, 1 k, 1 p, 1 k, 1 p, 1 k, 2 p 15.row: 1 k, 1 p, 1 k, 1 p, 3 k, 1 p, 1 k, 1 p 16.row: 1 p, 1 k, 5 p, 1 k, 1 p, 1 k 17.row: 1 k, 1 p, 7 k, 1 p 18.row: 9 p, 1 k 19.row: knit 20.row: purl 20 19 X 18 X X 17 X X X 16 X X X X 15 X X X X 14 X...

A Connoisseur's Case by Michael Innes . This is one of my purchases from my library's sale of discarded books. And a very lucky one too, because it is a crime novel in the real English tradition. It is very well written and most enjoyable to read, and the lucky thing is, it is part of the series: Sir John Appleby. This is no. 20 in the series though. There is a total of 36 in the series, and it looks as if 20 of them can be borrowed at the library. I will have to see if i can find some of the books the library cannot provide on flea markets, if I continue to want to read them all. In this novel  Judith and John Appleby is visiting  Judith's uncle Colonel Julius Raven. On a hike they find the body of an old man in a lock. A man they had been taking to at the inn shortly before finding him dead. He has previously been employed at Scroop House, and the solution to the crime may possibly be found there, related to past events. There are many delightful characters in th...

Rinse I2-14 figs and cut off most of the stems. Make  a couple of small holes in each fig using a toothpick or sharp fork (this will make the figs absorb the syrup), and put them in a cleaned 1 liter  glass jar. Boil a syrup: 4 dl water 400 g cane sugar juice from 1 lemon shredded lemon peel from  ½ lemon Pour the syrup over the figs and let rest until next day. Drain the syrup and pour it in a pan and cook to reduce the syrup a bit. Take off heat and add 1 dl brandy and 1 tsp Atamon and pour it over the figs. You may have to fill up with a little brandy. Close the jar. Let rest for at least 14 days before use. Danish

A Dubious Legacy by  Mary Wesley The novel takes place in 1944 to 1990. In 1944  Henry returns to  Cotteshaw with his bride Margaret. She gives him a black eye and goes to bed, where she stays most of her life, only interrupted by few unpleasant episodes when leaving it. The story develops around this eccentric couple and Henry's friends and neighbors. We are in upper middle class  England described with distance and sarcasm and often with funny remarks and observations. Mary Wesley's career as a writer was somewhat unusual. She had her debut and became a bestseller author in the age of 70. Danish

There are masses of blackberries, and there is a limit to how many I can use for jam and desserts. That is why some of them will be made into "healthy" candy . I blend ½ liter blackberries with  7 mint leaves and  ½ dl honey. Spread the pulp even on a silicone baking mat and let dry in the oven for 14-15  hours at 50-60 degrees. Make sure the fruit leather is dry - no damp patches. When the leather had dried, I cut it in 4 rows, rolled it up, and put it in a glass jar. Danish