When summer comes round again

As we inch closer and closer to mid-winter, i can't help but think about spring things like moving house, redecorating, buying homemade jams and honey in glass jars, tank tops and straw bags, longer days and gardening.

I have big plans for our new home, which involve a mini garden in the balcony (which i'm adamant that we have). A visit to the nursery a few weeks ago has rekindled my passion for growing my own flowers and herbs. I have helped my auntie garden enough times to know that it is hard work but extremely rewarding.

I use an assortment of herbs every week in my cooking, the most popular ones being basil and coriander. This week, i've had to buy sage (for the roasted pumpkin, sage and pine nut penne) and thyme (for the Indian-style grilled chicken breasts) and it is such a waste of money when all i need are a few leaves here and there. Hence, i've been looking into growing my own herb garden which will be a nice Sunday afternoon activity for me when the football is on.

Once we buy a house with some extra land, i am keen on growing tomatoes, strawberries, some citrus fruit and salad leaves. I doubt i'll ever have chickens but some simple fruit and veg farming seems like the way to go. And of course, i'll grow my own flowers. There's nothing like some handpicked flowers straight from your own garden gathered together loosely in a bouquet for a friend when she comes over for tea.

I have been feeling crafty of late but considering that i have not enough time to write my thesis, i don't think i can justify spending time on knitting or quilting (not that i know how to do either). Maybe when life settles down a bit after the wedding, i can attempt to do something crafty as well as continue taking more photographs, a hobby i have sadly neglected in recent months due to relationship problems with my camera, which runs out of battery the minute i decide i want to photograph something beautiful. Every. Single. Time. However, plans to get a new, more professional camera are in the works so there's something to look forward to.

(If i close my eyes long enough, i can smell sourdough bread baking in the over; i can see jam jars sitting pretty on the shelf; i can feel the warm breeze on my skin; i can hear Jason Mraz playing on the stereo, a good book on my lap to tide the sunshine-filled days that we call summer.)

Tonight, i'm cooking aforementioned grilled chicken with a yoghurt and spice marinade, served on green beans and red onions, baked couscous with tomato and pesto and an apple and almond crumble for dessert. It's not every day that i cook such semi-elaborate meals but after a week of soup (lentil first and then fish and veg), i am ready for something a bit more special.