Out and about
After last week it's nice to show a clean white dog even if it doesn't last long! Tavi is getting better at posing for pictures, there was one time when he was younger that you would just get a white blur or discoloured blob!
During the summer we have sought out empty places, discovering lovely new walks along the way. We recently walked from Swyre through meadows down to the Chesil beach. We had this vast landscape of sea, beach and sky all to ourselves. I subsequently discovered that part of this beach, just a little further along is for nudists!
We came across these rusted metal poles, which were placed very close together. We could only assume they must have been part of the World War II defences.
The Sea Kale was still providing a grey carpet to the shingle. Only this week while doing some research for a project that I am working on, a Merchant, Mr H.B Way operating out of West Bay in 1812 produced detailed instructions of how to grow this plant for cultivation. It contains high levels of Vitamin C and has been used since Roman times to prevent scurvy during long voyages by sea. As mentioned in a previous post it is illegal to dig up the plants, but seeds can easily be purchased. Mr Way recommended planting the seeds in November or December. I will try and follow his instructions later in the year and see what happens.
Over the weekend the weather turned more stormy and looking at the sea reminded us of those long forgotten winter storms. Sadly over the weekend in the UK there were six deaths caused by drowning as people underestimated the ferocity of the sea. Sometimes it is better to view the sea from afar.......
We have also experienced another cliff fall this week. It happened at 7.40 in the evening and there were still quite a few people on the beach, luckily no one was badly injured. We constantly see people ignoring all warning notices and standing on the edge of the cliffs or sitting right under the bottom of the cliffs or amongst recent rock falls.
 |
| East Cliff West Bay before the recent rock fall/ |
Out on another walk we saw these sunflowers. They always make me smile they look so bright and cheerful.
As usual the courgettes seem to have grown without us noticing them, does anyone have any good courgette recipes? I think we will be eating them for days!
Thank you for visiting, until next time.
Sarah
I have a great recipe for zucchini mustard pickles which I make every year. If you like pickles, it is a good recipe. I will send you the link.
ReplyDeleteThe link for the pickles is here.
ReplyDeletehttp://islandmusingswithmarie.blogspot.ca/search?q=Mustard+pickles
Thanks Marie, that does sound delicious,I will go and get the other ingredients and try it. Sarah x
DeleteTavi is an adorable little dog. I have a fondness for Westies. My sister used to have one and my neighbor does across the street. I see him out in the garden with her when she is weeding. Loved the photos you've shared today, and the interesting info on those plants. Sad about the deaths. I love the ocean but do fear it as I am not a good swimmer. Wonderful sitting on the beach looking out as far as the eye can see though. I can remember as a young 14 year old climbing the cliffs with my friends. Thankfully I have more sense now and a fear of heights!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful picture of Tavi. That is a keeper. All beautiful.
ReplyDeleteLovely photos, Tavi grows cuter with every post. I adore sunflowers and the cliffs are gorgeous. Have a wonderful week xo
ReplyDeleteThanks for the lovely, interesting photos, Sarah. Cliffs and oceans demand our respect as well as admiration. Now I want to read more about Sea Kale. The metal frame on the beach reminds me of the metal frame of a boat on the OR shore. One of the ways I like to use courgettes is to grate them and form them into a crust for quiche. If you want the crust to be a bit crispy, pat the water out of the grated squash, toss it in a bit of oil and bake it before you put in the quiche filling and bake the whole thing. xx
ReplyDeleteMy daughter often creates a sweet pototo crust for a quiche. I have never thought of doing it with courgette. Thank you for the tip I will try this too! Sarah x
DeleteDear Sarah,
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos and love the sweet one of Tavi. Yes the sea is powerful and we need to always fear the strong rips and waves that can sometimes happen. Love the sunflowers and they are always a bright and happy flower.
Enjoy the rest of the week
hugs
Carolyn
Hi Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI always love to make ratatouille or minestrone soup with courgettes. Yours are very healthy looking.
hugs
Carolyn
I am making ratatouille tonight! Sarah x
DeleteFergus would never pose like that. I'm wondering how you get Tavi to sit still for a picture. He looks so well behaved!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos, and the stormy ones are a good reminder of how powerful the forces of nature can be. I'm sorry to hear there were so many lives lost in the water this past week in the UK. It happens here in BC too, both in the ocean and in the many lakes we have.
Tavi steals the show this time, clever dog, he knows how to deal with the camera.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Sea Kale picture too. The sea and also high cliffs are always impressive and beautiful to look at, but also a bit scary, people sometimes don´t see the danger....
Regards, Janneke
Lovely blog post...makes me long for the sea :-)
ReplyDeleteCracking recipes are:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/gruyere_and_courgette_61507
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/4716/creamy-courgette-lasagne
Hello, Tavi! YOU look wonderful and clean! teeeeheheeeeee
ReplyDeleteSARAH! What a summer you've had! By the sea, in the garden, on the shore, what more could anyone ask for?
Enjoyed that - impressive shots and an excellent portrait of Tavi. I'm very glad you air-brushed the nudists out - all a bit much at my time of life. I can recommend not making courgette soup; it is disgusting!
ReplyDeleteI do make courgette soup and included grated cheese it makes it quite good! The recipe is here. http://downbytheseadorset.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/down-in-heart-of-devon.html Sarah x
DeleteI love the photo with the rusting metal poles and the shadows they are casting. It looks like a very smart art installation!
ReplyDeleteBest wishes
Ellie
Tavi looks gorgeous against the blue sky. We too had a swimming fatality in rough seas this weekend. Someone paddling on the beach next to ours. So important to respect the sea. Lovely sunflowers and you seem to be having a similar courgette problem to us. I could email you a recipe I love with lamb mince, tomatoes and cinnamon stuffed in the courgettes if you would like. B X
ReplyDeleteSweet pup! In our area of the USA near the Blue Ridge Mountains it is common to hear of falls from the top of waterfalls. Those who fall rarely survive but it does not stop people from going where they shouldn't. We often warn tourists when we are out and about. Sometimes it is welcome advice and other times not but we tried.
ReplyDeleteSuch a contrast between your two sets of pictures from the beach. The strength of the storms in August seems to have caught a lot of people unawares.
ReplyDeleteOh, what a weather. Better to see the see from away. The picture with the rusty steels is beautiful - Eastcliff is great.
ReplyDeleteSigrun
We don't get stormy seas this time of year, but I love sitting on the beach watching the waves crashing into the jetties.
ReplyDeleteMake it a great day!
Yes, seeing your first photo's of Tavi and that lovely blue sky ... and then of course remembering those who lost their lives recently in the bad weather ... we sometimes can momentarily forget the force of nature.
ReplyDeleteI love all of your photo's.
Now you were asking about courgette recipes, you may wish to have a look here
http://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/zucchini-courgette-another-low-carb-and.html
Enjoy these last few days of August - the year is simply flying by!
All the best Jan
Thanks Jan there are some wonderful recipes there. I am starting to run out of courgettes with all these recipes! Sarah x
DeleteHi Sarah, what a lovely post, thank you for sharing all the photos especially the one of the gorgeous (and very clean) Tavi.
ReplyDeleteTavi looks as though he's really enjoying his walk along the coast - what a lovely photograph of him. The sea looks both beautiful and powerful in your photos. It does seem that many holidaymakers don't realise it can be both at the same time.
ReplyDeleteLovely photos.
ReplyDeleteHave holidayed in West Bay when it's been stormy - very spectacular!!
Oh, that little Tavi is just so sweet! Clean or dirty, he's adorable. Love the pictures showing the contrast of stormy and clear, calm beaches: you certainly do get quite a range of weather.
ReplyDeleteJust beautiful pictures...always so nice visiting you and your lovely blog!
ReplyDeleteWarm hug from Titti
What big seas there are in August! I always think the sea is very unpredictable, your photos show that so well. Lovely to get a new slice of life in Dorset, and as always, Tavi is an absolute treasure!
ReplyDeleteSaddened this morning by news of yet more drownings - I suppose people think it will never happen to them...
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures of the stormy sea! The part of Chesil Beach that you mentioned is fascinating, not just for the nudists, but also for the wide range of beach plants. I dont know how they survive the bad weather but they do. The sea kale is very impressive and I also like the yellow horned poppy.
ReplyDeleteTavi looks like a Persil advert against that beautiful deep blue sky! I remember Chesil Beach very well and, even there, it's good to be aware of the power of the sea. I love the sea but am always respectful of it's strength and changes - my brother is a keen sailor and I used to sail myself before my London days - there are too many unnecessary tragedies because of people's lack of judgement around water. Re courgettes, read Nigel Slater or Hugh F-Whittingstall, both a good source of recipes!
ReplyDeleteBoth of those chefs are my favourites, thank you for reminding me about them.Hugh's ratatouille roasting the veg in the oven is always good. Sarah x
DeleteTavi is oh, so pretty!Love the photos of the sea.
ReplyDeleteThe stormy weather looks spectacular Sarah. So sorry to hear people died.
ReplyDeleteLovely photo of Tavi! You couldn't have chosen a better background.
Have a lovely weekend ahead!
Madelief x
Tavi is such a cutie and what a lovely picture of him.♥ I can imagine that those walks you do together are highlights for you all and Sarah you do live in an amazingly beautiful area. Living by the sea is wonderful but you also get to experience the power of it through storms, streams and how it eats it's way through cliffs and sand. And just like you said, sometimes it's better to watch i from afar.
ReplyDeleteThank you for a lovely post sweet Sarah and I hope you'll have a lovely end to August.♥
Charlie
xx
Lovely photos Sarah! Seeing your dog brought to mind the fact that my husband now a days keep saying that he would love to have a dog. We have two cats. I told him when we retire perhaps. The sea is beautiful but for sure dangerous. Have a wonderful weekend!
ReplyDeleteWhat a cute little dog! Nice photos!
ReplyDeletesummerdaisycottage.blogspot.com
Lovely photos and great to see a clean Tavi! I am just reading back through your recent blog posts as I completely lost my blogging mojo for awhile. Trying to get back into commenting on posts now. xx
ReplyDeleteLosing our blogging mojo happens to us all from time to time. It's difficult sometimes to get back into it after a break. Thanks for the comment. Sarah x
DeleteI'd love to see some good stormy seas like that one day (from a safe distance of course!).
ReplyDeleteours (bought) goes into a veg curry
ReplyDeleteWe too always add courgettes to curries and pasta dishes. Sarah x
DeleteLooking at the photos of Chesil Beach a few days before the sudden stormy seas the contrast is so surprising. It is sad that so many lost their lives when they were enjoying family summer days out. I was very saddened to learn of the death of the little 2 year old girl airlifted to the Childrens Hospital Bristol from Cornwall.
ReplyDeleteI like my courgettes chargrilled, coated first of all with some first press rapeseed oil.
By the way I remember that you were interested in trying Halva, they have some in Lidl at the moment in their Greek selections.
Yes it is so sad that the little girl died as well as her father. I feel for the family and how their summer holiday turned into such a tragedy.
DeleteThank you for letting me know about the Halva. Sarah x
Gabriel would LOVE to romp with Tavi on those cliffs overlooking the sea!
ReplyDeleteThose waves are amazing, but wonderful to watch I'm sure as long as you keep well away from them
ReplyDeleteInteresting about the sea kale and scurvy!
ReplyDeleteAnd those rusty poles could easily be a piece of modern art...
Thanks for sharing :)
I make up pasta sauces with my courgettes, in the slow cooker as when the weather's hot I try not to use my oven. Cut them into smallish cubes and add to sautéed onion and garlic, tomato paste, a couple of anchovies (optional a couple of jars of passata, wine (again optional)or a good glug of balsamic vinegar, herbs of your choice. You can bung in just about anything you need to use up. I sometimes put in bacon and mushrooms or a can of barlotti beans (any bean will do), carrot, the choice in yours. I usually fill my slow cooker and then freeze the sauce for winter use in things like lasagne or add it to other recipes. It freezes well.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jacqui this sounds nice and so easy putting it all in the slow cooker and letting it work it's magic. It a good idea to freeze too as I am getting a bit fed up with courgettes every meal! Sarah x
Delete