A Mild Headache & Peonies

–I have a mild headache.

–We’re entering summer mode. We had guests a couple of weeks ago, but as of Wednesday it’s basically non-stop until September. Cold soups will feature heavily, including an excellent one I’ve recently discovered:

For 4

2 cucumbers (peeled)

20 cl of milk

1 pot Greek yogurt (or equal quantity of quark if preferred)

A handful of mint and coriander

Salt & pepper to taste

Put everything in the blender, blend til smooth. If you want it more soup than velouté, add more milk (or stock.) Serve chilled.

–Yesterday I was in the garden thinking I should join in and say something about the fire in Kensington. Then I looked up and thought, what an unattractive building that is across the street. 🤔 Too soon? It’s never too soon. Laughing is all we’ve got.

I spent quite a bit of time in Kensington when I was young(er). I even rented a place there for a while thinking I might want to live in London. Everything that could go wrong went wrong. My then (Scandinavian) boyfriend fell madly out of love with me. He thought (discovered?) I was terribly bourgeois and he didn’t want to eventually turn into one of those people who lives in the countryside and grows peonies. It turns out that is indeed precisely what I became.