These are a few photos from one of my (almost weekly) trips to Montreal’s Botanical Gardens. It is one of my favorite places to read and drink thermos-tea in this city, especially during summer and fall.
As I sat and watched the ducks by the pond, a rarer bird swooped right into my camera’s viewfinder:
heron
Note child for scale:
Another favorite hang-out spot of mine is Jean-Talon market, again, especially during this time of year. Late summer and early fall fill the market with all of the wonderful goodies that we in Canada usually can only buy as imports. It’s the easiest time of the year to eat locally-grown foods, so we try to as much as possible. Here’s a recent haul from the market:
lavender, orange grape tomatoes, walnut sourdough bread, onions, peaches
The lavender makes me very happy. It might be an old lady scent in some opinions, but I love it’s bold smell, and taste. Several bits fell off in the bag on my way home, and I’ve kept them and have been using them in tea, and in baked goods (especially with chocolate). I put one little bunch on the shelf in our bathroom, and the rest are on the dresser in the bedroom. I can smell lavender whenever I walk into the room, though it has certainly mellowed from the day C. bought them.
As it is the only time of year to eat peaches, I’ve been hoarding them and eating them like mad. I haven’t baked anything with them, besides one peach crumble– they are so sweet and juicy that I like nothing better than to just eat them fresh. I’ve been cutting up one and eating it on my oatmeal each morning for the past few weeks, and I’ve not yet gotten sick of it. I’m a creature of habit.
one very good breakfast
To make oatmeal, I don’t use anything so complicated as pot or stove–I just put 1/2 cup of oatmeal in a bowl, pour in one cup of just boiled water from the kettle, and put a small plate over it as a lid. After 10-20 mins I return to the bowl, uncover it and VOILA! I have cooked porridge! And very little mess to clean up. If you try this oatmeal method at home, do note that it matters what sort of oatmeal you have. Mine is quick cooking (3-5mins). I have not used this method with old fashioned or steel cut oats. I imagine they would at least have to soak longer, and it mightn’t work at all. I have been topping my oatmeal as mentioned above, with one peach, and also a generous pour of almond milk. Sometimes if I’m really hungry, I’ll put a spoonful or two of almond butter on it as well. It’s a very good breakfast.
And now I’ll leave you with alliterative wishes for a wonderful weekend. And a duck, just for fun.
look at that gleam in 'er eye
Sayonara, sweeties. xo
I love you!!