A lazy summer afternoon

We had some warm sunny days recently and more is to come. I love days like this. It's such a delight to wear flip flops once more, get rid of trousers and thick cardigans and spend as much time as possible in the garden. To me the best way to do this is with family and friends. 

Yesterday sweet friends from one of my cooking clubs joined me for a lazy summer afternoon. 

We all made one or two dishes. It's always a surprise what will be on our table. We had a quinoa salad with mackerel, apple and beetroot, a salad with pearl barley, chicken, harricot vers and peppers (see photo below), a bulgur salad with strawberries and pistachio nuts (see photo above) and a Swiss apricot pie for desert (see photo below). They were all absolutely delicious!

Unfortunately I don't have the time to write down all the recipes, but I am confident you can find them on the internet. I added the recipe for the bulgur salad with strawberries and pistachio nuts below.

I wanted to thank you too for your replies on my questions in last weeks blog post. I find it interesting to know what your opinion is on the subject of anonymous blogging and the influence of your readers on your style of writing. If you haven't read the comments yet. Please have a look. 

Wishing you a Happy week!

Love,

Madelief x  

Bulgur salad with strawberries, mint and pistachio nuts

200 gr bulgur

one or two chopped spring onions

40 gr chopped pistachio nuts

3 tbsp chopped parsley

1 tbsp chopped mint

3 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp olive oil

a pinch of coarse sea salt

freshly ground pepper

about 200 grams of strawberries (in halves or quarters)

Prepare the bulgur as stated on the packaging. Leave to cool.

Mix the bulgur with the herbs, the pistachio nuts, olive oil en lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to your taste. 

Add the strawberries to the salad just before you put it on the table. 

Bon appetit!

On roses...and blogging

Today I am taking you to the garden once more, to show you my roses. They look exceptionally beautiful this year. While New Dawn tumbles over my garden shed, Veilchenblau and Paul's Himalayan Musk find their way up the trees. On the ground Waltz time, Leonardo da Vinci, Tom Tom, Pink Cloud, Rhapsody in blue, Constance Spry and Henri Matisse are in full bloom. Whenever I enter my garden, I feel grateful that I have this magical place, that brings me so much joy every month of the year. If you are interested in the names of the roses you see on my photo's, please have a look below.

Something entirely different now. Before I begin I have to tell you that I am not going to stop blogging :-) 

About six years ago I started this blog. Partly out of curiosity,  a desire to connect with people from all over the world and a way to do something with my growing pile of photographs. I wrote this blog anonymously for almost four years, until my late husband urged me to no longer keep it a secret. 

Little by little I told family, friends and colleagues. I am really glad I did. I still get lots of enthusiastic reactions, but now and then I am in doubt. I wonder whether for instance the fact that I know who reads my blog affects my style of writing. I was afraid it would, but I don't think it does......well, perhaps only a little ;-) How about you? Have you told the people around you about your blog? If you did, has it affected your style of writing or the way they look at you? I would love to hear!

Next time I will show you photo's of a dinner party I  had in the garden.

Wishing you a lovely week!

Madelief x

Photo 2: New Dawn. Photo 4: Paul's Himalayan Musk. Photo 6: Tom Tom. Photo 8: Constance Spry. Photo 10: Rhapsody in blue. Photo 13: Henri Matisse. Photo 15 Waltz time. Photo Photo 17: Constance Spry. Photo 19: Paul's Himalayan Musk. 

Dreaming spires

Hello,

Thank you for stopping by. I am sorry I haven't been over to your blogs that much lately, but it's difficult to find the time. The summer months are always busy, with work, lots of social events and the garden to maintain. I am lucky to have the girls to help me out in the garden now and then, because otherwise I don't know if I could manage.

The garden is looking beautiful! A bit like a fairy tale garden. There are lots of foxgloves and lupines in pretty pinks, white, blues and purples. The first roses have started to bloom. The purple flowers of the Rhapsody in blue, which you can see in the photo above, look particularly lovely. In my next post roses will play the leading role.

If you find it difficult to wait and would already love to catch a glimpse of my little garden house, the dreaming spires and my roses, please pop over to Instagram :-). I have just uploaded a short video. It's a bit shaky, but will give you an impression. My Instagram account is called madeliefblog

Next week is a special week. I will hold my first dinner-and tea party in the garden. Looking forward to both of them very much. Please cross your fingers that the weather will be fine.

Wishing you a wonderful week ahead!

Love,

Madelief x