summer film

Just a few end of summer shots...

monday music: gotye

I think it's time we returned to Monday Music, don't you?

Last week I heard this song on the radio. Then I saw the music video posted. Twice. It's one of those songs where each time I heard it it meant a little bit more to me, and the video seems to convey the emotion so perfectly that I can't stop watching. I keep showing it to people. Maybe you've seen it too, but in case you hadn't, I just wanted to share.

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I've been soaking up the inspiration lately. I try not to surf too mindlessly, especially when I have so much to get done, but sometimes every link I follow seems to bring something new to love.

Gala's Radical Self Love Manifesto. Sometimes everyone needs to be reminded of these things.

Wolf Eyebrows is a wonderful blog with a wonderful name. And it led me to the beautiful photos on Threading In The Choirs.

David Lebovitz's posts about the Queen Mary 2 have me dreaming about crossing the Atlantic the old fashioned way.

I think I have to make this plum crumble. Just as soon as I'm done eating the cookies I baked from this recipe.

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Things have been keeping me away from blogging lately. Things like these last warm days and painting the living room (finally!) and canning lots of jam. And baking. But baking is one of those things that always makes me want to post here, so it's bagels that bring me here today. After all, homemade bagels are entirely worthy of a post all to themselves.

I got the recipe from Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice (also our source for amazing pizza dough) and followed it closely. I think the bagel recipe was actually what prompted me to buy the book ages ago, but it's kind of a lengthy process and I got intimidated. But, as I discovered, it's really not terribly difficult once you find the time to get going. And the reward is hot, chewy, golden bagels with your choice of toppings.

The recipe makes a dozen so I thought we'd set aside a weeks worth and freeze the rest. HA. The first half dozen were gone in two days. We ate them with jam, with eggs, with butter, and with afternoon tea. And of course I took pictures.

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I have a hard time saying goodbye to summer. I took this picture on one of the last August afternoons. We were sitting by a lake and I lay back and tried to soak up every bit of sun and heat I could. I needed those reserves on this chilly, rainy first week of September.

The brightest thing around these past few days has been the batches of golden peach jam the boy and I have been canning. I like to think of jars of sun-soaked fruit sitting in our cupboards this winter.