#11: An Interlude
a quick life update on chickens, rhubarb and due dates
Hello friends! I hope you all had a wonderful easter/passover/ostara/sunny spring weekend 🌸 In lieu of your regular content I thought I’d provide a quick little update—a snapshot if you will—of life right now, ahead of the BIG THING that may disrupt your usual programming even further. We’re just 4 days away from our due date, but aside from a few Braxton Hicks contractions our little lad seems quite content exactly where he is. It’s an extremely humbling experience to be at the mercy of his timing, knowing that at any moment things could kick into high gear!
We’ve had a busy couple of weeks here, with one of the most exciting developments being the arrival of our chickens. Tikka, Korma and Vindaloo were picked up a few days ago (we rescued three battery hens from the British Hen Welfare Trust) and were told it would take them a few weeks to get adjusted and begin laying eggs. So imagine our delight when we found eggs the very next morning! They’ve been diligent layers since then; I’m amazed at how much more flavourful and vibrant their eggs are compared to store bought.
On another note, Matt and I have been put in charge of his parent’s allotment while they spend the next several months in Corfu, which is a much more daunting task than I had originally prepared myself for. I’d pictured a few potted plants, but instead we are now responsible for a vast plot with enough growing to see us through a zombie apocalypse! But it’s been thrilling to get our hands dirty and start working on the potatoes, onions, cabbages, strawberries, gooseberries and more that are currently sprouting. First up was harvesting some of the bounteous rhubarb that had exploded in a flurry of umbrella sized leaves. My mom and stepdad are here for the arrival of the little one, and my mother and I had a great time coming up with ways to use this excess of rhubarb. We ended up making a crumble, of course, as well as a rhubarb, lemon, and ginger cordial which is absolutely delicious. You can even use the leftover sugary mush (pictured in the jar) as a topping for porridge or yoghurt! I was honestly shocked at how easy it was to make - check out the recipe HERE.
And now I thought I’d do a little roundup of things I’m loving/media I am consuming at the moment:
What I’m watching right now: I’m still reeling from the epic spectacle that was Lady Gaga’s Coachella set (the Abracadabra to Judas transition? The ossuary-inspired piano? The Born This Way encore? Reader, I died), so that was a major highlight. I don’t watch much TV (not counting reruns of Family Guy and Bob’s Burgers…) but Adolescence was one I had to watch and holy shit, I’m still getting over it. If you haven’t watched it yet, do.
What I’m listening to (music): It’s gearing up for Eurovision season, so naturally I’ve had Sweden’s wild and wacky entry Bara Bada Bastu on repeat, a Finno-Swedish romp espousing the virtues of the humble sauna. Will it win? Who knows, but it’s refreshing to see Sweden submit something that takes itself so unseriously. Additionally, my husband and I recently rewatched O Brother Where Art Thou, and for the following week I had the soundtrack playing constantly. Man of Constant Sorrow truly is *chefs kiss*.
What I’m listening to (audio): I’m constantly blown away by the quality and depth of my dear friend
’s audiobook/podcast/substack , not to mention the fact that the story is an absolute banger. An alternate American Revolution with vampires and an alcoholic monster hunter? Count me in. If you’re looking for an audiobook to dive into, I couldn’t recommend it more.What I’m reading: I’ve usually always got one fiction and one non-fiction book on the go. At the moment it’s the historical fiction feminist murder mystery Katarina Wennstam’s Döda Kvinnor Förlåter Inte, which unfortunately hasn’t been translated into English yet, and Femina: A New History of the Middle Ages, Through the Women Written Out of It by Janina Ramirez. The latter is a fascinating exploration of the extraordinary lives of real women in the medieval ages, mostly through the lens of archeology—invaluable research for my novel!
What I’m eating: Aside from Tunnock’s caramel wafers, I’ve had a bit of a pregnancy obsession with loaf cakes of any kind. Ginger loaf cakes, lemon drizzle cake, decadent banana bread, you name it. I’ve never been a baker, but I’ve got some overripe bananas that I’m determined to utilise, especially now that we have so many eggs. If anyone has a good banana bread recipe, please do share!
And that’s all for me today. Thank you as always for following along on my little journey. It’s wild to think that next time you receive an email from me I will be a mother!
Until then 💛
This made me so happppy!
Those hens feel so safe with y'all!