A long time ago now, I determined to pickle my own cucumbers, not in vinegar but a proper salt pickle, and none of your effete new greens either. This was actually a while before the Great Fermentation Renaissance, and recipes were few and far between. I asked my sister, who was in Moscow at the time, if she could get something like a recipe from one of the women who still, then, sold pickles from a barrel. She did, but it was way too imprecise for me to use. In particular, how much salt? was met with enough and, after further pressure, enough to float an egg.
Our terrace is a constant source of joy, let me be upfront about that before I move to its failings, just one of which is that the space is so finite. In an actual garden, there’s always room to cram in one more plant. On a terrace, not so much, which inevitably creates trouble when there are excess plants which, at this time of the year, is the result of potting on and thinning out. Some we leave by the garbage and usually they are gone in a matter of hours, which is nice. Others we give away. Yet others, we cram in. None of which detracts one bit from the even greater joy of seeds.
As you drive on the A1 out of Rome (and especially when returning to the city, there is a hugely impressive mountain to the west of the motorway. It rises up, floating on the plain and dominating the landscape. This is Mount Soratte, which Wikipedia tells me is an isolated limestone ridge, about 5.5 km long and boasting six separate peaks. It has been a draw for artists ever since Camille Corot changed landscape painting with his dazzling portraits of the mountain.
Finally found time to summarise the first quarter of data that Overland collects for me.
The biggest surprise is the amount of time spent on the bicycle as opposed to in the car. Some of that difference was caused by the absence of the car for about three weeks, the result of some thieves helpin...
March slowed down slightly, perhaps because I had more, not less, to do. This post, for example, is a bit late because I have to get ready for a brief trip over Easter and some things absolutely need to be finished before I leave.
