Homemade Broccoli and Stilton soup.

Just made from scratch. No recipe.

I used

A tablespoon full of olive oil

Half a small red onion, chopped

Half a courgette, grated (zucchini)

A teaspoon of lazy garlic

About a third of a head of Brocolli, chopped finely

A heaped teaspoon of flour

About a 1/4 pint of cream

About a 1/4 pint of water

About 1/4 pint of milk

About 1/2 to 2/3 of a cup of crumbled Stilton.

A slice of brown bread.

Salt and pepper to taste

Prep time and cooking took 25 to 30 minutes.

Makes enough for a large bowl of soup.

Method

Put the oil in pan on low heat. Add the lazy garlic and chopped onion.

Cook on a low heat to soften the onions. Stir gently to stop anything sticking or burning.

Add the grated courgette and simmer for a bit while stirring until the mixture cooks. When the courgette softens add the Brocolli and about 1/4 pint of water to cover the contents.

Continue to simmer on a low heat while the vegetables cook.

Meanwhile mix about a teaspoon of flour and 1/4  pint of milk and 1/4 pint  of double  cream into a paste. Pour off some of the liquid from the pan into a cup and let it cool slightly.

At this stage add the Stilton to the pan and allow it to melt gently.

Then slowly add the the liquid to the flour mix. Once it’s mixed and is a smooth liquid you can pour it into the pan of cooked veg and Stilton.

Simmer till the soup thickens and looks creamy. Add salt and pepper at this stage. It means it’s flavoured without getting absorbed into the veg so is healthier, less sodium.

Serve in a large bowl with a slice of brown bread or whatever you prefer.

It was tasty and warm. Just right for a tasty meal on a cold evening. The cream makes it smooth and works well with the Stilton without it splitting. I enjoyed it.

Halfway round the sun

6 months ago the leaves

Held onto the trees

Fluttered in the breeze

Warm and gentle

Only slightly crisped

By cold winds and frosts

Halfway round the sun

The light slowly faded

Cold winds decended

Now the grey gloom remains

The sun visited us today

For half an hour

But still…….

Halfway round the sun

Spring is coming….

Night

Are you more of a night or morning person?

Night is good for fireworks, comets and supernovae. You can’t see them well in daylight.

Also exciting things like auroras and the bright glow of volcanoes.

You might be able to see the milky way galaxy, planets and meteors.

Not that I’m obsessed with astronomy.

Also when you go inside you can watch interesting films on TV.

Daytimes? Well if you are looking forward to nice weather you can sometimes be lucky and get sunshine. But isn’t watching a thunderstorm at night more exciting? And reading a book in bed is relaxing.

Plus, getting up early in the morning it’s often cold. I prefer to stay snug, thank you.

Lurgy

Last might my voice was croaky

I sneezed twice. But I was ok

Now I have the lurgy

I feel tired and achy

My nose is dripping like a tap

My eyes are gunged up.

Change in weather

Cold germs sneak out and gets you

Warm germs decide to leave.

I always get colds in autumn and spring.

Fed up

The cats hate me sneezing

Loudly…

Threatening rain

Cooled down and gone overcast. The temperature is now 23.2°C, the screen is showing rain and a barometer reading of 1006 millibars. I think it is hotter outside.

My friend is experiencing 26°C where he lives which is about 100 miles north east of here. I think the worst thing is the humidity. I feel like I’m sitting in a sauna. Hopefully it will cool down and feel more comfortable as the evening goes on. I’m very tempted to eat another ice cream, but I’ve already had one today!

Low pressure

Low pressure over us, the barometer fell last night from changeable to much rain, and rain it did this morning. There is flooding in the English midlands and snow melt has added to the problem.

I tapped the barometer again this morning  and the indicator didn’t move. The weather just hasn’t been good, it’s cold and wet. But the temperature has risen a bit from the freezing conditions we had a few days ago. I hope the barometer goes back up again soon.