country life | My Food Odyssey

Apr 7

Angry Sky, Northern Provence | www.myfoododyssey.com

Leaving Kansas

A clear blue sky can be a thing of beauty. It brings warmth, clear air and a bright, happy mood. But sometimes a dark and sinister sky can be far more interesting. I find myself weaving tales as I look at these photos – will Thor suddenly appear with his mighty hammer, will a truck pull up to plant some meteorological measuring device into the centre of the impending cyclone, or will the houses simply lift and spin upwards into the sky, leaving grey Kansas for a Technicolor land of magic and munchkins. Read more

Apr 5

Homemade Body Butter | www.myfoododyssey.com

11 Comments

Homemade Coconut Body & Lip Butters

There is a certain pleasure to be had from walking into an expensive department store and perusing the extensive range of beauty products available. Helpful and “qualified” staff will assess your skin’s needs and talk you through the benefits of their range. (“Qualified” in this instance generally means they’ve been trained on their company’s product range and how best to sell them.) You leave with a bag of products carefully wrapped in tissue paper and a gorgeous (branded) bag, promises of bright, wrinkle-free skin within days and a significantly lighter wallet. Read more

Mar 30

10 Comments

Life in the Woods

Walden is perhaps the most influential book I’ve never read. Thoreau’s tale of life in the woods was introduced to me while I was still in my teens via the film Dead Poets Society. Even then it struck a chord. “I went into the woods because I wanted to live deliberately… to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life…and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” I like to think I’ve been sucking that marrow all my life, balancing studies and career with plenty of simple pleasures – food, friends, songs, travel. Read more

Mar 25

Growing Rosemary from a Cutting | www.myfoododyssey.com

11 Comments

The Rosemary Experiment

Since I began my journey towards self-sufficiency I have become more and more aware of waste, whether it’s water, energy or food. I hate seeing even small amounts of leftover food going to waste, even if I don’t have an immediate use for it. I will put it into an appropriate container in the fridge or pantry and try to use it within a few days. Read more

Mar 20

Wheat Fields, Lithuania | www.myfoododyssey.com

8 Comments

Evening Waltz

A low evening sun over fields of golden grasses. Lithe ladies sway and bend, bathed in long shadows and rich autumn colours. The sky is clear, the air silent, but somehow I hear music. A waltz, I think. Slow and smooth, it is the perfect soundtrack for these dancing girls. I walk through the fields, soothed by the warm glow of the sun and the rhythmic movement of the wheat, and wonder if perhaps there was something “unusual” about those mushrooms I picked this morning. Read more

Mar 11

11 Comments

Harmony

It’s almost three years since we set off on our tour of Europe and I still love looking back through the photos. This was taken in Rioja, one of the most scenic places we passed through. This was one of the many occasions when we appreciated the fact that our camper van was dark green. We could park in stunning locations and blend into our surroundings. We were not a disturbance, but instead were in harmony with our environment. If we ever replace the van (and we hope to), we will get something very similar. Read more

Mar 8

Rosemary, Mint & Coriander (Cilantro) | www.myfoododyssey,com

22 Comments

Growing Veg 2016/#2 – Seedlings & Herbs

This year I have vowed to provide more regular updates on my vegetable growing endeavours. Last year I had some great successes and took millions of photos, but was so busy actually doing it I hardly got round to writing about it. To take the pressure off, this year I will write shorter posts more frequently. Some might contain only a few words and photos, just to show you how things are progressing. Hopefully I’ll be able to keep that going, even when the growing season kicks off in earnest. Read more

Mar 5

14 Comments

Murder at the Pool Party

Morgan sighed. This was not the bachelor party he’d had in mind. Or stag party, as some people call them. Why on earth would a crow want to go to a stag party? He had envisioned a more subdued gathering, perhaps a nice meal with a few close friends followed by a few pints at the local – nothing too crazy. Instead he was surrounded by a bunch of whooping, splashing, pool-bombing hooligans. He wasn’t even sure he knew everyone. Who the hell was that guy with the big, shiny wings? Bloody show-off. Read more

Feb 28

Lithuanian Kugelis | www.myfoododyssey.com

47 Comments

Lithuanian Kugelis | Potato Pudding [Recipe]

Asta walked into the kitchen and sniffed the air, taking in the familiar scent. “Ooh, are you making kugelis?!” she asked excitedly. “I am – I’m testing recipes. How do you make yours?”, I replied. Asta wrinkled her forehead in confusion. “What do you mean, how do I make mine? There’s only one way to make kugelis.” Alas, if only it were so. Read more

Feb 22

18 Comments

Seasons

Winter has been brief in Lithuania this year. We had unseasonably balmy temperatures in December and didn’t get any real snow until after Christmas. We had two or three weeks of what I consider a typical Lithuanian winter, with snowy fields, clear skies and a low sun that highlights the stunning scenery. Fearing it would not last, I got myself stuck in the snow trying to take photos while I could. Read more

Feb 17

Coriander (Cilantro) Plant | www.myfoododyssey.com

21 Comments

Growing Veg 2016/#1 – Getting Started

The snow has cleared, the days are getting longer and my desire to get back out into the garden is growing stronger by the day. We had some great successes last year and had extended periods where we ate mostly our own vegetables. We also managed to store a large amount of fruit and vegetables for use over the winter. This year, though, I want to do more. Read more

Feb 9

Creamy Broccoli & Cheddar Soup | www.myfoododyssey.com

24 Comments

Creamy Broccoli & Cheddar Soup [Recipe]

I quite enjoy being alone. I don’t think I’m a loner – I love good company. But I am also perfectly content to be on my own. I love to get lost in thoughts and dreams – places I might visit someday, famous people I’d like to meet, foods I’d like to try, books I might write. Silence doesn’t bother me. In fact, I quite like it. Silence is not empty to me, but rather it is peaceful. Read more

Feb 5

Summer Sunset in Jervis Bay, NSW (Australia) | www.myfoododyssey.com

17 Comments

Vibrant

They say the camera doesn’t lie. I disagree. Sometimes I capture a scorching sunset only to find later that the photos don’t show the vibrancy and range of colour that my eyes saw. So I’ll admit it – I have boosted the colour in these photos, if only to better reflect my wine-tinted memory of the most romantic sunset I have ever witnessed. Photos taken at Budgewoi Lake, Jervis Bay, NSW (Australia) in the summer of 2012. Read more

Jan 26

Deer hiding in forest, Lithuania | www.myfoododyssey.com

33 Comments

A Difficult Week

It’s been a difficult week. A number of things went wrong in quick succession that have left me a little out-of-sorts. Firstly, my favourite jeans died. You know, that perfect pair you’ve had for years, that fit perfectly and that, between the patches and the fading, are like a diary of your life. If those jeans could talk, what a story they’d have to tell. They’ve been patched and repatched and now the material is so worn that the patches won’t hold. I have to accept that they are no more. I would love to go out and buy an identical pair, but given that they’re nearly 10 years old it’s unlikely they’re still available. Which brings me to problem No. 2 – shopping. Read more

Jan 15

12 Comments

Weight(less)

I could watch snow falling for hours. It’s so quiet and soothing, like looking at a lava lamp. Weightless flakes float down and settle on trees, windowsills and rooftops. If the sun later makes an appearance, the whole vista sparkles like diamonds. It’s beautiful and hypnotic. Until, that is, you notice that a large volume of snow has collected on the roof of your polytunnel. It is no longer weightless, but is instead causing the entire structure to buckle and bend. I spent a chilli hour yesterday scraping it off but the damage caused will require significant attention come spring. In the meantime, I am entranced by the snow. Read more