asphalt & petunias

 

image :: pete dungey

i wonder if i'll see any of these pothole gardens on our adventures in britain? 

artist pete dungey is using these public installations of artwork in potholes to highlight "the problem of surface imperfections on Britain's roads." - Pete Dungey . i think they're a little bit of lovely!

via a cup of jo

{cooking} butterscotch chips

meh. forget the humble chocolate chip. i have it on good authority that in the US of A you can buy butterscotch chips and peanut butter chips.

 

images :: hershey's

and do you think anything will stop me filling my suitcase with such wonderful things when i'm in new york?? then, when i get home i'm going to make these crispy salted butterscotch oatmeal cookies i found over at poppytalk.

bliss.

the lobster

 

...because sometimes you just need to look at a crazy photo of a dog in a lobster outfit...

 pic by jayph // via hayley's twitter

a tourist in my own city

there comes a time in every bloggers life when it is entirely necessary to buy a digital SLR camera, no? with Le Adventure only seven (7!!) sleeps away, it was vital we made this little (ahem) purchase to document all the fabulousness we will see on our trip...

... but first, learning how to use it. which is why i became a tourist in my own city one sunny day: with my shiny new camera, appropriate footwear & sunscreen.

I found these little men on my wanders... don't you think they're cute? 
(hint: click on the lizard for a bigger picture. aren't his eyes just amazing!)

love (good) food. love life.

food.
i love to eat it.
i love to cook it.
i love to grow it.
i love to buy it.
i love to look at it, feel it, share it, smell it, touch it, taste it.

get the picture? i love food. good food, fresh food. food that is healthy & tasty & makes my life feel the better for eating it.

my heart breaks when i know people in this world can't afford food. but in some ways, it breaks even more when i know people CAN afford food, but still buy highly processed and bad-for-you-in-every-way food. there are some kids that don't know what a carrot looks like (no, really.). there are some families that will eat fried food (hot chips/pizza/chicken nuggets) every day of the week. the reality is this is making us unhealthy. very quickly.

so when i listened to this lecture by jamie oliver, there were tears in my eyes. he won a TED award, and made a wish :

"My wish is for you to help a strong sustainable movement to educate every child about food, to inspire families to cook again, and to empower people everywhere to fight obesity. " 

jamie oliver, TED wish

i say amen, brother. i'm with you all the way...

{in the garden} water chestnuts

some would say a water chestnut is a bit of an odd present to give someone. not my mum! this was a special gift from mother-in-law to son-in-law. it's not really a nut, but an aquatic vegetable and grows in a beautiful sludgey mess of compost, sand, and water right beside our herb garden (and shed)!

 from this {christmas day '09} ...

  ...to this {feb '10}. a happylittlevegemite, no?

the happy gardener...

it really is a beautiful plant, and it probably can be harvested in about a year (but i will have to consult chief gardener my mother about that)...

...and then i will make this lovely looking recipe!

what's growing like wildflowers in your backyard?

we all live in a yellow submarine...

we love a good cup of tea, here at a cup of kitsch... so imagine my delight when i stumbled across this beauty over at swissmiss. a submarine tea infuser? oh yes!

now that's what i call a cup of kitsch!