On the home front (plus the bread recipe)...

 Finally getting here after a week of hot sunny weather and headaches most days (roll on Autumn!). Seems there are a few wanting the bread recipe.  I've been making it on and off for years, and have posted it on my blog a couple of times previously.  Not sure where I got the recipe from, but think it may have been an internet friend in the UK.  This is the original recipe, with my comments/changes at the bottom...

Irish Soda Bread

3 cups flour (I prefer whole wheat but white is great too) 

1 cup rolled oats (like Quaker Oats) 

1 cup dried non-fat milk 

1 teaspoon sugar (honey) 

1 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon baking/bi-carb soda 

1 3/4 cup water 

2 teaspoons of lemon juice 

Preheat oven to 350F/175C, Grease a large cookie sheet with sides (jellyroll pan).

Mix dry ingredients well, add water and lemon juice, stir until just mixed, don't over stir, if needed add extra water 2 tablespoons at a time (some flours are really thirsty and soak up the water)...you will now have a batter that may be very "firm" like yeasted bread or it may be a little thinner than you are used to with making bread...not to worry, it cooks up very well..."dump" the batter in the middle of the cookie sheet...slightly shape with dampened hands and cut an X in the top to let the gasses escape. 

Put in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes. Serve hot...it is very good...it is not a traditional loaf of bread but it is great with meals...it is also nice for breakfast the next day with either cheese or peanut butter. 

Variations: Instead of using non-fat dried milk in the mix you can substitute sweet milk with the lemon juice for the water or you can use buttermilk without the lemon juice. I had non-fat dried milk in the kitchen so I used what I had. You can add caraway seeds, raisins or ground flax seed to add variety. If you are using white flour and want to add fiber you can stir in bran or wheat germ. Soy flour or powder increases the protein content. Lightly toasted sunflower seeds are a nice addition. This loaf is very flexible -- variations are endless...one day for a dessert loaf of bread I added chopped dried fruit that had been soaked in orange juice. I also added some Pumpkin Pie spice and a little extra sugar...about a half a cup. This was very tasty.

Lynda comments: I double the recipe and cook in 2 bread tins.  I use a variety of flours: wholewheat, white, rye, buckwheat, spelt, quinoa, ground almonds/hazelnuts.  And add sunflower, pumpkin, chia, sesame seeds, ground linseed/flaxseed, kelp.  And molasses instead of sugar/honey. I also add some caraway seeds as I like the flavour.

I find it takes a bit longer to cook, perhaps because it's so heavy, but I test it with a skewer to make sure it's cooked through before turning out.

If you have any questions...just ask :)

On to other news...

Because it's been so hot this last week, not a lot has been getting done in the garden, although I do like to have my coffee break on the back undercover deck...

The blueberries are loving the hot weather and are starting to produce more than I can keep up with.  I pick some each morning to have with my breakfast, but I think I will start freezing some soon too.

And today I dug my first potatoes...

I had a trip up to Marnie on Wednesday and we did a local walk...

It's been a bit hot for knitting, but I got another couple of beanies/hats done for charity...

And I recently picked a up a bag of bright/light odds and ends of yarn at the op shop, which I'd been running low on...

So I'll be able to get back to my scrappy granny squares ...

And I've put the Maeve Binchy book aside for now as this one that I had reserved from the library came in.  I'm finding it very interesting.  It's almost like 3 or 4 books in one with the multi layered stories, which are woven together so well...

And I'm still getting an early morning walk in around the river...

"O gift of God! a perfect day,

Whereon shall no man work but play,

Whereon it is enough for me

Not to be doing but to be."

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow