Cards, Books, Fall, Dead Zone.

Unfortunately our Tuesday game had to be cancelled due to sickness, hopefully we can reschedule next week. However, last night we played Cribbage with our new neighbour - played for several hours in fact, it was nearly midnight when we broke up. We ended up with two games each, fair but at one point I was winning and wanted it to stay that way *g*. Nobody got a perfect hand although our friend nearly did. I finished Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer and thought it was a very good book. There have been accusations of plagiarism, I don't know if they are valid, but I thought the story fitted in very well with everything else that had happened in the previous books. Its funny, I had trouble picking up every one of the four books in this series and when I finally got round to it I thoroughly enjoyed them. I wonder what the movie Twilight is like, movies tend to ruin the original stories. I don't know if I will ever see it or not. I got two more books from the library the other day and I have three more to pick up. I have to get them all finished before we go away on Sept. 11 so I have a lot of reading to do. Luckily, any more I have on hold I can freeze until I get back. I can't believe its almost September and the leaves have already started turning colour. We have had such a lousy summer this year, it seems like we have been cheated. There was a red leaf on the ground when we left the bowling alley the other day and the burning bushes at the library, which end up a real fiery red, are well on their way to turning colour. Don't get me wrong, I like Fall or Autumn, but not so soon and not when we have had no summer to speak of. Sad to hear this morning, a report on the 'dead zone' in the Gulf of Mexico. It is caused by chemical run off from the farms along the Mississippi River which empties into the Gulf. It is ruining the fishing industry in the area and apparently 40% of America's seafood comes from that area. The fisherman must be absolutely devastated. I once tried making lettuce soup and wasn't very impressed with it, but then I didn't follow any kind of recipe. Here is one from Recipezaar which sounds as though it would be good. I love chilled soups anyway, so I think I will be looking for lovage in the stores. Chilled Summer Lettuce, Lovage and Garden Pea Soup A delightful and refreshing chilled soup for summer - this savoury soup takes its flavour from freshly chopped lovage leaves, which impart a savoury, lemony and celery-like taste. I like to serve this pale green soup in clear glass bowls for maximum impact, with a few chopped leaves sprinkled on top and a swirl of cream. This soup makes an elegant starter for any summer event or a light luncheon dish. Do not be tempted to add more lovage then is suggested, it is a very strong flavoured herb and can be overpowering if used with a heavy hand! by French Tart SERVES 4 4-5 medium spring onions, trimmed and chopped butter or olive oil 1 large cos (romaine) lettuce or 2 large butterhead lettuce 250 g fresh garden peas or frozen peas 1 liter vegetable stock 5-6 leaves fresh lovage, leaves (plus 4 more to garnish) salt and pepper cream, for garnish (optional) 1. Sweat the spring onions in the oil or butter until soft, then add the peas and lettuce. Pour over two-thirds of the stock, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 5 minutes, or until the peas are tender. 2. Remove from the heat and add the lovage leaves then blend the soup with a hand blender or in a liquidiser. Thin the soup to your preferred texture with the remaining stock. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 3. Place the soup in a container and chill in the fridge for at least 2 to 3 hours. Serve chilled with chopped lovage leaves and a swirl of cream. Have a great day.