Sveskeblommer! ~ Plum Prunes! Updated with recipe in English

     I år er der atter sveskeblommer på vores træ. Mange sveskeblommer, og det er en god ting. For vi kan godt lide sveskeblommer.
     Nogle af dem bliver til svesker, for hvis det på nogen måde er muligt, skal julegåsen stoppes med æbler og svesker af egen avl.
     Men sveskeblommer kan bruges til meget andet end svesker.
     Vi boede et år i Tyskland - et skoleår fra august til august - så vi nåede lige præcis to blomme-sæsoner. Det andet år gik vi og glædede os til at bageren stillede skiltet frem:

-- 🌳 --

This year we have prune plums on our tree again. Lots of prune pluss, and that's a good thing. Because we like them.
     Some of them are dried and made into prunes, because if at all possible, the Christmas goose should be stuffed with apples and prunes from our own garden.
     But prune plums can be used for much more than prunes.
     We lived in Germany for a year - a school year from August to August - so we had exactly two plum seasons. The second year we looked forward to the bakery putting out the sign:

Så er der sveskeblommer!

Og det betød at der blev bagt store bradepandekager med halverede sveskeblommer. De smagte bare så godt.
     Den bedste bager lå i det lokale byggemarked. Nej, det er ikke spor tosset, Steineckes bageri havde en god café med mange og gode kager og mere end hæderlig kaffe, te og varm kakao. Alt sammen til en rimelig pris. Det betød, at damerne sad der og hyggede mens mændene købte søm og skruer. Og det betød også ingen sure miner - og så kunne man jo altid tage endnu et stykke Zuckerkuchen eller Zwetschgenkuchen med hjem. Vi var ofte hos denne bager. Eller hos den, der lå i MiniMal, eller hos BackFactory i Blumentriften. Det var gode tider.
     Når jeg savner det for meget, som nu, og får lyst til den slags kager, er der ikke andet for end at bage den selv.

The plums has arrived!

And that meant baking large baking pans of cakes with halved prunes. They tasted so good.
The best baker was in the local hardware store cum garden centre. No, that's not at all crazy, Steinecke's bakery had a good café with lots of good cakes and more than decent coffee, tea and hot chocolate. All at a reasonable price. This meant that the ladies sat there and chatted while the men bought nails and screws and rakes and, and, and. And it also meant no angry miens - and you could always take home another piece of Zuckerkuchen or Zwetschgenkuchen. We often went to this bakery. Or the one in MiniMal, or the BackFactory in Blumentriften. Those were the good times.
When I miss it too much, as I do now, and I crave these kinds of cakes, I have no choice but to bake them myself.

Sorry everybody not reading Danish. This recipe for German Plum Cake is only in Danish. If you really want it, I'll translate. Tomorrow will bring ye another recipe from the German plum kitchen.

 

Blommekage (med smuldrelåg)
Denne tyske blommekage kan laves både med og uden smuldrelåg (Streussel, crumble) så bare spring de relevante kursiverede linjer over, hvis den skal være uden.

Ingredienser
1 kg blommer
250 g smør
200 g sukker
3 æg
400 g hvedemel
1 spiseskefuld maizena
5 g bagepulver
(2 spiseskefulde mælk, hvis dejen er for fast)

Streussel (crumble):
150 g hvedemel
100 g koldt smør
75 g sukker
1 spsk. vaniljesukker

• Tag alle ingredienserne ud af køleskabet, og lad dem få stuetemperatur.
• Smør en bageplade grundigt og tænd ovnen på 180° C over- og undervarme.
• Bland melet med maizena og bagepulver i en skål.
• Kom det bløde smør i en anden skål, tilsæt sukkeret, og pisk det godt indtil det er lyst og luftigt.
• Tilsæt æggene et ad gangen, og rør hvert æg med smørblandingen i et minut, før du tilsætter det næste.
• Når alle æggene er tilsat, drysses melblandingen i skålen og vendes i. Rør ikke for længe, det skal kun lige samle sig. Hvis dejen virker for fast, kan du tilsætte et par spiseskefulde mælk.
• Fordel dejen på bagepladen, og forbag den i ca. 15 minutter.
• Hvis du vil lave Smuldrelåg (Streussel), så kom mel og sukker i en skål. Tilsæt det kolde smør lidt ad gangen, og bland det med fingrene, indtil du kan lave flager.
• Tag den forbagte bund ud af ovnen, og lad den køle af. I mellemtiden forberedes blommerne:
• Vask, halver og udsten dem.
• Dæk derefter mørdejsbunden med de halve blommer og pres dem lidt ned i bunden.
• Fordel smuldreflagerne over blommerne.
• Bag blommekagen i ca. 35 minutter. Smuldreflagerne skal være flot gyldne og det samme skal kanterne på kagen. Tag den ud, lad den køle lidt af, og servér den varm med flødeskum, eller lad den køle helt af.

Plum cake (with crumble topping)
This German plum cake can be made with or without a crumble (Streussel) so just skip the relevant italizised lines if you want it without.

Ingredients
1 kg plums
250 g butter
200 g sugar
3 eggs
400 g wheat flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
5 g baking powder
(2 tablespoons milk if the dough is too firm)

Streussel (crumble):
150 g wheat flour
100 g cold butter
75 g sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla sugar

How  to:

• Remove all ingredients from the fridge and allow them to come to room temperature. Grease a baking sheet well.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C.
• Mix the flour with the cornstarch and baking powder in a bowl.
• Place the softened butter in another bowl, add the sugar and beat well until light and fluffy.
• Add the eggs one at a time, stirring each egg into the butter mixture for a minute before adding the next. Once all the eggs have been added, sprinkle the flour mixture into the bowl and fold in.
• Don't stir for too long, you just want it to come together. If the dough seems too firm, you can add a couple of tablespoons of milk.
• Spread the dough on the baking tray and bake for about 15 minutes.
• To make the crumble topping (Streussel), place the flour and sugar in a bowl. Add the cold butter a little at a time and mix with your fingers until you can make flakes.
• Remove the pre-baked base from the oven and leave to cool.
• Meanwhile, prepare the plums: wash, halve and stone them.
• Cover the pastry base with the halved plums and press them slightly into the base.
• Spread the crumble flakes over the plums.
• Bake the plum cake for about 35 minutes. The crumble flakes should be nicely golden, as should the edges of the cake.
• Remove the cake, let it cool slightly and serve warm with whipped cream or let it cool completely.

I morgen fortsætter turen rundt i det tyske blommekøkken.

Words for Wednesday ~ August 30, 2023

Today is Wednesday. And this means Words for Wednesday!

This challenge started a long time ago, and now it has become a movable feast with Elephant's Child as our coordinator; and the Words are provided by a number of people.

The general idea of this challenge is to make us write. Poems, stories, subtitles, tales, jokes, haiku, crosswords, puns, ... you're the boss.
Use all Words, some Words, one Word, or even none of them if that makes your creative juices flow. Anything goes, only please nothing rude or vulgar.

 It is also a challenge, where the old saying "The more the merrier" holds true.

So Please, remember to follow the links, go back and read other peoples' stories. And please leave a comment after reading. Challenges like this one thrives on interaction, feedback and encouragement. And we ALL need encouragement. 

-- 🇦 -- 🌱 -- 🇧 -- 🍋 -- 🇨 -- 

As all Wednesdays in August today's Words are provided by Messymimi on her blog.

We were given:
  Privilege
  Cater
  Landscape
  Morning
  Novel
  Level
      and/or
  Failure
  Rumour
  Mention
  Matter
  Descent
  Outline

This time around: A true story from my garden.

I have the privilege to cater to many exotic plants in my wild garden. I love to make a landscape fitting the different plant types and habitats. But sometimes I get nasty surprises. One morning, I came out on my terrasse, to find my latest novel acquisition, a Yuzu tree, dying. The label on the pot claimed thet it was hardy to level 4 which here means that it should be able to withstand temperatures down  to -10 C. This was not true, as it died.

I let the Yuzu stay in its pot by the door as a reminder of my failure, and of not repeating it. I also have laurels and rosemary and a few other non-hardy species. And winters here are contrary to rumours of snow, mostly wet, with temperatures often hitting -10 during the night and thawing during the day. Which I have to mention is not good for the survivability of sensitive plants. As a matter of fact this combination sometimes kills off even big plants.  

Before I lose myself in the discussion of the virtues and descent of Yuzu trees, I have to outline what happened next.

I left the Yuzu at the door, the weeds grew, it rained, the sun shone now and then. And one day I noticed something not a weed in the pot. The Yuzu had sprouted again

Happy Ending - I love Happy endings.

Månedens farve - SEPTEMBER - Colour of the Month

Månedens farve for september 2023 er --  The colour of the month for September 2023 is

Det bliver en udfordring, jeg er ikke særlig pink.

This'll be a challenge, pink is not me.

Poetry Monday :: At the Beauty Parlour

Poetry Monday er en udfordring, hvor Diane fra On the Border er vores vært. Og nok engang kommer jeg til at undskylde til mine danske læsere, for heller ikke denne mandags stikord, I en Skønhedssalon, fik nogen danske rim til at dukke op i mit stakkels hoved. Jeg endte i World of Warcraft, hvor mine helte af og til frekventerer den lokale Barber Shop.

-- 💈✂ --

 At the Beauty Parlour, is the theme for today. At first this had me totally baffled. I do not frequent said place. I have not even had a haircut in about 30 years. But then I thought on  ... beauy parlours ... if you're a man they are Barber Shops, and those I know - from playing World of Warcraft!

Poetry Monday is a challenge, hosted by Diane at On the Border.

The beauty parlour I frequent.
Is not for real people meant.
It's in a game I like to play,
a place where real heroes stay.


But even heoes off from fight -
when wandering the streets at night -
migth need a groom, and take a stroll.
In Old Town, there's a barber pole.

So in he walks and have a seat.
The Goblin's there for every need,
He pays with Gold and walks away,
For monsters new he has to slay.

If you embiggen the pictures, you can see that he actualy only had a shave.

--  --  --
Next Monday it's Newspapers

Vejrmonster :: Weather Monster ~ Updated

I dag viser vejret sig fra en ny, uhyggelig side - eller også lider jeg bare af Pareidolia, en harmløs, temmelig almindelig tilstand, hvor man ser ansigter i ting og tilfældige streger.

;-(  :-) 

Today the weather is showing its monstrous side; or maybe I suffer from face pareidolia, a harmless fairly frequent phenomenon, where inanimate objects are seen as faces.

Og så kom regnen. Jeg gik ud og fodrede høns, der var en solstråle, ellers overskyet, truende. Skribenten stak hovedet ud og sagde, jeg tror det bliver regnvejr. Jeg var enig, og følte en enkelt dråbe ramme min arm. Så skulle jeg hente æg, og mens jeg stak hånden ind inder skrukhønen, hørte jeg  dryp ... dryp .. dryp . dryp DRYP DRYP DRYPDRYPDRYP!!! Jeg snuppede æggene og løb med regnen i hælene ind gennem døren Og fandt kameraet frem og tog dette billede. Det var altså meget mørkere - helt gråt og overskyet i virkeligheden, mit kamera er meget optimistisk anlagt. 

~ 🌧 ~

Then the rain came. I was feeding the chickens, When I went into the garden it was cloudy with a ray of sunshine, but threatening rain. The Writer looked out and told me he felt like it was going to rain soon, I agreed, and felt a drop hit my arm. Then I took the eggs from the nest and heard drip ... drip . DRIP . DRIP DRIPDRIP!!! I grabbed the eggs from under the brooding hen and ran for the door, the rain at my heels. Look at this. It was much darker in real life, murky and cloudy, my camera is too optimistic.

Skribenten bryggede kaffe mens jeg fejede ristene på vejen, så de enorme pytter kunne løbe væk. Mens vi drak kaffe stoppede regnen helt, og jeg tog dette billede.

~ 🌦 ~

Then The Writer made our coffee while I swept the sewer entrances, so that the humongous puddles could drain off. While we had coffee, the rain stopped and I took this photo.

Jeg kan høre monsteret ovenfor sige: "Hvem, mig? Jeg har da ikke gjort noget!"
Der faldt 10 mm. på lige så mange minutter. Det er vel ca. 100 gange den forudsete mængde.

~ 🌤 ~

Can you hear the monster say: "Who, me? I did not do anything wrong!"
We had 10mm. in as many minutes. Around 100 times more than foreseen.


Hele grafen. Tak til bedrevejr.dk for graferne og til DMI.dk for de bagvedliggende data

-- 👾 --

The whole graphics, thanks to Bedrevejr.dk for the graphs, and to DMI-dk for the data

Fredagsfrustration :: Sorte supermarkeder

Friday Frustrations :: Black Supermarkets

... og nej, ikke noget ulovligt her. Det drejer sig om farver og stemning i en supermarkedskæde nær dig og mig. I gamle dage var den gul, discountgul, med sorte dimser og dutter, gangene var lidt snævre og af og til rodede, men hyggelige. Og stemningen var  .. lettere kaotisk, men rar.
     Så byggede den ene efter den anden om, farverne byttede plads, alting blev grå-sort (antracit heder den farve vist) med gule dimser og dutter. Gangene blev brede, hylder og kølemontere ligeså, loftet blev lavthængende og sortmalet, jeg fristes til at kalde udseenedt let truende.

Og så musikken. Ret høj, og så bestående af alle de numre der ikke nåede ind på hitlisterne for fem år siden. Hvorfor dog det? Dem der gerne vil høre musik mens de køber ind, har deres egne playlister med i lommen og deres earpods solidt plantet i øregangen. Vi andre, der gerne vil slippe for den grumme muzak ... vi kan altså ikke få en liste med "Stilhed tilsat de normale lyde i et supermarked".
     Hvorfor prøver de at skræmme kunderne væk? Før tussede jeg ofte rundt og kiggede på ugens sære tilbud, nu griber jeg en kurv, snupper de varer, der står på huskesedlen - heldigvis er layoutet stort set det samme fra butik til butik, så det går hurtigt - tjekker lynhurtigt reolen med datovarer og haster hen til kassen. Så håber jeg bare at køen ikke er for lang.

 -- 🟡 ◆ 🟡 ◆ 🟡 ◆ 🟡 ◆ 🟡 --

... no I have not discovered something illegal here. This concerns a chain of supermarkets near me, you and everybody in Denmark. It's about the colours and atmosphere of these supermarkets. Before the changes the colour scheme was yellow, discount yellow, with black accents, the aisles were a bit narrow, a bit overflowing, but cosy, and the atmosphere was ... slightly chaotic, but homey.

Then one after another they got a makeover, the colours swapped places, everything became grey-black, anthracite I think it's called, with yellow bits and bobs. The corridors became wide, the shelves broad and squat, the ceiling became low-hanging and black, I'm tempted to call it threatening in a the sky is falling way.

And then the music. Quite loud, and consisting of all the songs that didn't make it into the charts five years ago. Why do they do that? Those who want to listen to music while shopping have their own playlists in their pockets and their ear-pods firmly planted in their ears. The rest of us who want to avoid the horrible muzak ... we can't get a list with "Silence with the normal sounds of a supermarket".

Why are they trying to scare away their customers? I used to browse around looking at the week's weird offers, now I grab a basket, snatch the items on my list - luckily the layout is pretty much the same from store to store, so it's quick - quickly check the shelves with short date items and rush to the checkout. Then I just hope the queue isn't too long.

Før og efter logoer  -- 🟡 ◆ 🟡 -- Before and after logos

Muggent vejr :: Sullen Weather

Vejrudsigen for i morgen siger at vejret er muggent.
     De her sjove fjæs, jeg ind i mellem ser i vejrmeldingerne, er endnu en grund til at jeg holder af Bedre vejr frem for DMI (Hvor alle data kommer fra).

The forecast for teomorrow shows us sullen weather.

The fact that I sometimes discover funny faces in the weather forecasts, is one more reason why I like the layout of Bedre vejr more than the new DMI looks.

Hele grafen -- all the graphics.

Poetry Monday :: Sea Monsters & Words for Wednesday ... kind of ...

We had these Words:
Suppress
Ballet
Hero
Warrant
Partner
Pressure
     and / or
Treasure map
Bus stop
Egg roll
Full moon
Garden gnome
Trash can

And as I said those words seemed like some I ought to be able to write a good chapter of Susan's tale by using. I just can't. Writer's block or something? Every time I sit down to write, there's just nothing happening. Today is Monday, and the clue for Poetry Monday is Sea monsters I got a great idea for combining the Words and the clue and tried just writing, but I ran out of steam very fast. Here's what I wrote:

Monster, monster from the sea
come to shore and speak to me.
Full moon waning in the gloom,
Hero rising for his doom
Suppress partner, pressure go!
Trash can ballet, warrant too.

Tage had been practising all the way from the bus stop to the sea. It was one of the rhymes from Olav's fake magic potion book but this one was a bit different from all the others. For one it was meaningless. Except for the first three lines they were filled with non sequitur and strange words.
Lis thought she had read something like it in an old almanac, but she had not been able to find it. Like Susan she was a voracious reader, known to read the time tables and ingredients lists on crackers if nothing else could be found.
Now they sat on the beach, munching some egg rolls the nisser had given them. Waiting for the full moon to rise which it would at a quarter after five, giving them ample time to return to The Farm in time for dinner - or so they hoped.

...

And the idea is for a grand sea monster to surface and belch up  a Garden Gnome with a treasure map hidden inside. My poor brain is still mushy, so I never made it that far.
 

... to hopefully be amended, expanded and finished at a later date.

Words for Wednesday August 16 The Words ~ No story.

Today is Wednesday. And this means Words for Wednesday!

This challenge started long time ago, now it has become a movable feast with Elephant's Child as our coordinator and the Words are provided by a number of people.

The general idea of this challenge is to make us write. Poems, stories, subtitles, tales, jokes, haiku, crosswords, puns, ... you're the boss. Use all Words, some Words or even none of them if that makes your creative juices flow. Anything goes, only please nothing rude or vulgar.

 It is also a challenge, where the old saying "The more the merrier" holds true.

So Please, remember to follow the links, go back and read other peoples' stories. And please leave a comment after reading. Challenges like this one thrives on interaction, feedback and encouragement. And we ALL need encouragement. 

-- 🇦 -- 🍲 -- 🇧 -- 🥬 -- 🇨 -- 🥗 --

All Wednesdays in August the Words are provided by Messymimi on her blog.

For today we were given:

Suppress
Ballet
Hero
Warrant
Partner
Pressure
     and / or
Treasure map
Bus stop
Egg roll
Full moon
Garden gnome
Trash can

Those words seem like some I ought to write a good chapter of Susan's tale by using. I just can't. Writer's block or something? Every time I sit down to write, I am reminded of other things I have to do ... even weeding, which is quite abnormal for me ;)
I hope this will pass -- quickly -- I love writing!

Poetry Monday :: Roses :: NOT my Words

Somewhere in the "Rules" for Poetry Monday, hosted by  Diane at On the Border I read that you could also cite somebody else's poetry. I'll use this option today, as Roses inevitably make this pop into my brain.

I heard it in "Singing in the Rain" long ago and wrote of it in one of my earlier chapters on Susan and the Unicorn Farm. (Link). I even know the exact date of this scene: November 12, 1977.

Moses supposes his toeses are roses,
but Moses supposes erroneously.
For Moses he knowses his toeses aren't roses
as Moses supposes his toeses to be.

- - - - -

Next Monday: Sea Monsters

International Elephant Day

Words for Wednesday ~ August 9

Today is Wednesday. And this means Words for Wednesday!

This challenge was started by Delores a long time ago. Troubles led her to bow out, but the challenge was too much fun to let go, and now the Words for Wednesday are provided by a number of people and has become a movable feast with Elephant's Child as our coordinator.

The general idea of this challenge is to make us write. Poems, stories, subtitles, tales, jokes, haiku, crosswords, puns, ... you're the boss. Use all Words, some Words or even none of them if that makes your creative juices flow. Anything goes, only please nothing rude or vulgar.

 It is also a challenge, where the old saying "The more the merrier" holds true.

So Please, remember to follow the links, go back and read other peoples' stories. And please leave a comment after reading. Challenges like this one thrives on interaction, feedback and encouragement. And we ALL need encouragement. 

-- 🇦 -- 🍲 -- 🇧 -- 🥬 -- 🇨 -- 🥗 --

All Wednesdays in August the Words are provided by Messymimi on her blog.

As usual I used the Words in the order they were given. They brought me to places I did not expect, let's see what happens next Wednesday.

For today we were given:
Abuse
Pardon
Posture
Guideline
Gavel
Evening
     and/or the following phrases
Drive me nuts
Beating around the bush
High and dry (which I had to look up and means roughly the opposite of my guess)

"I know we're not supposed to abuse the Sunshine potion," Susan sighed, "but all those rainy days in summer leaves me longing for sunshine. I would welcome even that yucky sunscreen mum insist on rubbing on my back when we go swimming."
Heidi looked at the window and sighed as well. The small windows in the old chambermaid's room in the attic of Unicorn Farm where some of the apprentices from the green and yellow teams --  and Heidi, Tage, Lis and My of course -- gathered to do their homework, were filled with running droplets. The old glass distorted the drops, they seemed to shrink and grow on their course down the panes. It was a soothing sight, almost mesmerizing, but after several days of continuing rain its attraction had lessened considerately.
"Sunscreen," Lis said disparagingly, "we need a jar of rainscreen, I think."
"Rainscreen, that would indeed be wonderful," Tage said.
Kirstin slowly pulled a book up her bag. "I think I have something here. I found this old book un the library yesterday and it holds all sorts of funny potions ..."
"I beg your pardon," Olav said, "but that is MY book. How on Earth did it end up in the library. It is one of those books to entertain children, try reading one of the 'recipes' aloud."
Kirstin shook her black curls out of her face and eyes and began reading: Mix one cup of cereals (preferably oats) with one tbs brown sugar and one pinch of purple salt (see p. 3). Pour it from the measuring cup to a circular pot while standing on one leg. Hold this posture while stirring three times counter-clockwise, then clockwise. Add one and a  half cup of pure water (from the tap will do). using a largish thimble. Again stir counter-clockwise, then clockwise three times alternating. Bring the potion to a slow boil and keep over the fire until hot, stirring in the same wise once every minute."
"You're making porridge," Lis interrupted. "Is this just to make magical children eat healthy things? It's fun, but useless if all the "potions" are like this."
"They are," Olav said, "at least as far as I remember."
"This one is supposed to make you strong and grow faster," Kirstin said with a lopsided smile. Then she looked at the perm: "Olav  Ravndal, November '69. Is that your birthday?"
"Yes, my fourth birthday," Olav answered, "I only vaguely remember the gift, but I remember trying out some of the "potions" later, and my disappointment that they did not work any magic. But how did it end up in the library?"
"I think I know," Astrid said. "In the rules, guidelines, or whatever they were called for coming here, we were invited to bring old, or unused books on magic for the school. You probably tucked it away in disgust one day, and then it ended up in the discard pile and came here."
"Sounds right," Olav said, nodding his head. "I remember something about pounding parsley roots with a wooden gavel - I think this book came with a bag of utensils. And I do NOT like parsley roots, not even magically pounded ones."
The others broke out laughing because he looked exactly like he was eating something very disgusting.
"I hope we'll not be served any parsley roots this evening then," Kirstin said, "I saw the Nisser coming home loaded with veggies."
"Oh yes, it's Friday," Olav sighed. "Veggie night. Why do we have to adhere to those old eating regulations? It drives me nuts."
"Hey, tell me more." Veronika said. "Its there a reason we're getting all that rabbit's feed every Friday, No-one ever told me!"
Olav hawed and hemmed and finally began "... well in days of old, we're told, some special days were supposed to be treated in a certain way. Fridays were meant to be one of those. Over time this changed into veggie days ... " Olav paused.
"Stop beating around the bush," My said. "Either admit that you do not know why or tell us what you know."
Olav sighed. "OK, I admit defeat. I only know some vague hints and ideas from listening in to discussions between my parents and their guests."
"Seems we're left high and dry," Lis said. "I hoped we were finally getting to know why. Maybe we'll be told in one of the coming lessons in History of Magic?"

Poetry Monday :: Moonshine

Poetry Monday er en udfordring, hvor Diane fra On the Border er vores vært. Og nok engang kommer jeg til at undskylde til mine danske læsere, for heller ikke denne mandags stikord, Moonshine, fik nogen danske rim til at dukke op i mit stakkels hoved. Et engelsk vrøvlevers var alt, det kunne blive til.

-- 🌘 --

 Moonshine, is the theme for today. Did this mean the sonata, the illegal liquor, or just the rays from our satellite? I had no idea. And the only rhyme I could find, was the very pedestrian sunshine.
   I cheated, and looked up moonshine in Rhymezone.com - my to-go place for rhymes in English. I had this string of viable alternatives: brine, -cline, dine, fine,  line, mine, nine, pine, shrine, sign, spine, swine, tine, twine, vine, whine, wine,  zine.
  I sat staring at this collection for a while, then a crazy nonsense poem surfaced in my brain. It is almost too crazy, but as I cannot find anything else in there, I had two alternatives: Post the crazy poem, or post nothing. I went with the first option, read at your own risk!

Poetry Monday is a challenge, hosted by Diane at On the Border.

In the moonshine
I tie up my vine
using scissors and twine.
I go feed my swine,
on mushrooms they dine,
they were on decline
and not very fine.

In the moonshine
between eight and nine
I swim in the brine
Later visit a shrine
And down 'long my spine
the last drops of brine
roll down, I incline
my head, pious mien,
betrays not a sign
of the ticklish, cold brine.

In the moonshine
I cross the thin line
between yours and mine
I "borrow" the zine
- for adventures I pine -
And read of the tine
that with a great whine
burrows in the pine
that stands by the mine
all covered in vine.

In the moonshine
At exactly nine
she pours up the wine.
In terror they dine
while sailing the Rhine
beware of the spine
concealed in the fine
breaded chops from a swine

In the moonshine
These dreams I decline
and rise and go dine
with a friend of mine.
The dinner is fine
and with the last stein
of local moonshine,
all vestiges of whine
and memoirs of swine,
and poisonous spine
all vanish like brine
in the moonshine.

- - - - -

Next Monday: Roses

Sunday Selections :: Red and Flowers

Søndagsbilleder :: Rød og blomster

It is now! The hollyhocks are flowering. And look! So many nuances.
Nu blomstrer stokroserne - og hvor er der mange forskellige!

Der er også modne hyben - And the rosehips begin to ripen

Det samme gør bærrene på kaprifolien, selvom den også stadig har sine imponerende knopper
Also on the honeysuckle berries are ripening, even though it still shows off the impressing buds

Horsetidsel er meget smuk og meget stikkende! Den kendes let på sine meget stive, strågule torne.
Spear thistle is a beaut - and prickly. It is easily recognized by its stiff, straw coloured spines

Nogle andre skønheder -- Some other pretties

Og vores "jungle". Jeg lugede alle de små hjortetaktræer væk i maj, Nu er de tilbage for fuld kraft.
And our "jungle". I removed all the small shots of the Staghorn sumac in May. Now they're back!

Og til sidst: Vi diskuterede månedens røde farve. Her er den sammenlignet med rød som en brandbil eller postkasserød. Det er ikke den samme. Men jeg er sikker på at begge farver er med på mine billeder flere gange.

And we discussed the colour of the month. Here it is compared to fire engine red (Danish mail box red). It is not the same colour. But I'm sure both can be found more than once in my photos.

Augusts lysende rød øverst/til venstre og postkasserød nederst/til højre.
Top left August's Luminous red, bottom right Fire engine red.

Fredagsfrustrationer på en søndag ~ SPAM!

Jeg har lige skrevet til Blogger der hvor man giver feedback:

"Kære Blogger, stop venligst med at markere NOGEN af kommentarerne på min blog som spam. Det er lettere for mig at slette en enkelt spam-kommentar nu og da, end at skulle befri almindelige kommentarer fra spamfængslet flere gange om ugen!"

     Jeg føler mig ret irriteret. Værst er det, når de sætter gamle kommentarer, jeg allerede har læst, i spamfængsel ... kan de mon ikke tænke? Hvis jeg lader en kommentar stå på min blog i uger, nogle gange endda måneder, hvor stor er så chancen for, at det er spam?
     Helt ærligt, Blogger, der er masser af plads til forbedring.

-- 😠 -- ⛈ -- 🤯 --

Friday Frustration on a Sunday ~ SPAM!

I just wrote this to Blogger in the feedback place:

"Dear Blogger, please stop marking ANY of the comments on my blog as spam. It is easier for me to delete the occasional spammer, than to free ordinary commenters from spam prison several times a week!"

I feel rather irritated. Worst when they put old comments, I already read in spam prison ... can't they think? If I leave a comment on my blog for weeks, sometimes even months, how big is the chance of it being spam? Honestly, Blogger, there's huge room for improvement.

Words for Wednesday & IWSG

It is Wednesday. And this means time for Words for Wednesday!

Endnu engang undskyld til danske læsere. Det bliver ikke til noget på dansk i dag.

This challenge was started by Delores a long time ago. Troubles led her to bow out, but the challenge was too much fun to let go, and now the Words for Wednesday is provided by a number of people and has become a movable feast with Elephant's Child as our coordinator.

The general idea of this challenge is to make us write. Poems, stories, subtitles, tales, jokes, haiku, crosswords, puns, ... you're the boss. Use all Words, some Words or even none of them if that makes your creative juices flow. Anything goes, only please nothing rude or vulgar.

 It is also a challenge, where the old saying "The more the merrier" holds true.

So Please, remember to follow the links, go back and read other peoples' stories. And please leave a comment after reading. Challenges like this one thrives on interaction, feedback and encouragement. And we ALL need encouragement. 

-- 🇦 -- 🇧 -- 🇨 --

   All Wednesdays in August the Words are provided by messymimi on her blog.

   I wrote, thought, wrote some more, deleted some words, thought some more ... and so on. Then a lot of things happened, then I made my post - this one.  Wednesday and Thursday were busy days somewhere else but in the Owlery -- and what little time I spent in front of the computer, was spent checking e-mail, proofreading and editing, not much blogging happened except for ultra-short visits to other blogs. I had after all published this ... or actually not!

     Today's Words:
Flatware
Season
Resist
Combine
Second
Breakdown
    and/or
Bottom
Shame
Spine
Dinner
Offence
Front

These were the Words for this Wednesday, and what I should have used, but all my writing, thinking, deleting, thinking, writing and so on took place before Messymimi had made public her Words. Long way of saying that I used the WfW for last Wednesday, given by me and to be found here.

These words were:
Gratitude
Thistle
A pod of dolphins
Dance
Farmacy - Pharmacy is what I meant. The typo due to my not being English and Blogger and spell checker not co-operating in January.
Crumbs
     And/or
Fog
Nutcracker
Belt
Mushrooms
Room
Remember

Also I used the first batch only, and as usual in the order they were given.
Further a warning is maybe in its place here.
Beware Bloody scenes!

Susan sat at the window looking despondently out into the rain. Life had been one long row of schooldays since the summer holiday ended back in late July. Now September had almost ended, and in fourteen days Autumn holidays would start. The downs from a thistle drifted past the widow, despite the rain they soared,m driven by the wind. Their rising and falling reminded Susan of a pod of dolphins she had seen at the Unicorn Farm in the summer holidays. It was like a dance, and it lifted Susan's spirits.
"Susan!" Mom called from downstairs. Susan poked her head out through the door: "Yes?"
"Would you mind running to the pharmacy for me? We're out of toothpaste again."
"Again?" Susan said, "Is somebody eating it?"
"No, I really think not, it's just a very small container, maybe you could buy two this time?"
"I will," Susan said and took the money mom gave her. "I'll take my bike, I'll be back in a jiffy."
"Take care!" Mom called after her.
Susan quickly biked down to the pharmacy. It was situated in an ugly, new building at a corner of the town's market square. As it was Saturday, it was a market day, and after buying the two toothpaste tubes for mom, Susan walked the market. It was mostly local farmers, hunters, or fishermen selling their produce, but a cheese seller and some florist also had a stall. Susan looked at all the different kinds of potatoes in one stall, long pale yellow ones, round and knobbly ones, and the red-skinned ones Susan and mom liked. The farmer also sold pheasants and rabbits. The next stall sold eggs and poultry. Eggs were ranged after size, from small over medium to large and extra large. Those  were called size S, and Susan wondered if it was S for Struds (meaning ostrich), as someone once told her. She dared not ask. The chicken and ducks and a pair of geese sat in small cages in the shadow under the table.  A lady poked a finger through the bars of the cage, feeling the hen inside. "She is a fine, fat hen," the farmer said. "Good for soup!"
"And it's an old rooster, old and tough as an old boot, I dare bet," the lady answered.
"Of course not," the farmer assured. "She has been laying eggs for a short while only, She's young and tender."
The lady looked at the hen again. It was a nice, big one, white and black feathered, and the comb was thick and red and stood straight up. She took a paper bag from her basket, and broke some crumbs from a bread and placed them in front of the hen. The hen gobbled up the crumbs with an appetite an cackled at the lady,
"Yes, it looks fine," the lady said. "It will make a nice pot of soup for our Sunday family reunion."
The lady paid, and the farmer spread out some newspaper on the boards of his stall. Then he took the hen from the cage and without further ado wrung its neck. He wrapped it in several layers of newspaper, and the lady tucked it into her basket and went on.
Susan remembered that the street washing machine always cleaned the market square after it closed down at noon. Now she knew why.
Susan went back to the potato stall, counted the money that was left over from buying the toothpaste and pulled together her courage to ask how many of the red-skinned potatoes she could have for the sum. The nice man filled up a big paper bag, weighing the contents with an old scale and pound weights. Susan even had some money left over. She hoped mom would be happy with the red-skinned potatoes.

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

August 2 question - Have you ever written something that afterwards you felt conflicted about? If so, did you let it stay how it was, take it out, or rewrite it?

My answer - Not in books, no. But here on my blog I have written about a challenge, where I felt conflicted to a great degree. I edited a bit, but generally left it as it was written.