Back to Alberta; hoping for snow

Oranges in Barcelona at the Palau Robert

Around the Palau Robert is a beautiful garden designed by Barcelona municipal gardener Ramon Oliva. The gardens around this neo-Classical mansion (built in 1903) are filled with palms from the 1888 Universal Exhibition that was held in Parc de la Ciutadella. The Palau Robert is now home to several galleries and hosts many special events. The most impressive thing, besides the exhibit on special effects that was on at the Palau, may have been that the gardens were full of wild tropical birds and oranges.

London Landscapes

In Southbank, some polkadot trees.

Somewhere near the BFI there were tunnels with nice lighting.

The blue one has small LEDs embedded in the wall between bricks.

The Tate Modern. Maybe the outside doesn't stand up to the inside.

The Millennium Bridge (partially seen here in the foreground) is pretty fun, though.

Hyde Park.

Still Hyde Park. Beautiful fields of long grasses around one of the ponds.

Also in Hyde Park, the Princess Diana Memorial,

designed by American landscape Architect Kathryn Gustafson.

A graft gone crazy near the Princess Diana Memorial.

The 2009 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, designed by Kazuyo Sejima & Ryue Nishizawa of SANAA. Every year the gallery installs a new pavilion by an architect or designer who has never worked in the UK before. Don't let the public-looking nature of this place fool you, though, it was certainly WAY off-limits when I was there. Perhaps because it had just been unveiled a few days before. See what The Guardian had to say here.

Gasworks Park in Seattle, Washington

Designed by American landscape architect Richard Haag, Gasworks Park is a beautiful place to be on a sunny late summer day in Seattle. You get a great view of the city across Lake Union and at the very least you can partially retrace Heath Ledger's steps through the park and the nearby neighbourhood of Fremont (check out the movie 10 Things I Hate About You).

All photos from September 20, 2009.

Bye-Bye Vancouver!

I am off to London! I will miss Vancouver's beaches, mountains, and gardens, not to mention all the good times to be had here in the summer, but good European times await!

Garden Update: July 10, 2009

I'm leaving for London tomorrow afternoon to hang out with my great friend Sara, so here is the last patio garden update for a while. May the garden be well watered, occasionally fertilized, and often harvested while I'm away for the rest of the summer.

While I'm traveling I'll be using this blog to show off the gardens and landscapes and markets that I visit in London, Barcelona and beyond. Check it.

Yes, that is a tomato plant that's over five feet tall!

No, this photo is not upside down, these sun gold tomatoes are just a little confused because I have them hanging unsupported. I'm so happy a few were ready to eat before my travels!

Royal burgundy bush beans should be showing up soon

Patty Pan Squash Fritters

I'm leaving on a rather long trip in three days' time, so in an effort to enjoy my patio garden to the utmost I've been harvesting the profusion of little baby vegetables that have already grown. Swiss chard is great in an omelette or frittata, cherry tomatoes are delicious on their own, herbs can and should be thrown in anything and everything. As for the peas and beans, well, they just haven't shown up in time and will have to be enjoyed by house-sitters and my boyfriend, Jeff, when he returns in advance of me.

With all of the easy things figured out, I was left with only a colander of baby patty pan squash to find a delicious use for last night. Luckily, I've just finished reading Laurie Colwin's inspiring, food writing masterpiece (one of two that she published before her death in 1992): Home Cooking. Among the many edibles that Colwin dishes about repeatedly are zucchini. Thankfully, zucchini recipes translate seemlessly if you prefer to use the less-popular (yet, in my opinion, infinitely more interesting) patty pan squash, the vegetable which I found myself having an abundance of three days before my scheduled departure. Should you be lucky enough to have your own garden, you too will undoubtedly find yourself with too many zucchinis, summer, or patty pan squash. Though you wouldn't want to eat this every day (for the sake of your heart, not due to lack of deliciousness), every once in a while I can certainly advocate for squash fritters, a recipe I learned from reading Home Cooking and now pass on to you.

Grate the equivalent of 4 medium zucchini squash (mix different varieties as necessary). Separate 2 eggs (keep both the whites and yolks), and beat the whites until they are quite stiff. Add 1/2 cup of milk to the yolk and beat until mixed. Add 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of flour to the yolk and milk mixture (it should be slightly thicker than pancake batter), add grated squash and mix together until well incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste and incorporate green onions (green part only), chives, or other fresh herbs as you see fit. Fold in the egg whites. Fry in butter or olive oil until golden brown on both sides and enjoy hot with sour cream or plain yogurt. Finally, rush out to your nearest independent bookseller and pick up Laurie Colwin's Home Cooking, and it's fabulous sequel, More Home Cooking right away!