and what a fascinating observation, to think that gladioli (sword lilies) can look so different in the ground, and so different when placed in a vase and set on a table... quiet literally, a metamorphosis... in the garden, tiny and orange flowers, once collected for display in a home... booming radish pink... nay: piglet pink!*

great! and i thought that i've taken out a large
piece of beef from the freezer,
the next day, once it has defrosted,
i find out that it's actual a large piece of
lamb... ugh...
                      grr...
           i hate inspecting frozen meat -
pork looks almost like chicken and vice versa,
like lamb looks almost like beef (       "       "   ).
so? panic? nope...
   off goes the ambition for a beef bourguignon,
in comes lamb with rosemary and garlic...
so i nip into the garden and pick some
rosemary,
   throw it into pestle and mortar -
bash it up, adding salt, pepper, garlic
dijon mustard and olive oil -
   i chop some onions, drizzle them with
balsamic vinegar, add garlic and water -
then i smear the piece of lamb with
the pestle and mortar paste,
        and then i slow cook it for 4 hours...
then i roast a mix of small tatties and
sweet tatties... finishing it all off with some
mange tout.

p.s. esp. in england:
   lamb is kept intact with green strings -
beef is kept intact with red strings
pork is kept intact with whiote strings...
   chicken? well: that comes as a whole -
not hard to miss it.