Teaser Tuesday - The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg

Fans of Scandinavian crime fiction/police procedural writers such as Stieg Larsson (Girl with Dragon Tattoo trilogy) and Henning Mankell (Kurt Wallander mysteries) may appreciate a feminine voice in this very popular genre. Camilla Lackberg adds this perspective in The Ice Princess, set in Fjallbacka, a once thriving fishing village in northern Sweden since the 1800s. Now the town is a favorite tourist destination and Lackberg's hometown.

Teaser Tuesday is described by its host, Miz B over at Should Be Reading ,as a "weekly bookish meme" open to any reader who wants to play along. If, like me, you're always curious about what people are reading or on the lookout for the next great read, then this may by your meme. To play, just click on Miz B's link above for the simple rules.



The Ice Princess
by Camilla Lackberg

"Erica hadn't been in this house for a long time, but she had once known it well, and she knew where the bathroom was. She shivered in the cold despite her warm clothing. The door to the bathroom swung slowly inward, and she stepped inside." p. 8

Book Description: Writer Erica Falck leaves her life in Stockholm on hold temporarily to return to her hometown Fjallbacka. Erica's parents had recently died in a car accident and now she and her younger sister must settle their parents' estate.

Immediately, on arrival in Fjallbacka, Erica is faced with the shocking discovery of her childhood friend Alex, dead of an apparent suicide. The writer in Erica senses that something is not right. She teams up with local police detective Patrik Hedstrom. They uncover shocking evidence of dysfunctional families, adulterous affairs, domestic violence and other secrets set against scenes of domesticity in this tranquil fishing village. The sins of the fathers--and mothers--destroy the lives of the present generation. Who must answer for these crimes?

Fun Monday - Signature Dishes

Sayre over at Sayre Smiles continues as our Fun Monday host for June. Her assignment for June 13: share descriptions and/or recipes for our signature dishes. If there's a celebration or party, what dish do the attendees beg you to bring? Or, what do you like to cook to share with others?

Sayre, I used to be a serious cook, but not any more. Usually the rare time I go to someone else's home I'm good for dessert--purchased at the Homemade Pie and Ice Cream Kitchen. One thing that I'm moderately famous for is combining chocolate and creme de menthe liquor. Many years ago I made this chococate cake flavored with creme de menthe, filled with a green creme de menthe frosting, topped with dark fudge frosting and decorated with rows of Andes mint triangles--very fancy.

These days I'm into less complicated. Recently I was invited to "audit" a friend's book club. My ticket in was a pan of Paula Deen's Creme de Menthe Brownies. They were a big success and very easy to make. Here's how:

Creme De Menthe Brownies
From Paula's Home Cooking/Celebrates/Nov/Dec 2005 issue

Ingredients
Shaved Creme de Menthe thins (recommended: Andes Creme de Menthe thins)
1 (10-ounce) package Creme de Menthe baking chips (recommended: Andes)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
Chocolate frosting, see recipe below

Frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1/3 cup cocoa
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13-by-9-by-2-inch pan.

Using an electric mixer, combine butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla, mixing well.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Gradually stir into butter mixture. Fold in mint chips. Spoon into greased pan. Bake for 35 minutes.

While brownies are baking, prepare frosting. Combine butter, cocoa, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and milk in a large mixing bowl; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until dry ingredients are moistened. Beat at high speed until spreading consistency.

Remove pan from the oven and allow brownies to cool in pan on wire rack. Spread with chocolate frosting. Top with shaved mint thins.

24 Servings

Be sure and check out other Fun Monday players, especially if your're looking for inspiration in the kitchen!

English Gardens Travelogue - In and Around London

This past month I've had only limited internet access since my home computer crashed. It has been annoying, but I have to admit to a couple of silver linings as well. In the process of de-cluttering and organizing stuff, I ran across some travel journals and photo albums of almost over two decades of travel for education and fun. Many of my trips to other countries focused on gardening because for many years that, along with dogs, was a great passion.

Many of the garden tours I took were sponsored by Horticulture Magazine in Boston. Beginning in the early 90s Horticulture teamed with gardening groups and societies from all over to sponsor tours of great public and private gardens. Several were led by Nan Sinton, a transplanted Irishwoman who worked and taught horticulture and garden design in the Boston area. In '93 I joined Nan for the first of several tours. Destination: Southern England, The Cotswolds, & London Including Chelsea Flower Show. In the couple of hours a day when the temps are below 90 degrees, I thought you keen gardeners may enjoy seeing some photos of the best of English Gardens.

So, I saved my pennies for a year, put the dogs in a nice kennel, and flew off to London to learn about English gardens and meet some truly gifted plant lovers of all ages. For the first three nights of the tour we had the Park Lane Hotel in Picadilly (photo above) as our base of operation. Notice the window boxes that combine flowers, trailers, and miniature evergreens. A first example of English gardening.

After the overnight flight from Boston to Gatwick I was too excited to crash in my nicely appointed room--especially appreciated the kettle and tea tray with English biscuits, and the pants press. The hotel was perfectly situated for some on foot exploring. Just out of the front door I headed across this great commons area, St. Stephen's Green (I think):

Just on the other side of the green, I ran across the Queen's digs. Yes, Buckingham Palace was within walking distance of our hotel and I just happened to catch the changing of the guards:
There was all manner of horsemen around including these showing uniformed police on crowd patrol in front of Buckingham Palace:
After an afternoon of exploration on foot, I met my tour group of about 25 gardeners back at the hotel for a Welcome Dinner, which, according to my journal, included some firsts for me: a terraine with asparagus, watercress soup. and lemon souffle. One thing you want to do on these kinds of trips is to find you a buddy, especially if you travel alone like me. You quickly discover people who share your interests, sense of humor, etc. I made plans with a mother-daughter duo to get tickets for Phantom of the Opera in its original run at the Queen's Theater for the second night we were in London. We sat in a second tier box and looked down on the stage. Very cool.

The morning of our second day in London we enjoyed a guided tour of the city with stops at all the famous points of interest including London Bridge, St. Paul's Cathedral, Big Ben. Trying to look at things with a gardener's eye, I spotted these simple, but lovely, window boxes--cinerara (I think):In the afternoon we headed to the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew for a walking tour led by one of Kew Garden's horticulturists. I saw examples of gardening techniques that before I'd only studied in magazines and books. Here's a sampling:

Apparently every gardener at Kew has his or her own tools. Here's Arv West's--including the handmade twig broom to sweep the grass--no kidding!

Arv probably used his extra sharp spade to cut these precisely shaped rosebeds. Not a trace of powdery mildew, black spot or insect damage to be found on these young bushes:

This long beech allee led to Kew Palace, site of a 17th century garden, herbals and lilacs:

In the new Princess of Wales Conservatory were saw amazing plants like the New Zealand tree ferns (on another Horticulture tour to New Zealand I saw these giants growing in the wild.):

And this was my first time to see an English formal walled garden with tall clipped hedges, mixed long borders edged with box, hard structures like the gazebo and iron sculpture, mature trees in the background:
One of the many gates leading into Kew Gardens. This is a formal planting of sweet william--notice the skillful melding of all the shades of red:

When I pick up this travelogue later in the week we'll finish with London and head south into Sussex and the Cotswolds. Pull on your gardening boots and join me!

Teaser Tuesday - Jackdaws by Ken Follett

The day was gone
The night came on
The monks and the friars, they searched till dawn
When the sacristan saw
On crumpled claw
Come limping a poor little lame jackdaw
(legend of the Jackdaw of Reims, the bird that stole the Bishop's ring)

"Exactly fifty (English) women were sent into France as secret agents by the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during the Second World War. Of those, thirty-six survived the war. the other fourteen gave their lives. This book is dedicated to all of them." Preface -Jackdaws by Ken Follett

Teaser Tuesday is described by its host, Miz B over at Should Be Reading ,as a "weekly bookish meme" open to any reader who wants to play along. If, like me, you're always curious about what people are reading or on the lookout for the next great read, then this may by your meme. To play, just click on Miz B's link above for the simple rules.




"Paul had heard of Felicity Clairet. She was something of a legend among the small group who knew the secret of the Allies' clandestine war. . .survived undercover in France longer than anyone. . .code name Leopardess, and people say she moved around the streets of occupied France with the silent footsteps of a dangerous cat. They also said she was a pretty girl with a heart of stone. She had killed more than once." p. 57

Book Description: On the eve of D-day in WW II, a ragtag gang of all-female British agents parachuted behind German lines in occupied France. Code named Jackdaws (for the jackdaw and Bishop of Reims legend), the saboteurs were sent by the SOE to blow up a key telephone exchange and Gestapo stronghold in the Cathedral at Reims. Their aim was to cripple vital communication lines between the Nazi forces before the D-day landing of the Allies. Even though led by the fearless Major Flick Clairet, could six relatively untrained women escape German capture, interrogation and death--and complete their mission?

(Image credit: jackdaw by http://www.hampshirecam.co.uk)

Fun Monday - Summertime, Summertime, Summertime

Sayre over at Sayre Smiles takes over as host for June Fun Mondays. Her assignment for June 6 is this: now that kids are out of school what are the plans for summer? Or, if you prefer, what are your strategies for staying cool at this time of the year? Well Sayre, my main activity for summer is to try to stay cool--or when I can't, complain about the heat.

We all have preferences for the different seasons and weather. In part it's influenced by personality, but also the activities we each enjoy. Some thrive on the hot days of summer and much loved outdoor sports and activities. I'm the opposite. A perfect day for me would be cool and rainy or cold and blustery. I enjoy being out in this type of weather, but even better, love to hibernate inside my home with books, movies, and the old dog.

I've always looked at summer as the time of doldrums. When young, I dreaded the end of school with all the learning and activity that went on there. The two-three months at home all day was never much fun. Even in college I always preferred to take summer school courses and stay on campus. And, since there's no children to consider, spring and fall vacations are so much better for me--less crowded, pleasant temperatures. Even now, it's the same. The activities I enjoy most are over for the summer.

So what are my summer plans? In a nutshell, I'll walk the dog early in the morning, do enough housework to keep the health department away, maybe get out the sewing machine and do some simple sewing projects. I'll read many, many books and see all the good summer movies and Netflix oldies. And I'll write--journals, blogging, facebook. Also, this weekend I bought an "essentials" book on digital photography--I'm ready for a better camera and need to learn more about digital photography. I'll meet friends for two-hour lunches and take in a few arts and crafts fairs and exhibitions.

But the big deal for me this summer is this:



In August I'm off on an 18 day tour of Scandinavia--starting in Sweden then on to Denmark and ending up in Norway. I've been interested in Scandinavia for several years--influenced by its fiction and films. I'll close out this summer with a closeup look at these strange and beautiful countries. There's bus trips, trains, fjord cruises, glacier hiking, and city walkabouts. A perfect end to a not so favorite season.

First of the Month - Great Balls of Fire!

This photo shot on June 1 at 8:30 a.m. pretty much tells the weather story in Kentucky over the last few weeks. We went immediately from a cool, rainy May to hot humid days with temperatures hitting mid-90s for too many days in early June. Could someone remind the weather guys that we're supposed to have four seasons, not just winter and summer?

For the past six months I've been scanning Kentucky skies, camera in hand, in order to participate in a year-long photography meme that attracts aspiring photographers from all over. The idea is that we look at our surroundings and record the changes from month to month. The host for this meme is Jan at Murrieta 365 . Here's how it works: Jan is calling her new meme First of the Month. Here are her directions: "The goal is to capture one thing repeatedly on the first day of each month. It can be a landscape, a person, an animal, a project; whatever your focus is fine. It can be a record of where you are each first day of the month." I decided to photograph Kentucky skies.

Check out Jan's link above for some photographs of people and places from all over on the first day of June.

Back on the Grid!

After 22 days without a computer--but who's counting except me--I'm back on the grid as the lovely Lucas North and Roz Myers say on the BBC's MI-5, the best spy show around. I've missed you all--blog, facebook, and e-chat friends. The dailies are just not the same without knowing what everyone is up to. Has Boscoe decided to eat his dinner so he can get his insulin shot? Did Debs win the garden shed contest? Has Otto the black lab growing out of the chewing stage and graduated from puppy school with distinction? Has Riley T Coyote gotten any help with squirrel wars? And what about vacation and cute grands photos? And how many people actually believe Congressman Wiener doesn't recognize his own underpants?

Since my computer crashed on May 5 I've been heading to the library for some speedy checks of e-mails once a week, but that's all. Can tell you life as we know it does go on without technology, but it's not that much fun. Productive though. I've cleaned the basement after 25 years in this house. The yard is in decent shape. Most everything in the house has been honed down, de-cluttered and re-organized. I've read many, many books, including some new Scandinavian crime writers in preparation for my upcoming travels to that part of the world. Willie has enjoyed long daily walks. But now I'm ready to start frittering away some quality time on the computer again.

Thanks to my Geek Squad friend for gifting me the innards from her old computer and rescuing all the precious stuff from my hard drive and installing it on her gift computer. She swears that she was ready to buy a new computer, but I'm not convinced. Anyway, I'm grateful though. This friend is back in business and will be coming around to check on all of you this weekend. Yippee!