RAF'S SUNSET.

Raf found a special place near our house where he goes for runs.  It is open fields on either side of a tree-canopied lane.  He took me for a bike ride there (mid-day) last weekend, but I haven't made it there yet for the "magic hour".  These photos were taken with his phone when he went for a run near sunset yesterday.  So beautiful...

SUNDAY, RAINY SUNDAY (& A RECIPE FOR ELDERBERRY HAZELNUT BREAD).

Last Sunday was chilly, dreary and rainy all day long.  Sometimes, I just love days like that-- I don't think I even changed out of my pajamas-- all I wanted to do was bake, drink tea, and watch movies.  I asked Peter (one housemate) if he would pick some apples from our tree for me (I promised apple pie!)and I asked Raf if he would go berry picking down the street with me (we bundled up and brought an umbrella).  Elderberries are beautiful (bright red stems and midnight blue berries) and delicious and they grow like crazy around here.  So do small blackberries.  I baked another apple pie (second since moving in) and made elderberry bread.  The recipe for the bread is below--it turned out SO good, it is pretty nutrient dense (and not too sweet), and you can use any type of berry or nut you prefer.  The bread was perfectly moist-- they call that "squidgy" here-- haha! We ate the pie before taking pictures, but the apples are pretty!  Anyway, this was our rainy Sunday bounty... 

Low Fat/ Low sugar Elderberry Bread with Hazelnuts:

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour, white whole wheat flour, or a combination of whole wheat and unbleached white flour
1 cup uncooked old-fashioned oats (I used 1/2 Scottish oats and 1/2 muesli)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
3 bananas,ripe
scant 1/2 cup muscovado sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs (I used one whole and one just whites)
1 tablespoon plain yogurt
3/4 cup elderberries
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts (or any nut, really)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a loaf pan and set aside. In medium bowl, stir together flour, oats, nuts, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.
2. In separate medium bowl, mash bananas with fork. Add muscovado sugar and vanilla, mixing until smooth. Beat in egg whites and yogurt.
3. Combine wet and dry ingredients together for a somewhat smooth consistency. Gently fold in elderberries.
4. Pour into greased loaf pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

CAMBRIDGE MARKET.

My new market!  I ride my bike here a few times a week to load up on fresh fruit and vegetables.  I like it quite a bit, but it is definitely making me miss my Berkeley haunts...sigh...this time of year in Berkeley is amazing.  Pretty awesome here too though!

Our new favorite cheese.  Whiskey cheddar-- say what?!?

Just a couple of dudes seriously rocking out (with some seriously fun music) on the trumpet and accordion.  I think they're brothers.  They had a huge crowd of fans.  Music at the farmer's market is always nice.

Horrible picture, I know.  But look at the Union Jack bunting and the fancy lady with the awesome bike basket?!  And the pretty church in the background.  Geez.

Delicious plums!  Two pounds!

The square around the market.

I need more and better pictures of the market!  Today I bought gorgeous sunchokes from France, English cucumbers, perfectly ripe figs and very fresh kalamata olives.  Yum!

URBAN COWS!

Riding home late one evening from a friend's house, we encountered quite a surprise on our dark bike path.  A cow, just standing in the moonlight, staring at us as we flew past.  Whoa!  Cows just hang out in the urban parks here.  People frolic and picnic alongside them.  The funny thing is, they don't like to walk over grates, so that is what keeps them inside the parks.  They are fenced all around, except for the opening of the paths.  And then, there are just grates.  Which they don't even dare to cross over.  They are just happy as ever, chewing their grass, watching the people whizz by or lounge about (or the crazy lady all up in their faces with a camera :).  Bear with me, this is still novel to me... 

Lazy sunny day.  Passing the time, like you do.

Group cuddle.

Such a sweetie.

The pub right next to the park.  People go and get pints of beer and then bring them over and sit down on the grass next to the cows.

The river and punting boats bordering the park.

GRANTCHESTER MEADOWS.

Just hanging out by the river Cam.  :)

My new pal Franny took me on a mini adventure a couple of weeks ago.  We went to a place called Grantchester Orchard to have a beverage and pick fruit (apples and plums!).  It is actually an orchard with a bunch of tables and chairs spread out amongst the trees and a tiny cafe selling traditional English tea, scones and cream.  The whole operation is outdoors, so on a rain-free day, it is packed with people enjoying tea and conversation.  It is a very beautiful and unique place and you can feel the history of it.  Apparently, it was a place to go for great minds of the Cambridge University community to go and have tea and talk (think Bertrand Russell).  Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera, so I didn't document the orchard yet (but I will!).  Half the beauty of this place though is getting there-- cruising through the Grantchester Meadows along a path that has pretty views of the fields and meadows on one side, and then goes down a hill to the river Cam on the other.  People picnic and swim and laze about along the river, and it really is so magical.  Raf and I took a bike ride there a coupe of weekends ago and snapped a few pictures.  We also attempted to play frisbee, but honestly, there was so much cow poop in the meadow, that it wasn't so fun after a while.  :)

A young couple by the river.

Raf watching boaters.

The top of the hill, where the path is.

The river Cam: where plenty of kayaks, canoes, and punting boats roam.

Part of the path along the river.

I want to go back earlier (it was dinner time when we went), on a sunnier day and get photos of all of the people relaxing by the water and having picnics.  It reminds me of Georges Seurat's "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte".  Well, minus the 1880's fancy clothing... :)

A LOVELY NEW (TEMPORARY) HOME.

 We found a place to stay after 2 weeks of (fairly) desperate searching.  Finding a place to live in Cambridge for three months as a couple is HARD ya'll.  Especially at the same time that students start trickling in to this college town.  It is hard for single folks to find a short term room even, so you can imagine what it was like for us!  All letting agencies have a six month minimum, so you have to find a private owner who is willing to share their home with a couple.  Most aren't!  We stayed at a local college (in a dorm-style apartment) for the first two weeks.  It was expensive and we were getting kicked out by September 27th.  So I spent my days and nights combing Gumtree (like Craigslist) and various other accommodation sites.  That is where Judith comes in...I started a correspondence with a woman named Judith way back in April when we first started looking for housing.  She said she didn't have anything available for us (being a couple, where she typically just rents out little rooms with single beds in her large house).  I emailed her again a month later, as she said I should if I didn't find anything.  She then emailed me back at least every two weeks to check up on our progress.  She spread the word out to her friends and colleagues.  When we arrived we were still emailing back and forth and I told her I'd love to meet her.  She invited us to her house for tea.  We talked to her for two hours and she showed us her lovely home.  She informed us that she had an Australian couple (she herself is Australian) who were going to be staying at her place but were having visa troubles and might have to cancel.  She told us to not get our hopes up, but that if it didn't work out for them, we could take their place and stay (she has one double room that she typically uses when she is in town).  We were so excited!  And we had to wait for a day or two to find out...She sent me an email the next day--the place was ours...YAY!  And PHEW!  Our house is called Cobbers and it was built in 1951 (a rarity and quite young here in Cambridge).  It is just so peaceful and nice.  It is a bit out of town (10 minute bike ride from the city center), but right across the street from work for Raf.  It has an awesome kitchen and yard and a piano and we have a super cool Austrian housemate named Peter.  We are so lucky!  Here are some photos:

Our daily entertainment.  We wake up every morning to these little quackers who live in the pond at the back of the property and spend a good chunk of their time scouring our lawn for apples and other treats.  :)

Swimming in their pond.

Our back yard.  It is soooo nice!  It is full of bunnies and ducks (obviously) and squirrels and many different birds.  And check out the solar panels!

One of two apple trees (1 apple pie made from them so far!),  There is also a pear tree out front, rhubarb along the side and lots of mint and lemon verbena.

The lily pond.

The front door.

Utility room door.

Piano!  Raf plays every day.  :)

Gorgeous kitchen!  So much natural light and space.  It's a real dreamboat to cook here!

Utility room: recycling, compost garbage, laundry facilities and refrigerators live here.

Sitting room.  Where we sit.

Funky staircase in piano room/front entrance.

One of two bathrooms.  I love that when you slide the door locks they either say "vacant" or "engaged".  We also have a really nice bedroom with the most comfortable bed ever and a garage for our bikes.  This place is seriously, seriously so nice!  xo.