Time is going by fast.

Oh dear, you know it has been a wet start to the "warm season" when there are already chanterelles (locally called Kurki or little hens if you translate it) to be found at the market. So we might as well start eating them. Today they were 38PLN or about $AUD12 a kilo.

Scrambled and decent.

A piece of fresh ciabatta and some locally hand made pork sausage we also had a green salad on the side, it wasn't just white, yellow and pink for breakfast!

Some more little things.

Life is all about little things, well to me anyway. So, I thought I would share with you some more of the little things that I like. In picture form of course.

Breakfast. Breakfast in Poland. Breakfast in Poland during berry season.

When your breakfast in Poland during berry season is on buckwheat pancakes and looks like this.

Clouds. I just love them.

I think clouds are actually greatly inspirational, especially cumulonimbus and cumulous. Cirrus are ok, but not nearly as graphic and creative.

Ladybugs/ ladybirds/ladybird beetles/lady beetles/Coccinellidae, whatever you want to call them they are just so great, gentle, delicate, cute and this year everywhere in Warsaw!

Homemade pasta, especially when it is drying out and looking like an odd sort of kelp forest.

When you ad kurki (chanterelles), butter, cracked pepper and a little garlic to homemade pasta.

Any form of cake from the wonderful patisserie Sweet Home the makers of our wedding cake and most birthday cakes since that date. Seriously delicious, like this chocolate and raspberry wonder.

Children with heads like balloons, well it is true, they look funny.

Storms, only those containing excessive rain, thunder and kickarse lightning.

Fresh homemade bread with butter, fresh homemade bread with butter and homemade jam.

These are, of course, only some of my favourite things in the world. The best part is that most of these I only truly discovered here in Warsaw. It really is a magical town.

Australia II - more than just a yacht

If anyone ever gets to the city of Adelaide, the easiest thing to visit and for my mind the best is the Adelaide Central Markets. I posted about this place last time I was in Adelaide for a reason. I just love it. Like I love Hale Mirowskie and my local sprawling Ursynow market place here in Warsaw and all the ones I have visited through Italy, France, Croatia, Holland, Spain, Portugal, England, NZ, and a few other countries. But, for me the Adelaide Central Markets compare to all the best I have visited in Europe and are better in some ways as they incorporate cafes, souvenir shops, restaurants which spill out along Gouger Street to the North of the markets. Here you can buy anything from French sheep cheese to kangaroo to partridges to crocodile to fresh Asian vegetables. It is all here under one roof, easy to access, and with the cheapest car park in the city centre. If you really feel like something high end you can even pop out to the Hilton hotel which sits next to the markets and try some of local quasi-celebratory chef Dennis Leslie's well-refined South Australian produce at The Brasserie.

 Me, I am too poor for that and dress a bit like a hobo so don't quite fit in there, so instead we ate on the run, also as we didn't have time and because I was desperate to get into my favourite laksa at Asian Gourmet right in the middle of the market. Let's go shopping!

Marty jumping into a French pastry at Breads 'N' More

Duck handling at one of the cafes

I love how "House of Organics" lay out their shop. Always a visual delight

This photo is for all the Polish men. I know they love Sausage... pun?

And again.

Probably the best Cheese Shop in the market.

Marty wondering why it is called Smelly....

Yeah I blame the Poles too.

What could these mean?

Oh yeah! Seafood Laksa Time!

Angelakis Bros. for all the best Fish and some really great game too. Shame no one else wanted to eat these with me.

So instead I invested in tentacles, and plenty of them! On the BBQ are delicious!

Recently when in Sweden I was saying how expensive Kurki were then I found them in Adelaide $AUD150kg means on current exchange rates is nearly PLN500, Sweden was PLN67 here we pay about PLN20! Wow.... Export Market?

Give you an idea about the Central Markets

So off home to the gang, to cook up some purchases

We wanted to combine a few tastes, so I stuffed a squid tube with prawns and a little garlic, adding our Polishness in the form of Pearled barley with olive oil and a simple salad of greens with ruby grapefruit and a light yoghurt dressing.

It was accompanied by a gorgeous twilight

As it fades it reminds me of Poland and our beautiful Spring/Summer twilights

Even the Adelaide glow looks decent in twilight

 

The next day when in Adelaide's shopping "High street" Rundle Mall we saw the Christmas decorations had gone up

Where is also plenty of street art in Rundle Mall

And a little street photography

And a of course their big Santa needs big balls

Off the Mall are many quaint arcades

You can even see some quaint architecture

At the end of another tiring day, it was time for a glass of wine and a chance to unwind.

With a great little sunset helping us

Colouring up a treat

And wishing us well on our holiday.

Swerving in Sverige, Maniacal Mariestad

After a brief, two hour, but lovely train ride, John picked us up at the station and gave us a quick run through on the way to the summer house. It really was a marvellous setting, that's M-A-R-V-E-L-L-O-U-S. For all the cricket fans out there. We got to meet Madelene and little Loke for the first time. I think it was just us, but he did manage to belt out some decent screams.

From sad to happy with only the acceleration of a car

but with a bit of playing

he would be back to his dribbling self.

We popped into the house to find that the cat had caught a snake and kindly brought it home for us, minus the head.

Green door, what is that secret your keeping?

Then we thought what would be a really nice thing to do? Yes, like most of the time I think about food. So, I convinced everyone to head into the forest on the back of John's talk of mushrooms and berries. and my word it was a good idea.

hunting for the elusive blueberry and wild strawberry

So far a reasonable haul of wild strawberries and raspberries the odd blue in there too

Then we found a good patch of blueberries

We ended up doing well with the bucket

Then as we neared the house the girls picked some really sweet dark cherries

While the men hunted Chanterelle mushrooms

On return they are in need of a trim and a brush

Here Dr. John shows us the temperate require.

To me the Chanterelle is the prettiest and tastiest mushroom

The golden yellow and the white innards are just stunning

What ever should we do with such a beautiful bunch of mushrooms, as fresh as they can be....

Some eggs in your crepes

And some cream and pepper with your mushrooms makes a great breakfast.