grow some grass

Here is my mid week inspiration:  get some seeds, grow spring sprouts! I put them into my salads and soups, and into my dog Shei's bowl. She never leaves any on her plate...in fact I just caught her having an early snack from a plant pot on the balcony, full of wheatgerm...a cow of a dog she is!
Luckily it grows back pretty fast.
This is what it looked like...

...before this happened.

She doesn't look too guilty.

I also have rye sprouts, lemon mint, and cockooflower...

Lots of cockooflower. It tastes a bit like chives.

   Give it a go!                                      All photos by Galeria Rocco

peony season

Yes to Peony Season and my favourite spring flower.

Peony is the Chinese symbol for spring, and Feng Shui staple for wealth, distinction and romance (sounds like a diamond, doesn't it?), balancing the opposites and calming the mind. 

                                                 via Peonies-in-Art-and-Life




Me, I just love the smell and soft ruffles.

Marco Polo described them as "roses, big as cabbages"...

...and apparently ants are needed for the buds to open properly!

                               
photos by Galeria Rocco

on my window this week

Using cake baking forms for something I'm much better at - mood boards of the passing moment...

I'm seriously hoping for pink, white and blue.

    photo copyright Galeria Rocco

dinner set pot plants

I own an old and very fragmented dinner set - no bowls, few cracked dinner plates, and some soup and sauce dishes without lids. One of those things you don't want to throw out, but don't quite know what to do with…until I got an idea. First there was one:

then another one:

Then the third:

and, since they seemed happy enough, I started playing around:

Anyway, it's just an idea.  To go and ride your grandma's sideboards, buffets and credenzas...






All photos copyright Galeria Rocco

for a bleak day

For a gloomy day outside, this simple leek on my window is such a sport! It really cheers me up.

                        photo copyright Galeria Rocco

still life with pumpkin

Pumkin, such a strange creature...

                                                     All photos copyright Galeria Rocco

little objects of desire

These objects are not connected in any way...except, that I like them very much. Especially the bear.

                                                   photos via lady.inspirasjonsblogg.jotun.no

autumn moodboard

 

All photos copyright Galeria Rocco

berry red, berry blue, berry-licious

They come and they go. You have to be quick. Have them while you can, enjoy them while they last...here's to berry-licious summer splendor!

All photos copyright Galeria Rocco

chilli peppers love

 My love affair with chilli peppers started in India, and never stopped. The fiery things are actually really good for you!  They are widely used in Asian countries for their antioxidant and antiseptic properties, to preserve food, and - surprisingly - to cool the body. They also contain an amazing level of vitamins and minerals, and can be powerful healers. Good article here.
Best still, they are so easy to grow!

       They grow in summer, they grow in winter, they grow on your window sill and some bear fruit all       year long. They look great in a tropical garden, and they look even better in a pot, against a snow covered window, pretending they are a Christmas decoration. And there are so many kinds!

 

    I dry them or pickle them in olive oil or vinegar (try adding carrots and honey...)
    Good recipes here and here. I still have to try homemade chilli jam!

All photos copyright Galeria Rocco