THE BLACK TERRYCLOTH SAVER

Whenever I have a bad hair day or my fringe just is not up for it (which I guess counts as a bad hair day too) I most often cover my hair with my black beret -as you know. But now as the weather gets warmer the beret gets competition from my turban. It is made of terrycloth which is soft and stretchy but stays firmly in place without pressing. It looks a bit like it was made of velvet though. I often sleep with it when I have my hair set in pin curls or soft rollers, but it works for stepping out of the house as well. Tuck everything in and Ta-da!, instant chic-points added.

My turban is from Kuokkasen Peruukkiliike which is a tiny store inside the National Theatre and open on really difficult hours. But the internet is full of turbans. It is also rather easy to do one yourself. The internet is also full of tutorials for that. Shiny ones are pretty but if you want it to stay comfy in place the whole day without having to pin it, or it pressing too tight, go for a less shiny and slippery fabric.

PUDDING

Chia chocolate pudding. The kind of dish (or even, perhaps, treat?) that I am not really sure if it's just kind of edible or actually good.

I've made a few sets of chia pudding, or porridge (or slime) and they have never been much to cheer about. Very 'meh'. So why would I still keep making it? A) Because I still have a lot of chia seeds left over to be used up and B) you know when you sort of get this feeling you should like something (happensa lot with so called "superfoods") because you would like to like it and everyone says it's really good and also good for you? I kind of got that going on with that pudding now.

God damn it a (very) long time ago I used to make a small cup of linseed slime that I tried to get down every morning because it's really good for the stomach. The first mornings it was rather OK but after a while it just got unbearable. I mixed it with porridge but I could still feel the slimyness trough. During the same time I was also drinking apple cider vinegar in the morning (yeah those were the gourmand-mornings of 2001); a couple of spoons in a big glass of water. Cleansing and good for metabolism and all that. So they say. But it was the same with the vinegar, after a while I had to start pinching my nose and thing happy thoughts to get it down. Yuck. But that was then and now is now -I eventually (quite fast actually) gave up on the linseed slime. And vinegar. So one'd think that I now at this age would just forget about any self torment when it comes to what I ingest and move on with my life without any more superfood slime or chia seeds.
But then we get back to point A and the fact that those small little f**ckers don't come cheap.

What I had been missing all the time was of course cocoa.  Because anything related to chocolate makes most things better. And  ta-da, that chia jar of mine is started emptying up and, like I said, it might even be that it does so in a very tasty way.

The chocolate chia pudding (< bolded for those who think there is way much text here by now and just want to know what's in the cup in the picture without having to read it all):
So my chocolate chia pudding consists of chia seeds (surprise!) and vegetable milk. I use almond, but hazel or maybe coconut milk (not the canned one but the runny milky one that for example Go Green sells) is next on the list to try.  Then in with some vanilla powder, cocoa powder (quite a lot) and coconut sugar. I make it semi firm, with the milk covering the seeds well before I leave it to set over night or at least for some hours. I have a jar of lingonberry powder that I also add a little bit of. That gives a some extra sting. You can also add a tiny little pinch of salt.

When the pudding is ready I whip it a bit and mix in black currants and sprinkle coconut flakes on top. This goes well with  banana too, and with some raisins or finely chopped dried apricots mixed in. I am thinking of perhaps running the pudding in the blender when done though, to get it smooth.

Also, I've noticed a lot of small things taste better when served out of a coffee up. How is that one may wonder? The reason is probably the same that makes any beverage taste better when had out of a mason jar (according to the young and hip at least).

Do you have any food or dishes that you can't really decide on, yuck or yum?

GREEN GRANDCHILDREN

I have a plant at home that has been with me since my first ever own flat. If you think about it, it's kind of funny that plants can get so old. But of course they can. I know of some geraniums that somebody's grandmother planted back in the days.

This one is obviously a green plants that is easy to take care of, as I have managed to kill of quite many plants over the years too. It has produced many new plants that are spread out in the house and at the farm and at friens' houses. And those new plants in return have produced new baby-plants as well.


That kind of makes them like plant-grandchildren.


This one is waiting for a new home at my sister's.


And this is the newest offspring;  two actually (two branches cut off and re-planted) - their parent had grown huge. I didn't have a suitable pot for this one but no problem, one can always use a tin jar instead. (The plant itself is in a smaller planting-pot for now, standing on some gravel in the jar.)

PART-EY

This year I left out on all of the Valborg- and First of May celebrations and partying. For the first time in my life actually; I have been out in the park on this day since my first ever Vappu as a little baby with a big balloon in a pram! (A couple of years ago it was Dag's turn to be that First-of-May-baby).

It is the biggest carnival day of the year over here (I will leave out any wikipedia and other wonderweb links this time, but they are out there en masse), so it feels a bit odd to just stay at home and do
nothing. Not a drop of mead or bubbly, no crumb of funnel cake or sugar donut, (which is what is usually had on this day. Although that was mostly since I did not make it to the store in time.) To be fair to myself htough; I have not been doing nothing-nothign -last night I held a pilates practice class I have a show to do tonight. It is also pretty cold out there today too, which have not stopped me past years but today I did not feel like putting 'freezing my derriere off' on the agenda. (And every time I think about things like this it feels so strange that I worked outdoors by the sea for twelve years. Shiver. How did I really manahe that.)
However, tomorrow I'll drop the calm vibes and head out to throw and host and perform at our very own recurring club in Café Mascot! This time: Leopardiklubi; leopard themed in honour of the International Leopard Day (which is really just a day for wearing leopard print, although you could of course take a moment and think about and perhaps donate and help endagered felines too).

So if you've been out there for two days, HANG IN THERE until tomorrow and see you at Mascot!

Photo by me.