Aubergines, Wet Weather and Cats

I woke just after 06.00am, watched the news until about 08.00am and then must have fallen back to sleep and I didn't wake up until 09.50am.   I bypassed the shower and just flung some clothes on and shot up to the field to let the animals out.  As I pulled into the parking I could see the hens and ducks already enjoying their freedom and my worker had let them out whilst he was there putting shingle in the hen area to make it easier for me to walk in and out without falling.  When I went back into the sitting room, I realised that he had also topped up my log pile by the woodburner.  Obviously anyone can come and go in my house while I'm asleep without me waking!
 

Very wet last night and all today - I was in the best place reading and watching television by the woodburner. There was water everywhere underfoot, especially the driveway, and

dripping off the plants, including my holly on the terrace.

The cats kept coming in wet and needing to be towelled down, leaving their footprints on the laptop keyboard and my little table.

When I went out tonight to put the hens and ducks to bed I collected three hens eggs, one duck egg and three eggplants, or aubergines, as we call them on this side of the pond.

These are some of the small aubergines from my plant in the polytunnel.  Some of them are really big.  I emailed a delicatessen I used to go to years and years ago in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire and they kindly sent me the recipe that I used to enjoy when I bought cooked aubergines from them:

Split the aubergines in half longways, brush with olive oil and bake till flesh is soft.

Cool and scoop the flesh out, chop roughly and mix with ingredients you like such as  tomatoes, cashews, onion, garlic, cumin etc.

Sauté in a shallow pan.

Season to taste and pile back into the skins.

Sprinkle with fresh bread crumbs, heat and serve.

Here are two photos of plants in my kitchen:

A poinsettia above and this lovely heather.  I always buy heathers in the Autumn and have them inside for a while before planting them out in the Spring.

Three things I like:

1.   Ice cold orange juice.

2.   After Eight mints.

3.   Reading an English newspaper - a rare occasion here in France.