The last autumn day was so warm... We let our windows opened all previous night. And in the morning we went for a small walk - just a couple of kms from our house. Usually we go to the seashore, but now my husband proposed to go to the wild fields...

Here are the last houses of Feodosia. The town ends suddenly, and the wild prairie (or steppe) begins.

This day the sky was really magic, and it changed every moment...

At last I've found it! The name of the plant from the previous post is Phytolaccaceae. I've never seen it before and I don't know how it appeared here. But it looks beautiful! And as far as I've read, it's often used in ethnoscience.

The last warm day in November. The sky above the sea was so damp and calm, and the sea seemed so warm, but I didn't risk to swim... Now it is cold and windy. Winter comes...

Some days ago I've found a strange plant on the town street. I don't know what it is, but it looks so bright and unusual... Maybe somebody here can help me and say what is it? Here are some photoes:

Another scarf. I named it "The First Rime".

 I've tried this splended fantazy yarn both by crotchet and by fork, but at last it appeared that old good needles are the best for its peculiar texture.
Below you can see two extra photos and get some more description of the scarf.

This morning started with a splended post by Tammie Lee, with the pics of Great Grey Owl ! And I remembered that there are owls that live just in my town.

They occupied two crimean pines on the central boulevard, and they seem to feel good here. In the daytime they are almost motionless, so, it was not difficult to take the pics. Below you can see two more. By the way, I've counted 14 screech-owls on two trees! Rather good result for two trees and one town, don't you think? :)

Today morning I've bought something like this:

 

Pumpkin is sweet like honey. It was written so, rough and large, on a gray cardboard with the green marker. Here the market sellers like those ads. I tried the pumpkin, and it appered really sweet! I also added some apples and a lemon to my basket. The evening salad would be like that:

The beginning...

... And the result:

Scarf Knitting Season resumption. :) Now - with winter variant (30% wool, 70% acrylic). Here it is, 185 cm long, 16 cm wide, 200 gr weight .

 I called it "white coffee" (in Russian we say "coffee with milk"). Above you can see two more pics of the scarf, and variants of yarn I can use for the same model.

Deep October. Our street vernisage returned to its winter location.

The day started with a huge fog, but to 12 am it gone. And we went to the city museum yard, all our family.

I continue with my Scarf Knitting Season. Here is one more. I called it Passadobl. It looks so spanish, don't you think? :)

And some peculiarities after the jump break:

Every autumn I visit Stary Krym, a small town near Feodosia. There is an armenian monastery not far from the town, called Surb-Hach (Holy Cross). It's situated in natural bowl, in the wood. I love this place, it's so quiet and calm. 

I've started the Scarf Knitting Season. Here I plan to show you some of my products. So, this one I've called "Florence". 100% acrylic, 100gr, 150cm long.

Please, feel free to tell me what you think about it. :)

Fall time. October.

Sometimes I think that our town is the town of cats.

Cats are everywhere. They greet you near street caffees, they sleep on the counter of books stall and on the goods of utensil shop...

 

Lammas.

Somebody stop me please!!! :)))

... And one drawing more...

Just a drawing based on a photo. That is shakai-ar, as I imagine it. :)

Do you like Mozzarella as I do? :)))
Just a week ago I've found a very good internet shop solding excellent cheese starter! So, I tried to cook _my_ mozzarella:


One package of the starter, 4 l of fresh natural milk... and nothing more! :)))

 

First I dissolve the cheese starter in 15 ml of fresh filtered water. Then - heat up the milk to 40 degrees C and dissolve the sarter in the milk.

 

 

In 40 minutes the milk curl up in a bunch. I carefully cut it into pieces.

Now it's high time to ridd of the serum.  I put the bunch into the colander covered with 2 layers of cheesecloth and let the serum flow down. By the way, this serum is very suitable for the hash!

After the serum flow down, I boil some water and put the bunch into the boiling water. 7 minutes, no longer! 

So, it's almost ready now. I take the cheesecloth with the bunch out of the boilong water and prepare the cold water with salt - the final stage. I make pieces of the bunch and put them into the salt water. In 2 hours the mozzarella is ready!

 

 

Mangup-Kale (part 2)

I was bewitched with this stone wall, that suddenly appeared among the trees.

As I could read on the nameplate, this defending wall was built appriximately in 1503. Later, in the last quater of 1500, it was reconstructed, so, now one can see two layers of masonry.

Having passed the first  line of the defend fortifications, I saw the Karaites cemetry. It occupies the space between the first and the second lines of the fortifications. 

Mangup-Kale (part 1)

Last weekend I traveled to one of the most beautiful and cryptic places of the Western Crimea - the Mangup-Kale Cave Town. I am really impressed!

We started our journey in Khodjy-Sala (Holy Village, turk), a small tatar settlement at the foot of Mangup plateau.

The single street of the village leads to a small man-made lake formed not so long ago, in 1983. Excavations discovered the ruins of medieval basilica surrounded with the remains of the village, but nevertheless the lake was formed, and the valuable archaeological finding appeared under the water. Now, after hot summer season, when the level of the lake drops, the top of the basilica appears above the water.

 The aim of my journey is Mangup plateau on the top of Baba-Dag (Father Mountain, turk). Baba-Dag is 600 m above sea level, and it seemes to be created as a natural fortress: steep slopes slotted by the deep narrow gorges, and generous springs of fresh water on the plateau make this place practically inaccessible for the enemies. Here is the reconstruction drawing of Mangup-Kale made in 2008:

From the foot of Baba-Dag we can see the Leaky Cape (left cape on the picture bellow). This is the final aim of my journey.

Just a "quick" oriental soup

Another soup of the series "We played Korean and Chinese computer games, and then we decided to have a look at what was left in the fridge."

 

 300 grams of chicken hearts, an average piece of ginger root, a large piece of daikon, dried muer mushrooms, soy sauce, salt, sugar.

 Well, we've started the summer season. Empty Koktebel streets, emtpty stalls - it's the sign of early May.

 Lonely schooner at the berth and froggy mist above the cold water.

...And an empty pier looking in the outer sea...

 "Don't dive from the pier!" - looks like an invitation and forgiveness of the sins during all summer long...