What to do on hot summer days.

After the hectic clearing up at the end of term, I took a couple of days to rest. This of course means to get out and walk :D

It's cool in the shade of the trees

while out in the fields the crops ripen and a silly dog runs up and down hunting for mice, or just running for the fun of it :D

Cow parsley, so beautiful that I may have to include some in a painting.

Deep inside the trees, the light was just so magical, I had to stay a while and let Manchee do his own thing while I dreamed.

This sentinal tree is on the return route, it's one of my favourites and I often take a picture of it as I leave the woods. It would be good to arrange all my photos in order of the seasons and how this tree has changed over the years.

Fairy stepping stones or balconies for them to take the sun? :D

Sadly, a big piece of the trunk has fallen down and lies rotting, a home for many little insects now.

Back home, I tackled french bread.  The little rolls were to eat straight away but the loaves were for dinner.

I made a mediterranean fish stew/bake with sliced fennel, potatoes, garlic and fish.

Layered with mixed herbs, olive oil, butter, tomatoes and a healthy glug of wine,

topped with more potatoes and butter then baked for a couple of hours on a low heat.

While the fish sat in a warm oven I cranked the heat up in the main oven, put in a dish of boiling water to create steam and popped the bread on the top shelf to bake. The steam creates a crunch crust.
Someone had already started on the bread and stew before I could get pictures. This is what was left :D

I've been using various recipes for my bread, but at the moment, I'm loving this website  breadtopia.com  although there are a lot of great blogs about bread and French and Mediterranean cooking.