Whatever happened to Greenham Common?

Image from the Greenham Common Trust, 1996

Greenham Common: 'Scheduled Ancient Monument'.

Despite being no longer in use, the GAMA cruise missile silos at Greenham Common are still surrounded by three rings of steel fencing. Behind them the 'Scheduled Ancient Monument' still looks pretty forbidding though. Curious to know what plans English Heritage have for the site. I'm particularly looking forward to the 'Cold War Experience' (or some such enterprise), and the chance to part with a tenner for a look inside. Currently, however, the Greenham Common trust owns the area of the original base and have sensibly returned most of it to heathland and installed a memorial to the 1980's women's peace campaign. The trust also encouraged small businesses to settle in the old 'domestic' section of the site.

Summer Soup {Green Gazpacho}

On a hot day, nothing makes for a better meal than a chilled bowl of gazpacho; it is a staple in our house throughout the sweltering months of the year!

As we continue to look at things to love about summer, I wanted share two of our favorite recipes for this classic Spanish soup, starting today with a Mexican-inspired variation-- Green Gazpacho.

Green Gazpacho- Serves 4-5
(from The New Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen)
Ingredients

-3 green tomatoes (3-inch diameter) or the least ripe you can find, cored and chopped.
- 1 medium-sized green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 medium (7-inch) cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
- 1 medium (4-inch) avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
- A handful of parsley
- A handful of cilantro
- 1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 juicy limes)
- 1 medium garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 to 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon. red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey or sugar
- 1 cup cold water
- black pepper, to taste
- cayenne pepper, to taste
- Optional: tortilla chips for the top

Directions
1. Combine everything in a large bowl and mix well.
2. Puree the mixture in a blender or food processor, until reasonably smooth.
3. Transfer to bowl with lid and chill until very cold*
4. Serve plain or topped with tortilla chips

* For E and I, the leftovers are always enjoyed chilled, but rarely is the initial bowl enjoyed that way! Often we want to eat it immediately, so we dig right in-- room temperature and all. Also, this recipe is one that easily doubles.

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I will share the second recipe, a more traditional take on gazpacho, in the coming weeks.

Summer Siesta

In high school, I can remember being offended the day after a formal dance and a late night spent at friend's house when my mom suggested I take a nap. How childish! I was, afterall, 16. Although I ended up taking her advice and did nap that day, I did so rather begrudgingly.

Coliena Rentmeester

I discovered a true love for napping, however, when living in the dorm my freshman year in college. My bed was positioned by the window, and it caught mid-afternoon sunlight as it streamed into our room. I don't remember the first time I fell asleep while lying in that puddle of light, but, like a cat, I became crazy about napping while basking in the warm sun.

Martin Lof

Life has been feeling rather nonstop for E and I as of late, and I believe this is only the beginning. Looking forward, I'm not sure when things will slow down, which leaves me longing for a day where we can steal a luxurious nap together.

While napping will certainly do anytime of the year, grabbing a siesta on a warm afternoon and waking with many hours of daylight remaining is something I love about summer.

Dining Alfresco {Part 3}

I must apologize for going a bit MIA, especially in the middle of my dining alfresco posts. Thus far, I have logged over 22 hours on the road this past week as I drove to Ohio for the wedding of one of my best friends and then continued north to see E's mom and grandma for a day. While I've been gone, my internet access has been far more limited than I'd expected, but it has been wonderful to have time to catch up with family and old friends.

Today starts my trip back towards Texas with day stops in Kentucky and Tennessee to visit my best friend from college and then my family, so posting may be light for the rest of the week as well, but I wanted to finish this look at outdoor dining spaces before I hit the road again.

We've looked at simple, clean-lined outdoor dining areas, as well as those with lush, garden settings in our dining alfresco posts, and I wanted to close this series with a focus on spaces that have an eclectic mix of elements.

Domino

Domino

Knibb Design via Desire to Inspire

Domino

House Beautiful

Domino

Tom Leighton via Desire to Inspire

After looking at each style, I must admit that I am still unsure what type of space I'd most want for my own; I'd be tempted to say, "One of each, please." What about you? Do you have a clear favorite if you had to choose?

Airspace Models

This images is a Google Earth model of the airspace over the island of Foulness on the Thames estuary. I built it recently as a means of visualising the following Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Danger Areas: D136 (alt 10,000 ft), D138 (alt 35,000 ft), D138A (alt 35,000 ft), D138B (alt 5,000ft). The image also accompanied a paper presentation titled, The Shoeburyness Complex, at the Miltarized Landscapes conference, Bristol University on the 6^th September 2008.

Watchkeeper

Model of a Watchkeeper UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle)

taken at the Salisbury Plain Airspace Change public consultation drop-in session at the Bowman Centre, Amesbury on Thursday 11 June, 2009.