The Changing Seasons: August 2021

How has your August been?

Brian at BushboyBlog and I are co-hosting this challenge to share our month past. We hope you will join in with your own The Changing Seasons post. For those of you who are new to this space, details are at the bottom of this post.

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The seasonal food that has appeared in Singapore is the Moon Cake, hence, the mooncake emoji’s I have used as a divider: 🥮

Almost as important as the mooncakes themselves are the ornate gift boxes they come in.

The mooncake is one of the quintessential Mid-Autumn Festival icons. Leading up to Sep 21, many Singaporeans have already started making, gifting & indulging in these traditional cakes. Originating in China, these were made with lotus or redbean paste, with the option for various fillings. Modern takes include cakes which are filled with custard, ice creams, chocolate, and even Oreos.

Younger Daughter and I will save a mooncake, or perhaps two if our self-control allows, to savour on the actual night of celebration: to nibble while sipping tea, admiring the moon and reciting poetry. We might even carry a lantern as we stroll through the gardens.

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A highlight this month is my interview with CatholicSg Radio. Kenny Ngo, a talented musician, is my lively host. I knew Kenny first as an accompanist extraordinaire, and my piano instructor for a spell. And this month, had the privilege of having a conversation with him about my ICU pneumonia experience 4 years ago.

Here is a link to the podcast if you are interested:

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In the kitchen, it was a month filled with tomatoes. I have envied those of you who have picked & eaten this fruit off the vine. I tried my best with the produce I could get at the store. Inspired by many of your posts, as well as Julie’s Eat Around The World Challenge, and responses to my question, here are some of the goodies I put together:

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  After poring over Donna’s recommendation to look at Skinny Taste

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  More Skinny Taste inspiration

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  After Laurie Grave’s Brick Oven Bakery’s pizza

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  Just Because Tomatoes are good with everything

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  Goat Cheese & Tomato Galette I dreamed of. Also featured in the Lead Photo.

Several BlogFriends suggested I roast Cherry Tomatoes with Feta to mix in with pasta – I had the pasta in my larder, I ordered the feta … I ran out of tomatoes! I usually keep tomatoes in my fridge as a staple, but oddly, when the feta came in, I never had enough tomatoes to make the pasta. It is forthcoming.

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About The Changing Seasons

The Changing Seasons is a monthly project where bloggers around the world share their thoughts and feelings about the month just gone. We all approach this slightly differently — though generally with an emphasis on the photos we’ve taken during the month.

For many of us, looking back over these photos provides the structure and narrative of our post, so each month is different. Some focus on documenting the changes in a particular project — such as a garden, an art or craft project, or a photographic diary of a familiar landscape.

But in the end, it is your changing season, and you should approach it however works for you.

There are no fixed rules around post length or photo number — just a request that you respect your readers’ time and engagement.

Tags and ping-backs

Tag your photos with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons so that others can find them

Create a ping-back to Brian’s post or this post, so that we can update it with links to all of yours.

Roundup

• Tracy at Reflections of An Untidy Mind gets us started with her captures of lovely blooms and birds
• Natalie at Little Pieces of Me brings us along on an epic Wyoming adventure
• Brian (my co-host) at Bushboys World welcomes spring with a stunning series of wildlife images
• Marilyn at Serendipity Seeking Intelligent Life on Earth persists through a wet, hot, steamy, weird month, taking lovely photographs from her window and in her garden
• Pauline at Living in Paradise takes us on a walk through her freshly pollarded garden
• Tish at Writer on the Edge harvests & enjoys a bumper crop of tomatoes
• Welcome to  I. J. Khanewala at Don’t Hold Your Breath
• Natalie at Natalie The Explorer shares her “Best Of” List for the summer
• Donna at Wind Kisses reflects on transitions
• Suzanne at Life at No.22 manages the health of loved ones in a tricky environment
• Su at zimmerbitch recovers from surgery under lockdowned conditions; cheering you on, Su!
• Welcome back! Liana at LightWriteLife
• Welcome Julie at Eat, Play, Live as she shares her passion for apples