Elephant heads, and a nice award.

The heads of elephant garlic which have been featuring quite a lot here this season have got a look in at here at qarrtsiluni, where one of them in a state of transformation, which is to say undressing itself, has been published. Thanks to Dave for polishing it up a bit too.

We thought they probably shouldn't be allowed to flower, but they were so lovely we left them, then cut them off and brought them into the house in a big jar on the windowsill.

By yesterday they were beginning to smell a bit, well, garlicky, so they had to end their days on the compost heap. The gargantuan bulbs themselves we have started eating: roasted with spuds, or sliced or crushed in soups and sauces. They are delicious, but moderation is advised. The flavour is very mild.

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I have been given an award! Crafty Green Poet (she's crafty, she's green and she's a poet, and very good at all of them) has given me this one.

I don't usually get these, and just assumed this was the kind of blog that didn't. I didn't really mind as the problem with them is you have to make invidious choices between your friends, and anyway, as the sort of kid who hated sponsored events because you had to go around badgering your sponsors, I'm a bit disinclined to do the legwork. But still, it's very nice.

I'm supposed to choose seven other bloggers to award this to. As it happens, I find it very difficult to choose between any of the blogs I visit, because I think you're all 'brillante' in your own way, and what I love is the variety. However, what I'll try to do is select the seven blogs most recently added to my blogroll , and say a little about them. This also had the useful function of prompting me to tidy up my blogroll, since I'd got very lazy about that since I started using feeds.

Windy Skies (India) - Anil lives in Bombay. He posts fairly infrequently, but often at length. Wonderful writing, seems to me to have an insider's knowledge with an outsider's wonder at it all, and subtle, illustrative photos, dreamy, gentle, all in extraordinary light. Train journeys across India, the window his companion, discoursing on Indian cinema, memory, custom, human geography. I love this blog!

Works well ( UK, and occasionally France) - Barrett Bonden. The endless fascination of practical things: motor bikes, septic tanks, kids scooters, garlic crushers, all with a good salting of dry humour. And more besides, books, refelctions, reminiscenses from a clearly very clever man, with French connections. I always get too caught up chatting here.

My mark of humility (USA)- Elizabeth. A family blog, very loving and happy atmosphere. One of the really nice things about Elizabeth, though, is that she's a very appreciative, conscientious, kind blogger. She thanked me for leading her to another blogger who's work she was enjoying, which pleased and surprised me. and her computer and someone she knows have just been struck by lightning!

From the House of Edward (USA) - Edward is a gorgeous dog, who lives with Pamela, who's a designer. This blog is a total charm and nostalgia fest; as well as the adorability of Edward and his adopted sister Apple, there's much civilised chat, books and poems, and the most fabulous collection of pictures of the kind you remember from childhood and haven't seen for years: Victorian paintings and children's book illustrations, art nouveau fantasies in dolly mixture colours. I don't know where Pamela finds them, but they're so beguiling, and it's all beautifully put together.

Kolokolo - (Czech Republic) Julia is an American living in Prague, and so another displaced person, which always draws me. Despite having a five-year old and very small baby in tow and working from home, and playing the piano and more, she still sometimes finds time to blog! I have an especial affection for this one in fact because James was my first blogging baby; there was a short post left there late one night saying, in effect, I'm having contractions and just off to the hospital, see you after the birth, which I thought showed devotion to the cause above and beyond... Oh, and one of her favourite books is 'The Riddle of the Sands', which is rather intriguingly unusual.

Accept all offerings - a new blog from a very old and dear blogging friend. Herhimnbryn was one of my very first visitors, and has always been incredibly lovely, faithful and intelligent in her commenting. Clearly she has been for many, and her original blog, Secret Hill, was deservedly popular. Then she took a longish break, and has now cleaned her palette and come back with this wonderfully stripped-back offering. Saying a lot with a little was always her strong point, a few words, a photo, often black and white, occasionally a video, always eagerly awaited.

Spiralskies - I'm not sure that Jen is such a recent addition, really but I had to get it in. It's one of the funniest on my list, unfailingly, and anyone who has the least recollection of Keith Chegwin must read this post, and must read the comments. Yes, I know there were 64 of them at the last count but it's worth it, you'll see. At a time when I didn't feel at my most like laughing I laughed until the tears ran and I was in danger of fusing the laptop.

I won't go and tell you you've been awarded, if you drop by you'll see, and please feel free to pick up the little badge. Sometimes it seems quite hard work keeping up with everyone, but I do cherish both old and new contacts.

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Molly is much herself, since yesterday really. J and D invited themselves round as they thought we needed it, having been fretting on our own for too long. Mol adores D, mostly because he gives her tidbits, which he was strictly forbidden to do as we've got to be very strict about what she eats; allergic reactions to food can apparently exacerbate the recurrent infections, so she's on a very special and expensive hypoallergenic form of croquette containing little but duck meat, cassava, potato and beetroot. She likes it, but misses prawn crackers, almonds and toast. Anyway, the visit seemed to cheer her up (I put out some bits of potato he was allowed to feed her, so neither of them suffered too much). We've started walking gently again, so I'll start 'Out with Mol' up again very soon. She's back to the vet tomorrow, but they've told me she can have breakfast, so they can't be planning to knock her out again just yet, which is one of the most distressing things, as she has to have a lot of anaesthetic and comes round screaming and very unhappy, and seems to take ages to recover.

So far, so much better. And being grown up about the fun I missed in Hebden Bridge.