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I'm busily filling cracks, painting, pruning, culling extra clothes and toys, emptying wardrobes, trying to get ready to move quickly if we have to. All those things we have put off doing around the house, it's amazing how much you can get done when there's an incentive. June 26th is the big day, although I'm trying not to be optimistic. We're going to have to fight it out at auction and who knows.

So, I make soup. Tonight we're having white bean soup - a bit of an adaptation of a Giorgio Locatelli recipe.

Soak 400g dried cannellini beans overnight.

Saute 1 finely chopped onion, 2 medium carrots and 2 sticks of celery with 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic until soft but not brown.

Add the drained and rinsed beans to the vegies and cover with 1 litre of stock, in this case homemade chicken.

Add a couple of bay leaves and a couple of sprigs of rosemary.

Simmer until beans are cooked - how long depends on how long you soaked them and how fresh they are.

When all are tender and cooked separate out about 1/3 of the cooked beans.

Blend the remaining 2/3 of beans, vegies and stock until smooth. If you want it super smooth than pass it after through a sieve. Season to taste.

To serve finely chop a garlic clove and on a very low heat more melt than fry it in about 3tbs of olive oil. Add finely chopped rosemary, salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon the pureed soup into a bowl, top a portion with the reserved beans, a spoonful of the flavoured oil and some finely chopped parsley.

Yum.