A friend is not sure where this photo was found on the web.
It is exceptionally wonderful where I live!
It is exceptionally wonderful where I live!
Sunday 25 November 2012
Phase Eight: second week without a fashion label
Day One:
Took two heavy, double glazed units, broken on delivery two years ago, to the dechetterie.
Acquired from the skip 6 rubber backed, blue carpet squares. My friend wanted two. I have 4. I don't know why except that two will be very good under the feet on a cold kitchen tiled floor whilst dining for breakfast or lunch. I vacuumed them, scrubbed with carpet shampoo, a bottle of which I found in this house when I bought it and they now are a lovely, bright blue.
Yesterday woodburner would not create much heat. Today, developed a better technique. Tip: Use a firelighter as well as kindling wood. Overlap the unfinished oak log with another log so that a pocket of air is between and under the logs.
Retrieved clean washing from the line and hung out the washed dirty clothing.
Picked the last of his grapes, removed from stalks, ensured no tiny slugs fell into those we needed, washed several times. He'll whizz them into juice using the 20 year old Kenwood mixer that I gifted.
Assisted with preparing worktable and tools, responded to requests, cleared up at end of day.
My friend removed one French door, removed old glazing and prepared it for receiving the new double glazed unit.
Lunch: Chicken and Potato pie in Flaky Pastry. It contained onions, carrots and flageolet beans.
Created Lemony Apple crumble with crême anglaise which I now have to perfection!
Day Two: Erased by depression. Slept 36 hours in darkened room,cosy and comfortable and without a fire it was a pleasant 16 degrees in the room. Not hungry or thirsty.
Day Three: Normality resumed by the end of the day. I started taking the tablets! Today was a two bath day since the nice new thermodynamique has not enough hot water since Friday. Calcaire is the monster. I await the electrician. I must remember to turn off the red mallet to stop the machine wasting water. It's just like the wonderful French toilet cisterns when they get stuck! I must remember to flick the switch on the electricity feed as I don't want the boiler heating water all day!
Door two is being prepared. Door one is being sanded. Slow progress, but progress. Measured and neatly packed apx 6 square metres prefinished (brushed and oiled) oak flooring, either for sale or to my son's boat. Lunch was too much with Carrot, garlic and ginger soup made with chicken stock, leftover pie and apple crumble. That was me for the day apart from liquorice root tea.
Day Four: Awoken by the distant sound of the doorbell. Yikes!!!!!! We both worked at cleaning my chimney because I had been worried that there does not seem to be much draw. I haven't been that warm in the evenings. In fact, the chimney was not very sooty! However, now I will not worry and took photos with date stamp to prove that ramonage had been tackled!
As the weather looked glorious my friend decided that we would tackle the temporary repair of the valley between the two roofs until such time as I have decided who will replace one roof and when!
With his head out the rafters we took some good shots of rooftops around my house. Then the 3 cans of SprayFoam (mousse) did not work. In haste I drove several miles to return the two cans we bought last week. The entire stock in the shop (all the same batch) was useless and behind the counter two other cans had been returned. Re-imbursed, I bought 3 smaller cans.
TIP: Always shake the cans to check they are healthy.
NOTE New lesson: Some aerosols are used UPSIDE-DOWN and others used at 360 degrees.
Job done, roof tiles returned on new rafters with several broken - old and crumbly, like me! Fortunately, we had spare tiles. My concern is that the former barn roof also needs attention but maybe not in my life time. I can't afford to repair two roofs!!!!!!!! I would love also to convert both attics to living accommodation but that would be serious money!
Lunch was goats cheese on toast with beetroot in walnut oil followed by apricot coconut cake from last week which is now beautifully moist and yummy! I just love store-cupboard cakes because they always improve!
Day Five: (Day 4 of toil) My friend scraped off the dried, bulging yellow foam, neatening the view. We further propped up the beam with stones. The test will be when it rains but it JUST HAS to have improved. I am so pleased for this gift for now I will feel less anxiety about the beam rotting further from water ingress. Then he moved onto sanding the doors even more and are ready for primer / undercoat. Lunch was a very thin slice of rumpsteak, sweet potato slivers, steamed carrots and broccoli, leftover apple crumble and yoghurt.
Took two heavy, double glazed units, broken on delivery two years ago, to the dechetterie.
Acquired from the skip 6 rubber backed, blue carpet squares. My friend wanted two. I have 4. I don't know why except that two will be very good under the feet on a cold kitchen tiled floor whilst dining for breakfast or lunch. I vacuumed them, scrubbed with carpet shampoo, a bottle of which I found in this house when I bought it and they now are a lovely, bright blue.
Yesterday woodburner would not create much heat. Today, developed a better technique. Tip: Use a firelighter as well as kindling wood. Overlap the unfinished oak log with another log so that a pocket of air is between and under the logs.
Retrieved clean washing from the line and hung out the washed dirty clothing.
Picked the last of his grapes, removed from stalks, ensured no tiny slugs fell into those we needed, washed several times. He'll whizz them into juice using the 20 year old Kenwood mixer that I gifted.
Assisted with preparing worktable and tools, responded to requests, cleared up at end of day.
My friend removed one French door, removed old glazing and prepared it for receiving the new double glazed unit.
Lunch: Chicken and Potato pie in Flaky Pastry. It contained onions, carrots and flageolet beans.
Created Lemony Apple crumble with crême anglaise which I now have to perfection!
Day Two: Erased by depression. Slept 36 hours in darkened room,cosy and comfortable and without a fire it was a pleasant 16 degrees in the room. Not hungry or thirsty.
Day Three: Normality resumed by the end of the day. I started taking the tablets! Today was a two bath day since the nice new thermodynamique has not enough hot water since Friday. Calcaire is the monster. I await the electrician. I must remember to turn off the red mallet to stop the machine wasting water. It's just like the wonderful French toilet cisterns when they get stuck! I must remember to flick the switch on the electricity feed as I don't want the boiler heating water all day!
Door two is being prepared. Door one is being sanded. Slow progress, but progress. Measured and neatly packed apx 6 square metres prefinished (brushed and oiled) oak flooring, either for sale or to my son's boat. Lunch was too much with Carrot, garlic and ginger soup made with chicken stock, leftover pie and apple crumble. That was me for the day apart from liquorice root tea.
Day Four: Awoken by the distant sound of the doorbell. Yikes!!!!!! We both worked at cleaning my chimney because I had been worried that there does not seem to be much draw. I haven't been that warm in the evenings. In fact, the chimney was not very sooty! However, now I will not worry and took photos with date stamp to prove that ramonage had been tackled!
As the weather looked glorious my friend decided that we would tackle the temporary repair of the valley between the two roofs until such time as I have decided who will replace one roof and when!
With his head out the rafters we took some good shots of rooftops around my house. Then the 3 cans of SprayFoam (mousse) did not work. In haste I drove several miles to return the two cans we bought last week. The entire stock in the shop (all the same batch) was useless and behind the counter two other cans had been returned. Re-imbursed, I bought 3 smaller cans.
TIP: Always shake the cans to check they are healthy.
NOTE New lesson: Some aerosols are used UPSIDE-DOWN and others used at 360 degrees.
Job done, roof tiles returned on new rafters with several broken - old and crumbly, like me! Fortunately, we had spare tiles. My concern is that the former barn roof also needs attention but maybe not in my life time. I can't afford to repair two roofs!!!!!!!! I would love also to convert both attics to living accommodation but that would be serious money!
Lunch was goats cheese on toast with beetroot in walnut oil followed by apricot coconut cake from last week which is now beautifully moist and yummy! I just love store-cupboard cakes because they always improve!
Day Five: (Day 4 of toil) My friend scraped off the dried, bulging yellow foam, neatening the view. We further propped up the beam with stones. The test will be when it rains but it JUST HAS to have improved. I am so pleased for this gift for now I will feel less anxiety about the beam rotting further from water ingress. Then he moved onto sanding the doors even more and are ready for primer / undercoat. Lunch was a very thin slice of rumpsteak, sweet potato slivers, steamed carrots and broccoli, leftover apple crumble and yoghurt.
Sunday 18 November 2012
Movie view
Saturday Movie Nite - I loved 4½ hours of art house cinema, seats of basic velour, red and orange, with vinyl flooring and not a lot of heating. No sound or smell of popcorn, chocolate being unwrapped, slurpy drinks or smooching in the back seat (quel horreur or I wish!)
I never like to read detailed reviews of films before I view them but always happy to do so afterwards to see what I've missed or if I got it right. In a good film, like a good novel, the unanswered questions are fascinating.
First of all AMOUR, in French. I had tissues at the ready and yes they were needed! Poignant. The opening, rolls up the names of artistes in silence. Then BANG, an explosion of sound as les pompiers (the firemen) break in and the scene becomes apparent. I wished to have seen the flower gilded woman reappear at the end, but that was not the director's plan. If one can have a favourite part in a film as serious as this, it was at the end: before the loving couple go out she reminds him to wear his shoes and coat. Thought provoking too, was the daughter's last visit to the house. For me, to know the pianists had lost the power to play, was upsetting. Like in THE PIANO. On my first viewing when I couldn't stop sobbing, nor watch the screen, I had to make a swift exit to the toilet room until I'd gained courage and control. I missed seeing THE PIANO TEACHER (same director as AMOUR). I wouldn't say this a film projected violence BUT for me it was brutal. Who cares for whom when the time comes? Reminder of feeding my aunt when she could not swallow nor speak as she suffered with Alzheimer's condition. The arguments for and against hospice / retirement home / domestic care and euthanasia are apparent. I know my choice given someone to help me (only if necessary you understand). We are born alone and alone we die. I very much liked the viewing of pastoral scenes to depict the passing of time. I wondered about the light and dark of the skies within the paintings and thought of the metaphor with life and death. The paintings were in their house. A beautiful film if you look for the beauty within life's harsh reality. Deeply disturbing throughout but every now and then I caught a smile within me.
Secondly, a different type of tragedy - LA CHASSE, a Swedish film with French subtitles. Several times I was on the point of walking out once reasons for the HUNT had been established. I don't mean the killing of a stag which also I'm not in favour of. So I braced myself to the chair! It was a very powerful film. One that is quite disturbing as a former teacher. With gender related issues and the global sexual climate as it is the film was explicit. History does not change. Again many questions unanswered. Thought provoking and shockingly violent. I was in tears.
To add, there was a trailer for AUGUSTINE and a third short film (maybe 5 minutes or less) ALL MEN ARE CALLED ROBERT.
At the moment I don't intend to see the former. The latter was about a naked man (subsequently many like him) running through the forest, hunted and shot at by actors wearing deer and boar masks, collected in a van and I know not what after that because my eyes were seriously covered with my hands until I considered that the ultimate horror had passed. Weird but not weird. Rather 1984 but shows the cruelty of deer and wild boar hunting. Shown in France too!!!
It was an excellent night out, just what I needed to get me into the real world of people, events and places. Nice to understand most of the French language too and hard work! In UK evidently, car parking can cost more than the price of a cinema ticket. In France, I paid 6.10 euros for each film. The man on the desk and in charge of the film operation saw my grey hair and gave a reduction! There have to be some benefits to old age!!!! Haha. Most of the the 30 or so viewers for each film were of an age, mostly women, some couples but interestingly more threesomes and double couples, and just a few like me "toute seule". I like that! No one has to bear the embarrassment of my weeping, occasional expletive of shock or sometime comment or laughter......
I never like to read detailed reviews of films before I view them but always happy to do so afterwards to see what I've missed or if I got it right. In a good film, like a good novel, the unanswered questions are fascinating.
First of all AMOUR, in French. I had tissues at the ready and yes they were needed! Poignant. The opening, rolls up the names of artistes in silence. Then BANG, an explosion of sound as les pompiers (the firemen) break in and the scene becomes apparent. I wished to have seen the flower gilded woman reappear at the end, but that was not the director's plan. If one can have a favourite part in a film as serious as this, it was at the end: before the loving couple go out she reminds him to wear his shoes and coat. Thought provoking too, was the daughter's last visit to the house. For me, to know the pianists had lost the power to play, was upsetting. Like in THE PIANO. On my first viewing when I couldn't stop sobbing, nor watch the screen, I had to make a swift exit to the toilet room until I'd gained courage and control. I missed seeing THE PIANO TEACHER (same director as AMOUR). I wouldn't say this a film projected violence BUT for me it was brutal. Who cares for whom when the time comes? Reminder of feeding my aunt when she could not swallow nor speak as she suffered with Alzheimer's condition. The arguments for and against hospice / retirement home / domestic care and euthanasia are apparent. I know my choice given someone to help me (only if necessary you understand). We are born alone and alone we die. I very much liked the viewing of pastoral scenes to depict the passing of time. I wondered about the light and dark of the skies within the paintings and thought of the metaphor with life and death. The paintings were in their house. A beautiful film if you look for the beauty within life's harsh reality. Deeply disturbing throughout but every now and then I caught a smile within me.
Secondly, a different type of tragedy - LA CHASSE, a Swedish film with French subtitles. Several times I was on the point of walking out once reasons for the HUNT had been established. I don't mean the killing of a stag which also I'm not in favour of. So I braced myself to the chair! It was a very powerful film. One that is quite disturbing as a former teacher. With gender related issues and the global sexual climate as it is the film was explicit. History does not change. Again many questions unanswered. Thought provoking and shockingly violent. I was in tears.
To add, there was a trailer for AUGUSTINE and a third short film (maybe 5 minutes or less) ALL MEN ARE CALLED ROBERT.
At the moment I don't intend to see the former. The latter was about a naked man (subsequently many like him) running through the forest, hunted and shot at by actors wearing deer and boar masks, collected in a van and I know not what after that because my eyes were seriously covered with my hands until I considered that the ultimate horror had passed. Weird but not weird. Rather 1984 but shows the cruelty of deer and wild boar hunting. Shown in France too!!!
It was an excellent night out, just what I needed to get me into the real world of people, events and places. Nice to understand most of the French language too and hard work! In UK evidently, car parking can cost more than the price of a cinema ticket. In France, I paid 6.10 euros for each film. The man on the desk and in charge of the film operation saw my grey hair and gave a reduction! There have to be some benefits to old age!!!! Haha. Most of the the 30 or so viewers for each film were of an age, mostly women, some couples but interestingly more threesomes and double couples, and just a few like me "toute seule". I like that! No one has to bear the embarrassment of my weeping, occasional expletive of shock or sometime comment or laughter......
Friday 16 November 2012
Phase Eight and I don't mean fashion
Day One - a cold and foggy morning entailed taking rubbish to the recycling yard, transporting tools from house to house, searching for Monday morning 40% supermarket reductions, making the kit into a wheelbarrow, correcting a spotlight, investigated the leaking roof valley, discussing the plan. Fish lasagne for lunch.
Day Two - removal of bedroom / office furniture around the house. One job leads to another. The sun shone in the afternoon but a cold day. Lasagne is always much improved on the second day.
Day Three - My friend worked so hard, bent doubled, wielding a heavy angle grinder with diamond cutter to level the concrete floor, rather than levelling with compound. It was a very dusty day. Roast Chicken and Coconut Apricot dessert were delicious but could not improve the grubby tiredness that only soaking in a hot bath can restore a feeling of well-being.
Day Four - An extremely bitter, dank, fog-held-hunkered-down-to-earth day. The sun would not appear to burn it away. My friend worked outside preparing wood battens for double glazed units that will replace the single pane brittle glass of French window doors. The doors have to be shortened to accommodate the "to be laid" oak flooring and adjusted to prevent external draught entering the room. Last winter the gaps were stuffed with newspaper, a very effective draughtproofing material. I helped to move tools, garden waste, re-organised diy materials, swept and tidied, then became lazy in front of the woodburner. It's not good for my body or my brain to stop moving around. Leftover roasted veg, newly cooked broccoli, remainder of onions roasted in the pan, chicken gravy sauce, leftover fish lasagne chopped small made the most delicious country cottage soup followed by cold baked Bramley apples with date stuffing and cream.
We made much progress. I am eternally grateful. I appreciate much in my life.
Day Two - removal of bedroom / office furniture around the house. One job leads to another. The sun shone in the afternoon but a cold day. Lasagne is always much improved on the second day.
Day Three - My friend worked so hard, bent doubled, wielding a heavy angle grinder with diamond cutter to level the concrete floor, rather than levelling with compound. It was a very dusty day. Roast Chicken and Coconut Apricot dessert were delicious but could not improve the grubby tiredness that only soaking in a hot bath can restore a feeling of well-being.
Day Four - An extremely bitter, dank, fog-held-hunkered-down-to-earth day. The sun would not appear to burn it away. My friend worked outside preparing wood battens for double glazed units that will replace the single pane brittle glass of French window doors. The doors have to be shortened to accommodate the "to be laid" oak flooring and adjusted to prevent external draught entering the room. Last winter the gaps were stuffed with newspaper, a very effective draughtproofing material. I helped to move tools, garden waste, re-organised diy materials, swept and tidied, then became lazy in front of the woodburner. It's not good for my body or my brain to stop moving around. Leftover roasted veg, newly cooked broccoli, remainder of onions roasted in the pan, chicken gravy sauce, leftover fish lasagne chopped small made the most delicious country cottage soup followed by cold baked Bramley apples with date stuffing and cream.
We made much progress. I am eternally grateful. I appreciate much in my life.
Monday 12 November 2012
Phases of renovation for my very own French house
Phase One - 1st May until 1st July 2010 - an enormous amount of emptying, taking apart, destroying, disposing, burning, correction and constructing was achieved in madness and mayhem. My friend, my son and I tackled all that by ourselves accompanied by physical, mental and emotional breakdown. Unrealistic, over-ambitious, grand ideas, with long hours and labour-intensive days were part and parcel of those two months. Survive or die!
Phase Two - July and August 2010 - escape to UK friends and family, tears but no sweat.... I holed up inside my property with severe sadness, loss, bereavement and depression. Negativity had to be swapped for Positivity. Unsuccessful. Despair had to be swapped for Hope. I tried. Making plans and doing research was meant to happen but thoughts took me to other places.
Phase Three - September 2010 to June 4th 2011- my friend and I tackled the reconstruction and redecoration of three rooms but in November and March I headed back to UK. I obeyed instructions, learnt how much I could weep, learnt that fun could be summoned, learnt to keep to the regime being imposed upon me and which was GOOD for me, learnt to work hard and know that I can do it with a little help from some friends and a kick up the rear.
Phase Four - July 2011- escape to UK friends and family and then to Greece.
Phase Five - August 2011 to October 2011 - escape to Nimes and Arles then cycling, walking, swimming, exploring my village, attempting research for the plans for my property! Sounds grand! November - escape to UK and return with flu like symptoms. I decided not to take any more tablets for depression which had beset me on and off probably for all my life. Now is not the time to explain as it would be self-indulgent!
Phase Six - November 2011 to June 2012 - the drainage problem is revealed and we solve the problem after much digging! Work started for a bathroom in a newly created bare room. It developed and like a butterfly it emerged to be a truly beautiful room. Bathrooms should be a joy!
Phase Seven - June and July 2012 - escape to UK friends and family, enjoy my son's wedding and have birthday beach parties. August to November - time to consolidate, research, plan again for a roof repair that got cancelled, escape to Brittany, relax, become lazy and help a friend.
Phase Eight - November 2012 - the start of bedroom flooring, door / window insulation of two rooms.
Future phases to further phase me include
1. roofs
2. kitchen
3. budgeting
4. sort, dispose and declutter LIFELONG STUFF - a VAST project occupying my attic and soul ... boxes of uncatalogued photos, craft materials, kitchenware, antique kitchen ware, lovely things that have nowhere to be displayed, beautiful things I have no need of anymore, books, sheet music, vinyl records to convert to CDs and so the list goes on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's just the tip of the iceberg. I still have my marbles which roll about a bit, but I do have good health and they say that is all that matters until the day we disappear! Ha!
Phase Two - July and August 2010 - escape to UK friends and family, tears but no sweat.... I holed up inside my property with severe sadness, loss, bereavement and depression. Negativity had to be swapped for Positivity. Unsuccessful. Despair had to be swapped for Hope. I tried. Making plans and doing research was meant to happen but thoughts took me to other places.
Phase Three - September 2010 to June 4th 2011- my friend and I tackled the reconstruction and redecoration of three rooms but in November and March I headed back to UK. I obeyed instructions, learnt how much I could weep, learnt that fun could be summoned, learnt to keep to the regime being imposed upon me and which was GOOD for me, learnt to work hard and know that I can do it with a little help from some friends and a kick up the rear.
Phase Four - July 2011- escape to UK friends and family and then to Greece.
Phase Five - August 2011 to October 2011 - escape to Nimes and Arles then cycling, walking, swimming, exploring my village, attempting research for the plans for my property! Sounds grand! November - escape to UK and return with flu like symptoms. I decided not to take any more tablets for depression which had beset me on and off probably for all my life. Now is not the time to explain as it would be self-indulgent!
Phase Six - November 2011 to June 2012 - the drainage problem is revealed and we solve the problem after much digging! Work started for a bathroom in a newly created bare room. It developed and like a butterfly it emerged to be a truly beautiful room. Bathrooms should be a joy!
Phase Seven - June and July 2012 - escape to UK friends and family, enjoy my son's wedding and have birthday beach parties. August to November - time to consolidate, research, plan again for a roof repair that got cancelled, escape to Brittany, relax, become lazy and help a friend.
Phase Eight - November 2012 - the start of bedroom flooring, door / window insulation of two rooms.
Future phases to further phase me include
1. roofs
2. kitchen
3. budgeting
4. sort, dispose and declutter LIFELONG STUFF - a VAST project occupying my attic and soul ... boxes of uncatalogued photos, craft materials, kitchenware, antique kitchen ware, lovely things that have nowhere to be displayed, beautiful things I have no need of anymore, books, sheet music, vinyl records to convert to CDs and so the list goes on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's just the tip of the iceberg. I still have my marbles which roll about a bit, but I do have good health and they say that is all that matters until the day we disappear! Ha!
Friday 2 November 2012
It was intended to be a light lunch!
Four arrived to chat whilst nibbling smoked almonds with cashew nuts to complement bubbling Cremant de Loire. Two woodburners kept my L shaped ground floor cheerful against the rain. Lunch was served:
Leek & Potato Soup
Cut lengthwise 3 or 4 leeks, wash to remove all dirt, then cut horizontally into fine ribbons. Into a large saute pan add a large shaking of olive oil, the leeks as well as 4 cloves of crushed, chopped garlic. Add 800 to 1kg of peeled potatoes chopped into small cubes, with one litre of chicken or vegetable stock. Season with bay leaves. Simmer until soft. Use a potato squasher to squash some of the cubed potatoes. If you prefer fewer lumps you could whizz half of the quantity in the blender. Add one pint of milk. Season to taste with more salt and pepper and I also added fennel seeds. You could add a large dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche or add a spoonful to each bowl of soup which I think looks prettier. Sprinkle with dill, paprika and black pepper.
Fish Lasagne served with Riesling
Prepare:
1. Saute onions and garlic.
2. Separately saute chopped chunks of red pepper and tiny chopped sweet chilli style pepper.
3. Make cheese sauce with a roux of flour, milk, cheddar cheese.
4. Cook diced carrots.
5. Cut filleted and deboned hake/pollack/colin fish (lieu noir) into large cubes.
6. Part of a inexpensive packet of smoked salmon pieces.
7. Packet of tomato puree.
8. Seasoning, herbs plus paprika.
Contruct:
1. Oil a lasagne dish. Scatter cooked onions onto base. Place 3 leaves of Lasagne pasta.
2. Scatter more onions, red peppers, carrots, seasoning, fish, tomato puree + 3 leaves pasta.
3. Repeat 2.
4. Cover with runny cheese sauce. Grate cheese on top. Sprinkle with paprika.
5. Bake in a hot oven for apx 20 to 30 minutes. It can be left to cool but cook for another 15 minutes.
6. Serve with Mesclun salad or broccoli florets.
St Maure de Touraine Goats Cheese with Mesclun.
We donned wet gear to walk to Witches Rock. On our return we enjoyed
Spicy Ginger Pear Roulade with Earl Grey Tea
1. Peel and core 3 or 4 large Conference pears. Dice into a saucepan, add 30g butter plus 60g sugar and simmer gently until soft but pears still in their shape.
2. 120g plain flour, teaspoonful bicarb or baking powder, spices of ginger, cinnamon, allspice, mace, nutmeg, tagine mix as you wish.
3. In a pan melt 30g butter plus 1 large spoonful golden syrup and the same of black treacle. Beat in one egg and juices from pears.
4. Mix 2 and 3 together... beat hard...
5. Pour into a rectangular Swiss roll tin lined with baking sheet paper twisted at corners which has been scattered with sieved icing sugar. Bake in a hot oven for 15 minutes or so. Leave to cool for a few minutes and roll the paper and sponge cake. Unroll. Add pears (use remainder for breakfast!) and thick cream spread over the top... use the paper to help you roll. Keep wrapped tightly and put in the fridge or a cold place. Decorate with sieved icing sugar. Serve alone or with extra cream but that WOULD be naughtily over indulgent!!
NB Mesclun is a Provençal salad. Mescla means "mixture". The salad should include chervil and rocket, lettuces and endive in equal proportions, but the modern version may include spinach, Swiss chard, mustard greens, endive, dandelion, lamb's lettuce, radiccio, sorrel or other leaf vegetables.
Leek & Potato Soup
Cut lengthwise 3 or 4 leeks, wash to remove all dirt, then cut horizontally into fine ribbons. Into a large saute pan add a large shaking of olive oil, the leeks as well as 4 cloves of crushed, chopped garlic. Add 800 to 1kg of peeled potatoes chopped into small cubes, with one litre of chicken or vegetable stock. Season with bay leaves. Simmer until soft. Use a potato squasher to squash some of the cubed potatoes. If you prefer fewer lumps you could whizz half of the quantity in the blender. Add one pint of milk. Season to taste with more salt and pepper and I also added fennel seeds. You could add a large dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche or add a spoonful to each bowl of soup which I think looks prettier. Sprinkle with dill, paprika and black pepper.
Fish Lasagne served with Riesling
Prepare:
1. Saute onions and garlic.
2. Separately saute chopped chunks of red pepper and tiny chopped sweet chilli style pepper.
3. Make cheese sauce with a roux of flour, milk, cheddar cheese.
4. Cook diced carrots.
5. Cut filleted and deboned hake/pollack/colin fish (lieu noir) into large cubes.
6. Part of a inexpensive packet of smoked salmon pieces.
7. Packet of tomato puree.
8. Seasoning, herbs plus paprika.
Contruct:
1. Oil a lasagne dish. Scatter cooked onions onto base. Place 3 leaves of Lasagne pasta.
2. Scatter more onions, red peppers, carrots, seasoning, fish, tomato puree + 3 leaves pasta.
3. Repeat 2.
4. Cover with runny cheese sauce. Grate cheese on top. Sprinkle with paprika.
5. Bake in a hot oven for apx 20 to 30 minutes. It can be left to cool but cook for another 15 minutes.
6. Serve with Mesclun salad or broccoli florets.
St Maure de Touraine Goats Cheese with Mesclun.
We donned wet gear to walk to Witches Rock. On our return we enjoyed
Spicy Ginger Pear Roulade with Earl Grey Tea
1. Peel and core 3 or 4 large Conference pears. Dice into a saucepan, add 30g butter plus 60g sugar and simmer gently until soft but pears still in their shape.
2. 120g plain flour, teaspoonful bicarb or baking powder, spices of ginger, cinnamon, allspice, mace, nutmeg, tagine mix as you wish.
3. In a pan melt 30g butter plus 1 large spoonful golden syrup and the same of black treacle. Beat in one egg and juices from pears.
4. Mix 2 and 3 together... beat hard...
5. Pour into a rectangular Swiss roll tin lined with baking sheet paper twisted at corners which has been scattered with sieved icing sugar. Bake in a hot oven for 15 minutes or so. Leave to cool for a few minutes and roll the paper and sponge cake. Unroll. Add pears (use remainder for breakfast!) and thick cream spread over the top... use the paper to help you roll. Keep wrapped tightly and put in the fridge or a cold place. Decorate with sieved icing sugar. Serve alone or with extra cream but that WOULD be naughtily over indulgent!!
NB Mesclun is a Provençal salad. Mescla means "mixture". The salad should include chervil and rocket, lettuces and endive in equal proportions, but the modern version may include spinach, Swiss chard, mustard greens, endive, dandelion, lamb's lettuce, radiccio, sorrel or other leaf vegetables.
I have a problem loading photographs because Google tells me that Picasa wishes me to purchase more space... I am going to have to work on this because it appears that some photos on my blogs are too large... Oh tedium!!!!!! I do not like Picasa but I suppose I need it!
UPDATE:
I received two suggestions but cannot find the 'purrfect' one that Ron Ron made.
UPDATE:
I received two suggestions but cannot find the 'purrfect' one that Ron Ron made.
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