Today I made

Today I made:

CHICKEN LIVER PATÉ
300g chicken livers (remove sinews) which cost 1.60 euros
150g butter, diced
finely sliced / roughly chopped red onions and garlic sauteed in olive oil 
dried thyme leaves
salt, black pepper,
5 juniper berries and a pinch of ginger powder but you could use allspice, nutmeg etc...
add cream if you wish... I don't but I do add brandy, sherry or port.

1. Sauté onions and garlic slowly ...
2. Sauté chicken slowly...
3. Put all into food processor with seasonings and an eggcupful of sherry or .....  with the 2/3 butter and process until smooth.
4. Pour into small ceramic containers. Add a thin layer of brandy.
4. Melt the extra butter gently... do not burn... pour onto the patê.   Leave to cool.
5. Seal top with clingfilm or other means.
6. Refrigerate.

and for the apero group this evening which I have not been to for YONKS:

MUSHROOM QUICHE

Ready made puff pastry (Although I love making pastry, I am a fan of quality French ready made)
Sauté sliced or chopped red onions and garlic and lay as a base onto the pastry.
Spread over a can of sliced mushrooms (apx price 1.10 euros) having sieved off the liquid.
Cover with a beaten mixture of eggs, milk or cream, seasoned.
Sprinkle dried thyme leaves overthe whole quiche.
Bake 175C...

Walking

My friend is in training for a GR70 walk from Puy de Velay to La Cevannes and I am supposed to be helping her; in doing so, helping myself to become fit. She is very fit!
I am very pleased that today I did not feel pain from the groin or knee, and left foot toes only tweaked 'eek' a little.  It was warm in the afternoon.  She in shorts, me in leggings. She with a hat, me without.

We walked about 15 km in 3 hours with 181 different levels (?) according to the app which we've called NORA as we have to ignore her.  We did 20,000 + steps (double recommended for the day).  So.... apx 5km per hour; not bad, as opposed to 4.5km we did last week and 3.50 to 3.75 km I did with another friend.
This was my best yet and with the inclines. Not bad for someone whose M.E. prevented her from walking indoors with, in the last 20 years, diminishing relapses.    I can't improve on this not for a long while. She however on her own did in the last week a walk of  6.5km per hour for an hour!

On the walk we didn't hear a cuckoo despite being on agri-land and woodland. Neither did we see birds or animals at all!
However, she took me across a dry bocage of land where wild  fritilllarie de pintade (Snakehead fritillary) were in bloom including one or two white ones.
Not yet home, we crossed the roundabout at La Roche Posay, enabling a close-up photo of the model horse.  La Roche Posay has a well renowned race course.

MY oh MY

My, oh MY, it is about a year ago that I tried to reinstate myself as a blogger.  I became too overwhelmed with ongoing challenges to return my thoughts to regular presentation of life in word and image.

I have had another super wonderful day, since I stayed in UK for all of January and February 2019 doing a variety of things successfully and not successfully.  Loads I intended to do but DID NOT as I was trying to help someone else.  Today was Productive, finding more information to those problems which are beyond my reach to solve.  

I made a little more progress in my garden and courtyard. Hanging baskets and toughs were prepped for front of road.  No geraniums wintered over.   I love feeling the soft warm earth and getting dirt under the fingernails, then having a hot bath to soak away the evidence!

Photos coming later...


Hey... I heard the cuckoo today ....oh ecstasy... I am overjoyed.... I wish to tell the world from the beautiful space one the planet where I live.   Cuckoo it called unmistakably several times whilst I pottered in my courtyard ...  there it 'twas ... sounding across to the north west as clear as a bell ... woops...as clear as a cuckoo... early afternoon not later!  Oh happy me!

Here is one of the four songs we are learning for the BRIGADE... 
It is the oldest canon known.

Sumer is icumen in, lhude sing cuccu

Groweth sed and bloweth med and spring the wude nu. Sing cuccu.

Ahway  bleteth after lomme lhouth after calvé cu

Bulluck sterteth, bucker verteth, murie sing cuccu

Cuccu, cuccu, wel singethu cuccu, ne swik thu navé nu.

Three others are from the TSIGANES of Romania, Bulgaria and Serbia:   for example Jag Bari

In between excursions to the sunshine in the outside world I stay indoors to write up final cope of the Serbian, Bulgarian, Romanian languages into my own phonetic language, so that I can pronounce and learn speedily,  as I missed two months of practice in the group! I have been in ENGLAND!!!!!!!!!! and did those feet ..... 
 I digress in song....
Absolutely sure now of the melody after three weeks and can mostly sing without hiccup reading the words but In wish to go the extra mile when I have never ever been able to learn by rote!

Will try to update as my life feels so full all of a sudden .... but maybe i need to write.....
bises xxxx