I had to research the name of the animal whose leg was squashed on the road yesterday morning. Black with yellow spots... I have seen live ones in France but not for a while. This was either the remains of roadkill or animal kill or dropped by a bird of prey and flattened by vehicles! I didn't take a pic of the remains!
http://kids.sandiegozoo.org/animals/amphibians/fire-salamand
http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/59467/0
11h
POSTSCRIPT:
Lest We Not Forget - as we move through and past 100 years of relative peace in humankind when human nature strives to love and care, 'midst oft times struggle against others, in order for survival. So many people suffered such terrible torture. It is an understatement.
In humility, I bow my head for them, for all those who died.
Listening to the Remembrance Service there are so many tunes I remember from childhood and concerts at Kneller Hall, Royal Military School of Music and also from playing church music for over 23 years.
When I am laid in earth reminds me of so many moments in my past life....
but also of my grandfather who fought in the WWI and lived to the age of 76 on part of a lung, his remaining lung and the other collapsed with shrapnel. His oxygen bottles were always by his chair.
Also I sang this whilst at college when with the drama students we performed Purcell's opera "Dido and Aeneas".
Sunday, 9 November 2014
Saturday, 8 November 2014
Up, down and rescued
I hate feeling 'down' but I had slept an extra three hours, after being 'up' and out at a beautiful concert the night before. Today, I lay lazily in bed because it was so cold! I'd lit the fire at 8h30 when CAT decided she wished to go out. Invitingly, warm bedlinen cossetted me, tea and toast! After coffee, email and news updates, the mind was overwhelmed with thoughts trudging in the mire of my mind. I was needing to communicate, yet be alone. Tasks and stuff seem to crave my mind for attention. The stuff needs to be sorted, and sorted it is being, but it does seem to be a slow process at this stage. Then I wonder is it all worth it! When maybe I wish to be out and about elsewhere but these responsibilities keep me tied to the security, saftey and haven of my poperty. Then, when I think that other stuff left here isn't mine, and that the person to whom it belongs has almost total freedom within that person's limited financial capacity then my mind becomes scrambled.
I am wondering what is next and how to achieve it! Planning is tricky! I suppose I have been somewhat spoilt by having had somewhere here very part time in the last four years to help me. Now gone!
A few days ago, all seemed positive whilst happiness and achievement surged whilst I amended and printed hard copies of writings stored on the laptop...
My story had started... but of course more paper only adds to that which is higgledy piggledy in boxes. A jumbled mind creates a jumbled life or vice versa... yet, I am determined to get it done and also realise that perhaps I have a slight obsession with trying to keep rooms clear and as organised as I can be! This is after years of muddle!
Ola! Knocking on my door was my dear friend. She is wonderful. I had just started to get a grip, having put on my jacket to go out (garden or road?) when I told myself to clear the washing / wiping up, so that the clean and tidy kitchen would be motivating on my return. She came to invite me to accompany friends to a much-loved restaurant as she had to go to London. How kind! Then seeing me 'down' she invited me for 'moules and beer' for lunch! How very kind! How I hugged her! Spirits were raised immediately. She said I had to get out! But getting out means I don't do the things I need to do and piles of stuff mount up and so it all becomes a vicious circle (in my head!)
As HER friend says " Don't worry about stuff, life is short, be with friends, have fun!"
I walked home before 4pm.
Apart from the small glass of red at the Theatre yesterday and the beer today I have managed one whole week without drinking alcohol at home! I think I can have some with my meal at the restaurant! But then when I met my friend's friend she had done alcohol free for 31 days of October....
I am wondering what is next and how to achieve it! Planning is tricky! I suppose I have been somewhat spoilt by having had somewhere here very part time in the last four years to help me. Now gone!
A few days ago, all seemed positive whilst happiness and achievement surged whilst I amended and printed hard copies of writings stored on the laptop...
My story had started... but of course more paper only adds to that which is higgledy piggledy in boxes. A jumbled mind creates a jumbled life or vice versa... yet, I am determined to get it done and also realise that perhaps I have a slight obsession with trying to keep rooms clear and as organised as I can be! This is after years of muddle!
Ola! Knocking on my door was my dear friend. She is wonderful. I had just started to get a grip, having put on my jacket to go out (garden or road?) when I told myself to clear the washing / wiping up, so that the clean and tidy kitchen would be motivating on my return. She came to invite me to accompany friends to a much-loved restaurant as she had to go to London. How kind! Then seeing me 'down' she invited me for 'moules and beer' for lunch! How very kind! How I hugged her! Spirits were raised immediately. She said I had to get out! But getting out means I don't do the things I need to do and piles of stuff mount up and so it all becomes a vicious circle (in my head!)
As HER friend says " Don't worry about stuff, life is short, be with friends, have fun!"
I walked home before 4pm.
Apart from the small glass of red at the Theatre yesterday and the beer today I have managed one whole week without drinking alcohol at home! I think I can have some with my meal at the restaurant! But then when I met my friend's friend she had done alcohol free for 31 days of October....
Friday, 7 November 2014
Only in France are there such surprises
The programme included:
Brahms: Variation on a theme of Haydn
Ravel: Mother Goose Suite
Schubert-Liszt: Soiree de Vienne
Rachmaninov: Suite no.2
They replayed part of Rachmaninov, part of Brahms, then some Bach, (I didn't hear the title) as a wonderful and generous encore.
Only in France are there such surprises! A further pièce de resistance was a local biscuit, called a Broyé du Poitou which means ground or crushed. It is delicious and I have had them before. In fact I buy them in the winter to sustain my coffee break but only eat half each day as they are about 10cm in diameter! The steward lady told me that it is a local tradition to break the biscuit with a fist. The pianists and the mayor of their town had such fun! Look how large this one is!
Perhaps symbolic of the breaking of the bread for the Lord's Supper!
It was lovely to be out and about with people and at an Autumn musical concert, to take a promenade around the town beforehand and drive home late at night. Once arriving at the fields of France,vehicles were few at thirty minutes before midnight!
What joy when a window of opportunity opens! Only in France are there such surprises!
Saturday, 1 November 2014
Partytime!
It was a spookydooky occasion when disguise was appropriate.
This last week I delved into unopened boxes packed extremely efficiently ten years ago and other boxes packed four years ago, some not quite so well. In fact some stuff just packed into the box muddled! Within the last four years some boxes have been opened and strewn in a muddle in my attic when I had searched for something but lazily or in a hurry didn't re-pack the boxes correctly. Likewise the books boxes... I keep discovering more books which need to be assigned to their place!
The coincidence is that I found silver jewelry that could be worn to the party which hadn't been seen for aeons. I found masks used at Hallowe'en events once in France with the kiddies group I used to volunteer with and previous to that at fantastic Hallowe'en parties in England at my neighbour's house! Out came the red scarves, masks, feathers but no hula-hula skirt. I could have worn that red sequined Monsoon top that I re-discovered exclaiming "WOW"! It had been forgotten, only ever worn the once when I discovered a thread of sequins required replacement. I think I wore it to a Hallowe'en masked ball some 17 years ago, or maybe I bought it because it was fabulous at the time and still is!... ... ... and another wow, I found art prints from that evening, needing as ever, to be framed! So many memories have been opened in the last week that have made me laugh and tell a story to my Workawayers from California who commented that if only they have such memories and identity when they are my age then they will have known that they have lived!
Sex Pistols played 'Anarchy in The UK' and The Clash played 'London Calling' whilst almost 40 yr olds and some over 50s and moi 65 danced in smoke machine mist...whilst kids galore laughed and danced in the cloud. It was wonderfully warm for an al fresco bonfire party and fireworks. Evidently Surrey was the warmest place on record in England for October 31st - 22.5 Celsius at about 4pm time!
Cinderella disguised as The Red Witch made it home before the pumpkin arrived and she didn't lose a slipper, malheureusement! English jacket potatoes finished in the bonfire
embers plus grated cheddar and baked beans was soooooo good! There were English sausages plus mulled wine... called
vin chaud en France! Toffee apples, ghostly cakes, skeletons, bats, cats, and ugly, scary faces made it all fantastic. Great Party. Great friends!
Friday, 31 October 2014
Caleeforneyeay
Two more Workawayer girls aged 19/20 arrived. Lovely personalities. I learned before they arrived that one had had her ID and bank cards stolen in Paris just before they were to visit the Eiffel Tower. What a terrible experience! They were confused by my English vehicle with French number plates having thought I would be French! Also in California they have left hand drive vehicles!!
A late evening arrival after Cakes Fest meant soup followed by potato and onion quiche. They declined soup! They were quite discombobulated by being in a safe place! Next day, we started to sort unsorted hard copy photos. As I thought I would cry buckets of tears, it was a surprise to be happy, discovering wonderful memories and events that defined who I am or who I was, photos of my lovely children in their teens, and school creative arts work that was a dissertation for year one of an Arts degree! I never did any more for that degree. Shame! The two girls having listened to my stories as each photo or event revealed itself said they hope that when they get to my age they will treasure such memories and have their own treasures.
The weather was against us but then the sun shone. They had no garden footwear or work clothes!!!!! One wore my Keen open sandals and one wore plastic bags tied with blue garden string over her plimsoll like shoes. We mowed one lawn and took a trailer of weeding and pruning debris to the déchetterie as it was too wet to burn. There was carrot and coriander soup, rice and veggies plus apple crumble which continued at breakfast time. We did 4½ hours work.
The following day, as the weather was wetter, we went to a large market, a medieval town, frescoes in an abbey, to see something of French history and French life! After a courgette soup lunch we tackled the sweeping of a dusty attic, moving work tables and a few other things but I let them us retire by 6pm. We did 3½ hours work. In the evening one said it was the best beef she had ever tasted.... collar of French reared beef with onions, shallots, mushrooms, wine as a kind of boeuf bourgouignon. It was served with creamy, buttery mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli followed by Pear Tarte Tatin fait a main! During the day they were given full permission to eat the contents of the CCC box as soon as possible! Fortunately for my budget they do not drink alcohol and prefer to be vegetarian. They rarely eat American beef but told me to please not mention burgers 'cos they don't count as beef! I think this was irony! Evidently, they have a sweet tooth - there is a challenge to provide desserts!
Sunday was a late start. The clocks had fallen back too! I could have stayed in bed easily until midday but I arose dutifully to a silent household and walked for almost an hour. Then épautre toast and marmalade breakfast, whilst clementines (oronules) and grapes were disappeared fast! We agreed to do personal tasks then go to an Autumn Fruits fête, but were disappointed when we couldn't find it in the advertised village. So glad not to have cycled! Butternut squash and Fennel soup, roquefort cheese and rocket plus the second half of the pear tarte tatin was enjoyed in hot, hot sunshine in the back garden - a very rare event this year! They mentioned that they hadn't had ice cream for all their weeks in France and looked surprised that 'as a host with the mostest' I produced caramel ice cream. However, I was told quite firmly that it's not the same as Californian ice cream! Oh well! We cycled to the Roc-aux-sorciers centre, (my third visit using my pass), followed by an hour on the road on two wheels. Back home I was surprised that it could be chilly with full sunshine before six pm. It was humid outdoors and the washing which was almost dry was more wet than when it was hung out! In fact, it was a clear night with stars quite visible! I disturbed a toad trying to hibernate in the small logs! We ate Linguine with Walnuts: Sauté garlic and shallots in olive oil, add roughly chopped walnuts and freshly chopped parsley, basil or rocket (dried if you must!) and a few breadcrumbs. Cook linguine in boiling salted water. Drain. Mix and serve with with freshly grated parmesan type cheese. We were big on fruit salad with wonderful fresh citrus fruits from Spain!
Monday: They moved a trestle table which sounds easy but it wasn't because we had to dismantle it, and find the screw bits and screws etc to put it back together! It took ages as we rifled through my friend's toolbox. Fortunately one knew how to use MY electric drill but it still took three of us to remove the battery pack!!!!! Ggggggrrrrrr!!!! Meanwhile, I started to clear more space in my attic and they brought all the photo boxes downstairs. I sorted them into people and assigned a box to each of son, daughter, cousins, family, me, my life with former partner and his house and my house before that! The girls helped to find plastic boxes, clean and label, fetch and carry and although each box is ready for the second sort they do look neat in the attic! I had to clear by 4pm, the incentive being that my cousin was arriving possibly at about five and there was evening supper to make....what madness is it to think that roast chicken and veg is easy?... but with three women to peel and prep vegetables and make a fruit salad we were done in no time. The chicken started to be roasted at 2pm! It was lovely to have company enjoying slightly burnt roasted root veg and Mediterranean veg ... the chicken had been deboned and served in a 'fresh from the garden' tarragon sauce!
Tuesday: After a shared breakfast my workawayers were set to weed courtyard and rockery without supervision but when I noticed them sitting on wet ground to pull out every blade of grass, I realised they needed to be shown how to hoe and rake grassy gravel! I set my cousins to walk down through oak woodland to the river, mill and bridge, but I double backed at top speed jogging and fast-walking through the chemins, my walk curtailed to get a Roquefort and Walnut quiche in the oven as they wished to leave at one pm! What a rush when we only got up at 8h15! Then I ordered, yes, ordered the girls to go walking the same walk for three reasons: a) they hadn't been for a walk, b) they need to explore my village, c) I needed space to go to sleep!!!!!!! They were happy with the reasons! There followed a food fest. I had started a deep squishy bread based pizza! They made French Macarons which took a lot of time and required me to scuttle about to find a sugar thermometer?... yes, I do have one... an icing bag and nozzles? ... yes, I have those too! We had already checked that we had the ingredients!
We agreed to make up hours on Wednesday so we worked from nine until five with half an hour for lunch and cleared a lovely space in the attic! I started to sort various boxes but there is so much more to do!!!!!!! I have two people giving me deadlines. One says Easter and I say the end of the year! I need to be monitored! We also mowed a lawn and weeded ivy etc of the wall! We ate Tartiflette made with good quality Reblochon cheese. and also a red-kidney-bean casserole with a mashed celeriac topping. They wanted beans!
Thursday, they caught the train to Cannes via Paris. Their next hosts are very accommodating and kind! They are very brave to be travelling without a homeward bound ticket. They plan to go to Switzerland, Germany, England. They know not after February!
When I asked what had they learned they observed that they can do a lot in a short space of time and had learned how to cook... and when I asked what had they enjoyed they said FOOD! They were starbright gems!
A late evening arrival after Cakes Fest meant soup followed by potato and onion quiche. They declined soup! They were quite discombobulated by being in a safe place! Next day, we started to sort unsorted hard copy photos. As I thought I would cry buckets of tears, it was a surprise to be happy, discovering wonderful memories and events that defined who I am or who I was, photos of my lovely children in their teens, and school creative arts work that was a dissertation for year one of an Arts degree! I never did any more for that degree. Shame! The two girls having listened to my stories as each photo or event revealed itself said they hope that when they get to my age they will treasure such memories and have their own treasures.
The weather was against us but then the sun shone. They had no garden footwear or work clothes!!!!! One wore my Keen open sandals and one wore plastic bags tied with blue garden string over her plimsoll like shoes. We mowed one lawn and took a trailer of weeding and pruning debris to the déchetterie as it was too wet to burn. There was carrot and coriander soup, rice and veggies plus apple crumble which continued at breakfast time. We did 4½ hours work.
The following day, as the weather was wetter, we went to a large market, a medieval town, frescoes in an abbey, to see something of French history and French life! After a courgette soup lunch we tackled the sweeping of a dusty attic, moving work tables and a few other things but I let them us retire by 6pm. We did 3½ hours work. In the evening one said it was the best beef she had ever tasted.... collar of French reared beef with onions, shallots, mushrooms, wine as a kind of boeuf bourgouignon. It was served with creamy, buttery mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli followed by Pear Tarte Tatin fait a main! During the day they were given full permission to eat the contents of the CCC box as soon as possible! Fortunately for my budget they do not drink alcohol and prefer to be vegetarian. They rarely eat American beef but told me to please not mention burgers 'cos they don't count as beef! I think this was irony! Evidently, they have a sweet tooth - there is a challenge to provide desserts!
Sunday was a late start. The clocks had fallen back too! I could have stayed in bed easily until midday but I arose dutifully to a silent household and walked for almost an hour. Then épautre toast and marmalade breakfast, whilst clementines (oronules) and grapes were disappeared fast! We agreed to do personal tasks then go to an Autumn Fruits fête, but were disappointed when we couldn't find it in the advertised village. So glad not to have cycled! Butternut squash and Fennel soup, roquefort cheese and rocket plus the second half of the pear tarte tatin was enjoyed in hot, hot sunshine in the back garden - a very rare event this year! They mentioned that they hadn't had ice cream for all their weeks in France and looked surprised that 'as a host with the mostest' I produced caramel ice cream. However, I was told quite firmly that it's not the same as Californian ice cream! Oh well! We cycled to the Roc-aux-sorciers centre, (my third visit using my pass), followed by an hour on the road on two wheels. Back home I was surprised that it could be chilly with full sunshine before six pm. It was humid outdoors and the washing which was almost dry was more wet than when it was hung out! In fact, it was a clear night with stars quite visible! I disturbed a toad trying to hibernate in the small logs! We ate Linguine with Walnuts: Sauté garlic and shallots in olive oil, add roughly chopped walnuts and freshly chopped parsley, basil or rocket (dried if you must!) and a few breadcrumbs. Cook linguine in boiling salted water. Drain. Mix and serve with with freshly grated parmesan type cheese. We were big on fruit salad with wonderful fresh citrus fruits from Spain!
Monday: They moved a trestle table which sounds easy but it wasn't because we had to dismantle it, and find the screw bits and screws etc to put it back together! It took ages as we rifled through my friend's toolbox. Fortunately one knew how to use MY electric drill but it still took three of us to remove the battery pack!!!!! Ggggggrrrrrr!!!! Meanwhile, I started to clear more space in my attic and they brought all the photo boxes downstairs. I sorted them into people and assigned a box to each of son, daughter, cousins, family, me, my life with former partner and his house and my house before that! The girls helped to find plastic boxes, clean and label, fetch and carry and although each box is ready for the second sort they do look neat in the attic! I had to clear by 4pm, the incentive being that my cousin was arriving possibly at about five and there was evening supper to make....what madness is it to think that roast chicken and veg is easy?... but with three women to peel and prep vegetables and make a fruit salad we were done in no time. The chicken started to be roasted at 2pm! It was lovely to have company enjoying slightly burnt roasted root veg and Mediterranean veg ... the chicken had been deboned and served in a 'fresh from the garden' tarragon sauce!
Tuesday: After a shared breakfast my workawayers were set to weed courtyard and rockery without supervision but when I noticed them sitting on wet ground to pull out every blade of grass, I realised they needed to be shown how to hoe and rake grassy gravel! I set my cousins to walk down through oak woodland to the river, mill and bridge, but I double backed at top speed jogging and fast-walking through the chemins, my walk curtailed to get a Roquefort and Walnut quiche in the oven as they wished to leave at one pm! What a rush when we only got up at 8h15! Then I ordered, yes, ordered the girls to go walking the same walk for three reasons: a) they hadn't been for a walk, b) they need to explore my village, c) I needed space to go to sleep!!!!!!! They were happy with the reasons! There followed a food fest. I had started a deep squishy bread based pizza! They made French Macarons which took a lot of time and required me to scuttle about to find a sugar thermometer?... yes, I do have one... an icing bag and nozzles? ... yes, I have those too! We had already checked that we had the ingredients!
Thursday, they caught the train to Cannes via Paris. Their next hosts are very accommodating and kind! They are very brave to be travelling without a homeward bound ticket. They plan to go to Switzerland, Germany, England. They know not after February!
When I asked what had they learned they observed that they can do a lot in a short space of time and had learned how to cook... and when I asked what had they enjoyed they said FOOD! They were starbright gems!
Tuesday, 28 October 2014
Monday, 27 October 2014
Gluten-free October cakes in praise of a Goddess!
Banana
and Walnut Cake
influenced
by a Nigella Lawson recipe
See a few days ago!
Preheat oven to 180ºC/360ºF. Grease
and line a large cake tin. I like round cakes! My oven has no reliable thermometer.
I put it on the highest setting and lower accordingly to prevent it burning. The
aim is to have a cake that when pressed, the indent bounces back! Be prepared
for about 45 minutes to one hour of baking time!
Cream together 125g butter and 125g
brown sugar, add
2 mashed bananas now out of their
brown skin jackets. Beat in 2 or 3 eggs and about a teaspoon or less of vanilla
essence and about one teaspoonful or more of baking powder. Add about 250g ground almonds or more
and some milk plus about 120g whole walnuts but you could use broken ones!
Pour the mixture into the tin and
bake. See above!
Banana,
Walnut, Pear, Ginger Cake
influenced
by a Nigella Lawson recipe
Preheat oven to 180ºC/360ºF. Grease
and line a large cake tin. I like round cakes! My oven has no reliable thermometer.
I put it on the highest setting and lower accordingly to prevent it burning.
The aim is to have a cake that when pressed, the indent bounces back! Be
prepared for about 45 minutes to one hour of baking time!
Cream together 125g butter with125g
brown sugar. Add
2 mashed bananas not in their brown
skin jackets. Beat in 2 or 3 eggs and about a teaspoon or less of vanilla
essence plus a teaspoon or more of ground ginger. Add one teaspoonful or more
of baking powder. Add about 250g
rice flour plus about 125g ground almonds. Adjust the mixture with some milk. Add
120g whole walnuts but you could use broken ones! Add one conference pear in
small pieces, previously peeled and cored. Eat the peel!
Pour the mixture into the tin and
bake. See above!
Sunday, 26 October 2014
Potatoes and Squash
Well over 20kg maincrop potatoes harvested, but I don't know which variety! The photo is disorientated! Pas moi!
Already had about seven of these and more to come! ... and now the well used three year old camera has the lens stuck open! Piffle!
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