The Absinthe Fairy

Pickling walnuts - part 2

2011-07-15T10:55:00.000+02:00

Once the walnuts have done their briney stint for a couple of weeks, drain them and spread them out onto a tray lined with absorbent paper and leave for a couple of days to dry out. They will turn black. This is normal. They will also stain anything they come into contact with. Including your hands - in fact you will look as though you have been on a 100 a day nicotine addiction for the last 10 years if you handle them without gloves.

Once they blackened they are ready to be pickled.

In a large saucepan (large enough to accommodate all the walnuts) bring to the boil the following pickling liquor:

1 litre of malt vinegar, or a red wine vinegar. Use something with some colour to keep the dark colour of the walnuts.

to the vinegar add:

500g of sugar
1 teaspoon of allspice
1 teaspoon of cloves
1 large cinnamon stick
2 cms of grated fresh ginger

One the mixture starts to boil, add the walnuts and leave to simmer for 15 minutes or until the smell of vinegar makes your eyes bleed. (that may just be me though so don't worry too much).

Bottle up into clean jars while still hot. Bottling while the vinegary syrup is hot negate the need for excessive sterilising of jars.

These will keep for years, and are apparently very good with cheese. I have tried them but was not overly struck on the flavour, but I do know someone who really likes them so that's their presents sorted for the next few Christmases.

Dry spell + Downpour = GLUT

2011-07-15T10:43:00.000+02:00

Ooops

So what is a person to do with 15 kilos of courgette and another 20 of deformed patty pan squashes?

Light the Rayburn and get cooking......

... from left to right ratatouille, patty pan squash Thai soup and squash and veg soup.

Winter larder is stocked up, some soups in Kilner jars, some boiled down to thicken as sauce bases for Thai curries, and several tubs of ratatouille for the freezer.

As well as the pickled walnuts now in jars ready for Christmas.

Now the sun is out the greenhouse is starting to produce ripened fruits too, today's harvest is a one person serving of green pepper, aubergine and assorted varieties of tomatoes.

They are going to be my dinner tonight, chopped and fried with a bit of garlic to go in my risotto.

Week 27 - Light

2011-07-10T20:42:00.000+02:00

Two for the price of one here, 'light' as a feather, shot against the last rays of sun 'light' through the window...

Nocturnal Visitor

2011-07-10T20:20:00.000+02:00

Our house is really quite old, a couple of hundred years old, and as such it has some interesting quirks. One of which is a lack of foundations. The house sits on compacted dirt about 50cms deep before it hits the bedrock of the volcanic range we are part of.

When we bought the house, it had no bathroom. Like ninety five per cent of the houses around here, inhabited or uninhabited seems to make no difference. Houses constructed in the 1800s had no bathrooms, and so as the houses here are mostly owned by farmers who know lots of things about cows and wheat, they have no interest nor desire to engage in any DIY skills, and so each house gets decorated once a generation and very few bathrooms were ever fitted. Kitchens mostly consist of a wood burning stove of some description, or if really modern a bottled gas cooker, and a table and chair.

When we decided to include all the mod cons in our house, including a fitted bathroom, we had very little choice in its position. It went in what was once a dirt floored cellar, a 'cave'. To counteract issues of damp, we created a platform floor, constructed from treated outdoor decking, sitting on a series of beams that sit on a series of impermeable membranes, that sit on the original dirt floor, that is actually half a metre lower than it was originally to accommodate the new floating floor structure - and that took some digging out I can tell you, lots and lots and lots and lots of wheelbarrows of dirt were wheeled outside.

The upshot of this is, the floor is in effect free standing, it does butt up agains the walls but is not fixed to the walls in any way to allow for movements in the lime stone walls, and flexing caused by heat or cold. And so we have gaps. Some quite significant gaps.

And we get a few of these nocturnal visitors popping up through the gaps to hang out with us....

Week 26 - The photographer

2011-07-04T20:16:00.000+02:00

OK - how to photographer the photographer without just taking a picture of myself in the mirror with a camera to my face.

And if I pose somewhere and someone else takes the photo then it is not 'my' photograph...

Oohh the trials and tribulations of trying to portray yourself in a photograph.

So here is my answer:

and for anyone who knows me they will know how appropriate it is for me to portray myself through shoes, because shoes are my vice. I have a lot of shoes, not that namby pamby 'lot of shoes' that people say when they own 15 pairs stuffed under the bed. I own A LOT of shoes - shoes that require three bookcases and a room of their own in fact. Even with having had a cull of shoes when we moved to France, and a recent cull to free up some space for books on my bookshelves ready for the end of the month big car boot sale, I still own in the region of.... (big breath) ........ 150 pairs of shoes!

Yes that's right, 150 pairs. I own a lot of shoes!

So here is what you have:

shit kicking cowboy boots - for my equestrian love and take no crap from anyone, but with a soft side, baby blue soft leather.

retro sandals - because I am a bit of a vintage chick at heart

high tech running shoes - for my new keep fit and healthy treadmill lifestyle

bead espadrills - because I am a bit of a hippy at heart and who can resist a bit of floral beading, not me for sure

and a pair of sturdy boots - for those jobs that just have to be done, and I will get on and do them, from gardening to roofing..

The scariest storm ever....

2011-07-03T22:23:00.000+02:00

I like THUNDER

I like LIGHTNING

I DO NOT like hail stones the size of golfballs!!

These fell in a storm on Tuesday night. I had just come in from my 5km walk, running ahead of the storm all the way, listening to the thunder rolling in from every direction, without a flash of lightning nor a drop of rain.

Then these things appeared out of the sky....

... and covered the ground.

Splashing down in the pool......

.....bouncing off the roof of the terrace.

Smashing a tube of our solar panel....

...and smashing through the guttering.....

.....and smashing up my cold frames.

A couple of hours later, they had not even melted away....

... they also knocked huge amounts of apples of the trees, you can see why, the hail stones are the same size as the poor little apples.

June's C of Cooking - Wheat and Dairy Free Chocolate Cake

2011-07-03T21:58:00.000+02:00

Especially for my wheat intolerent friends:

Wheat and Dairy Free Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of rice flour
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of good quality cocoa powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of baking powder
pinch of salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup of good quality hot coffee
1/2 cup of soya or rice milk
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

In a large mixing bowl, sift all the dry ingredients, in a separate bowl, beat the egg well then add in the rest of the liquids ensuring that you mix the hot coffee with the colder ingredients before pouring over the egg.

Then pour into a well in the centre of the flour, beating well all the way until you get a thick dark viscous cake mix.

This mix can make one large sponge cake, or 12 cupcakes. Use a springform tin, greased then floured or paper or silicone cupcake moulds.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool and decorate as you wish.

Oooops - forgot the photo!

Today's harvest

2011-06-27T16:08:00.001+02:00

Poor Brendan, as the weather hots up and food finally starts to appear in the garden I feel another supermarket embargo coming on.

Today's harvest gives me: 5 quail eggs, 4 chicken eggs, some raspberries, 1 yellow tomato, a clump of swiss chard, some patty pan squashes and some courgettes - of course!

Tonight's menu based on my harvest and store room staples:

Courgette and tomato tart (on pre rolled flaky pastry) - thinly sliced peeled courgette and ripe red tomatoes arranged on pastry then seasoned with salt and pepper and a drizzle of sun dried tomato flavoured olive oil

Crab and grated carrot salad in homemade mayonnaise with garlic and ginger

Tuna and cucumber with home made mayonnaise with paprika

Courgette bake - thinly sliced courgette with bechemal sauce made with some frozen pheasant stock, topped with hamburger cheese - because that was all I had in the fridge, and some dry bread toasted and whizzed up for breadcrumbs mixed with dried parsley

Silesian sausages - a polish deli treat courtesy of my lovely mummy :)

To make mayonnaise, take a small bowl with a narrow base so that you can whisk into the bottom easily, and separate two egg yolks (discard the whites or freeze into ice cube trays for use in meringues or something). Add a teaspoon of dried mustard powder, salt and pepper and start whisking - if you are using an electric whisk support the bowl on a teatowel because you need two hands for this. Very very very slowly add about 250ml of oil, not oilve as that is too strong flavoured but a grape seed oil or similar, whisk each drop that you add into the egg and mustard powder emulsion, don't be tempted to rush or it won't work. Just before the last of the oil goes in, add a teaspoon of vinegar, not malt but any pale vinegar, I use apple cider or raspberry because it adds another depth of flavour to the mayo. Then trickle in the last of the oil, at no point stopping the whisking, and you should end up with a lovely thick yellow mayonnaise - which I should have photographed but had dumped into my tuna and crab bowls before I remembered.

And as for the raspberries - well I scoffed them with some yoghurt and cereal for my breakfast.

Week 25 - HOT

2011-06-26T14:05:00.000+02:00

and it certainly is.

By the time I was back from my walk this morning at 10, it was 27°C, and now we are hiding in the house because the temperature is up to 38°C.

Hence today's photo for this week's theme of hot - my poor tomato plants in the greenhouse, struggling to cope with the heat in there.

River seems to be enjoying the heat, adopting her favourite position of belly up in the sun on the doorstep.

June's C of Creation - Crochet Baby Blanket / Lap Throw

2011-06-26T13:47:00.001+02:00

Finished the baby blanket that I have been crocheting for my friend's imminent delivery.

I used a thin grey lambswool in conjunction with a thicker cream wool to create a neutral toned chunky blanket.

This is a super easy pattern, that crochets up very quickly in pretty much any sort of wool you would want to use, just adapt the size of your hook to the wool as required and keep going until you get the size you are after.

I used 400g of each wool to create a chunky blanket 120cm by 150cm. Gauge is not vital, just sit back and crochet away in front of the TV and a couple of evenings later you will have a lovely textured throw.

Shell Rripple Throw

Stitches used : SC = single crochet, DC = double crochet, CH = chain

Shell pattern : work 2 DC, ch 2, 2 DC in next stitch

Chain 112

Row 1 : (DC, ch 2, 2 DC) in 4th stitch from hook (the first shell - the first 3 skipped stitches count as the first DC in the shell pattern), * Chain 2, (skip next 2 stitches, sc in next stitch, ch 3) 7 times, skip 2, sc in next stitch, ch 2 skip 2, work shell in next stitch, repeat from * to end, working shell in the last stitch. Ch 3, turn.

Row 2 ; Work shell in chain 2 space of the first shell, * dc in next ch 2 space (ch 3, sc in next ch 3 space) 7 times, ch 3, dc in next chain 2 space, work shell in ch 2 space of next shell, repeat from * to end. Ch 3, turn.

Rows 3 and 4 are the main pattern rows, repeat these until you have reached the size you are after or run out of wool, finishing on a Row 3. At the start of each row the chain 3 acts as the first DC of the shell.

Row 3 : Work shell in chain 2 space of the first shell, * (ch 3, sc in next chain 3 space) 8 times. Ch 3, work shell in chain 2 space of next shell, repeat from * to end, Chain 3, turn.

Row 4 : Work shell in chain 2 space of the frist shell, * dc in next chain 3 space, (ch3, sc in next chain 3 space) 7 times, ch 3, dc in next chain 3 space, shell in chain 2 space of next shell, repeat from * to end. Ch 3, turn.

The shell pattern creates a thick ripple the length of the blanket.

I did not add a fringe as I intend this for a baby, but it does lend itself to fringing in the chain 3 loops at the ends of each row.

Week 24 - People

2011-06-21T09:14:00.000+02:00

Struggled with finding something to photograph that wasn't actual people.

I was going to do graffitti but didn't have time to go and find any, so had this idea instead, and found the perfect name.

How cool would it be to be called Mrs Cupcake?

Pickling walnuts - part 1

2011-06-20T11:13:00.000+02:00

I don't actually like pickled walnuts, but we do have friends who do, so if you are reading this, guess what you are getting for Christmas!

Pick walnuts while very young and green, before the shell has formed within the green outer skin, so normally before the end of June.

You will soon know whether they are too advanced because you won't be able to prick them through the shell.

Start by rinsing the walnuts clean.

Then kit yourself out with some rubber gloves and a steel BBQ spike or a long tined fork.

Prick each walnut a couple of times at least, quite far in. If the shell has started to form you won't be able to force the skewer in further than about 5 mms, and they won't pickle.

Don't be deceived by the clear liquid that seeps out. It will stain your fingers a most interesting nicotine colour if you don't wear gloves!

Mix up a brine solution of one part salt to six parts water and pour over enough to ensure the walnuts are fully covered.

Weigh the walnuts down with a plate to keep them all immersed, then cover and leave for a week.

The best thing about these plastic bowls is the plastic lids. I can just write the instructions on the lids and tuck the bowls away in the back of the pantry.

As per the instruction on the lid, after a week, make up a new brine solution and leave for a second week.

Stay tuned for the next installment in pickling walnuts!

Another succesful car boot day and a bit of foraging....

2011-06-20T11:02:00.000+02:00

I like a good car boot as I am sure I have mentioned before.

Sunday's car boot was in Volvic, and yes the water does come from there. You can visit the source itself, but Volvic itself is mostly water bottling factory. But it does have a good car boot.

This week, I bought a beautiful 50's mustard yellow casserole dish, and a set of copper pans.

I know I don't actually need any more pans, but they were a bargain, and they do look lovely hanging up in the kitchen in place of the 70s brown enamel ones I had before.

While we were out, we initiated our friends into the fine art of foraging, starting with a bag of immature green walnuts and some red sour plums.

Another happy afternoon of jam making ahead then, and the first stage of pickling the walnuts.

River is enjoying herself being a naughty puppy, there is something so very cute about the way she runs around like a loon, pouncing and bouncing, then just collapses for a snooze.

Not sure what the sleeping with the tongue stuck out like that means, perhaps a way of thumbing her nose at the cats by managing to claim a bit of living room floor to herself.

Another shawl finished

2011-06-16T10:00:00.001+02:00

Added the fringed finish to this last night.

Another shawl finished. I am not going to be cold this winter and no prizes for guessing what everyone is getting for Christmas this year!

This shawl is adapted from this pattern by Caron:

http://www.caron.com/projects/ss/ss7_spider_stitch_wrap.pdf

but I used a thicher thread and bigger hook size to create a denser feel throw.

As I like the pattern, I may give it another go in a different yarn, but for now I am moving on to my next crochet project.

Am I a vintage girl or not......

2011-06-12T15:37:00.000+02:00

After last year's ranting about Alys Fowler and her vintage style, I have been having a long running debate with myself as to whether I am a vintage girl or not.

As I am not a person to consider that I have a great deal of personal style, not now my goth days are long behind me, and being as I am mostly clothed in items sent over from the UK bought at charity shops and car boots by my mum, I struggle to dress myself. Literally some mornings.....I have been known to go to work in my PJs with a knee length baggy jumper thrown over the top - just admitting that makes me feel bad - unfortunately it is true.

Anyway, when watching this last year I developed a real yen for vintage clothing, but considered it to be something for the less clothing size challenged, and now that I have lost a bit of weight I am reconsidering my position on vintage.

But am I vintage girl or not? How do you tell?

I couldn't wear it and ascribe ironic post modernistic tendancies to myself, because quite frankly most of my elderly neighbours are still wearing items lovingly handcrafted in the 70s. So I would just fit right in. From a distance in fact, bent over my hoe in the garden I would simply be another piece in the rural mosaic here. And indistinguishable from my septegenarian best friend.

Not sure if that is a good thing or not?

Alongside issues of size there is also the issue of cost, vintage clothing and fabric is at a premium, and loads of it has made its way from ebay to specialist on line retailers, putting it way out of my price bracket.

But today, at my favourite car boot of the year I found these little treasures:

2 hand made floral dresses with button through bodices, in simple A-line styles, 1 handmade pinafore dress with big white buttons and white edging details on the front pockets, and a hand crocheted white jumper.

I also picked up an orangey tweed jacket with faux fur cuffs and collar, but forgot to take a photo of that.
As it is dry clean only, I have popped it outside to hang to air it out a bit, it looks like new and is not really dirty just musty.

Now I just have to try to find the courage to wear these things, but at 3 Euros for the dress and jumper and 5 Euros for the jacket, at least I am not out of pocket to the tune of a small fortune.

Week 23 - Weather

2011-06-12T15:09:00.000+02:00

What do you do on a rainy Sunday afternoon - why curl up with a good book.

Week 23 - Weather, 52 images for 2011 flickr group

River settling in

2011-06-12T14:57:00.000+02:00

Arthur was the only dog I have every owned, and River is the second, he was a dog and she is a bitch. Is this why she sleeps like this? Arthur never did. Cute though.

The biggest problem for River is getting used to the fact the cats want to share her blanket at night. Mr Pink likes to curl up into her tummy and Ferguson and Pond swiftly follow suit.

A day in the life of my Rayburn

2011-06-10T21:45:00.000+02:00

Got up to another showery day, with gaps between the showers too brief for a walk, and the flue on my fire requiring a bit of attention so a studio day out of the question, all leaving me a bit loose endy feeling.

So I reverted to my default setting for a rainy day, I lit the Rayburn and spent the day cooking.

I started by playing a little game I like to call 'Deep Freeze Tease', which basically involves finding random unlabelled packages in the chest freezer and cooking something out of the contents.

Today I found:

2 duck breasts
1 small joint of shin of beef
1 handful of chestnuts
5 hot dog sausages

which translated to:

1 spicy chinese duck with noodles
1 beef curry
1 mediterranean beef casserole
6 spicy beef kebabs
10 sausage rolls

So here are my recipes for June

Spicy Beef Kebabs

500g lean beef
3 slices of bread
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
4 tablespoons of dried parsley
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of tomato puree

I started by piling all the ingredients into my food processor and whizzing them all up together.

If you are going to barbeque these, then make sure you soak the kebab sticks, but as I am going to grill mine I haven't bothered.

Flour your hands and take a golfball size of mix and roll between your palms to create a sausage shape, then push the stick up through the centre. Coat with flour and leave to set in the fridge for at least an hour before cooking.

This the joint I found in the freezer, as you can see it is not that big, but it was half price, and that is always a selling point.

After taking the bit required for the kebabs, I cut the rest up into little chunks and spread them out between two further dishes, a curry (on the right) and a light summery mediterranean casserole.

Mediterranean casserole

2 large onions roughly chopped
1 kilo of tomatoes roughly chopped
4 cloves of garlic
500g of lean beef cut into small cubes
1 large courgette cut into chunks
12 pitted black olives

Fry all the above in a little olive oil, then add a litre of water and a veggie stock cube and leave to cook overnight in a Rayburn or 4 hours at 150°C, season and serve with hot crusty freshly baked bread.

Spicy Duck Noodles

Marinade ingredients:

2 cm of fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic
1 fresh red chilli
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
2 limes
1 tablespoon of sesame seeds
1 teaspoon of chinese 5 spice powder
1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper

Blitz everything up together in a food processor.

2 duck breasts
1 small glass of wine
1 teaspoon of brown sugar
250g of dried rice noodles

Take 2 duck breasts or chicken or pork or whatever meat you have, and cube, then stir over the marinade and leave for about 4 hours in the fridge.

Scoop the meat out of the marinade with a slotted spoon and fry.

Once browned add back in the marinade juices and leave to cook for a couple of minutes.

In the marinade dish break up the dried noodles and pour over enough hot water to just cover the noodles, cover and leave for 5 minutes, enough time for the noodles to swell and soften and absorb most of the water.

Add the noodles to the meat pan, pour over a little glass of wine and finally add a teaspoon of brown sugar to thicken and sticky up the sauce.

And finally, what are you supposed to do with 5 random hot dog sausages and a handful of chestnuts.....

....well sausage rolls of course.

Chestnut Sausage Rolls

Whizz up some hot dog sausages with a couple of teaspoons of whole grain mustard and a handful of blanched and peeled chestnuts.

Roll in some pastry, either filo or flaky, whichever you have or whichever you like to make, I like to make neither but usually have a roll of flaky in the fridge for tarts and the like.

Bake in the oven at 180°c for 20 minutes and eat either hot or cold.

Well - that's the rainy day cooking over, just enough residual heat to make me a pot of coffee!

Week 22 - Glass

2011-06-05T19:40:00.000+02:00

This week's theme was glass and I was overwhelmed with inspiration - or at least I would have been if I had looked at the right week, instead of skipping ahead to next week's theme. On the bright side, I have lots of ideas for week 23 - weather!

So today before heading off for Sunday lunch with friends, I took this:

the dusty tops of a couple of kilner jars of last year's produce, tucked away in the corner of the barn.

Every year I try to find ways of preserving as much of my veggie harvest as I can, and kilner jars are one of my favourites.

There is something about the heavy glass lids and wire catches that just evokes authentic homegrown produce.

Today is bought to you by the letter B

2011-06-01T09:44:00.001+02:00

......and the letter B stands for buttons.

Today I am getting my hands mucky with some air harding clay and making buttons.

With a multitude of thick chunky and cosy crochet and knit shawls awaiting the autumn months, it is time to get those finishing touches on the way.

Thick chunky buttons are the way to go.

Just cut a 1.5cm square of the clay, roll into a ball between your palms, then press your finger into one side to create the dip. Wet your finger in some water and smooth the hollow out, making sure to smooth out any creases or cracks with a bit of water, then punch out the button holes with a toothpick, wiggle to enlarge them enough to take a woolen strand rather than just cotton thread, then leave to dry.

The clay needs one day per centimetre thickness to dry fully.

Once dried, they can be painted and varnished, you can stick beads, dried flowers or sequins and glitter into the clay while hardening, or press out a pattern using lace, then use a resin or varnish to set the button and the decorations.

Now I just have to contain myself to ensure they are fully dry before playing with them some more.

May's other C - for Coffee

2011-05-31T19:31:00.000+02:00

Following on from my personal promise to myself that it should be quality and quantity that counts, coffee has been the next thing to come under scrutiny.

Not that long ago I never drank coffee, only black tea. Over the last few years I have developed a need for caffeine in order to face the day, in fact it would be fair to say that without my coffee in the morning I am not human, bearing in mind I am normally up at about 6.00am to start my day.

Over the years we have drunk any number of cheap brands, middle of the road brands, then cheapo brands, then anything we found on offer in the supermarket, never having developed a favourite flavour.

But on a recent flea market trawl I bagged one of these - an Italian coffee percolator.

I love the way these look, but looking good is not enough, it is time to use it now, with some good quality Arabica ground coffee. Now that should have me bouncing around first thing ready to start the day!

How to use an Italian Percolator:

Unscrew the base from the top and remove the filter.

Fill the bottom reservoir with water to just below the expansion nipple.

Use a heaped teaspoon of coffee for each cup of water - this percolator makes coffee at expresso strength so don't stint on the coffee grounds!

Put the coffee into the filter and place that on top of the base, then screw on the top.

The top reservoir will be empty until you put the precolator onto the heat.

As the water starts to boil it will rise through the coffee grounds and emerge into the top of the percolator, when it has finished boiling, the coffee is ready.

Beware the hot steam though, and let it finish boiling through before trying to pour.

If drinking black, serve into little expresso cups, but the coffee also lends itself well to cappucino and lattes as it is strong enough to hold its own against the milk.

Off for my second cup now, that should keep me awake through Thea's choral concert tonight.

May's C of cooking.........

2011-05-31T19:06:00.000+02:00

Hmmm, now this is a really hard one, because I have not been doing much new recipe stuff this month.

In an attempt to save some money after being away for Brendan's birthday earlier in May we have been eating a lot of leftovers, quiches and salads. In addition as Thea and I have been watching our weight, there has been no baking either, apart from bread to go with the salads and soups.

In place of a recipe, here instead therefore are some low calorie snack ideas for breakfasts and light lunches for those who are also watching their weight.

Never having been much of a breakfast eater, making myself eat an additional meal in order to lose weight was a real mind bender, but this is where I have found myself - a fruity, yoghurty muesli mix.

Start with whatever fruit you have in your garden or what is in season or what you fancy, for me that is a banana and either kiwi or strawberry, or more recently cherries too.

Pour over a small 100ml pot of natural yoghurt, and add a small handful - approx 20g of mixed nut muesli.

This makes a great breakfast for about 250 calories (if you are counting).

We have also been eating a lot of salads, with lettuce leaves, radishes and chives from the garden, shop bought tomatoes, canned sweetcorn and last years pickled beetroots.

Alongside a loaf of home baked bread, this is a salad filling enough to be a meal in itself, but I usually add a smoked herring or some sardines to balance it out.

We have been cutting out quite a bit of bread too, usually if I bake a loaf it lasts the three of us a couple of days, then I'll leave it a couple of days before baking another. The days that we don't have bread are the days that I'll add in some wheat via home made pasta.

Up front I have to say that I don't believe in low fat versions of things like yoghurt, cup a soups, spreads, milk, cheese, cream etc etc, especially if you are going to the trouble to make something from scratch you make it with the ingredients that make it taste at its best. Just eat less of it!

Nor do I believe in doing without, if you want chocolate, then have 25g for about 100 calories for a snack, or a two finger KitKat rather than an enourmous bar, if you want crisps than have some, just not a family sized pack, and that goes for most things. Thea and I may be watching our weight and calorie intake but we still have sweeties and pork scratchings and peanuts, just in moderation.

I certainly don't believe in diets that cut out fruit and veg, like Atkins or the current fad doing the rounds in France, the Dukan diet. For my snacks during the day, I eat my five a day, apples, carrot sticks, tomatoes sliced with salt and pepper, grapefruit, bananas, and tinned fruit in juice, sunflower seeds and sultanas.

Here are another few 'lighter' meal ideas:

Breakfasts (approx 200-250 calories)

1 x wholemeal scone with 1 tablespoon of butter and a handful of berries
1 x toasted teacake topped with a sliced banana
2 x slices of wholemeal bread toasted with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
1 x Smoothie made from a 125ml pot of yoghurt, handful of strawberries, handful of blueberries and 100ml of apple juice
1 x toasted non-sweetened bagel with 2 tablespoons of apple cooked into a puree with a handful of sultanas
2 x slices wholemeal toast with a scrambled egg made with a splash of milk, salt, pepper, paprika and parsley
2 x slices of wholemeal toast with grilled sliced tomato
Porridge made with 4 tablespoons of porridge oats, to 4 tablespoons of milk, topped off with water and a handful of sultanas for sweetness

Lighter Lunches (approx 250-300 calories)

Grilled fillet of an oily fish (mackerel or herring) with a leafy green salad, balsamic vinegar and chives
Sliced tomatoes with pickled gerkhins, onions and a splash of chilli oil on 3 rice cakes
2 x handfuls of pasta cooked then tossed with chilli flakes,ground black pepper and cherry tomatoes
1 x can of drained crab meat with green salad leaves and sliced raddishes
2 x handul of prawns fried in a drop of chilli oil, served on 3 rice crackers
1 x cup of a thick soup, either a homemade one like my Thai pumpkin or a shop bought cup a soup and a thick slice of home made bread for dipping
1 x pitta bread stuffed with leafy salad and a boiled egg
2 x slices of home made bread spread with 2 tablespoons of brie and thinly cut apple slices

May's C of Creation - Pretty as a picture

2011-05-31T13:40:00.000+02:00

When it comes to decorating Brendan and I never agree, on colour, on textiles, on furniture placement, nothing.

So trying to decorate the house is a nightmare, which is why I have resorted to doing things while he is out of the way on a bike rally.

Having managed to paint walls and move furniture around already this year, I am now tackling some of the blank canvas walls I have created.

(Brendan rode off to Bordeaux this morning so I am free to decorate to my heart's content.)

I am lousy at choosing pictures, I have no eye for a painting or wall art at all, but at the start of the year both Brendan and I managed to find this calendar full of copies of old enamel advertising plates for soaps, and we both agreed that we liked the pictures.

Here is a 'how to' create a picture from a calendar.

Cut out the picture that you like, cut right to the edges leaving no borders around it.

The next bit depends on what you have got knocking around, but at a push you can use some thick box cardboard. One of the best things to use is bits of plaster board off cuts, which thanks to a builder friend I have large pile of in the barn! Also, old lever arch folder covers are good, as is plyboard.

Cut a piece of your backing material to the same size as your picture. If you are using plyboard or plaster, you can rub the edges with a bit of sandpaper to get a smooth finish. Liberally apply a coat of PVA glue, which has the advantage of being easy to clean up as well as cheap, over all of your backing medium, especially the edges to seal them together. Leave to dry for about 30 minutes.

Then apply a thick layer of PVA to the backing piece and stick down your picture. If you apply a thick enough coat of glue you will find that you can easily slide the picture around to line it up neatly, then press the edges down gently to get the PVA to squidge out of the sides, and with your finger tip, smooth this glue surplus up onto the picture itself to create a good seal all around the edge. Leave to dry for about an hour to ensure the glue is completely set.

Once the picture is glued down firmly and the PVA has gone off - it will be translucent rather than white, paint a layer of glue over the picture, running the brush over the sides of your backing medium, leave to dry and repeat a couple of times to create a varnish like finish over the picture.

Then hang on your wall of choice, I used a hot glue gun to stick some cotton kitchen string to the backs of my pictures and hung them one above the other in the bathroom. A nice surprise for Brendan when he gets back.

Puppy learns a few life lessons

2011-05-31T10:09:00.001+02:00

Poor puppy, she has been on a very very steep learning curve since arriving on Saturday.

But she has mastered the first most vital of life's lessons.

Pointy Bits

This is a valuable lesson and one that must be learnt early and it goes like this:

Cats have pointy bits.

Puppies are not allowed to eat out of cat bowls - cats reinforce this rule with pointy bits.
Cats are allowed to eat out of puppy bowls - cats reinforce this rule with pointy bits.

When cats are tired they sleep on puppy beds - cats reinforce this rule with pointy bits.
If puppies are already attempting to take a nap on puppy beds and a cat decides it wants a quick lie down, puppies must move - cats reinforce this rule with pointy bits.

Puppies are not to chase cats - cats reinforce this rule with pointy bits.
Puppies are not allowed to sit on laps, these are cat places - cats reinforce this rule with pointy bits.

And then to add to her education, poor puppy discovered that chickens have pointy bits too:

Chickens have pointy bits even when you sneak up behind them.
Chickens have pointy bits even when you stick your nose through the fencing at them.
Chickens have pointy bits even when they are a plucking just short of a grilling on the BBQ.

River

2011-05-30T09:12:00.000+02:00

watching the river
through a window of trees...
spring rain falls

ISSA - 1804 - .川見ゆる木の間の窓や春の雨 kawa miyuru ko no ma no mado ya haru no ame

Week 21 - Mechanical

2011-05-30T08:44:00.000+02:00

Due to various things, last week's photo for the 52 images for 2011 flickr group is a bit of a disaster.

The theme was mechanical, and I did have some ideas but ended up with this, which I am not happy with, but it is at least on theme.

Life is like a bowl of cherries ....

2011-05-23T20:27:00.001+02:00

We went off on Sunday morning full of vim and vigour to the car boot sale, and it turned out to be one of those occasions when I bought nothing save for a small enamel saucepan for 50 cents.

On the up side all of the cherry trees were completely laden with fruit, so on the way home we foraged a carrier bag full of juicy ripe cherries, and ate about a kilo between us too.

Once home I weighed the bag and we had gathered nearly 4 kilos of free cherries. Yummy.

Or I thought so to start off with, now I have eaten my way through another kilo of fresh cherries, their appeal is starting to wane a little. And I don't know any sugar (calorie) free ways of using cherries. I have whizzed some up and seived them to freeze into ice cubes for cocktails, but I am totally idea free, and merely find my hand straying with a life of its own towards the huge fruit bowl overflowing in the centre of the table. I am sure I have consumed my five a day for the whole week over the last two days just by grabbing a handful of cherries every time I walk through the kitchen.

I am nearing my target (set on the Wii FitPlus) and to treat myself I took myself off by myself to do the shopping. I may have mentioned previously how much I hate supermarket shopping, but have discovered that I can make it bearable by going first thing in the morning, and going alone. That way I can stick to my list, without having to cruise the aisle like a zombie staring bleary eyed at promotions that I don't want; the shopping then gets done in 20 minutes instead of the hour and a half that Brendan can waste in the shop.

In honour of the glorious sunshine, 21° C by 10 am this morning, I thought I would reveal my legs to the world and wear a skirt for a change. This is something that I have been looking forward to, having found them a little bit tight previously, but I was not expecting them to collapse to my ankles even when fully zipped and buttoned. In fact my nemesis skirts are the only ones that fit me now. Gosh.

Next Petite size 12

Lypsy for Topshop size S-M

I finally found a safety pin and pinned my 'start of the holiday' skirt around my waist. (What is a 'start of the holiday' skirt? I bet you have one too, or a pair of short or jeans or trousers - you know the ones, you really like them, but you have to wear them right at the start of the holiday because they are a just right fit, and by the end of a holiday of eating and drinking, they are a little too snug for comfort.)

Wearing a skirt made me feel all girly and I found myself swirling it around my ankles as I strolled the aisles. Hopefully I didn't scare the staff too much, after all it was only 9 in the morning - a bit early for swirling really.

I really need some new clothes, I can't remember the last time I had to buy new clothes because my existing wardrobe is too big for me. Luckily the sales start on the 22nd of June this year in France.

My new motto is going to be quality not quantity.

Flickr image updates..

2011-05-20T20:31:00.000+02:00

For week 19 the theme was cold - and this is the image I chose, taken from our three day weekend / holiday trip.

Thea and I really enjoyed the beach at Séte, so much so that if we can save up enough pennies over the summer we shall try to grab another weekend this summer by the sea, leaving Brendan behind to take care of the animals.

For Week 20 - the theme was the Seven Deadly Sins.

Now I started off with clever ideas for each of the sins and plans to depict them each day and build up a portfolio over the week. In reality I only captured two of the seven sins, and chose this entry for Vanity.

What's for dinner tonight.....

2011-05-20T20:14:00.001+02:00

Continuing the theme of leftovers this week - poor family, they have been fed a smorgasbord of leftovers this week - old grotty ham from the fridge in quiches, soft squidgy tomatoes in yet more quiches, frozen chilli con carne leftovers in pasties, and limp hot dogs and out of date ready roll flaky pastry for sausage rolls.

But tonight I am going one better, the whole dinner is made up of random leftovers I found when making space in the freezer in the barn, so here goes:

Take a couple of handfulls of frozen cherry tomatoes

About 1 large chopped leek

A bowlful of frozen french beans

and 8 random chestnuts

Unfortunately I did not peel the chestnuts before freezing them, therefore first things first, boil the chestnuts for a couple of minutes then while still hot, peel the bitter skin off, although this does scald your fingers, it is much easier to do while the chestnuts are hot. Once peeled, roughly chop the chestnuts.

In a large pan, pour in a tablespoon of olive oil, then the chopped chestnuts, a couple of grinds of black peppercorns, and 2 cloves of garlic just smashed up with the blade of your knife. Fry for a couple of minutes, then add a teaspoon of salt, and a teaspoon of paprika, and a teaspoon of dried chillies.

Add the leek to the pan (no need to defrost), fry until the leek is soft, then add the cherry tomatoes, and continue frying until the tomatoes are soft too.

Add a litre of chicken stock, the beans and leave to cook for about 8 minutes, until the beans are cooked through.

To finish, a big pinch of dried oregano, stir through and serve as a side to whatever meat you have knocking around, we had ours alongside some beef steaks I bought reduced a while ago. Mop up the juices with a couple of doorstep wedges of homemade multi grain bread.

I find my family can manage to stomach leftovers if served alongside some good thick portions of quality meat, pork chops, roast chicken legs and beef steaks.

Why diet food has to be visually pleasing!

2011-05-20T19:46:00.001+02:00

Because otherwise it is dull dull dull.

So when faced with a cup-a-soup, some rice cakes and a tomato, visual pleasure and flavour becomes very important. Hence the thick slice of rich ripe organic tomato, liberally sprinkled with sea salt, ground black pepper corns, decorated with a couple of tiny pickled onions, then a final flourish, a pinch of dried basil.

Low fat, but still yummy - and each rice cake with garnish only equals 30 cals, so you can indulge in several!

The Adventures of the Princess Julietta - OR - the alternative version of the 'Wife Swap' manual

2011-05-15T07:50:00.000+02:00

The Adventures of the Princess Julietta and Lord Kuhn

Once upon a time in a land far far away in the best tradition of the best fairy tales ever told, there lived a beautiful princess. Her name was Julietta and she had hair the hue and lustre of the blackest of raven wings, eyes that twinkled with the light of mischievous glee yet could be as soft and gentle as those of the dearest fawn and lips that were as soft as rosebuds. She lived in a high tower the colour of an autumnal sunset surrounded by beautiful flowers that dipped their hands in acknowledgment of her majesty whensoever she stepped out into the verdant gardens. Princess Julietta did not live there alone, she was accompanied by her prince, Lord Kuhn, a gentle natured carpenter with a heart full of love and compassion.

One day the princess decided that an adventure was called for to relive the tiresomeness of her courtly duties to the dowager queen. So she packed a case and summoned her faithful steed and her handsome prince and together they set off in search of adventure.

They travelled for many miles through forests and ravines, deserts and town, until they happened upon a beautiful house with bright sunlit windows and white walls, where chickens pecked lazily at the clover in the lush gardens and swallows dipped their tails in joy as they flew around the sun drenched stones of the centuries old buildings.

The princess declared the house to be perfect, and so Prince Kuhn carried in her vestments, picking the brightest room for themselves with its clear view of the snow capped distant mountains, where they could watch each day dawn with the sun shyly peeking through the delicately scented lilac tree to awaken them.

Oh Woe – for this is a fairy story after all, and as with all fairy stories there must be an interlude of arduous struggle before the happy ever after ending, and so it is here. For little did the beautiful Princess Julietta know, but this house set in its idyllic location, nestled in the lea of the valley, huddled at the far reaches of the shadow of the great volcano belongs to a wicked witch and her ferocious henchman and vicious acolyte.

The Curse

The wicked witch and her gnarled fellows had been living in the house for centuries, their very sprits inured in the fabric of the structures until this restless time when they too had forsaken their palace in search of adventure.

The very same house that Julietta and her bodyguard were even now making their own.

Because the witch was a very wicked witch, she had, as they donned their broomsticks and lofted westwards, cursed the house to prevent any such incursion by beautiful passersby, and now as Julietta’s satin slippered feet stepped gleefully across the flagstones, the hex upon the stones twitched and shifted across the leys of the land and whispered of their presence in the witch’s ear.

Far far away, even now as the princess and her prince settled down to watch the sun set with a rosy glow across the lands stretched before them, the witch rubbed her hands with elation at the thought of the troubles to befall those who had dared to set foot across her precious hearth.

The hex stirred and grunted, twisted and curled, groaned and thrashed until a dark shadow pooled on the stones at the entrance, consolidating its thick form into a hellish hound with a malodorous stench.

The princess shrieked in terror as the prince leapt before her, his hands failing to grasp anything to use as weaponry before this fetid beast of the black tar pits, until at last his hand arrived on a forgotten pump cast into a dark corner of the corridor, he flung the shoe at the horrendous head aiming between the feral eyes of the canine monstrosity.

As the shoe fell, turning end over end, passing the beast’s head, its dim dark eyes followed the path of the missile, turning the beast around until he passed through the door in close pursuit of the projectile, quick as a flash the prince leapt forward again and slammed shut the barred gate, leaving the beast trapped without.

Instantly the animal cowered to the ground and from its prone position before the house, excluded from its sanctuary it turned beguiling eyes to the princess. Her heart, as soft and gentle as the petal on any flower warmed to the beast ‘s peril and she addressed it in soothing tones until its heart too melted and was as soft as the skin of a newborn babe, then they opened the gate and allowed the mutt, for mutt it was, to reenter its abode and settle in slumber on the stone flags, content to live alongside the beautiful princess and the brave prince, knowing full well that their tender hearts would ensure that its water bowl would be filled and food would be provided as dusk fell.

Yet even as the first guardian fell, on the wave of the dark night fall, three others slunk their way towards the vestibule, green glowing eyes and curved fangs raised over cruelly sneering lips, they worked their way past the door and into the presence of the princess and the prince who were reposing dreamily in the cosy interior.

Leaping in one motion to their laps, their paws outstretched with claws at full extent the felines prepared to attack. In fear the princess slipped from her chair, scattering before her the crumbs of the meal they had been enjoying.

The surprising motion threw a scant crumb before the leader of the menacing pack, alighting on a whisker before falling between its gnashing jaws. Like the snuffing of a candle the change in the creature was as instant. It fell to the floor with a sonorous purr, seeking further crumbs. Its leadership, never in dispute, was further clarified for as the giant mouser gentled its nature, so did its companions, cleaning the floor of every crumb, then patiently waiting as the princess with delight filled their silver bowl with vittels. Once fed and whiskers groomed, each feline sought out the most comfortable of resting places, and so the princess and prince found themselves reclining for the evening with cat on lap, curled in on itself in contentment.

That night, all three feline guardians slept within, upon a rug laid down before the door with their canine companion, held only within the corridor so as to be best placed for any other unwarranted visitors.

The Silence of the Lambs

As the princess slumbered beneath her downy quilts, the morning sun slipped ever closer to the walls of the house, the first rays falling through the laden boughs of hawthorns and elder, silently weaving through blades of grass and succulent shoots of dandelion, campion and sorrel, before alighting on a small wooden house at the bottom of the garden.

As the princess smiled and cooed, still wreathed in dreams, a strident shrill broke through the air, then another, then another.

The prince scrambled to arms, his heart pounding with but one thought, the safety of his beloved Julietta. As he grabbed for his armaments the horrific bleating seemed to tear through the stone walls to wrench at his guts. Being the bravest of brave princes he advanced upon the wooden building that seemed to be the source of the chilling sounds, then flung wide the wooden door.

Two huge beasts of cloven hooves immediately tore through the opening racing wildly across the green pasture before turning and aiming directly for the princes’ legs. He dropped his arms and made for the fencing hoping ardently that it would be of sufficient strength to withhold the charge of the beasts, as he neared it he leapt gracefully several metres into the air, before falling back to earth, inhaling the sweet aroma of haven on the other side of the fence. He hastened to the side of his newly arisen princess and implored her to leave this cursed house.

But the princess did not want to leave, she turned her face to the sun and thought long and deep, before declaring that no doubt the beasts had arisen with the same hunger she now felt in her own maw, and that if they could but find the right nourishment that the beasts would settle and be as lambs before them.

So the princess and the resigned prince searched the house, and they found a packet of wondrous white powder, which when a heaped scoopful was mixed with hot and cold water to a tepid temperature, then distributed between the beasts by means of two bottles with rubber teats, did tame them and they were like gentle lambs, until the eve, when another two such long pulls of the sweet milk did calm the beasts and they slept like two young babes beneath a blanket of straw, with door firmly closed to ward against disaster.

And the witch cackled with derision when she saw through her scrying mirror the prince running pell mell across the dewy grass, then spat with venom when she saw how the clever princess had filled the cavernous maws of the beasties and tamed their wild natures into placid creatures of the cud.

The Holy Hand grenade of Antioch ( – otherwise known as the scene with the nasty big pointy teeth)

As the princess slumbered beneath her downy quilts, the morning sun slipped ever closer to the walls of the house, the first rays slipping serpent like through the trailing vines of dark ivy and alluring buds of rowan before alighting on the dark iron grilled railings of several purpose built pens.

As the princess smiled and cooed, still wreathed in dreams, a harsh knocking could be heard, so loud and strong that the very foundations beneath their beds shook in fear.

The prince catapulted himself to his feet and raced to retrieve his vestments, his first and only thought, the protection of his beautiful slumbering Juliette. He tore through the house and emerged into the dawn light, the knocking still reverberating along his spine, he bravely followed the sound around to the side of the house, where he spied the metal casements framed by concrete and trellis.

He carefully approached the grill, certain now that from within came the dread sound. As he paused to peer into the murky darkness, a flash of fur then red staring eyes perceived him through the gloom. The prince turned and hurried to his princess’s side, urging her to be done with this cursed mansion.

But the princess raised her eyes to the cerulean sky and followed the course of a cloud as it winged its way to the sea before declaring that no doubt the dread creatures had awoken from their slumber slaked by thirst much as her throat too burned for the sweet release of hot nectar.

So the princess and the prince searched until they found the red receptacle that would carry the water to the furred raging beasts, and so calmed were they by the sweet stuff that the prince was able to provide sustenance that he found in a large vat within the doorway of a stone room, by means of the small silver pan held there for that very purpose.

And so it was when the caged creatures were tamed by food and drink, the prince and princess were able to observe for themselves the beauty in the furred, long, lithe bodies of the creatures, and even more, were honoured to observe the young cavorting in play alongside their sires.

And more so alongside the focculent cottontails, they discovered a cage of small birds that ran to their hands in return for small amounts of fresh water and crumbled food , which was also to be found in a large bin in the entrance to the stone chamber, in return for which Julietta and her prince feasted on rich cholesterol free eggs for lunch every day.

And the witch cackled with derision when she saw through her scrying mirror the prince struggling to pull aside the metal impediments in his path, then howled in spite when she saw how the clever princess had correctly divined the surest method of taming the wild red eyed beasts with pellets of verdant luzerne and soft spring waters.

The tale of Kim Quy

As the princess slumbered beneath her downy quilts, the morning sun slipped ever closer to the walls of the house, the first rays trickling delicately through the trailing fronds of the giant weeping willow, to hover then dart with free abandon to the red brick house tucked away in the deep shadows.

As the princess smiled and cooed, still wreathed in dreams, a shrill cawing raked through the air, a sound so bloodcurdling as to cleave your tongue to the roof of your mouth.

The prince leapt from his bed, fully clothed with sword in hand ready to battle whatever foe the witch had called to her aid, for he, not only as handsome as a young oak, was also clever and had ascertained that the troubles that thrust themselves upon his beautiful charge were so menacing that they could only have been as the result of a hand of evil behind them.

He ran to the door of the house and fumbled the catch open, then spilling into the morning light he chased down the menacing din. He approached the wooden door in the red brick building with no mere trepidation, but thoughts of his princess’s safety ever paramount he girded his loins and prepared to face down his enemies. With shaking hand made firm by resolve he pulled back the bolt and released – hundreds of feathered flying brutes, with beaks and talons they raked his flesh, and even as he beat them back yet more emerged to ravage his feet and legs.

Julietta riven from her slumber by the incessant clamour of the feathered fiends, called to her prince to retreat to the safety of the metal barricade and together they pulled the gated barrier shut before any of the fiends could escape.

This foe was greater in number and verocity than any they had previously faced, and their fear in the face of this enemy was great. The prince sighed and implored the princess to accept defeat and to retreat to their own tower, which must surely be bereft of the heat of their presence by now.

But the princess raised her eyes to the dark mists and high peaks of the volcanic horizon, then turned to the prince and mused that perhaps the fiends had merely awoken in fear in much the same way she had when bidden to arise alone without the reassuring warmth of her prince beside her.

So she took the prince by the hand, and with a raiment of light and love, they went back to the enclave together and with nod and smile they calmed the feathered harpies at their feet, until they found that by taking grain from the sack they found conveniently tucked away in easy reach in the barn by measure of the red vessel contained therein for that very purpose, the harpies were magically transformed once more into commonplace barnyard fowl, content to pluck and cluck, and were further rewarded with rich yellow yolked eggs for their repast.

Amongst the flock they discovered one who was wracked with age, stepping daintily upon cracked and weathered feet, and this one they took separately and positioned her beneath the flowering blooms of the lilac tree with water and food and were rewarded when each day she lived a little longer.

And the witch cackled with derision when she saw through her scrying mirror the prince fleeing through the doors and gates that imprisoned him in her cursed house, then cast tears of acid hate when she spied the love and peace that the princess bestowed upon her flock with pannikins of ripe yellow grain.

The House of Horrors

As the malediction upon the house flickered and wasted before the witch’s far seeing eyes, she gathered her minions to her and prepared to return to face the transgressors in person; the princess and the prince were bathed in sun lit glory, having found that the house contained many wonders.

They found that by the saying of spells and the use of magical devices they were able to enjoy many marvels housed in the four walls of the witch’s residence.

In one room containing a large black box and with comfortable seating, the princess devised a simple spell of her own making to observe the delights of satellitic visions (LG power, input, AV1), and a further simple formula to observe the delights of many shiny discs she discovered (LG power, input, AV2, Philips, power, play).

In one room they found a pair of caged of doves, who would greet the dawn each morning with velvet song, these they fed from the tin of seeds kept alongside, and nourished their throats with fresh water every morning in reward for their chorus.

In another room they found a fish with scales that reflected every beam of light in glorious hues of blue and green, and they rewarded this display with three tiny specks of food every morn.

They discovered that as long as the sun shone, there was hot water for all, if the day dawned cold and grey, a cheerful fire could be lit in the kitchen, plentiful wood being stored in the dry barn alongside the house, and that by this fire could both warm themselves and cook, and by means of lighting it would provide hot water too.

In the kitchen they discovered a room full of wondrous foodstuffs from around the world, and they partook of all its delights, only to find them magically replenished on every shelf. They feasted on chocolates from the distant shores of Cadbury, crunchy savouries from the exotic ports of Hula and Skips, oriental spices with angel hair noodles from the shores of the oriental seas of Thai and drank of the bottles of liquid libations that came in every hue of red and gold.

In the garden and greenhouses they discovered all manner of green growing things and found that by the application of water through a carrying vessel they could maintain all that miraculous growth.

But each minute that passed bought the witch and her evil entourage closer still.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Until eventually by stealthy cover of night the witch and her associates came upon the house, which they found wreathed in light as the mighty Prince Kuhn challenged the delightful Princess Julietta to a game of wit and skill (power, input, AV3, Wii magic wand, power).

The very grounds of the estate glowed with the presence of the joy the happy couple had bought with them and bestowed upon the house, its guardians and the transformations they had wrought within and without.

The witch was astounded and fell to her knees, overawed by all that had transpired during her absence, and with heart hardening, vowed never to leave her chancel again.

Then she took up the axe conveniently located just within the door of the outbuilding, next to the pile of wood for the fires, and cleaved the heads from the bodies of the brave prince and the beautiful princess.

And the witch and her family lived happily ever after – well nobody said that EVERYONE got to live happily ever after!

....and your mother smells of elderberries

2011-05-09T21:18:00.000+02:00

So Brendan turned 40 and we all took the opportunity to poke fun and laugh at his old age!

But it was a perfect excuse to go on holiday, our first all together in 5 years, so we packed up our kitbags and headed south to the sea - our first glimpse of it for over 5 years too! Hence Thea's rush to get her feet wet (see the previous post - week 18 - Play).

Thanks to some wonderful friends who offered to house, animal and garden sit we set off after Brendan had had his full English breakfast on Friday!

Taking the main motorway south saw us crossing the Millau bridge that afternoon:

In the fantastic sunny weather against the glorious blue skies it was just like being on an enormous sail boat.

We decided to visit Narbonne that first night, having found a budget hotel for the night, we drove off to see the sea.

As it was evening we just had time for a quick stroll along the front, although Thea did find time to rush off to visit the sea itself.

Obviously I took my camera and spent my evening taking photos of my beautiful daughter,

before we headed back for a quick KFC over a bottle of champagne.

The next day, we headed off to Carcassone

When we were trying to decide what to do to mark this momentous birthday, visiting a big castle was top of the list, and we are lucky enough to only live a few hours from this medieval walled city.

And of course it offered the opportunity to stand on the ramparts and re-enact key scenes from Monty Python's Holy Grail....

altogether now.....'I spit in your general direction', 'your mother smells of elderberries' and the classic ' fetchez le vache'......

Oh yes - we had all the classic lines - lucky me...

We wandered the streets and did all the touristy tat shops,

then wandered around the castle itself, then back around the streets again for a bit of gift shopping.

And I took a couple more photos of Thea.

Our last day of the long weekend was spent in a small town recommended to us by some friends. Séte is situated about half way between Montpellier and Perpignan, and has a lovely cosmopolitan air, with a boat harbour running through the centre of town.

With yet more blue skies and temperatures in the high twenties, it was time to spend some time on the beach.

While Thea splashed around..

I went for a long long long walk along the beach, collecting pretty stones, meanwhile Brendan fed his tapeworm..

As you can see he is a natural beach person, shoes and socks on, thick jumper and long jeans, no wonder we attracted so many stares from the speedo clad locals!

After a couple of hours poor Brendan had had enough so we brushed the sand from our feet and drove home.

I love living in France.

Week 18 - Play - 52 images for 2011

2011-05-09T18:12:00.000+02:00

I know I am a bit late but I do have a good reason - Brendan turned 40 last Friday so we took our first holiday together for over 5 years. This shot was just a spontaneous rush to the sea.

week 17 - Animal Vegetable Mineral

2011-05-01T17:38:00.001+02:00

Had a super day today, one of those days that I wish I could bottle and bring out and sniff on a not so good day.

Started out with a trip to my two lovely ladies that I care for on a Sunday morning, a bit of a chat then nip back to change my shoes for comfy boots for strolling around the car boot sale. The sun is shining and all is well with the world.

Found a parking spot and wandered up and down the stalls finding lots of bits and bobs, including fabric remnants for a couple of euros, another cast iron pan in a fantastic lime green colour, a pretty white top for a euro ready for my jolly holidays at the end of the week, and best of all these skeins of lambswool for .50€. So I bought a couple in every colour and a couple more crochet cotton skeins and then some more of what ever colour she had.

They are this weeks animal, vegetable and mineral - lambswool, cotton and dye.

April's C of Creation - Bobble Cowl

2011-04-28T16:56:00.001+02:00

A couple of weeks ago I had a great swappsie with my neighbour - some of our lovely fresh eggs for a yummy yoghurt cake and 4 balls of left over yellow wool.

It took a while to decide what to make with my 4 balls, not enough for a shawl, just right for a thick long scarf but honestly how many scarves does a person need - I do have them in every colour and length now!

So I decided to have a go at a pattern I had seen recently for a bobbly effect scarf, but feeling a bit adventurous I thought I would adapt the pattern to a cowl instead.

You will need 4 x 50g balls of wool and size 6.5mm needles - long ones!

Bobble stitch: knit 1, purl 1, knit 1, purl 1, knit 1, all in the same stitch

row 1 of pattern: slip first stitch, *purl 5 together, bobble in next stitch*, repeat from * to * until you reach the last from end stitch, knit last stitch

row 2 of pattern: knit every stitch

row 3 of pattern: slip first stitch, *bobble in next stitch, purl 5 together*, repeat from * to * until you reach the last from end stitch, knit last stitch

row 4 of pattern: knit every stitch

Cast on 168 stitches loosely, you will not need to worry about gauge in this pattern.

Purl the first row to create the edging
Work in the 4 pattern rows until the cowl measures about 25 centimetres from the beginning row
End in pattern row 2 or 4
Purl a row to finish the edging

Cast off loosely, knit wise.

Then just sew together the edges - the slip/knit ends of each row make this much easier.

Just a word of warning though - when you do the knit rows in the patterns remember to knit VERY loosely - otherwise the stitches will be too tight to purl 5 together and won't accommodate the bobble stitch either.

The cowl is long enough to be looped twice around your neck for a snug warm coat collar filler, or worn loose over a plain top to add a splash of colour and texture.

Week 16 - Favourite Things - 52 images for 2011

2011-04-24T20:39:00.000+02:00

Another last minute photo shoot this week - at least my models were cheap if a bit impatient for their salary - paid in dandelion leaves.

They are one of my most favourite things - every year we say - no babies - we have way too many rabbits - and every year I time it wrong and end up with at least two pregnant rabbits. This year just two mummies with 5 babies between them, but as I am still trying to cull last year's litters 5 is about all we need.

Since moving to our little small holding here, rabbit has become my favourite meat. It is fantastically versatile, you can roast it, barbeque it, use it in stews, pies and currys, very lean and very good for you.

Finally a bit of rain

2011-04-24T20:11:00.000+02:00

After weeks and weeks of unseasonal heat and even longer without any rain, we are finally having a shower. But that is all it is - 5 minutes of loud thunder and the storm clouds gathering overhead, and a beautiful rainbow.

I just love the way that the sky is cut in half here, dark stormy clouds one side and lighter sunnier skies on the other.

Weebles wobble but they don't fall down....

2011-04-21T13:53:00.000+02:00

Inspired by a Facebook friend's success in recently fitting into her size 10 shorts, I decided to get out my nemesis skirts.

With my recent forays into the depths of the countryside walking kilometres and kilometres I am being to feel that my weeble days may be behind me. So I thought I would try on my secret stash of clothes that don't fit me but have been stashed away just in case one day they might.

In amongst that stash are two skirts that I bought because I utterly adore them.

My Nemesis skirts.

First is a Lypsy sequinned full circle skirt in purple, size SMALL. I have never worn this skirt, it must be 10 years old now, still with its labels attached. I have packed it and moved house with it several times and it has never take up residence on a hanger in my wardrobe. Every now and again I would take it out and stroke it lovingly, and if feeling particularly good about myself I would attempt to slip it on. Most times it would reach the tops of my tighs and there it would remain.

Second is a skirt I bought on ebay about 5 years ago. I bought it on a particularly thin day, thinking that a Next Petite size 12 was not impossible. It proved not just impossible but improbable. But I love the material, great big blue and purple 60s inspired flowers on a half box pleated skirt. Now this I have previously managed to wiggle all the way up to my waist and even managed to get fastened - however never so that I would want to be seen in public - more muffin top than Greggs.

(drumroll please)

The Lypsy skirt is still a little on the tight side, but does up, won't be long now fingers crossed and I will finally be able to cut the tags off and wear it -it will only have taken 10 years but as I am a trained hoarder extrodinaire that is not bad going.

The Next skirt fits - I mean it really fits - all the way round - without unsightly buldges (except when I sit down, so as long as I am only going to an all day standing up do I can actually wear it!).

Hurrah.

Although I am not quite there yet in terms of venturing out in either of these skirts, I have now hung them on the wardrobe (not inside but outside) and they are there to be my inspiration and motivation whenever I think 'oh I won't bother today', or 'I can't be arsed to go out today'.

So thank you FF for your inspiration - and thank you lovely Spring weather that has made me leave the house and get moving.

PS and a thank you to the Wii fit male fitness instructor who says 'Your posture is fantastic' and 'You move beautifully' whenever I manage to stay upright on the balance board long enough to do the Yoga poses first thing in the morning.

French onion soup with a Tuscan twist

2011-04-20T20:46:00.000+02:00

OK - so the photo does not do it justice. In fact it looks pretty awful. Good job it tastes totally yummy.

I call it a French onion soup with a Tuscan twist - because it has cured ham in it - and apparently that is a Tuscan touch to a traditional French recipe.

So here is the recipe and my economical cooking method.

French Onion Soup with a Tuscan twist

4 large white or yellow onions
1 red onion
2 rashers of pancetta cut into lardons
2 litres of chicken stock
1 large baking potato
3 tablespoons of dried parsley

Use a heavy bottomed, cast iron pan with a lid if you have one.

Chop the onions thinly, then fry in a tablespoon of olive oil, with some generous twists of pepper and the lardons.

This is not a lot of oil, but the fat from the lardons will help the frying, when it starts to dry out in the saucepan, add a bit of water rather than any more oil, cover and leave the onions to sweat for a couple of minutes until they are starting to become translucent and soft.

Add the stock and bring to the boil - taste and season if you need to, but the pancetta is quite salty so go carefully if adding more salt.

Cut the potato into small cubes, less than a centimetre, without peeling, then add to the soup and just bring it briefly back to the boil.

Then turn off the heat and cover the saucepan with its lid - then cover again with a layer of aluminium paper.

Leave to stew in its own heat while you go off and do something more interesting - I went for a 5km walk with the dog and came back starving.

To serve, just heat up - the small cubes of potato will have cooked in the residual heat in the pan and their starchiness will thicken the soup, throw in the parsley, stir through and munch a bowlful with some home baked bread.

Wow - that's a week gone by in the blink of an eye

2011-04-17T21:21:00.000+02:00

I have posted nothing this week but can't believe that this week has already gone by. In fact the shocking thing is that I need to do a photo for this week's image - and it is nine o'clock in the evening already.

So what have I been up to all week - gardening, gardening and gardening, then some more gardening.

We had a lovely dinner party on Friday - with more hand made pasta - I feel a bit of an obsession coming on.

We were up at the crack of dawn to head off for a car boot sale today, then had a lovely day in the sun messing about with the new timber for the terrace, then a surprise visit and drinks and nibbles in the garden with friends this afternoon - and in between I have been chasing down my pantry mouse - who has developed a real taste for noodles.

Week 14 - Curves

2011-04-10T17:52:00.000+02:00

It can't be wrong to make something to photograph for this week's theme, when it tastes this good.....

Pasta lovingly made by hand, photographed then scoffed by the starving hordes for dinner!

3 in 1 activity

2011-04-10T17:41:00.000+02:00

1. Dinner made - home made pasta courtesy of the pasta machine bought me by some friends.

Home made pasta is easy peasy - one cup or mug of flour to one egg, for three people use two cups and two eggs. Mix well together to create a dough, as your hands warm it up and you work it, it should become smooth, if it stays a little crumbly, then wet the tips of your fingers and work again.

Wrap it up in a bit of plastic wrap and leave to one side for about half an hour.

Then either roll with a pin and cut into strips with a knife to create pasta strips or cut into circles or squares for ravioli.
Or pass it through a pasta machine.

Once cut, sprinkle a little flour over it and coat the sides of the pasta with it to prevent it from sticking, and leave for a few minutes to dry while you bring a large pan of salted water to a rolling boil, then throw in the pasta for 3 minutes to coik, drain well, and add your sauce of choice.

2. My new kitchen table serves its first worktop function - as a pasta making area.

3. The pasta serves to provide the inspiration for this weeks 52 images for 2011 theme - curves.

There you go - 3 in 1.

Now off to eat my bowl of pasta and pesto.

Ooh - new table

2011-04-08T20:36:00.000+02:00

My lovely new table is finished and installed in the kitchen.

Here it is in all its converted loft bed and 40 year old oak goodness.

The top has just been treated with a vegetable oil diluted down with some white spirit, then rubbed and rubbed and rubbed with some cotton and elbow grease.

We had to bring it in, legs first through the door, then the top through the window, once the legs were screwed to the top we could manouver it around the kitchen a bit to find the best spot.

At the same time, Christalina got a sprucing up too - Christalina being the 50s fridge in the corner. She was yellow until yesterday, and now she is pretty in pink. She came from the basement of a friend's house, but didn't work, so her innards were robbed from another fridge Brendan found in the tip, and managed to squeeze into Christalina, then she got a paint job and moved in. Because her innards come from a bigger fridge than her original design, she tends to move around a little, making the bottles inside her tinkle when the motor kicks in. Hence we consider her to be a presence in the kitchen and she got a name. (Obviously she is a proper fridge - full of bottles of booze, cherries for my martinis, some olives for gin and tonics, and a couple of bits of cheese and bars of chocolate - no room for anything else).

I think the table is perfect, and Brendan has done a great job. Hard to see the scale here but with six chairs easily tucked in you should be able to work out that it is pretty big, 240 cm length (ish) and 110 cm wide (ish), only ish because they are not straight lines but wibbly wobbly following the line of the bark.

And today was our first BBQ of the year, chicken legs and salad!

Week 13 - Bokeh

2011-04-03T19:59:00.000+02:00

Now it took me a while to get the hang of this.

Bokeh essentially means taking a photo with a very shallow depth of field, where the background is aesthetically pleasing.

After reading several websites of info, I found the most helpful thing was to go look at the Bokeh dedicated groups on flickr and read the comments.

So here is my entry for week 13.

I am obviously now looking for a catadioptric lens - ebay here I come!

Don't buy one - I'll make it!

2011-04-03T19:31:00.000+02:00

I would like a new kitchen table that will function as both dining table and work top.

I saw one I liked in the shops but did not buy it as I am basically far too tight to spend any money on new stuff in shops, especially when there are two zeros in the price ticket!

But I did go away and think about it - in fact I thought about it lots and lots, and lots and lots, and then lots more.

My problem is I love my old kitchen table so I don't find replacing it an easy task, particularly as it has a bit of family history to it.

Anyway, Brendan has decided to make me a new one. Even though now I am not really sure I want a new one, I now have no choice in the matter.

The new table will be made from Thea's old loft bed from Ikea, cut up and reused to make the table legs and stretchers.

I am even allowed to paint it white the way I want. The little dowel pegs sticking out are there to fill in the holes from its previous assembly as a bed and will be sawn off and sanded.

The top will be made from one piece of solid oak.

Obviously this is not as straightforward as it sounds. For one we had to have a 'little' debate on how the finished top should look, eventually we agreed on a rustic planed edge, with only the two sawed edges being straight, the sides being left curved in line with the planks natural growth.

The first lot of sanding was done today, just the underneath to be smoothed off to finish. The thickness of this 40year old piece of oak will make a fantastic table top, but it is like iron to work with, and incredibly heavy to move around.

It will, when finished be considerably bigger than our current table, and will have to come into the house in two stages, legs then top. Looking forward to it now, even though it means that in order to keep my existing table I will have to relocate it upstairs into my office and remodel up there. Oh dear. I shan't enjoy that - honest. he he!

First real car boot of the year

2011-04-03T13:58:00.000+02:00

...and I bought a basket.

Not sure what sort of basket it is - I think it may be a log basket with a little separate attachment for match boxes, but Brendan thinks it is a sink drainer - but it seems to be too big for that.

Either way it only cost 3€.

Just have to find a home for it now.

I also bought this lovely big cast iron casserole dish, enamelled in this lovely light green. The outer edge may be a bit damaged but it is like new inside.

Baaaaaaaaaaaa Lambs

2011-03-30T20:17:00.000+02:00

Picked up our lambs this afternoon. One 3 weeks old and one only a week old. They will both be bottle fed for the next few months before heading for the freezer in December as hogget.

Hogget is that inbetween stage, no longer lamb but not yet mutton. The flavour is richer, the meat is less fatty, and by then the lambs have normally exceeded their initial warm welcome - that was certainly true of the last one, I think we were all ready to eat him!

The last lamb was a Charolais cross, but these are pure Charolais from a local farmer.

We named the last lamb Ernie as he was born in the E year of names for pedigree animals in France, but he very quickly got renamed Nernie the Bastard.

So far the new babies are called Nerniella and Nerniette - why alter a tradition that is working well.

We refer to them as Nernielings.

They are settled in on a bed of straw in the feed room for the night, having had a big belly full of warm milk apiece.

Monday night is 'Addicted to Foccacia' night

2011-03-28T20:16:00.000+02:00

My mummy is very good to me, and believe me I do appreciate it.

My latest demand was for a couple of editions of a baking magazine being advertised on the TV with some freebie silicone moulds.

When they arrived I managed to restrain myself from making endless cupcakes but found this foccacia recipe inside. And now I am addicted. This has to be the easiest bread to make but so light and fluffy and utterly scrummy.

Foccacia Bread

450g strong white flour
2tsp fast acting yeast - or as I use dried yeast, one heaped teaspoon of dried yeast reconstituted with 250ml of warm water and half a teaspoon of sugar
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 tablespoon of dried herb of your choice - so far I have made Rosemary, Thyme and Tarragon breads
4 tablespoons of olive oil - or if you are watching your waistline, just use one tablespoon of olive oil and a little more warm water

Sift the flour into a large bowl, then into a well in the centre add your yeast. If you are using fast acting yeast from a sachet you will need to add 250ml of warm water

Add the oil, herbs and 1 teaspoon of the salt, then start mixing together with your fingers or a wooden spoon, you might need to add a drop more warm water to create a smooth pliable dough.

Place on a floured surface and knead well for about 10 minutes. I find this bit very addictive and have to time myself so that I don't spend too long kneading it.

With a pastry brush or your fingers smear a bit of oil into the bowl and over a piece of cling film, pop the dough back into the bowl and cover with the cling film then leave to rise for about an hour or until it has doubled in size.

Once fully risen, pop it out of the bowl and knock back a couple of times to punch the air out, then either separate into however many breads you want or as in the photo above one big loaf (for tearing into chunky bits and dipping into spicy salsa chicken).

Make sure the breads are about 1cm thick, either roll or push flat with the palm of your hand, then place onto an oiled baking sheet or some parchment paper, recover with the cling film and leave to rise again for about 20 mins.

Preheat the oven to 220°c, gas 7. - Or in my case, stoke the Rayburn with a bit of coal and cover the oven door with a damp towel - it really brings the oven temperature up quickly - quirky but it works.

If you have some fresh herbs, poke those into the dough before baking and sprinklyewith the rest of the sea salt - if you are not watching your weight, drizzle the breads with a bit of olive oil, but I have not been doing this as I don't think they need it.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until just golden on top, leave to cool and then stuff yourself silly.

Just adapt the herbs you use for your recipe. For curry I have done rosemary flavour individual loaves, for with Sunday lunch we had thyme flavour, and for tonight's spicy chicken salsa we had the bread in the photo above, a tarragon loaf.

Week 12 - Circles

2011-03-27T09:52:00.000+02:00

Week 12 of the 52 images for 2011 and I was positively overwhelmed with ideas, buttons and logs featured predominantly, but I could not find that image that really jumped out at me.

Then this shot happened - in fact I only took 2 variations of this photo, and ended up choosing the first one.

I love it.

We still use this phone because it does not require a power point, so come winter and power cuts we can communicate with the world.

Spring Cleaning with a paintbrush

2011-03-27T09:42:00.000+02:00

I don't like spring cleaning but as the sun comes out it becomes a bit of a necessity as that harsh bright sun shows up every cobweb and dust bunny lurking after the winter.

But I do prefer to do my spring cleaning with a paintbrush and this year is no different.

With Thea out of the way in Holland, I set to the living room with a tub of green - just the one wall though, and then re-arranged all the furniture.

The amount of fuss that Brendan made you would have thought I had asked him to remove a leg when in reality all I asked was whether he would extend the satellite cable to allow me to move the TV to another wall.

It was also goodbye CD towers, the bureau moved to a more exposed spot to show it off, and the bookcase from the bedroom is now downstairs housing all the CDs and DVDs we have managed to accumulate recently.

Then having got the bug and with paintbrush still in hand I tackled the bedroom. I have moved the furniture around there before, normally when Brendan is away - poor love he is very resistant to change, but this year having painted and oiled the oak floors I decided not to wait until he went off on his Royal Enfield bike rally to move everything around and spent Thursday emptying the wardrobe so I could manhandle it around.

It was also a chance to cull everything in there and finally get rid of some of the disasters lurking amongst the brand new still with labels attached 3 year old items that I had forgotten about.

Having moved the bookcase down to the living room, I needed to find a replacement, and chose this lovely chest of drawers from a friend's Brocante (antiquities) shop.

Obviously we are still stumbling around early in the morning trying to find the door in the dark!

Saturday night is Dance Night

2011-03-27T09:17:00.000+02:00

The BBC has got 'So you think you can dance'......

ITV has got 'Dancing on Ice'......

We have Raving Rabbids on the Wii with Groove On.

I am very ashamed to say that at this point Brendan was beating Thea hands down!

Week 11 - MACRO shot

2011-03-20T14:34:00.000+01:00

My favourite type of shot, the macro shot this week. My biggest problem is being spoilt for choice.

I have wandered around the garden taking shot after shot of buds and seeds and newly growing seedlings but in the end I have plumped for this shot.

This is the aftermath of leaving pumpkins in the garage over winter, and the mice deciding that the air filter of the quad bike is the perfect place to set up home with a plentiful supply of pumpkin seeds to feed their babies with.

Hey ho - sorry mice - time to move on!

How to fold seed starter pots.

2011-03-13T16:08:00.000+01:00

Really useful bit of origami this.

Take a piece of paper - I know that lost places tell you to use newspaper but I need all of mine for starting fires with (no not an arsonist just have wood fired stoves for heating), so I use old magazines or publicity material and find it works just as well. In fact at double thickness the magazines are quite strong and last a bit longer for planting things like brassicas that need to be a reasonable size before planting out.

Lay a page flat in front of you

Fold in half left to right - so it looks like a magazine again - just ignore the dodgy fashion advice

Fold in half again, this time bottom up to the top edge

Fold in half, left to right so that it resembles the folded paper as above, and do not turn

Then take the bottom right corner and open out forming an upside down triangle with the point in the folds at the centre of the folded paper

Turn over and fold again, starting from the bottom right to create another triangle. From this side you can see the folds and the edges of the paper

Imagine you are turning a page and one edge of the triangle over to reveal the other side which has no edges showing, do the same on the other side, leaving the paper as above

Fold the outer edge towards the centre crease

Fold again towards the centre crease

Turn and repeat until your paper looks as above

Then turn the top flap over and press hard along the creases

Turn over and repeat the same folds into the centre crease

Pull gently on the flaps to open up the top of the pot, then press out the bottom into a square shape with your fingers

And there you have some free seedling starter pots ready for compost and Spring!

52 images for 2011 - Week 10 - Dreams

2011-03-13T10:03:00.000+01:00

While gardening this week I was also musing about this week's theme of dreams, waiting (im)patiently for inspiration to strike.

When it occurred to me that the gardening I was doing was my dream, the soil at my feet contains all my dreams for the harvest to come, on my dream small holding, living the dreams of a self sufficient green life in a rural backwater.

Hence:

dreams - week 10 entry

Kindle garden

2011-03-13T09:55:00.000+01:00

Well the weather has been fine all week, and so I have been cracking on with getting the garden ready for planting. But first of all I got my little Kindle garden sorted.

New posts and wire netting, the table and chairs Brendan got me last year, and my Christmas pressie - the Kindle.

It may seem a little wasteful to partition off a bit of the veggie plot just for my Kindle, but it seems highly appropriate to use the bit of shade under the apple tree to shelter under in the summer - it is not as though anything can grow there.

And the netting is for growing my peas and beans up, a living hedge in order to create a private space away from everyone to sit and read - aperos and drinks to be served at 6pm. Not so much Cider with Rosie, but G&Ts with Kindle. (And yes those are carrots - and no they are not for the chickens - I am trying to develop a taste for crudites but without the mayo).


home made poly tunnels from water pipe and plastic

Lots has been done this week, the whole plot has been rotovated, poly tunnels and cold frames are up, and first seeds have been started in the greenhouse.

Come on Spring - we are ready for you.

The chickens have really been entering into the spirit too and feeding us well, from left to right - normal chicken egg, double yolker Orpington egg, Goose egg - omlette anyone?

March's C of Cooking - Guinea Fowl Goulash

2011-03-09T18:29:00.000+01:00

We never ate guinea fowl in the UK, in fact I would have been hard pressed to identify one fully dressed as it were let alone trussed and packaged on the shelf in the butchers.

Since moving to France we have kept these every year - and we are all guinea fowl meat converts. They are yummy, almost pheasanty and not at all dry.

We call them bollock heads:

- can you see why?

They are not a backyard pet because they are incredibly noisy - which makes them super guard birds - even better than geese as they only shout and don't attack. They are however flighty and will roost in any available tree if allowed, so we always end up trimming their flight feathers and then encouraging them to shelter with the ducks. As we usually buy them as chicks at the same time they soon get used to living with each other.

Anyway - I love guinea fowl and I understand that it is starting to gain in popularity across the UK too.

Here is my: Guinea Fowl Goulash

Take one plucked and cleaned guinea fowl and joint to leave two breasts with wings attached, two legs and the section from between the legs - this bit is surprisingly meaty and worth keeping and cooking, then remove all the skin except for on the wings.

In a tablespoon of olive oil two onions with two cloves of garlic and three tablespoons of paprika, then add the meat and brown on all sides.

I am not using peppers for this goulash as I don't have any and they are not in season, but if you have them available then slice a medium red pepper and fry alongside the onions.

When the meat has been browned, add a generous amount of black pepper, fry the pepper briefly to release the flavour then pour over enough boiling water to just cover the meat and a pinch of salt.

Slice 3 large potatoes thinly then add to the pot along with a cup of frozen green beans, a cup of sliced mushrooms and a couple of thinly sliced carrots, finish with two tablespoons of tomato puree.

As I am the queen of lazy one pot cooking, just use the water you added as the stock instead of adding any chicken or veg stock, and leave everything to simmer for 30 minutes without covering to reduce and thicken the sauce. Sprinkly over some dried parsley to finish, and serve in large bowl with fresh bread.

First day of sun screen

2011-03-09T18:01:00.000+01:00

Amazingly enough I had to use some sun screen today while out rotovating the garden.

I was doing my best Barbara Good impersonation today - or rather Tom because he got to play with all the good toys. But my garden is now fully rotovated ready for planting. And picked clean by the chickens, I had a full complement in tow around the garden but hopefully as I ploughed through several ant nests and they got all excited picking them clean that should mean less to worry about later.

In the background you can just see my new bit of fencing.

This is for my Kindle garden.

Yes that's right, I have devoted a part of my garden to the hedonistic pleasures of my Kindle.

I intend to grow beans and peas along the mesh fencing and create a private space where I can relax in the shade of the apple trees in summer to read my Kindle, hopefully out of sight of the neighbours and therefore unlikely to be disturbed.

Week 9 - Candid - 52 images for 2011

2011-03-06T17:02:00.000+01:00

It occurred to me while thinking about how to portray this theme, that we are usually more candid with each other when not face to face, so with the assistance of my lovely but not so willing model, here is my image for this week's theme.

Just a bit of dabbling with the tone and it will be ready for submission

Mmmmmm - left overs

2011-03-06T16:38:00.000+01:00

The best thing about making too much chilli for 6 people to eat, is being able to eat the leftovers the next day.

Wrapped up in some flaky pastry into little samosa shapes, then oven baked for 20 minutes at 180°C.

Delish.

I finally got stuck into some of the digging over that needs to happen this year, and as this is for some gooseberry bushes near the front of the house, I decided to stick them next to the herb patch. When I started to dig I found several clumps of roots from my very rampant horseradish, so these have now been cleaned up ready to be dried and made into horseradish sauce.

Obviously the chickens had to come over and investigate before deciding that horseradish root is inedible.

This is so easy:

just grate enough fresh root (once cleaned) for 4 tablespoons,
add 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard,
pinch of salt,
pinch of sugar - no sugar if using shop bought mayonnaise, in fact you might want to add a squirt of lemon juice to tart it up a bit,
some ground black pepper,
a tiny pinch of cayenne pepper
then stir through 6 tablepsoons of mayonnaise (preferably homemade).

Serve with any roast meats, not just beef, or use instead of mustard for a hot and tasty ham sandwich. It will keep in the fridge for about a week.

February's C of Creations - Knitted Cowls

2011-03-01T12:01:00.001+01:00

OK - I know it is the first of March today, therefore I am officially late for February's posting. I have no excuse except - errr - actually I have no excuse. Sorry.

During February as the sun broke through it kept the temperatures very cool, especially at night with heavy frosts every morning, and so my new love of cowls sprang up. These are so practical, just throw it over your head, tuck in around your neck then zip up your coat, warm and toasty. Great when you are walking to work at 7.30 am and half asleep.

Seed stitch coat collar cowl.

This is one I have made for sale when I finally get my shop back open this month.

I love seed stitch, it is so thick and chunky and looks fabulous, slightly more formal, and so I have teamed this coal with some glorious bevel edged vintage black buttons.

To knit:

Use a soft chunky wool on size 6.5mm or 7mm needles.

Cast on 30 stitches.

Row 1 : Knit 1, purl 1 along the row including the first stitch.

Row 2 : Purl 1, knit 1 along the row including the first stitch.

Repeat rows 1 and 2 until the body of the cowl measures 70 cm.

For seed stitch, remember, you always knit into a purl and purl into a knit.

Cast off knit-wise.

To create the shape of coal coat collar, take one end and fold in half, position across the other end which is kept flat, pin into place, then fasten with a couple of stitches and finish with a couple of large buttons or wool flowers.

Loopy Loose Cowl

This cowl is made in the same wool, but with a completely different stitch that creates a different texture and feel to the cowl.

Once again use a thick soft wool and size 6.5mm or 7mm needles.

Cast on 40 stitches.

For every row, the first and last 5 stitches are creating a border and are therefore not counted in the looping pattern stitch.

Row 1 : knit every stitch

Row 2 : (first pattern row) knit 5, * yarn over, knit two together, repeat from * until last 5 stitches, knit 5

Row 3 : knit every stitch

Row 4 (second pattern row) knit 5, * knit 2 tog, yarn over, repeat from * until 5 stitches remain, knit 5

Repeat rows 1 to 4 until cowl is long enough to loop around you neck comfortably, this will depend slightly on how loose your loops are but approximately 80 cm.

Cast off after a knit row, then join ends together. Wear half tucked in under a coat, or loose over a jacket.

Enjoy.

Hot off Molly the Dolly's back

2011-03-01T10:45:00.000+01:00

OK, I know I am late with February's C for Creation - which doesn't even involve my current C obssession - crochet. Last month was about knitting - so some new stitches and patterns to follow.

I just wanted to show you what is hot off Molly the dolly's back this month - first the new shawl I am working on.

Take two large scarves bought for a couple of euros in the sales, pin together and sew up the back with some black wool = one striped shawl to rival Clint Eastwood in Fist Full of Dollars mode.

Then take one wrap around skirt in an impossible small size in vintage 70s fabric. Saw it on ebay and could not resist the material for a pound. Bought it and I was just going to cut it up and use it in something else, but then inspiration struck, and the wrap around teeny tiny skirt is now fit for those of us who are not so teeny tiny.

This is a really simple solution:

Put the skirt on and pin where it feels comfortable on the waist, then using a full length mirror, pin down the wrap part of the skirt until about mid thigh, checking frequently in the mirror that you are not gathering it in places or pulling it out of shape. Once pinned to about mid thigh, mark the place on the waistband with some tailors chalk and unpin about 20 centimeters along the edge until you are able to slip off the skirt comfortably.

Then lay skirt flat and pin to the bottom hem all along the wrap edge. Depending on how big the skirt is you may need to cut and hem the inner skirt hem to remove some of the material, but as this was teeny tiny, I simply pinned the wrap edge to the inner edge of the skirt to create an long A line style.

Using the chalk marker at the waistband you can now create your own waist fastening.

You can either insert a zip or buttons, poppers or hooks and eyes.

I used a couple of recycled belt loops and some matching fabric to create a tie waist, and added a popper a little lower down to secure the gap.

And there you have a quick wrap skirt refashioned.

52 images for 2011 - week 8 'childhood'

2011-02-27T10:50:00.000+01:00

I have been the queen of procrastination again this week.

Even though I decided early on in the week on my image for childhood, it has taken me all week to get round to photographing it, just in time for a last minute entry today. Well I did have to charge the battery on the camera too, and go for several long walks to test my gadget.

Oh yes and spend some time in the studio to try to catch up with myself so I can reopen my little shop for March.

This is my choice, some baby booties knitted for Thea on her birth by her great grandmother.

I have kept these in my memory box along with some clothes and shoes, newspapers from the day she was born, her bridesmaid dress and my wedding dress as well as some dried flowers, letters and other bits and pieces from various holidays we have taken.

This is the final image I used.

Now I just have to finish off my February C of creation, and I can get that written up later tonight or tomorrow.

Playing doctors and nurses

2011-02-21T17:41:00.000+01:00

Sorry - nothing kinky here.

1. Brendan's thumb nail turning black and threatening to fall off after he dropped his new welding cage on it over the weekend - and of course he is being a big baby, needing special attention and reassuring that he is not going to die from blood poisoning.....

2. Mr Pink being bitten by something and it turning a bit septic, needing the pus squeezing out, cleaning and re-dressing every day along with a dose of antibiotics.....

3. Arthur needing an inch long thorn removing from between his toes after getting back from our walk today.....

4. Thea stressing over the huge amounts of homework and so needing feeding up.....

5. errr - well - no chance for me to have any signs of illness or weakness at the moment.

Today's little stroll: 7.693 km, at avg 5.4 km per hour, 631 calories burnt

I went to the shops and I bought .......

2011-02-20T15:52:00.000+01:00

well, actually I was going to buy a little pedometer for when I am taking my little strolls through the countryside with the dog.

My first mistake was going to the shops with Brendan - why you may ask - well it's like this... I went to the shops to buy one of these:

and what I ended up with was one of these:

This is a pedometer watch with calorie counting, altitude and speed measurements based around an inbuilt GPS system.

I know, I know, overkill doesn't even come near, but I think Brendan was a bit concerned that I might just wander off into the Auvergne countryside never to be seen again, or at least that I would be too late back to cook dinner.

Anyway I did not really need that much convincing because I am after all a bit of a gadget freak myself and so the concept of something that would then show me my route on google earth afterwards just was too beguiling to resist.

In fact it was interesting enough to even make Brendan leave the house and walk a little bit with me too, just so he could see the gadget at work.

My first results look like this:

totals : 6.619 km in 1 hour and 16 minutes and 555 calories burnt.

Now I am off to research how I add routes to the device just so I can see it tell me that I am going the wrong way!

What made me cry this morning?

2011-02-17T09:30:00.000+01:00

There I was in amongst some of my favourite things, my balls of wool and my knitting needles, surrounded by patterns and my camera prepped for my week 7 52 images for 2011 theme 'numbers', when the door went.

I raced down the stairs to find the postie fighting off the chickens to leave me a little parcel. A parcel actually addressed to me and not to Thea (who's birthday is coming up so the only post for days has been for her).

I could say I displayed restraint and carefully opened the envelope - but that would be a lie, I tore into it as though my life depended on it. Then had to spend the next 5 minutes manfully blinking the tears from my eyes - I am such a marshmallow these days.

At the beginning of the year, a forum friend organised a little group on Facebook for swapping handmade gifts every month, and today I received my February gift. An incredibly thoughtful and appropriate gift from someone I have never met, merely 'spoken' to on a forum and via FB. So thank you. It is brilliant. Now I just have to hide the little bag from Thea before she spots and tries to claim it as a makeup bag.

Week 6 theme - love 52 images for 2011 flickr group

2011-02-13T12:00:00.001+01:00

For this week's theme I wanted to capture the essence of the word love as an emotion, rather than a symbolic reference through hearts or flowers, it has just taken me all week to get round to doing it.

In the end I found myself struggling again with the image for the theme.

I was going to take a hand clasp image, inspired by the photo I took at a wedding last year:

but as the group is about taking new photos and not just recycling stock ones, thank you to my beautiful models on Friday for this image

unfortunately someone had already posted a hand clasp image and I did not want to replicate the entry, so had to scout around for something new.

I was considering something along these lines:

but again this is a photo I took a while ago and not during the week of the theme - although it does reflect the theme of love from all angles, Ferguson and his sister Pond are very loving and utterly lovable too.

But from there my thoughts led me to ideas of first loves, and so I decided on the following:

for most children their first experience of love is their pet, and there is nothing quite so rewarding as the unconditional love offered by a loyal dog.

Sorry Mum -but it's your fault

2011-02-10T10:59:00.000+01:00

I have until the weekend to get away with this posting before I get an earbashing from my mum when she'll read it, roll her eyes then dial quick quick and verbally berate me in several languages.

But it is your fault. I am sorry but it is. There is no getting away from it. You taught me and it is a lesson I have learnt too well all to my cost.

Last year I posted (this), in fact almost a year to the day.

And so a year on with a bit of me time this morning I took a good look at myself.

Lets start with what I am wearing
- new socks I bought for Thea who decided she did not want them so in effect a pair of castoffs
- a pair of bleach stained repaired cut offs that my mum sent me from a charity shop
- a stained t-shirt in the wrong size that was donated to my rag bin by a friend
- a zippered fleecey top that I detest but is warm
- a pair of second hand charity shop shoes currently serving as my house slippers but the elastic top has broken on one and they bear the marks of the attacks they have suffered at the beaks of the chickens when left outside

And so move on to how I look
- obviously no make up
- all the white hairs showing
- frizzy dry hair from lack of conditioning and going to bed with damp hair untangled
- unplucked eyebrows

What a depressing sight and all my resolutions for this year out the window again (although the cutoffs are a little looser after being frogmarched every day for 2 hours by my 75 year old neighbour).

Why oh why do I do this to myself - well I'll tell you why, it is because all the new things that I bought myself at the start of this year are all beautifully folded and tucked away on top of the wardrobe for best. AGAIN.

I thought I had cleared all the cruddy stuff out of my wardrobe but have still managed to find a few things lurking away in there and have gravitated towards them for my daily outfits.

Today once again I am determined to sort out the rubbish bits for recycling - this time starting with my socks - don't ask me why I keep these darned and colour washed bobbly socks when I have some lovely new pairs still with their plastic tags and price tickets attached - bought over a year ago but unworn, tucked away in the corner of the drawer - these were obviously supposed to be my 'best' socks.

Then I intend to go through my linen drawers - which now do not open for the amount of mismatched bed linen in there, you have to take the top drawer of the chest of drawers out to get to the lower drawers to remove a couple of layers before you can pull out the next drawer - and no - this is not an innovative way to store more things in a chest of drawers - this is just me keeping cruddy old rubbish and not opening the bedlinen still in its wrappings from when it was bought as a necessity last summer.

Following on from there I intend to tackle the kitchen linen drawer - I love novelty teatowels (well someone has to I suppose) and I have a lovely set that my sort-of-mother-in-law sent me from Cornwall. Obviously they too still have their tags attached and I use the same set of orange (yes I know digusting colour but they were 3 for a £1.00 in Ikea) teatowels that I bought 17million years ago. And yes they are also horribly stained and look dirty the second you take them out of the washing machine.

Speaking of washing machine, as I stood and hung my washing outside today I realised that I was busy arranging it not in the most favourable way to dry but by least embarrassing item. Half of the washing line needs to go in the bin.

I am sick - I need help. I don't understand why I think so little of myself that it is acceptable to me to go around in public looking like the reject bin of Oxfam.

To be fair to myself I have been trying to make more of an effort but find myself slipping back every week. On Monday I could pass as the before person on Gok Wan but by Friday I am down to Bowery bum level again just minus the paper bag of Thunderbird.

I need a daily kick up the backside - and no - posting little positive thinking post-its on the mirror don't help - not being much of a morning person without a litre of caffeine in me all these little pearls of wisdom make me want to do is punch someone's lights out before dawn.

I have tried laying my clothes out before going to bed, then when I wake up in the dark to go to work and it is cold so I end up throwing on another grotty layer to keep me warm as I trudge up the lane then not shedding it as the day goes on.

When it comes to the resolutions I made at the beginning of the year the only comment I can make on myself is 'could do better'.

Righto - I am going to go and dye my hair now then tame my straggling eyebrows - we have guests coming tomorrow and I don't want to scare them away!

Oh yes - and in case you were wondering why there is a photo of a chicken to accompany this rant - it is because yesterday she was one of the lucky ones to survive the cull. One goose, two ducks, two cockerels and four rabbits found their way into the freezer.

It was a very bloody and gory day - and yes I did ruin a perfectly good apron and no I am not going to throw it out - I am going to wash it and keep it in all its stained glory until I find another one on sale somewhere - and yes - my horrid orange teatowels were also used and have now got even more stains - and yes they are on the line drying and looking for all the world as though they have been stamped into the muddy ground before they were hung up.

On a brighter note - oh - wait - no - actually I am still using the army surplus green towels from the caravan in the bathroom instead of the lovely fluffy towels my lovely mum sent me last year - they of course are in the cupboard for best. However as I intend to dye my hair red today these old towels are probably the best towel for the job of mopping up the slippages from the bathroom floor.

February C of cooking - Spicy Butter Bean Curry with Perch filets

2011-02-06T20:13:00.000+01:00

Here is the recipe to go with the macro butter bean shots.

Spicy Butter Bean Curry

I used dried butter beans, soaked overnight in cold water, then cooked for an hour; but you can use tinned beans which are obviously ready to use.

This is another one pot recipe so grab a large heavy bottomed pan with a lid.

serves 4

2 cups of rehydrated and cooked dried beans or large tin (400g) of butter beans
2 cups of frozen green beans
1 large onion sliced
1 small red chili chopped finely
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 tablespoon tumeric
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
15 curry leaves or if you don't have curry leaves you could use 3 tablespoons of curry powder
2 tablespoons of a garam masala spice mix
1 tablespoon of coconut oil if you have it
2 tablespoon of vegetable oil not olive
1 small carton of coconut milk
1 cup of water
Salt and pepper to season

Fry the mustard seeds until they start to pop in the veg oil, then add the onions and chili and leave to saute over a gentle heat until the onions are transparent and soft. Then increased the heat and fry the chili.

Because I am lazy and never fancy doing loads of washing up, if I can get away with it I will just add the spices to the pan rather than creating a separate spice mix in another bowl.

Stir in the coconut oil if you have it - this is just for authenticity and is not required so if you don't have it don't stress, add the spices to the pan and fry off gently for a few minutes.

Then add the cup of water and the beans, cover and leave to simmer for 15 minutes.

Stir in the coconut milk, bring to the boil, season, then reduce to a simmer for another 15 minutes. I know this means that the beans are a bit overcooked but in my mind for a curry the veg should be soft and not al dente as you might expect when serving as side dishes.

To continue with the 'new' theme - as well as cooking this recipe for the first time, we are eating it alongside a 'new' fish for us.

Perch is often on sale here on the poissonerie, but it is not a fish we have ever tried before, so I grabbed a couple of large filets, and just used one to serve 3 people.

Cut into 3 generous filets, I seasoned them in a large oven dish, added a splash of water covered with tin foil and left to cook for 20 minutes.

I decided against adding the fish to the curry because I wanted to sample the flavour of the curry without being overwhelmed by the fish, and for the same reason I cooked the fish separately. It has a good firm meaty texture, but is not at all 'fishy' in smell or flavour. Very good in fact so that can go on the shopping list for the future.

Big Boy Gardening

2011-02-06T14:41:00.000+01:00

Thanks to some friends here in France we have embraced the concept of willy jobs and fanny jobs.

Gardening for some reason falls squarely under the remit of fanny jobs. Weeding, hoeing, planting, seed drilling, transplanting, pricking out, mowing, trimming and strimming, pruning, fertilising, digging, burning and all jobs inbetween are considered fanny jobs.

Harvesting and preserving are also considered fanny jobs, however consuming is considered a unisex chore!

Getting Brendan outside to help with any gardening related activity is getting nigh on impossible.

Luckily there is one thing that is considered a willy job - and as it necessitates engines and most importantly his beloved Vendeuvre he is even more happy to get outside and assist.

I now have a fully cultivated veggie plot, ready for the next fanny job - rotavating.

week 5 - food - 52 images for 2011 flickr group

2011-02-04T17:18:00.000+01:00

Torn between the two piccies again - finally decided on the one above.

I have struggled with the theme of food for the 52 images for 2011 flickr group this week, primarily because I take so many photos of food for the recipe items on my blog. I did not want to repeat myself so had to find something that I had not photographed before.
In end I have plumped for these butter beans, in macro.
They have just been fished out of the water they soaked in overnight, before going in the pot to simmer for an hour.
Later tonight they will be the main ingredient in my butter bean spicy curry.

Recipe will be here on my blog in the next couple of days.

Garden planning....

2011-02-04T16:29:00.000+01:00

.....please please can we have spring soon.....

Cheap thrills - shaving the cat

2011-02-04T16:18:00.001+01:00

Now this may seem a strange occupation but one that is becoming increasingly common in our house. Mr Pink has long grey fur that he drags through the haybarns, through the mole hills, through the coppice and then around all over Brendan's oily tools. In short, he is a complete grubber (how very appropriate for Brendan, as it is his cat after all).

About once a month when the fur on his belly has gathered into impressive rasfarian dreadlocks we shave them off. This month we have had to shave all the way down to his delicate gentlemen's bits and all the way up to his throat. (You can just see on the photo the shaved bits under his chin).

Unlike most cats - he really enjoys it. In fact if you look closely above, he has his tongue stuck out in pleasure as the buzzer runs over his belly. The cat is a buzz freak.

Ferguson is following in his footsteps - he is cultivating his own rasga dreads in his armpits as we speak. He had his first shaving last night. Lying on his back next to Mr Pink purring his head off. Freaks.

First of February - the New Year starts here

2011-02-01T14:55:00.000+01:00

OK - so technically the new year started on the first of January, but after having a pretty crappy start to 2011 what with flu and a row with my work agency then feeling ill again, then everyone around me falling ill, then feeling depressed and generally shitty with life in general; I have decided to sweep January under the carpet and pretend that it did not exist and am starting afresh today, the first of February.

So far the highlights of my new New Year are:

- a nice day at work

- a new scrapyard cupboard that tidied up fits into the space in my pantry as though it was designed to be there

- cuddly cats

- fitting into my pre Christmas clothes

- snuggling up in my handmade shawl

- having the house to myself this afternoon

- spending an hour in a hot bubble bath without interruptions

- managing to break through French red tape without developing the feeling that I want to throw the laptop out of the window

In fact if these new New Years continue to be this good I may have to have another one next month.

January's C of Cooking - Rabbit Cobbler - A Rayburn Recipe

2011-01-30T14:35:00.001+01:00

This is a slow cook recipe designed for the Rayburn or other wood stove. For electric equivalent either 120°C for the same number of hours or 180°C for a couple of hours.

Also designed to be cooked entirely in one pot - for those lazy Sunday afternoons.

First take your rabbit - here is one I prepared last year.

Cut him into eight sections, 2 back legs, 2 front legs with rib cage, and the saddle and back into two then halved down the spine.

Brown the pieces in a large oven proof dish - I love cast iron pans because they radiate heat so well for the Rayburn - TOP TIP - to store your cast iron pans without them rusting, after using and washing, once dry, brush the insides using a pastry brush with a bit of vegetable oil before storing, to reuse, just wipe the insides with a bit of kitchen paper and they are ready to use.

Once the rabbit is browned add a splash more olive oil and 3 peeled and quartered onions and a generous grinding of pepper. Leave to sauté for a few minutes until the onions start to soften.

This recipe calls for stock, but because this is a one pot recipe and it will be cooking for quite a while, there is no need to create or add a separate stock, just make it in the pot you are using, and it will be full of meaty flavour.

To the rabbit and onions add a couple of litres of hot water, then add in some carrots chopped into large pieces, 2 bay leaves and a couple of stalks of celery. In France it is practically impossible to find celery in the shops in winter, seasonality is very important here, and nobody in my family including me actually likes celery to eat. It does however seem to be an integral flavour in stock, so I always grow a small patch then chop it and freeze it to use during the year. (Alongside lots of other frozen herbs).

Season the stock well then bring to the boil. Add mushrooms - either frozen, or tinned, fresh or rehydrated dried mushrooms, whatever you have to hand. You will need a couple of handfuls.

Once the stock is boiling, cover the pan and shove it into the centre of the oven for as long as it takes to cook the rabbit so the meat is falling loosely off the bones - in my old Rayburn at approximately 250°F / 120°C that can be up to 4 hours on wood alone.

To serve the rabbit add copious amounts of either dried or frozen thyme. Season to taste. Once the liquid is to your taste, throw over the cobbler.

Cobbler is a thick pastry type top that is very easy to make and is a real alternative to a pie pastry, I usually serve it in place of potatoes as it is quite stodgy.

Sift 100g white flour, 100g of wholewheat flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder and a pinch of salt. Using your finger tips to rub together to a bread crumb consistency add two heaped tablespoons of room temperature butter and a tablespoon of herb of your choice - here I am using parsley.

To bind together, slowly pour in about 100ml of milk, maybe a tablespoon more, just enough so that the pastry does not crumble too much. Don't make it too wet as it will need to absorb liquid from the stew, both to cook the cobbler and to thicken the stew.

Make a soft dough, then with floured hands roughly pat it flat and into the shape of your pan, lay over the stew leaving a small air gap around the edges. Leave to cook for a further 40 minutes (probably less in the electric oven at 180° C°).

Serve in big spoonfuls into bowls for a tasty Sunday dish that takes 20 minutes to prepare, about 5 hours to cook and is totally yummy bunny.

spring cleaning the wardrobe

2011-01-29T16:40:00.000+01:00

With the sun shining and a rather chilly minus 2 in the studio, I decided cold or no, I was going to light the fire and spend the day shut away in my studio.

It only took a couple of hours to get the temperature up to 8°c, and then I was good to go, coat off and erm........ well a whole load of spring cleaning first actually.

What is it about an unused room that over winter you just get in the habit of opening the door and throwing stuff in then closing the door and walking away?

After battling past the coffee table dumped in the middle of the rug, nestled up against the stool I have promised to someone else but not got round to dropping off, then sidestepping the two bags of donated clothes, the bag of castoffs from Thea's wardrobe; I ended up tripping over the two hangers of clothes needing some attention to make them fit that I had casually left lying on the table that was then used to elongate our dining table for New Year so someone (who shall remain nameless lest I get caught up in finding new swear words to rhyme with husband) had dumped them on the floor and left them there.

By lunch time with the temperature up to a very moderate 16°c in there, I settled in to finally do some sewing, after my machine had defrosted sufficiently to allow the oil to lubricate it.

Two pairs of trousers turned up, two tops with the elastic removed and new hems added, one shirt collar fixed, one jumper seam fixed, two pairs of jeans turned up and one pair of jeans with the waist band adjusted - and for once adjusted in the right way.

Here is my super easy, super fast way of taking in the waistband on a pair of jeans (as long as you are not too fusy and do not require your jeans to be perfect and are therefore happy with a few loose threads - although if you do require your jeans to be perfect you probably iron a crease up the centre of the legs in which case stop reading now and go away you scary person).

Ahem - ok, take a sharp pair of scissors and cut off the waistband. Remove the belt loops from the waistband and the jeans. Discard the belt loops - the object of the excerise is to take in the waist itself and therefore not need a belt to hold up your pants.

Rough cut edges to rough cut edges mean that you have to turn the waistband upside down.

Pin the end of the waistband that has the button on it to the flap of material that covers the zip, then with the zip closed, pin the waistband all the way around, gather if required at the pocket side edges.

If you are doing this to stretch jeans then you won't need to gather because you can stretch the waistband to meet the material.

Fasten the waistband button over the zip to make sure that you have a straight even front. (Because this is where lumps and gathers will show if you are not careful.)

Make sure any slack is pulled taut and pinned in place at the side seams, this is also where the material is at its thinnest and so the easiest place to pin and add any darts if needed.

Then sew in place with a thick cotton thread - either in that gold/cream colour of denim stitching or something more discreet.

This method is also great for taking down high waisted jeans for shorties like me.

Week 4 entry - theme - White

2011-01-27T11:12:00.000+01:00

I was struck by how much the word white resonates for me along side the image of texture.

Whether it is crisp white cotton snapping in the breeze on a the washing line, the soft fur of Ferguson's belly as he curls up beside me, or the course knobbly feel of the crochet bedspread as I pull it up over the duvet every morning.

So this week I have concentrated on textured macro shots before finally choosing my entry for the group.

the white cotton bedspread

white cotton wool

and finally the entry for 52 images for 2011 flickr group - white beauty cream.

An explosion of feathers....

2011-01-27T10:40:00.001+01:00

My new lens arrived by post today, just in time for inspiration to strike for the week 4 themed entry 'White'.

This was another ebay bargain, found half the price of the other lenses of its type because of a typo by the seller in the description line.

I just wanted something that would bring me in even closer to the subject without resorting to macro screw ons, so have been playing around with it this morning.

Experimenting with various ideas took me upstairs - only to find that the kittens had discovered my stash of feathers and had been busily distributing them across the landing, stairs and spare bedroom. It looked as though there had been a massacre there, several chickens, ducks and even a pheasant liberally spread across the rugs.

Now that is all cleaned up I can get on with processing my photos - that is if I can stay away from my crochet long enough - seriously hooked (pun intended!!)

How to treble crochet - January's Creative C continued

2011-01-21T11:10:00.001+01:00

The main stitch I used to make this bag was a treble crochet - a new stitch for me but as the fabric was quite thick cotton (from some recycled jogging pants) I wanted a large stitch to go with my large crochet hook.

So here is my how to treble crochet

This is the finished treble crochet.

You can see it creates a large-ish gap then has a smalker gap at the top, bisected by a strand of yarn, when working the next row you work into the smaller gap not the larger.

Start by winding the yarn over the hook twice to give you three loops on the hook

push yarn through the next stitch - you will momentarily have four loops over the hook

pull yarn through the first two loops on the crochet hook - three loops left on the hook and the first part of the stitch completed below the hook

pull yarn through the next two loops on the hook, leaving one worked stitch on the hook and the previous stitch's loop on the hook (two stitches in total left on hook)

pull yarn through the two remaining loops on the hook to join the new stitch to the old stitch and viola - one treble crochet

Made a patternless bag - January's C

2011-01-21T10:58:00.000+01:00

Sat last night in front of the TV, my fingers started itching to tackle the ball of recycled yarn I made the other day. So I grabbed the ball and a size 10 crochet hook and started messing around with the yarn, and it grew organically into a bag. Almost by itself - and I do stress the almost.

I will have to have a bit of a think before writing up the pattern and try to remember how it goes but it is based purely on how much yarn you have as the basis of this idea was to use recycled fabric.

Obviously the kittens loved it and as the bag took shape I was constantly fighting them off because they were both treating it as their personal sleeping bags.