-
And so life goes on...
Today was the funeral of my grandmother - Gladys Emily Beatrice, known to me, ever since I was a baby as Nan1. It was a small family affair at the crematorium, followed by a small gathering at my sister's house. The local vicar led us in with the usual prayers, but the eulogy and readings were from myself and my sister's two daughters...
( Read more... ) -
When in doubt, get stuffed...
I had a great fondness for my mother's Chestnut Stuffing. So, some years ago, I obtained the recipe from her. Since then, I have experimented somewhat, varied it a little according to my own tastes, but the basic recipe remains the same. I added things like garlic and chilli, extra herbs, and, on occasions additional vegetables or even fruit. ( Read more... ) -
The Gander Has Landed...
It's that time of year again...
Sadly, Warborne Organic Farm closed their farm shop after the holidays last year. It wasn't making enough money, so they have decided to revert to growing organic crops for the wholesale market.
Fortunately, their butchers, John & Les, decided to carry on. They took over another farm shop in the area and re- ( Read more... ) -
But sometimes, you have to know...
A question I never thought I'd ask:
"Did last night include me drinking something black and sticky[1] out of a glass skull[2]?"
Much less, receive the answer, "Yes, you did. So did quite a few of us."
[1] A Finnish[3] pre-mixed cocktail drink called Salmiakki Koskenkorva. It tastes of largely of licorice which means that you totally fail to ( Read more... ) -
The Thimble on the Thumb and Other Stories - You'll believe a man can fly
Forward then, to Cucugnan and Queribus.
The village of Cucugnan is a small cluster of buildings, winding up the hillside. Typically of the region, the buildings have pale-coloured walls with the usual terracotta coloured roof. There seem to be a couple of hotels and restaurants, assorted shops and a recently restored windmill. We saw a small ( Read more... ) -
The Thimble on the Thumb and Other Stories - Are you sure this is a road?
So, farewell to Villerouge and onward to Aguilar…Onward and upwards, it seems, as we head further into the foothills. The scenery was just getting better and better, and the roads even more fun to drive. By now I was well used to being on the wrong side of the road, and had settled comfortably into the driving or our little (one-eyed) Peugot 207 ( Read more... ) -
The Thimble on the Thumb and Other Stories - The Imperfect Perfect?
First, Villerouge...
Well, Villerouge-Termenès to be more accurate. To avoid confusion with any other Villerouges there might be out there (at least one other, according to Google Maps). Our journey took us further south, further into the foothills, further into countryside that could have made our journey very long indeed had we stopped to ( Read more... ) -
The Thistle on the Thumb and Other Stories - Getting the Abbey Habit
The next morning, onward, via assorted castles and abbeys...Wonder of wonders - a day that was planned. Maps were consulted, distances were estimated and an approximate timetable was achieved. Pausing only to acquire pastries for breakfast at the local patisserie, off we set, down the A61 ( Read more... ) -
The Thimble on the Thumb and Other Stories - I'm not sitting on that...
So, camera and sun-screen in hand, off we went…The road from the hotel looked like many of the roads on the edge of a town. Not quite far enough out for the gentrified suburbs, not quite the inner city. Jut rows of town houses, occasionally converted into apartments, the odd shop or other business and the grounds of some kind of school. There ( Read more... ) -
The Thimble on the Thumb and Other Stories - No room at the inn
onwards to Carcassonne…Darkness had fallen when we got back to the car. Once we got outside the bounds of the city (all of two minutes) and the attendant street-lighting, I noticed something was off. Specifically, the driver’s side headlamp. It worked on full-beam but not on dipped. Oh joy. At least it wasn’t a long journey on the winding ( Read more... )