Confit de Canard

I'm sure you already know, but Confit de Canard is simply preserved Duck.

It is usually made from Ducks that were fattened for the making of Foie Gras, and the legs and thighs were later preserved in their own fat (of which there was lots). The pieces of Duck are placed in large copper pans, covered with Duck Fat, then gently simmered for a few hours, before being placed in large earthenware 'crocks' and covered with the fat. Like this, the Confit would keep for a long time.

These two frozen Duck Legs, in a vacuum pack (below), were bought at Aldi for £2.99. It was sold as 'Duck a l'Orange', and comes with a separate pack of Orange flavoured sauce. The sauce is best kept for another recipe (I used it for a sweet-n-sour Pork dish), and the legs roasted as one would any other Confit. 

Confit de Canard is usually very expensive, so you can imagine my delight at finding these at Aldi. OK, they come from China and not from France, but I'm not complaining. They taste pretty much the same.

I served them with some roasted small Jersey Royal Potatoes (superb), and a bit of Greenery.

I'm allowing my freezer to empty itself bit by bit at the moment, but when we return from France in September, I shall make sure that there are several packs in there.

If you search for Confit de Canard online, you will see how expensive it normally is. These are just £1.50 per person/serving.

Verdict: 8/10. It doesn't have the intensity of French Confit, but it comes very close.

N.B. I DO NOT work for Aldi, nor am I a shareholder. I am simply a new devotee. I keep discovering new and exciting things. May that continue !!!

Bolt-hole

It seems a very long time ago since I bought this cottage (1978-ish?). At the time it was just a one room, derelict, roofless, floorless, ancient stone built cottage, in need of TOTAL restoration.

It's about 300 years old, and looks-out over perfectly tranquil agricultural land, and untroubled woods. When I first looked inside, I discovered a lovely old fireplace and a carved stone sink, I knew I had to have it. The first family to have lived there, would have done so under the reign of Louis XV.

We lived about 300 metres away, at the time, in a big old farmhouse, and the tiny ruin was owned by my next door neighbours. We had a chat over a glass of Pastis, and a deal was done.

It didn't cost me a lot, but since then I'd hate to think how much I've spent on bringing it to the comfortable state it's in today. If you close your eyes and picture an ideal French country cottage, this is probably what it would look like.

I've lived in big houses, tiny broom-cupboard-sized flats, and that extensive French farmstead, but nothing has been as pleasant to live-in as this little cottage. It has a warm, friendly, atmosphere, that cannot be created or 'designed'. As soon as we step inside, it gives us a huge hug!

Since buying the house we have added-on at one end, brought-in water and electricity, built our 'tower', installed the pool, bought more land, built a covered terrace, planted fruit trees, established Haddock's (our now-no-longer-used veg' garden), and made the house comfortable, whilst keeping its rusticity. This (below) is our sitting/dining room.

Almost everything we've done to the cottage has involved local craftsmen, and artisans. Hand made floor-tiles in the house and tower, timber cut specially at a local sawmill for most of our building work, and beautiful hand-made peg-tiles for the tower roof. As much as possible I've tried to make the cottage feel as it would have centuries ago (other than the water and electricity). 

This year I intend to put a hand-rail on the stairs (I'm getting doddery), and plant a few more Peach trees. After that I think I'll leave it to others; I feel that I've done my bit!

More Seagulls

I expect that all coastal-dwellers have the same love/hate relationship with their Seagulls as I do.

They are very beautiful birds, but they are also aggressive. They steal chips from the hands of al fresco tourist diners, and will swoop down on almost anyone who they take a dislike to. They tease Billy too!

This one above was very friendly yesterday morning. Someone had put some (what looked like) dog croquettes on top of the tomb, and he/she was scoffing the lot!

I've painted Gulls on numerous occasions; they featured often in my work. This simple sketch below I could have sold several times over. I was even encouraged to make it into a Postcard for the town's seaside tourist shops. Not really my thing!

 

I think we have a Seagull nesting on the roof. We can hear Seagull-style rave-parties going on at night. My neighbour has some scaffolding up at the moment, so I'll ask him to have a look. I probably wouldn't ask them to move on, but it would be nice to know.

The Three (or more) Stooges.

As expected, Starmer will go. It's just a miracle that he's lasted so long.

There seems to be three main candidates who are eager to replace him.

Andy Burnham (known as The King of the North) is presently The Mayor of Greater Manchester. He is popular for being popular. Now all he needs is to find a parliamentary seat, which may prove more tricky than he thinks with Uncle Nigel's boy against him. Hmmmm.

The adorable Angela Rayner (above with Burnham) is a firebrand. Her background is best forgotten, as is her small £800,000 Brighton second-home flat. She seems to have got away with dodging £40,000 of the £70,000 Stamp Duty on its purchase; although I believe she has since paid-up. Many will remember that the fragrant Angela had to resign over the scandal. Politically she comes from the same mould as Comrade Corbyn.

And thirdly there's cheeky-chappie little Wes Streeting (above with Mandy). His grandfather, Bill, was a career criminal, and friend of the Kray Brothers, who spent a lot of time in prison. His grandmother, who aided and abetted her husband, was also imprisoned, and gave birth to Wes's mother (in handcuffs) whilst in Holloway; where she had shared a cell with Christine Keeler. 

So, take your pick. I doubt if any of them will undo the damage done by Starmer and Co, but as long as they don't make matters worse we shall have to tolerate one of them for a while.

Verdict: 

Burnham, probably the best of a poor bunch. 4½/10

Rayner, the 'party gal' with history. Late nights, beer, and Corbyn style lunacy. 2/10

Streeting, a twinkle-eyed wet rag. 0/10

p.s. Of course there COULD BE a 4th contestant. How about Wes and Starmer's chum Lord 'Mandy' Mandelson throwing his hat into the ring? 

 

Yawn.......

 

It's that time of year again. People in silly clothes, perform awful songs, in front of 'over the top' flashing lights and smokey backgrounds. Yes, it's The Eurovision Song Contest time.

Apart from the awful songs, the competition has become overly political in recent years. This year it has actually become RACIST as well.

Several countries have refused to take part on account of Israel participating. Can it be because 1.200 innocent Israelis were slaughtered by terrorists on October 7th ? Or maybe it's because in their retaliation, those who were attacked actually managed to give Hamas a bloody nose !

Strangely, I don't remember any country staying away because Germany (the worst WAR-CRIMINALS of the 20th C) were taking part. But perhaps they didn't see the HOLOCAUST's 6 Million deaths as racist genocide.

As far as the 'singing' is concerned, it was the usual round of shouting, dancing, and awful costumes. The worst of which must have been Albania, who's song was about his dead mother, and Greece that was simply mad. The UK, of course, came last; it's traditional.

I think we've all had enough. Time to call it a day !

N.B. Boy George (above) who (for unknown reasons) was representing San Marino, was eliminated at once. In that outfit, I'm not surprised.

Bring us sunshine

A couple of days ago it would have been Eric Morecambe's 100th birthday.

I can't give you any details about these children, other than they obviously love singing.

Just look at that little boy at the back on the right; he's having the time of his life!.

If this doesn't make you happy; I don't know what would.

 

Al fresco camping.

Camping has always been popular with certain people, and who could blame them. It's lovely to spend time out in the countryside, breathe fresh air, and be 'at one with nature'. What could be nicer in late Spring.

Occasionally some choose camping sites that are 'illegal', and they are 'encouraged' to move-on. So they've packed-up their things and moved to another site where they hope to be more welcome; making sure to have left the area around where they were camped as clean and tidy as it was before they arrived. The last thing they want is a reputation of being litter-bugs.

Above was where they were in the Rest Garden where I walk with Billy, it's a lovely, well tended, oasis of calm in inner city Brighton.

Some other people who were camped nearby (above) were also asked to move elsewhere. They had installed themselves in the Graveyard, in a secluded spot known for being a meeting place for those who enjoy an exotic cigarette or two. Again they left the area in as clean a state as they could manage.

Wherever both lots of campers have now gone, I wish them well, and hope that they will be able to remain there for as long as possible. I also hope that they treat their new locations with the same respect they have shown here.

What effing PIGS.

 

What was the last book you read?

When I was small, other than my own parents, these family members (below) were my role-models.

They were good honest people who always helped others. They lived an ordinary life, and their son, Rupert, was always having adventures with his friends; usually helping to solve problems.

Rupert was a Bear, and his friends were a Lion, an Elephant, a Badger, etc. Nothing seemed unusual about this group of friends as they went about doing good. And I always looked forward to reading about them in my annual Christmas present book.

The great difference between my childhood, and that of today, is that instead of the Rupert Bear Annual to read, children will have a mobile phone on which they'll watch porn, crazy antics, AI composed videos of anything you could imagine, and even nude photos of Angela from the Lower IVth Form (probably faked).    

These days, children rarely read books, and if given a Rupert Annual it would simply be put away and never opened. Even the great adventures of The Famous Five no longer see the light of day.

I doubt if children now see or read anything that represents 'GOOD' in society. All is bad or dangerous. 

I have never looked at TikTok or Snapchat, but I believe they are pages where junior noses are glued for most of the day. As far as I know, they are certainly not a good-example for young people.

If you ask a group of school children "What was the last book you read?", you will probably be met with a grunt, and confused disbelief.

We currently have over a Million young people on benefits in the UK, half of whom have NEVER had a job. Maybe they should read a book (if, indeed, they can read).

 

The Fox Trot ?

 

I entertained TWO Foxes for breakfast yesterday morning, and they, in turn, entertained me to a Fox Trot. 

They seemed to be quite young, and treated me to a short, but perfectly choreographed, dance. What lovely animals they are, I feel very privileged that they come to me for breakfast every morning.

Preserves

In a different life, one of my greatest pleasures was the growing and preserving of fruit and vegetables. I've always hankered after a 'Smallholding' life-style.

As Winter approached, every single cupboard was filled with bottles of jams and preserves, and the freezer filled with certain vegs. Onions, Squashes, and Apples, filled boxes. At Haddock's itself, there was always plenty of greenery right through to the following Spring. It really was 'The Good Life'.

These days we are not in France for long enough to grow what's needed to 'preserve' in the same way, but we do still manage to make plenty of Jams; Plum, Apricot, and Greengage.

One of the fruits which we have in profusion in late August are Figs, and this year I intend to return to bottling some for Winter. They are very simple to process, and are preserved in an Armagnac flavoured syrup (500 gms water to 300 gms sugar). We have three HUGE Fig trees, and we hate to see them go to waste.

The trimmed, slightly unripe fruits are pricked all over, and blanched for about 4 minutes, then plunged into ice-cold water before being bottled, covered in the syrup, and sterilised for an hour. It couldn't be simpler.

A few of these Figs with a big dollop of thick cream in the Winter months is pure heaven.

I am very pleased to see that my Greengage tree doesn't seem to have suffered from its radical pruning (thank you Kimbo), and it is now looking extremely healthy. Whether or not it is producing lots of fruit remains to be seen. If it is, I shall be making LOTS of Greengage Jam. Delicious.

My mind is filled with Summer things at the moment, and I'm really looking forward to it all. All you veg' gardeners out there will know how I feel.

I can hardly wait.

They're at it again!

It's almost inevitable that as soon as there's a weekend Public Holiday (when all bureaucrats are away in Tuscany), the 'Travellers' turn-up overnight with their diggers, caravans, tarmac lorries, and thuggish behaviour, and make yet another field into a trailer park and rubbish tip, in a military-style takeover. This time it was in Felsted in Essex (below).

These folk take absolutely no notice of rules, regulations, or even laws. They do as they please, and stick two fingers up at authority; they even sell the individual plots in advance. And the most amazing thing is that 'authority' does nothing to stop it; not even to tell them to get-out, and repair all the damage.

Easy Solution: All their cars and caravans should be immediately towed-away, and if the field wasn't returned to how it was within 48 hours, everything would be crushed. The 'travellers' themselves would be imprisoned until everything was back to normal.

The effing cheek of these people really annoys me. You wouldn't believe the process ordinary folk have to go through, even to alter a garden shed; these people could build a whole bloody city illegally and no-one says anything. 

Why do we allow such things. We have a well-trained Army who could enforce laws, and we have over a Million young people on the dole who could help remove all the campers. Where's the difficulty?

 

Shinto

The word 'Shinto' was an answer in my crossword this morning, and it got me thinking.

We've all probably heard of the Japanese national religion of 'Shinto', but do we know anything about it? I went to Wiki to find out more.

Shinto focuses on ritual behaviour rather than doctrine. The philosophers James W. Boyd and Ron G. Williams stated that Shinto is "first and foremost a ritual tradition", while Picken observed that "Shinto is interested not in credenda but in agenda, not in things that should be believed but in things that should be done." The scholar of religion Clark B. Offner stated that Shinto's focus was on "maintaining communal, ceremonial traditions for the purpose of human (communal) well-being". It is often difficult to distinguish Shinto practices from Japanese customs more broadly, with Picken observing that the "worldview of Shinto" provided the "principal source of self-understanding within the Japanese way of life". Nelson stated that "Shinto-based orientations and values lie at the core of Japanese culture, society, and character".

It does sound a much more sensible 'religion' than most. Without a single deity, they see gods (Kami) in all of nature, more as a spirit that should be revered than something to be 'worshipped'.

I think we could all learn from Shinto; then maybe much of the world would stop fighting over 'My god is better than your god', etc.

There is no 'Holy Book' in Shinto, no doctrines, no silly miracle stories. The Japanese live their religion. They are 'practitioners' rather than 'believers'.

I must say; I do like that.

Interior Design Masters

 

Yes, it's back on our screens again, and I HAVE watched it simply because my ex-neighbour, Michelle, is the Interior Design professional. Here she is (below, sitting with Alan Carr) with all the hopeful contestants behind them.

I'm not really interested in Interior Design (I'm too keen on clutter), but it is interesting (to a degree) to see what a bunch of amateurs can do with the interior of an old Beach Hut, or a homeless people's refuge.

The answer, sadly, is 'not much'. As with so many amateurs, they seem to think that garish colours mixed with miss-matched loud wallpapers, and odd shapes, is 'modern'. Well, it's not. Interior design is much more complicated than that. I have yet to see one of their rooms that I would be happy to live in. Often they would have been wiser to have left their rooms entirely untouched, rather than end-up with the disasters they created. 

I do understand that it's not in the interest of the programme to be too critical, but just occasionally I think Michelle should be less flattering towards the ghastly 'makeovers' produced by the contestants. 

Just another day.

There are IDIOTS, bigger IDIOTS, and gargantuan IDIOTS.

We obviously have at least one of the latter here in Brighton; an idiot who turns over Dustbins.

I can think of a thousand ways of spending my day, but never would it cross my mind to turn-over Dustbins.

However, some bright spark thinks this was fun. I happen to think it would be even more fun to lock him inside it for a week.

 

Pure Poetry

I don't write a lot of poetry, but when I do I really enjoy myself.

I recently came across this one from 2014. It is entitled.....

POEM IN AN UNKNOWN LANGUAGE

Trendla trendla yarna hoo

Somtery aurabel larding too

Permanbello ansenfellow ing

Mantargo lullingberry tinage fing

Manso manso tuttlemust fardo

Wizzing trizzing didledum lardo

Armay frindig otoom atch

Sandog Trattle-ditch snatch.

© Cro Magnon 2014

I might even take-up my pen again. 

Narcissus and the Camera.

We have to admit that photoshopping 'selfies' is mostly a female obsession. 

We've all seen those pouting, over prettified, portraits of phone-holding young ladies, that they post on 'social media' web pages, inviting admiring comments from followers and friends.

                                                   

Having said that, this photo above is what I actually look like (in case you didn't know), no-frills, with all the obvious signs of ageing on view. No titivating was made in order to make me look any younger or more 'attractive'. I am what I am, and I am OK with that. I am old, wrinkly, balding, scruffy, and grumpy looking; with a vacant expression.

The photo was taken by a friend, who said he could loose me a few years/kilos by some non-invasive photographic cosmetic surgery.  I refused, saying that 'narcissism' wasn't really my thing. 

Instead he told me to take my jumper off, and took the following photo instead. 

Lady M suggested that I use the picture as my Passport Photo.

Maybe I will.

Terror on the streets

 

This must be the most serious, saddest, and upsetting, aspect of today's UK.

Members of several UK Jewish communities are now afraid to walk the streets. Crazed Muslim attacks, on both people and buildings, have become so regular that one can understand their fear. 

With all the dreadful antisemitism about, I think it would be timely to show the FULL FILM of the October 7th massacre on mainstream TV (with warnings). This might, hopefully, put an end to their puerile lies, and propaganda, once and for all.

I haven't seen it myself, and I don't wish to, but I've heard that the filmed images taken by the Hamas Terrorists themselves are so graphic that people cannot face watching it. The killing of babies, the raping and eviscerating of young women, and film of the 1,400 people being murdered, are beyond horrific, and it might make a few of the pro-Hamas Woke-folk realise what the people they support are actually like, and why the Israeli forces were obliged to retaliate.

Some of the most offensive online antisemitism has been been posted, or reposted, by Green Party election candidates. Above by Ifhat Shaheen (Smith). Three of their female candidates have been arrested. I do hope that people who vote Green on the 7th, know what they're voting for.

Their charming leader, Zack Polanski, is openly antisemitic (even though he himself is of Jewish origin), and is fawning towards the Muslim vote; as are Labour.

I have yet to hear of Jewish 'grooming gangs', of Jewish knife attacks, or Jewish drug gangs, or even of Jewish E-Bike phone snatchers. I fail to understand why people prefer to support the 'bad people' rather than support those who, pre-Oct 7th, supplied Gaza with just about everything they desperately needed; needs that were created by Hamas spending all the aid money and donations on arms (and their own pockets), and not on the citizens where it was needed.

It would be nice if certain communities could live peacefully with others, and not spread hatred all the time. Many of the Muslim demonstrators hold banners demanding 'FREE PALESTINE'. I think what they really should be saying is 'NO MORE HAMAS'. It is Hamas who are ruining the lives of the Gaza residents.

We now hear that the antisemitism in the UK is being sponsored, and encouraged by, a 'Foreign Power'. I think we all know who that is !!!

We live in an upside-down, inside-out, crazy world.

Sunday Roast

The previous time I bought Aldi 'Lamb Shanks', I made the mistake of buying the ones that had a Mint flavoured sauce. It slightly spoilt an otherwise very pleasant meal.

This time I bought the same thing, but with a Red Wine sauce; far, far, better.

Again I put a few spuds in to roast, then 15 minutes later the still-frozen Lamb Shanks. After an hour the dish was complete. No cooking to speak of, and just two small roasting dishes to wash-up.

As you might see, I added my own pukka home-made Mint sauce this time, and it was totally delicious. I probably put too much of the red-wine sauce on my plate, but.....

If you are like me and occasionally you don't feel like cooking, but want something delicious at a very reasonable price; go to Aldi, buy a few of these packs for your freezer, and you are ready for whatever life throws at  you. There are two separate vacuum-packs of Lamb in each £7 packet, so also perfect for one-person households.

Verdict: 10/10 Totally delicious, at a bargain price (£3.50 each). 5 Star Yums.

Pine Marten

I hope you can see this small creature (below bottom left). It's a Pine Marten (Fouine). He was caught on our surveillance camera jumping up into the Greengage tree, then immediately jumping down again on the other side.

We don't see them too often, as they tend to stay in the woods. I did once find one in an abandoned barn, where I was sheltering from a sudden downpour. It was running around like a lunatic trying to catch a panicking Bat. Some hope.

They can be destructive beasts. If they get into your house, especially empty holiday houses, they can create havoc. People have found their homes 'trashed' after a Pine Marten visit.

The are bigger than a Red Squirrel, with a longer tail, and a white flash under their chins. A really beautiful animal.

I just hope he/she hasn't managed to find a way into the house. Down the chimney maybe?

 

For Sale (illegally)

I was checking my 'comments' recently, when I noticed two from an unknown source, with the single word 'Glock' as the only 'comment'.

I was interested enough (before deleting) to see who or what it was all about.

Both were from the same person/company, and both offered to sell me illegal arms illegally, including an AK47 for 1,339 Euros. 

As you can probably see, they come from a French supplier, and they went into great detail about how my identity would be secure and private. I could buy, and have 'privately' delivered, almost any hand gun, semi-automatic, or rifle, (plus ammo) in total security. In the UK, such things are BANNED. 

I have no idea what prompted these comments, or how they came across my page.

I'm not in the market for an AK47, or even a Glock 44 for 699 Euros.

I suppose I should have kept the pages, but at least I did take these photos.

No wonder there are so many gang-members wandering our streets, armed to the teeth. Guns seem to be available anywhere.

It reminded me that in the late 60's I had one of these 'Tommy Guns' (below) in my possession overnight. I had a friend who was a big (legal) collector of old weapons, and another who was a (legal) antique firearms dealer. They had done a deal together, and I was asked to deliver the purchased machine gun to the buyer. It came in a wooden box with 100 rounds of ammo in another box. I felt like a criminal with the gun in my flat, and was only too pleased to hand it over to its new owner the following morning.

No more guns for me. I have enough as it is.

 

Icon

I recently found this icon whilst walking with Billy. It was tucked into a flower bed, in the churchyard. It's about 5 by 8 inches.

I took it home and, as it was very dirty, I left it on a table in the garden for a week or so. The paint had started to crack and lift away from the wooden board on which it's painted. You can see one of the worst cracks bottom right. 

Lady M said she thought it belonged to the church, as there is a similar one inside. She checked later, and confirmed that they were indeed very similar.

I wrote to the Churchwarden, and sent a photo. He confirmed that it was from the church. Someone had half-inched it, then dumped it. He was 'mystified'.

I have no idea how long it had been outdoors in the flower bed, and I felt a bit sad that it was in such bad condition; so I decided to fix it as best I could.

I put a sheet of baking parchment over the top, and gently ironed it. It did flatten quite a lot, but still isn't perfect. Anyway I shall give it back to the church this morning. They have a service at 8 am, so I'll pop in a little bit earlier.

It's a hand-painted copy of an earlier icon; so probably not of great value. Even so, I'm sure they'll be happy to have it back.

As for me; it's my good deed of the day!

 

Dontcha love Russell Brand.

I've always admired the way that criminals suddenly say they have become 'Christians', just as the prison parole board looks into their release.

And here is the fragrant Russell Brand doing much the same (with difficulty), after the preliminary hearing for his six cases of rape and sexual assault.

He wanted to quote something from his new bible for Piers Morgan, but he couldn't find it. He could at least have marked the page. What a plonker.

Brand is a nasty piece of work, and deserves all that's coming to him; even with that big cross around his neck, and that shiny new bible in his hand.

 

Fission chips

When foreigners are asked about 'English Food' (if they like it) they often say that they like our Fish-n-Chips. They never seem to know much about anything else.

In fact, after the French Revolution, when most of the Aristocrats had their heads chopped off, France's most sought-after chefs left their great Chateaux and headed north to England, and, as a result, our National Cuisine slowly became very similar to that of France (but don't mention that to a Frenchman).

However, one thing that has remained pretty constant over the years is that very simple dish of deep-fried, battered, fish, and it's accompanying potato chips. As good a meal as you could find anywhere in the world.

I do like pukka Fish-n-Chips, but the last time I had any from a fish shop/restaurant must be about 15 years ago, when I had some on The Palace Pier here in Brighton.

I do stick to the tradition of eating Fish on Fridays, but it's usually either Fish Fingers (which I love), or Salmon Steaks (which I love even more). Both are usually served with Chips; or occasionally with plain steamed Cavolo Nero.

When we eat Salmon, we both usually say how much we prefer it to any other fish, or even to meat. Salmon is the Food of the Gods. (We don't usually have the Mayo décor)

We should all eat more fish, especially wild SALMON.