What goes up, must come....

 

HOORAY, our scaffolding has now come down.

Scaffolders are always keen to erect their ugly structures, but very reluctant to remove them.

When I phoned our man to inform him that the work was finished, he gasped in amazement. I think he was expecting it to be in situ for a month at least. Just one week was unheard of!

I don't know if it's the same everywhere, but here certain bits of the scaffolding actually touch the walls, making it impossible to paint about 8 small circles of the old paintwork. Without any prompting, our nice man informed me that they would paint over the un-painted bits as they dismantle. And they did.

I really don't like seeing scaffolding everywhere (we have more going up two houses away), and it's good to be able to see our new bright paintwork in all its pristine condition. Suave Harve did a great job.

Whilst the scaffolding was in place I took the opportunity to re-paint the flat bit of roof above the Bay Window with Bitumen, and also to re-touch the lead covered roof-ette over the Portico. So now, not only is everything painted, but all is waterproofed for the next few years.

We were trembling in our boots about having to pay some tradesman 'Loads of Money' to do the job, but in fact by doing all the work ourselves we didn't suffer too much. Just under a £grand for the whole caboodle. My wine merchant will be very happy!

An EU disgrace.

 

I expect everyone has seen this 'statue' by Danish artist Jens Galschiot.

Entitled 'The Orange Plague' is it 8ft 5ins tall, and has been sitting inside the European Parliament Building in Strasbourg, France.

Whatever one thinks of Donald Trump (I, myself, am no big fan), I don't think it is seemly for a foreign Parliament to exhibit such an insulting image of a leader of one of the world's greatest powers (of whatever party he/she belongs), and one of Europe's greatest allies. 

In fact I would say that its exhibition is a total disgrace, and if they think it'll improve relations with the USA, then they are very wrong. Such 'statements' are more suited to satirical magazines, or TV Comedy shows; not National Parliaments.

I wonder what Ursula Von der Leyen would think if a fat, naked, highly unflattering, gold-leafed statue of HER was exhibited in The House of Representatives in Washington; or in the UK's parliament in London?

This is 'gutter politics', and has no place in a European (or any) Parliament. I believe the statue was in situ until Oct 8th, so has now probably gone. Where to, I have no idea.

Would the EU have exhibited an insulting image of either Vlad Putin, or Xi Jinping? I very much doubt it!

Marmalade.

 

It's Autumn, and Lady Magnon doesn't feel right unless she has her hands on a wooden spoon, stirring something seasonal in a big preserving pot. Recently she set her sights on Marmalade, and was determined to make something as good as (if not better than) our favourite Cooper's Oxford Vintage. 

Unfortunately there were no Seville Oranges in the shops, so I bought ordinary Oranges and Lemons instead.

I was also instructed to buy Dark Demerara Sugar, and (if I could find it) some Jam Sugar.

Usually she follows Mary Berry recipes, but I'm not sure if she did with this. However, she boiled the fruit for a couple of hours, then, when cool, cut it up into reasonable (not too fine) pieces. The rest was just the standard Jam-making process.

There was enough for five full jars, and one half-full. I just happened to have some really nice fresh Sourdough bread, so I could hardly wait to try the result of her hard work.

Verdict. 10/10 (I would say that wouldn't I) It was also very close to the flavour of Cooper's Oxford. 

Well done, Lady M. Delicious.

N.B. The word Marmalade come from the Portuguese word Marmelada meaning Quince.

Cro left holding the Baby

It is no secret that I am an unashamed lover of Dogs. I love all Dogs except for Pit Bulls (and their mixtures), and those little Devils they call Chihuahuas. Everything else is always welcomed.

As you can imagine, we have lots of Dog-owner friends. Not only do they tend to be very pleasant people, but their Dogs are mostly fun too.

One good friend has three Dogs; two Golden Retrievers, and this little character above. This scruffy little creature is called 'Baby', and is a complete cutie. She seems to know that I'm an easy touch, and always comes to me for tickles, etc.

Her two Golden Retrievers are also lovely Dogs; GR's are probably my favourite Dogs (after Border Collies, of course). One has only one eye, and the other is just a big fur-ball of friendliness.

My very first dog (Hamlet, see side bar) was a scruffy Black-n-Tan Mutt. He was an adorable boy, and everyone else thought so too. I could hardly walk a few yards down the street without people stopping to stroke, and talk about him. He taught me a lot about Dog/Human relationships.

Immanuel Kant said "We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals". The older I get, the more I respect all creatures; even the creepy-crawlies that most people squash underfoot. You wouldn't believe the amount of stinging insects I rescue (by hand) from the pool every year. I've yet to be stung.

In the hierarchy of the animal world, I always see Dogs as being at the 'High Table'!

In a previous life I must have been an Indian follower of 'Jainism'.

 

Take a Deep Breath

I don't want you to have a Heart Attack, so do take a few deep breaths, and try to relax, before continuing to read this.

It has just been revealed (leaked) that our own dear British Government is buying Hijabs to give to female illegal immigrants. Yes, you really did read that correctly. They do actually have a 'Hijab Fund' ready and waiting for the needy.

In response to serious questioning, The Home Office has declared that it has a 'Legal Duty to provide them', and are doing so at the rate of about 160 Hijabs a month.

Well, I for one want to know the name of the man at The Home Office who drew-up this legislation. What on earth was he bloody thinking; he must be SACKED AT ONCE, and the legislation repealed.

Possibly the most commonly hated symbol of female subservience, other than the Burka, is actually being encouraged by the British tax payer. It is simply unbelievable.

There may not be a lot of money involved, but if the government seriously wish to make savings (and they really need to!), they can start by stopping this disgusting practice. Even £1 spent on these headscarves is too much; surely these people could buy their own if they have to. Look after the pennies, and the pounds will look after themselves!!!

If these illegal economic migrants can afford to pay £1,300 for a boat trip, they can surely afford the price of a cheap scarf. Next our government will be buying knives and bombs for Jihadis.

You can get up off the floor now! No, it wasn't a bad dream....it really is TRUE.

 

A Seasonal Dish, but the 'Lazy Way'

For some bizarre reason I woke at 6 am on Sunday morning, rather than my usual 5 am. A whole hour of my life had gone by without my knowledge, or my permission.

I had gone to bed the previous night in the knowledge that I would have a Cepe Omelette for my breakfast, but a whole hour of relaxed gastronomy had been rudely taken from me.

                                        

 

After we left France on September 3rd, I'd heard (and had seen on Facebook) that there had been a bumper harvest of Cepes (Boletus Edulis) in the woods around our home. For the whole three months we were there this year we hadn't eaten a single wild mushroom; and it pained me!

As I think I'd mentioned previously, I'd feared that we wouldn't have mushrooms, and I'd bought several tins of Laguilhon 'Cepes preserved in oil' just in case. They are certainly the next best thing to fresh; but expensive. There was 'half a tin' in the fridge left-over from a meal the previous day.

However, as I'd had less time to indulge my fantasies, I took a short-cut, and rather than prepare an Omelette, I had 'Cepes with Fried Eggs' instead; something I had never done before.

So, let me tell you dear reader that my breakfast was just as good in its de-constructed state, as it would have been as an omelette. In fact I did think that when I open another tin, I will do the same again; I almost preferred it. This may sound like a Péché to all Frenchmen, but I can assure them that the spirit of gastronomy has not suffered by my laziness.

This (above) was the Cepe market in my nearby village a couple of weeks after we'd returned to Blighty. The anxious buyers are all behind the barriers, waiting for the bell to ring to signal the market open.

So, should we change the period of our stay to include September rather than June? It would mean less swimming, but more Cepes. We could even go mid-June, and stay until mid-September in the hope that we'd have a crop of Cepes before leaving. But then again there are the Chestnuts which start falling towards the end of September. It's all a gamble.

By the way, my 'Cepes with Fried Eggs' were totally delicious.

 

Public Artwork

 

I recently read an article about the UK's most disliked public statues and monuments.

Some were predictable, such as the comical black lady on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, others were more surprising. Many of the amateur incongruous-looking 'modern' sculptures were rightly given the thumbs down. But others were more puzzling.

Amongst the most disliked was Darlington's giant 'Brick Train' by Scottish Artist David Mach. 

Personally I like it. It represents a Mallard class locomotive with smoke billowing from its chimney. Built entirely of bricks, it is an imposing structure.

Why would anyone not like it, what's not to like?