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The Joys of Cycling
Recently I started to cycle again. It is I might say a long time since I first learnt to ride and more than forty-five years since I last sat on a bike. My sister Jenny suggested that it might be a great way of getting some much needed exercise and a good way of exploring at close quarters, the lanes and fields that surround our homes. Oh! such fun and great excitement and with a pounding heart as I tucked my jeans into the bicycle clips so kindly lent by a friend we passed in the village, how kind as he took off his own clips to give to me “can’t have you getting caught in the chain on your first day dear” So off I ventured to this new delight in my sixty- first year!
The first day was a real success and returning home all in one piece I longed to cycle again. Now having been cycling for a few weeks the delights of this pursuit are astounding, to ride on a sunny day along the lanes and see the newly harvested fields of corn and wheat instead of whizzing by in my car. To smell the grass and earth, to see the different leaves and colours of our beautiful land. To look at closely again, the berry filled hedges, the different views as we stopped to admire this wonderful countryside, stretching our eyes as far as we can to see across these patchwork fields of green, browns and gold. To see the little cottages nestling in their valleys and the church steeples in the distance. To pass by the huge rusty red cows and to see the geese marching past. To breathe the wondrous air and feel the wind on your face and hair as you freewheel down the hills after the long slog up, is quite perfect. My sister and I wave to our friends as we pass them by and explore lanes as we have never seen them before. This pursuit has taken me back to my childhood and yes -I know what your thinking! – I have fallen off once, luckily on the edge of a field so the landing was soft and no damage done.
Everyday my confidence has grown, so now I feel proficient to ride without my first fear. What a lovely pastime to start again after all these years! how exhilarating this feeling of freedom and how I rejoice in it all, thank you for suggesting it dear Jenny, how I love this new adventure.
A Village Affair
The 34th Annual Flower and Vegetable show was held this Saturday in our village. A great bustle filled the air as the villagers took their wonderful produce to the village hall to await judgement. The eighty categories make it a fabulous affair. The hall was filled to bursting with all manner of superb vegetables with the Onion Competition displaying some of the biggest and best onions I have ever seen. Every vegetable from the common potato and carrots to the not some common kohlrabi, very popular in Germany and known as the German turnip, it dates back to the 16th century. Also on display were the marvelous victoria sponges, fruit cakes, plum breads, apple pies, jams and preserves, such wonderful jars of pickle onions and mint jellies. Mostly all the items are auctioned at the end of the day, selling at the most reasonable prices and the villagers snap up the scrumptious cakes and first class vegetables. On arriving home I made a very good leek au gratin for supper and some butternut squash and chili soup for freezing.
It has not been a very good summer this year and yet these amazing village gardeners always managed to produce the most wonderful vegetables and should be so proud of themselves when collecting their various plaques and trophies.
It is such a nice social afternoon with tea and cakes or a glass of wine for those who choose. Long may this wonderful show continue, I look forward to the 35th Flower and Vegetable show, in our really lovely little village.
"How Still – Remission" by Susie Hemingway
How still this life of ours becomes
this joyous quiet silent scene
this plateau held in time
this tableau captured in a dream,
rest here on this your island
marooned with only me
for peace is all that’s needed
to complete this tranquil dream;
my pilgrim, breath this air
your days are restful now
nothing to weigh more heavy
than my hand upon your brow;
as your friend I stand protective
wishing to clasp this pause,
as your lover I fight your corner
always asking for much more!
suspend this moment fast in time
and navigate all hurt away
this dreamlike state, this voyage this journey,
how still this perfect scene…
All Rights Reserved August 2008
HENDRICK’S Gin
Gin is something I have always been rather fond of. Not I’m happy to report in any needy way but from quite a young age it has always been my social drink of choice. Over the years I have tried many different brands, but Gordon’s London Dry Gin has always been my first love. My second choice would be Bombay Sapphire which is a really very superior gin, distilled from 100% grain and a good old 1761 recipe . I have over the years imbibed some rather odd gins ! drunk in some far flung places, when on occasions a dusty bottle with a dodgy looking label and of some throat burning liquor would appear from under the counter. Still I have always come back to my friend the very special Gordon’s. There is nothing for me quite like the clean crisp tang of juniper berries with the bitter taste of quinine from a good tonic with a slice of lime. I always prefer the bottle of gin and the tonic chilled rather than the glass filled with clinking ice yes, it has always my drink of choice. During the past year or two I have been very lucky to have received as presents some rather interesting and different gins to sample. Firstly Tanqueray which is 43.1% proof and is a real ‘hit you in the eye drink’, and I must confess rather good. Next came Pink47 at 47%, a nice clean London Dry Gin and I might add, comes in a very pretty scent shaped bottle looking like it should be on the dressing table rather the bar, but a delicious tasting gin never-the- less . THEN ! we come to HENDRICK’S at 41.4% ,this is a simply wonderfully tasting Gin! made (their words) “with a free and imaginative spirit” , it is distilled and bottled in Scotland. Could this wonderful Gin find it’s way into my heart knocking Gordon’s to second place after all these years? As they say ” It is not for everybody” that “it is a gin made oddly”. Well it uses coriander and citrus peel infused with juniper and rose petal and would you believe a hint of cucumber! I laughed when reading the label, preferred by1 out of 1000, which as they say “is fine by us, not easy making this stuff ” but this super gin quite took my breath away. It’s true, this fact that no other gin tastes quite like Hendrick’s, and this truth only enhances the experience but it truly does, it’s good, it’s really good! Try drinking with tonic and a slice of cucumber – simply divine. Now I ask myself, after all these years, could my long term love affair with Gordon’s be in jeopardy or even dare I say over?
Pavlova – as asked for.
This well used recipe has been used by us for as many years as I can remember.
4 egg whites ( room temperature)
8 oz’s caster sugar
1 heaped teaspoon cornflower
1 teaspoon white vinegar
Whisk egg whites until stiff. Whisk in sugar half at a time until stiff and glossy. Whisk in cornflower and vinegar.
Turn onto baking sheet ( lined with bakewell ( baking)l paper) and shape roughly and slightly hollow out centre. Bake @ 150c ( 300f/MK2) for one hour. Turn off oven and leave to cool. Do not open oven door until really cool.
When cool, gently peel back baking paper and set on pretty plate or tray and pile high with whipped double cream and decorated with your favourite fruit of the season. Simply wonderful with poured- over blackberry puree. ( made from blackberries washed well and drain and cooked gently with a little sugar and mashed through a sieve until smooth and thick.) Made with Love it always turns out well…
Larger Pavlova needed – just double the quantities
Neutropenia – an explanation
I have been asked to explain what Neutropenia is.
Neutropenia is an abnormally low number of neutrophils in the blood.
Neutrophils serve as the major defense of the body against acute bacterial and certain fungal infections. Neutrophils usually constitute about 45% to 79% of all white blood cells in the bloodstream. When the neutrophil count falls below 1,000 cells per microliter of blood the risk of infection increases somewhat, when it falls below 500 cells per microliter, the risk of infection increases greatly. Without the key defense provided by neutrophils, a person has problems controlling infections and is then at great risk. The cause of Neutropenia developing happens when neutrophils are used up or destroyed in the bloodstream faster than the bone marrow can make new ones, for example in the case of certain cancers and the use of the very strong drugs, such as those used in chemotherapy. Still there are other reasons why the bone marrow shuts down – Aplastic Anemia is one. So to sum up, people who have severe neutropenia can rapidly succumb to infections because their bodies lack the means to fight invading organisms.
I am sure I will be corrected by the very many knowledgeable readers if this is wrong in some way, but this is my understanding of Neutropenia and I hope it helps in some way.
Susie’s Lentil Soup with Creme Fraiche.
As a child our Mother used to make Lentil soup so I suppose my love of this rich delicious pleasure was laid down early on in my memory of favourite tastes. Then as an adult I made it often as a winter warmer for my family but I have never tasted one so good as the Lentil soup served at the Hilton Hotel in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi. I sneaked into the restaurant kitchen one evening after having their sensational lentil soup yet again as a starter. Of course the very nice chef was not about to give his secret recipe away but with some gentle persuading I manage to glean the little tips that make all the difference to achieving a really great lentil soup. My recipe is now as follows.
3 tablespoons of butter – Salt and black pepper.
1 large onion chopped – Juice of 1 lemon.
1 stalk of celery chopped – 3 carrots chopped.
3/4 lb lentils rinsed and soaked over night – 2 teaspoons of cumin.
3 pints of good rich meat stock – 1 beef meat bone ( optional).
Small garlic flavoured croutons.
Now either red, yellow, green or brown lentils can be used -see the two photos – I do like to soak mine overnight after rinsing well, these days the quality of lentils is so good this may not be necessary still I feel it makes a difference. Never soak your lentils in salted water as this makes the skins hard .
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan and cook the onion slowly, until soft and a golden colour. Add the celery, carrot and saute for a few minutes. Add the lentils and the meat bone ( if using) and the rich meat stock. Bring up to the boil and then turn down to simmer for at least 1 & 1/2 hours, longer if possible, gentle long slow cooking makes this soup . When the lentils are soft and cooked, season the soup with salt and black pepper. Then add your lemon and cumin, we like rather a lot of cumin but I have suggest 2 teaspoons to start, Remove the meat bone and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Allow to cool a little and then blend in an electric blender – or squash with a potato masher until a smooth puree.
Return the soup to your pan and bring gently to the boil once more and then down to a simmer – ready for serving. – I serve with a little Creme Fraiche, and some sprinkled chopped chives and we like ours rather thick, but you can adjust with a little more stock or further blending should you choose.
Serve with croutons of bread fried in olive oil, to which a clove or two of crushed garlic has been added. This soup is still a very cheap option and is great for lunch with crispy french bread or makes the perfect starter particularly on a cold winter’s evening.
Remember, cooking with love, it makes a difference you know . I do hope you enjoy it.
The Quiet American
Although released in 2002 it was nice to see this interesting film starring Michael Caine and Brenden Fraser shown on BBC1 on Tuesday evening. I do like a good spy thriller and this one set in the sweaty climes of 1950’s Vietnam with all it’s vivid tastes and smells, was a visual beauty. Caine plays a great role as Thomas Fowler a journalist for the London Times. Brilliant director Philip Noyce sets the scene well, showing the real but cloying possessive love that Fowler felt for his very beautiful fragile Vietnamese girlfriend Phung (Hai Yen). Stunning muted scenes, shot so well, give the viewer a real feel for the dissolution and somewhat shabby life Fowler lived during these trouble times. It was politically complex with a wonderful worked plot but for me the love triangle between Fowler, Pyle and Phung carried the film. Yes it’s four years old but certainly worth a watch, if you did not see it first time round.
Hamada Up-Date
Latest trip to see Hamada’s Doctor at Lincoln County Hospital shows that the Bence Jones results show a very small increase @ 0.05 which is still such a tiny reading, this is such a relief really, after the ‘scare’. The Doctor was also pleased with Hamada’s blood results all except the Absolute neutrophil count, which is still very low. So we must continue to be watchful and cautious about infections and move really fast if he succumbs to the slightest thing or even small temperature change. He is relaxed and contented after our lovely holiday. Best wishes to you all.
Francesco’s Update
Francesco da Mosto ends his fabulous series tonight as he visits to pay his respects at the war cemeteries of Gallipoli. We also see Turkey’s largest Mosque. Then finally Mosto reaches Istanbul, city founded as the centrepiece of the former Ottoman Empire having completed his voyage. I shall feel a little sad as we leave the beautiful schooner the Black Swan and even sadder to end this wonderful enchanting series. A series that has shown us such special Mediterranean places. Please ‘Auntie Beeb’ can we have some more, or even some re-runs of his first series.
You can buy a copy in hardback of “Francesco’s Mediterranean Voyage” from www.amazon.co.uk released 18th August, I managed to get a brand new copy for £10 by scrolling down through new and used. It is beautifully illustrated throughout and a must for fans of Francesco everywhere.