A New Man Shares ( in a very real and caring sense)

This alleged masculine ineptitude at the multi-tasking thing for which we regularly receive grief is, in my opinion, a total pile of ordure.

Knocked my pan out today. Family celebration and I was designated cook. An Italian theme. Per cominciare, bruschetta. My twist was to use cold-pressed Scottish rape seed oil and French bread. In retrospect, probably not the best twist ever but my Jock blood demands that I push the boundaries. The toppings which I prepared were, in my opinion, topping. Continue reading “A New Man Shares ( in a very real and caring sense)”

Ruminations on a Rainy Day.

Be of good cheer, misery loves company, most of America is having some pretty foul weather too.  At least ours locally is only rain, which regrettably never seems to stop or hasn’t for about two weeks.  So gardening in abeyance, the greenhouse is up to date, cleaned, furbished and all planted up for the summer.  We have had lots of showings for the house and have had to keep it in an unnatural state of cleanliness.  The dogs have been issues with slippers and spousal unit chained to the vacuum cleaner.  (My tendinitis conveniently precludes me thankfully from operating said creature. I remain queen of the dishwasher and washing machine which only need button pushing!)

So, there is bugger all to do except crafts.

Continue reading “Ruminations on a Rainy Day.”

A Great End to the Jubilee Weekend

I was absolutely delighted to have the day off work today to be able to watch the climax to a weekend of celebrations live.

Despite the dreadful weather, the whole thing passed off really well. I was delighted to see that my nation rose to the occasion and did what we always used to do so well. Concentrated on our strengths. Continue reading “A Great End to the Jubilee Weekend”

It Just Will Not Do!

Oh my God I feel quite ill!

I have just read in the paper that the poor Duchess of Cambridge has committed, at least in my book, a hideous faux pas in fashion.  She has, I hope inadvertently, turned up to the Jubilee pageant dressed in clothing already worn in public by Kim Kardashian and some other ghastly TV tart.

It is all very well being economical and wearing off the peg to private dos but quite another matter turning up to State bashes in the same rag as some cheap whore.  Enough already!  The young lady should be made to accept a stylist/dresser who would keep this kind of thing from happening.  Fancy Alexander McQueen even selling it to her without a warning!!  Talk about commercial suicide.  How on earth could it happen?

Any decent dress shop, let alone pret a porter or designers make it their business to know who exactly buys any dress, they keep exact records with computers nowadays a mere touch of the button even on different continents would have been able to advise them to advise her not to wipe the floor with it!!!!

Please God she retreats to haute couture for important public occasions.  If necessary HMQ should write her a cheque for a decent dress allowance!  After all, no pockets in a shroud.

Apart from that, the BBC seemed to make a total balls up of televising the pageant.  Instead of decent shots of the boats and a few commentators who knew their way around water craft we were treated to the same old, same old inanity from silly females who twittered, flannelled, billed and cooed to various nonentities about absolutely nothing at all of any relevance.  How do these bitches get these jobs?  Not on competency that’s for sure!  CNN were even worse and had the temerity to interrupt the whole proceedings with advertisements rendering the whole thing unwatchable.  So, not a good morning at all!  A splendid occasion wrecked, as usual these days, by the BB bloodyC. (And that bloody dress!)

Le Puy en Velay

Le Puy is in the Auvergne, an area best known for its volcanic plugs often surmounted by a small chapel or religious statue.  Unfortunately when we visited last week, the closest one was surrounded by scaffolding and not open to visitors.  Le Puy is also renowned for its lentils – or lintels, according to Baedeker.  There are certainly some very interesting buildings in the old town which is quite unspoiled.

The local lentils even have their own “appellation controlee”
Continue reading “Le Puy en Velay”