The Saumon aux Provence was a great success. Moist and full of flavour.The picture was prior to oven and although not compulsory, the two little dabs of butter contributed to the tender/juicy texture when cooked.
The fish was accompanied by some Jamie Oliver type potato- disks cooked on a flat baking tray, mange-tout peas and a jug of white sauce.
The profiteroles and cream were a hit too.
Picture 2 is of TJ's bag. Rather witty in my opinion.
We were up early again but had a relaxed start with the papers and I had a nice chat to David about this and that.
Wasn't it strange (see his yesterday's comment) that both he and I had plucked the number 435 'out-of-the-air' to indicate a large amount ?They are looking forward to sausage-fest (mk 2) on Xmas Eve. It will be super to see the kids altogether. It's a pity Debra is so far away. And Laura, Philip and Alannah are now so grown up they all have their own things to do.
David told me about using their open fire in the evenings. Lucky them in this weather - really
cosy and such a learning experience for Sky and Brooke. I told him about toasting forks and this evening, while googling for a picture for the blog, I came across this diagram showing how to make one.The one illustrated is a little fancy. Ours at home didn 't have the ornate bits sticking out above the tines. It used to stand, propped up in the hearth, readily to hand. The taste of coal-smoked toast, burnt at the edges but lathered in butter is a potent memory. No doubt my love of toast (don't forget the butter. ed) is a consequence.
The 3rd picture is the barometer in the hall (not the one you saw earlier, that's in my loo) and I am showing it to record the enormous change in barometric pressure since yesterday when I last set the brass arrow. That's the arrow on the left at 29. The black one on the right shows the pressure as it is. After your have tapped it. Tapping barometers is an age-old custom !
TJ and Y just returned from BJ and tell me that Hannah danced very well and collected top marks. She was on last and my reporters ( not at all biased ) said she was clearly the best !
Comments ......Jill ....... We are together re Strictly then. I thought Tom and Camilla were definitely best on the night. Soon we shall know the result. My only criticism of him is that his 'head position' looks too stylised and artificial. We shall see !
Y is very taken with the 'Norse Morse' series, and programmes about it. She told me how good last night's documentary had been.
David ..... Please see above.
bungus...... Perhaps it was my sepia rendition of the Slab Square picture that was reminiscent of Butch Cassidy. I agree with you.
I think the WoW people are aware of The Rocking Horse and David's work. Certainly Reg and 4 ticks are habituées. If we decide to 'chip-cob' in the Eastwood area, it is usually at The Nelson and Railway where they are always first class.
If you decide on a sortie to Carrington Street Lidl please let me know and we would join you for an hour. Maybe take you for lunch at The Old Spot at Daybook, where you could rejoin your bus for the journey home.
Helen ...... Yes indeed. Our village is a little notorious for having a BNP councillor. But, I understand, she is now ex-BNP.
4 ticks ....... I fully understand your wishes for the burglar's 'gastrics' but I feel your excellent cholcolate cake , though a few days old, would be an unlikely cause.
Good for you ! Putting grumpy bungus in his place about Xmas decorations. I always love Y's Xmas Tree and the more lametta the better.
Roy ....... The bomb is innocent ! The 'runs' and the 'trots' are indistinguishable. But almost completely recovered ta ! Thanks for the birding info. - whether or not I shall remember is a different matter.
I too well remember Neville King and 'Grandad'. As you say perhaps he was an East Midlands taste. Please click his name to read a useful piece.
Quotation time .........
"Don't drink and drive. Don't even putt"
Just watched the Strictly come Dancing results. Austin goes out. Click here if you are interested. Tom and Camilla were justifiably and safely in.
Sleep tight - catch you tomorrow
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I am sure the butter made a big difference to the salmon. I DO like butter.
ReplyDeleteAnd I like the bag.
Strange indeed.
And even stranger that 435BC and 435AD are such significant dates in history.
We feel surprised (and flattered) that Alex (at 18) wants to spend both Xmas Day and Boxing Day at our house!
Our wire toasting fork ‘at home’ didn’t have fancy bits but it was telescopic (ie, extendible; you couldn’t see ships, or Martians, through it) so that it took longer to burn your hands.
Not just THICK toast, but pikelets too (now called crumpets).
Hence the old expression ‘tapped as a barometer’.
It probably was the sepia. It is very nostalgic (way before my time of course).
If I do decide to brave the bus to Carrington Street Lidl I will indeed let you know.
No ‘lametta’ in my dictionary but there is ‘lamella’ which is/are fish scales so perhaps glitter?.
I like the decorations OUTSIDE in the street where they are not grabbing at me all the time.
Tha’sh ma boy.
‘When the sun hits the sky,
Like a big piece of pie,
That’s amore.’
4TICKS:
I should think losing the slice of cake is the least of your worries. I hope they did not leave too many crumbs. I wish I could offer some of comfort.
My mother was in her 80s, alone, and extremely distressed by the attempted intrusion. Thereafter she wedged her bedroom door shut (except on the night she died when she also left the front door unlocked).
As for Xmas, I repeat, Humbug!!!
Roy;
I’d think I was turning into one of your gulls except the black spots are IN FRONT of MY eyes.
Neville King it was indeed.
I believe that his father may also have been a vent, even more famous, who once startled a moving busload of passengers by lifting up a hatch in the floor and conversing with a supposed hitcher riding underneath (I looked on the internet but could not find Neville in spite of remembering his surname).
Neville is a sociable fellow who, like the bassist/vocalist I mentioned, also worked the cruise ships, where I believe he met his pleasant and glamorous younger blonde wife. He was living near Radcliffe (where Vince Eager also lives) a few years ago but may have moved abroad as he hasn’t been seen at the Legion lately.
I first saw him at the Ollerton & Bevercotes Miners’ Welfare (the Palladium of the North) as I did Charlie Williams before either of them became ‘famous’.
Jill:
I watched the repeat of ‘Who is Kurt Wallander’ tonight on BBC4. I would not expect you to have noticed that the presenter was Nottingham poet, novelist and script writer Jon Harvey (creator of the detective Resnick, also adapted by the author for TV).
I met him briefly when he came to talk to The Shirebrook & District Writers’ Group about his Poetry Magazine ‘Slow Dancer’ and again when Graham and I went on a writing weekend at Eaton Hall, Notts, where he was second tutor to Jack Trevor Story (the hard drinking, cantankerous, foul-mouthed and extremely amusing author of ‘The Trouble with Harry’ adapted for the screen by Hitchcock and starring Cary Grant) who died not long afterwards.
As for the documentary, I found the pictures distracted me from the commentary, leading me into flights of fancy. But I found it interesting and shall try to catch it again if there is a further repeat.
Tracy's bag is a work of art - made in Far east? China?
ReplyDeleteThe salmon looked good too, like Bungus I like butter on practically everything. G. whose profiteroles did you use? - I looked at the Waitrose ones today - the choc. sauce which comes separately didn't look dark enough for my taste.
We had a toasting fork too, no twirly bits, it was really only used in the kitchen in front of the kitchen range - next to the ovens there was a door in front of the fiery furnace, and you could open that with a hooky thing and sit in front of it and slowly cook, or make toast, which we did.
Bungus, I knew the name Jon Harvey and knew he had written detective stories, but couldn't have told you which ones, or that he was a Notts. lad.
We don't decorate the house at Xmas, now the children etc. have stopped coming here, we go to their houses which are all highly decorated.....we just have the cards up and sometimes I light some candles....
G, I have a bowl of blue hyacinths which smell gorgeous - and some white ones on the landing which also smell, but far less strongly, a much more delicate fragrance.