Well, wouldn’t you know it, I had lots of photos to add to this newsletter and the computer has very suddenly refused to download – or is it upload ?! – photographs !! I particularly wanted you to see the photo taken at our Book Sale committee meeting last week; it was held at Colin’s house (Colin being the husband of our dear friend Amanda who died last year). Colin always does us proud as you would have seen from the plates of white chocolate millionaire’s shortbread and billionaire’s shortbread chocolate tarts – all home made by himself. Come along to the next Book Sale to see for yourself how delicious they are ! You would also have seen a bottle (or two) of fizz on the table as it was Colin’s birthday. We may not have had virginal white notepads or freshly sharpened pencils but the important stuff was there !!
Book Sale (March 17th), can I say now how much I hate (oops, 2018 my ‘Tolerance Year’), how much I dislike celebrity chefs and their huge tomes ? I think they design their books to be as big and cumbersome as their egos, they don’t think about the poor sods who have to lug them about and anyway they are so big as to be totally useless on a kitchen worktop unless you have a three ton weight handy to keep the pages open. St. Delia, of course I do not include you in this criticism, your books are a sensible size and the only ones who contain recipes you can actually rely on. I may have said this before but in my opinion any recipe that contains more than six ingredients, includes gelatine and/or a bain-marie should be illegal !
That said, we are now actively collecting books ready for the St. Patrick’s Day sale so please do contact me if you have books/dvds to donate. Again, please keep in mind that books should be clean and in good condition. Thank you in advance.
Last week it actually stopped raining for one day and Ernst suddenly went crazy in the garden, cleaning drains and gutters and cutting back ‘stuff’. We have a very tall dead tree in front of our kitchen which he has been saying he will cut down for quite a few years now. Well we got closer to that day, he actually cut out all the dead Box surrounding the tree (with me helpfully shouting “not that bit that’s lilac” as he went round. I did suggest that he gets mates round to help take the tree down but he assures me he can do it himself. Hmm, I replied that I had no desire to move back in to the mobile home because the tree had fallen through the kitchen roof but if he did kill himself in the process (I know of too many people ending their days by falling out of trees) at least I’d have enough wood to build the coffin ! Watch this space !!
Dog News: So sorry to say we were unable to help Archibald in time and he is now barking with the angels. Our ‘special needs’ dog Rita – have I told you about her before ? – continues to keep us on our toes. She is a very elderly Brittany Spaniel adopted from Cahors, who is like a mentally and physically backward child. I have yet to find out what she actually likes to eat as she tips over her dish then tries to eat that ! If I open the oven she will try to jump in and trying to get at the plates in the dishwasher is another pleasure. She is totally deaf and will cross her paws whilst outside preferring to come and pee/poo in the kitchen. But I love her.
Last week a couple turned up asking me if I would take their parent’s seven year old Pinscher as the old folk had gone in to a retirement home and no-one in the family wanted the poor little dog. Seven years I thought, ok should be able to rehome him to a lovely elderly lady. They brought Kiki round on Sunday and when I looked at the paperwork I discovered he is in fact 13 years old ! As it was the daughter-in-law who had bought the dog for the parents I fail to see how she could have thought it was just seven years ago ! Anyway, now poor little Kiki – a feisty little beggar – has taken poor Lulu’s place in my bedroom.
Finally a tale to warm the heart. There has been a skinny hunting dog roaming in a local village for over a year now, being sort of cared for by the villagers. An English family made friends with him whilst they were here on holiday and asked me if it was possible for them to adopt him. Oscar used to come and go to the village and an friend of mine who lives there made friends with him and invited him in for ‘playdates’ with her dog, but would Oscar be caught ? Not likely ! However, to cut a long story short, the refuge at Cahors managed to catch him and in just a few weeks he will be on his way to a very excited Stoner family !
As for us, we have PUPPIES ! Just as soon as my computer sorts itself out I’ll get photos on for you, but do ask if you would like one. The most friendly is a little brown and white chap with ears the colour of Dairy Milk, hmm wonder if that is why I am drawn to him …….!
Sue xxx