Time to build an Ark...? or Keeping it regular...

View the original blog here
http://toulousearlydays.blogspot.com/

Two days of pretty constant rain, floods further south and I am very glad to live on the side of a hill, the river at the end of the garden is now a river, rather than the trickle of a stream that is normally there.


Well it has been a while since any new posts here, very slack of me, but sometimes you just cant think what to write that would be in the least bit interesting to anyone else!



So the last bit of fun last week was making some Fig jam... having two fig trees/bushes that are literally dripping with figs means I have spent an inordinate amount of time on the internet researching ways of using them. Last weekend collected about 2.5 kilos of green figs, the purple ones were not quite ready.


Took about 1k and dried them in the oven - 12 hours... - and then took the other 1.5k and made fig jam/conserve - and it came out brilliantly - if I say so myself... certainly was appreciated at work when I took a couple of jars in for my colleagues.





I was hoping to get some more in this weekend, however the weather has beaten me to it and I will have to try during the week if the rain stops...






Have spent a good amount of time downloading a complete website onto the pc so I can do some editing, previously only had it on the laptop and was getting a little like hardwork trying to work on the small screen.





Hopefully going to be able to get the site updated and fully functional in the next week or so, along with editing some video, putting together a newsletter not a lot to do really...





Will try and do regular posts on here and keep things up to date.

Time to figure it out

View the original blog here
http://toulousearlydays.blogspot.com/

Been a while since I updated this, and might have some pics to upload later, after todays 3 hour yomp.

Anyway, went back to the UK for a weekend, and what a great weekend it was. Friday got back in the afternoon and tried out the new recipe for Yorkshire puddings at Sal's - Wow! does that work or what, all done on volume - take a cup (measure or actual cup) and fill with flour, then with eggs, then with milk and whisk - it looks a lot thinner than I would normally have done, but my god do they rise!
Had a great evening with Sal, Al, Steve and Angie and a great joint of beef, rosties, butternut squash, yorkshires and gravy, followed by a fantastic apple and fresh blackberry crumble and custard - or cream and custard if you are Al - then a great smelly selection of cheeses from France.

Saturday, was out and about in Chesham, Wycombe, Berkhamsted and Northchurch... Nice coffee and lunch in Wycombe with friends, then later a beer in Northchurch at the George and Dragon. Saturday evening was Matt and Teresas "UK" reception, great to catch up with friends and people I haven't seen for almost a year... great beer - thanks Matt - great company thanks to everyone...

Sunday... Cricket, in the beautiful english countryside in the beautiful warm english summer, with a picnic and good company - that would be the ideal...

Sunday... Cricket, in the beautiful english countryside, however, the weather... cold, spots of rain, really cold... Picnic, sweaters, raincoats, fleeces, and did I mention it was COLD... watched the first innings outside, but admitted defeat and retreated to the clubhouse for the second innings, at least it was out the wind and warm...

The day itself was great fun, and the music from the crown was great - chill rock, floydesque all really good - went slightly downhill with the screeching - singing(?) - girl but on the whole really good afternoon.

Come Monday and I didnt really want to return to France, all very strange and somewhat confusing for the mind to be honest, but back I came and back to the semi grindstone of work, still quiet as not everyone back from their holidays.

Strange week to say the least and the weekend has been spent cleaning, mopping and finaly sorting out the office/study on Saturday - Sunday went out for a 3 hour walk around the forest, took some pictures, but suprisingly little wildlife on show - also failed to find the lake - it's a lake how can you miss it!!!! Checked the map at the base and could see where I went wrong - pretty much on the wrong direction - better luck next week maybe...

Finally after making a great dinner of Entrecote, roasties and some yorkshires I didn't quite wrap the cloth all the way around the handle of the cast iron pan out the oven and have branded myself! A very shiny sore patch on the palm of the left hand, and after an hour of ice still throbs like someone has a small iron pressed onto it.

Oh well, that's life and things go on, so onwards and upwards and hoping that things continue to improve.

Note to self - No Bakewell! To be rectified next visit...!