Sunday, October 2, 2011

Bread, Cheese, Chocolate and Wine - NOT

Autumn blooms on the Broom - with small snail
Sunday
We have a few weeks now before any more visitors so this is the ideal opportunity to resume my diet. I am not going to reveal my present weight but if all goes well I may tell you how much I have lost at the end of each week. If you hear nothing further you will gather that I have lost the battle rather than the pounds.


I made several jars of quince preserve today including one of jelly. I used the steriliser as well and all seems fine. The only problem is, who is going to eat it?


Monday - Spent some time weeding the boules piste again. This job is a bit like painting the Forth Bridge - when I get to one end a fine crop of new weeds is sprouting at the other. And when are we going to play boules?


Tuesday Ha! Axel turned up today - as arranged to finish the job on the chimney. All done and dusted by supper time - no excuse now for me not getting on with decorating the kitchen.


Wednesday- Into Aurillac today as I need to buy a birthday present for a certain little boy in New Zealand. I usually do the shopping online and have it sent directly from the shop but I have been unable to find what I am looking for in New Zealand. After watching Ben, Alfie and Ollie play with the LEGO Heroes I decided that these were the things to get.
I have downloaded 'The Hour' and we have been watching it but I failed to get episodes 4 and 6. Can anyone help? We are desperate but we could wait until we get back home to the UK.


Got some more fungus pictures today but it is very tricky identifying them.
What's been eating this one?


Thursday
Market today. Then I got out the patchwork which I need to finish off. Sewing the squares together now.
Jim is progressing with the terrace extension. A lizard came looking for his wall and water hole - both have gone - we shall have to make provision for our little friends. This is the smallest lizard I have seen - a little over 2 inches including his tail.




Friday
Beautiful day today but I have spent most of it indoors. It's the end of the month so book keeping, salaries and banking were done in the morning. After lunch I started the apple jelly and did some patchwork.
I am making Chilli Apple Jelly and here is the dripping stage:

I am not sure what it is going to taste like and I used the russet type apples that we have here. They are too tart to eat raw.
While I was doing these two activities I was watching "The Great British Bake Off' which I had downloaded onto the computer. I have never bothered with this program before and it's not the kind of thing to watch when you are on a diet. Still, it gave me some inspiration for a few different cakes.


During walking the dog I found another specimen of the Octopus Stinkhorn fungus and another interesting one which I need to try and identify.

Pestle Puffball (Lycoperdon excipuliforme)
I also found what was nibbling a toadstool that I found on Tuesday:


Saturday
Finished making the Chilli Apple Jelly after leaving it to drip all night. Tastes rather nice. The bits in it are the chilli flakes.


Weeded and watered the gite border and tubs. Everything is looking rather dry and bedraggled. We do need some rain but I am not asking for it just yet.


We went to a performance of a version of the opera Carmen  (Une Carmen Arabo-andalouse) in Figeac. 
As the title suggests the story was set in Arabia and had been altered slightly. It was good and we enjoyed it. The theatre was packed out. The staging was 'in the round' with little or no scenery and the costumes were excellent. All in French, of course.


Note: My iPhone is now fully functional and the number now is:
07976 462 414 - you may call me but remember no signal at the Moulin.



1 comment:

  1. Ah well you'll just have to live on Walnuts and your extra pounds may just be the body's defence against a hard winter. By the way are you sure that pink rhubarb thing is a fungus? It looks to be if it could be a triffid. They don't normally germinate in hot climes but I'd watch it very carefully and chop it down if it grows higher than a metre. It may be benign but you never know......

    Look forward to sampling the quince jelly. I believe it goes well with mince; but have you a runcible spoon?

    Perfect weather here. Warmest it has been all summer. Real breakfast outside weather.

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