Domesticali

Plans gone astray

We had a play date planned for today called off at the last moment. Don't you just hate it when that happens? Two small disappointed boys and one whole day to fill. My stomach lurched. But actually, it's turned out to be a great one. Mostly, I think, because I read this post from Molly and decided to enjoy the small things instead of feeling irritable about what should have been.

The shift in perspective that I get from my blog reading is one of the reasons why I feel that time spent keeping up with so many lovely blogs is worth it. Some days, I am feeling glum or grumpy or uninspired and then I read a post which tuns everything on it's head and off I go, grateful for the prod in the right direction.

So, we cracked open the Teifoc kits that have been knocking around. They are small clay bricks which come with cement and blueprints for aspiring bricklayers.

Top fun (if you can get over the slightly stinky cement they come with).  We made a stable and a mid century modern chicken coop. No mean feat considering one of us was holding his nose the whole way through.

And then we went out on our bikes to forage for the late summer goodness from the fields behind us.

And made a blackberry and apple crumble.

And when the boys announced it had been the best day ever, I smiled and thought about the leg up from Molly - someone I have never met, but who made our day so much sweeter.

A little bird told me

More specifically, a little paper bird. And the message came in the form of a book - one that Sarah made and that I now treasure:

I lack the vocabulary to describe it's construction. But I have, in spades, the ability to admire the craftsmanship and artistry in the finished product. 

I think she sent it to me in a bid to stop me from stalking her. Because I have to confess that I have been harbouring a slight obsession with bookbinding for a while. It made me ask for this last Christmas:

And have a go at making and altering some of my own:
1. Stab stitch book, 2. Accordion book, 3. Altered book, 4. Notebook2

And now, I've enrolled in a little course in September. Not that I'm expecting to learn a tenth of the skills of Sarah, or develop a smidgen of her artistry. But it's a beginning. And I've always felt September to be a natural point for starting to learn something new.

What will you be trying?

 

 

The Food meme

Stole this from Blackbird - that girl does all the best memes. Please feel free to join in.

1)Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you have eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at Very Good Taste linking to your results.

1. Venison - have a great recipe for venison stew with chestnuts. But please note, when the kids ask what's for dinner, under no circumstances should you reply 'Bambi'.
2. Nettle tea - when I was pregnant - it's meant to contain folic acid. But it smells like cat pee.
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare - a memorable meal at the Swiss Centre when I was about 13. I went for a day out by a friend of my mother's - she took me to Harrods and bought me bronzer. Funny how these things lodge in your memory.
5. Crocodile - in a Northumberlad pub. I was so disappointed that it wasn't more exciting.
6. Black pudding - I LOVE black pudding. You can make it into hamburgers with minced pork which are scrummy.
7. Cheese fondue - I am a child of the 70's. Need i say more?
8. Carp - I don't think so. But if Mark's goldfish continues to grow, we may well have to.
9. Borscht - it's great for half a bowlful. Then it makes me want to gag.
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari - for lunch today, co-incidentally.
12. Pho - this is the noise the boys make when I slip something they don't like into their innocent little mouths.
13. PB&J sandwich - comfort food.
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart - well, a football stadium. At one of those stalls where the onions have been frying for about a million years and you can smell them on your jacket for days afterwards.
16. Epoisses - had to look this one up. I'm evidently not very cheese literate.
17. Black truffle - shaved over something or other. Can't see what all the fuss is about, personally.
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes - oh, my teenage years come flooding back. Illegally purchased fruit wine, drunk from the bottle behind one bush or another. Very naughty, but not at all nice.
19. Steamed pork buns - oh yes. Often. We used to go to Chinatown in Yokohama on Sundays when the shops have mobile carts of these outside. The scent on the air made me drool like Pavlov's dogs. I have a six pack in the freezer I think - must liberate them.
20. Pistachio ice cream - a must on any trip to France. Not commonly available in our neck of the woods.
21. Heirloom tomatoes - the weirder the better. I love the stripey ones - mainly for their looks.
22. Fresh wild berries - we're hardened blackberry foragers.
23. Foie gras - it's just pate really, when all's said and done.
24. Rice and beans - yeah, with ribs. My Mum makes a great version.
25. Brawn, or head cheese - if you called it head cheese, I wouldn't have. But I actually really like it. My Mother can make this too, but I never paid close attention as to how (probably no bad thing).
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper - no, I value the surface of my tongue too much. A little in something else is fine. Raw and solo is just a bit silly.
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters - love 'em.
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda - Always thought this sounded fantastic though.
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl - in Boston. At great long communal table with red checked tablecloths and a bib. I make my own, but it's not as good.
33. Salted lassi - I'm not big on yoghurty drinks.
34. Sauerkraut - like it lots. Especially with German sausages.
35. Root beer float - yes, but too sweet for my grown-up self.
36. Cognac with a fat cigar - not going to happen in this lifetime.
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O - we made this in my student flat. So much vodka in it, we were forced to slurp it through straws from the dish because it wouldn't set. I seem to recall it was green, but I could be wrong...
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail - when BSE was rife and on the bone beef was not sold in the UK, my mother would obtain illicit supplies from the back door at the Butcher's.
41. Curried goat - yes, from a Carribean Restaurant in Oxford. There were no prices on the menu, the owner charged you what he thought you could afford to pay. We were students and dressed down. Dinner was always a bargain.
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal - it's not food, it's posturing.
44. Goat’s milk - yup, straight from a goat and still warm.
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more - My Dad's. He's a fan.
46. Fugu - it's terribly expensive to eat Fugu in Japan. So I didn't. Not 'cause I was a scaredy cat. Honest.
47. Chicken tikka masala - It's practicaly our national dish in the UK
48. Eel - Jellied. Not very nice. Unagi (Japanese). Very nice.
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut - would you believe I'm a Krispy Kreme Virgin? I've been tempted, but not fallen (yet).
50. Sea urchin - In Japan, as sushi. Uni - tastes good.
51. Prickly pear - no, but I know how to pick one.
52. Umeboshi - gosh, there are a lot of Japanese foods in this list. Yes, frequently.
53. Abalone - nope.
54. Paneer - another cheezy no.
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle - a big camping trip through Germany fuelled mainly by spaetzle.
57. Dirty gin martini - what is dirty gin?  I'm more of a Gordon's girl. My party trick used to be to identify gins by nose alone. Gordon's for everyday, Bombay Sapphire for best.
58. Beer above 8% ABV - I honestly have not the foggiest idea what the %ABV of any beer I've ever drunk is.  But given that I am a serious beer fan, I'm going to say yes.
59. Poutine - I've never encountered this in real life. Thankfully.
60. Carob chips - why use fake when you can eat the real thing?
61. S’mores - no! Outrageous. Must remedy this.
62. Sweetbreads - they didn't do much for me.
63. Kaolin - clay? Are you kidding? Of course I haven't eaten it. Or coal, or my car or any other things that aren't food.
64. Currywurst - can't say I'm queuing up to sample this one.
65. Durian - I don't think it smells so bad.
66. Frogs’ legs - no, but only because the opportunity has never arisen.
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis - I used to live just down the road from the Macsweens factory in Edinburgh. I love haggis. Even more, I love haggis bubble and squeak with the leftovers the next day. I'm even partial to the veggie version.
69. Fried plantain - my babysitter used to make plantain chips. Yum yum.
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette - I've eaten intestines as Japanes street food (yummy), but I'm not sure if this is the same.
71. Gazpacho - yum.
72. Caviar and blini - only the cheap stuff, sadly.
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost - no. Cheese illiterate, I tell you.
75. Roadkill - Not knowingly. But then you never know if a host is being thrifty do you?
76. Baijiu - no. Sounds like rocket fuel.
77. Hostess Fruit Pie - I read so much about these in my Caspar and Richie Rich comics as a child, but I have never eaten one. Or a Twinkie. I feel deprived.
78. Snail - I like snails a lot - they're a great vehicle for garlic butter.
79. Lapsang souchong - yes, but it's not my favourite.
80. Bellini - not nearly enough though.
81. Tom yum - Thailand's best cold remedy. Gets all bunged up stuffiness flowing.
82. Eggs Benedict - for me, the Hollandaise  is a step too far. Muffin ham and poached egg is better.
83. Pocky - all hail the Pocky. Preferably the almond version.
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant. How much would I like to though. Perhaps The Fat Duck.
85. Kobe beef - everything you've heard and more.
86. Hare - aren't they a protected species?
87. Goulash - oh yes. I have a source of very good smoked paprika.
88. Flowers - they look better than they taste don't they?
89. Horse - yes and it was gorgeous. Sorry.
90. Criollo chocolate - I plan on tasting many more types of chocolate before I'm done.
91. Spam - yes, but not with any pleasure. Mark keeps asking me to buy it in the supermarket. And Smash. Bleurgh.
92. Soft shell crab - one to taste still.
93. Rose harissa - my Dad makes a great couscous dish and I'm sure this is what he uses.
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor - this used to be Sunday night dinner at a beachside restaurant when we lived in Tonga. We ate it so often, I actually got a bit fed up with it. How's that for spoiled?
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake - I'd rather eat it than have it as a pet.

Amazing how many specific food memories that dredged up for me - very vivid ones too. I am fairly adventurous and largely un-fussy when it comes to food (and reasonably un-squeamish too). Though I think the photo of that Poutine is going to give me nightmares.

The Remains of the Day

No matter how pretty the remains look,

I can't help but feel a little sad when a good day is over.

The simple pleasure of spending time with friends. Much chatter and laughter. And eating.

Again soon hopefully. Because I can't wait to try this out.

Plus ça change

We got on the train this morning and travelled to London, and nineteen years back in time.

Back to school and a room-mate who I haven't seen since the day we left. Life and oceans got in the way. But as we stood today and watched our collective offspring splashing in the water, it dawned on me that it didn't much matter.

In spite of my best efforts to capture it, the summer is slipping past. Thoughts begin to turn to the start of the new school year. My soon to be silent playroom. And all I can hope is that, as in my friendship, the time invested in those years I spent at home with the boys means the hours between 8.50 and 3.15 won't matter too much.

The gadget trials

Today's conundrum - are those exceptionally large raspberries, or ridiculously small cupcakes?
And they survived the trip to the park for a picnic too - all hail the cup-a-cake.

Better

Oh the joy of full speed internet connection.  All the easier to make apologies for my appalling lack of comment replying and blog commenting over the past couple of weeks. How rude of me.  It would  probably have been better to take an oh-so-self-controlled break from blogging altogether, but I couldn't do it. The mere thought of it makes my fingers go all twitchy.

So, sorry about that, but I promise to do better, right after I wade through the laundry mountain. And tackle the decimation in the garden. The veg patch has an air of the apocalypse about it. While we were gone, the snails were clearly having an Italian Special Week and totally decimated my cavolo nero. And I'm not exaggerating. Look.

Not according to plan

You know I'm a planner - it can be a bit of a struggle when things don't turn out as I'd envisaged. Like weather for example. I think our family excursions have been cursed this year. Camping trip one - biggest snow dump of the year - in April. Camping trip two - abandoned a day early as site gets flooded after 24 hous of solid rain. Cornish idyll this week - well, the picture speaks for itself.

It's August.

On the bright side, the boys are becoming quite accomplished at Table Tennis. And Table Football. And Pool. Do you see an indoor theme emerging? And the fact that *someone* forgot the big camera is less of a disaster than it might otherwise have been.

Oh, and the internet connection is pants. And it refuses to believe I am over 18 and won't let me access 'questionable' sites (like Flickr).  Yours in grumpyness...

Giving them the world

When the spur-of-the-moment decision to head off to New York hit, there were a number of balls that I knew I was going to have to drop in order to make it. But one promise I was unwilling to renege on, was the assurance to Mark that I would repaint his bedroom ready for when he returned from his trip to visit his grandparents.

Hence three days of manic paper stripping, priming and painting activity. I will never ever again apply a frieze with wallpaper paste. It was an absolute sod to get off the walls and removed several chunks of paint right down to the plaster. But it's one of those projects that once you've begun, there is no choice but to see it through.

And we did get it finished in time for me to catch my flight (just). Though the finishing touches like new bedlinen, and an art display peg rail, have yet to be tackled
The whole thing sprang out of the amazing Ikea map on canvas that I fell in love with and which fits the alcove of his bed perfectly. I'm thinking pale blue chambray bed linen. And I think his curtains are due a re-vamp too. I made them from denim as a stop gap measure when he first moved into this room. I still like the denim, but I'm thinking the gingham panel doesn't sit very well in there now.

But my favourite thing in there by a long way, is the Habitat pendant light. It's made of resin and when the light shines through it, It's a 3D replica of the moon.

Who says we can't give our children the world (and more). Even if it does almost kill us in the process.

And the biggest miracle of all, is that he's actually making the effort to keep it tidy. Yee ha! But I doubt it'll last.

A New York frame of mind

Some random thoughts on one incredible trip...

Thank you so much for all your great recommendations. They really smoothed the planning element of an extremely last minute trip.

Many things about New York are iconic.

I was very tickled to be walking through streets and spotting landmarks familiar to me from a book or a film. My version of breakfast at Tiffany's -

Sadly, having being spoiled by my big camera, our ancient point and shoot just doesn't cut it. But then, it is almost impossible to take a bad photo of the Chrysler building.

Shopping... let's just say, I have a lot of stuff I need to find space for. Things I wasn't even aware I needed, until I saw them.

Luckily I also have just the magazine to help:

Buying linen for a price in dollars which you would need to pay in pounds back in Blighty is insanely gratifying. But 10 yards of linen weighs a lot. And is very sweaty to lug around in a plastic bag. And that wasn't the only heavy shopping, because the craft books in Kinokuniya are difficult to resist too.

Anthropologie really was everything everyone makes it out to be.

And they are with Alice on the white only cupcake case thing. Their shop dressing is stupendous.

Seeing the lights come on over Manhattan from 70 floors up was a special thing. But when all's said and done, I'm not really a big city girl. The hotel room was on the 11th floor, but there was still so much above us. Impressive, undoubtedly...

 

but it was the smaller, more open, more domestic scale spaces which appealed to me.

Perhaps I'm just more of a home bird than I thought. It was good to get back and see what the short people had been up to.

And hubby says hi! After his guest post, he now gets part of the appeal of blogging "They were nice to me!".

So long New York, and thank you - perhaps this time,  I shan't leave it 32 years between visits.

But my credit card needs a while to recover. Ditto my feet.

 

Hubby in the North

My first ever guest post...

I've had a difficult time with cars in the last week. Mine died, which in is not necessarily a bad thing as I now have a new Mini on order and a big smile on my face. Ali is in New York as a result of this mechanical misfortune, I suspect happily abusing the credit card. So all was good until with impeccable timing Ali's car sprang a leak a couple of days ago. Actually that turned out to be OK too - you can imagine the suspense/adventure of us boys making a long journey checking a new radiator for water leaks. We also found out our local mechanic's approved way of telling if a leak's from the radiator (the coolant tastes bitter). Hope you never need to know that! Anyway, Johnny talked for 5 hours without once pausing for breath, but fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow so I can't complain.

We went rowing this morning - as you can see Mark took it very seriously.