Jun 18
While on our honeymoon in South Africa we went to visit the Cape of Good Hope, the most south-westerly point on the continent. In many ways it reminded me of the wilds of South West Ireland – parts of west Cork & Kerry look quite similar. With the glaring exception of the baboons, that is. We came back from our walk to find this guy resting on a car, taking in the view. Baboons can be quite vicious – I’m glad it wasn’t our car! Read more
Ok, so I’m knackered. My muscles ache, my leg is bruised, my fingernails are filthy and my hair is inexplicable. I really need to spend half an hour standing under a steady stream of hot water. Alas, our shower does not allow for such luxuries. For a start, it takes about three hours to heat the water. You then get about five minutes at a soft trickle before the water starts to run cold. Unless you move at lightning speed you will still be covered in suds by the time the hot water runs out, leaving you to dance about the bath as you do the final rinse with cold water. Read more
It appears I have been mollycoddling my cock. I need to treat it a bit more roughly, apparently. To keep it in its place. Easier said than done. My cock woes began the day the fucker arrived. (Sorry, but my thesaurus had no replacements for “fucker”.) He escaped from the run and Arūnas had to wrestle the poor dog to stop him from killing him. In retrospect we should have just let it play out. We spent the next half an hour running round after him like eejits, eventually getting him back, tailless but otherwise intact, into the run. Read more
This ice cream is a cinch. An absolutely cinch. No cooking, no cooling, no churning, no icy lumps. It’s in the freezer within 15 minutes and ready to eat just two hours later. It’s incredibly soft and creamy while being rich and decadent from the dark chocolate. And all that with just four simple ingredients. This is a win-win ice cream. Read more
If looks could kill. I spotted this cat peering into some long grass, about to pounce on an unsuspecting mouse or frog. I tried to sneak a photo but she heard the shutter and spun round to give me her best cat glare. There was such evil in those eyes I actually felt happy for the mouse! Read more
Friday night is movie night here in our house. During the week we each tend to do our own thing – reading, listening to music or watching YouTube videos relative to our areas of interest. Come Friday, though, we like to curl up together to watch something a little trashy. Earlier in the evening we treat ourselves to one of our favourite Friday dinners – burgers (which we had today), pizza, fajitas or such like. Then I like to make a big bowl of popcorn to munch in front of the TV. Throw in a few beers and I’m in heaven. Read more
We encountered a number of twisty roads on our trip last summer. One of the twistiest, yet most beautiful, was the road through Los Portillinos, a mountain pass 1957 metres above sea level set in the Aquilanos Mountains in north-western Spain. Despite the blue skies it was freezing cold at the top, with patches of snow in sheltered areas. Read more
I’ll never forget the first time I had fajitas. I was living in Texas and was brought to a restaurant by one of my colleagues to sample the local Tex-Mex cuisine. I had, of course, heard of fajitas but hadn’t tried them and decided to give them a go. The sizzling platter of meat and vegetables, along with a selection of cold toppings such as sour cream, guacamole and grated cheese, that was delivered to each individual diner fascinated me. I absolutely loved the idea of building my own fajita my way, with my chosen ingredients. Read more
I absolutely love garlic as an ingredient. I use tons of the stuff – pretty much every savoury dish I prepare contains at least one clove of garlic, probably more. Garlic seems to add so much to a dish – rich aroma, warmth, luxury, a touch of heat and a depth of flavour that seems to linger on the palate long after you’ve finished eating. For me, no other seasoning comes close to garlic. Read more
I love spontaneous art. I love that people go to such trouble to make beautiful things, even when that beauty will be short-lived. This frequently occurs with fine dining, where chefs spend considerable time making food look beautiful on a plate, only to have it swiftly devoured. I took this photo in Weston-Super-Mare in England on our tour last summer. I love the fact that someone, possibly another tourist inspired by the large, blank canvas, has gone to such great lengths to create a beautiful picture in the sand, knowing that the tide will come in within a few hours and wash it all away. A work of art, indeed. Read more
One of my chief ambitions in life is to rid my kitchen of all commercially processed foods and make everything myself from scratch. While I’ve made some good progress over the past year I still have a way to go. It’s an ongoing journey – I’ll get there little by little. I appreciate that I am fortunate in that I have time to spend in my kitchen preparing my food. Back when I had a full-time job I did my best most nights, making speedy reliables such as pasta dishes or stir-fries, keeping the ingredients as fresh and healthy as possible. But come Friday evening I wanted a treat – something sticky or gooey that could be eaten curled up on the couch in front of a good movie, perhaps with a cold beer on the side. Read more
One of my favourite “on the move” shots from our trip around Europe last summer. You can just make out the “Europe on a shoestring” and “Wines of the world” books on the dashboard. We didn’t pass many other cars so I thought this one, plus the surrounding view, were noteworthy. Read more
I’m in a funny humour. It could be the alignment of the planets, perhaps residual giddiness from finding my first eggs in the chicken coop this week, maybe even Eurovision madness. Who the heck knows. But everything I read seems to be amusing me. I’m ok with that. I like to be amused! I guess most of us do, especially on Fridays, after a long, hard week. So, just for fun, this week I thought I’d bring you a selection of some of the more humourous links I came across during the week. I hope they brighten up your day! Read more
Finally, I have the answer. It’s the chicken. The chicken definitely came first. Six weeks before the egg, to be exact. For six weeks I have been diligently checking the coop every day, patiently waiting for an egg. Friends advised that it might be some considerable time before we got an egg as the hens were so young and their combs and wattles were still quite small. Read more
Ah, Spring. A beautiful time of the year when life springs into action once more. Birds return to our trees and build their nests, flowers blossom, weeds shoot up in our grass and busy bees begin again to make their sweet honey. I know that dandelions are generally considered to be weeds (or perhaps wild flowers, if we’re being kind), but I love their deep yellow colour and lush green leaves. This bee seems to like them, too. Read more
My Food Odyssey 