Fat Dormouse getting thinner

Blogging (and any kind of) mojo gone AWOL.

Feel grumpy and miserable.

No reason. Just mibsy. Maybe it's the weather which is grey and drizzly and damp.

Hopefully I will be up-and-blogging again soon.

Roast chicken dinner tonight - with parsnips, red cabbage and chicory.

Chicken/veggies/noodles tomorrow.

Something else on Tuesday. Probably mince related. Possibly chicken related. It's a big chicken (Yellow label, reduced by 5€)

Sausage, chips & beans on Wednesday - Mr FD brought some sausages back from the UK.

Off to Munich for the Convocation of the Episcopal Church in Europe on Thursday. Back again on Sunday.

Just for a smile...

Sorry to be a bit bleeurgh.

Thank you all for your lovely comments. You are Nice People.

Oh goodness me! Aren't you lot just lovely?! The number of encouraging comments really helped to cheer me up.

The weather helps too. Today is a cold but crisp, sunny day. I also don't have any lessons planned - it's a bit of a pain, in a way, because of course, no lessons = no pay. But at least I am not losing money, as my Tuesday contracts are for a specific number of hours. So, if I don't have the lessons this week, I'll have them next week...it's more irritating when it's an on-going contract, as then I just lose on the money completely.

We are a little inquiet on the money front - not worried exactly, but not completely happy. We are having our bathroom renovated next week...by now we should have sold the car to pay for the work, and the fittings, tiles etc. However, nobody has shown any interest in our dear little Fiat - perhaps it's priced too high, or perhaps it's advertised in the wrong place. Whatever it is, nobody has called about it. So we may end up with slight cash flow problems - we have the money in the UK, but don't want to bring it across, with the exchange rate so crappy, Mr FD & I have our pay from October (not very much, as he'll only have worked 2 weeks) or September (mine is always one month in delay) to come as well, so the money is due to arrive...We're just not totally sure when!

We had to buy new things too - the toilet, and basin are being replaced, so they needed buying, as did the radiator and the new tiles. It was an expensive day!! We bought the basin and drawer unit in Ikea, and the other stuff in Roanne. I'd been ~~nagging~~ gently sugesting to Mr FD that we go and buy the tiles for about three weeks, but he had always put it off. This Saturday was the last opportunity, and - of course! - we discovered there was a 10 day delay in the delivery. There was major panic, but Adal, our general workman, has assured us that it won't cause a problem. I think the panic over the possible problem was one reason why I was grumpy. The radiator was a bargain (at 169€ it was much cheaper & carries out the same function as the 600€ one that the electrician kept pushing us to buy!)

No, not that kind of radiator. Sorry cats!

I know that many of my readers could do most of the renovations themselves and save shedloads of money. However, we know that we are not DIY-ers. We hate it, and are rubbish at it, and - as we are both working at the moment - have decided that we do not want to spend our weekends doing something we both dislike. So we're paying workmen to come & do it for us. Yes, they are charging quite a high price, but - for anyone who has tried to get workmen in France - the fact that the "main man" is an acquaintance counts for a lot. I know where he lives, I see him regularly at dance group, and he is reliable . Also, the three workmen work as a team, so they have co-ordnated their dates with each other. They are unlikely - as some workmen we know have done - to walk off site, with the job half done, and not return!

So, that's what's happening here. When the bathroom is finished I'll show you, but here are the "Before" pictures:

The bath is coming out completely, and we're having a large shower with a screen going in. The ceiling is being lowered and LEDs put in, plus the new radiator. All pipes boxed in, new tiles (but same colour scheme as our accessories match. And we like it) and - eventually - new lino, as the tiles are cold to the feet. But the lino will wait for a bit longer, so we can get an idea of what colour we want. Probably a very pale colour, as the room is small.

I'm a bit sad that my Grumpy Cat Mood

meant I missed out on a good night out in Roanne with Friend Cathy and her son. There was a Beatles tribute band playing ("The best Beatles tribute band to come out of Serbia" according to the publicity!!) which I'd planned to go to, but being Grumpy merant I cancelled at the last minute. Cathy & Lloyd had a great time, and I sat at home and grumped. That was silly!!

Thank you again for being Lovely Readers. That is what blogging is all about - the support and friendship from people we only know through cyberspace!

Hello dear Peeps! I hope you are all well and bright and bushy-tailed.

Last weekend I was in Munich, at the convention of the Convocation of Episcopal Church in Europe. You can read about it over at The Teapot, should you wish to. As this is a food related blog, I can tell you that the Bishop's dinner, served in an amazing former Palm House of a Schloss, somewhere in Munich, was delicious.

There was a welcome drink of sparkling wine, and then the meal. We started with a salad, with bacon crispy bits and tiny croutons, followed by a choice of main courses. I chose roast duck, in a blackberry sauce, with potato gratin and vegetables (over pork, and dumplings) - which was a great choice. The pork-dumpling combo looked really hefty! We finished with apple strudel and creme anglaise (though I'm not sure what that is in German!). During the meal charming young people (who spoke excellent English) served wine, or beer, in copious amounts.

Other food, served at the Schloss where we were staying and holding the convention, was of the rather heavy German variety, but it was still perfectly acceptable. The Sisters who ran the place, and their staff, pulled out all the stops for a dinner-dance the last evening. There was lots of tasty food - I particularly liked the Rumanian aubergine dish - I'm not quite sure what was in it (except aubergines!) but it was yummy.

I came home to find we had no bathroom! The workmen had started. We have solved our money worries - not quite to our satisfaction, but we decided to take out a bank loan - and what a palaver that was! Mr FD spoke to an advisor on the phone, & got approval. He then filled everything out on line, and "virtually" signed the papers, only requiring me to do the same. But would it work for me? No! I tried, I went to the bank & they tried, Mr FD came to the bank & they tried again, we came home & tried - all to no avail. Finally, we went into the bank and did it all the old-fashioned way! When we sell the car, the money will be squirrelled away to pay the bank loan off, so we know that we'll always have the monthly payments to hand. It is so long since we've had any credit like this, we feel slightly uncomfortable about it - especially as we don't have regular income - but the fact that we'll (eventually!) have the car money to pay it off softens the discomfort.

Anyway, the bathroom is coming on...it should be finished by the end of next week. We have been very grateful that some people for whom Mr FD sometimes does some IT work, have said that we can use their holiday home to shower in. They are very rich, and their house has 4 bathrooms (four!!!) so Mr FD & I can use separate showers. We have it down to a fine art now: breakfast at home, wear our scruffs, go to C&A's, shower, change to work clothes and set off for work from there. Thankfully, wre have a sepoarate toilet here, so we have been able to use that, and the basin during the day & at night. Imagine if we'd not had a toilet too!

Food this week at Dormouse Towers is as follows:

YESTERDAY: pulled pork, baked potato, coleslaw

TODAY: Lamb Panang Curry, slow< cookered (not that I have Panang curry paste - I'll use what I've got!) with rice.

MONDAY: Pulled pork again, chips and salad.

TUESDAY: Chilli & rice. Or maybe mushroom risotto. Or maybe Kamchatka. Not quite sure yet.

WEDNESDAY: English sausages, baked potato, beans.

After that, I have no idea! I'm not sure quite when I'm going to get to go shopping this week, so I may be making stuff up out of the freezer. Which is fine, but slightly less organised!

We are going to see The Divine Comedy in Lyon on Wednesday - huzzah! Really looking forward to that.

Here's a link to their recent song "Catherine the Great"

But today I have to start making 200 handmade cards for the Bishop who wants me to make his Christmas cards this year. Gulp.

This is a quick in-and-out post....It's already 3.15 on Sunday afternoon - I stayerd later at church for Christmas choir pracxtice - and I need to get on with the Bishop's Christmas cards!!

So, here is a quick update on the coming week's food...I'm trying to choose cheaper dishes, but the shopping bill this week wasn't much cheaper...Only by about 20€. Mind you, I suppose 20€ is quite a bit, really.

Anyway:
FRIDAY: Pork chops with apple, mashed sweet potato and carrots

SATURDAY:Kamchatka with bread. I threw in the knob-end of a chorizo, and also some mushtrooms. I meant to add spinach too, but I forgot!

SUNDAY: Bolognon and rice - I've cooked this in the slow cooker. I think there's going to be rather a lot of liquid. It may need reducing nearer to serving. It is described by Jack Monroe, the originator of the recipe, as "a furtive love child of bolognaise and bourgignon"

MONDAY: Mushroom bolognaise - this is priced as 38p a portion, so that's certainly cheap! Hopefully it will be nice (although I don't believe Kezzie would like it as she abhors mushrooms)

TUESDAY: The remains of the bolognan, with added kidney beans and served on tortillas. So we'd better not eat it all tonight!

WEDNESDAY: I don't know yet. I plan on shopping on Tuesday so will have to plan the week ahead tomorrow evening.

As always, thank you for your comments.

ALISON 59 - The bathroom is coming on, but still not finished. Sigh. We're hoping for the end of this week.

KEZZIE - The aubergine dish was lovely. Rather like Imam Bayaldi but without stuffing it inside cooked aubergines, but having the aubergines mixed in.

BEVCHEN - Thank you for the German translation! And yes, 200 cards is a bit daunting!!

The "after" photos of the bathroom will arrivbe - when it's finished!!

The renovation of the bathroom is turning into a real saga - I'm still hoping for a happy ending!

Last week we came home to find that Adal, the builder bloke, had tiled the floor of the shower with the same tiles that he put on the walls...A bit bizarre, we thought - especially as we'd been expecting a shower tray to be fitted! - but we imagined it was going to be like a wet room effect. The quotation did indeed say that he would put tiles on the wall & on the shower floor.

Won't they be very slippy? we wondered...but he's the builder. He must know what he's doing. It'll be fine. Also, he didn't contact us to discuss this with us (we're not in the house when he comes as we both work, but Mr FD's phone number is left for the workmen if they need to contact him) so we assumed everything would be fine.

I was just on my way out to work when he arrived on Wednesday, so I just said, in passing, we're a bit worried about the tiles being slippy. Is there a product that can be put on to make them less slippy? I'll phone the tile shop & find out, he promised.

That evening at dancing, he came to me and said that the tile shop had told him that these were not suitable to go on the floor (because they'd be slippery, and dangerous, and also were too fragile.) Therefore he would need to take them up again to put down suitable tiles - which we would need to buy - and this would also involve breaking some of the wall tiles too, as he had already sealed the wall tiles to the floor tiles. And he'd give us a quotation for the work that needed doing.

Already the work has taken longer than expected (partly our fault, we admit, as we hadn't thought about the tiles we were buying needing a delivery time, rather than just being able to buy them) and now this is going to add at least another week! Also, we can't help feeling that this is, at least in part, Adal's fault. As the expert (or at least more expert than us) he should have had some kind of inkling that the wall tiles weren't suitable, and communicated his doubts/reservations to Mr FD - but no, he just went ahead, without checking with anyone, and it was only because I expressed doubts to him that he phoned the tile shop to check!

We know the work needs to be done, & we have bought the correct floor tiles now - thankfully the shop we went to had them in the warehouse next door! - and so we await Adal's new quotation. But I did send him an email - perfectly polite and respectful - pointing out what I've just said to you lovely readers, and suggesting he takes this into account when he prepares the quotation for the work.

What do you think? Do you think we should expect him to do the work to put right what was, in fact, his error for free or not? Or maybe you think we're at fault....As he is someone I see on a social basis too, and as I will avoid conflict at all costs, I want to try to be reasonable and not get litiginous. But equally, we don't really feel that this is our fault. I'd be interested to know what you think.

I really should be working, preparing for lessons, but I'm aware that I haven't called in for over a week. So here's an update:

1) We're fine.

2) The bathroom is still unfinished. However Adal has said that he won't be charging for the extra work that he had to do. We are relieved that it didn't get nasty. It is just S-L-O-W!! It's looking nice, but there still seems to be loads to do, as Adal only seems to work 2 days a week.

Reading back over my last few posts, I notice that I continually write "we hope it will be finished by the end of next week." This time, I'll just say We hope it will be finished SOON! 🙀

3) Thanksgiving dinner at church yesterday was good. It is an occasion when other Americans who are not a part of the church come to share food and fellowship. Those who are away from their home, their families for the first time, and who want to celebrate Thanksgiving with their compatriots. The chef at the local primary school prepares the food, and although this year wasn't as good as past years, it was still delicious.

4) We haven't sold the car yet. Luckily, as the bank loan was approved we can now pay the workmen for doing the bathroom, rather than depoending on the money from the sale of the car. It is partly our fault as we've not pushed it aggressively enough. We've had a couple of people show an interest, but noone has actually come to see it yet. It will happen...

5) Food has been good. I made a really yummy meatloaf last week, from this recipe. I also made a nice lamb-and-vegetable dish

I added the remains of a butternut squash/chorizo/chickpea tagine whizzed up to make a sauce which added to it, I think. We are having the leftovers tonight, with rice.

6) The butcher at Carrefour is Fabulous! He has continued to be generous (link to a post at The Teapot)Which has meant that the Poor Cats have been getting meaty goodness three times a week. I went last night and the other person who feeds them had left mashed potatro. They had nibbled the edges but weren't keen...But when I mixed in the meaty stew I'd cooked up from the butcher's off-cuts they were a lot keener! He has given me some really good stuff - proper meaty bits!

7) I've made 173 of the Bishop's Christmas cards. Unfortunately, I look at some of them and think "these are too hand-made!" I haven't been careful enough cutting the paper (very wobbley) or glueing the piece onto the card. I really can't quite see how I thought some of them were acceptable! So I think I need to make another 50 - I should be able to manage it by the deadline which is next Sunday, as long as I work most of Saturday! It's been a drag, and I rather wish I hadn't agreed, but equally, it is for a good charity (Phone Credits for Refugees) so that's good.

8) Work is pootling on. I've got lots of work (though a day off tomorrow, as my usual students are unavailable) This gives me a chance to go shopping in Roanne & to finish any planning I don't get done today. Mr FD is also working - still temporary, still don't know how long for, but it's looking more likely it will continue into 2017, which is nice.

So thank you for popping in. It's been nice to have a catch up! Hopefully it won't be so long next time!

Hello everyone! I hope that life is treating you well, as we start the cound-down to Christmas with the first Sunday in Advent.

I'm afraid I had a bit of a meltdown today. The bathroom renovation is now heading into its sixth week, and considering our builder-bloke said, just before the works began,
je confirme bien la date du vendredi 21 octobre c'est le plombier et électricien qui vont commencer et moi je commence le 24 octobre pour environs une semaine. " ( I confirm that the plumber & electrician will start on 21st October, and I will start on 24th October for about a week)
I think we have been more than patient!

There are so many things wrong, or badly done, that we despair of having it ever looking good! He has not tiled right up to the ceiling - we admit that this might be a bit tricky with the beams, but why weren't we told? Also he's left great gobs of cement at the top of the tiling:

and if he's not finishing off to the ceiling, shouldn't he at least paint that part?
Look at this delicious piece of finishing off around the beam (Yes, that is more gobbets of grouting on the beam):

Another slightly bizarre thing is the way he didn't cut one of the tiles, to the correct height (granted the ceiling slopes, so it isn't horizontal) leaving it like this:

It's standing slightly proud of the others and, as you can easily see, not at the same height. It's like he just couldn't be arsed to cut the tile to match the others.

We are pretty sure that he forgot the fact that we'd asked him to box in the pipes, as when I asked it about it, there was a rather telling pause before he answered. And so how he's now going to do this we're not sure, as he has tiled right up to the pipes themselves - so how is he going to fix the box?:

And, with a charge of 222€ for the boxing in, he has the cheek to suggest that in fact we will be expected to paint it! (even when we'd asked him to tile it!) The best bit about the whole thing is the painting of the wall, and that's Mr FD's handiwork, because we hadn't asked the workman to do it (kind of imagining it was included in the "renovation of a bathroom") it wasn't "on the devis" so he wasn't going to be doing it, thank you very much!

I see this guy every week at dance group, and although, as Mr FD reminds me, we are the consumers and we're paying him a pretty hefty fee to do the work, I feel embarrassed that we're not happy with it.

This morning, waking up again with a feeling of despair and dread about another week trolling down to our friends' home to shower every morning, I started crying and shouting at Mr FD (not that he is to blame!) I feel it's partly my fault because I suggested we used this guy as he was a student of mine, & I thought we'd get good service from him. How bogging wrong I was! I am worried that - if he doesn't put stuff right - Mr FD might want to pursue him through the small claims court, which would be a hassle in French. And it would mean I'd have to give up dance group, because I couldn't face him after that! (Yes, I'm already looking way into the future and panicking about what ifs...) (My speciality!)

We have written a long, non-accusatory email, explaining what we are unhappy with, including photos - and had the French checked! It's hard because we rarely see him as we go off to work at 7.15, and he arrives (two days a week, if we're lucky!) at about 9.00, and he's never here when we get back at 5.45. So we've been communicating (not often) through emails, which isn't ideal. We hope to be able to settle this amicably, either by phone, or face-to-face, if he'll come over in the evening, but who knows.

I know that this is really a first-world problem - there are no bathrooms for so many people in the world - but it really is starting to depress me. I'm no longer excited about the thought of a new bathroom, but wishing we'd never started the project. It was fine the way it was!

Hello my lovely Peeps! I am sorry to have left you hanging with no blog post for over two weeks! How rude of me!

(Haven't decorated yet! Eep!)

The bathroom is still unfinished, but it is usable. And it is very nice (if you don't look too closely at the finishing off!) We've bought a few new accessories (including the world's most expensive bin!) and we do like it...Hopefully it will be finished soon. We're a tad pissed off as we have to finish stuff off ourselves that we would have expected the builder to do (But it's not on the devis!)

In fact Mr FD had a minor painting disaster today - he was priming the wooden battens that are going to be added to the top of the tiles and the join between wall and ceiling, when Bib, the inquisitive cat, managed to knock over the tin of primer, all over herself, the floor and various other places. Scared witless, she then scooted all round the house, leaving paint-y paw marks everywhere! Mr FD managed to catch her and took her into the shower for a good wash before she could ingest too much of it trying to clean herself! I'm sorry I missed it!!

We're off to the UK for Christmas...So there won't be any posts for a while. I'll try to post next weekend - maybe with a picture of the finished bathroom!!

If you would like some quietly meditative Christmas music, I would definitely recommend this concert by Sting from Durham Cathedral, in 2009. I have had it playing gently in the background while I have been blogging.

If you'd like to read about my Advent Challenges you can go to The Teapot

Food-wise nothing exciting has been happening - except I bought a Christmas ham in Ikea today (it's really hard to find proper gammon-ham here) which I will roast tomorrow - when it's defrosted. Then we'll be having ham for a couple of meals this week. Nom-nom.

TODAY: Pork steaks in a kind-of ratatouille-y sauce, pasta.

MONDAY: Ham, chips, and HM coleslaw.

TUESDAY: Probably out for dinner.We are thinking about going to see "Arrival" in the cinema in Clermont, so we'll eat out somewhere.

WEDNESDAY: It's the Dance group Christmas party so I'm not eating at home. I will maybe buy some liver for Mr FD. Yuckity-yuck!

THURSDAY: Ham and mushrooms in sauce, rice.

FRIDAY: Something from the freezer - I think there's some meatballs in there to have with a sauce and pasta.

SATURDAY: Something that uses up the bits that are around before we go to the UK.

SUNDAY: We'll have lunch - probably a steak & chips - as Mr FD is coming to the Service of 9 Lessons & Carols inthe evening, and then we're going to travel on to Bourges from there. This will save us coming home and then getting up dead early on Monday to set off for the UK. We'll have a sandwich tea between choir rehearsal and the service before leaving after the event itself (there'll be some mulled wine and mince pies afterwards, but we thought we'd have a couple of sandwiches)

We'll miss seeing our lovely kitties for that night, but it can't be helped.... After George's escape we're not letting them out on the balcony while we're away. Our friend Alison will pop in to feed them, and she'll also bring her daughter to play with them from time to time.

Here is a Happy Christmas video for you Cat lovers to enjoy!

And I wish all of my lovely Readers a very happy Christmas. I'm not sure I'll be posting now until after we get back from the UK, so I do hope that you all enjoy your time over Christmas.

May God bless you.

Hello Dear Peeps!
We're back home after spending 10 days in the UK - I took my camera, but took no photos!

We drove through France - two hours on Sunday evening, after the Carol service, up to Bourges, where we stayed in a Campanile hotel, and then the rest of the journey on Monday. Mr FD had booked us into the "Club Lounge" on the boat, which was very pleasant....calm and quiet, with complementary champagne, nibbles, tea and coffee. We arrived at MiL's house just after 5 o'clock.

We were due to drive to Milton Keynes, where we used to live, on Tuesday, to stay with some friends, but during Monday evening, Garyt texted to tell me that they'd had some bad news and were unable to put us up. We were disapponted, but understood. Luckily, we were able to stay with ML another night, so we went into Canterbury to do some shopping, then on Tuesday evening wnt to see the film "A United Kingdom", which was excellent.

I would definitely recommend seeing it if you get the chance.

On Wednesday we drove up to Liverpool, and arried at mum's around 4 o'clock. It was lovely to see her, and we had a relaxing few days with her...Some more shopping in Liverpool, going to see her neighbours for a lovely meal (They really went overboard with the Christmas decorations - snow laden village, 10 foot Christmas tree with a train running round it, giant baubles, Christmas themed teddy bears - the lot! They don't have children!) I also visited my 93 year old "aunty" Dorothy with mum. I remember when Dorothy and her friend Kathleen would come to our house a week before Christmas to decorate the Christmas cake with beautifully piped royal icing. Mum would bake an amazing cake but wasn't good at decorating it. In later years, Kathleen had MS, and was wheelchair bound, but she & Dorothy would still come to "do" the cake. I think that was the start of the celebrations for me!

We had a quiet Christmas day, with our meal spread out through the day - Church, followed by smoked salmon and a good Macon wine. A walk and then Mr FD cooked the main course - roast beef, yorkshires, potatoes, broccoli, butternut squash and parsnips. Lovely! We had cheese after Doctor Who, and Pannetone Pudding with the Baby Wranglers ("Call the Midwife"!)

During Boxing Day we drove back down to Kent, and stayed a couple more nights at MiL's, this time with Mr FD's brother, his wife & son there as well. A bit more shopping (a gift exchange in the Sales meant I was able to get a pair of jeans, a handbag and a jumper in exchange for a wrap, of which I received two this year!) and more delicious food and wine! On 28th we crossed back over the Channel and arrived home on Wednesday evening. The house was cold!! Both our neighbours (the school and the hotel) are closed so we have no heat from either side, plus we'd been absent for ten days. The cats were very pleased to see us and shared our bed!

Yesterday evening we went to friends for apèros and lots of nibbles, and tonight we have a meal of smoked salmon, followed by duckling in morille sauce, and Buche de Noel (courtesy of the Boulangerie)

We will probably watch a film and go to bed before midnight.

But our big news is this boy:

You can read about him over at The Teapot - we have called him Jasper, but we don't know if he'll be staying, as it depends on whether we find his owners or not. It certainly seems that he's a domesticated cat, but whether he's been abandoned or lost we don't know. We've put up adverts saying he's been found, so we are waiting to see if we get any response.

Millie, Bib and Pomme aren't really sure about him, but most meetings so far have been reasonably polite - a little bad language but no fisticuffs.

I direct all my dear readers of this blog over to The Teapot (again!) for my New Year's greetings. Let's hope that 2017 is a peaceful year, and full of joyand blessing for us all.

But, whatever 2017 may bring us, remember that God has promised that He is always with us:

Hello Dear Peeps!

Two posts in two days?! Whatever is going on?

Here is a Happy New Year greeting.

And, as I have planned next week's menus, I thought I would share them with you.

TOMORROW (Monday) - Gammon steaks, brought back from the UK, with a marsala sauce, baked potato and broccoli.

TUESDAY: Vegetarian SC lasagne.

WEDNESDAY: Pork & Mushroom casserole, with rice and carrots

THURSDAY: I'm out for lunch with one of my students, so I won't want much dinner. Mr FD can have liver (yuckity-yuck) which is in the freezer from last time he had liver (y-y) and I'll have egg-on-toast.

FRIDAY: Mushroom & Spinach curry with naan bread (also imported recently from the UK)

SATURDAY:Gnocchi bake - though with more veggies (courgette & pepper) and maybe no cream

SUNDAYSpice rubbed turkey breast with sweet potatoes and braised chicory.

Jasper-the-cat has settled in very well, and although there has been some growly noises there has been no violence between him and the other cats. Millie won't be in the same room as him, Bib will growl and hiss and then run away, and Pomme will generally just ignore him, although he growls at her. He likes to be close to me, generally following me around the house (but I think it's because he links me with the provision of food!) He is still eating at almost every opportunity, but we're keeping him off wet food, as he's a bit farty, and we think it's because the food might be a bit rich for him, especially if he's not been eating much over the past weeks.

We haven't given up on George returning, but it's seeming less and less likely as time passes. I went past a derelict house today and out of the corner of my eye caught a glimpse of a big ginger cat scooting away - I went in, and called "George!" but there was no sign. As Mr FD said, George may well have forgotten his name and our voices by now, so he might just be afraid. If, of course, it was him. There are at least two stray ginger cats, to my knowledge, in the village, so it could have been one of them.

And fnally, if you have made any resolutions I hope you are able to keep to them...

I wrote this on Wednesday, but half way through the computer decided to start playing Silly Beggars, and I ran out of time before I needed to leave for Roanne! So here is last Wednesday's news:

Hello Peeps!

Goodness me! Where does the time go?! I had all good intentions of writing a couple of blog posts this weekend, but here I am, three days later with nothing written!

On Saturday I went for a walk with a friend, her daughter and her dog, Marvin. It was cold but enjoyable. I took a long time to thaw out afterwards. On Sunday, I went to church as usual, in the morning, but then had a surprise invitation to lunch with the Rector after church. Two other people were going, so I joined them - it was very enjoyable, but I didn't get home till 6 pm! Poor Mr FD had been left alone all day!

My Wednesday morning student cancelled, so I have a little extra time today, which is why I'm writing this. I do have to go to Roanne earlier than I would though as I want to deliver some cat food and blankets (if I can find them!) to the SPA cat shelter. I also need to leave a "Chat Trouvé" poster, regarding Jasper-boy, just in case his owner is looking for him. There are posters at the Mairie, the Vet, and near where he was found, as well as in the little supermarket and the boulangerie, so if his owners are in the village they should see one of them. We've also put adverts on a couple of Lost Animal sites, so we imagine they might look there - if they care! Of course, he might have just been dumped, or shut out when they went away over Christmas, in which case they don't deserve to have him back! If we have had no responses by the end of January, then we're going to say that he's ours, and have him castrated!

Food this week isn't very inspiring (although last night's stuffed peppers with rice, mushrooms & feta cheese were very nice!) but on Friday evening our friends from across the square are coming for dinner. I'm doing a quick smoked salmon paté (smoked salmon bits, whizzed up with herb-and-garlic cream cheese) and salad to start. I can prepare that on Thursday evening. The main course is a Hairy Dieter's recipe: Spanish Style Chicken Bake which basically involves throwing everything into a roasting tion and letting it cook! Not too ,much effort when we get home from work on Friday!

We have saved some of the stilton & cheddar that we brought back from the UK, for the cheese course (plus a couple of French cheeses) and then a very quick cheats' banoffi dessert:

Crumble 4 chocolate chip muffins, and mix with a little melted butter. Chop 2 bananas and mix in. Divide between 4 buttered ramekins or a baking dish. Cover with foil and put in oven (180°) for about 15 minutes to warm through.
Put 50g light brown sugar, 50g butter and 75ml of double cream into a pan, plus some vanilla. Gently heat until thesugar dissolves. Pour the sauce over the muffin mix & serve warm with ice cream.

And there the post ends.

As it is now Saturday, I can tell you that Monique & Michel declared everything as "delicious". The dessert was nice, but certainly not very elegant! Mr FD thought it would be better to caramelise the sugar/butter before adding the cream - I'm not sure it really made a difference to be honest. I think it would make a nice quick dessert for a family, but ity wasn't "dinner party" dessert....however, M&M aren't really "dinner party" people, so that's OK! We had it with vanilla & Macademia nut ice cream which was lovely. Or maybe you could add some nuts to the muffin mix instead.

Today we are going to visit our friend who lives near St Etienne - she used to live in the village, but moved after her husband, Paul, died. It will be lovely to see her, but I'm afraid I'm going to be the bearer of bad news...

You see, I was casually reading the local newspaper (local to us, not Danièle, now) and was reading an article about two old people who had died, in a rather horrible car crash (the car left the motorway, rolled over two or three timers then burst into flames) Then near the end of the article their names were mentioned, and - to my horror - I realised that I had known them. They were members of the church that Danièle & I used to attend, such lovely, kind people. It was a real shock, and I feel that I need to tell Danièle. But it's not a very nice thing to have to tell someone. If you are of a praying nature, please remember the family of Olivier and Renée.

Thank you, once again for all your lovely comments. I do appreciate them.

Much hilarity from Jan and Sandra over a LolCat - I recognised the cat's pain!
I will be visiting Jan's new blog so maybe you can too.

Sandra - the pork & mushroom casserole was very nice. And really easy too. I suggest you try it.

PomPom - Jasper is settling in, althopugh there are still battles. Millie, however, is rather terrified of him, and spends a lot of time skulking. She also sits shivering onthe balcony most evenings, rather than come in to sit with us, so we feel a bit guilty over that. It is a shame, because - most of the time - we think Jasper only wants to play,but as she runs away, he chases after her and it all goes pear shaped!

Hopefully I'll be able to get back on blogging tracks now. At least posting once a week. Have a good week, dear friends, and thank you for coming to see me!

I am in the process of making a Sweet pôtato and lentil soup from this recipe.
Mr FD has started taking soup to work for his lunch, which is great, but means I have to make soup at the weekend...Which is OK if I have time/inclination/ingredients, but less so if I haven't! Anyway, today I had a few ingredients, including the sweet potato I'd planned to use but hadn't for some reason: so it made soup.

The other planned dinners for this week are:
TODAY: Beef and ale casserole, mashed potatoes, braised chicory.

MONDAY: Turkey fillets wrapped in bacon (we're having bacon sandwiches for lunch), potato wedges & tomato salad.

TUESDAY: The remains of the casserole today, with cabbage.

WEDNESDAY: Baked potato, with baked beans, mushrooms & grated cheese. I may throw together a salad too - although I'm not sure baked beans go with salad.

THURSDAY: Salmon and leeks, cooked with chilli and coconut milk, served with noodles and wilted spinach.

FRIDAY: Big veggie omelette (with maybe a bit of chorizo in it) and HM chips.

SATURDAY: Sausages (brought from the UK), baked potato, ratatouille

SUNDAY: Chilli spiced lamb and chickpea-and-spinach pilau. It's sort of this recipe for the lamb, with a ricey/chickpea/spinach mixture.

We spent a good day with Danièle yesterday - thankfully, I didn't need to tell her the news about Olivier and Renée as she already knew. Also, during the afternoon, we discovered (as she was being kept up-to-date by another mutual friend) that the post-mortem showed that Renée had been killed by a massive blow to the head, and Olivier by a heart attack. Although it is still terrible that they died, at least they had not been burned to death, which was something we had feared. Both deaths would have been either instantaneous or very quick, which is something of a blessing.

Apart from that, we had a pleasant walk along the banks of the Loire, and a delicious meal. She had cooked a leek-and-beer quiche, then we had pintarde tagine, cheese and "deconstructed lemon meringue pie"

Source: https://joinmefordinner.wordpress.com/2012/04/08/shot-glass-lemon-meringue-pie/

As always, I want to say Thank You for your comments

Lots of different subjects in POMPOM'S comment - it's always nice when a cat attaches themselves to you....It sounds like you are Timothy's "human". I like the Hairy Dieters, because it is real, proper food, not fancy. They appear to be two fairly ordinary guys who love their food, so they try to keep lower fat food tasty!

ARIL - I need to admit that the photo wasn't my dinner - althpough mine didn't look far off that. I think "rustic" is fine - people are there to eat your food, not to take photos of it. I can't be doing with all that faffing around.

MICHELLE - thank you for your sympathy. I'm not sure that there is more sad news around, (after all, more people died of diseases like polio etc in the past) but I think because of social media we hear about it more. It's like the fear that parents have for their children - the number of child abductions probably hasn't risen that much, but due to 24 hour news services and global news, we get to hear about them on a frequent basis, so it appears that there are more.

I'm sure other people must have the same problem...

You know how teaspoons always disappear - you start the week with a complete set (and maybe extra) but somehow they just vanish into thin air. Well, I've solved the mystery.

They transform into plastic boxes!!!!!

The situation in our plastic box drawer has reached Critical Mass!

I can't fit any others in. I suspect too that it's going to be a frustrating job trying to find the appropriate lid for each box too. I will obviously have to do lots of batch cooking for the freezer to fill up all the boxes and transfer them to another place! (Although there's not actually that much room in the freezer as we brought an inordinately large number of naan breads back from the UK, which are now nestling in the freezer drawers! )

Otherwise, apart from being a bit chilly (it was -16° on Thursday, which I know is mere peanuts to some, but is pretty chilly to us!) we're all fine. I haven't planned next week's meals yet, but I do know we're out on Friday at a Burns Night supper. I've never been to one before, so it will be interesting to see what happens. Apparently, through my father's maternal family, I am entitled to wear the MacLeish family tartan

Possibly a bit too late to have a kilt made up in it! Maybe next year.

If I can I'll pop in tomorrow to update the menus - but it's the Church AGM, so that's likely to take forever! We will see.

And just before I go, can I ask for your help?
I need to make an impoirtant decision, and I'm asking my blog readers to help me - please go to the Teapot to see how you can help me.

I posted yesterday with bits & bobs of news, so this really is an update on the menus planned for this week.

TODAY: We're having chilli/harissa lamb with a chickpea & spinach rice. There's a bit of ratatouille left from yesterday, so we'll have that too.

MONDAY: Turkey, vegetable & noodle stirfry. I've got chicory and sugar snap peas that need using up. I'll also throw in mushrooms, pepper , leek and tinned beansprouts. I brought some "Blue Dragon" stir fry sauces back from the UK so I'll use one of them - probably black bean.

TUESDAY:Harissa stuffed peppers - I first found this when I was following the 5:2 eating plan (which, if I'm honest, I probably ought to pick up with, but frankly can't be arsed with - not in winter!!! I feel I need all my calories - although I almost definitely don't!) It's a nice stuffing for peppers, and can be used in other things...

WEDNESDAY: Pasta bake made with the rest of the pepper stuffing, and some chopped tomatoes.

THURSDAY: Soufflés with a veggie sauce. We like soufflés, (similar to quennelles) and they are a nice comfort food. Alison is probably coming for aperos so this is good to prep before she arrives & pop in the oven to do its stuff. If I eat too many apero snacks I can save half my portion & have it for lunch tomorrow!

FRIDAY: Burns Night
(which reminds me of the time we saw "Burns Night" advertised outside a village hall, one Spring day. "It's nowhere near Burns Night" said Mr FD "That's in January!" Then we noticed that the poster had "St John's Ambulmance Brigade" across the top - it was all about dealing with burns, not drinking whiskey and eating haggis!)

SATURDAY: Chorizo One Pot. I will be adding mushrooms, no doubt.

SUNDAY: Thai Chicken & Coriander Coconut Rice
I'm not sure how coriander-y it will be. I doubt very much if I'll find fresh coriander, and although Carrefour sells pots of coriander "purée" I'm not shopping there at the moment. Because of theway my lessons are, Super U is the supermarket that is the most convenient on the day I have time to shop. It's not bad, but doesn't have the choice that the Carrefour hypermarket in Roanne has. In general, that's not a problem, but from time-to-time there's something I'd like that I can't get.

As always, Thank You for your comments.

POMPOM - perhaps your son can send me (post haste!) one of his kilts! I hope that our Burns Night will be fun! I'm not sure what to expect, so We Shall See. I'm not sure I know what "pot roast" is - is it a piece of meat cooked in liquid? Was yours as delicious as it smelt?

BEVCHEN: TBH the potatoes here aren't that great for baking, unless I can get Agata variety. Size-wise I go with what I can get...so we sometimes have two small ones each!

JAN: The leek-and-beer quiche was nice. Here's a link to a recipe (but it's in French)

I've been feeding the Poor Cats of the village this weekend - they really are poor cats in this weather. Minus 15° can't be good for them. I hope that they are finding vaguely warm places to curl up. I heat the pasta/fat/meat mixture that I make in the slow cooker (courtesy of the Butcher in the St Just Carrefour) so the fat is quite liquid. I mix a good lot of cat biscuits with boiling stock, so they go a bit mushy. I add an egg to that, and then mix in the hot meat mix and a can of cat fud. They seem to appreciate it! I always fill their water bowl with hot water, and give them a load of biscuits too. Marie-Odile generally feeds them during the week.

I'm also knitting wobbley blankets. I used to send these to Spanish Stray Cats, but the postage was getting too much. Now I try to take one a week to the local Cat Refuge in Roanne -

I drop it off each week, with a bag of biscuits and some tins of cat food. It's not much, but it's something. I wish I could do more!

Don't forget, if you can, please pop over to The Teapot to help me choose who I should support...

Hello Dear Peeps!

I think my stomach has finally reduced to normal again after Friday night's Burn's Night Supper. It was an enjoyable evening and the food was good, but definitely "hearty"! It didn't help me that - to reduce the amount of wine I drank - I poured myself glass after glass of sparkling water. I think I may have drunk about a litre of the stuff!

The Supper was a joint event, organised by ChristChurch, but shared with an Association supporting Anglophone/Francophone connections. Mr FD & I ended up on a table with French people from the Association who we didn't know, but who were charming, and reasonably chatty.

So here is the room prepared:

and the menu as placed on all the tables

It was a tad tricky translating it for the French people on our table, but there is an Auvergnate dish similar to Haggis, so it wasn't completely unknown - although "clapshot" was harder to translate - especially as we weren't sure of the translation of "swede". The smartphone Google translate could only offer us "Suédoise" - which means Swede in the sense of "coming from Sweden"! We ended up saying "yellow turnip" which was at least vaguely understood!

The Haggis was duly addressed, with Caireen, the rector's wife (who comes from Scotland) reading the traditional Scots version, while Rob (the rector) read his own slightly scurrilous translation. Here he is sporting his kilt and a cheeky smile:

As a Canadian of Scots descent he wears his kilt with pride

(I don't know who the other two guys are!)

The Scotch broth was delicious but filling - full of pearl barley, carrots and turnip. Then, after being addressed, (and toasted with a dram of whisky) the haggis arrived:

It was very pleasant- lightly spiced and peppery, although my clapshot needed more seasoning! The whisky sauce was also very nice. By now I was starting to feel very full, but who can resist sticky toffee pudding?!

The French were slightly bemused by the cheese and oatcakes coming after pudding - in France cheese is served before the dessert, but they gamely joined in, slathering chutney onto their oatcakes as if it was jam....Near-bursting point had been reached, and I was stating to feel a bit nauseous by now (though I still managed coffee and shortbread!!!)

There was a raffle - we won twice! I chose a pair of whisky glasses for the first prize, and the second time I insisted that the French couple who were on our table & hadn't won, went to choose. (Also I knew there wasn't that much on the table that I wanted - so I hadn't been all that generous!!) She chose a vegetarian haggis (the meaty one had gone!) She tried to press the haggis on me - not literally, you understand - but I was happy to let her keep it.

There was a very amusing "Toast to the Lassies" given by Nick, from church, who is a very garrulous Welsh man. Here is Nick at the Convention a couple of years ago:

Lawrie's return "toast to the Laddies" wasn't quite so funny, but still very good.

We left at 10.00 pm, before the dancing (I couldn't have danced anyway!) as we wanted to get home at a reasonable time. The cats were happy to see us. And Zantac was definitely welcome (twice!)

Maybe I'll try to get some tartan before next year!

Hey-ho! Life with Jasper is getting a bit more violent. We've had some very nasty spats between him and the other cats recently - fur literally flying! I am going to book him in to have him castrated next week, but I think the hormones will still be "in the air" for a while. He is having time-out at the moment, having viciously got Bib cornered in the kitchen.Noone seems much worse for wear, though Jasper has a bit of a bloody nose from Bib's not unsubstantial claws!

Food this week is:
YESTERDAY: Pork, mushroom, leek and apple casserole, with mash & carrots.

TODAY: Mary Berry Speedy lasagne - I really like this recipe, and I think I prefer it to traditional lasagne.

WEDNESDAY: The rest of the casserole, with baked potato.

THURSDAY: Vegetable risotto with crumbled feta. I don't have a recipe for this, so will just make it up.

FRIDAY: Turkey pepper pasta bake. I'm not using turkey mince, but turkey fillet, having got 750g for half price when shopping. I divided it into three portions, and froze it (as it was short date). I'll use 1 portion for the pasta bake.

SATURDAY: It was going to be Thai fishcakes, but Super U had very little choice in the white fish area. A couple of types I've never heard of, and panga. I avoid panga like the plague - not only does it taste of very little, but I read somewhere that it's actually not great for the environment
I ended up buying some meat that was reduced to 30% and freezing that for Saturday. I will decide what to do with it later.

Is that Lemon...? Dover? It's as tasty as panga!

SUNDAY: Something from the freezer. TBH I don't know what's in there so this will make me go and look! I may even do an inventory.

I must dash. I've just remembered that I've not watched the TED talk that my next lesson is based on (the student chose it) I'd better go.

Hello Dear Peeps!

This is a quick post (as always, at the moment!) - I have 20 minutes before my phone lesson. I have managed to plan for the next few days, so I can catch up with my blog. Briefly. Don't forget that there is also my other blog, View From the Teapot, so if I haven't posted here, maybe I've posted there (or vice versa!)

What food is planned this week? Nothing terribly exciting, I'm afraid. I'm going through a bout of IBS at the moment - nothing too debilitating, but I'm not terribly interested in food, as it all leaves me a bit bloaty and gaseous (Sorry if that's TMI!) Anyway

MONDAY (today): Korean mince (fromthe freezer), rice and braised leeks.

TUESDAY: Vegetable curry - if I can find any appropriate vegetables! Usually I'd use courgette and aubergine, but with the shortage prices are high. I refuse to pay 2,50€ for 1 courgette! So it may well be a butternut squash/parsnippy curry - which is no bad thing, as these vegetables are in season! We have some poppadoms from the UK that need eating, so we'll have those.

WEDNESDAY: Pasta Arrabiata.

THURSDAY: We're at Friend Alison's for apèros, as it's her birthday.Depending on what snacks we are fed, we may just have bread and soup. If we're more hungry, we may have an omelette. On verra.
As she likes my White chocolate & Ginger cheesecake I'm making her one (or two small ones) as part of her birthday present.

FRIDAY: Chilli and garlic bread.

SATURDAY: Noddy's Sticky bangers and mash This link to a PDF folder has several sausage-y recipes on it. You can scroll down for the Sweet & Sticky recipe. I may not follow it exactly, as it's not really plum season and I have no idea where to get plum sauce from.

SUNDAY: Chicken Saltimbocca This is a Slimming World recipe, and when I made itbezfore I complained that it needed some kind of sauce...This recipe has taken that into account and now includes a sauce. So I'll try that! With roasties and mange touts.

Must dash. Lesson starts in three minutes!!

Hello Dear Peeps. This is a rather bitty bobby post as I've not planned my menus for next week yet, but wanted to pop in while I have some time!

I hope you are all well and happy. I'm doing okay, but a bit held back by a bad attack of Dyshidrotic eczema on my feet at the moment. This is a horrid type of eczema consisting of blisters that are filled with a watery liquid. They either burst when they're quite small or get bigger and then burst, leaving one's feet in a painful, red, tender mess, which means wearing shoes is very uncomfortable. I am treating them with a hydrating cream which is helping a little, but it means that walking any real distance is generally out of the question. I don't know what sets this off - possibly when my feet get overheated, although that's not happened much recently. It's a possibility that my lovely new fur-lined ankle boots might be the culprit this time, but as they're new it doesn't explain past outbreaks. The dermatologist was spectacularly unhelpful, and t'internet seems to suggest that no-one really knows what causes this. Hey-ho. They've been really bad since Friday, so I'm hoping that in another couple of days they'll start scabbing over. ANYWAY that's probably too much medical information at the moment!!!!

And they're a lot prettier than mine!

Otherwise things are fine.

Mr FD has found out that he has been successful in his bid to take part in Ride London this year. He did it in 2015 with a friend from the Cyclos here in the village; this time he'll be doing it with his brother - 100 mile cycle ride from the Olympic Park, around London & Surrey, then finishing outside Buckingham Palace. So he's out starting his training today!

2015 : Mr FD checking his medal is genuine!

Louis and Mr FD after they finished.

You may well remember that last year I took part in 40 Acts during Lent, and I plan to do the same this year. I'm also doing something else too, so head on over to The Teapot, if you'd like to receive a rather lovely postcard from me

Or, if like Jan, you can't find how to comment at The Teapot, then you can leave a comment here. I'm not sure if it's a problem with the Wordpress site, but I think that at the bottom of the post it says either "Leave a comment" or, if someone has already commented, it says "1 comment" - if you click on that you should be able to comment. But maybe it's different for you, Jan. It is in quite small writing, amidst the tags and labels, right at the end of the post.

So, I hope to pop in tomorrow (very briefly) with menus, but it might be Tuesday. Tomorrow is a bit rushed as I'm leaving home early to get to Montbrison for my lesson, as I'm going to get my hair cut - I'm trying out a new salon, so who knows what it'll look like! I'm also back later, as I'm stating a new contract of 20 hours, which finishes later.

As always,n thank you for your lovely comments:

CONFUZZLED - Courgettes are definitely more expensive than usual, but I assume they will come down in price as summer approaches and the weather improves. For now, we'lol have to use other things. Mr FD was rather discombobulated at having to make a pasta sauce without courgette. He used carrot, but I'm not convinced it was a good idea!

JAN - hopefully the note above will help you comment on The Teapot. If not, I'm happy to receive your comments here instead!

SANDRA - I'm not sure if you were joking asking what a phone lesson is (though I still need the occasional lesson from Mr FD how to use his old smartphone that he gave me!). In case you weren't joking, basically I have a student who wants to improve their fluency in English, so they phone me (or I phone them) and we chat for 30 or 45 minutes. I make notes of theitr mistakes, and in the last 10 minutes of the lesson I go through their errors. Then, when we've finished, I send them an email with notes about vocabulary and grammar, plus something to read for the next lesson. And that's a phone lesson. I have taught students with a very low level of English over the phone, but that's not successful. I think the student needs to be at least pre-intermediate level, for it to be of any use.

JOYCE - thank you for the hint about plum sauce. There's not that many Asian stores (that I know about) around where I do my shopping, so I'm rather reliant on the supermarkets for supplies. In the end I adapted the recipe, using a plum-and-apple chutney, some chilli jam, and some fruit juice to make the glaze for the sausages. It worked well, and I really enjoyed them!

Shall we have lasagne this week?

YESTERDAY: We had pizza and potato wedges. To pretend to be healthy we had some green salad too, but there was a lot of CHEESE on the pizza.

TODAY: No steaks cut into heart shapes for us, I'm afraid! A turkey and vegetable stir fry, that's all.
Kezzie has given some lovely ideas for Valentine's Day cards but I'm afraid I opted for a total cheat version, by sending Mr FD this

by email at work! Not very romantic really. Sigh.

Just looking at the photo now I can't help feeling that it looks like the Valentine's greeting is from Dave Newman, NASA Deputy Administrator!! He's a very romantic chap, isn't he?!

TOMORROW: Something spag-bollish. Mr FD will be cooking it with mince and stuff. Hopefully not carrots this time.

THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW: I'm out for lunch with a student so won't want much dinner. We go to a great little restaurant that does a 4 course lunch for 13€. Last time I had paté, followed by a great bavette with potato gratin, cheese and then pineapple. Simple but delicious. Mr FD can have an omellette with potato wedges.

THE DAY AFTER THAT: Mushroom Stroganoff. I think this is one for Kezzie to avoid: if I remember rightly she believes mushrooms are the food of the Devil! I like them.

We'll have this with fresh pasta.

SATURDAY: Stuffed peppers, using pork mince and a packet of pre-cooked grains. Let's see what it's like. The recipe is made up, so I can't really give you any hints!

I got these at Noz. Never had them before so it's a new experiment!

SUNDAY: Roast dinner - using chicken legs. Parsnips, roasties, gravy, stuffing and a green vegetable too. Yum-yum!

Thank you for all your lovely sympathetic comments. My feet are getting much better as the medicated cream kicks in. Still a bit uncomfortable, but not painful any longer. They don't vlook very pretty however.

I'll reply to the coments individually next time, but now I have to go and have lunch, then face doing some cleaning. It's a working day without much work today, so that means I have to do housework instead (that's my self imposed rule!) But first, lunch of soup and cheese on toast!

A bit mibsy.

Washing the blues away (in a soon-to-be new bathroom!)

Bishops, bathrooms and baked potatoes!

In-and-out!

And still the bathroom remains unfinished!

And the News Hadlines are...

Bathroom Blues.

Apologies - again!

Christmas Greetings

A Quick Christmas round-up and some Cat News

Food for a New Year!

Running to Catch Up!

Foodie Sunday

Situation Critical!!!!

Food and Cats. What more do you need?!

Burn's Night

Flying fur.

Psst. Are you awake?

Bits and bobs; this and that.

And this week's menus are....