tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12586494131605728542024-03-05T22:53:13.046-08:00Phil and Jack Unpicked...and living abroadShannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15709358952447420224noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1258649413160572854.post-71977537122521683412011-10-20T12:17:00.000-07:002011-10-25T03:03:41.254-07:00If the shoes fitIt's been almost two months since my last blog and readers (as in me in a few years when I want to look back at our time in England) are demanding a post telling them about all the fun that was had in Spello, Milan, Venice, Menaggio, Ghent, York and London, but firstly.....<br />
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Check out my gorgeous new Nike Liberty print high-tops that arrived today. Aren't they beautiful? Thanks Mumma<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFpdo6jdD6BnrgKCydeR2ASUTGzjcQ6FIZUZYmSMaXci5iayJYUsm6nMfwHLYeg32lHFzKg7dkrip5UXe9i43fZuYeXlvRiSIuWI_yd4kzmXp_q8PR03KsaClBvK0i2_Gc7IMc83ZTOc8/s1600/October+2011+036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFpdo6jdD6BnrgKCydeR2ASUTGzjcQ6FIZUZYmSMaXci5iayJYUsm6nMfwHLYeg32lHFzKg7dkrip5UXe9i43fZuYeXlvRiSIuWI_yd4kzmXp_q8PR03KsaClBvK0i2_Gc7IMc83ZTOc8/s320/October+2011+036.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15709358952447420224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1258649413160572854.post-91839255391396058532011-08-28T08:57:00.000-07:002011-08-28T08:57:54.919-07:00A Day by the Sea<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As Nick and I don't own a car we rely largely on our friends to take us to any sights outside a 10 mile radius of Cambridge. So, it's lucky for us then that we have some good friends. Last week some of these friends took as to Suffolk for the day. First stop was Aldeburgh, a delighful little coastal town, for a beer, some fish n chips, some stone skimming and of course an ice cream. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After we were fed we headed off to Southwold, via </span><a href="http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/leiston-abbey/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Leiston Abbey</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, another lovely coastal town, for a walk along the pier and an Adnams (the brewery of the region).</span> <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc-cr-0EGML3XRwJVl2xqM5OKz7hFVag0BPIk9JIHi8h1zshGnB9036QcuO_4HPU4l8fmbCKXPynJs5gSFN3w-bbNs7pEpZJdOCibd3jWZC5UzYZl61_F4K7Ag5WgSZoTQ-llNLKJC70s/s1600/Suffolk+-+August+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc-cr-0EGML3XRwJVl2xqM5OKz7hFVag0BPIk9JIHi8h1zshGnB9036QcuO_4HPU4l8fmbCKXPynJs5gSFN3w-bbNs7pEpZJdOCibd3jWZC5UzYZl61_F4K7Ag5WgSZoTQ-llNLKJC70s/s320/Suffolk+-+August+011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15709358952447420224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1258649413160572854.post-84629836901386531972011-08-20T10:49:00.000-07:002011-08-20T10:49:07.759-07:00Sometimes you just need a little taste of home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5bfUl5Fs0a9NaMIU9zrmwbOgAn_9sB7xnX7pJFIZ_J63LrJLu835R6GToqR_hyphenhyphenOz-PHYXxkeuTpwj9C1Z_1GkO1owjD5l3W0Zn42TgCvIEi-BtATySG5mOc8Zs_befIayHwWez4lRuAs/s1600/Cambridge+20_8+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5bfUl5Fs0a9NaMIU9zrmwbOgAn_9sB7xnX7pJFIZ_J63LrJLu835R6GToqR_hyphenhyphenOz-PHYXxkeuTpwj9C1Z_1GkO1owjD5l3W0Zn42TgCvIEi-BtATySG5mOc8Zs_befIayHwWez4lRuAs/s320/Cambridge+20_8+005.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15709358952447420224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1258649413160572854.post-37188300429210776222011-08-10T13:44:00.000-07:002011-08-10T13:44:49.585-07:00Apples a plenty<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One of the things I love most about British living are the little 'pop-up' stores that appear outside people's houses around this time of year stocked with treats from their own backyards. The word store is probably not entirely accurate as it suggests that a transfer of money takes places. While this is true in some instances, most people generously leave their fruit and vegetable out for passersby to freely take. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And Nick and I did just that on Sunday afternoon. We were own our way home from a little afternoon coffee and cross-wording when we passed a house with a bucket of apples out the front and a sign saying 'Please take, excellent cooking apples'. And take we did. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We didn't have much in the way of ingredients to cook up anything fancy, but I did make what one might call (if you wanted to be pretentious) a 'Rustic Apple Tart'. To be honest the tart wasn't that great. But that hardly seemed the point to me. I love being able to grab somes apples (or courgettes or berries) from outside a neighbors house and cook with them. To me it is cooking at its most ethical and exemplfies the slow food movement (more pretentious terminology I know). </div><br />
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Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15709358952447420224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1258649413160572854.post-59078719038752723752011-08-10T13:16:00.000-07:002011-08-10T13:16:33.462-07:00Una noche de español<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Nick and I, and our friend Kate, are learning Spanish so on Sunday night we decided to have a Spanish inspired evening. When I think of Spain, I think of food (to be honest this is not distinct to Spain) and when I think of Spanish food, I think of paella. Nick and I love paella, but we have never attempted to make it for ourselves. I guess I have always thought it to be a difficult dish to perfect. As I realised on Sunday night, however, paella is actually very easy to make. At least it seems to be. I took on the role of sous chef so my job was limited to chopping, but as far as I could tell, it was quite easy. At the risk of over simplifying the process, it seemed like all ingredients (once expertly chopped) were put into the pan, fried for a little bit, and then left to simmer with the rice and stock. We washed the paella down with a Spanish red, and got suitably depressed watching the Spanish film Beautiful - a real throat slitter. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15709358952447420224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1258649413160572854.post-31636823562422568332011-08-01T13:47:00.000-07:002011-08-01T13:47:20.182-07:00Happiness is....<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">.. listening to live music sitting on a picnic rug enjoying good food with good friends. </span><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Nick and I spent last weekend at the Cambridge Folk Festival (CFF) with the rest of the labor voting, Guardian reading middle-class. Each summer the UK hosts upward of 100 music festivals ranging from the iconic 'Glastonbury' to lesser known festivals such as the Secret Garden Party. Despite the myriad of options, for us the CFF has been our festival of choice for two years running and not just because of its proximity - the festival is literally within ear shot of our house. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I cannot imagine a more low-key, unpretenious festival than the CFF. This year, we did as last year, and took our folding chairs, a picnic rug and the weekend newspapers and sat soaking up the sun in front of the main stage. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Not surprisingly, the festival is an excellent showcase for British folk music and this year the likes of Bellowhead, Port Issacs Fisherman's Friends, Peatbog Faeries played as well as less traditional 'folk' singers including Rumor and Laura Marling. The festival also hosts a good array of international acts. This year our favourites were Justin Townes Earle and the Robert Cray Band and last year we saw C.W. Stoneking, Seasick Steve and Kris Kristophersen. Perhaps the best thing about the festival though, like any festival really, is the chance to discover new and up-and-coming artists. And the CFF does provides an opporunity like none other. If you can be bothered dragging yourself away from your rug infront of the main stage you will discover some real gems playing in makeshift venues around the festival. The best of these was the The Den which was a tiny living room, which showcased some wonderful acts. Nick gets the points for discovering Passenger - a UK-based singer/songwriter who has a sebatical each year in Australia. Think a slightly quiter version of Ray Lamontange. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The weekend ended far to quickly and as always, we are planning our next festival visit. Whether it will be in the Southern or Northern hemisphere is unkown. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIfHToCv1jxDhj04dHb462iJrCw_bEnTOactMqNfWJCk-4g-s4Jaqu3UsFO5YGLrpcrPHoe7AnXH3fMJ6baHiisEXSuVIwI7nX3wLIJje2qlXmimLTRo4FGsPgCUtQNU7px633I2Oxw1o/s1600/Cambridge+Folk+Festival+2011+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIfHToCv1jxDhj04dHb462iJrCw_bEnTOactMqNfWJCk-4g-s4Jaqu3UsFO5YGLrpcrPHoe7AnXH3fMJ6baHiisEXSuVIwI7nX3wLIJje2qlXmimLTRo4FGsPgCUtQNU7px633I2Oxw1o/s320/Cambridge+Folk+Festival+2011+009.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Relaxing...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilAriP-qXNUWhH6iEF_SrzNJy6ZkhzOBSFSeRiOQUdBDSlpJjslg8GsCiVh8ZBsZdd8IL_666lR7DCtYgwc4cBrV23Gk626Rhwf5kQLoBpj57J37cg2Oh9uSJe7NSRSq3MmdOIrzCwp0s/s1600/Cambridge+Folk+Festival+2011+013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilAriP-qXNUWhH6iEF_SrzNJy6ZkhzOBSFSeRiOQUdBDSlpJjslg8GsCiVh8ZBsZdd8IL_666lR7DCtYgwc4cBrV23Gk626Rhwf5kQLoBpj57J37cg2Oh9uSJe7NSRSq3MmdOIrzCwp0s/s320/Cambridge+Folk+Festival+2011+013.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">... in the sun!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFdG1inDn158zXIxtQwsLobl-zfkuJxisGGH8FOlblNDWKf6TDpE3YTJKAKE6i0VdUylM9rCYBKqczPMH1YYOPhE755I-3JDsTvAev-Xlw2TtKCbsA_zLSXdgCHLNSBu46vKjbx2SEuA/s1600/Cambridge+Folk+Festival+2011+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFdG1inDn158zXIxtQwsLobl-zfkuJxisGGH8FOlblNDWKf6TDpE3YTJKAKE6i0VdUylM9rCYBKqczPMH1YYOPhE755I-3JDsTvAev-Xlw2TtKCbsA_zLSXdgCHLNSBu46vKjbx2SEuA/s320/Cambridge+Folk+Festival+2011+007.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the Guardian reading wankers </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8qhyphenhyphenhEw4UIS99IyJvyhF7pyEt-tDQsFA-6yhPefTLnq9bN85nto9Vj-FS3dzx5vnmR6x6FcgC4mOW-pCs2U68AczSbX01V0wqXXnoK_TqeSm-Rp9wn6A4sukaG3nZAdXoRcArrL9-bE0/s1600/Cambridge+Folk+Festival+2011+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8qhyphenhyphenhEw4UIS99IyJvyhF7pyEt-tDQsFA-6yhPefTLnq9bN85nto9Vj-FS3dzx5vnmR6x6FcgC4mOW-pCs2U68AczSbX01V0wqXXnoK_TqeSm-Rp9wn6A4sukaG3nZAdXoRcArrL9-bE0/s320/Cambridge+Folk+Festival+2011+001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Nick's 2011 Highlight - Justin Townes Earle</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Z1pffJzQoc88QIOvZuJf1LOVTkJatXFLObzSOghBRLR8J2yC_em_JOaSzoYPA64LDOYXO6Bv8RYeZLd9mJ1J0enVgbUN0lPV0HZj-gRTCbqWrmew8ybVNUeb_1s7FEW8zvwqnNMa37E/s1600/Cambridge+Folk+Festival+2011+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Z1pffJzQoc88QIOvZuJf1LOVTkJatXFLObzSOghBRLR8J2yC_em_JOaSzoYPA64LDOYXO6Bv8RYeZLd9mJ1J0enVgbUN0lPV0HZj-gRTCbqWrmew8ybVNUeb_1s7FEW8zvwqnNMa37E/s320/Cambridge+Folk+Festival+2011+004.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Beer anyone? </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7jErfl2sbMIWFTcInmdyywuoJoM_a-lHPA-sTBGJW-02lPQe7epzpYpHcl1g1KoCV8TjO9OYJQ2hBzF_edeaIs-5rqfmFd-7vb6n_N6BTTFx5qkVe17ayJJQdRofzTeZG9jYVmBHcyks/s1600/Cambridge+Folk+Festival+2011+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7jErfl2sbMIWFTcInmdyywuoJoM_a-lHPA-sTBGJW-02lPQe7epzpYpHcl1g1KoCV8TjO9OYJQ2hBzF_edeaIs-5rqfmFd-7vb6n_N6BTTFx5qkVe17ayJJQdRofzTeZG9jYVmBHcyks/s320/Cambridge+Folk+Festival+2011+008.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lemon for my G&T</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjjB20nXrb21SODprBrtcR3s_AJagfCm_n4-9o4Ee8WIY7Z9asS0R1MouNIZ9QEdJH-LIt5ml15X1J6nRrrk0Wu_se5zX3U92IXPYVnNOLrDWTMhd2rXDTsR2hq0JjBBYaov1GZhROv4/s1600/Cambridge+Folk+Festival+2011+029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjjB20nXrb21SODprBrtcR3s_AJagfCm_n4-9o4Ee8WIY7Z9asS0R1MouNIZ9QEdJH-LIt5ml15X1J6nRrrk0Wu_se5zX3U92IXPYVnNOLrDWTMhd2rXDTsR2hq0JjBBYaov1GZhROv4/s320/Cambridge+Folk+Festival+2011+029.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAz-HS50rLjh4ZFA5W18DX2KtQHapXXbjcd76IJDwZg1Mm36Gdgf1uUCx-IhUNBr5_k87TRT88DgJ3-weypvZ_iEnJbl2uqX3Iob1LxsMl6776Udro6d4L8N7UPJVESqa0HlsozoaRVmU/s1600/Cambridge+Folk+Festival+2011+033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAz-HS50rLjh4ZFA5W18DX2KtQHapXXbjcd76IJDwZg1Mm36Gdgf1uUCx-IhUNBr5_k87TRT88DgJ3-weypvZ_iEnJbl2uqX3Iob1LxsMl6776Udro6d4L8N7UPJVESqa0HlsozoaRVmU/s320/Cambridge+Folk+Festival+2011+033.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I love these things. We try and take a picture in one whenever we can</span>. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ORWiYOY-08Jwru6zKKoMF2g_-UH6hOPaYGnskN3emN7dBcMpoIU59gnaRBGCoJ0aOfdp9diGpQ30j48UFuwy8SvRrL3gAedxebDcynpVqCUEjNvaKcTthUiXGs3gduCk19X_yRkAcI4/s1600/Cambridge+Folk+Festival+2011+034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ORWiYOY-08Jwru6zKKoMF2g_-UH6hOPaYGnskN3emN7dBcMpoIU59gnaRBGCoJ0aOfdp9diGpQ30j48UFuwy8SvRrL3gAedxebDcynpVqCUEjNvaKcTthUiXGs3gduCk19X_yRkAcI4/s320/Cambridge+Folk+Festival+2011+034.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Relaxing</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZL3DLgQ1efxASGXbBYAghHTsd_7ohChC9-TJKG3W6fPFkvWi9AodOQoaAQMK23Yonj_mX30Ml0aBituM4dcTuamJAKQZMI30ovcE7Ow1OdgtxaYJUDt7ZxH6cp6E1yyoqhzZXkNjgxjw/s1600/Cambridge+Folk+Festival+2011+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZL3DLgQ1efxASGXbBYAghHTsd_7ohChC9-TJKG3W6fPFkvWi9AodOQoaAQMK23Yonj_mX30Ml0aBituM4dcTuamJAKQZMI30ovcE7Ow1OdgtxaYJUDt7ZxH6cp6E1yyoqhzZXkNjgxjw/s320/Cambridge+Folk+Festival+2011+010.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">...in the sun!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15709358952447420224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1258649413160572854.post-24949463566763405012011-07-26T11:31:00.000-07:002011-07-26T11:36:59.054-07:00Hampton Court Palace Swim<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Last week I participated in my first UK open water swim in the mighty Thames. I have always enjoyed open water swimming but up until last week the Pacific Ocean had been my venue of choice. It was therefore with great apprehension that I dove into the Thames. Sure a shark attack is unlikley, but the water is murky and you can't be certain of what is lurking (living or dead) beneath. At 3.8km, the swim was also the longest open water swim I have done. In true British style it was cold and raining, but nonetheless, we doned our wetsuits and took the plunge. And I was glad that I did. There is an unrivalled sense of freedom that comes with swimming in open water and I had forgotten how much I loved it. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrJkkysRRN9BgRB6CTvvWKG0armA1UTslDKQtLm71vM8xAUIb9LrbC-Oyw-i_eWDO760MClh6fss9ajbU7B3lWj0dEouDeXfIS3S2OmgtOn11y4PfRNFbrOtFXtTdKsMW1a37RFR6dLT0/s1600/2011+Thames+Swim2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrJkkysRRN9BgRB6CTvvWKG0armA1UTslDKQtLm71vM8xAUIb9LrbC-Oyw-i_eWDO760MClh6fss9ajbU7B3lWj0dEouDeXfIS3S2OmgtOn11y4PfRNFbrOtFXtTdKsMW1a37RFR6dLT0/s320/2011+Thames+Swim2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-race excitment</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmLEkGwTTcj-8KGua08896BgVh6ewSk2O6-PG0Ng_WX3uYi-_RdrZehuM3vcYlqCNF5RnUg4_KqZLys2BNctw07w6thmNcpFx9LuHWUSRQ5PPsgZsbnFkLC7CHXSuYLzT0IW6afgjAwWE/s1600/2011+Thames+Swim13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmLEkGwTTcj-8KGua08896BgVh6ewSk2O6-PG0Ng_WX3uYi-_RdrZehuM3vcYlqCNF5RnUg4_KqZLys2BNctw07w6thmNcpFx9LuHWUSRQ5PPsgZsbnFkLC7CHXSuYLzT0IW6afgjAwWE/s320/2011+Thames+Swim13.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Champions</span></td></tr>
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</div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15709358952447420224noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1258649413160572854.post-68957414207720205862011-07-08T07:54:00.000-07:002011-07-08T07:56:35.257-07:00Always Pack Your Running Shoes<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Last week I travelled to Belfast to attend a conference. Belfast is one of those places you can see in 30 minutes*. I know this because on a previous trip to Belfast I did just that in the taxi ride from the airport. For this, and other reasons, I was not looking forward to going. But as I discovered, like most places I have visited, Belfast has its own unique appeal.<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When I travel I always pack my running shoes. With the baggage restrictions that airlines enforce, this usually comes at the sacrifice of other essential items - hairdryer, straighteners, a pair of high heel shoes, etc. I have always found that the joy of running in a new city more than makes up for hair that lacks volume. Setting out early in the morning with only a vague route planned, you really do get to explore a city before the tourists do.<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On a recent trip to Rome, Mum and I went for a walk early one morning and stumbled across the Trevi Fountain. The Trevi Fountain is beautiful, but I am sure that anyone who has seen it would agree, it would be a whole lot more beautiful if people weren’t pushing you in the back. Visit the fountain early in the morning though, and you have it yourself. But I digress. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So up early one morning, I donned my running shoes and headed out into the quiet streets. I had somewhat of an idea of where to head – through the botanic gardens and along the Lagan River. The Lagan River is more the size of the Yarra than the mighty Brisbane, but none the less beautiful. I followed the river for 2 miles or so, enjoying the serenity (How’s the serenity? So much serenity...), and marvelling at the wildlife, before turning back. </div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures to show (of the river or of the Trevi Fountain) as the joy of leaving everything behind (including your camera) is one of the best things about an early morning run. Later that day a friend and I wandered back through the botanic gardens and stumbled across a beautiful rose garden. So to compensate I have posted a picture of me taking the time to stop and smell the roses. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyllTLIjj9K-CplFLdoFfhu6LVqR7aYImHAooRG7g21XCrJZ2nydLVdNOGqalgyM6S4EviyTevm4eNs8SENgxbb6DELkfd50jkFXbXgn4oiXZc5jNbotfLqZIIzdf5h0ZVSzO5gZLARzI/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyllTLIjj9K-CplFLdoFfhu6LVqR7aYImHAooRG7g21XCrJZ2nydLVdNOGqalgyM6S4EviyTevm4eNs8SENgxbb6DELkfd50jkFXbXgn4oiXZc5jNbotfLqZIIzdf5h0ZVSzO5gZLARzI/s320/011.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAcpgfC07GeLCtGou9Ri41aQnYhGCXWJeyWFL5ckmSNxyGHuQCv0ZtLsINr5IA3rpvw217KhhPKANW9FfosJd2mLSMnYLxTrAtX43FaL14qL1erbxIBi-M4a8BMcjyUPAXFgxagrRwhLE/s1600/016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAcpgfC07GeLCtGou9Ri41aQnYhGCXWJeyWFL5ckmSNxyGHuQCv0ZtLsINr5IA3rpvw217KhhPKANW9FfosJd2mLSMnYLxTrAtX43FaL14qL1erbxIBi-M4a8BMcjyUPAXFgxagrRwhLE/s320/016.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEP2hac0fLCgVveV3ellyO6w-UsQAR1tk9vOQvAIlOIv1l6j3HEx0eCEGREJJhhwC188wAr_a_euFr_HyLmaNEeKVLDrcIbCROWSNCe2lxQ6e-nr7zlGKQb9az59ME1uKWvRp2LLEBuhM/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEP2hac0fLCgVveV3ellyO6w-UsQAR1tk9vOQvAIlOIv1l6j3HEx0eCEGREJJhhwC188wAr_a_euFr_HyLmaNEeKVLDrcIbCROWSNCe2lxQ6e-nr7zlGKQb9az59ME1uKWvRp2LLEBuhM/s320/015.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you are ever in Belfast (though I suspect you won’t be) you must also check out the City Hall, where we were lucky enough to enjoy a super scrumptious meal. </div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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</div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">*Yes I realise the irony. Many would say the same thing about my favourite city in the world, Brisbane.</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15709358952447420224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1258649413160572854.post-39507520242065013732011-06-24T12:55:00.000-07:002011-06-24T12:55:41.027-07:00The Pets of Quillan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I could not resist taking some pictures of the pets who lived in the square, and of some donkeys we met on our travels.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxi721S0_NELAIhyZTNgRrBh8dsjU4lHCtfs0x_ZToWTI9txNbEOUIK_TOHOUzh9DbWuNqPI5yqa43J-nLweUI9RbJ7XzLxMsKZJJfSiIziU5LDz7oihRyGIv1bvi4Z4P6C1vsthM9Cps/s1600/France+with+Bec+and+Dave+001.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxi721S0_NELAIhyZTNgRrBh8dsjU4lHCtfs0x_ZToWTI9txNbEOUIK_TOHOUzh9DbWuNqPI5yqa43J-nLweUI9RbJ7XzLxMsKZJJfSiIziU5LDz7oihRyGIv1bvi4Z4P6C1vsthM9Cps/s320/France+with+Bec+and+Dave+001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg_BAliO1-YL1Mq9wFmSrUod-He7GR3q8V6uqsdTD-dU57GAPhVQnCmzLL2_z2ebIrkGLyEzdhaKUrS7nqZqE7B3NpFdDIeGT1QIWpwyUyNOzVtSf-b0_UNCezJjf2TgrSlVwoSUZYHRQ/s1600/France+with+Bec+and+Dave+065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg_BAliO1-YL1Mq9wFmSrUod-He7GR3q8V6uqsdTD-dU57GAPhVQnCmzLL2_z2ebIrkGLyEzdhaKUrS7nqZqE7B3NpFdDIeGT1QIWpwyUyNOzVtSf-b0_UNCezJjf2TgrSlVwoSUZYHRQ/s320/France+with+Bec+and+Dave+065.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15709358952447420224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1258649413160572854.post-21857428623358834802011-06-24T12:49:00.000-07:002011-06-24T12:49:04.733-07:00France, Food and Ol' Friends<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> <w:UseFELayout/> </w:Compatibility> <w:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser/> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Last weekend Nick and I travelled to France for the sixth time in two years. This time we had a reason beyond the lure of the French way of live – we were visiting our dear friends Becca and Dave. We flew into Carcassone in the Languedoc-Roussillon region and travelled to Quillan, our dear home for three nights where Bec and Dave and rented a beautiful house on a little square. <span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It was exactly two years since the last time we had all been together, and in fact since Nick and I’s love affair with Western Europe began, when we spent a splendid couple of days in Lisbon. Visiting them reminded me of one of the best things about living abroad, catching up with old friends in some gorgeous part of the world. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I am sure Becca won’t mind me saying that, despite appearances, she is a few years older than me. She therefore has far more life experience than I and is able to counsel me in a way that only someone who has ‘been there and done that’ can. It is a joy and comfort to have such a wise friend like Becca, particularly as Nick and I face a time of uncertainty. I was reminded of this, and how much I have missed it. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As is always the way when Bec & Dave are involved, we spent the weekend eating, drinking and working off the excess with some physical activity. On the Saturday, our first full day in Quillan, the weather was pretty miserable which meant there was nothing to do except head to the market in the morning and spend the afternoon in the kitchen baking with the goods purchased. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to make a <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/apr/09/savoury-cake-recipes">savoury cake recipe</a> by Hugh-Fearnley Wittingstall that I had been keen to make for ages. With a slight adaptation, involving the substitution of some ham with £60 saucisson (a story best left for another time), we had ourselves a very tasty savoury cake. We also baked a superb <a href="http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/cherry-almond-loaf-cake-159">cherry and almond cake</a> of Nigella Lawson – equally delicious. And all made without kitchen scales, cup measures or electric beaters. We also made breakfast parfaits’ (which will of course go on the Phil n Jack cafe menu) of honey poached apricots and fromage blanc – divine. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpqGAsOp0Qttsn2B7nNrA2K5helgh5yOrOAk7FEAFrBODxpJjMt2F07nn07JMtN_VYn8mKTsCNMoTzWS73jLY87ezCTjxHW97wsHViLJEygs9pIcwOkajZJ9MQLKWnxU_IZ9-JRVt9HUY/s1600/France+with+Bec+and+Dave+040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpqGAsOp0Qttsn2B7nNrA2K5helgh5yOrOAk7FEAFrBODxpJjMt2F07nn07JMtN_VYn8mKTsCNMoTzWS73jLY87ezCTjxHW97wsHViLJEygs9pIcwOkajZJ9MQLKWnxU_IZ9-JRVt9HUY/s320/France+with+Bec+and+Dave+040.JPG" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX22C9WigFDLm5SEvfaqve5bQMpyXJgiIm51G8FEtAqbE7UfEUsocvNu_WcytOH6-k47tfeZ8oowKwIZze__p6k-KrmjT8uZokRilt6zARPS5xOfEPWBMsASXPfgsToLNKYIQ_eFWKxQk/s1600/France+with+Bec+and+Dave+016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX22C9WigFDLm5SEvfaqve5bQMpyXJgiIm51G8FEtAqbE7UfEUsocvNu_WcytOH6-k47tfeZ8oowKwIZze__p6k-KrmjT8uZokRilt6zARPS5xOfEPWBMsASXPfgsToLNKYIQ_eFWKxQk/s320/France+with+Bec+and+Dave+016.JPG" width="180" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX-mQf9E7KqgigDoruhAZjD9wxKcHetjVfGh2k7zU1nhiX9LfthydXO0zAVrU0hd6qiAaTT4gbkHjbUVdEqZ26ZT1mU-8NiPHhzBkj-f0F6bqtBJ7D6eiiybGn2o7NA0cgtxN9opaAlfw/s1600/France+with+Bec+and+Dave+018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX-mQf9E7KqgigDoruhAZjD9wxKcHetjVfGh2k7zU1nhiX9LfthydXO0zAVrU0hd6qiAaTT4gbkHjbUVdEqZ26ZT1mU-8NiPHhzBkj-f0F6bqtBJ7D6eiiybGn2o7NA0cgtxN9opaAlfw/s320/France+with+Bec+and+Dave+018.JPG" width="180" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0mgO8uLX6BAewcZDz1wM62bxLV1lNgkz1e8TCq3566Hh_zToFNx0x7Na7j9n_Y8dwi3OrbAe14BScErujxUPbkFhA-lk1cGslkrOvgjAOy5QDXbsTZZihsfDwA7q3h1-BdKYr4FQ7qaw/s1600/France+with+Bec+and+Dave+055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0mgO8uLX6BAewcZDz1wM62bxLV1lNgkz1e8TCq3566Hh_zToFNx0x7Na7j9n_Y8dwi3OrbAe14BScErujxUPbkFhA-lk1cGslkrOvgjAOy5QDXbsTZZihsfDwA7q3h1-BdKYr4FQ7qaw/s320/France+with+Bec+and+Dave+055.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The next day we took our baked goods, along with the saucisson, some cheese and a bottle of wine, to the top of a small Pyrenean mountain for a picnic. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio8FNAdbJkrHjRA5IGff4t1f67UduAtgsF9EJ8R6tcwalWC-FV5tVxytWp_1-96pUzFBShmoECSdB-JzmrJ_IxUbiP82gD__rd-0thfD059_Yu7ONGWNwvMIxyEvCQeaeMmu7bpFdkBDE/s1600/France+with+Bec+and+Dave+060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio8FNAdbJkrHjRA5IGff4t1f67UduAtgsF9EJ8R6tcwalWC-FV5tVxytWp_1-96pUzFBShmoECSdB-JzmrJ_IxUbiP82gD__rd-0thfD059_Yu7ONGWNwvMIxyEvCQeaeMmu7bpFdkBDE/s320/France+with+Bec+and+Dave+060.JPG" width="180" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoMLOAHXOrG1txdE3kKuqnWbCObGzrjGVnJ-Zadm-BHOZzR78WC1OiBMZrdlRP_3joCDTp0m7cJVlL7E7uo05sxs7E5uz24QAq3Wu8hGzgKREqXTfWNme5CSO0jGrRPBvq0cexLVXi6Wk/s1600/France+with+Bec+and+Dave+071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCW9akp6qh4NMJ3-G3vLe6uVB6k-v5NFpA2TnycIFTREd55hmKR_uVx4PVIhZS1meEZLOxX4GRCmeSpdiCGs0zIcsmMr7ZdqW_fabprlikRbwObkObsNEjRZ_e51aHIS8G8D1si7BWX90/s1600/France+with+Bec+and+Dave+070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCW9akp6qh4NMJ3-G3vLe6uVB6k-v5NFpA2TnycIFTREd55hmKR_uVx4PVIhZS1meEZLOxX4GRCmeSpdiCGs0zIcsmMr7ZdqW_fabprlikRbwObkObsNEjRZ_e51aHIS8G8D1si7BWX90/s320/France+with+Bec+and+Dave+070.JPG" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoMLOAHXOrG1txdE3kKuqnWbCObGzrjGVnJ-Zadm-BHOZzR78WC1OiBMZrdlRP_3joCDTp0m7cJVlL7E7uo05sxs7E5uz24QAq3Wu8hGzgKREqXTfWNme5CSO0jGrRPBvq0cexLVXi6Wk/s1600/France+with+Bec+and+Dave+071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoMLOAHXOrG1txdE3kKuqnWbCObGzrjGVnJ-Zadm-BHOZzR78WC1OiBMZrdlRP_3joCDTp0m7cJVlL7E7uo05sxs7E5uz24QAq3Wu8hGzgKREqXTfWNme5CSO0jGrRPBvq0cexLVXi6Wk/s320/France+with+Bec+and+Dave+071.JPG" width="180" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In between the baking and the hiking we squeezed in some movie watching, new beer tasting, blanquette (the regions form of champagne) and espresso drinking, toe painting, cross-wording and of course, eating. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So thanks Dave & Becca (or David Beckham if you say it quickly) for a wonderful weekend. <span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15709358952447420224noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1258649413160572854.post-49008895127749525862011-06-12T06:06:00.000-07:002011-06-12T06:09:07.798-07:00Dim Sum & Iberian Ham<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">For Christmas last year my brother gave us Harrods vouchers with the explicit instructions to spend them on something extraordinary. Instantly we knew what we were going to do – buy some cheese of course. Nick and I love eating cheese at some wonderful department store’s cheese bar. We developed a hankering for cheese bars on our first visit to Sydney together many years ago. Our favourite cheese bar experience so far has been at a German department store, Ka De We, which has the most fabulous of all food halls. (If you are ever in Berlin you must go). </span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">Last Saturday while in London, we arrived at Harrods suitably starving and keen to blow £60 on some (overpriced) cheese and wine. In looking for the cheese bar we stumbled across the Dim Sum bar (Yum Cha to the Australian readers). Enjoying dim sum for brunch on a Sunday is another one of our favourite pastimes so we decided to enjoy and amuse-bouche of dumplings & steamed pork buns. Although in Australia we could have comfortably fed 10 people for the price of the three dumplings and two pork buns that we shared, they were absolutely delicious.</span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">With our sugar levels restored we continued our search for the cheese bar. Harrods foodhall has an oyster bar, seafood bar, sushi bar, rotisserie, pizzeria, ice cream bar, Champaign bar and an espresso bar, not to mention the many cafes and restaurants on other floors, but as we discovered no cheese bar. Devastated we decided to drown our sorrows with some ham and sherry at the Iberian Ham Bar. And what a treat that turned out to be. We shared a monstrous plate of Iberian ham, some olives and some patatas bravas, and washed it all down with some sherry. The ham was described as a ‘truly sublime delicacy’ and ‘the most exquisite unique, traditional, pure Iberico Spanish ham’. The combination of diet based on acorns from Spain and the pigs freedom to wander at will supposedly resulted in ham of supreme juiciness, flavour, taste and scarceness. I have not eaten enough Iberian ham to be able to verify this but it was DELICIOUS. </span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie55rqOcqyB2JlR4EdnRjZkspg8WedvFR3Sf0Un_TwUT9zOjCNpFsdiIVajKVXby7SbOQpBhFbBVygdOJBZPWtPABqtaIgQVgBVP51zxquUQLnpbeflubigI5lQPqFSjmdcw4F2rMEf6Y/s1600/London+June+2011+026.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie55rqOcqyB2JlR4EdnRjZkspg8WedvFR3Sf0Un_TwUT9zOjCNpFsdiIVajKVXby7SbOQpBhFbBVygdOJBZPWtPABqtaIgQVgBVP51zxquUQLnpbeflubigI5lQPqFSjmdcw4F2rMEf6Y/s320/London+June+2011+026.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We left satisfied and confident that we had kept our promise of spending the money on something extraordinary. Thanks Liam. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0kRfGbZFQCEo8rxhAs7tcDDWah9Nw-5quTNrpZodgRNbLHYX5EhwfxSOz0I7n0D2T02M29TYfIYiRdNjhBGz8-zEORXOag1xgc_F5VekDqZ31iOZuX_8TEQMSP6NKwYawCPfRIecNBjs/s1600/London+June+2011+024.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0kRfGbZFQCEo8rxhAs7tcDDWah9Nw-5quTNrpZodgRNbLHYX5EhwfxSOz0I7n0D2T02M29TYfIYiRdNjhBGz8-zEORXOag1xgc_F5VekDqZ31iOZuX_8TEQMSP6NKwYawCPfRIecNBjs/s320/London+June+2011+024.JPG" width="180" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15709358952447420224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1258649413160572854.post-4212379372615732412011-06-09T00:49:00.000-07:002011-06-09T00:51:23.923-07:00Emmylou<div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Last Wednesday night Nick and I went to see the foxy, silver-haired darling of Nashville, Emmylou Harris. Nick and I were first introduced to Emmylou by my Mum, and if memory serves me correctly, it was my brother Liam, who introduced Mum - he gave her Wrecking Ball as a birthday present many years ago. In many ways Emmylou was our introduction to the world of country, folk, blue grass and blues music. We had resigned ourselves to the fact that we may never get to see her perform live (her visit to Australia in January this year was her first in ten years). That was until we found out she was touring Europe. Nick and I don’t have our hands on London’s pulse, so by the time we found out we could only get seats behind the stage. We were a little dubious about the seats but what a treat they turned out to be. We were in the ‘front’ row, very close to all the behind the scenes action. Plus the seats were only £15 – an absolute bargain. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzG5ZVU9KLZbVM5roNvUHLl0f7SEsFJ_wQxQ7MzpWc8eKU39ayLNF8N_btUH-3L5LaRZoa40corNboDKwJlZxDrVa_rh9LgsrtjKy-EWhrv9ooAQitUOVsgmIdT8bU3V4W57IFkTbofy0/s1600/EmmyLou+Harris+013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzG5ZVU9KLZbVM5roNvUHLl0f7SEsFJ_wQxQ7MzpWc8eKU39ayLNF8N_btUH-3L5LaRZoa40corNboDKwJlZxDrVa_rh9LgsrtjKy-EWhrv9ooAQitUOVsgmIdT8bU3V4W57IFkTbofy0/s320/EmmyLou+Harris+013.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It took her a little while to get her unique voice going but once she did it was magnificent. Emmylou has a beautifully haunting voice that was even better live. She promised something’s old, something’s new, something’s borrowed and something’s blue and she delivered. She paid tribute to her dear friend Kate McGarrigle singing ‘one of the most beautiful songs every written’ in her honour – Talk to Me of Mendochin. She spoke of Gram Parsons (‘if it wasn’t for him I probably wouldn’t be standing in front of you tonight’), signing The Road. She sang many of her songs ‘recorded when she was a brunette’ including Red Dirt Girl, Orphan Girl, Every Grain, If I Needed You and Harlan - but also many songs from her new album. One of them, Big Black Dog, is such a delightful song about her dog. As the story goes, on a visit to the animal shelter she came across the big black dog and couldn’t resist him. She had no intention of keeping him permanently and was planning on finding a suitable owner, but the big black dog soon became part of the furniture. Unfortunately she did not sing Wrecking Ball or When you Left this World, two of her most beautiful songs, but you can’t have it all. And it seems the crowd agreed. Not once during the 2 hour show did I hear a single request shouted. It was as if everyone agreed that what Emmylou decided to sing was exactly what we wanted to hear. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_lkr_MfK1PQyfTw5sQKoLKac1UsyqDgYKc8D4lblIEc0dcm6pp7qYm5xr5AyJ-TCvVoeqnFA1JZnMP2GVYDuCQFWkbEzKsk_XCD9xJS8C0qgV56LgX8fZrfLS4XhA716I5Y2Bg5glkaE/s1600/EmmyLou+Harris+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_lkr_MfK1PQyfTw5sQKoLKac1UsyqDgYKc8D4lblIEc0dcm6pp7qYm5xr5AyJ-TCvVoeqnFA1JZnMP2GVYDuCQFWkbEzKsk_XCD9xJS8C0qgV56LgX8fZrfLS4XhA716I5Y2Bg5glkaE/s320/EmmyLou+Harris+017.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15709358952447420224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1258649413160572854.post-67774591748665661482011-05-28T05:18:00.000-07:002011-05-28T05:21:55.788-07:00The Sweatshop<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I often dream about giving up life as a researcher and setting up my own little business. It is not that I hate my job, in fact by lunchtime on a Monday I am always happy to be at work*, but for some reason I am drawn to the idea of running my own business. I have numerous ideas for a business venture, all of them bearing the name ‘Phil & Jack’. One idea I frequently return to is running a ‘sewing cafe’. Similar to an Internet café, customers could come in and rent a sewing machine. Unlike an Internet café, however, I would serve good (probably Merlo) coffee, leaf tea & homemade baked goods. In the centre would be a big table for cutting and pinning and resource books would be scattered around the shop. Knowledgeable staff (as in my Mum) would be on hand to answer any questions and provide advice. (If I allow my imagination to really wonder, the cafe would be staffed by family and friends who would all be sitting around busily sewing their own marvellous creations to sell). </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I was reassured last year that the idea wasn’t totally crazy when I read about the existence of a sewing café in Paris called <a href="http://www.sweatshopparis.com/">Sweatshop</a> (on a quite street just off the very trendy Canal St Martin). The cafe was started by two friend, one a Swiss make-up artist and the other an Austrian clothing designer, who decided that Paris needed a place where both novice and experienced sewers could gather. By all accounts business is booming. On our recent trip to Paris we took a visit to the Sweatshop and it really is a lovely creative space. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVgb8niG9f54J9mf41HSGh0q3TzyuRlpk6dSfqbxPWhECnYfq8QcRPJDYZkajMMSgqZ2KPhzsNVEyNWhBZ7ICC2I8GOaKCqgkShsPMP9W0oM8sSYS_PHE8XuWH5weMva24PfhOfrdEO6E/s1600/Easter+2011+071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVgb8niG9f54J9mf41HSGh0q3TzyuRlpk6dSfqbxPWhECnYfq8QcRPJDYZkajMMSgqZ2KPhzsNVEyNWhBZ7ICC2I8GOaKCqgkShsPMP9W0oM8sSYS_PHE8XuWH5weMva24PfhOfrdEO6E/s320/Easter+2011+071.JPG" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I am far too sensible and conservative to every do something as daring as setting up my own business, but I do love reading about people who have thrown caution to the wind and risked everything on a crazy idea. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">*My measure of job satisfaction and enjoyment</span></div>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15709358952447420224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1258649413160572854.post-89548426507016660502011-05-06T11:43:00.000-07:002011-05-06T11:43:42.293-07:00The People You Meet<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Nick and I have just returned from a lovely week in France – 4 nights in Paris and 4 nights in the Loire Valley. Last year we did a big city tour of the world spending time in Berlin, Rome, Paris, and New York, so we were keen for some proper R&R while in the Loire Valley. For this reason we deliberately did not hire a car and found (well at least we thought we had) a gite within easy access to all the requirements for a relaxing holiday (fromagerie, boucherie, boulangerie & patisserie).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Our hosts mentioned that while these ‘necessities’ were not on our doorstep they were certainly within easy reach and offered us three possibilities: a) hire bikes from the town nearby; b) use the bikes they provide for guests; or c) ask then to collect provisions for us when they were in town (and they would be happy to oblige). On arrival our hosts informed us that they would be away for most of our stay. This meant of course that we would not be able to rely on them to pop into town for us. The ‘nearby’ town with bike hire facilities was actually 7km away and the bike hire shop was not open when we needed it to be. This left us with option b, use the bikes provided, which would have been a perfectly acceptable option had the bikes been in working order. The bikes however were not– the breaks on one did not work and the tires on both were flat. Lucky for us, Nick misspent many of his younger years repairing bikes so was able to fix the breaks, but short of using our breath, we had no way of blowing up the tires. (This story has a point, I promise).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Nonetheless, on our first day, desperate for food* we had no option but to cycle to the nearest village on the barely functioning bikes. Anyone who has cycled with flat tyres would know that not only is it not particularly good for the bike (we didn’t care about this of course, they were not our bikes, and as far as we were concerned our hosts should not have offered them as an option) but also, and perhaps more importantly, it makes it virtually impossible to cycle. We eventually made it into town but were quick to declare that this was not an option for the following days. We went to the local pub for an ice cold beer to reward ourselves for our efforts. Incidentally enjoying <i>a pression</i> from an unpretentious rural pub is Nick’s absolutely favourite thing to do (you can take the boy out of Grafton but you can’t take Grafton out of the boy). </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCr9fVZHRhkfOoL8M7riPCa9cAga6wiIK3NBTFoojWwYsoRdD7uLfjbj2nd_Le3TfSN-qf5QKHjSMQ5yfyZkTd-SyQQiGtLKgGzjuIyuPBWMAQd1PtJNLALzNhNg_x6X0lRTFtYq5DNs/s1600/Easter+2011+217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCr9fVZHRhkfOoL8M7riPCa9cAga6wiIK3NBTFoojWwYsoRdD7uLfjbj2nd_Le3TfSN-qf5QKHjSMQ5yfyZkTd-SyQQiGtLKgGzjuIyuPBWMAQd1PtJNLALzNhNg_x6X0lRTFtYq5DNs/s320/Easter+2011+217.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Enjoying a 'pression'</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It was while enjoying our second beer, discussing our disappointment that we could not buy fresh bread everyday (I also had romantic visions of slow meandering cycle rides along quite roads stopping by the river for a swim and some cheese and wine but of course this was now impossible given the state of the bikes), or indeed travel anywhere, when a local came out from the bar. Quite abruptly he said ‘are you Americans’. Never wanting to be associated with our dear friend’s state side, we quickly replied ‘no, we are Australians’. A strange but pleasant ‘drifter’, he sat down with us and we chewed the fat for a while. It transpired that he was from Manchester originally (though sounded exactly like Paul McCartney) but had moved to France a long time ago. He was a photographer who rode a ‘fixie’. We were discussing the state of our bikes, when all of sudden he shouted ‘hang on a minute’ and ran away. He returned with a bike pump (kept always in the boot of his car to pump the tires of his wife’s wheelchair**) suitable for pumping the tires on our bikes. So with pumped tires and some suggestions on what to see in the area we were on our way. And thanks to Ed we were able to enjoy fresh bread everyday and (my plans for slow romantic rides along quite country roads were fulfilled).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC6DoV-8nZjXzMRyCt4zgAxh7CFXPEWuhFrNcmWo_6fpZTbvt0WhHhiIVBX1u5IBrpjlJbVKJsr9lsCxoGiykS5a7pjl6keCVinWTlv2Rzq52GC4qb1D85dMv_fIaRuSZl8MVQYD07Jpg/s1600/Easter+2011+218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC6DoV-8nZjXzMRyCt4zgAxh7CFXPEWuhFrNcmWo_6fpZTbvt0WhHhiIVBX1u5IBrpjlJbVKJsr9lsCxoGiykS5a7pjl6keCVinWTlv2Rzq52GC4qb1D85dMv_fIaRuSZl8MVQYD07Jpg/s320/Easter+2011+218.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Fresh bread</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">*I tell a little white lie. We were not actually desperate for food – we had sufficient food – but we were desperate for the fresh bread that the French are so famous for. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">**Ed said that we could use the bike pump whenever we needed it. It was always in the boot of his car which was parked ‘just over there’ and which he never kept locked.<span> </span></span></div>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15709358952447420224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1258649413160572854.post-30892879817741135442011-05-05T11:20:00.000-07:002011-05-05T11:23:23.245-07:00Canal St Martin<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">My Mum has an engineer’s fascination with structural things (aqueducts, locks, boats, etc). As far as I can tell it is a trait she inherited from my grandfather. So on a trip to Paris last December it was with much anticipation (from her at least) that we took a walk along the Canal St Martin. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ordered by Napoleon 1 to supply Paris with fresh water and to help avoid the spread of disease, the canal was dug from 1802 to 1825. As well as supplying water to the Parisians, it was used to transport food, building materials and other such things. By 1960, traffic along the canal had all but disappeared. Plans were made to fill the canal in to make way for a new highway, however luckily the canal escaped this fate. Today, the canal is used mostly to transport tourists but it still boasts several operating locks. It was these locks that my Mum was so keen to see in action. We had a lovely albeit treacherous (on account of the icy* streets) walk along the Canal, however much to Mum’s dismay we did not see any of the locks functioning in all their old-world glory. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">While in Paris last week, Nicko and I decided to take a stroll along the Canal St Martin. The fascination with structures being somewhat lost on me, I had forgotten all about the locks. Nonetheless I was keen to retrace the journey with Nicko (there are some lovely shops along the canal you see). As luck would have it, boat-loads (excuse the pun) of people were travelling up the canal providing Nick and I with the opportunity to marvel at a working lock. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Despite my initial cynicism (‘yeah, yeah Mum locks are amazing, I get it, can we talk about something else now’), it WAS actually amazing. We watched the boat coming in, the gates of the lock opening, the water rushing in to fill the lock, the gates re-opening once the water levelled and then the boat continuing on its journey – an engineering marvel, simple yet effective. Anyway Mum, these pictures are for you. The final one is of a family of ducklings we also spotted. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvvZ9RvVWdDP1q06Y5G5f5RyHFTEgHuz1-ClJ53l4dyyOOtoaFkh7YTJYgXBkG8ft59iQ6TBVuGqgvT9cEF2dXZUvsHjzfHfjsnj0hu9H-WmgjAzON8gcb9OTnKx8mcrzAJEwaS70sfSY/s1600/Easter+2011+058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvvZ9RvVWdDP1q06Y5G5f5RyHFTEgHuz1-ClJ53l4dyyOOtoaFkh7YTJYgXBkG8ft59iQ6TBVuGqgvT9cEF2dXZUvsHjzfHfjsnj0hu9H-WmgjAzON8gcb9OTnKx8mcrzAJEwaS70sfSY/s320/Easter+2011+058.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhax-bLR4Rz5B9bXJp_JLam4Gm92lShPDlKU5sgbj3apTwzilFgkNBG_Sv9kqttubRWaLIGQFGNNqhqDFvSndAZq7Y7E13ImsrcLf-Viz6M30WJ-dFzzogVDuUhOFERlDb-zFSVHCLBZFc/s1600/Easter+2011+063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhax-bLR4Rz5B9bXJp_JLam4Gm92lShPDlKU5sgbj3apTwzilFgkNBG_Sv9kqttubRWaLIGQFGNNqhqDFvSndAZq7Y7E13ImsrcLf-Viz6M30WJ-dFzzogVDuUhOFERlDb-zFSVHCLBZFc/s320/Easter+2011+063.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs4SeKcpuLDu9_herdiP2yTvsffsq7twOO17bzUwtn7XQyb7vDsiCR8e7uZ6AGEyzdWepad3C50vFRGJwnWuAW9n0kRZ7WwSs8cZEFfcr7FJacRjJXfqYJKeuqNkUQSH9giEKTQ1LBVfE/s1600/Easter+2011+056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs4SeKcpuLDu9_herdiP2yTvsffsq7twOO17bzUwtn7XQyb7vDsiCR8e7uZ6AGEyzdWepad3C50vFRGJwnWuAW9n0kRZ7WwSs8cZEFfcr7FJacRjJXfqYJKeuqNkUQSH9giEKTQ1LBVfE/s320/Easter+2011+056.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQr0ltD4GLcsjYDYsXaolSGn_vJ-AREO2QH5tg9xaJFaWlPR2hL0YgaAxWYVhohyphenhyphen7TzwghW3uHyUEQbBeVriqAODwm9nceEOaR28l2Er2jdM0Q82OgqfemJnfTOaEo-1iOcKeFl7fyego/s1600/Easter+2011+065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQr0ltD4GLcsjYDYsXaolSGn_vJ-AREO2QH5tg9xaJFaWlPR2hL0YgaAxWYVhohyphenhyphen7TzwghW3uHyUEQbBeVriqAODwm9nceEOaR28l2Er2jdM0Q82OgqfemJnfTOaEo-1iOcKeFl7fyego/s320/Easter+2011+065.JPG" width="320" /></a></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx7EbSlknGx6chG1EWXSxU84Jg-XE-kk6BeSZ6J3V6THljQN8k29_d7YGLTYHgC3zw8Zt_mKhzyYjwOCYCDX328zc5rbkARDeQ8T9qnqaV5cuCT4QESSpC95LJxv0a4ZiHPYFkStv9kGw/s1600/Easter+2011+054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx7EbSlknGx6chG1EWXSxU84Jg-XE-kk6BeSZ6J3V6THljQN8k29_d7YGLTYHgC3zw8Zt_mKhzyYjwOCYCDX328zc5rbkARDeQ8T9qnqaV5cuCT4QESSpC95LJxv0a4ZiHPYFkStv9kGw/s320/Easter+2011+054.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">*It had snowed the previous day and Paris seemed as capable of dealing with the snow as London. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15709358952447420224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1258649413160572854.post-64971791935260427992011-04-21T01:52:00.000-07:002011-04-21T09:25:21.523-07:00Surprise Package<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Those of you who regularly read this blog (as in the first two posts) would know that there are many things that I miss about Aus. Mostly, it's the sunshine. Fortunately, the sun has been shining in the UK of late, so my thirst for the sun has been quenched and my Vitamin D levels restored. Another thing I miss are certain Australian biscuits and lollies (sweeties to you Brits). It is not that these are the tastiest or finest biscuits and lollies I have ever had but I love them because they evoke fond memories and remind me of times gone by. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Take the humble Clinker for example. The quality of the chocolate coating is actually quite poor and the candy center isn't anything to write on a blog about, but one bite and I am transported back to my grandparents kitchen, sitting around the table with them drinking a lemonade. You see my Grandma had a lolly jar, and she ALWAYS kept it stocked with Clinkers for her children and grandchildren when they visited. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Or the Chico Baby. Which to many is just a simple chocolate lolly, but when on your request your Mum drives down to the shop late at night because you are frantically studying for an exam and need some sustenance, it is the most delicious lolly of all. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">You can imagine my excitement then when a packaged arrived yesterday stocked with all my favourites. Mum had gone absolutely overboard, the price of sending them far outweighing the cost of the treats themselves. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO6Qdpfs6Mqv_H2-yo47QMIrfYF4Viip81Xu1fEYh6KdY1_3p7dy9gjkmX_BkpEu0h3EJyPNMQXircEF7t23RLpmpzUqxzkJzNJ5U0Y4zlHzAeJZZiStq8Pk2mU11D4JN19qUOvexp1Fw/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO6Qdpfs6Mqv_H2-yo47QMIrfYF4Viip81Xu1fEYh6KdY1_3p7dy9gjkmX_BkpEu0h3EJyPNMQXircEF7t23RLpmpzUqxzkJzNJ5U0Y4zlHzAeJZZiStq8Pk2mU11D4JN19qUOvexp1Fw/s320/001.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">All my favourites were there. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsQn2VMP232sL3E0rwbDCZCFGDP_zbgB-dqcjEmg-dGc9wp3-24zR0pbAxY5BVjKoijY-WaBFOz63nMMUnYLR6Ehj9GoEMPIvxPj_TAPdexa4xDiHmGpZ_CxDtgomu1squsLwfmuEokpA/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsQn2VMP232sL3E0rwbDCZCFGDP_zbgB-dqcjEmg-dGc9wp3-24zR0pbAxY5BVjKoijY-WaBFOz63nMMUnYLR6Ehj9GoEMPIvxPj_TAPdexa4xDiHmGpZ_CxDtgomu1squsLwfmuEokpA/s320/003.JPG" width="179" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Sjj9SswqMKMWiJJ4-Ov-QUqjPBDWLyiOWZXRKBRUbjDaEsEcVw9tqRrthWyzMq8Sf8_6Vp_6utvTwPWsYLCvpfLYD_0X0LW5A4V0UzbtFVm8dUCsqi8LjEldJiP8vHj8zDEVmbmrCQo/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Sjj9SswqMKMWiJJ4-Ov-QUqjPBDWLyiOWZXRKBRUbjDaEsEcVw9tqRrthWyzMq8Sf8_6Vp_6utvTwPWsYLCvpfLYD_0X0LW5A4V0UzbtFVm8dUCsqi8LjEldJiP8vHj8zDEVmbmrCQo/s320/004.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCbQhkVoig19Lep_2IXl2XKbWrQi5J-sL2VGOxGIny6E7G2csAS8JTOZ0ZXSfXmvlYMtp6FGXuOtKatO8msZokrE90cIu-0RT_BGRfDLys9WEJGgk4b-lyuxP1-HOrJUReEQdq4M-ykBI/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCbQhkVoig19Lep_2IXl2XKbWrQi5J-sL2VGOxGIny6E7G2csAS8JTOZ0ZXSfXmvlYMtp6FGXuOtKatO8msZokrE90cIu-0RT_BGRfDLys9WEJGgk4b-lyuxP1-HOrJUReEQdq4M-ykBI/s320/006.JPG" width="180" /></a> </span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And the best (and most surprising) treat of all - Saos. Just one Sao with a good lathering of butter and vegemite and you know everything is going to be ok. </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl3YR7ppQ-HucPt3LlfAx43v63oEUhiegx_c_8CcAKV9hgwzPqFO7jHELRGtJJXOC4r7oYionXNJ1aIjXE55gK9mXs40ACT6fH3buICNC-D-aQlvMUohCWl2Hoc6SXxm4f7i_3jtGm9mI/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl3YR7ppQ-HucPt3LlfAx43v63oEUhiegx_c_8CcAKV9hgwzPqFO7jHELRGtJJXOC4r7oYionXNJ1aIjXE55gK9mXs40ACT6fH3buICNC-D-aQlvMUohCWl2Hoc6SXxm4f7i_3jtGm9mI/s320/007.JPG" width="180" /></a></div>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15709358952447420224noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1258649413160572854.post-66855483674461469262011-04-19T13:38:00.000-07:002011-04-19T13:45:14.500-07:00Cabbage Roll Success<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Last week t<span style="font-size: small;">he real <a href="http://philnjack.blogspot.com/2011/04/cabbage-rolls-with-hint-of-reminiscing.html" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Phil n Jack</a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> posted a recipe for Lebanese cabbage rolls. I had requested the recipe as I was making them as part of a small Lebanese feast to share with our friends Robert and Laura. Here's how it went. </span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I took one extra special cabbage...</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3z_c3YIdzg8HlNXSrGhtlF_1MCJ_GOczHbgTgA5LpQjMl0l8Fva8-itHNv74sZhWr2VcLP8roJZrHl07x1skWk1IJLcRzJHsjr3rDYAvN9P2njFyquroxrgramOOWee0X3QaxOzB161s/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3z_c3YIdzg8HlNXSrGhtlF_1MCJ_GOczHbgTgA5LpQjMl0l8Fva8-itHNv74sZhWr2VcLP8roJZrHl07x1skWk1IJLcRzJHsjr3rDYAvN9P2njFyquroxrgramOOWee0X3QaxOzB161s/s320/010.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">I then boiled a big pot of water, and plunged the cabbage leaves in until they were soft and pliable. I cut the leaves into squares (that's why I needed a nice big cabbage you see) and placed some mince mixture (lamb mince, rice, cinammon, allspice, onion) in the square, folded in the ends and made a neat little parcel.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>(Boy I didn't think it was so hard to follow a recipe!)</b> Before I did the rolling bit, I took another saucepan (because I had one) and lined it with cabbage leaves..this prevented all sorts of bad things happening (so I was told). </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinZuhz9bO5rAUJG0k5VvT-UNRcHtEOx3M5K8eL8IBc2vKTmDrkymzX-ZJFWANbq8rZsMbjjc5-MuQoqjAQHwnmUczW3EV74Hz6sb0HZjE-K5Xu0pLBTnrOBu8m_1D25dtfXUilfJE2grQ/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinZuhz9bO5rAUJG0k5VvT-UNRcHtEOx3M5K8eL8IBc2vKTmDrkymzX-ZJFWANbq8rZsMbjjc5-MuQoqjAQHwnmUczW3EV74Hz6sb0HZjE-K5Xu0pLBTnrOBu8m_1D25dtfXUilfJE2grQ/s320/009.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7cX6SHwJMAqq_DNuJUkIlTD9j76wyHAJeXIVuW36BScO42VR_nxyX19FLFG4QwKPemWDhyLQbpfjn_0Oa5PIZKj8TcmYs8BwU-U0Ui69zPPqpA1hxlQvl0TQbm1Xo1FHMehNkEK87SoY/s1600/012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I then placed the little rolls in the cabbage lined saucepan, packing them tightly. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">But I forgot to mention one extremely important step...I placed lots and lots and lots (though perhaps on reflection not enough) of unpeeled cloves of garlic in amongst the cabbage rolls. <b> I did not mean to be timid with this. </b></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">I topped the saucepan up with water and forgot to add some salt. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">I took some tomatoes, I used as many tomatoes as I had people coming to dinner, and scoop ed out the fleshy bits which I put on top of the rolls. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Oh, and I forgot to reserve some of the mince mixture to stuff the tomato shells. The stuffed tomatos (with their little cut off tops back on) were to go on top of the cabbage rolls. Oops. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7cX6SHwJMAqq_DNuJUkIlTD9j76wyHAJeXIVuW36BScO42VR_nxyX19FLFG4QwKPemWDhyLQbpfjn_0Oa5PIZKj8TcmYs8BwU-U0Ui69zPPqpA1hxlQvl0TQbm1Xo1FHMehNkEK87SoY/s1600/012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7cX6SHwJMAqq_DNuJUkIlTD9j76wyHAJeXIVuW36BScO42VR_nxyX19FLFG4QwKPemWDhyLQbpfjn_0Oa5PIZKj8TcmYs8BwU-U0Ui69zPPqpA1hxlQvl0TQbm1Xo1FHMehNkEK87SoY/s320/012.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">I covered with a tight fitting lid and gently simmered for about one hour. I then added some lemon juice and simmer ed for another 30 minutes or so I ensured a gentle simmer because I didn't want to burn the bottoms layers. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">And Voila!</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFS9l8Dh6swK9kgRVQCzd3H2LwfY2oYO0kH85elsLcarxG2J5gRu6m2lhQxFXi0NCt99EVLqzD5bcJOaWAXCXrfqWWs-G4nGYoOmOD59auw54gCSqRuNZGQ8GFt1Iub6KXoB7366fwU_w/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFS9l8Dh6swK9kgRVQCzd3H2LwfY2oYO0kH85elsLcarxG2J5gRu6m2lhQxFXi0NCt99EVLqzD5bcJOaWAXCXrfqWWs-G4nGYoOmOD59auw54gCSqRuNZGQ8GFt1Iub6KXoB7366fwU_w/s320/014.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFS9l8Dh6swK9kgRVQCzd3H2LwfY2oYO0kH85elsLcarxG2J5gRu6m2lhQxFXi0NCt99EVLqzD5bcJOaWAXCXrfqWWs-G4nGYoOmOD59auw54gCSqRuNZGQ8GFt1Iub6KXoB7366fwU_w/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> I made some Tabbouleh to accompany the Cabbage Rolls using another Phil n Jack recipe. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrk2_FRhcTO3fTPTwChpl-K13qXdoArsrMCztAdrdffDyEIoRPwcwJMLOVFr2z5vUExyTuOp7bYdvkAj7wEZLQDy46qc77fg6FsyXM6yDPikikAlw2r7QoLWoc5vyN-B298cNFuDFX4A8/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrk2_FRhcTO3fTPTwChpl-K13qXdoArsrMCztAdrdffDyEIoRPwcwJMLOVFr2z5vUExyTuOp7bYdvkAj7wEZLQDy46qc77fg6FsyXM6yDPikikAlw2r7QoLWoc5vyN-B298cNFuDFX4A8/s320/015.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We enjoyed the cabbage roles and tabbouleh with a lovely slow cooked lamb shoulder (thanks h-bomb). A small feast indeed. </span></span>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15709358952447420224noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1258649413160572854.post-82104917698340007382011-04-18T11:36:00.000-07:002011-04-18T23:51:24.482-07:00Choc Cross Buns<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Despite much initial trepidation and many, many tears, the decision to live abroad has been the second best decision I've ever made.* That is not to say that I don't miss home because I do, but more often than not I am able to keep this feeling in check. At certain times through out the year though - Christmas, birthdays, and at the moment Easter - I feel myself missing home more than usual. If we were living in Australia, my husband and I would probably be gearing up for the East Coast Blues and Roots Festival - a five day music festival in Byron Bay, and a highlight of our year. Instead we are off to France (which of course is amazing), but I think a part of both of us would rather just be lying on the grass in the sunshine listening to some live music. It is on these these 'religious' holidays that I crave certain foods. Right now I long for a Darrel Lea Nougat Egg** and an unconventional, but exceptionally tasty, 'choc cross bun' (which I suspect are lining every supermarket and bakery shelf back home right now). The genius of omitting the mixed spice and swapping the raisins for choc chips has been lost on the English.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I was commenting on their absence to my dear friend Bek who, after an unsuccessful search of the supermarkets, arrived at my house on Saturday night with a dozen homemade ones. They were absolutely delicious and were the perfect remedy for my homesickness. It is meeting friends like Bek that have made this decision the second best I have ever made. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXmuIKp4tH9OfQFsw4v8kkShqa7g0EZJZuBlWb-w68zXqq1Zyec8E2ZOyuyuSLVIdh6J6d3YeHZuVM9k6wucOcwnd5VowTa_Z2xyVxQTkRcpaFczhCsm4bQuHQ2AHMeiEcY7kj040ozWY/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXmuIKp4tH9OfQFsw4v8kkShqa7g0EZJZuBlWb-w68zXqq1Zyec8E2ZOyuyuSLVIdh6J6d3YeHZuVM9k6wucOcwnd5VowTa_Z2xyVxQTkRcpaFczhCsm4bQuHQ2AHMeiEcY7kj040ozWY/s320/006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3CbvVhW0Pzw-9mAxySR7WnUmDnV13mCFXviP0U7hUfuSFk8FqsMQqaeff-1HwpUWDHTCE3iZEcE_Pp4YBZK15XPph2VTyc9k_bg3_IZjUQQNKJ0TUIDqizB7d3YB3IdrZBeVetYc4rfE/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3CbvVhW0Pzw-9mAxySR7WnUmDnV13mCFXviP0U7hUfuSFk8FqsMQqaeff-1HwpUWDHTCE3iZEcE_Pp4YBZK15XPph2VTyc9k_bg3_IZjUQQNKJ0TUIDqizB7d3YB3IdrZBeVetYc4rfE/s320/007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">*The best decision I ever made was to marry by husband</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">** The year Darrel Lea decided to put their staff on Australian Workplace Agreements (AWA) causing a husband inflicted boycott of the chocolatier</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> was a terrible year</span></div>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15709358952447420224noreply@blogger.com2