In fact today has been a very productive day with me not being the principal contributor. David woke in a mood of 'we are going to achieve today' and achieve we did. The first target was the fences which had become rather slack and in need of attention: the posts have been knocked home where needed and the wire has now been retentioned. The afternoon was spent doing other jobs in the garden. We gave up when I'd reached my use-by date and David decided that breathing in midges was a step too far (I should add that most of the afternoon was midge free but my arms and neck pay testament to the persistence of the little blighters. Thank heaven they don't affect me or itch: they just look a mess.). A friend recently described it as a 'low maintenance' garden. We obviously have completely different concepts of the amount of work maintenance requires.
Anyway this evening for the second evening running David is doing the cooking. I love cooking but it is good to have someone else do it for a change.
Oh I wish I loved cooking!
ReplyDeleteFeet up GB!
Once 8.30pm came Jaz, David and I did something either of us very rarely does - watched a DVD for the rest of the evening: the 1990 version of House of Cards - brilliant.
DeleteI used to love cooking - but 30 years of feeding a family took a lot of the fun out of it.... probably need ot do a cooking class to regenrate the urge to stand around the kitchen for more than 20 minutes...
ReplyDeleteFiona I wasn't allowed to cook when we married so I never went through the trauma (and trauma I would call it) of having to think what to cook for a family every day.. My wife was a brilliant cook and I never started cooking properly until I lived alone. Now I will quite happily cook for a dinner party of 12 although I usually agonise for ages over what I am going to cook.
DeleteCooking is a very relaxing hobby but extremely stressful as an occupation. As a hobby it's a matter of juggling the wine intake and the complexity of the dish being prepared. Not always a simple matter.
ReplyDeleteA quick pasta sauce recipe. Boil garlic and tomatoes, no onion. When everything looks mushy. Heat a big pan drop enough olive oil in to cover the pan bottom to a millimeter or so then tip the mush in. It will not be happy and spit a bit. When it's finished spitting take it off the burner and let it rest for a couple of minutes or a glass of wine.
DeleteSeason afterwards with a raw egg whisked with oregano, salt and pepper. Just stir the egg mix in and poor over pasta. I use tagliatelle.
I'm only trying to charm the postess. Normally I chop liver or heart into the mushy bit. Just to add flavour and to save wasting bits of very cruelly treated innocent animals.
DeleteI'll remember that Adrian. Might even do it tomorrow.
DeleteSounds good Graham.
ReplyDeleteIf you enjoyed the 1990 version, you really need to watch the Kevin Spacey (Netflix) version of House of Cards. It makes for compulsive viewing.
PS Meant to say - the midge bites really do not sound good!!
DeleteThanks Yvonne. I'll put it on the list for viewing. Did the US version, I wonder, just do House of Cards or all three of Dobb's books? The midge bites are ok in that they don't affect me but their getting in one's face and every other orifice is a real pain in the proverbial.
DeleteI don't love cooking. What's to love? Wen I'm rich, I shall have a cook. And she will make the decisions, do the shopping, cook it and surprise me at the end. I don't want anything to do with it!
ReplyDeleteNext, Frances, you'll be telling me that you don't like ironing either.
DeleteHow nice to have a house guest chef visiting, who will not only take care of the meals while he's there, but also help with the gardening. Who could ask for more?
ReplyDeleteRed rover, red rover, can you send David over???
I'm sure he'd have a ball in the garden and with the cuisine Virginia although he's not that enamoured of the heat. I think Molly might have something to say about his absence as well.
DeleteMolly is more than welcome as well to visit....my boy Brownie would love that.
DeleteAs for the heat, we'll open the invitation for the cooler months between December to February.
Sounds good, having someone else doing the cooking for a change. I don't love cooking but this summer I've challenged myself (and succeeded) to eat better and lose weight at the same time. (Basically more vegs and less carbs.)
ReplyDeleteYour garden certainly sounds like "high maintenance" to me judging by the amount of time you've spent working there this summer!
Monica I can't be bothered cooking for myself as enthusiastically as I once did but I eat well and healthily nevertheless.I think the garden is very high maintenance too .
DeleteWhen there is at least one other person going to join me for a meal, I love cooking, too. But just for myself, I only cook when otherwise what I have in the fridge would go to waste.
ReplyDeleteOn those weekends when RJ stays with me, we usually do the cooking together, and make a very good team in the kitchen. I also love making pizza and Tiramisu when hosting a party.
A lot of the time when I am on my own I no longer cook anything elaborate Meike. I eat a lot of salads and things from the freezer which I have cooked in a larger quantity than a single serving or which is left over from entertaining. Handy things freezers.
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