Monday 22 July 2013

LaZing in the shade

I did most of what I planned today (one job is still waiting for me), but not at the time I had intended.  Because it was hot and, though I can't sunbathe, I love a glorious summer's day.  So I dressed in a particularly pretty frock, did necessary tasks in the morning, went in to school for a final meeting with the Head - just a few loose ends to tie up, nothing much - and went back home to cut back the creeper from around the windows, ready for the wood to be re-stained later this week.  But Russell was going out so I couldn't do the upstairs windows with no one to hold the ladder.  So I defrosted and emptied one of the fridges (the other is now crammed full) and, after lunch, took a glass of quite low alcohol beer and the newspapers out into the garden and there I sat for - oh, hours.  I don't know, two or three.  I had a big hat on and a garden parasol and I was rather too hot, but winter carried on for so long, you're not going to catch me minding about a bit of heat.

We have moved the fridge and it's settling down ready to be turned on tomorrow afternoon and I shinned up the ladder and cut the creeper, so no harm was done by my afternoon off.

Cooking is exceptionally simple at present, now I don't have the Aga on.  The tabletop cooker is no pleasure at all to use, though it works perfectly well.  So I just prepared a couple of trout en papillote and served them with Norfolk samphire.  And then we had some Suffolk raspberries.

There's an advertisement on the television with dogs and Ben has his nose pressed to the glass.  He'll be so pleased when Rupert arrives on Wednesday night.

8 comments:

Tim said...

Samphire is delish! Had some myself this evening, steamed over new potatoes with the sea bass fillets. All from Waitrose.

Unknown said...

Yes, we've been making the most of samphire this year. Delicious, as Tim says, with fish and new potatoes; and, a secondary consideration, said to be very good for us.

Roses said...

Sounds like you had a rather lush afternoon.

Which reminds me, I must go shopping - not much food in the house.

Rog said...

I asked for some seaweed in our Lidl and they sent for the area manager and called the police.

Z said...

I like samphire so much that I even remember the first time I ever ate it, at a hotel in Norwich in July, 1970.

Regretting losing the time now, Roses, it's been an unexpectedly busy morning and I'm all behind again.

I'm not at all surprised, Rog.

Paul at Hadleigh said...

Sage's Somerset cousin here! Not normally into blogging but have finally arrived ...
The biking thing has struck a chord. Something likewise which I've never done and one of those regrets ...
Years ago in Thailand on visiting Murray when he was teaching there I rode his bike. And came back home full of aspirations - only to have "sense" drilled into me by the other half.
So those "non-dotage" years have gone by and it probably is too late now !
Though - the other day we went to this wedding in the Cotswolds before coming over to see you. There I met someone I was supposed to have been at school with a lifetime ago. No memories of her, indeed hardly a memorable character I thought. Until she told me her husband runs a bike training school (for oldies mostly) and she too dons her leathers and they go off round Europe etc. Wow. And she's my age. So... maybe there's a moral there somewhere!
I think it's pedalling round the village for me now ...

Z said...

Hello Paul - well, of course Jennifer is right and yet so were you. I'm at that happy age of irresponsibility, this may be my last chance to go a little bit off the rails.

Blue Witch said...

"this may be my last chance to go a little bit off the rails"

Ah - a train set might be safer! You could run it right around and over the dippy field.