End
of the Year ……..
The
end of the year review........ I don't think so.
This being the time of
year I most hate; short, dark days and little sun. I am sure I am
affected by SAD to some extent and I always feel below par and a
little miserable. The colder weather brings on chills and colds and
again you feel a bit down. So this year I break with tradition and
have decided that my last blog of 2018 is going to be different, no
looking back and no setting up of New Year resolutions; therefore no
planning to fail either.
I
am writing this at my desk in my gîte looking
out at the bird table and the flock of tits that seem to get through
vast amount of sunflower seeds each day.
This
time of year is busy with the harder tasks of maintenance that can't
be done when guests are here so we are chopping trees, painting and
decorating and getting things in order for March, when we open again.
Whilst
I am making no resolutions I am looking forward to creating
opportunities in 2019. There are some
things I hope to achieve:
1.
I think I would describe my style of cooking as what the French would
term “bistro”: homely, uncomplicated and full of flavour with a
firm focus on taste and less on fiddly presentation. So for 2019 I
intend to improve my cooking skills so that I can present a more
varied and interesting menu here at La Ribiere and to that end I want
to improve:
-
my knife skills – sharper knives and more even slicing, dicing and
de-boning
-
my pan tossing skills - apparently its all in the wrist action (now
then don't be rude)
-
re-discovery of the basics – I bought the fantastic book; Salt,
Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nozrat (see her videos on Netflix) and
-
using better ingredients leading to more interesting food and an even
healthier diet
2.
Work/Life balance is complicated especially when no two days are the
same but I hope to get better at some of my work skills especially
the cooking (see above) and also my forestry and gardening balanced
off with more reading and learning. 2019 is the year I really make an
effort with my French. But no pressure.
Forestry:
Have got some books on chainsawing, ordered a nice new safety
helmet with integrated ear-muffs and visor, and also got some felling
wedges.
When
John comes back I want to work with him to fully improve my skills.
There is a satisfaction in felling a tree that falls in the right way
and then processing it. And the neglected forests here need so much
TLC.
Gardening:
The plan is to have a good “allotment” sized vegetable garden up
and running with both the usual and unusual growing in abundance.
New Potatoes, beans, peas, tomatoes, squash, corn, chillies, fennel,
peppers, etc. Multiple varieties. Carrots and onions etc., are not
worth the effort.
French:
to enjoy getting to the stage where I can hold a basic conversation
and shop with confidence.
Read
more: Years ago I used to buy the Man-Booker short list every year
as a basis for my reading, so I have a good few years to catch up on.
And I joined Amazon prime!
3.
Linked to this work/life balance is a plan to make full use of
monthly short breaks to the UK and elsewhere enabling short bursts of
quality time with friends. It is good that David, Heidi and I have
friends in common and I hope we can encourage them to visit and take
part in life here. Quality time with a small group of friends has to
be the order of the day.
The
other thing is to finally get my stuff moved out here before the
start of the season. I want to transform my space and own it more.
And whilst the stuff is mainly IKEA and only acquired over the short
period of 10 months since arriving back in the UK from Peru and my
departure to France such as there is, is useless sitting in a storage
facility in Hall Green.
 |
| Photos 1, 3, 4 and 5 courtesy of Heidi and David |
Of
course this is all subjective and I don't intend to beat myself up
over any of it. I will achieve what I achieve and it is more a
general setting of the compass firmly in a forwards direction for
2019.
“Quand
on a pas ce que l’on aime, il faut aimer ce que l’on a”
“Want
what you have and you’ll have what you want”
I
have beautiful friends, beautiful surroundings and beautiful
opportunities: I intend to positively
exploit them all and I hope that you will
also have the same riches in 2019.
I
am writing this at my desk in my gîte looking
out at the bird table and the flock of tits that seem to get through
vast amount of sunflower seeds each day.
Last Friday we went
to Limoges for the “Frairie des Petits Ventres” loosely
translated could mean the “Merrymaking of the small bellies” I
think “small” as in “empty” as it is a food festival devoted
to local meat products and takes place in the “Rue de la Boucherie”
which had been the centre for butchers in Limoges since the middle
ages. The fair dates back to these times but in its current form was
revived some 46 years ago. The highlight of this is “offal”
especially tripe and things like blood sausages, (boudin noir - black
pudding), andoullietes (tripe sausages) and duck hearts.
Sunday also had the
surprise of my first “Vit Grenier” (clear your attic) – a
French car boot sale. Have to say I have never seen so much junk
being sold alongside a cider festival (Limousin is famous for its
apples), but except for a wonderful display of ancient tractors
altogether a rather underwhelming experience.
