Where do we go in France

We seemed to have become the Melbourne source of "where to go in France" with our many friends in our area of "Our Home on the Bay". It all started last month when we were invited for dinner to tell our Irish/New Zealand friends what to see in the Dordogne. They are currently sending us photos by email of them eating and drinking - do you think this is a method of saying thank you or making us jealous?

Only last week my cycling friend Cookie asked for some ideas on accommodation in Paris and what to see - where do you start? Sue put together a list of contacts and "thing to see".

Friday night, Sue had a visit from a fellow teacher up the other end of our street who is off to the Lot and Paris and again same thing. We sat with maps, books and of course a glass of wine.

Its now Sunday as I write and this afternoon when she arrived back home after shopping - toot, toot, toot - that's the signal for me to carry in the shopping, she who must be obeyed was across the road talking to  our neighbours who are off to France this year.

Question - where should we go while in the Dordogne and the Loire? - what can I say, we seem to be the street's authority on France.

The Bicycle Swap Meet

Other than these weekend experiences I did get out on the bike to a swap meet. I've been to car swap meets and of course many Brocantes in our travels. A bike swap meet is full of colourful characters and some that become friends - one such person is "Col". We've discovered we have similiar interests despite the several years gap in our ages. But then we have many friends of various age groups which makes our life interesting.

Col and I found that we have the same acquaintances without having ever met each other through these mutual friends. Our interests lay in both bikes and cars of a vintage theme.



"Col" with his very early post-war bike.

Not long after arriving back from Col's place, I thought I should get this weekend's post happening and found that after going to the Bike Swap Meet, coming home and mowing lawns, going out to dinner Saturday night, waking up Sunday morning to continue painting my son's bedroom, visiting Col. I hadn't really anything to tell our readers!!!!!!

So when I'm lost for blogging material, I ask Sue what's she cooking for dinner. Sunday nights as a child, I remember it was usually toasted cheese sandwiches and soup. Lunch was the big meal when I was a child and usually a big roast with people would popping in impromptu with Mum adding a few more veggies to make the meal go further.

Times have change since then. I have to earn dinner these days by catching up on all the odd jobs around the house before I'm given the evening's meal - it's not even toasted sandwiches for lunch.

He does go on, doesn't he? I love that he has a vivid imagination.

Yep, it was tasty. At Castlemaine farmers' market last Sunday I bought beetroot as small as the last knuckle on my little finger. They cooked in a heartbeat and I put them with little chat potatoes and dressed them with olive oil and vin cotto and added a little parsley. I love beetroot, and these tiny ones were yum! That was the salad. I browned the pork cutlets, then added chicken stock and cooked a few minutes until they were pink. Then rested them while I boiled the cooking juices and added seeded mustard and a spoonful of cream and let it all blend. Nice. A few sugar snap peas cooked for 40 seconds and we're done. All good.

Tiny meringues with a little home made lemon curd to go with coffee and we're done.

The Lone Lemon

Oh yes, there was another thing this weekend - the LONE LEMON was picked. I bought Sue a lemon tree in a pot a few years back for a birthday present or was it Christmas - not important.. The poor thing was barren, that is until this year when it sprouted its first born.

Well this solitary lemon just kept getting fatter, even obese but refused to leave the nest, if in fact it was a bird. But no, it was a lemon and had no right to still cling to the branch at its size. Today was the day for it to leave its branch (by force). I decided to take things into my own hands, the lemon that is. I think we might keep it for next Sunday nights meal. Sue, how does fish sound next weekend?

Remember Sue talks in green. It was really sad. We had heaps of lemons from this tiny tree last year.(22 who says I'm obsessed?) But this year we had two storms with big winds about 2 weeks apart and it took every blossom from the tree but one! I have nurture this one lone lemon for months!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have a good week everyone.