Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Plum season

No I don't mean physically....I meant my plum trees!

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Our first harvest for this year - fairly merge looking as I was only picking thoses withins arm's length for a healthy snack tomorrow. Unfortunately I do not think any would be left on the tree come September - you will have to see/taste it in jam format!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Giant harvest

Can I show you what we harvested this weekend?

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1 giant courgette
1 kohlrabi (the purple globe - tasty nutty flavour sliced raw in salads)
1 mini cucumber (we got over-excited and harvest it while it's tiny)
2 giant radishes (I know they look small in the picture but trust me they are huge compared with standard radish.The reason they look small is because they are next to the giant courgette!)

So lets focus on the courgette - biggest ever harvest. Fair to say we are proud!
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longer than Scott's face...

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So heavy it could be used as dumbbells

Still don't believe me when I say it is huge? OK - I didn't want to do this but here goes...
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it is bigger than a cow!

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Scott sorted out the garden this weekend ...

victoria sponge cake
...so I made him victoria sponge cake as a thank-you. Or maybe that is a thank-you to myself for going for a run that week. I'm undecided

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French doors from the bedroom to garden - One of my favourite spot. You can smell the lavender just standing there

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Bergerac, France - Part 3 (we canoe-ed!)

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Canoe-ing/kayak-ing down the Dordogne river is a popular sports with both the locals and tourists. The river was packed when we went for our canoe adventure. It was the first summer school holidays weekend so even the locals are out to play. Our starting point - picturesque no?

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Scott was very keen to get out and start canoe-ing - we chose to do the 9km route

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then there is me - intending to take it easy and get a tan. There might had been a few snappy comments to each other

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do it the French way, stop halfway for some frites and cold drinks. No alcoholic drink - we advice against drink-canoeing!

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strong...

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so am I....

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come on woman!...row!

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ok!

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no- do it this way!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Bergerac, France - Part 2 (what we ate)

Bergerac is known as the land of foie gras - so what do I eat for 4 days straight? Yup! - that + duck + potatoes + wine + dessert...every day. What is wrong with a fat bride?

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starter: country soup - it serves 6 hence the huge bowl. So good....I can't promise we stick to one serving per person ....hmmm

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why do we not get these kind of tomato selection in London?

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we might have bought some of these home

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opps...caught in the act!

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this is the best thing about the lil town we were staying in - Sunday night market where to local producers come out to cook a feast and every week a wine maker serve their wine at rock bottom prices to promote it.

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potato plus bits of duck...what is there not to like eh?

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duck+chips

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hog roast

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melon with the famous Monbazillac sweet wine - yum

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i hope you didn't think we are going to share that melon for our dessert...it doesn't really work that way with our relationship

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One day I will have a cellar that looks like this...

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Why McDonald when you can have foie gras?

Bergerac, France - Part 1 (what we saw)

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Dordogne river

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One of the houses out there is our B&B!

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Beynac castle

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Do not jump Scotty!

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La Roque-Gageac

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Note: Not our hotel!

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View from our B&B - we stayed right in the middle of all the vineyards with great view of Chateau Monbazillac (world famous sweet wine producer). amazing!

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the yellow dotted on all landscape pictures are sunflowers - huge sunflowers!

Short birthday holiday to Bergerac which is close to Bordeaux but not quite Bordeaux hence cheaper flights (score!) and cheaper wine (alright!). Amazing weather which makes it even better, esp considering it was pish in London :)