One working week, one hundred and one words

Monday need to meet leadership coach with team after school. Drop me in it, all J personalities. I’m too “it’ll get done/seize the moment.” Go home and drink gin.

Tuesday quiet - hallelujah.

Wednesday busy, colleagues at moderation. Goes well, unsatisfactory teacher thinks teaching good – NO! Proof our assessments good – not same thing.

Thursday student's observation bad. Need to ring tutor – failing. Student cries when I feedback. Other student gets job – proud mama! No gin at home. Argue with Simon.

Friday, realise in charge of school–heck! Student phones sick. 3 children on breakfast club roof. Go home via gin shop!

Recently returned

Just back from Spain ... well, more like I'm back from Spain since last Sunday but the fug of post holiday blues has stopped me writing anything about it. However, having dragged myself away from the teetering edge of the pit of despair I can tell you that I had a fantastic time.

Between strolling along the waterline ...

finding iconic restaurant signs ...

spending time with friends ...

and dreaming about how I was going to get home, there was also time for some pretty delicious food. Hilights included tellines, razor clams pan fried with chorizo, pan con tomate y jamón, trinxat with griddled belly pork, zarzuela, Catalan broad beans - with botifarra negra (black pudding) and belly pork, escalivada and the odd dish of seafood paella.

Scenery and singing

Two weekends ago I had a lovely day with Kevan driving and then strolling through beautiful East Sussex (who knew England was SOOOOOOOOOO gorgeous) before joining the Langthorne ladies for dinner, fizz and some dodgy karaoke (who knew we were all SUUUUUUUUUUCH bad singers). It was a grand weekend!

The Belle Tout lighthouse at Beachy Head

The cliffs at Birling Gap

My niece Laura

Helen (Laura and Cat's Mum)

On the right Helen (my sister-in-law) and my niece Cat

My niece Laura, voice of an angel ...

Laura, originally uploaded by Laquet.

... the angel of death!! Turn up the sound people because you know you want your ears to bleed!!

To do list

Strip and remake spare bed.
Get washing done.
Clean bathroom.
Hoover - bleugh!
Get into town to buy some lamb.
Weekly shop at Tesco.

And all because my parents are coming - hurrah! *
See there's a silver lining to every cloud :o)

* That makes me sound like such a dirty mare - I would do all of these jobs regardless whether they were coming or not!

Dydd Dewi Sant Hapus iawn

What other way is there to celebrate St David's Day than tucking in to a big bowl of cawl cennin. Internet meet Jo's cawl cennin, cawl cennin meet the Internet!

I would go so far as to say that there isn't a Welshman or woman out there who doesn't like cawl* you'd be mad not to love it's lamby/leeky/brothy sweetness especially when served with a chunk of really good steam baked Swansea batch and a chunk of cheddar** Writing this post is making me salivate/dribble simply at the thought of it.

I use my Auntie Marg's recipe. First I think I need to explain about Auntie Marg is not really my auntie; in fact, she is no relation at all to either my mother or father who are both in fact only children BUT she is instead that strange phenomena that was all over Wales in the mid 70s, when children were brought up jointly (particularly during long school holidays) by their own parents and the parents of every other child on the street and indeed by neighbours who didn't even have children at home anymore.

If Andrew and I were out and about playing with Anna-Maria (see above) or Richard or Lynwen/Gareth/Bethan or any of other children around and their parents were feeding them, then they fed us too. Or just as likely if Anna-Maria was in our garden when Andrew and I had lunch - well, she stayed (see above). And because of this - maybe it is a Welsh thing after all - these people became honorary, much loved, aunties and uncles. We knew them too well to call them Mr or Mrs. It would have been forward of us as little children to call them by their christian names so Uncle Gino***, Auntie Pat, Uncle Dil and Auntie Marg it was!

Anyways, back to the recipe, except that there isn't really a true recipe, Auntie Marg just kind of made it up as she went along BUT it goes a lot like this.

1) In your biggest saucepan place a shoulder of mutton**** and cover with water. Add a bouquet garni - yes she really did but it was a rustic looking one, not one of those nice little tea-bags from the supermarket. This was more like an onion with a bay leaf, carrot and some celery, tied together in a bit of muslin with string/strong cotton. Turn on the gas/electric and bring to the boil and then turn it down and let it simmer, removing any scum until the meat is falling off the bone. Then (and this really is an important step) turn off the gas, put a lid on the pot, walkaway from the stove and leave the whole thing alone over night. NO PEEKING!

2) Come morning there will be a disc of yellow fat on top of the soup - take this off and discard it. Little bits will be left behind - that's fine, just discard the majority of the fat. If you leave it in, it tastes too strong and coats your mouth with too much fat. Discard the bouquet garni - it's done it's job too. Take the lamb out of the stock and shred it off the bone. Return to the broth. At this point I discard the bones - I don't think there's anything else I can do with them is there?

3) At this point Auntie Marg always threw in a handful of red lentils. The only "thickener" in the broth/soup. Turn the gas back on and bring to the boil once more, now turn it down to a rolling simmer. Leave for 20 minutes.

4) Now is the time to add your vegetables - leeks obviously ... it is cawl cennin after all; after a thorough wash the green and white parts of the leeks are sliced but not finely, your making a stew not a soup ~ there needs to be texture to them. Onion - sliced, similar to the leeks. Carrots - again sliced not to fine. Parsnips - cut into bite sized pieces. Make sure there's enough water to cover the vegetables stir well and leave.

5) After about 40 minutes when the vegetables are soft to the touch, check the seasoning and add a big handful of chopped parsley.

6) Serve piping hot with a bread to dip and a good wedge of cheddar cheese. The cheddar gets croken into chunks and dropped into the soup to melt.

* Except for the vegetarians and vegans obviously and I'm not going to say anything about them right now because I don't want to offend anyone honestly and vegetarian food can be delicious. But vegans??? How can anyone go through life without chocolate - it's not right. In fact I'd go so far as to say it's ALL WRONG!
** Can't be doing with Caerphilly which is what my mother prefers - too crumbly!
*** Yep, I even have an Italian uncle.

**** If you haven't got a saucepan big enough now is the time to get out the hacksaw. If you can't get mutton, lamb will do BUT mutton is better.

S.A.D.

In the middle of winter, I want to be there in the sunshine.

Meet the beast!

Meet the beast!, originally uploaded by Laquet.

My parents have had a new shower installed in the salle de bains.
It's affectionately known as the beast.
It has 6 jets - 3 that mist, 3 that pulse/sting/really bloody wake you up*!
It has a wand with a big shower head on it that you can take off the shower mounting.
And it has a shower head in the ceiling that is akin to standing under a waterfall!

Some of you out there in blogland will have had this kind of shower for years ...

I just know that one the morning of December 20th the waterfall was so strong it made my eyeballs ache!

* You certainly don't want to catch your nipples with it ... I know - TOO much info!

French France part 2

So, after wandering around the market and grazing on all the lovely things that there were to eat - including Audrey and Mum being conned giving in and buying gingerbread/glühwein/"your real English mince pies" from their friend Heinz who is part of the Souillac Rotary ... "real English"?? My arse - I saw the Lidl bags matey!! We were off to Hotel des Tilleuls for lunch. What a find guys. Next time you're in Souillac give it a try - it's on the Sarlat road, just after the garden centre.

The 19€ menu was delicious and worth every penny cent ... the menu du jour 12€ wasn't available on Sunday, but I imagine it would be worth a weekday lunchtime visit to give it a go. So our starters - Simon had pressé de lentilles aux aiguillettes de canard - this was almost like a terrine of lentils ~ lovely earthy texture/flavour ~ with bits of duck wing and carrot in it. Served with a balsamic vinaigrette and salad. Delicious - would have had that instead of mine if I'd had any idea how good it was going to be.

I instead ordered the salade de morue et calamares - which was delicious BUT had enough lettuce to sink a battleship! However this was coated in delicious vinaigrette that had tomato vinegar in it. And in all fairness other bits of loveliness hidden thoughout it - potatoes, red onion, beetroot, egg ... yum! The cod and calamari were good too - but not as good as those bloody lentils!

My mother - who is the food coward of the bunch went with the pâté de foie gras ... too much pâté and not enough foie for my liking and nothing fruity to set it off - no figs or pear chutney or or or anything BUT she was happy and seeing as she was eating it tant pis!

For my main course I ordered the pavé de boeuf. I am always heartened to see the look of surprise on a prissy French waiter's face when he reels off the cooking options for steak to les Anglais* finishing off with a distasteful look on his face as the much hated "bien cuit" trips off his tongue. He looks around waiting for us all to chorus "bien cuit" and my mum and I smack him in the chops with "bleu svp." "Bleu?" he says in surprise. "Oui, merci!" Even Simon manages a respectable saignant these days.

The beef was cooked to perfection, pink and oozing and served with pommes boulangères and échalote confite - yum! Sweet sticky shallots, gratined tomatoes, lovely oven baked buttery potatoes, yum! But then why go and stick a blinking jacket potato on the side? And ... and I know I am going to get shot down in flames here ... it's not even as if the French do JPs well - SORRY - but it's true! They do pommes boulangères really well, matchstick potatoes - yum, pommes dauphinoise - gorgeous BUT not JPs.

I mean look at it - wrapped in tinfoil**, can't see the potato because there's so much cream in it, teaspoon stabbed in it's centre - bleugh!

So, I swapped my JP with Brian (who had ordered perche au vin rouge) and instead got a cabbage parcel that was stuffed with delicious creamy cheesy risotto ... the French do stuffed cabbage REALLY well. Stick to the cabbage guys. His perch looked interesting - I always imagine them as a "muddy" fish - shows what I know ... maybe next time!

And then finally it was time for dessert! I'm not normally a big dessert**** eater - I'd rather have cheese and if the choice is starter+main or main+dessert I'll go for the savoury option everytime BUT I do like an iles flottantes - that magic mixture of light fluffy meringue, vanilla custard and dark caramel. And the Hotel des Tilleuls does iles flottantes - LOOK!

**NEWSFLASH - I'd stopped counting the points by this time - NEWSFLASH** Yep, you're not imagining it, that's Simon hiding behind the iles flottantes. That dish was brought to the table for you to serve yourself! And we did - only one plateful mind you ... which shocked everyone BUT we were so full ... having wiped the previous plates clean that there was no room for any more. The chocolate mousse that they make is served in the same sort of dish. There's a rumour doing the rounds that if you finish the dish then you're meal is free ... there's another rumour doing the rounds that if I had I'd have burst!

Mum lot very pleased with her nougat glacé and Brian with his crème brûlée but they weren't much to look at compared with my bucket of iles flottantes!

We walked part of the way home. I didn't eat until Monday!!

* Yeh, I know I'm une Galloise but generally, unless you have the rugby** conversation most (not all, most ... it's improving) French people don't distinguish between the inhabitants of the component bits of the UK - we tend all to be English to them.

** This rugby conversation that we've been having since August 1981. "Oui je suis Galloise. J'étais né en Pays de Galles." "Pays de Galles? C'est où le Pays de Galles?" "Vous connaissez le Pays de Galles, c'est une région de la Grande-Bretagne. Ils jouent au rugby en Pays de Galles." "Ah oui, le Meelenium Stadeeeum! Pays de Galles, ah oui, JPR, Gareth Tomos! Oui, je connais le Pays de Galles!" Yep they still bring up JPR eventhough he hasn't played international rugby since 1981.

*** How are you going to get good skin if you cook the potato wrapped in foil? You know what I mean by good skin right? Tough enough to fight back with you.

**** I might have mentioned before that my mother thinks that this is WRONG on so many levels and has been known to throw around the rumour that I am in fact not her daughter - harsh!

French France part 1

Well, we arrived back yesterday evening - the bags are still unpacked in the dining room ... I have neither the strength of character or the energy to tackle them, so I am instead doing something far more useful ~ yep, blogging.

Ssssh, Simon thinks I'm de-cluttering the office!

Anyway ... arriving Chez le Laquet in the earlyish morning of Saturday 20th December gave us bags of time before Christmas to do all those French things I like the most, of course shopping and eating figured high on the list. On Sunday morning we trooped off to the Christmas market in Souillac - small but perfectly formed - for a wander around before lunch.

The weather was cold and crisp, the sun shining, bright blue skies BUT everyone was bundled up against the cold. Locals were buying bunches of holy and mistletoe, swigging down mugs of mulled wine or chocolat chaud. The air was thick with the scents of Christmas - ginger, cinammon and cloves. There was pain des epices to taste, gaufres and crepes being freshly cooked and tasting plates at every stall - saucisson, jambon, St Andre and cabecou, pain aux lardons/noix, nougat and aligot with duck sausage ~ yum!!

"Gosh, you must have been stuffed" I hear you say ... merely warming up to the challenge ahead my friends!! Lunch to follow!

Christmas meme

Ok, I lied/exaggerated ... 176 posts this year - and I scheduled this from home. As far as know they/we are still "sans service/Internet-less" ... it's a bummer it really is! Happy Christmas everyone!!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? He wraps them.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Coloured. Red this year.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Yes, bought some in Tesco on Thursday night. Let the snogging begin!

5. When do you put your decorations up? Christmas Eve - family tradition.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Potch and brussels with chestnuts and pancetta.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: My first bike. It was hidden in the bathroom because it was too big to go under the tree - I cried with happiness brushing my teeth.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? What truth? What do you mean?

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Never! NO. After breakfast on Christmas Day.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Mixture of old and new - some homemade by me and my brother. Some a little kitsch.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? I love looking out of the window and seeing it. I don't want to have to walk or drive in it!

12. Can you ice skate? No, I never learned how to ice skate. I can barely roller skate lol.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? A Tiny Tears - I loved her sooooooooo much!

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Family and then food ;o)

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? I like Black Forest trifle - chocolate muffins, cherries, brandy, custard, whipped cream and shavings of dark chocolate on the top.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Breakfast - it's a proper sit down meal before the cooking begins. I love the cooking!

17. What tops your tree? A star.

18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? Giving! If people are happy with the gift I can cry.
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? I like Little Donkey if we're talking carols. But I also love Santa Baby!

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? Yuck! I'd rather have a chocolate Brazil nut.

Post 175

So, this is post 175 of 2008 - my posting has fallen by another 40 posts this year ... 295 posts during the bloggy heights of 2005, down to 255 in 2006, down further to 215, last year and finally 175 this year. But ... I hear you ask ... why stop here? Why not continue to blog right up until the 31st of December so bucking the downward spiralling trend Well it's not that I want to stop it's just that this afternoon I am sneaking off a little early from school - ssssh don't tell anyone - the head's given me a note and I am disappearing to SW France pour les vacances and you will know how I have complained over the years about crappy French dial-up ... well this year it's worse. How I hear you shout collectively? NO INTERNET at ALL! Hasn't worked since they returned home from holidays in October! So other than my Nokia E71 - looks like a BlackBerry, costs less than a BlackBerry - mobile phone I will be webless. I am stocking up on the alcohol to help me get through the time!!

So until I get back to civilisation - or make a run for t'Internet cafe in Cahors - take care you lot and have a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

A Year’s End Meme

Teuchter over in the middle of it all has come up with her very own meme. It's a Year's End Meme so here's the four statements that I have to write about. Right let's get going!

The best things that happened in 2008 …
The worst things that happened in 2008 …
The standout highlights of 2008 …
My ambitions and hopes for 2009 …

The best things that happened in 2008 ... right, well it's not been a bad year, but the very best thing has to be the fantastic week I had in Rosas in May with my parents. We talked and laughed and toured and ate! And then talked some more - it was a real coming together of our relationship ~ we hadn't spent quality time together like that since the previous Summer and times like that always remind me how well I get on with my Mum and Dad. Yes they're my parents but I really like them as people.

I also have to give a memorable mention to a weekend in Wales, when I got to have coffee with Liz - thank you Facebook - AND dinner in Twickenham with an occupational therapist, her Coldstream Guards bandsman husband and two gay men ;o)

The worst things that happened in 2008 ... well it has to be the day of Nana's funeral - she died on Boxing Day 2007. We got a phone call in France just after lunch, my parents left for Wales 2 hours later. Simon and I stayed on for a couple of days and then made our way back to Kent. Because of the time of year things were very slow - the funeral wasn't until January 11th or somewhere around there. It was a horrible day - tears all round but lots of laughter and good memories too! But of course they don't stand out at the time!

The standout highlights of 2008 ... Strangely there's a work one of these! I say strange because it should be leisure/family times that are the "standout highlights" ... I have one of those too! Right, in July we had an OFSTED inspection. It was a horrifically stressful week - we had a phone call on the Monday, they arrived on Wednesday morning and by 4pm on Friday (after a 66 hour working week by that point!) I was a sobbing, snotty mess in the middle of a table in the nursery. Thank goodness it was over! Thank goodness it went well. Thank fuck they're not coming back!!!!

My other standout highlight was my summer, yes the weather was lovely and I thoroughly enjoyed being in France and showing my GBF around the local area BUT it was also wonderful because I got to meet Bev. My Mum's cousin Roy and his wife Margaret came to stay - there's lots of garden Chez le laquet to camp in - along with Margaret and Roy came their grand-daughters and their Mum ... my cousin Bev. I know we're cousins BUT we'd never met before ... but it was wonderful, we clicked straight away - hell, we even look alike!! A new friend. But one who's going to last. Always on the end of a phone - I feel like I've known her forever.

My ambitions and hopes for 2009 ... all the usual suspects I imagine - a continued decline in my weight. An increase in my life-work-balance. And finally continued good health, happiness and love for me and mine AND of course, for you and yours.

Oh and if the lottery fairy wants to look my and get the divine Hugh to deliver the ticket ... well I won't complain ;o)

Yes! It's just an excuse to drool!!

AA

My dad is still here thanks to treatment @ Broadway Lodge and in a large part thanks to the fellowship he gets at AA. As you can see from the comments on my last but one post an anti-AA commenter is spamming me out. Everyone is entitled to their opinion BUT crap like this is not necessary as my Dad could have/should have died 15 yrs ago but he is hale and hearty today and however he did that is up to him. Let me say that again UP TO HIM!!!!

So "go away and stop spamming my blog you narrow minded little individual," just wish I could meet you in person but HEY that's not going to happen you bible-bashing hide behind your idea of Jesus COWARD, let's say it again COWARD because let's be realistic you wont even let me comment openly on your blog because I have an opinion that is different to yours and I'd want to say "GO AWAY ARSE!!"

A not very Welsh Weekend

So ... it didn't rain - how un-Welsh was that?? It was cool, yet crisp, sunny and gorgeous. Showed me anyway ;o)

On Friday I drove to Hounslow, picked up an old friend Bethan - we've known each other since the first day of senior school in 1981 - and off we went. Her parents live just up the road from home ... I dropped her off and then went to Andrew's. It was a weekend of shocks and treats ~ nephew #2 has grown enormously ... he's 14 (15 in November) and can now, when standing next to me, rest his crooked elbow on top of my head - yes he took advantage of that fact more than once.

Saturday started early ... no hangover which was amazing considering that I had an 8 yr old sommelier topping up my glass every whip-stitch - we (nephews #4 and #5 and me) were at the park by 9am - swings, slides, walk around the football pitch, more swings, more slides, home for 10.30 - I was already tired! Saturday afternoon was spent visiting old friends - from school days - and family before sitting down for an Indian with the family.

Sunday dawned bright and early and we watched nephew #3 play rugby for his village side before the long drive back up the motorway - tired, yes. Happy - that too! I just wish the M4 wasn't so bloody long ... anyone know where I can buy a tardis?

Yes, you guessed it ...

I am still in France!

I have a garden full of caravanning cousins
After a visit to Chateau des Millandes I wish I looked like the gorgeous Josephine Baker.
And in a flurry of excitement and large drum rolls this week Facebook found my teenage penpal - thankyou thankyou thankyou!

Back sometime soon.

Wanna buy a tractor?

€3600 o.n.o.

Well, a girl has got to get her foie gras and croissant money somewhere!!

p.s. Don't tell my parents, they might miss it!

So ...

I vaguely remember muttering about "having BroadBand in France" meaning a regular posting schedule during the long summer holidays ... but then I said I'd NaBloPoMo during July too - are we getting the idea that sticking to something doesn't always go my way?? Are we?

So, the holiday so far, a little catchie-upie-post ... that's like keepi-upie without the football!

First there was the village fete - as rhum/red wine soaked as usual and of course there's always an accordionist / combo. If asked to recount the evening I would admit to singing "Those were the days my friend" between my starter (salade de gesiers) and main course (saucisse & aligot) whilst waving my napkin in the air ... wait, no, my mother nicked my napkin so that must have been her.

The next morning Simon and I were heading for the Gers region where friends of ours had rented a gite near Lupiac. Needless to say after 4 glasses of rough rhum punch and **counts on fingers and toes** a considerable amount of red wine* at the fete we didn't leave at 8am as we'd said we would and we eventually arrived with Paul and Sue at 2pm. But as we drove through the gates of Lou Courdet the sight ahead of us made the journey worthwhile.

More later honest. More photos on Flickr if all else fails!!

* Well the 4 courses, the punch and the wine were included in the €18 and therefore I didn't feel I shouldn't let the side down.

Looking at you quizzically

My mum and dad are members of a "quiz league" and she is convinced that it'll be her turn soon to set the quiz questions. So we got everything sorted whilst we were in Spain. Here's round 1 - can you answer them without cheating by looking on t'Internet? Or do you have any killer questions that you can add?

1. How many mascots do the Chinese have for the Olympics that are due to be held there this coming summer? (1 point)
2. What is the Welsh “iodine packed breakfast delicacy” traditionally served with fried bacon and cockles called? **AND FOR A BONUS POINT** What is it made of? (2 points - 1 each)
3. Alphabetically speaking, what are the first and last states of the U.S.A.? (2 points, 1 for each)
4. Name 3 of the 5 Tudor monarchs. (3 points)
5. Who plays Indiana Jones’ love interest Marion Ravenwood in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull? (1 point)
6. What are the capital cities of the following southern African countries? Botswana? Namibia? (2 points, 1 for each)
7. Who designed the current Stansted Airport building? (1 point)
8. Where is the town with the world’s longest place name? Wales? New Zealand? Or Peru? (1 point)
9. Which musician had a garden designed in his honour at the RHS Chelsea Flower show 2008? (1 point)
10. In 1928 Walt Disney released the first “Mickey Mouse” cartoon, what was it called? (1 point)

So, how many did you score? There is more. Round 2 is a picture round - famous faces before they were famous ... I know that's going to be a corker!

Weekend 101 words

Fab weekend at Cat (Simon’s niece) and Rob's in Derby with Helen, Chris, Ally and all. My mother-in-law’s 80th birthday, Simon “A.K.A. Hoppity" was the surprise (should have been working). Arrived at 5pm after sinfully easy trot up M1 – who’d have believed it possible?? MIL very happy to see middle child, tears flowed :o) Pressies! BBQ’d sausages, burgers and Laura’s couscous plus lashings of champagne in the sunshine. Stayed late. Slept at Cat’s mum’s house, Asda for supplies, then Cat’s for brunch. A hot scuttle home down M1. Fish-finger sandwiches – still full after brunch. Lovely weekend – shame I’ve got work today.