WINTER

Tuesday 22 March 2011

Spring...new beginnings/Printemps...nouveau depart

We had some very old friends to stay for the weekend and we both loved having the opportunity to sit, chat and cook up a storm! After a visit to the market we came home with pretty bright spring flowers, soft creamy organic brie, unpasteurised organic milk in large old fashioned bottles and the first white asparagus of the season...delicious served simply with mayonnaise and a squeeze of lemon...
 A walk around the garden revealed all of the new growth coming to life with the warmth of the sun...




...a time for reflecting on the winter past and embrace the new season with zest! Bikes were out and the girls had a great time running a veterinary clinic for various bugs and worms dug up out of the garden! A simple innocent way to while away a Saturday afternoon...nothing like an old fashioned mud pie!
Late afternoon we visited the local champagne house for a very special personalised cellar tour with the most senior member of the family giving us a lovely take on the business that is Champagne...with flare, nominal English and a lot of smiling and good humour we toured the family caves...a few added extras....sipping the jus de vin [grape juice] out of the tanks and dramatic disgorging display...removing the sediment at the head of the bottle by opening the cap and then spraying it into the bushes...lovely descriptions of the wine...with time and careful blending the jus de vin 'grumpy old men' turns into a delicious sophisticated champagne 'beautiful ladies'... during the  champagne tasting.
 The Pavoni coffee machine which we brought in Florence 15 years ago got an overdue overhaul by the blokes and once complete we got to sip gorgeous fresh coffee made with our creamy organic milk...after our lovely machine had sat gathering dust on a shelf for the past couple of years it was so fantastic to be able to hear it bubbling away again...it was a weekend of simple pleasures....

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