A bit of beautiful in an ordinary life.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
As I pass by typical farmhouses in the Franches Montagnes, I am reminded of Seamus Heaney and the poignant insight that stems from his rural upbringing.
Scaffolding:
Scaffolding:
Masons, when they start upon a building,
Are careful to test out the scaffolding;
Make sure that planks won’t slip at busy points,
Secure all ladders, tighten bolted joints.
And yet all this comes down when the job’s done
Showing off walls of sure and solid stone.
So if, my dear, there sometimes seem to be
Old bridges breaking between you and me
Never fear. We may let the scaffolds fall
Confident that we have built our wall.
Are careful to test out the scaffolding;
Make sure that planks won’t slip at busy points,
Secure all ladders, tighten bolted joints.
And yet all this comes down when the job’s done
Showing off walls of sure and solid stone.
So if, my dear, there sometimes seem to be
Old bridges breaking between you and me
Never fear. We may let the scaffolds fall
Confident that we have built our wall.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
There are times in my life of ex-patriotism when I feel a deep love for the place despite myself... views such as this inspire that.
But as an ex-patriot you learn to live in a kind of surreal waiting. You wait all day for your family and friends to wake up in the west, and when they finally do, you must remember that they are just starting their day while you are ending yours. Inevitably, you wait up late into the night for them to have their lunch break or get off work so you can call or communicate with them in some way. And then you go to bed, and wake up the next day only to start the whole process over.
You wait for an English television show to come on the air... you wait for Reese's to come to the stores... you wait for a box, a letter, a connection with the person you used to be - with what, in your mind, is the real world.
Think I'm crazy? Perhaps just a bit. But though the grass is definitely greener on my side of the hill, your side sometimes looks quite comforting nonetheless.
But as an ex-patriot you learn to live in a kind of surreal waiting. You wait all day for your family and friends to wake up in the west, and when they finally do, you must remember that they are just starting their day while you are ending yours. Inevitably, you wait up late into the night for them to have their lunch break or get off work so you can call or communicate with them in some way. And then you go to bed, and wake up the next day only to start the whole process over.
You wait for an English television show to come on the air... you wait for Reese's to come to the stores... you wait for a box, a letter, a connection with the person you used to be - with what, in your mind, is the real world.
Think I'm crazy? Perhaps just a bit. But though the grass is definitely greener on my side of the hill, your side sometimes looks quite comforting nonetheless.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
It's time to make Dandelion Honey! Little girls gather baskets full of them out under a warm sun.
You need about 250 grams of dandelion flower to make this recipe. That means about one basketful. So, in order to get this...
You need to do this!
We cut off the stems and the thickest green part of the head. You can easily leave a bit of green on... perfectionists should NOT make this otherwise you will go stark raving mad!
In a large pot, drop your 250 grams of dandelion.
Add:
2.5 liters of water
the juice from 3 oranges and 2 lemons
And cook for 1.5 hours. Strain with cheesecloth.
Pour back into your washed-out pot, add 1:1 sugar and cook for one hour. Before boiling, I add fruit pectin to help thicken things up a bit.
After it's been boiling long enough (and you've had your feet up on the couch with a glass of strawberry wine ... waiting) pour it into sterilized jars and Voilà!
You need about 250 grams of dandelion flower to make this recipe. That means about one basketful. So, in order to get this...
You need to do this!
We cut off the stems and the thickest green part of the head. You can easily leave a bit of green on... perfectionists should NOT make this otherwise you will go stark raving mad!
In a large pot, drop your 250 grams of dandelion.
Add:
2.5 liters of water
the juice from 3 oranges and 2 lemons
And cook for 1.5 hours. Strain with cheesecloth.
Pour back into your washed-out pot, add 1:1 sugar and cook for one hour. Before boiling, I add fruit pectin to help thicken things up a bit.
After it's been boiling long enough (and you've had your feet up on the couch with a glass of strawberry wine ... waiting) pour it into sterilized jars and Voilà!
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