saturday sun

Yesterday was "let's have plenty of energy". I vacuumed, took care of dishes, tidied all kinds of things and so on. Did an early morning grocery shop. Later in the afternoon I took Senor Onion to the Farmer's Market and we bought some fun things and came home for tea and scones. I made a custard base for some ice cream I am making today and then I took some pea shoots I bought and make a pea shoot pesto. Senor Onion found it to be a nice little dip with crackers. He is cheap for pesto of any kind. I wasn't wowed. I will be writing more about that later on ye olde food blog. Still maybe it is better with something with more oomph like meat. Or used as a marinade? I don't know.
I am going to take the rhubarb and make a sorbet with it.... I think. Mr. Jenner is nearly out of lemon sorbet and well we can't have the man lacking. So the ice cream machine will get a bit of a work out this weekend.

I just finished reading this Mary Wesley book that my friend Sarah sent me. It was The Camomile Lawn. It was terrific. Repressed British people having plenty of sex during the war in a non-judgmental fashion. It was sad in some ways but rather smart. As I told S. It helps I think that Wesley didn't take up writing until she was in her 70s, so there was kind of a... sympathetic view of humans. That wisdom with age and experience that doesn't play out human beings as awful awful people, but slightly fragile, sometimes selfish but in the end confused creatures who muddle through as best they can. Plus hey, plenty of sex. Boy what a randy bunch these people are. I ended up watching the mini-series that was adapted from the book. It had a lot of actors who were just starting out. (Toby Stephens, Jennifer Ehle, Tara Fitzgerald & Rebecca Hall) It wasn't bad but in some ways you could see how some were still holding onto their drama school learning and hadn't quite gotten the courage to abandon some of that for their own instincts. Plus there is a fair amount of full-frontal nudity. So if you ever wanted to see Elizabeth Bennet's breasts, here is your big chance. (and for the girls, there is Toby Stephens' backside.)

I am now reading a Calvin Trillin book. I have read plenty of his stuff in the New Yorker and in other publications over the years but I must admit I have never read his books. I know I know...call myself a fine appreciator of food writing and I haven't read his books. I won't judge your shoes and you won't judge my reading. So far I am enjoying it. He is a guy who likes to eat so he is all right with me.

Okay, now it is time for family swim. I tried on my bathing suit to make sure it still fits (it is always a game of chance each time I put it on) and while it still does fit, getting in and out required a great deal of energy. It was sad. "I got in and out of it -I think that counts as my exercise for the day...*huff huff*"

accomplishments.

In the continuing theme of, "what can I do now eh???" I made some ice cream. I did a basic vanilla bean ice cream. (useful to have around when you want a root beer float or sundae in a pinch) I then began serious work on the chocolate pistachio marzipan ice cream. I think I will use more dark chocolate next time, maybe instead of turning it into a chocolate ice cream I will just have bits of chocolate bits. The pistachio worked well as did the bits of marzipan. Now I know there are people who don't care for marzipan but that is okay, you don't have to eat the ice cream. You can sit in the corner and sulk if you like. But over all it has bits of things in it that appeal to people who like their ice cream on the busy side of things. I think I might not chop the pistachios so fine next time as well. I was inspired by those chocolate covered marzipan candies with the whole pistachio in the middle that are popular in Austria. I will work my way through the stuff (with the help of anyone who dares to drop by) and make notes on what to do with it.
Then because I felt like it, I made some scones. We can eat those at tea with some chocolate raspberry jam I made last year. I may use the rest for strawberry shortcake as a dessert tonight or tomorrow. (not sure which) I have some cream I need to use up and whipping it seems the quickest most enjoyable route. Dinner will probably be steak and mushroom pie.

So I went to the British Pantry today (where all manner of British/Anglo ex-pats shop for certain kinds of comfort food) and picked up marmite and barley water for Mr. Jenner. I also bought a couple of other things. I overheard this older English couple trying to sort out what they were going to buy and also make for dinner. It was a conversation that if left unsupervised for too long; would have veered into a three hour long conversation about where to go for a walk and should one stop at the pub afterward. They were discussing whether the wife would do such and such for dinner or something else. Her husband pointed out if she did such and such, then she wouldn't have to cook. She gently pointed out that she would still have to cook the potatoes and then she might as well cook the other thing since she was having to cook. But if she did such and such all she would have to do is make a salad -so maybe they should buy the salad cream. The husband said that they had had salad the previous night. But she pointed out that yes they had a salad but they had a salad without salad cream. This went on for awhile in a faintly passive-aggressive manner. It was like neither one wanted to be forced to make a firm decision. I know this to be the truth. I believe the Bretton Woods conference hammered out the agreement in a shorter period of time. Cordell Hull should have been on hand to tell this couple what they were having for dinner and why. Why did I listen to this conversation for so long? I was amused and it was taking me forever to find the damn Marmite -which they are always moving. It isn't a shop, it is a never-ending Easter Egg hunt.
Then they later had a complicated conversation about what form of payment they were going to use as they noticed the sign saying they don't accept checks. Should they hand over currency or should they use the visa? These are complex issues on par with Darfur and who should have won American Idol. In the end they chose Visa as the clerk pointed out that they were short on ones and unless they had exact change it might make it more difficult. They chose Visa. But only after a discussion about the Visa and why checks aren't accepted anymore. (by this time I was looking at the house made-tarts and pork pies.)
I do believe this older couple beat my Grandparents in terms of non-arguments that could be had over inane subjects.

Current nesting habits have me thinking long and hard about "storage solutions". (the new religion of the modern Bourgeoisie) Besides my need to de-clutter and get rid of things, I cling to the belief that if I just find the right shelving system and drawers there will be inner peace... or something. Maybe it is more zen to accept some of the general mess as organic? *snorts*
So for now I find ways to hang more pictures and what not. But eventually I will replace the damn bookshelf in the living room with something larger and more interesting. I will also replace the lamp because I hate it. It looks like something stolen out of a hotel room.

I ought to put some laundry on.