Food

I managed to cook several new recipes recently, as per one of my goals that I set at the beginning of the year. In February we had Goulash Soup based on a recipe which first appeared in Delia's Frugal Food back in the '70s. This is a book that I got two of for Christmas, so obviously rumours of my tightwaddery are spreading! I've loved goulash since we first ate it in a Hungarian restaurant in Ross-on-Wye almost 25 years ago, although one of my favourites was in Prague when it was served in a hollowed out loaf. Anyway, we had goulash soup a couple of times in Austria and Germany, so I thought I'd try cooking it and it was extremely good. I made a couple of changes to the above recipe: I added a carrot, I used pork rather than beef and I added a bit of celery.

March's new recipe was Jamie Oliver's Cheat's Pizza which was great. I seem to recall cooking an similar Elizabeth David pizza base (without yeast) and it came out tasting like pastry, but Jamie's version tasted like a thin pizza dough. Our toppings were ancvhovies, olives and chilli. I've got to say that I've enjoyed watching back-to-back re-runs of his Jamie's 30-Minute Meals on Sunday afternoons whilst I've been doing the ironing. I may have to invest in the book.

April's new recipe was Simon Hopkinson's version of Janssen's Temptation from Week in Week Out, but this one by Jane Grigson isn't too different.

Instead of going to Syria we went to one of our favourite hotels, Northcote Manor in Devon. This time in Jon's Dad's MX5 rather than George's Morgan - one day we'll go in our own car! The food was as wondeful as last time. And for my birthday we're off to At the Sign of the Angel in Lacock. I can't believe that we've lived 5 miles away for 22 years and have never been there yet - I hope I'm not disappointed!

In Memoriam

Two funerals in five days. I've got to say that we've had better weeks. But the turn out at both was amazing. With Gran H being 95, you don't expect many people to attend because most of their contemporaries are either dead or unable to travel; but Gran was such a great character that she had an impact on so many people's lives in the village and beyond, so the church was full. It was a very fitting tribute to her. I felt really guilty 'cos people kept coming up to me and saying, "Oh, you're so brave to come to Gran's just funeral before your Mum's", but as I said, "A day off work and a free lunch, what's not to turn up for?". I'm going to steal a comment that a friend made when we told him about Gran, I hope he doesn't mind, "You are right - jolly good innings - just took her eye off the ball as she closed in on her century. Never mind, splendid knock all the same." It's a cricketing metaphore that my Mum would have appreciated, but I suspect that she was slightly less than chipper to be bowled out for 73.

My parents' house had a small rain-forest's worth of cards when we got there at the weekend, with 10 - 20 more arriving in every post. We expected a good crowd at my Mum's, with her being a pillar of the church and on just about every circuit committee going but, when we got to church, a friend came out and said, "You won't believe how many people are in there." The church has folding doors at the back that can be opened to use an annex, and the back of the annex also has sliding doors that can be opened to bring the church hall into use. Well, both of those were open and the tables that had been set out in the hall for the post-funeral refreshments had to be moved. A conservative estimate is 250 people, many of whom had come from all corners of the counrty.

It was a very nice service - you can always tell when a Minister has actually known the deceased - and there was some excellent Methodist singing, with the Welsh exiles saying that the rendition of Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah was better than they'd heard at the Millenium Stadium (you know, I nearly typed Cardiff Arms Park there)!

We had a great 'funeral tea' (I was still eating the left-overs a week later!) and many people stayed 'til we'd got back from the crem., so we did lots of chatting and circulating. Varty's did a lovely job, as usual, but I felt like saying to Bill, "Don't take this amiss, but I really hope we don't see you for a while!", as 3 funerals in 2 years is enough for anyone. Mum's funeral was only a week short of being 2 years to the day since we'd buried her Mother. I think Dad's nearly paid for that natty little XF that the pall-bearers use on his own!

Funny moment of the last few weeks: when the Minister visited Mum a few days before died it was the first time that I'd met her 'cos she's quite new to the church. She looked at my Mum's comatose visage, looked at me, looked back to Mum and said, "Ooo, yes, I can see whose daughter you are!". I've got to say that my Mum had looked better than she did at that moment, but what do you say? "Er, yes, thanks..." was all I managed!

At the same moment we were cremating my Mum, the travel company was leaving a message on our answerphone telling us that the trip to Syria was cancelled. OK, so we'd expected it, but their timing could have been better! We've re-booked for the same trip next year. Apparently, for some travellers, it will be third time lucky as their trip last year was cancelled because of the ash cloud! So we're nicking the in-laws' MX5 and heading down to Northcote Manor in Devon again for the Easter weekend. I think we will appreciate some luxury and pampering.

Anyway, just because rellies are dying left right and centre and my holiday has been cancelled, that's no excuse not to listen to some excellent music. Currently playing on the car's CD is Faure's Requiem and I've managed to find the same version on-line. So here is the sublime Pie Jesu sung even more sublimely by Suzanne Danco (Decca 1960)