"Happiness is like a butterfly; the more you chase, it the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things it will come and sit softly on your shoulder..." Thoreau
There are just thirty five stitches for the needles to work, for the yarn to meander in and out and keep my itchy fingers busy when I'm in the passenger seat. I'm knitting another simple garter stitch scarf. This time in Icelandic Lopi yarn to match Ahmad's Cobblestone Pullover. Perfect timing for Hannah's invitation to help with the move, basement to attic. From up on the hill, down to the creative Bohemian quarter.
When there wasn't enough room in the car for bookcases and me, I happily inhabited a big comfy armchair and borrowed a copy of Walden from the bookcase. What with Thoreau, knitting, ginger beer and Swedish ginger biscuits it felt like the butterfly was comfortably perched on my shoulder.
We even had time for a lunch at my favourite friendly Bristolian.
I don't have a recipe for crunchy Danish ginger biscuits but this is an old family recipe for fairings which are traditional Cornish ginger biscuits. They are named after the edible treats that were traditionally sold at English fairs:-
Ginger Fairings
Ingredients:
- 6oz of Self Raising flour
- 3oz of golden caster sugar
- 2tsp of ground ginger
- 4oz of butter
- 1tbs of syrup
- A pinch of bicarbonate of soda
Method:
- Prepare a baking try by oiling and preheat the oven to 275-300c/140-150f
- Melt the butter and syrup in a saucepan
- Sieve the dry ingredients into the melted butter and mix well.
- Roll teaspoons full of the mixture in the palms of your hands to make little balls.
- Place on the baking tray and cook for 15 to 20 minutes using the bottom shelves in the oven.
joining ginny and nicole...
...coming?
debx
I was the luckiest. Ahmad got the short straw a few weekends ago. He stayed in a hotel in Bristol for a meeting about maths papers and I got to stay with Hannah and Bob and explore the Bohemian quarter, Montpelier. Well it was a swanky hotel with a George Clooney Nespresso machine in the bedroom and amazing food...so he didn't do too badly...
Before he left us we explored Leigh woods and discovered totem poles and curious carvings, red deer with full antlers and an art installation 'Withdrawn' by Luke Jerram. A ghostly flotilla of abandoned fishing boats. We peeped inside one of the cabins and spied forgotten objects. A sou'wester and tortoiseshell reading glasses. Lonely possessions...Jilted by some natural disaster? We asked the questions the artist wanted us to ask...and maybe some he didn't...
Saturday whilst Ahmad worked, Hannah, Bob and I had brunch at The Bristolian cafe. It was lively and friendly,so busy we had to wait for food. We didn't mind. We ordered coffees and played board games and were soon served up with massive portions of freshly cooked waffles with fruit and honey, or eggs florentine (they do eggs benedict too,) or baguettes with scrumptious free range eggs. The portions were good for hearty eaters but much too big for me or Hannah...We'll definitely go again, but agreed to share one portion next time.
Bob left for more boyish pursuits and we found la belle boutique. They had the prettiest delicate antique lace and silk blouses that looked as though they would fall to pieces if you as much as breathed on them. It was so hard not to. And there were throws and rugs, soft leather handmade shoes and cute little toy tin boats, powered by candles, or rusted olive harvesting buckets. We could have spent ages there.
Exploring Montpelier some more, we found bargain thrifted dresses. The softest washed out grey cotton one for me. It needs a bit of adjusting a bit too big and I'm not really a frilly person but the fabric is lovely and it only cost £2.50. Sweet Hannah treated me to a 1950's enamel flour tin to store the remainder of my sack of spelt flour in. It was so much fun to spend some time with her and her new city...
...Isn't it good when your daughter is grown up enough for you stay over?
dx
Friday 20th was the vernal equinox, the first day of spring, and there was a solar eclipse. It was bound to be the start of a magical weekend.
We made a makeshift Heath Robinsonesque pinhole camera from a colander and spied a myriad of tiny crescents reflected on the path. The moon's shadow passed in front of that fiery globe shading it's light, birds hushed and an eerie darkness crept in. It was as if a light bulb had suddenly been switched off. Neighbours emerged with their own homemade contraptions and we compared inventions and attempted to photograph the spectacle.
Saturday we drove to Bristol to stay with Hannah. She invited us to stay for late Mother's Day and Persian New Year celebrations. Another bright sunny day with a sweet unexpected gift...I'll show you later. We walked down to the river and pottered around the St Nicholas Markets. Had lunch by the harbour here. Amazingly crisp pastry pie crust filled with pumpkin and all sorts of other tasty things served with big chunky potatoes and crunchy salad, or thin goats cheese and spinach pizza, and a spicy meaty one for Ahmad. We even shared the cider plank, tasting five local varieties. Watched (and badly recorded) a boat race, spotted Brunel's SS Great Britain and at last two Banksy's...
We climbed the hill back to H and B's cosy flat and ordered Persian take-away from here. Very good joujeh, tender chicken marinated in saffron and lemon, or koubideh, minced lamb kebab with steamed saffron rice, sumac and mast-o-moussir, yoghurt with wild shallots. Enjoying late supper to celebrate the new year drinking to a happy one.
Sunday a lazy morning then an afternoon exploration of Clifton hill. A beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon. It seemed as though everyone was out on the hill. We climbed up the downs to clifton the observatory to visit the camera obscura that was made in 1828 and shows a 360 degree panoramic view of the area. It was surreal to watch the image play out in front of us on the massive white concave screen. People playing, running, crossing the bridge outside, lovers canoodling on the grass...all unaware that we were spying on them...
We had a last minute coffee and cake and then waved our goodbyes then home again home again, jiggety-jig...
...Have you ever spied a solar eclipse?
