Finally legit 🙂
our wedding …
Author: pip
Computer Geek. Occasionally Travels. Cooks. Drinks wine.
favourite chateau …
Oh la Loire 🙂
welsh 1* delight …
Souvenirs of our epic 19 course tasting menu at Ynyshir … which took over 4 hours. Mr Gareth Ward is safely on track to earn the first 2* eatery in Wales
taxi …
Testing my new toy (360 camera) last week-end 🙂
RIP mama …
For Mei Yang who lost her mother this morning …
Invictus by William Ernest Henley, 1849 – 1903
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
tower memory …
The tower … on a misty afternoon
Christmas pig …
Out shopping with my mum and came across this. Had no idea la ballotine de porc (in this case a Cochonette Brient) is a Christmas ‘thing’ en France. Looks cute enough but not tempted to try one after reading the ingredients label …
3D test …
Quite liking FB’s 3D effect …
birthday in the 6e …
A belated birthday dinner at Cézembre was surprisingly exceptional considering its touristy location in the 6th. Chef Anthony Hamon should be commended for delivering a 5 course tasting menu that teased and delighted our taste buds from beginning to end.
silly siri …
After hours struggling with OAuth 2.0 in the new IOS 12 shortcuts app, I can now ask Siri to chat to the Mercedes API and ask how much fuel is left in the car … yeah I know … I could have just walked to the car and checked myself but where is the fun in that 🙂
birthday thanks …
Thank you FB peeps for all the birthday wishes. When I wasn’t in the car driving somewhere, I was doing some DIY conveyancing (not recommended btw). Still … TGI Friday and maybe I’ll find a few seconds tomorrow to blow out some candles on the ever-so-crowded cake 🙂
RIP papa …
Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep
by Mary Elizabeth Frye
Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die.
I read this hopeful and uplifting poem at my father’s funeral … and now I hope my best friend/soulmate will find some consolation in these words at her time of loss.
J2 bread …
For 1 Euro, this machine will lay a fresh baguette …
harvest time …
It’s that time of year again in the Montagne de Reims … seems earlier than usual, thanks (or not?) to the hot summer we’ve just enjoyed. 2-3 years wait before we’ll know if 2018 has been good for bubbles 🙂
J1 is in the army …
In the cadets, 10 years ago … and now he’s off to Sandhurst to become an officer. Resolute throughout.
confused hens …
So the feathered ladies have earned their reprieve and laying like a boss … but at midday. Anyone know where the time zone switch is located on these birds so we can enjoy freshly laid scrambled eggs at breakfast time?
our feathered friends …
Yah! Our laying hens have arrived. A provisional invitation for a BBQ (chicken satay) in 2 weeks from today has been posted on the door of their house to encourage timely egg production 🙂
1* in Blois …
A bit of 1* goodness always puts a smile on the birthday girl’s face 🙂
choices in St Tropez …
Provence revisited …
Nîmes, Pont du Gard, L‘isle Sur la Sorgue, Gordes, Roussillon, Sault, Vaison-la-Romaine. Done. Now off to Nice and Monte Carlo to lose more money 🙂
lavender memory …
2 years ago in the Cotswold … and coincidentally about to hop on a TGV to Provence to find bigger French one 🙂
Uuni magic …
So happy my boys delivered their Father’s day pressie (Uuni pizza oven) to me early, so naturally I baptised it this evening. And the results? Pas mal … as they say around here
norman escape …
Sunday seafood brunch at the Marché aux Poissons, Trouville is becoming a regular thing 🙂
hidden Normandy …
Pont Audemer – our accidental Norman discovery this week-end
Xi’an street nom …
Huimin Street (actually it’s not just one street, more like the Muslim area) is THE place for nom in Xi’an.
Here you can choose from various kebabs (Rou Jia Mo), BBQ squid & mutton on skewers, steamed buns, spicy Sheep’s hoof, sauerkraut fried rice, Liangpi, biang biang noodles, sweet rice pudding and my favourite dish of all, Pao Mo – for Malaysians, it’s a bit like Soup Kambing with bits of bread & glass noodles. Miam miam …
banana blogging 