Saturday, April 03, 2010

Today’s message from my friend’s virus is captioned “Anne Blondel”.

Here are tiers Two and Three of the jabot being blocked.



And here’s a pinned-together pic of the jabot to date. I am terribly pleased with it. One more tier would probably do the trick, but that would make four – so two more we will have. The more, the fruitier. I am well along with the bottom edging of Tier Four. I just emailed this picture to Beijing.


And here is a close-up of my pins. I think I bought some of these wheels last summer, when I found I didn’t have enough dressmaker’s pins to block the Princess. They're German. Apart from being fun to look at, they have the great advantage that I now know for sure at the end of a job whether I have found and gathered in every single pin.

Non-knit, catering dep’t

Tomorrow’s lunch party is sort of falling apart. Alexander phoned yesterday to say that Ketki and both boys have colds. Over the last two years my husband’s sister has had repeated chest infections. One of them involved a hospital admission and they each have reduced her to weeks of weakness and misery. She’s OK at the moment, and we simply can’t risk being held responsible for the next relapse.

So if they don’t come, the rest of us will have to take lunch away in doggy bags. The organic chicken I have ordered is big, and the first course is to be a sort of salad, hot-smoked salmon, quails’ eggs, watercress, avocado, you name it – all purchased already, all unfreeze-able.

Tomorrow’s difficulty is the need to go to Mass, right in the middle of the morning. I have decided to roast the chicken early and eat it at room temperature.

The menu I am worrying about, if you want to be helpful, is a week later, when the Director of the National Gallery is coming to lunch. We don’t know him. I need something reliably easy to cook, not demanding too much in the way of last-minute, and easy to eat.

I like your salmon fillet idea very much, Shandy. The difficulty is that we’re talking about Monday the 12th, and Monday isn’t a good day for fish. Traditionally, that was because the boats didn’t go out on the sabbath so there was nothing in the market on Monday morning. I think that state of affairs has probably been swept away by progress, but the fishmonger is still closed on Monday.

I like the idea so much, however, that I’ll have a word with him this morning. Could I buy the salmon on Saturday the 10th?

It would be prudent to skip blogging tomorrow. See you on Monday, insh'Allah, and Happy Easter to anyone who's interested.

9 comments:

  1. Maureen in Fargo3:10 PM

    I think the jabot is looking wonderful!

    Good luck with your lunch tomorrow. Happy Easter!

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  2. Happy Easter Jean. Our family plans for tomorrow are falling apart also - or at least in limbo.

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  3. =Tamar8:15 PM

    The jabot is gorgeous!
    Quail's eggs - gosh, I haven't had them in years. Decades, even. Back in the 1970s they were $1.00 for four dozen at the university farm store. They have such a lovely, delicate flavor, and only one other person in my dormitory of 173 women would even try one. My father astonished his best buddy by saying he'd had a dozen eggs for breakfast... they all fit onto one slice of toast.

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  4. The jabot is looking lovely - I can just imagine how fruity it will get with a total of five layers. I've enjoyed your adventures with this project. Happy Easter!

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  5. Hope you are having a Happy and safe Easter!
    Jabot is looking very impressive indeed. (I am tempted to try one.)
    Not sure I would be much help in the meals department....I would be tempted to make something that sounded fancy but was cooked slowly in one pot!

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  6. I agree that the jabot looks great.
    Enjoy your holiday weekend!
    Lisa in Toronto
    p.s. does any bakery near you make a decent quiche? Instant lunch with a salad.

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  7. The jabot is gorgeous...

    My easter has fallen apart too- last week I had a cold, which I thought was going away... until I woke up yesterday, turned over and the room spun. When I tried to get out of bed I just fell in a heap to the ground. I felt like my legs had stopped working, the room was spinning and I had lost all coordination... anyway, terrified I made it to the ER where they told me I had both an inner-ear and sinus infection and swelling in the inner-ear cavity where your "balance rocks" are located, thus causing vertigo. Anyway I am home now with some steroids and antibiotics but can barely move without stumbling around... my philosopher friend has been coming by to walk the dog and make meals, but I cannot drive or anything so my Easter lunch with friends has been cancelled. I think I will just stay home and knit... at least I can work on a plain sock..Hopefully all will better soon...

    Have a Happy Easter Jean!

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  8. The director of the National Gallery? Yes, that would have most of us feeling anxious, but presumably you know him or her already. The most successful lunches I've had have been those where the food was simple but delicious and it was the conversation which was memorable. Thus, cold chicken with baked potatoes and salad. Then fruit salad or cheese.

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  9. Happy Easter.

    And when all the social whirl has subsided, the third Steig Larssen is now out in paperback.

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