Sunday, August 05, 2018


The next post from Kate Davies has followed promptly: she’s not pregnant (although we were far from being the only ones who lept to that conclusion) --she has let her hair go grey. (Kristen and Skeindalous, you got it.) She says she has never wanted children. I hope that’s true, in the sense that it would make it more bearable not to have them.

Greek Helen went grey early – it runs in my husband’s family. She looks great with it.

I like the second, loose version of St Catherines, as in KD’s blog post linked above. And I like it very much with those garter stitch stripes.

Otherwise no news; no knitting at all. I was totally prostrate after my shopping expedition yesterday, and went early to bed. I walked once around Drummond Place Gardens today, and then on to the corner shop – roughly equivalent to a second circuit – to get breakfast materials for the grandsons coming tonight.

Janet, where do you find Father Brown? Netflix? I love Foyle’s War, and am pretty sure I’ve seen all of them, so I feel our tastes must roughly coincide. Joni and Isabella, thank you for the suggestions about shopping aides. My problem is essentially this extraordinary and increasing weakness. I think a shopping trolley is rather a good idea.

Baked lemon (see yesterday) was quite tasty. I bought two lemons, so today I did the other one Jamie Oliver’s way. That’s certainly easier, and tastes about the same.

Jamie says specifically that you’re not meant to eat the lemon. Gennaro doesn’t address the point. I wonder.

There was once on one of my school trips to southern Italy when my colleague and I were relaxing somewhere on the Costa Amalfitana while the girls were exploring a relatively safe and enclosed space, after our day at Paestum, on our way back to Sorrento.

 A man came into the café with an enormous lemon, which he showed his friends with pride. I asked if I might photograph him with it, and he allowed me to do so. (I am proud to say that I later sent him the photograph, addressed to the Café Opposite the Cathedral.) Later, he cut the lemon into slices and gave a slice to each of his friends and also one to me and one to my colleague. They were entirely delicious. So perhaps if one is actually in Amalfi…

11 comments:

  1. I was amazed by people congratulating KD on her supposed pregnancy - as she comments, this could have been very upsetting, if she had been involuntarily childless.

    However, I was reminded of an episode where the chair of governors, an elderly clergyman, advised that the head of Drama had cause for congratulation, looked meaningfully at her rotund stomach and inquired about the happy event. She had just got an OU degree, and fortunately thought it very funny.

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  2. Anonymous7:18 PM

    It is true, because she says it is. That's all we need in order to know if it is true!

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  3. Anonymous10:01 PM

    For those of us further south Father Brown appears on Freeview channel 20 atm, though he reappears on BBC1 in the afternoon from time to time.

    Can you not get the bulk of your shopping delivered? Hereabouts all the main supermarkets offer online shopping - we have the choice of four!
    Helen (anon)

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  4. Jean, when I visited a lemon grove in Amalfi (2013), my group was given lemons to eat, rind, pips, and all. Delicious, but not a trick I would try anywhere else in the world — although I do enjoy candies lemon peel.

    My guess about Kate (hair) was guided by our demographic similarities. In other words, I had an advantage. :)

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  5. Anonymous11:49 PM

    I recently read a fascinating book about citrus in Italy - The Land Where Lemons Grow, The Story of Italy and its Citrus Fruit by Helena Attlee. The amazing citrus of Sicily are definitely featured.
    Baked lemons are a new idea to me. Well, anything with mozzarella and anchovy is a great idea.
    It is so hot in Toronto these days though I am not turning on the oven (even the toaster oven).
    keep well!
    Lisa RR

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  6. Father Brown is enjoyable ... but not nearly as good as Foyle's War, which is fantastic.

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  7. Here in the US Netflix has 6 seasons of Father Brown. Not sure if that carries over...
    I would have to agree that Foyle's War is better, but I enjoy Father Brown as well.

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  8. We also enjoy Midsomer Murders...just enough humor to it to be enjoyable to watch.

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  9. Yes to midsomer. Also Death In Paradise. Home Front. The Unforgotten.. I could go on.
    Maybe I knit to tv too much?

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  10. =Tamar7:58 PM

    Was the Amalfi lemon sweet? I recall once eating a bit of ordinary raw lemon after having skipped my usual vitamin C for a week, and it tasted sweet to me.

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    1. Yes. With some tartness, too. And the rind was much more delicate than I had expected.

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