All well, although I’ve felt a bit floppy today. Helen
walked me around the garden early on.
I can’t remember whether I’ve told you about this – my friend
the Duchess of Palma has started offering Zoom’d cookery lessons from her
palazzo in Palermo, since nobody (obviously) can join her Cooking with the
Duchess days just now, as Archie and I did in early ’18. I’ve signed Archie and
his brother Mungo up. They are quite keen, Helen says. They will be cooking
calamari (if they can find any) next Tuesday, and the Duchess says I can observe.
In somewhat the same spirit, the French restaurant just around
the corner, L’Escargot Bleu (highly recommended, for happier times) has started
offering carry-outs. I have got myself a mutton casserole and a green salad for
this evening. Fred grows the salad himself.
I paid for these two treats in rapid succession this
afternoon, and the bank rang up rather anxiously. I said yes, yes, that was me;
but the payment to the restaurant (I learned later) didn’t go through. They
delivered the food anyway, and told me on the doorstep that they hadn’t been
paid, and went away. I rang up and put things right. I was desperately touched.
This isn’t a village; it’s a capital city; and they don’t really know me.
Long, pointless story.
I have now embarked on the final gradient stripe on the EPS
sweater. It’s looking good.
Thanks for the Sakoolas comment, Quinn. I think it is enormously to
the credit of the dead boy’s parents, fairly humble people, that they were able
to say no to the president in his Oval Office when he unexpectedly asked them
to shake hands and be friends with Mrs Sakoolas.
Re The National Trust. My husband and I have been following the news on this avidly as we are regular volunteers - not this year of course, although I have already clocked up more than fifty hours. The Trust is anticipating opening houses again at the end of August. Meanwhile recruitment has been put on hold, and there are to be some redundancies, with 80% of staff already on furlough. I think we could anticipate a fairly vigorous bounce back with a strong campaign to get membership back up as we reopen. Worrying times for those starting out, as you say.
ReplyDeleteNot a pointless story, but a sweet story of kind people. I do feel sorry and worry for the people the age of your grandsons and my nephew. They are in limbo, and i can't imagine what hope they have. Although, they are young. I got out of school at a bad time and that was when the typing came in handyI I 'temped' all over Manhattan. Right now I am making a 'rubarbakuchen' I think it is spelled. A very simple rhubarb streusel cake with rhubard from a neighbor. His mother was German and I aim to bring some over to him, hoping to hear it is just like mom's!
ReplyDeleteA heart-warming story.
ReplyDeleteJean the restaurant may get more business because of your story. Which would bring quite a good point to your telling of it.
ReplyDeleteI had something similar once, using a credit card at an event with dealers from all over the USA. Only a handful of the payments were refused, fortunately, and I had the receipts so I could contact the dealers and pay directly by mailing checks. I was annoyed because the merchants had to wait for their money and it could have given me a bad reputation for nonpayment. Sometimes the credit card system is not helpful. I hope we are never forced to give up using checks.
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