I Baked a Cake

There's not a lot to say about this picture. I mean why spoil your viewing experience and interrupt the flow of digestive juices with a lot of irrelevant words. It's a cake. A big over the top chocolate cake that makes peoples eyes grow large and interested. I baked it for a friends birthday. End of ... enjoy :-)

Exquisite!

 

Here's something worth sharing with you all. You may not appreciate when first glancing at the above picture that the whole thing is carved out of wood. Yes, honestly, it really is. The close up below goes part way to demonstrating this. When I first came across this clever man and his amazing skill at a local country fayre I couldn't quite believe what I was seeing. I stood and stared in awe as did many other people as they wandered by. The detail is just exquisite. 

The final picture shows further proof of his art. All I could think was that his family would have some wonderful heirlooms to pass on to future generations. Enjoy ...

 The clever man is on the right

Cultural Identity

My heart was all warm and aglow this evening when I happened upon a feature on TV about a elderly man and his allotment. It has been his life-long passion - albeit with intermittent hiatus of wife and children - and continues to be the thing that makes him tick, smile and warm with contentment.

It started me off thinking about that wonderful old tradition of allotment keeping that stretches back decades and brings so much pleasure to an awful lot of people for a variety of reasons. Every time I see an allotment I also get a glow of contentment as a warm river of nostalgia washes over me. That rich tapestry of nature and manufacture that combine to produce what almost appears to be a work of art - especially if viewed from above.  

I was reminded of one or two allotment keeper's associations that maintain the annual event of showing their prized possessions - the fruits of their labours. All kinds of weird and wonderful monstrosities and quirks of nature that have the viewing public 'ooohing' and 'aghing' in aghast at what lies before them. oh the photo opportunites are endless

Once upon a time we happened to be in Durham and came across a particularly handsome and dramatic show of produce the like of which I have not yet seen equalled. The onions, the cabbages and the marrows to name but a few were enough to make me exclaim out loud in socially unacceptable expletives that I wouldn't normally resort to but it just seemed appropriate at the time. 

    The Picture above was taken about 4 months ago. We'd been to Caistor and on the way back took a diversion through Kirton in Lyndsey. There in the little town hall was a show of produce that had a charm all of it's own. No need for words, the picture says it all. I just love it .....

Pleasantly Surprised

Last night was an evening of catching up with old friends and where better to do this than one of our popular local restauarnts, Dine on the Rowe. Jason Rowe certainly knows his stuff when it comes to delivering tasty morsels, and over the last couple of years we have sampled many a tasty morsel indeed. Yum yum with bells on.  In particular we favour his wonderful sharing boards where we get to choose several dishes of food to share, Tapas style, and have never been disappointed with our selections.

One of the nicest things about visiting the place is being greeted warmly by 'Andrew' who has worked front of house for quite a while now. He along with all of the other staff is a credit to the place. Then last night when we arrived we noticed that a new chap has joined the team and there he was looking very stylish in a great jacket the like of something I haven't seen before. Very cutting edge - we approve.

I now want to describe my main course at the risk of salivating over my desk as I recall the experience. The menu said 'Haddock in curry spice and soda water batter with Bombay potatoes'. A little voice in my head said 'this could turn out to be a new and exciting adventure - go on - go for it' . So I did. And guess what? It was everything I hoped for and more. Visually stunning and a great combination of flavours and textures. It's no wonder the place was full with such high quality food on offer.

The desert menu promised yet more culinary delights and we opted for 'Mulled burnt cream with mincemeat dodger' or words to that effect. I wasn't sure about the 'dodger' bit until it arrived and voila! Just like a traditional jammy dodger but far more appropriate for the season. The pastry was melt-in-the-mouth perfect. Buttery and light. The burnt cream was a great Christmas version of creme brulee. Heaven on a little plate.

On our way out, Jason emerged from the kitchen to say hello. He looked as though he'd just done 5 rounds with a giant turnip. He spends his working day in the 'engine room' creating his masterpieces and toiling in pursuit of excellence in order that his patrons have a memorable dining experience. Well done Jason and team - we'll be back

Farewell Jeff

Yesterday was a sad day for our family. We attended the funeral of my oldest friend's father, Jeff. The service was conducted by the vicar of the church Diane, and Jeff and his family have been a part of this church for 45 years or so. Likewise Diane, although she hasn't always been the vicar there. She used to be a teacher and changed career some time ago. So as she steadily progressed through the service, it was more than apparent that she was trying very hard to maintain her decorum as she described a man who was well liked and long accepted as a solid part of the flock. Jeff was a quiet, shy man and when she described him as having a dry wit and a twinkle in his eye that struck a chord with us all. How true, how apt.

But there's more. He was also part of the church choir and the town male voice choir and guess what? Yes, his fellow choristers had turned out to sing for him and there was a vacant seat with a hymn book resting open upon it, Jeff's place. It was a beautiful service and an elegant send-off and I am so glad that my family and I were part of it. Farewell Jeff, we won't forget you x

Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy

A few months ago I came across a book that I coveted for some time called In Search Of A Masterpiece by Christopher Lloyd. The cover declares it to be 'an art lover's guide to Great Britain and Ireland' and the accompanying blurb begins 'if you happen to find yourself in Hull, Cork or Dundee, what paintings should you go and look at ?'. The more I read about this book the more I relished the idea of getting my hands on a copy. I mosied on down to one of my favourite book shops, Waterstones, and found it in no time. Oh what joy! It was a delight and before long, it was mine. I keep it out on the dining table at home and dip into it on an adhoc basis, when time permits.

Before I go on I have to point out that another aspect of the book that thrilled me is that it covers the wonderful Ferens Art Gallery in Hull. An often overlooked feature of the city that some locals don't appreciate or have never even visited. I implore you, take the time to go there and you won't be disappointed. 

So this Sunday morning, as I wandered around the house in a leisurely fashion I paused to dip into the book and came upon the above painting by none other that David Hockney. I doubt there is a single sole in the whole of the country who has not heard of this iconic artist. He is a local lad, Yorkshire through and through. The story behind the picture is tinged with sadness I'm afraid. Mr Hockney was a good friend of Raymond 'Ossie' Clark and Celia Birtwell and acted as best man at their wedding in 1969, his gift to them being this portrait. Funnily enough, the cat was never actually called Percy, it was 'Blanche' but he thought the former name to make a better title. I guess that's what one may refer to as artistic license. The three met through art school and unfortunately, the marriage was short lived and even more tragically, Ossie Clark was murdered in 1996. But to this day, Mr Hockney and Celia Birtwell are still dear friends and she continues to sit for him. Somehow, I doubt that Blanche aka Percy is still around though. I am adding a link to an article about Ossie Clark