Bad Technology day

Thursday 28^th February.

A fantastic sunny day.  I have been continuing to put all my photos onto an external hard drive as my second back up of those I had to put on USB sticks in an emergency, a while back. It can be very slow- sometimes drag and drop works and at other times I have to move photos one at a time and it can take 10-15 seconds for the photo to be copied. My Mac froze twice today and I had to forcibly shut it. Husband wanted me to scan some old family photos and yet again my Mac couldn’t find the scanner so I had to perform an un-install and re-install- even then I couldn’t get it to work properly. It seems there may be a compatibility with the Lion OSX 10.7.5. So plugged in Husbands old Windows PC and it had the same problem. *Frustrating*

On a better note, I brought my Mum to look at the new stove which I have to say is keeping me very warm (yippee), when I took her home, I snapped her utility room work surface- cluttered as ever, but then spotted her fruit in the drainer, beautifully lit by the late afternoon sun! I can’t believe tomorrow is the 1^st March!

Just read this through and really I had a pants day with technology.

This is my last Blog entry, follow me on http://www.blipfoto.com/Nicoiseannie

NickNack tray

Wednesday 27^th February.

The sun shone all afternoon!!!

I was out a lot today and got home later than normal. The back of the house is lovely and warm with the stove gently heating the area- already paying for itself!

I left finding inspiration a bit late for my photo, but then thought my printers tray full of Fèves, champagne cork tops and other nic-naks looked rather nice in the warm light of the breakfast room!!

For an explanation of Fèves see January 8^th 2013

Tomorrow is my last blog

Follow me at www.blipfoto.com/Nicoiseannie

My new stove!!

Tuesday 26^th February.

Today was long and cold.  The multi-fuel stove was installed- and as usual in this house nothing went to plan. However after open doors all day – no heating as radiator couldn’t be just removed and repositioned until the whole system was drained…..There was no cold water as it was all shut off- the men failed to tell me to put water into containers- tough on them as they had no tea but nor did I. But now I finally have a working stove- and the very cold part of the house is toasting- YYYIIIPPPEEE!!!!  I have tried to start to clean the dust from everywhere. There are still a few bits to finish so they are due back tomorrow to finish off. Low light with lots of noise blip from iphone.

Knackered!

Monday 25^th February.

I have spent quite a bit of time clearing the breakfast room ready for the multi-fuel stove that is being fitted tomorrow. This clear out ricocheted *(sp) all round the house…butchers block moved to where Dan’s no 2 amp was, no 2 amp moved to join no 1 amp in downstairs loo, guitars in loo to Dan’s bedroom, desk in his bedroom to my daughters bedroom where eventually it will replace the massive desk in the study that I want to sell!!! Office chair in Dan’s bedroom to family room and hopefully the dump tomorrow as knackered!

Left over Bouillabaisse for dinner with a few fresh prawns and mussels!

*To Ricochet.  Is the perfect tense (according to Google (I know don’t trust Google), ) really ricocheted- that’s not how I would ‘say’ it.

Limoncello part two

Sunday 24^th February.

Grey, cloudy, cold, and white things occasionally fluttered past the window.

Today’s task was to book our road trip to Belfast to collect the bits and bobs Husband has received from his Mum. The plan is to go from Holyhead to Dublin, stay a couple of nights before going to Belfast and returning home. I have to say I am nervous of the Irish Sea, storms and seasickness travelling at this time of year- not quite the Mediterranean cruise I am accustomed to! Task nearly completed just the Belfast hotel to sort (if necessary we can stay with his brother or sister).

Limoncello finished.

Recipe cont…

Drain the lemon and sugar mix through muslin, add 200-250ml vodka and bottle.

Depending on how juicy the lemons are it makes 700-800ml.

Remember I shall stop this Blog at the end of the month. Follow me at

www.blipfoto.com/Nicoiseannie

Limoncello

Saturday 23^rd February.

Little flurries of snow from a grey sky were the norm all morning. We have run out of wood, and of course the price has gone up since the summer when I said we need to stock up….   * just saying! *   * making my point again!!*

Completed stage one of Limoncello making today. Normally it takes 10mins or less, but wanting a nice still life Blip meant I took nearly half an hour to get 20 shots that I reduced to 3!! Note I am again using the black tea towel as background.

RECIPE. 

Wash 8 unwaxed lemons. Remove the zest and place in a bowl. Squeeze the juice-and add with flesh and seeds to the bowl. Stir in 200g caster sugar. Leave for 1-2 days.

Part two tomorrow or Monday!!!

On another note, I am going to stop this Blog on 28th Feb, as it is identical to my Blipfoto blog. It seems silly to write two identical blogs. You can follow me on: 

http://www.blipfoto.com/Nicoiseannie

Carnaval de Nice

Thursday 21^st February.

I am so cold…..

I am half way through Lyn’s photo book and I am really pleased with the results so far- I hope she will be- we are going to meet up to discuss backgrounds etc.

On another, and probably warmer and sunnier note, Nice (the town in France!!) is holding its ‘Carnaval’ at the present time. It runs from the 15^th Feb to the 6^th March.  This is something I am desperate to go to, my Mum nor my French grandparents never took me as a child - such a shame as it was on their doorstep. The photo is of the Place Massena, a stunning square in Nice, not far from the sea or old town. This is the main area for the parades, which then wind themselves along the edge of the Jardin Albert 1er (where I used to play whilst my grandparents held polite conversations with their friends in the shade) and along the Promenade des Anglais.

In Menton at the moment there is the Lemon festival- something else I am desperate to see.

Oh dear I have waffled…..

My greenhouse

Monday 18^th February.

Another really beautiful sunny day.  After a cold and slightly shorter dog walk than normal I had a cuppa with my friend Caroline at Halsey’s café.  We had a good catch up, and promised to do brunch or supper soon.

In the afternoon I sifted through Lyn’s wedding photos finding some that I may use for the book I am making her- and she is right the photographers had a nerve calling themselves professional…..

I did two lots of washing and spent a little time in the greenhouse tidying up ready for seed sowing.  I also managed to push the vacuum cleaner around the more ‘dog-hairy’ parts of the house!!!

The late afternoon sun flooding into the kitchen highlighted how dirty those windows are!!!

gardening

Sunday 17^th February.

Costco run this morning for essentials. In the afternoon I spent quite some time in the garden doing some pruning- the buddleias in particular! The garden is really coming along- sorrel is pushing through, the garlic and red onions are looking healthy and strong- some lettuces have survived the snow- the spinach looks a bit miserable though. Daffodils, primroses, bluebells are growing well, there are fat buds on the Hydrangea, the variegated laurel, the clematis armandeii and the peonies. I have so many broken pots- including those I painted to remind me of the Marjorelle Gardens in Marrakesh, which house my French tarragon and Moroccan mint. The greenhouse needs a clean and I must sort through the seed packets!!  Roast pork for dinner with a mushroom and Madeira sauce with vegetables later on. Hopefully we will get to talk to the children tonight on Skype.

Drying

Saturday 16^th February.

Collected Mum at 10.30 to go to the Putteridge Bury Antique Fair- Stopsley. This is quite a big location and always has interesting things for sale- I resisted all temptations on this occasion!

The rest of the day has been spent doing chores! Once the washing was dry I ironed it all whilst watching Monty Don’s French Gardens- what a lovely series- it really made me miss my homeland.

Dinner tonight cooked by Husband is Ostrich burger with tomato, red onion and mustard with chips and a nice green salad!!!

Floods

Friday 15^th February.

Gorgeous walk in the woods with Jane- the road was flooded again- all the work Herts. Highways did a couple of years ago has not served to alleviate the problem. Still on occasions it is entertaining to watch white van man or Mrs 4x4 who take on the waters only to become stranded. This red lorry made it!!!

Saw my friend Jo today and my friend Lyn who is helping me on a new business idea. I also popped in on my Mum, who looked tired and suddenly aged. Hope she is Ok.

It’s the weekend!!!!

Valentines!

Thursday 14^th February.

Valentines Day.

No red roses to photo and add to today’s journal, but some very red spicy hot Harissa.  I ran out today, and having found the ingredients in the fridge and cupboard made a new batch. This has to be one of my all time favourite flavourings.

Cold

Wednesday 13^th February.

Beautiful walk in the woods today- Oscar had to be lifted into the car. The snow in town has nearly all gone but in the woods it was still clinging vertically to trees and balancing on branches.

I processed the photos I took of LJ yesterday and after one and a half hours, was just finalising everything when iPhoto crashed, and when I started it again all the photos were lost. Thank God I left them on the camera. I was NOT pleased.

My house is very cold, the heating is still not working properly, my study is 15C………

Cooking scrap books

Tuesday 12^th February.

A grey cold overcast damp day!  Snow is still lying on the ground.  Husband walked the dogs today- Oscar decided staying at home wasn’t to be recommended and was happy to get out today!!  I had an actor head and shoulders photo shoot today that went well, I just need to process the images now and put them on a DVD.

I popped in on my Mum in the afternoon to be sure she was warm and well.  Finally I started to put more recipes into my cooking scrapbooks. I am now working on my fourth!!

Leftovers for dinner- chicken in a tarragon sauce for me and pork in a yoghurt sauce with lemon juice, ginger, garlic, cardamoms, cumin and coriander for Husband!!!

Meet Oscar

Monday 11^th February.

I realised early, on this snowy day that I was going to struggle with a photo, but then one of my dogs Oscar (aged 12 ¾) provided the inspiration.  Today he refused to get in the car to come for a walk. This is most unusual, but I guess with his dementia he is likely to become more unpredictable. I now have a few nice photos of his handsome head. 

Today was cold, snowy, wet and grey…and that’s it!

hot chilli oil

Sunday 10^th February.

Sunday has been a grey wet miserable day. Walking the dogs this morning I got soaked and splattered with mud. 

I then went to Cinnabar in Stevenage old town to hand over my spare DSLR to Heiko who is on a Biology field trip to South Africa in March. The rest of the day was mundane and routine- ironing, vacuuming and getting dinner.

Finally I had to collect Husband from Luton Airport, as he returned home from his trip to Belfast.

In amongst the mundane I made some fresh chilli and rosemary oil.  In a few days it will have nicely infused.

Garish Primroses

Saturday 9^th February.

Up at 5.15am to take Husband to the airport to catch a flight to Belfast, where with his family they are continuing to sort out his Mother’s estate.

Chips Away came to sort the dent and scratch someone put down the passenger side of Husbands car in Waitrose car park- all our cars have been damaged at this location, and Waitrose customers are a pretty dishonest bunch as none have left a note…

I had lunch (toasted sandwich) with my Mum today and a bit of a chat too at the garden centre she bought me some cream Primroses (reduced as ever) while I took photos of these bright flowers!!

I popped into our little market town- it was quite animated with pancake stalls and mulled wine. 

Landscape Photographer of the year 2012

Friday 8^th February.

Today after a quick dog walk I ventured to London. I went to the National Theatre to see the Landscape Photographer of the year exhibition.  Fabulous photos, taken with phone cameras, point and shoot, entry level DSLR and professional cameras too. It was nice to see that Photoshop was not on the agenda for many people, just sharpening and contrast. On my walk along the south bank I took some photos on Instagram. They were lovely moody shots shot into the sun, with lots of dark contrast featuring the London Eye, and looking rather small Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. Unfortunately Instagram didn’t save any of the photos to my iphone library, and despite resolving the technical problem when I got home (thank you Google) the photos are never going to be seen except on Instagram. So a big problem- my Blip was defiantly going to be a photo taken in London, now at home, I had to find a photo- I quickly went into the garden, and rapidly took some pictures. I noted that the French Tarragon is starting to push through and the mint in a pot that cracked in the sharp frosts is also starting to grow. The garden is really coming to life. I have chosen Hellebores again as today’s photo. 

Bluebells are coming!!

Thursday 7^th February.

I had another very cold but sunny and enjoyable walk with Jane in the woods.  We saw a large flock of maybe 10+ deer, it was incredible how the were camouflaged by hedges on the edge of the brown ploughed field. The bluebells are starting to push up one or two centimetres through last autumns leaves.

I popped over to my Mums with a portion of Tarragon chicken!  I also filled in some holes around a light switch with Polyfilla- I will need to go and sand the area to finish it off. I wonder what the paint colour is?

I spent a lovely couple of hours gossiping with my old friend Lyn in the afternoon.

Lemons!

Wednesday 6^th February.

Very cold again, it tried to snow while I was out with Jane dog walking in the woods.  I saw a small group of roe deer and a rather large muntjac today.  A busy day in the kitchen- I made chicken stock, tarragon chicken for dinner (with a portion to take to my Mum tomorrow) and preserved lemons- although they wont be ready for at least 4 weeks. I also cleared some ironing, did a bit of dusting and pushed the hoover over the carpets and floors!

To my great joy my books of our Mediterranean holiday arrived today. They look so good I am very pleased with the result. 

This is a photo of my preserved lemons- the black background is a tea towel blue tacked to the wall!

Cold.

Tuesday 5^th February.

Bitterly cold but sunny dog walk in the woods today.  

My car performed some dressage like shoulder in and shoulder out antics on the only bit of frozen road in the whole of North Herts!

Got advice from a local IT firm re memory for my Macbook Pro- don’t know if I believe what they were telling me though. I think I will have to go to the Apple shop in Cambridge.

I met up with my photographer friend, Chris, in the afternoon- we had a good chat about photography and exhibitions coming up in London. It was snowed briefly at 4.30pm.

I am cold in my study but the multi fuel stove is being fitted at the end of this month…at last!!

Moules Marinieres

Monday 4^th February.

Woken up this morning to the increasingly noisy dawn chorus- specifically a blackbird in a very noisy territorial mood!! The bird themed continued with a lovely sunny walk with my dogs, where for the first time ever I saw the resident barn owl and watched very noisy larks over Holwell. Ben slightly disgraced himself, as after a friendly “hello” to a 9 month old deer hound the size of a small donkey, he growled and took a lunge.

I made some roasted tomato passata today as stocks were running low.

In Waitrose today 1kg bags of Scottish mussels were reduced- so I bought one for £1.53. Moules Marinières is my photo and my dinner for today- delicious!!

February Photo Challenge

Sunday 3^rd February.

Really tired today after the journey to Brighton and back yesterday.  I also had some nasty dreams last night, which have left me feeling really miserable.  My friend Michael called round today with his boyfriend. I had lent him a cake tin and ceramic beans so that he could make a custard tart- he brought some over- and it was lovely! I have also been playing around with my old camera- a Sony Alpha 350 DSLR- I had forgotten what a great little camera it was. I am lending it to Heiko (my daughters boyfriend) as he is going on a university field trip to South Africa in March. This is where his maternal family live. I am hoping he will take loads of great photos.  Husband cooked a delicious dinner tonight (and that is a rare occurrence).  Haven’t heard from my son for a week, hope he is ok…..

My daughter has just posted on Instagram that she is doing a February photo challenge- here it is!!

Saturday 2^nd February.

Spent a lovely day in Brighton with Claire. She appreciated the pasta, coffee, soups, hot cross buns, pancakes, pain au chocolat etc that I had bought and my homemade frozen chilli con carne and goulash. Brighton was very sunny, the sea was calm, and it was nice to see people promenading along the sea front.  The pier and ferris wheel was lit gently with a soft sun. I was unable to take many photos whilst there, which is a shame as the sun was shedding a beautiful light on the town. 

We ate at the best Indian bistro restaurant ever- Chilli Pickle- another amazing meal. Claire and I normally opt for the street food but this time I had the Thali, and the others (Husband, Claire and her boyfriend Heiko) the King Thali (which includes a few more side dishes including a dessert).  A Thali is basically a choice of a main curry dish and rice, and then this is served with a vegetable curry, Nann, Pappad, chutneys, dal, raita. As a nibbles starter, we had Pappadums with very sour lime pickle, red pepper and tomato chutney, sweet and soft mango chutney and mild fresh onions.

I cannot recommend the restaurant enough!

My Creche

Friday 1^st February.

Today I took down and packed away my Provençale crèche until St Barbes Day- the 4^th December. Traditionally it has to come down before the 2^nd February, La fete de la Chandleur- Candlemas, which is also known as La Fête de la Lumière. It is 40 days since Christmas day and actually celebrates the presentation of Jesus at the Temple. In France you would traditionally eat crêpes.

I am always sad to see all the pilgrims being packed away- I love their characters, where they come from and what they symbolise.

I have been shopping today for essential food for students!! Pasta, rice, curry sauces, Heinz tomato soup, coffee, tins of tuna, bananas etc as tomorrow we are going to Brighton to see Claire.

My photo today is of a small part of my Crèche- note the women standing in a circle gossiping!