Tillers and Tastebuds

Lovely memories of 'Floyd on France' BBC 2 1985

 

Floyd on France BBC 2

Lock Down TV - Lucie and I have been thoroughly enjoying a virtual foodie tour of France linked to all regions of gastronomic fame and history.

• Keith Floyd really was a great food/cookery entertainer, Cookery writer, chef and travel writer, sadly missed and irreplaceable. His series, 'Floyd on France' was first broadcast in 1985! They don't make them like this anymore!...he died on September 14 2009 aged 65 after a heart attack and a very turbulent life it seems.
• In the early 1980's (In my Royal Crescent Hotel days!)  he was so impressed with the 'Hole in the Wall' Restaurant on George Street,  Bath - then run by its owner George Perry-Smith - that he  put his name to it as a template. (Details of this deal are not fully understood)  Regrettably I never met him.
  

 

Thanks to Keith Floyd for making food and French Cookery such an entertaining and interesting  subject, especially for us "foodies' during the 'Lock Down' in Tinteniac ( he probably never visited the town, although there are several notable restaurants not far from here which he would have loved).

Places we have loved so far:

Le Genty Home Restaurant

Le Vieux Moulin Hotel and Restaurant

Le Colvert

Le Petite Port   23 Place de la Mairie, 35630 Hédé-Bazouges, France (nearest thing to a British pub with great food cooked on the  chimney fire place. 

 

It's a Siskin

My friend Alex Melville (and Sue) says that the bird we saw on our bird table, which I thought might be a Yellow hammer is in fact a Siskin

Here is  photo of  Juvenile Siskins.

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=Siskin+juvenile

I suppose he's right, although others have suggested it's a goldfinch.... this could  go viral!

Life without marmite (It ain't all plain sailing y'know - part 69)

  I am at  risk of sounding 'Jokey', at the height of this terrible pandemic, 'Covit 19', and whilst it appears that all might  be lost for Homo Sapiens  -  with our fellow humans dying in droves throughout the world - It might seem insensitive even to try looking for something cheerful to raise a smile. It really should not be done.

 We are well into the eighth decade of our life and now in retirement  - Like it or not, we are in the "at risk" population  with the additional risk of Lucie being back on steroids  which compromise her immune system. 

We do feel  a little  helpless by this necessary  confinement, the dependence on others and the guilt at not being able to do our bit to help. So,  running out of marmite is just a trivial example, perhaps one of many, which can be allowed to fill the empty spaces, if we are not careful.

On the bright side, provided that our state pension drops into our account every Monday and drops out of the wall on demand, it's hard to complain  - we just keep taking the tablets and  being ever more grateful for our lives when others, much more deserving, are losing theirs.

In fact, spring weather is upon us - bright blue, vapour-free skies are above us, the trees get greener by the day - the bird-song is louder,  traffic noise is silent, the air is fresher, there's no-one about to disturb the peace and our neighbours save us the cost of petrol by insisting on doing our shopping. We have much for which to be thankful.

(As I expect of any lager, the tin shown on the left does the job but is far too strong at 8% by volume - it has to be sipped rather than swallowed - better to take wine? The tin on the right is devoid of any taste or 'throat opening' quality what-so-ever. It just takes up fridge space... Better to drink water)

I am looking forward to reopening our little brewery and making real beer at the Old Mill, just outside the village of 'Hede' - but this is not possible because of the crisis....but hey....

 

 This visitor to our new bird table -  is definitely a fledgling - could it be a little Golden Oriole? or is  that wishful thinking? ... its breast plumage is a soft yellow colour. It seems woefully unaware of our presence and the danger it is in with our cats. Below is a 'google' picture of a 'Yellow Hammer'.  

It's spring and we are preparing for our epic journey to the Bassin Jacques Cartier in St.Malo where we hope to repaint and do some minor repairs to Body and Soul...So far the canal remains closed to all traffic - Perhaps  the 1st of June is  a bit ambitious.  But this year it's never going to be plain sailing y'know.....

 

For A Yellow Hammer - click here

It's all very well but..(it ain't all plain sailing y'know - part 68)

We are keeping to the French  rules of 'social distancing'  with increased vigor, mainly caused by a relapse in Lucie's Hortons disease which has put her back on steroids (20mg/day) and self administered weekly injections of Tocillizumab.

That, as you can imagine, is a step backwards for Lucie, although she is relieved by the continued exceptional attention given to her by the medical establishment who are concerned, although not surprised by, this relapse. It is apparently quite a common feature of the disease. But her latest 'PET scan' showed a bad result. 

'Google' our goose with his (her?) inseparable friend, the Duck (Quackflix?)

 

The problem is that the taking of both steroids and tocillizumab, as we understand them, compromise her immune system thus making it imperative  to keep Lucie away from all infections and especially the bloody Corona 19 virus. Hence our zealous attention, not just to the French rules but attention to the detail of our life-style in all sorts of ways.

  The Golden Oreol/Oriole - My favorite song-bird, seasonal immigrant,  heard but rarely seen,  found in the south of France and particularly high in the poplar trees of Aquitaine - the Golden Oreol/Oriole  - I miss its lovely, unique and fruity sound.

click this line for the song

Having said that, the sun is  shining at last - Spring is really with us now (see  pictures) and we heard our first cuckoo this morning (8th April)  Our lovely neighbours have been absolutely fabulous in their kind attention to our every need. This comes in the form of shopping for food, the gift of fire wood or by the collection of medical supplies as well as lots of distant chats. There are no other shops open.

Thankfully, this department in France, - L'Ille et Villaine (which includes the city of Rennes )- has had very few Corona cases, (if any - at least locally induced ones) and even our lovely local GP says she has been unusually quiet since the beginning of this ghastly business. We are both trying to get 'Body and Soul' together, ready for the great trip to St Malo and reparations on 'the hard'. Currently all the Locks are  closed by decree until at least 1st of May. We are hoping to set off mid-May, although all the winter works draining some lock pounds  on the canal between here and St. Malo, may have to be carried out - this  will delay cruising until who knows when.? 

Meantime, we are not 'allowed out' unless in a crisis, although I still go to the 'Parcours' for my daily exercise with the ubiquitous 'Document d'attestation' in my track-suit pocket - And, I  have been forced to drink tins of LAGER 'sacre bleu!'. (My brewery has had to be closed)

 

(our bird table)

 

 

 

 

 

'Made in Dagenham' The musical, produced during lock-down by Barnard Castle School with our Lois (year 10?) in a star role. Click on link below

Lois's star role