More Luck than I Deserve...?

A really lovely, relaxing Easter holiday came and went.

The troop was gathered and I have to say I really enjoyed just being home with the family.

The days were spent with good food, long walks, knitting, talking and sleeping.

 

But I wonder if I might have used up this year's allotted portion of good luck.

Just listen to this:

 

On Saturday we took the Student and the in-laws for a meal at our favourite Turkish restaurant Efes. I had booked the table for 5.45 as this was the only time they could fit us in. We were fortunate enough to get a parking space right in front of the restaurant. As we were tucking in to the meze that was appearing in front of us (soooo gooooood!) I happened to cast an eye out of the window and saw to my horror a parking attendant looking at the car! I knew I had not paid for parking as I thought it was free after 5 pm. I couldn't even manage to speak, just squeaked and bolted out the door with napkin in hand and food in my mouth. All the charm I possibly could possess was mustered and believe it or not - he let me off the hook! Parking was payable till 6.30, so I ran in again and the kind waiters were offering me coins to put on the meter.

Lucky escape no 1!

 

borrowed from the web

 

The next day we decided to walk along The Backs and through King's College to look at the lovely daffodils and tourists. Even if we live in walking distance to town, my in-laws can't manage to walk too far so we drove and parked in a nearby road to the entry to the college from the Backs. It is a fairly long road, and we were parked about mid-way. We proceeded on foot in to town and my charm came to full force again when I manage to convince the kind guardsman to let me bring all three of my guests (University employees can normally bring 2 free guests).

 

Town was packed and we enjoyed Afternoon Tea at Harriet's. Tip: the portions are so generous - we ordered for 3 (even if we were 4) and even managed to bring home a small doggy bag as we just couldn't finish it all.

 

borrowed from the web
On the way back we leisurely walked over Garret Hostel Bridge on Burrel's Walk and looked at the people punting. We had been out for about 3 hours when we entered on to the street where I had parked the car. I suddenly noticed a couple examining the parking meter and saw to my horror that parking was payable ALL DAY, EVERY DAY. It being Sunday I thought parking was free and I had not paid anything... I then saw the dreaded sight of parking attendants making their way down from the other end of the street! Without a word to my family, I started running LIKE MAD towards our car which was mid way between me and the parking attendant.... Suddenly the hours spent in the gym came into force and I sped to the car, delighted to see they had not reached our car yet and just jumped in and drove down to the family who by now realised what had happened...
Lucky escape no 2!

So, lesson from this Easter: start paying attention to parking regulations and parking meters...!

 

 

 

Ladies Who Dine at the Movies!

This last month I have been to the movies twice. It is literally years since I went to the movies last. Can't even recall which film it was I saw...

 

Both times we went this month "The Ladies Who Dine" (our little group of friends) were almost the only ones in the movie theatre. It has become expensive going to the movies, and there are just so much more film entertainment available through various other online media. Makes me wonder how long the cinema is going to survive. But to our surprise there was an offer on Wednesdays this month - £5 per person - that is a fair offer, I think!

 

But we had a blast, it was the being together that mattered.

 

We first went to see "Theory of Everything" which was nominated for 5 Oscars. Needless to say, we all enjoyed it very much. The acting, the scenery and the familiarity as much has been filmed in our own town made it a treat. Ok, I must admit I got a bit hung up on scenes that were supposed to be in Cambridge, but that neither of us could identify... But it is still a good film of their relationship even if I did miss some more focus on his work. But then again, the film wasn't about his work.

 

Moving on: Last night we went to see "The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel". I just love the cast, in particular Maggie Smith, Dame Judy Dench and then the new 'boy' - the silver haired fox, Richard Gere.

So, where do you see yourself retiring when the time comes...?
Any big plans or places you want to see health and wealth permitting?

Perhaps you might want to check in to the Best Exotic Marigold hotel...?
 

:-)

College Wine Tasting!

One of the real perks of being part of academic life in Cambridge is the possibility of belonging to a college. Cambridge is a collegiate university where you are not only a member of the University, but as a student (and often as an academic) you belong to one of the colleges. The Colleges are responsible for admitting students to the University and is the base while you're studying at Cambridge. College is also where you eat, do a lot of socialising, receive academic and pastoral support, and where you often have your supervisions. Colleges also offer various form of entertainment, social activities and sports facilities.

 

I feel I belong to Clare Hall College since it was The Professor's college while he did his PhD and we lived as a family in college for 2 years when we first came to England. It is a lovely, all embracing, family friendly college and we have very fond memories of the time we lived in college and the many events we have attended throughout the years. They still use one of my old pictures on their website with a very young version of our Student. Although we didn't move far away - our house is a few hundred meters away - it has been a while since I attended any functions in college.

 

But that all changed last night when my new friend - an amazingly lovely Norwegian visiting professor from Tromsø - suggested we go to a wine tasting evening. I am so pleased that she has embraced college life as I suggested it to her when she arrived here. It gives such a different experience of life here if there is a college connection.

 

But it was all about wine last night. I am no expert at all on wine, but I tend to really enjoy Italian wine and we regularly buy from this vineyard in Tuscany. However, it is important to keep an open mind and see what else is out there! The evening was fun, informative and tasty where we sampled 14 different wines. Their prices ranged from £5 to about £20. I let my palate do the choosing and intentionally didn't want to be biased thinking a more expensive wine was the better, so out of the 14 wines - here are my 3 favourites, one white and two red:

 

I don't often drink white wine, but this was a very enjoyable and neither too dry nor too sweet Cantina Ottoventi 'Punto Otto' .8 Grillo Sicilia IGT, Sicily. At around £6 a bottle you really can't complain!

 



Villa di Vetrice Chianti Rufina Riserva 2010 gives a very attractive aroma and is very well balanced. Price should be around £10 and well worth it!

 

And finally, Primitivo di Manduria Dunico 2010. Very drinkable, but more pricey at around £17 a bottle. Perhaps for a special occasion, but I think I would rather have go for two of the former.

 

 

 

Graduation in Durham!

 

Students gathering outside Durham Cathedral

I was up in lovely, but very blustery Durham on the weekend (incredible winds - think it was the storm 'Nina' that was making all the noise!) in connection with the graduation of one of the Professor's PhD-students. I don't get to know all his students, but every so often some of them become like friends and it feels natural to be there with them on their big day - particularly if they are not able to have their own families with them.

 

Borrowed from the web - we were not allowed to take pictures inside during the ceremony

 I had not been in to the amazing Cathedral before, but I will definitely go again soon (have wanted to save it till we have guests to take around!). Simply beautiful. After the ceremony in the cathedral there was a reception in the school.

 

Fitting decoration for the occasion - from the reception in the Business School.

We then proceeded to our house for a couple of hours before we went for dinner.

 

Picture borrowed from Finbarr's webpage

The new Doctor invited us all out to a delicious meal at Finbarr's . Finbarr's is an excellent  restaurant for a special occasion. We ate very well and it was such a nice way to mark the day. I strongly recommend the restaurant if you make your way to Durham.

 

And the socks I was knitting...? No, they were not completed on the train, but on Monday evening. I have two more 'UFO's to complete before I start anything new. Wool has been ordered for this new project, but I have PROMISED myself to finish off these two other projects before I get going on anything else.

 

Looking at the new wool waiting will be a good incentive, I think...!

Going to the Theatre: The Play That Goes Wrong!

 

Happy New Year!

 

We have had a lovely Christmas and New Year celebration with loads of food, drink and merriment! Christmas parties, walks, talks, snacking, knitting, reading, tv-watching and sleeping! That summarises the last two weeks pretty well. I 'packed away' Christmas on the weekend and we are now back to 'normal'. One remaining guest is still with us for one more day, but the Student and the Professor are both back in their universities and I started work again today.

Felt ok, to be honest. Must be a sign that it was a sufficiently long and relaxing break!

 

Just wanted to give a tip if you are going to London any time soon:

We started a new family tradition last year where we go to London for a weekend either before or after Christmas to stay in a hotel and go and see a play. This time the three of us went the weekend before Christmas and saw "The Play That Goes Wrong" at the Duchess Theatre in Covent Garden. The Professor and I conveniently stayed at the Grange Strathmore in Kensington, close to where the Student now lives and it was a nice hotel. Apparently, it used to be the London residence for the late Queen Mother's father (sold in about 1898)!

 

But about the play: the website explains: The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society attempt to put on a 1920s’ murder mystery in Havisham Manor, but as the title suggests, everything that can go wrong… does, as the accident prone thesps battle on against all the odds to get to their final curtain call. This brilliant new laugh out loud comedy performed by Mischief Theatre Company has enjoyed two successful runs in the West End and was the sell out smash hit of the Edinburgh Festival with its sensational reviews, numerous accolades and awards. The Play That Goes Wrong is guaranteed to leave you aching with  laughter!

And it did. A lot of slap-stick humour - really great fun and well acted. We all particularly enjoyed Dave Hearn in the role as "Max Bennett" and Henry Shields as "the director Chris Bean". Here is the trailer:

 

 

 

 

 



An Electric Experience...

We received our electricity bill this week. Not the most exciting thing to write about, you may think, but what followed from that was, let's say... interesting.

Some background information:

I find reading the electricity bill boring and incredibly complicated. Therefore, I normally rely on it being correct and file it away. We are regularly asked to submit our readings (if we are not home when they come to do the reading) or the company does an estimated calculation of how much they think we have used. We pay via direct debit a regular monthly amount and this more than covers the consumption throughout the year. In fact, we have increasingly been in credit and I remember thinking before the winter started that it is ok since I am sure we will use more electricity over the cold period so it is good to be in credit.

Two weeks ago the electricity company came to do a reading after the winter, so I knew it was up to date.

When the bill came through this week I noticed our account was now much over a thousand  pounds in credit. I therefore called the company to ask for a refund and to adjust the monthly payment which clearly is set too high. No point in paying too much and have so much money sitting with the electricity company. It is not like they give interest on your credit...

To my surprise - and theirs - it turns out our electricity meter is faulty. There has been no registration of daytime consumption since November 2009! The night time consumption has been done, so we have paid correctly for the nights, but the daytime meter shows the same number today as it did in November 2009!

The (very nice) young man explained that this was their fault for not spotting that (thanks for that!) and they would have to come and change the meter and do an assessment of what they think we have used for the last year and charge us for that. That is fair enough, I thought. But being an honest person, I couldn't avoid pointing out that we actually owe them day time electricity consumption for 3.5 years. "Oh, no. We can't go back that far", he said. "We can only charge you for the last year. So you will not be charged for the other 2.5 years of day time electricity. It is our fault for not having discovered the meter is not working correctly."

I could hardly believe what I was hearing...

☺

The credit we hold with the company more than covers what they estimated we have used this last year and the rest will be a very nice amount repaid to us.

Now, I said I was an honest person, but somewhere inside me a little voice is whispering -

WHY did you call them and let them know...?

SHUSH!

☺

Easter Visit to Anglesey-Abbey

As Our Boy was revising for upcoming exams, the Professor and I spent Good Friday exploring the National Trust property Anglesey-Abbey.

We are frequent visitors to some of the other National Trust properties in the region, but this was our first trip to Anglesey-Abbey.

It won't be the last.

The place was brimming with little children on their Easter Egghunt, but since we no longer have small children we steered away from the excited crowd and followed the path through the winter garden, to the Mill and then to the manor house itself.

Anglesey-Abbey started out as a priory, but was bought in the 1920s by Lord Fairhaven who transformed the place to a country estate. He had a passion for tradition and impressing guests and this inspired him to transform a run-down country house and desolate landscape.Life revolved around horse racing and shooting, and guests enjoyed 1930s luxury.The estate was given to the National Trust in the late 1960s.

The gardens are truly spectacular with planting for all seasons The path twists and turns and you don't know what is around the corner. We were completely struck with surprise when we found this little area with naked birch trees. The atmosphere was almost a bit eerie among these trees, but I can hardly wait to see it in full bloom in the summer!

The property also contains a working mill where we chatted with the miller and bought some of his freshly milled flour. At £2.25 for 1.5kg there was nothing to complain about!

A lovely walk, great company and a visit to a beautiful house rounded off with tea and scones in the visitor's centre.What more can you want on a chilly spring day?

Tried and Tested: Sticky Toffee Pudding



A Sunday treat?

It was most confusing when we moved to the UK all those years ago and people were talking about 'what they were having for pudding'. Well, we quickly understood that they meant dessert. But to add to the confusion, pudding can also be a savoury dish like Yorkshire pudding, black pudding, or steak and kidney pudding, to mention a few. The word pudding is believed to come from the French boudin, originally from the Latin botellus, meaning "small sausage", referring to encased meats used in Medieval European puddings. As I said, all too confusing and I won't bore you with more historical pudding facts.

I am in this post referring to a dessert (and the pudding is in fact a cake!)

Illustration borrowed from Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management (1861

A friend of mine loves Sticky Toffee Pudding and will have it anytime he goes out for a meal. I happened to think of him yesterday and decided to see if I could find a good recipe to learn to make this traditional British dessert (I still prefer to call this part of the meal for dessert). It was incredibly yummy, moist, and more-ish. The recipe suggested it being served with warm sauce and a scoop of ice cream. I think there can be too much of a good thing and don't see why you need ice cream, but hey! whatever takes your fancy

☺

I found this recipe on the BBC Good Food website, and I made some minor amendments to it as I didn't have the exact ingredients to hand. The recipe calls for a bit unusual ingredient - tea!, but trust me - it was delicious!

200 gram dried dates (I used prunes and figs)

250 ml black (not too strong) tea (I used a tea bag of Lady Grey)

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

85 gram butter

175 gram self-raising flour

1 tsp mixed spice

175 golden caster sugar

2 eggs

For the toffee sauce:

100 gram light muscovado sugar

100 gram butter

142 ml double cream (I used whipping cream)

This is how you do it:

Chop the dates (prunes/figs) into small pieces and add to the tea and let it boil for a few minutes until soft. Add the bicarbonate of soda.

Beat the butter and caster sugar until creamy.

Add the eggs, flour and mixed spice.

Add the tea/date mixture and poor into a buttered ovenproof dish.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until top is firm to touch.

Make the sauce by simmering the sugar, butter and cream over low heat till the sugar has dissolved. Cook till the sauce is thick and has a toffee colour. 

Cut the cake into squares and pour some warm sauce (and a dollop of ice cream, if you want) over.

Mmmmm...

☺ 

Waiting for Spring - at Chippenham Park

As you can see, the snow has disappeared. It is one week between the pictures in this post as to the previous one.

Not that it feels much different. It is still pretty cold...

On Sunday I went with some friends to Chippenham Park to see the snowdrops in bloom. I had never heard of Chippenham Park before - always a delight to learn of new exciting places after all these years.

Chippenham Park is a large country house dating back to the 17th century with vast gardens, lakes and a beautiful park with lots of statues of different animals surprising us as we walked along. The owners open the gardens to the public only certain times of the year, but the property is also used for weddings and special events. I can see this is a special place, although bitterly cold as we walked around. I will definitely come back. Perhaps on a warmer and sunnier day around the beginning of April when the daffodils should be out?

Oh! I can't wait for spring!!!

And Then the Snow Came...

After several days of severe warnings and very little action, proper snow finally came this weekend! Ok, I know that some parts of the UK have had loads more than we have, but I can't help thinking there is a slight sense of drama going on... Many schools are closed, trains and flights are cancelled and people are forced to either take holidays to look after their children or try to work from home. At least let's hope the kids go out and play in the snow!

I spent a large part of my childhood in Norway and can't remember that school was ever shut even for a single day because of snow... However, I do remember there was talk of sending the children home once because it was too hot one summer...

☺

But since there are no winter tyres for the cars and many don't have proper winter clothing (amazing to see people walking to work in their wellies! - must be sooooo cold and slippery!) it is no wonder even a small amount of snow take people by surprise. The Cat has not been outside since Thursday evening when he spent the grand total of 2 minutes outside...

☺

I am enjoying this little show of snow. It makes everything look very pretty and clean. And I like the freshness in the air. 

So, put on another layer of clothing and stay warm out there! I can see the daffodils and other spring flowers are already about 5-10cm above the ground so it will be spring soon enough!

♥

Tried and Tested: Peanut Brittle

 

Busy weekend cleaning, baking and cooking!

Just love it.

True to tradition, I went to "carols by candlelight" last night with 3 friends. We tried out a new church this year - it was nice, although more 'happy clappy' than the more traditional places.

♥

Time to try something new for Christmas! In addition to my regular Rocky Road,

I made Nigella's Peanut Brittle and it is super easy and super yummy (and not too much!).

Let's just hope Our Boy gets his braces off for Christmas so he can enjoy them.

If not, they are great little gifts!

 

Heat up gently

200 gram caster sugar

60 ml water

150 gram golden syrup

 

Let it boil briskly for about 10 mins!

Be aware - this is VERY hot!!!

 

Add

150 gram salted peanuts

1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

25 gram soft butter

1 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

 

Stirr well and pour the mixture onto a well greased baking paper and smooth it out.

Let it cool and break into pieces.

 

Make the brittle up to 1 week before eating or giving. Store in airtight bags or containers in a dry, non-humid environment.

Once opened, eat within 7 to 10 days.

Country Living Fair 2012

Yesterday I went with my two Welsh friends to the Country Living Magazine's Christmas Fair 2012, in Islington, London. I didn't bring my main camera, so you will have to do with the IPhone pictures.

 

The fair is an annual event, although this was my very first time.

 

It was almost a bit overwhelming, to be frank, but well worth going!

 

So much creativity and inspiration!

 

I didn't buy very much (ok, a few things...), but  I enjoyed even walking around making notes on creative suggestions. Got to love the "Notes" function on the IPhone...

☺

 

I simply loved the fair and I think it will become an annual event for me!

♥

Bonfire Night!

Guy Fawkes - borrowed from the web

Fireworks have been going off all throughout the weekend although Bonfire Night is actually tonight on 5 November. The Cat is not too pleased about that, but he tends to stay indoors when it gets chilly and he doesn't seem to mind the fireworks when he feels safe inside.

☺

Bonfire Night is also called Guy Fawkes' Night. For over 400 years bonfires have burned on November 5th to mark the failed gunpowder plot - a plot that relates back to the conflict between catholics and protestants. In 1605, thirteen men planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Among them was Guy Fawkes.

Some of the 13... borrowed from the web

After Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, English Catholics who had been persecuted under her rule had hoped that her successor, James I, would be more tolerant of their religion.  Unfortunately, James was not and 13 young men, decided that violent action was the answer by blowing up the Parliament. In doing so, they would kill the King, the Prince of Wales, and the Members of Parliament who were making life difficult for the Catholics. However, as they realised that also innocent people would be hurt or killed in the attack some of the plotters had second thoughts and an anonymous letter was sent to warn a friend to stay away from the Parliament that day. But the warning letter reached the King, and the King's forces stopped the conspirators. Guy Fawkes was in the cellar with the barrels of gunpowder when the cellar was stormed so he was caught and executed. So, the questions many ask are - was he framed and would the plot have worked as the gunpowder apparently was old...

 

On the 5th, agitated Londoners who knew little more than that their King had been saved, lit bonfires in thanksgiving, a tradition to this day!

 

You can ask whether it is anti-Catholic to celebrate this event, but I agree with those that say that it is important to remember the history and the fact that the celebration is a commemoration of the thwarting of an act of mass murder. Also, I feel it is safe to say that the passage of the centuries has eradicated any sense of anti-Catholicism associated with the celebration.

Festival of Ideas

Last night I went after work with a couple of friends to one of the talks at the Univsity's annual Festival of Ideas . You can sign up for some of the talks, but many of them are drop-in sessions. 

 

This talk focused on how linguists and regular people use analytical tricks to unlock the secrets of language: focusing on identifying a speaker's gender, race, region and age. 

 

Very interesting!

 

Even after all these years here I marvel over the privilege it is to have such offers on our doorstep.
 

Next week is half term here and there is a wealth of activities and talks - also for children!

♥

Weekend Summary and Welcome to the World!

doesn't happen often that we can't finish off a SHARED dessert...!

And we are back to Monday after an eventful weekend...!
 

After dropping Our Boy off at a party, the Professor and I kicked off the weekend with a visit to the restaurant in the hotel The Cross Keys in Saffron Walden on Friday evening. Lovely place (Elizabethan building going back 850 years!) with great atmosphere, amazing food and also the possibility of spending the night as they offer 6 rooms. Really worth a visit (check out the link)! Obviously a very popular place as it was packed and we were just lucky to get a table.

 

On Saturday Our Boy went to his weekend job stacking shelves in a nearby supermarket. His shift is  every Saturday evening from 5 pm till 11 pm. Fortunately, most of his social life happens on Fridays and his still manages to have a proper lie-in on both Saturday and Sunday and to finish off home-work, so win-win!

☺

I also managed to go through my wardrobe this weekend and had a much needed clean-up and packed away the summer clothes. 5 big bags of old clothes are going to the recycling bins! There was so much I had not worn for years and it became clear that I would never wear them again as I seem to have shrunk (nice bonus ☺).

 

It feels good to free up the space particularly when thinking of possibly refurbishing the bedroom this fall. No need to keep things that just take up space and is never in use!

The weekend was rounded off with a good dose of Downton Abbey. I won't spoil it for those who have not seen this episode, but I will just say my eyes were still puffy this morning from all the crying last night...
 But the biggest and brightest news of the weekend was that our new little friend was born in Zurich on Friday.

So sweet and so very, very welcome!

♥♥♥♥♥♥

 

 

Weekend....!

This way of busking out of a waste bin is a sure way to get attention...

It has been over a week since I gave any sign here on the blog...

No other excuse than a lot of work going on at the moment.

Should be getting a bit better after next week, I hope

 

In the meantime, I leave you with some pictures snapped throughout the week taken with my IPhone.

☺

I simply had to try this cake at the cafe/bakery Fitzbillies - it is called Norwegian Crisp - another version of Palmiers actually (made of puff pastry) and not particularly Norwegian as far as I could tell...

 

A snap shot taken last weekend when The Professor and I walked around the Folly at Wimpole. Just love that place!

On the return from the Folly

The weekend will be busy with more workand a retirement party for a colleague, but I hope the weather will hold and I can clock in another walk at wonderful Wimpole. Might even take a proper camera this time...!

 

Enjoy your weekend!!

♥



Sunday Evening Bliss

 

Season 3 of Downton Abbey started last Sunday.

And they did not disappoint!

♥

 

Below is a trailer with some glimpses of what is in store:

 

 

Walking With A Good Friend

We had friends from Norway visiting last weekend. I forgot the camera so the pictures are taken with my phone and not very good. I find it hard to see what I am actually taking a picture of when using the phone. Well, better than nothing!

With glorious weather and temperatures close to 30 degrees we didn't spend much time indoors.

On our way to Grantchester we stumbled across a fair.



Some medieval fighting reenactment is often part of these events...

I think one was supposed to be Scottish and one was supposed to be English...

I have no idea who won...

But we left them fighting and continued on our way down to Wimpole Hall

 

And ended up by the Folly.

One of my favourite destinations!

♥

It is not 30 degrees here anymore.

It was actually distinctly chilly this morning.

 

Might get a move one and make some fingerless mittens, I think!

Autumn is upon us!

I don't mind, actually!

☺