May Day 2008 in Trullo Azzurro

We have just had a long weekend in Trullo Azzurro. Out on the Italian public holiday (01-May-08) and back on the English holiday (05-May-08). That latter due to the English habit of moving holidays to the next available Monday.

Unlike the previous two <quote>holidays<unquote> this was billed as relaxing. South Africa was decorating and shopping and our previous Italian trip was unbagging the over-wintered bedding and weeding. Our efforts plus a "re-activation" of the gardener means the beds are looking good and starting to look established.



And mostly it was a relaxing trip too, I am glad to say. Apart from moving 20 quintale (two tons) of logs from where the lorry dumped them to the newly created woodpile.



The spring flowers are in full bloom. The poppies are everywhere and the road side verges are full of all manner of wild flowers.



One thing about the local market is that there are no beans from Kenya or mange tout from Mozambique. What you get is what is in season. Most noticeably on this visit fresh peas. In the pod of course not shelled or frozen.



We went to Locorotondo Market and bought food for the weekend. We had neighbours John and Chris(tine) round for Sunday lunch and in the evening, as if we weren't full enough already, went round to Mino and Carole's where we were arm-twisted into staying for the evening meal.

They had 15 for dinner as the first guests of the season had arrived: a Dutch family and a group of, mostly retired, English ladies on a painting trip. So Mary and I were co-opted into the brigade for table laying and mushroom chopping. We had mushroom souffle, green pea and bean risotto, vegetable stuffed chicken and one of Mino's signature dishes bread and butter pudding. All washed down with plenty of their own home produced wine.

Cash Rich, Time Poor

This phrase could have been coined for us. We do not have a problem with work / life balance - we have an equally excessive abundance of both! What we wrestle with is the triple constraint of work / life / hours-in-the-day balance - trying to squeeze a quart into a pint pot. Hence two weeks without a post.

The last two weekends have had a tidy symmetry about them, both involving mothers and old friends. Last week end was Scotland to visit Mary's Mum, this weekend just gone was Farnham to visit my mum.

Last weekend we flew up to Scotland and did the usual: baby sitting for Mary's sister Sandra and George. Saturday was spent with May, shopping and cooking a meal. Sunday we went into central Glasgow for lunch with a couple of Mary's college friends: Christine and Geraldine and Alisdair.


The McLellan Family Celebrate Mum's 81st Birthday
Jane, Michael, Sarah, Pete, Mary, Mark, Geri, Ian.

This weekend we had my old friends Carmike&Lorna plus youngest son David for a DP. Saturday we saw the last night of "The Importance of Being Earnest" starring Penelope Keith. Sunday we went to Farnham for Mum's 81st birthday. We took our bikes with us on the train and on the way back we cycled 30 miles but that is another story...

The Persistence of Memory

Since about the age of fifteen I have kept a diary. Not so much "Dear Diary ..." more like "Went round to Bill's, played conkers".

I recently went up into the loft and came across my diaries from the early '80s when I was young, single and had a busy social calendar. When I read entries like "Drinks with Simon" and "Theatre with Caroline" I have to say I was thinking "Who the #~$* are Simon and Caroline?". Many of the names I recognised and am still in touch with but a scary number had sunk into the tar pit of time :-(

For a while I had a PDA - a Philips Nino - and that was my diary. When it eventually gave up the ghost I was left with 3 year hole in my memory. Now I have Gullible's Travels and it acts as off-site memory storage. It is like being able to Google my own brain to find out what I did and when!

So here is some spider food:

• Thursday, March 27, 2008 - Went to see the recording of Ready, Steady, Cook
• Tuesday, April 01, 2008 - Went to see Youssou N'Dour at IndigO2
• Saturday, April 05, 2008 - Hosted dinner party for siblings and partners
• Friday, April 11, 2008 - Went down to Farnham to give Mum some internet coaching

Furnishing the apartment 3

So I took the easy option and snagged the photos that Mary had already selected from our advert on http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/p96973. The apartment is only 57.5 m² but the terrace is a whopping 64 m².

Everything you see in these photos was bought in the mad shopping spree that was our visit. And I do mean everything down to the bag of pegs in the bathroom and the washing up bowl in the sink. Plus, of course, the scatter cushions as well - it's a girl thing <rolls eyes>.

living room and kitchen

front view living room

terrace view towards mountains

view from kitchen

bedroom 1

bedroom 2

bedroom 3 (single bed)

bedroom 3 (2 beds)

Opening up Trullo Azzurro for the Season

The weekend was a flying visit to Italy to prepare Trullo Azzurro (formerly known as "Hovel in the Hills") for the coming season. We closed down back in October (see "Closing Down Trullo Azzuro for the Winter") now we have to get everything back out of the plastic bags and put all the bedding, sun loungers etc in the right houses.

It really was a flying visit, out 7:30 Saturday morning, back 21:20 Sunday evening. We went straight from and to work, staying at the SAS Radisson Friday and Sunday nights. Extends our trip and makes it feel more like a weekend break.

It was a productive visit. We met with Daniele the architect who brokered a meeting with the gardener who we had never actually met. We got quotes for some additional paving work and settled up our debts from last year, respectively. Then we went in to Cisternino to meet with Pierdonato to top up the kitty for the "meet and greet" and cleaning services. We also got an update on the water pump problems (don't ask). Finally it was out for a very enjoyable meal at Refugium Peccatorum with neighbours Chris and John.

Sunday we did popped round to see Mino at Truddhi where he kindly gave a bottle to the just-bottled wine we saw being pressed as grapes last year. Followed by an unplanned lunch at Chris and John's. The rest of the day was spent weeding the beds. No maintenance had been done over the winter and the place was looking very overgrown. Fortunately it is possible to make a huge visible difference in just a couple of hours. Then it was a final tidy up and off to the airport.

T5 may have problems with baggage but Stansted has problems with immigration. It took 45 minutes queuing to get through to the immigration desk so it was gone half midnight before we fell into bed. Which is why we stay at the airport. We are back out again in May for a long weekend over the May bank holiday which should be much more relaxing.

Hermanus Apartment on YouTube

As well as taking lots of photos of the apartment I took a couple of mini-videos with my camera:


The Living Room


The Terrace

If you want to see photos visit our ad on http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/

Street Life (Clerihews and Limericks)

Walking across Waterloo bridge this morning I was enumerating to myself those buildings that I could identify. Chief amongst them being, of course, St Paul's Cathedral where Mary and I got married.

Into my head popped a piece of trivia I inherited from my father, also an architect: a Clerihew about the architect of that fine building:

Sir Christopher Wren
Said "I am going to dine with some men.
"If anybody calls,
Say I am designing St Paul's."

The unbalanced and unpolished poetic meter and line length parody the limerick, which in turn reminded me of:

There was a young man of Japan
Whose verses never would scan.
When they said, "But the thing
Doesn't go with a swing,
He replied, "No, but I try to get as many words into the last line as I possibly can!" [1]

Our first braai

We ate out the first couple of nights and then decided we had to eat as the locals do and christen our 'braai' which is Afrikaans for barbeque. Out on our terrace we had barbequed ostrich burgers and boerewors, a spicy long sausage. Washed down with an excellent local wine.

We have a picnic table up on our terrace that Mary spotted and liked at a local furniture store but we decided sadly it would be not be possible to get it up the stairs and through the apartment. It was solidly built and did not dismantle. Next thing I knew four lads turned up to give it a go even though we had not ordered it. As luck would have it the four of them were able to grunt it up the stairs and, by taking *both* doors off their hinges, squeeze it through the apartment with millimeters to spare. Mary was a happy bunny.

Furnishing the apartment 2

Saturday as soon as the fridge was delivered it was back to Tafelberg Furniture to finish off the shopping. And boy did we shop. The third bed, a truckle, a three piece suite, four bar stools for the breakfast bar, bedside cabinets and assorted housewares. All to be delivered Tuesday.

By the time we got back it was late afternoon and time to get ready for the evening meal.

The next three days can be briefly summarized: Mary shopped, I decorated. Ten hours Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday till 2 was painting the ceiling and walls of the living room and smallest bedroom. It looks so much cleaner and fresher.

Today all the furniture arrived and the place is transformed from a messy disaster zone into a very smart apartment. Now it is off to Mediterranea for a nice meal to celebrate. The other to bedrooms can wait till christmas for their lick of paint.

Furnishing the apartment 1

We landed at Cape Town airport at 9am to be met by Ronel of Percy Tours. By 10am we were in Tafelberg Furniture at Somerset West looking at beds. Having bought two queen size beds and bedding it was off to Hermanus and the estate agent to pick up the keys.

At the apartment it was a case of drop off the luggage and into town to buy the bed linen. Then back to the apartment to take delivery of the beds. Impressive same day customer service.

Then it was back into Hermanus to buy a kettle and a fridge for delivery the following morning at 9am. By then the shops were closing so it was back home to make our bed.

We drove into town for a meal in the fish restaurant at The Marine Hotel; the first place we dined on our first visit to Hermanus. Then home to fall knackered into bed.

Father's Birthday 2008

... this year was on the Monday. So the three of us siblings-plus-partners gathered at Loch Fyne in Farnham on the Sunday for a celebratory meal with Mum and Dad. Followed by the giving of gifts and general chat back at the house.

Mary and I did not hang around over-long as the back bedroom decorating was nearly complete and we were due a guest staying with us Tuesday (last) night. A bedroom needs curtain pole and curtains!

Chatting to a colleague on the Monday and hearing of her family's "X is not speaking to Y" and "I can't remember when we last got together" reminded me yet against how fortunate I am with my lot.

Mothers' Day 2008

Was spent in Scotland visiting the MIL. The usual routine: Friday evening and night at Sandra & George's, Saturday daytime and night at May's.

The original plan had been the not-usual routine of meet up with friends in central Glasgow but it was not to be. So instead one of them, Geraldine, popped down to May's for afternoon tea:


Mary, Geraldine and May admire a pashmina

Sunday we met up with G & S and their two, Ross and Sandra, for a Mothers' Day meal. Then home late Sunday.

Triple Crown settling in

It is eight months since my implant and I went back to Ashok last week for a check-up. The hole left by the extraction has filled in with bone as has the dodgy area to the right of the right-hand post.


Post and crowns - eight months later

The whole thing is made to amazingly fine tolerances, measured in microns. The posts have to be exactly parallel so the two ends of the "Siamese" crown can slide on. Compare the above with the before. The dark area is the part that has healed nicely thank you.


Posts and temporary crown - just after operation

Sainsbury's line caught Haddock fillets

extra trimmed
a succulent flakey white fish

So says the label on tonight's supper and on the back label the legend:


Ingredients
Haddock.

(!) Allergy advice
Contains fish

Well I suppose it would! Another gem from the labelling geniuses.

Alto Adige Wine Tasting Dinner at Enoteca Turi

Another fine eating and drinking experience at Enoteca Turi. This time the wines were presented not by Giuseppe Turi but a guest speaker: Tom Harrow from A Moveable Feast. We had the pleasure of him at our table so we not only got the speechy bits but more background as we ate and chatted.

Stuzzichini
Tastes from Alto Adige Canapes
Muller Thurgau DOC Borgo del Posseri 2006
*
Carne salata con barbabietole rosse e cren
Salad of salted beef, roasted beetroot, horseradish sauce
Gewurztraminer Kolbenhof DOC Hofstatter 2006
*
Canederli con speck e crauti
Canederli with speck, home made sourkraut
Teroldego Rotaliano DOC Dorigati 2005
Lagrein Riserva DOC Steinraffler 2001
*
Filetto di cervo con tre polente, radici di stagione e funghi di bosco
Venison fillet, three polentas (buckwheat, plain, potato) roasted baby root vegetables, mushroom sauce
Barthenau Vigna S Urbano DOC Hofstatter 2002
San Leonardo Vallagarina DOC 1999
*
Strudel di mele
Apple strudel with cinnamon, pine nuts, raisins, rum
Moscato Rosa DOC Elena Walch 2004
*
Coffee and fried pastries

My favourites were the Gewurztraminer, a powerful wine at 15% in a sweet Alsace style, and the Vigna S Urbano, which had the lovely strawberry nose of a mature pinot. However when we ate the food the San Leonardo and it swapped places. The SL was a bit chewy on its own but came into its own with the food - very much a food wine. For those who like to know prices they were:

1. Muller Thurgau DOC Borgo dei Posseri 2006 £13.00
2. Gewurztraminer Kolbenhof DOC Hofstatter 2006 £22.50
3. Teroldego Rotaliano DOC Dorigati 2005 £9.50
4. Lagrein Riserva DOC Steinraffler 2001 £22.00
5. Barthenau Vigna S Urbano DOC Hofstatter 2002 £37.00
6. San Leonardo Vallagarina DOC 1999 £37.00
7. Moscato Rosa DOC Elena Walch 2004 (37.5 cl) £20.00

All available, of course, from A Moveable Feast.

Jury Service

It has been such a hectic week that I have not had time to write about the jury service. Mary prudently suggests that I do not identify the specific trials nor am I allowed, by law, to discuss the jury's private deliberations.

What I will say is that I sat on two panels: one trial each week and the jury acquitted in both cases.

In the first trial my personal view was that both complainant and defendants were lying but for different reasons. A "not guilty" verdict was not difficult to arrive at.

In the second case I was sure the accused was guilty but based purely on the evidence presented by The Crown we could not be *sure* - tafka "beyond reasonable doubt". In the end it went to a majority verdict based on some good defence work and the poor quality evidence put forward by the prosecution. Bit of an own goal by the police and CPS.

There were various instructive and entertaining aspects to the whole business. One of which was hearing Mi'lud and learned counsel utter the F-word and other demotic English phrases in their best BBC English.

Another item was the little ritual exchange as each police-person gave evidence:
Counsel "Did you make notes?"
Police person "I did."
Counsel "And were those notes made within two hours of the events?"
Police person "They were."
Counsel "And were the events still fresh in your mind when you made those notes?"
Police person "They were."
Counsel "Would you like to consult those notes?"
Police person, turning to the bench "If I may Mi'lud."
Mi'lud "You may"
Counsel "Thank you Mi'lud."

At the end of the evidence the usher swears an oath to conduct us to a "private and convenient place" where we deliberate our verdict. I have to say that in both trials we, as a group, took our responsibility seriously and a good quality discussion, based on the evidence, lead to the verdict.

Wikipedia on: Jury (England and Wales)

Valentine's Day Meal 2008

Our Valentine's Day meal was at Brian Turner's restaurant in The Millenium Hotel, Mayfair. I reckon it was fair value at 60 quid for all this *and* a glass of champagne and a heart-shaped box of chocolates.

 • Lightly Spiced Oyster, Ginger and Shallot
 • Maple Basted Quail Breast, Mushroom and Hazelnut Risotto Light Chicken Tarragon Cream
 • Warm Lobster and Halibut Dumpling, Wilted Ruby Chard, Caviar Butter
 • Cream of Celeriac Soup, White Onion Tart
 • "Between the Sheets" Sorbet
 • Rack of Kentish Lamb, Creamed Spinach Onion Squash Mash, Vegetable Spaghetti
 • "Chocolate Indulgence" Soft Centred Chocolate Pudding, Milk Chocolate Mousse Dark Chocolate Ice Cream, Chocolate Sauce

The food was excellent. Mind you, as usual, we bumped the bill up a bit with a half of Meursault from Giradin and a bottle of 2001 Chateau Gloria. Then a taxi home; ah the joys of living in Zone 2

Italian Wine Tasting at Charteris Wine Society

More specifically wines from The Wine Society presented by Nicolas Belfrage MW, an Italian wine specialist who helps the Society select their Italian range. We used "The Society's Guide to Italy" written by Nicolas as our agenda working through all 10 wines, two whites then the reds working North to South:

White wines
 • Coffele Soave Classico, 2006
 • Le Giuncare Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Riserva, 2004 (Monte Schiavo)
The North East
 • Boglietti Barbera d'Alba, 2006
 • Pio Cesare Nebbiolo d'Alba, 2004
The North West
 • Hofstatter Pinot Nero Riserva, 2002
 • Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, Allegrini, 2001
Central Italy
 • Poggiopiano Chianti Classico, 2004
 • Flaccianello della Pieve, IGT Toscana, Fontodi, 2004
Southern Italy
 • Agliancio del Vulture DOC 'Armand', 2001
 • Brindisi Rosso, Vigna Flaminio, 2004 (Vallone)

Of the whites I preferred the the Soave to the Verdecchio although the latter cost 50% more, and I was not alone there.

Not surprisingly my fave was the Amarone (gobs of fruit to use a Robert Parker-ism) but the Flaccianello, which was a new one on me, was right up there with it. The latter is a Super Tuscan and at GBP 32 and 33 respectively there was a gnats whisker between them in price and quality although the Amarone got my vote. However for that price I could drink four bottles of the Chianti Classico - hmmm, tough call!

Working North to South was a bit unfair on our chosen alternative homeland of Puglia. The last two were perfectly OK drinking wines but at GBP 5.95 the poor old Brindisi Rosso trailed home after the two Tuscans. However I still preferred both of the Southern reds to either the Nebbiolo or the Pinot Nero.

All in all another interesting and educational tasting.

Sitting on a jury

and playing with my new iPhone. I am just over half way through my (expected to last) two week jury service. I shall write more when it is all over but it has been interesting to see the English legal system in action. Meanwhile this is a test of this new techo-toy's ability to blog.

I should point out that this was written while killing time in the waiting area prior to being called down to court. Of course phones have to be switched off whilst sitting and when you retire to consider your verdict they take your phone off you completely.

Leoville-Barton Dinner Party

Saturday night we had a most successful dinner party, though we say it ourselves. Guests Bron&Maggie and Paul&Siobhan seemed to enjoy themselves.

We usually have a theme like "what we learned on the cookery school". This time it was a double theme: "a vertical tasting of Leoville-Barton" and "recipes from South Africa".

The starter and main course were out of The Collection Cookbook and the Tiramisu ice-cream recipe was from the chef at the Makanyane Game Lodge.


Leoville-Barton '82, '85, '89 and '95

Youngest to oldest:
'95 was fine but all agreed a little more cellaring would be good.
'89 was my favourite for balance of fruit and tannins.
'85 was second favorite but, by the end of the evening, had nudged ahead to first place.
'82 was a little faded. To my TCA sensitive palette there was a distinct whiff of cork taint.

And the Recioto di Soave with the dessert was perfect :-)

SA Trip 8: Epilogue

Now it can be told. We liked South Africa so much we bought an apartment in Hermanus, Western Cape, at the Hermanus Beach Club an hour and a half's drive from Cape Town.

"Hermanus has the status of being the best land-based whale watching destination in the world. Southern right whales visit Walker Bay from June through to December and can be viewed from aboard a boat, an airplane or the shore. Hermanus is home to the world's only Whale Crier who blows his kelp horn when whales are spotted along the central sea route." - http://www.hermanus.co.za/

It was an impulse buy. We had not gone out with the intention of buying a place but we loved it so much we had a giddy turn and decided to expand our property empire.

Part holiday home, part pension plan. The idea is to holiday there for a few years and when we retire, or down-shift, to spend the (European) winters down there.

The money went off to the lawyers yesterday and the apartment will be ours at the end of February. We go out over Easter to pick up the keys and fit the place out - a long way to go for a shopping spree. Our is the one circled in the aerial photo.




The apartment in not huge (two and a half bedrooms, one all-purpose living /dining / kitchen room) but the terrace is larger than the whole apartment!

SA Trip 7: Constantia

Mon 31-Dec-07 / Wed 02-Jan-08

A short hop from Robertson to Constantia for the final leg and the final wine tasting at Klein Constantia. Given as how they do South Africa's most famous sweet wine, and one that has an association with Le Gavroche, it had to be on the itinerary.



After which we met up with Andrew, an ex-colleague who moved to SA some 7 years ago. His three week tour of SA and ours managed to pass within a couple of miles of each other (!) on the 31st so we met for lunch and a natter.



After that if was off to the third hotel in the Liz McGrath Collection: The Cellars-Hohenort and a fine 5 star hotel it was too. Another Gala dinner for New Year's Eve:



New Year's Day we spent hours walking round the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens


That evening our last meal in SA was at the hotel in the Cape Malay Restaurant. Then an early night for an early start in the morning and the flight back to the UK - Boo!

More photos on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8179454@N02/sets/72157603729120090/

SA Trip 6: Robertson

Fri 28-Dec-07 / Mon 31-Dec-07

We left Plettenberg planning a gentle, scenic journey to Robertson along Route 62 - "Scenic Route" as designated on the road atlas. Reading the guidebooks Mary suggested a side trip to Prince Albert over the Swartberg pass: "One of the most - if not the most - spectacular scenic passes in South Africa as well as being an engineering feat".

The sign saying 'unsuitable for caravans' was a mind-boggling understatement. It was a dirt track scarcely wide enough for two vehicles with precipitous drops and no parapet wall. When we got to the 1-in-7 uphill and had to change down to 1st gear I thought "they have got to be kidding!" The views probably were spectacular but I scarcely saw them as I was white knuckle, eyes fixed on the road.

I insisted on going the long way round to get back on track - not doing that again! Then we found that Route 62 was closed and we had another detour so it was 8 o'clock by the time we reached our destination: Fraai Uitzicht just outside Robertson. Eat, sleep.



Sat: We did a self drive wine tasting tour:

• De Wetshof
• Weltevrede
• Picnic lunch at Viljoensdrift
• Springfield

Tasting wonderful dessert wines at De Wetshof

Sun: A walk round the farm and then a tasting at the eponymous Robertson. We ate in Fraai Uitzicht all three nights as they were a little out of town and I try not to drink and drive and I do not want to miss out on all the wines!! Fortunately it was yet another awarding winning restaurant.


Robertson Wine Route - Canna by the roadside

Full set of photos on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8179454@N02/sets/72157603720132394/

SA Trip 5: Plettenberg

Mon 24-Dec-07 / Fri 28-Dec-07

The Christmas period was aimed at the garden route to allow for relaxing and unwinding before we launched into the next round of wine districts. Not sure why it gets the marketing label of "The Garden Route" - seems much like the rest of the Western Cape to me but there you go!

We (I) drove for six hours in a torrential downpour, wipers on Max, through the worst weather of the holiday to arrive at The Plettenberg.



By this time we had discovered that the travel agent had booked us into three 5 star hotels in the same mini-chain: The Collection By Liz McGrath. We had done The Marine at Hermanus and were booked for New Year's Eve at The Cellars-Hohenort.

We had a gala dinner on Christmas Eve in the hotal *and* Christmas Linch in Christmas Day. It was still wet that day and everywhere was closed so we ended up dining in the hotel that evening as well. Just as well it was a 5 star restaurant :-)

Robberg Island Nature Reserve:


Wed: Boxing Day was a walk round Robberg Island Nature Reserve. Not for the faint hearted this cliff top walk with some real cliff edge scrambling over rocks. Hard work and we deserved our picnic lunch at the end.

Evening meal at Fu.Shi, food excellent but the kitchen was overwhelmed by several large parties arriving all at once. Three hours for a meal. I would go back but they got no tip that night.

Knysna Elephant Trail:


Thu: A walk in the Knysna nature reserve followed by an excellent pizza at Cornuti Al Mare.

For more photo see Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8179454@N02/sets/72157603675664894/

SA Trip 4: Stellenbosch

Fri 21-Dec-07 / Mon 24-Dec-07

Lunch and beer tasting at Dieu Donne:



Because of our leisurely departure from Franschhoek we arrived in Stellenbosch with just some time to wander around around town and get a feel for the place. We went to visit Oom Samie se Winkel an Aladdin's cave of curios, nick-knacks and tourist souvenirs. Evening meal was in the Fishmonger restaurant.



Sat: Another wine tour, this time with Keith of Redwood Tours and the wineries were:

• Tokara
• Thelema
• Rustenburg
• Morgenhof for lunch
• Warwick
• Simonsig

Then De Volkskombuis for a supper of traditional Cape cuisine.

Sun: We hired two bicycles and cycled 10k up to Sugarbird Manor - a WWF guesthouse. From there we did a 9k Devon Valley walk. We then cycled all the way back to Stellenbosch for an afternoon of relaxing. A quick trip to the Village museum then evening meal in the hotel's "1802" Restaurant.



Our hotel was the d'Ouwe Werf, it may be SA's oldest inn dating back to 1802 but it was the one with the smallest and most cramped accommodation on our trip. A bit of a come down after Le Quartier Francais.

Full set of photos on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8179454@N02/sets/72157603667627786/

SA Trip 3: Franschhoek

Tue 18-Dec-07 / Fri 21-Dec-07

The next leg of our trip was to Franschhoek and the wine region around it. This was the cutest town and the best hotel of the entire three weeks.

The drive over from Hermanus via Villiersdorp took in some stunning scenery: it was like the highlands of Scotland but with sunshine!



The hotel, Le Quartier Francais reminded me somewhat of the French Quarter in New Orleans. They seem to have brought up a whole "city" block of houses, removed the garden fences and created a unique hotel. That night we went for the seven course tasting menu with matching wines in the hotel's Tasting Room (as their posher restaurant is called) - a stunning display of culinary virtuosity and completely over the top.

Wed: We walked all the way to Dieu Donne for a tasting then walked back again. In the afternoon we did a conducted wine tour with Pauline.
Stony Brook
Haute Cabriere
Moreson
Rickety Bridge



Supper that night was at Topsi and Company.

Thu: We hired bikes and cycled all the way to the prison were Nelson Mandela was finally released. Then on to Boschendal for a tasting. We cycled back to the hotel and got a lift to La Petite Ferme for lunch. I cannot remember which colleague recommended this place but it was probably the best meal we had in South Africa. Supper that evening was at Reuben's yet another top-rated SA restaurant.

Relaxing after the meal at Le Petite Ferme:


Fri: Shopping for stocking fillers for each other as we, obviously, did not bring all the family presents with us. Then the Huguenot Museum followed by a repeat visit to Stony Brook to order a couple of cases for the UK. Next another tasting, this time at Graham Beck. Then lunch at Dieu Donne and a drive to our next stop, Stellenbosch.

Full set of photos on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8179454@N02/sets/72157603659002934/

SA Trip 2: Hermanus and Walker Bay

Sat 15-Dec-07 / Tue 18-Dec-07

After the safari it was a return flight from the airstrip to Jo'burg then pick up the next leg of our BA flight: Jo'burg to Cape Town. There we picked up the hire car and drove to the five star Marine Hotel in Hermanus arriving at 8:00pm in time to change and go straight into the restaurant.

The next day we went for a cliff top walk to admire the fynbos vegetation that is unique to SA. Along the way we saw an owl, a Dassie (or Rock Hyrax) and lots of the flora. Our evening meal at an excellent seafood restaurant: Meditterrea. A recurrent theme of this trip was dining in the best restaurants in every town we visited.



The next day was a wine tour with Percy of Percy Tours. We had the tour to ourselves and, as Percy is a fully qualified tour guide, we had an excellent and informative tour. We would highly recommend Percy and this way of doing wine tasting - somebody else drives, no spitting out for me <grin>


Our itinerary for the day:

• Newton Johnson


• Sumaridge


• La Vierge for lunch


• Hamilton Russell


• Bouchard Finlayson - unfortunately just as they were closing


• Wine Village

That night we went to dine at Annie se Kombuis for some traditional SA food; I had the Bobotie.

Full set of photos on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8179454@N02/sets/72157603652425163/

SA Trip 1: Madikwe Safari

Mon 11-Dec-07 / Sat 15-Dec-07

What can I say - Fantastic! This was our first safari and I guess everyone must feel something similar. Just amazing to be so close to the real thing, wild animals in their natural habitat. No cages, no bars. Talk about up close and personal!



As mentioned before we went for a top class accommodation throughout this trip. We went for a small lodge: Makanyane. We got our own chalet and this was our view from the bedroom window. We were woken one morning by a loud grunting which turned out to be hippos in that stream right outside our chalet.



The routine was two game drives a day, one at 5:30am and one at 4:00pm with lunch back at the lodge. Our excellent guide, David, drove us around Madikwe Game Reserve in an almost indestructible Toyota Land Cruiser in search of animals. Fortunately all the lodges cooperate and radio each other when there is something to see. In the first couple of days we could hardly turn around without bumping into another herd of something.



We would then stop mid-drive for coffee or a sun downer as appropriate:


The first day there were two other guests. The rest of the time we had the whole place and 30 staff to ourselves. The service was immaculate as was the food. One odd feature was that when the menu said "venison" it didn't just mean deer as in the UK It might mean springbok, kudu, blesbok, or any one of a number of other antelopes. It felt a bit like dining at the zoo.



We dined in the restaurant a couple of nights but the staff set up our table for romantic dining the other nights. Once by the (swimming) pool and once on our own chalet veranda. Mind you we had to put covers over our wine glasses to stop giant bugs diving in. They have some big creepy-crawlies in Africa!

I think my favourites animals were the dung beetle and the wart hog :-)

Selected set of photos on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8179454@N02/sets/72157603632532139/

Previous Makanyane posts:
Lion and cubs playing in Madikwe Game Reserve
South African Safari

SA Trip 0: The Plan

For the last three years my client had imposed a three week shut down for contract staff as a cost saving measure. In anticipation of this happening again, we booked this trip to South Africa way back in January.

The plan was to use airmiles buy one business class return flight and use our Amex 2-for-1 voucher to buy the second. This was scuppered by them changing the rules. As it was we had enough BA miles to scrape together two World Traveller Plus flights: Heathrow / Jo'burg / Cape Town / Heathrow.

Using girl logic - look at the money we've saved on the air fare - we decided to make it a trip of a lifetime and upgrade ourselves to 5-star hotels all the way. This ended up as our final itinerary:

11-15 Madikwe (safari)
15-18 Hermanus (wine)
18-21 Franschhoek (wine)
21-24 Stellenbosch (wine)
24-28 Plettenburg Bay (the garden route)
28-31 Robertson (wine)
31-02 Constantia (wine)

The flight down was overnight. I am lucky and can sleep even in economy. As soon as they served the meal I changed into my jim-jams, put in the ear plugs, put on the eye shades and slept for 7 hours. I woke to the smell of breakfast to discover it had been and gone half an hour before.

Then we landed at Jo'burg about 6:30 their time and the trip had begun!

More on each leg of the trip in following posts...

Lion and cubs playing in Madikwe Game Reserve

Mary pointed out that my new camera (early Christmas present) has video capability so I started taking a few video clips to supplement all the photos. This is Mary's favourite:

South African Safari

Posts will be a little intermittent for the next couple of weeks as we are taking a three week vacation in South Africa.

Our trip started wih a 4-day safari at the wonderful Makanyane Safari Lodge in Madikwe Game Reserve. Even before we arrived the trip was an adventure in itself. The transfer from Jo'burg airport was in a 4-seater "paraffin pigeon", a Beechcraft Baron. Our first attempt at landing had to be aborted due to Kudu on the airstrip. On the short transfer from strip to lodge we saw giraffe, wildebeest and impala with young. Over the next few days we saw more wild animals than I could ever have hoped for.

More to follow...

Office Christmas Party

Once again the M&M Enterprises Christmas party was held in the Michelin 2 star venue of Le Gavroche. The tax man allows GBP 150 per employee for staff entertainment so we use ours to subsidise a very fine afternoon of eating and drinking. And we came in under budget!

Le menu

Les vins

Tartare de thon au gingembre pimente et huile de sesame

Raw marinated tuna with spicy ginger and sesame dressing
Chateau de sours 2004 bordeaux blanc

Petit souffle suissesse

Cheese souffle cooked on double cream
Champagne henriot 1995

Fricassee de st pierre bouillabaisse

Roasted fillet of john dory in a light broth, fennel, mussels and garlic crouton
Domaine Gavoty "cuvee clarendon" rose 2006 cotes de provence

Escalope de foie gras chaud et pastilla a la cannelle

Hot foie gras and crispy pancake of duck flavoured with cinnamon
Banyuls "reserva " domaine de la tour vieille

Noisettes de chevreuil a la sauce poivrade et airelles

Loin of venison with a pepper and cranberry sauce, wild mushrooms and caramelised vegetables
Chateau vieux sarpe 2003 st. Emilion

Buche de Noel

Traditional french chocolate christmas cake
Vin de constance 2002 klein constantia

Cafe, petits fours et mince pies

See also "Christmas Daffodil at Le Gavroche"

Think of the Money We Saved

Last year we (Mary really) invested in a case of the 2001 Chateau d'Yquem from Berry Bros & Rudd. BBR wrote to us recently saying that Robert Parker has now awarded it his top mark of 100/100. That guarantees it will fly off the shelves and our investment will hold its value. BBR's write-up:

2001 Yquem is one of the best wines this exalted estate has ever made and has been awarded the 'perfect' score by ourselves and Robert Parker alike. This is breathtakingly complex, with a vibrant perfume of crème brûlée, white peaches, apricots, mustard seed and gorgeous light new oak which heralds the most magnificent mouthfilling essence. With the texture of melted butter, it feels more fresh, zingy and exciting than any wine you can imagine. If the nose and the palate aren't enough to blow you away, the 30 minute (at least) after-taste is ethereal. This is already approachable, but if you don't get round to opening the bottle this year you could cellar it until 2100!

BBR Score: 20/20
Parker Score: 100/100

BBR are offering a 20% discount if you buy 24 half bottles at a saving of GBP 1286.16. Yes, you did read that correctly a *saving* of USD 2,600. So that's only GBP 260 per half bottle or 4,200 for a case of 24 halves (In Bond, you will still to pay Duty and VAT at some later date).

I am glad to say we did not pay that much but it never was going to be a cheap wine.

Scales Family Tree

All this family research was triggered by my Mum. She has been wanting to research her family for a while and this year went to St Andrews church in Hertford. There she got a whole heap of births, marriages and deaths plus some census records for assorted Scales in and around Hertingfordbury Road. Having got all the pieces we proceeded to assemble the jigsaw into a family tree:



There were a couple of false starts. For example the gravestones revealed that the earliest Thomas Scales turned out to have married twice which suddenly made sense of the ages of the children. And one of his children by the second wife had two sons both called Thomas: one was Thomas William (sometimes just called William) and one called Thomas (sometimes called Thomas Jnr).

I think we have cracked it now and this is an extract showing the direct line:



Complete family tree as pdf
Genealogy Report as pdf
Genealogy Report as txt

Charteris Wine Tasting - ABC

No, not the usual "Anything But Chardonnay" but instead "Anything But Champagne". A seasonal tasting of sparkling wines from around the world to see who could give France a run for its money.

Wine

(Region, Country) Method

Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Frizzante

(Veneto, Italy) Tank

Cremant de Luxembourg Riesling Cuvee de, l'Ecusson Brut

(Luxembourg Moselle, Luxembourg) Traditionelle

Sumarroca Extra Brut

(Cava(Subirates), Spain) Traditionelle

Pelorus, Vintage 2002

(Cloudy Bay, Marlborough, New Zealand) Traditionelle

Mumm Cuvee Napa Rose NV

(California, USA) Traditionelle

Chapel Down Century Extra Dry

(Kent, England) Traditionelle

Bleasdale Langhorne Creek Sparkling Shiraz

(South Australia, Australia) Tank

Perrone Moscato d'Asti

(Asti, Piemonte, Italy) Tank

Blanquette de Limoux

(Limoux, France) Ancestrale

A tasting of two halves: dry sparkling, a half-time rosé and then the sweet sparkling. For me champagnes normally run from the crisp lemon end of the spectrum to the biscuity, yeasty end. These, oddly enough, all seemed to major on apple, with the odd hint of melon (Sumarroca) , lychee (Pelorus) or blackcurrant (Bleasdale).

My favourite of the first flight was the Cremant de Luxembourg and of the second the Chapel Down. Interesting since neither Luxembourg nor England are the obvious place to look for a good sparkling.

And as for the sparkling shiraz the kindest thing one could say is it was an interesting experiment but not one that should be repeated.

Blog Meeting 5

The best attended blog meet-up so far. About 22 members of "The London Bloggers Meetup Group" turned up to the Camel and Artichoke near Waterloo on Tuesday night. I drank a couple of glasses of very acceptable house red, talked to complete strangers and then went home.

It was a good choice of venue, the reserved tables upstairs gave us all room to sit comfortably. The people I spoke to were all suitably sociable - but then you wouldn't go to such an event unless you were, I suppose. They do food there which I will bear in mind for a future occasion. And it was very easy to hop on a train back to Wandsworth Town when came the time to leave.

Well done Andy for organising it.

For previous incarnations of this group see: "Blog Meeting 3"

Our house is not Georgian

But not too far off. We had previously thought that "Our house may be Georgian". Subsequent research shows that it is at least 1861. It is looking unlikely that it is earlier but we (that is Mary) has not definitively ruled it out.

We have been using http://www.ancestry.co.uk/ to research family history but it is also very handy for house detective work using the census records.

We know that our house and our immediate neighbours were Myrtle Villas in the 1860's; we have a reproduction Stanford map of 1862 which shows that clearly. And there in the 1861 census are 1, 2 and 3 Myrtle Villas. Living at number 2 are:

Sarah Banister 44 [ ] Coffee House Keeper
Elizabeth Banister 40 [Sister] Coffee House Keeper
Isiah Carver 62 [Head] Land Proprieter
Julia Carver 24 [Daughter]
Ervan Williams 20 [Lodger] Chemist

Working forwards, 2 Myrtle Villas turned into 28 North Street in 1871 and then, sometime in the early 20th century, turned into Fairfield Street.

Working backwards, the 1851 census shows the adjacent terrace 1-8 North Terrace (now the site of Fairfield Drive) but the next property listed is Tonsley Hall with no Myrtle Villas.

However some of the people at 3 Myrtle Villas in 1861 turn up in the earlier 1851 census at Ebenzer Place, also in Wandsworth. It is faintly possible they renamed the houses, took the census in a different sequence and we were still there. So the final jury is still out.

Jazz on a Sunday Night (Take 2)

This Sunday it was the turn of Jan Garbarek* at the Royal Festval Hall as part of the London Jazz Festival.

We had never heard of him until a few years ago but our copy of the Rough Guide to Jazz kept falling open at that page so Mary figured we had to go buy an album. The first one we bought was the haunting and evocative Visible World. Since then we have acquired several more so when we saw that he was appearing it was a no-brainer decision to go and see him.

It was a fine concert, two hours without an interval. It was a quartet but to my untutored ears there was a definite pecking order in the band. Surprisingly Manu Katché on drums was the driving force then Jan Garbarek on sax with guitar and keyboards definitely playing second fiddle (sorry could not resist).

The FT said:

"When Jan Garbarek last toured the UK, he played in cathedrals. His music fitted: icy, architectural slabs of devotion.

At the London Jazz Festival, the Norwegian saxophonist presented a very different proposition. He had mislaid two members of his usual touring quartet. Eberhard Weber, his double-bass player, is ill, and was replaced by Yuri Daniel, a Brazilian resident of Oslo playing an electric guitar that might have been carved from teak. And the Parisian Manu Katché took the place of the percussionist Marilyn Mazur. Katché at his best is an indispensable drummer, giving a jazzy fluidity to rock records just as often as he lends a rocky energy boost to his jazz dates.

This youthful, hard-driving rhythm section was a challenge to which Garbarek rose. He could occasionally be seen slapping his thigh, which in someone so austere was as surprising as if he had stripped to the waist and gone stagediving."

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007

Full review on "FT Review".

* Wikipedia on Jan Garbarek

Jazz on a Thursday Night

We went to see Al Jarreau* at The IndigO2 with our friend AndreaA. We ate in Thai Silk beforehand and then straight in for a prompt start, no support band.

Al was performing with the NDR Big Band who opened up then Al was out with the first number. The first half of the concert was a variety of standards, the second half he did a set based around numbers from Porgy and Bess with a suitable amount of scat singing. It was a wonderful concert, we enjoyed it tremendously.

Mary had bought front row seats, literally, I was in seat A22. It is amazing to be that close to the musicians, you could see every expression and the sound quality was superb. Though not close enough for some worshippers who went to right up to the stage and were gently asked by security to move away.

Another joy of the O2 is how easy it is to get home. half a dozen stops on the Jubilee line to Waterloo, then 13 minutes to Wandsworth Town.

* Wikipedia on Al Jarreau

Jazz on a Sunday Night

down at the Park Tavern. Brother-in-law Pete plays double bass and does occasional pub gigs. Last Sunday he was playing at the Park Tavern.

Since it is only 10 minutes walk from home I hardly had any excuse for not popping along. So I left Mary relaxing after a Sunday evening roast and toddled over for a very pleasant hour and a half listening to dinner jazz and drinking a couple of pints of Young's.

The pub has a very comfortable atmosphere almost like being in your own livng room: comfy chairs. roomy, well lit, friendly bar staff and a clientele that looked agreeable.

I got talking a a group of blokes who were obviously a) old mates and b) into the music. Turns out one of them has a trulli down on the coast at Castellana Grotte: http://www.trullicasolare.com/. Small world, eh?

Sibling Dining in Soho

Saturday it was another siblings and partners dinner*. It was Jane&Pete's turn and Jane wanted to hold it in Soho so we could all see the finished flat (those of us who had not already). The flat is too small and not equipped for supper for six so we met at the flat, inspected and then went off to Le Deuxieme for a very enjoyable meal.

I was down in Farnham last Wednesday doing some family tree stuff with Mum when Dad remarked how much it pleased him that we siblings not only got on well but also enough to want to get together socially. And it's true we do.

* Previously: Sibling Dining, Akira's Cousin, Family Dining, I'm Up on the Eleventh Floor, Family Dining 2, Siblings in Puglia.

The Chateau Climens Dinner

Another BBR extravagant wine dinner. Hosted by Oliver East, Bordeaux Buyer, Guest Speaker Bérénice Lurton, Owner.

Before we arrived we were thinking, like others, "Are they really going to serve a dessert wine with every course?" The answer was "Yes" and "Don't call it a dessert wine", says Bérénice, "it is a sweet wine".

Berrys' UKC Blanc de Blancs, Grand Cru, Le Mesnil

 

2004 Cypres de Ch. Climens, Barsac

Lobster bisque - with lobster beignets & chervil oil

2004 Ch. Climens, 1 er Grand Cm Classe, Barsac

Ballotine of foie gras with Sauternes caviar jelly & crisp bread

2000 Ch. Climens, 1 er Grand Cm Classe, Barsac
1996 Ch. Climens, 1 er Grand Cm Classe, Barsac

Gallotine of quail in pistachio & truffle mousse & sauce Marsala

1990 Ch. Climens, 1 er Grand Cm Classe, Barsac

Roquefort

1977 Ch. Climens, 1 er Grand Cm Classe, Barsac

Vanilla mille feuille with caramelised pear

Berrvs' selected coffee and chocolates

 

The 2004 Cypres, their second wine, was warm, light and fruity with a hint of mushroom on the nose. An interesting contrast to the Climens '04 which was darker and heavier and sharper showing the acid that would help it age.

The 2000 was fresh and light and very enjoyable. Not so the '96 which was distinctly musty on the nose with hint of white spirit and not as sharp as the '00. Others thought so too and they changed the bottle and brought us fresh glasses. The '90 was excellent with a "brisk" flavour and a lovely golden colour.

The '77 again had a hint of mustiness, not so much "noble rot" as plain rot, a disappointing final wine. I don't think this dinner showed the Chateau to best advantage.

Some years back we bought a half case of the 1990 and are down to our last bottle with nary a duff bottle so this will not put us off the chateau - just be more careful in our choice of vintage.

Italian Themed Dinner Party

Our thanks to Mino and Zia at the Truddhi cookery school for teaching us what we needed to give a most successful dinner party on Saturday. The plan had always been to host a evening based on what we learned there. So on Saturday we persuaded usual suspects Bob&Lynn and John&Andrea to be our guinea pigs - not that they took too much persuading :-)

Antipasta mista con focaccia

We bought a variety of meats in the local market* sliced using our deli-style meat slicer bought following an earlier trip. The focaccia worked much better than an earlier trial bake though whether it was the yeast, the time to rise or the ambient temprature we are still working on.

Orecchiette con cime de rape

Home made from flour and water, every ear individually hand rolled; time consuming or what! The recipe was pretty much the one Mino demonstrated on Rick Stein's programme and was a great success.

Coniglio ripieno al forno

We bought the rabbit from Randalls Butchers in Wandsworth Bridge Road and Mary very patiently filleted it. She stuffed it with a mixture of fried giblets, breadcrumbs and egg** then tied it with string into two neat parcels. Baked with potatoes and lashing of olive oil.

Torta limone con lamponi

I was pastry chef and made a tart filled with lemon flavoured Confectioner's custard (creme patissiere) set wih gelatine and decorated with rasberries.

And of course plenty of wine. Even though I say it myself the evening went very well. Mind you with the right company that is pretty much guaranteed. A bonus was that most of the preparation was done in advance; the absence of last minute cooking meant we too could relax and enjoy.

* Origin within the EU for personal consumption so legal! [1] [2] [3]
** [11-Nov-07] Mary has asked me to add that the stuffing also included parmigiano, pecorino, parsley and garlic.

Street Life (2 BE or NOT 2B)

That is the question. Shall we take the Bentley or the Aston Martin?



Sunday we went for a walk, the six of us plus two children, to walk off Saturday's DP (more on that later). Our route took us along the Thames path as far as Putney bridge then back along the north side to Battersea bridge. On the way we passed this pair of cars parked outside a "des res" in Chelsea.

One may envy his wealth but you have to grant that the man has a sense of humour.

Fourteenth Wedding Anniversary

If you are looking for an Italian restaurant in Wandsworth I can thoroughly recommend Ti Amo.

It had previously been an Italian restaurant called Al Ponte which had been good. We used it as the venue for Mary's 50th birthday celebration. Then it closed down for a while and has recently re-opened under new management as Ti Amo.

This week we had our fourteenth wedding anniversary and thought we would give it a try; see how the new owners were doing. I would say it was even better than before. The pastas were all fresh and mostly made on the premises as were the desserts. For me it is one of the tests of a good restaurant; I like to ask, "which do you make and which do you buy in".

We enjoyed it, rated it highly and will certainly be going back. Mary's review on www.toptable.co.uk:

"Oct 30th 2007 MG - gastronaut Overall rating: 8

Food 9 | Service 9 | Ambience 7 | Value 8 | Toilets 8 | Recommended 9

There has been a restaurant in this location for some time but Ti Amo is the best yet by far. Good choice of interesting dishes on the menu, representing a variety of well-known and more unusual italian dishes. Everything was very well-presented with excellent quality and flavours. Service was friendly and attentive. Wine list is shortish but with interesting choices and a good selection of wines by the glass. Location, looking out onto the river, is great."

We marked it down a little on ambience but that was only because it was a quiet Tuesday night with only one other table occupied. A busy weekend night might well have more buzz.

Ti Amo, 3 Dolphin house, Smugglers Way, Wandsworth, London, SW18 1EG