Gourmet Lunch...

Yee Ha - we woke today and the sun was shining, it was windy and it was cool but it was bright and so although we wouldn't be having our barbeque we could have our visitors here and they could enjoy the garden as much as they wanted.  Everything was ready - we were going to have sesame coated halloumi served on an orange and carrot salad served with a little jug of sweet chili sauce.  This was going to be followed by slow cooked breast of chicken in a sour cherry sauce served on a bed of creamed carrot and leek with a hassleback roasted potato and then for pud a deconstructed poached pear and ginger crumble with home made dulce latte ice cream.

For a while it was touch and go as to whether our visitors would make it as mum had an encounter with her dishwasher and came off worse and then had to make an unexpected visit to casualty but was treated quickly and so plans remained intact which was good news.

My godmother Janet is an absolute treasure.  In her world everything is wonderful - she sees the good in everyone and everything which is fabulous but she has an uncanny knack of getting her words muddled up so today she was telling us about an occasion when they were out somewhere special and Alan was wearing a gazebo and they got picked up in a limassol, obviously she meant tuxedo and limousine!!  We all had a good old laugh at that and to be fair she had a good old laugh at herself too.

She also has a brilliant knack of not believing things you tell her so later in the afternoon we were discussing the butcher's wife who committed suicide on the railway line near Keinton and she kept saying it wasn't the butchers wife even though three of us kept telling her it was - it took ages for her to admit we were right and you can see her knitting her brow and questioning whether she is, in fact, right after all and it we three others that are in the wrong!!

It has been a few years since they were last here at Villa 10b and it will have changed in that time as we try and do bits to it all the time to improve it and keep it up to date.  It is nice to see your home through the eyes of others and as Alan worked for a building firm all his working life his opinion is really valued.

Undoubtedly one of the best bits of money we spent on our home is the conservatory which joins the two buildings and which provides us with a lovely light space where we can seat eight people comfortably (unlike our other lounge area).  We are looking at different ways to try and make this space more usable in the depths of winter when it is like a freezer.  John has recently put up some curtain track and I have some thick curtains that I plan to put there which should help the heat loss through the glass.  Last year I found a pretty good 'space heater' which seems to heat the space quite well and reasonably effectively and efficiently.

Six around our dining table is snug but do-able and today I decided to plate the meals so we didn't have to make space for the various bits and pieces.  Actually I was mindful of the various appetites so hopefully didn't overface anyone and by plating could ensure that the food looked quite pretty.  God bless the creator of slow cookers because they make doing a meal like this so much easier - I have two and would be lost without them.

I shall leave with a photograph of the deconstructed poached pear and ginger crumble with woefully formed quenelles if icecream which clearly need some remedial work.  The taste however was lovely - the pears were poached in a spicy wine concoction and the crumble was infused with stem ginger.

The Paphos contingency sat chatting in the warmth of the conservatory until nearly 5.00pm - it was lovely to hear them - they have all known each other for such a very long time and don't know when they will meet again - Janet did say before she came that this would be the last time she flew but now she is here and seeing how much she has enjoyed herself I think she just might come back again.