Last Day

so, on the last day we went for a walk on the beach, braving the rocks that were slippery with algi. it was freezing, but beautiful none the less.

White Christmas

Well, it was close enough anyway. It felt cold enough to be a white christmas. There was a majore treffic jam on the island (quite rare, you see), as everyone tried to get to the morning mass for christmas. it was adorable though, the sense of community was lovely =)

:)

managed to get a photo of all three of us, lovely.

oh, charming

the island is covered in these little old deserted houses. tiny, aren't they - can you imagine a whole family living there? anyway, after my walk along the beach i ventured into this one. i would have loved to take some more photos but i got a call from grandad wondering where i was, because he was ready to leave. on my way out i spotted a condom wrapper on the floor. charming, isn't it? i guess the old house still gets used a little after all - for some tasks, anyway.

she sells sea shells by the sea shore

grandad had something sad to attend to today - a wake. i did not know the man so i politely excused myself for the half hour and took some photos by the beach. it wasn't so cold today, because the sun was out for once. it was nice, i could take off my top jacket. the beach smelled a little funny because of a ccertain level of pollution. but the scenery was nice :) i'm dying to get closer to the birds.

meanwhile, i sleep

the snow only ever falls when i'm sleeping. and even then, enough only to barely cover the grass. meanwhile, i can see it absolutely blanketing the mountains just across the water. it's sad, really. i can see, but i cannot touch! the animals are grateful, i think. they are forbidden from entering the house and therefore thrive on the sun that is here for such a short time each day. that's why i shower them in warm cuddles :)

firebug

grandad's friend makes candles herself, and he bought me one the other day. i like the look of it, but it's not very smelly. it's the person who makes them that i like. she has the most gorgeous personality, and she fills me full of mulled wine. she's lovely, but she's gone until new years =( i wish i could have taken a photo of her for you, she has wonderful expressions.

the link is fixed

questions, answers, confusions, and secrets

as vera has been brought to attention of also, i have noticed many of you using this. now, you can ask me questions too. tell me what you like, what you hate, and what you'd like to know. please, you'd make my day.

C. x

it's quiet here, most of the time

today i took the key out of the ignition of the car after i turned it off. apparently, i'm not supposed to do this as it is very difficult to turn the ignition once you've taken the key out. so grandad grabbed himself a cigar, and spent a while trying to fix my mistake. eventually the car started, and i'll remember from now on not to turn the key all the way back ... woops.

it feels soft under my fingers

the animals here are gorgeous. there are two cats - one as timid as an italian grey hound named toby, and the other so cuddly you can't resist an early morning ventur into the cold wind to say hello. there are two dogs, also. they're both so energetic, and the eyes of the eldest just beg you to run around with him. i manage for a minute or two, before i retire to the warmth of the house, sitting by the fireplace.

bon appetit

i've discovered my place as chef in this household and i'm loving it. good food makes life better, i really do believe. a dish with numerous flavours and no required additives of salt or pepper is my favourite. the warmth in my tummy and the aromas in the kitchen make me relax, and i love to watch the faces of those around me when they take the first bite. it's cute and flattering to see. i thank god i'm not a horrible cook - i wouldn't be able to survive with bland food on the table. last night's dinner was quiche with tomato, fried onion, and corn (and ham for grandad and joe). it took forever to cook through, but in the end it was worth it. grandad even helped out, and grated the cheese. his face was one of shock when i told him we needed amost two whole cups to complete the recipe. i think he regretted volunteering for that particular job ^^

heart full of wine

so, i'm in ireland now. i have a bit of jetlag, i suspect. i went to bed at about 8.00pm last night, and woke up at 4.30 this morning. i was stuck for something to do. so i got up and made some tea and retreated to my bedroom for some reading. i got bored of this, so i got up and made some scones - much to grandad's delight. unfortunately for me, he had no self raising flour, so i had to make my own by combining bi-carb soda and plain flour. i do believe i added a little too much bicarb as i can taste it in the scones, it's revolting. grandad swears though that he can't taste it. i'm inclined to believe him because he did come back for seconds and thirds. i served them with the blackberry jam that grandad makes. i think it's my most favourite jam ever. i'm wondering if i can smuggle it back into australia without getting introuble from quaranteen. do i try it?? i aslo served them with cream, which, to my disappointment, turned out not to be whipped cream, but whipping cream. so yes, i then hand whipped the cream with a fork. impressive, no?

i do apologise for the quality of the photos. and i also realise i should probably concentrate on photographing the people i lvoe and not the food i love, so i will be sure to do that next time :)