Friday, Saturday and Sunday - A very big blog

Yes, I know - He's off the internet for a few days and then we get a torrent. It's been a big weekend starting from Friday.

Sue has a twin brother and sister. It was their birthdays on Friday. We were invited for a drink to my 67 year young brother in-law's home. At 8.00 pm it was still reasonably light. I wandered out into their garden to discover the most amazing growth of green and colour. Their garden has no real structure (to me) but comes together as a bit of a wonderland. Everchanging with the seasons.

I don't know what this plant is but if we are lucky, they might leave a comment.

Their garden is occasionally decorated with the odd piece of whimsy.



For whom the bell tolls.



Down the side of their house a natural micro climate offers a perfect spot for these ferns.

Saturday came and I was out the door to my first track (that's cycle on the Velodrome) session in 4 months since my little back injury. I was elated to be back but exhausted at the end of 3 hours of intensive training. Then it was back home to go shopping with Sue to buy ingredients for the nights dinner - now I have to say that shopping is not my favourite past time but eating is. Sue had a special 3 course meal in mind but it was reduced back to only two. Maybe the main course will be for Sunday night.



King prawns for dinner before cooking.



I just quickly popped them into salted boiling water for a minute or two. All they needed was a squeeze of lemon and some mayo and sweet chilli sauce for dipping. Can't get better than that!

They were very yummy - and filling so the main course was reserved for Sunday's night dinner.



Cacky looking photo, but tasted really good. Leon was still hungry after the prawns, so I made a quick caramel sauce with brown sugar, butter and a little cream, and warmed some mango and strawberries in it and slathered it over a couple of fluffy, American style pancakes.


After dinner we sat down to watch the Kevin Costner movie "Field of Dreams""
Build it and he will come..
How I love sports movies, they always bring a tear to my eye.



And I also had time to mow the lawns - well it's not a huge job as you can see!

 A sunday ride and coffee with the boys and girls saw me back home to go shopping - Oh no, not again. Yes but this time for weather boards to be replace the rotting ones at the back of the house. Job done when Sue said, "time to make pasta."


We had rotting weather boards.
 Strangely it's not our 80 year old boards but our 20 year old ones needing replacing this weekend.
I hear the haunting voice saying, they dont build them as the used to. How true.



The beetroots



Beetroot and goat's cheese entree



Sue started me off on the pasta making but then I took over.
I think this could be my future role in kitchen life.



Ït was so much Yummmmmm!
Salmon and pasta.

 I have to say that Leon did a great job with the pasta. He's helped me once before, but he pretty much did it all this time. I made a sauce to go with it. Reduced some white wine with shallots, added some chicken stock, then pesto and a touch of cream, then lightly poached same salmon in it. Yummo.
Back to the salads during the week after all that cream this weekend though!

Ánd that was our weekend - and yours???

Really looking forward to sharing our second trip to France with you next Wednesday.