Soop's comfortable, cosy, friendly kitchen...

It was a bit of a military culture shock for us too. The HQ was vast, and everything was run by the Americans (another culture shock!).

GD, We did know a few restaurants in the area I lived in (near Place Madou), all of them very good. Colleagues who had been “expelled” from Paris did find it hard to settle in Brussels, but I arrived there not long after they’d all had to relocate, so didn’t have to make adjustments. Just a few linguistic quirks, like septant and nonant for 70 and 90, took a while to understand. Happy days on the whole!

Bella I don’t recall a Spanish restaurant, but we liked a couple of places. One somewhere off the Grande Place that I recall did lovely braised ox tail, or cassoulet and lamb cutlets; and a cafe up by St Waltrude’s that did fabulous omelettes - the best I have ever eaten. We are talking forty odd years ago and all will probably be gone now. Mons seemed to have a slightly faded air about it then, but we liked it. Moving the headquarters there from France was, I think, intended to bring some kudos to the area. You certainly noticed the difference when you moved from the Borinage to the Flemish speaking part of Belgium.

JaneD3 Very well done. You deserve to potter in the garden. I hope that your day is filled with sunshine.

Panache I am enthralled with my son's adventurous spirit. Every day there is something new to wonder at.

A gardener friend believes that the spectacular plant I'm chuffed to have growing in our garden, is Burdock. I swear that it has grown even taller since yesterday afternoon. It's well over 5' 3"

Maw It's perfectly natural that you have moments when you weep for the loss of your dear husband. Your family must be a great comfort to you. I'm pleased that you are sharing new experiences with them. Happy memories. Thank you for the treats.

If you lived in or near Mons, Greydyster did you ever go to a Spanish restaurant (I think there was only one in Mons)? It was run by a Spanish lady who produced the most memorable paella. Just an unpretentious place, but such great food.
Maw the champagne start to the day sounds good. Something to add to an ever-growing bucket list.
panache I’m sure we must all long for those days of yore but at least we have the memories! I remember thinking it was important to get holiday insurance just in case I lost anything! Nowadays I have to go through a lengthy medical screening and OH would be refused insurance, so I’m looking forward to filling in the gaps at home (and a possible solo visit to Brussels!)

As always pleased to delight Bellanonna and yes indeed “those were the days” when we spent caravanning the entire summer with our feet almost in the nearby sea!!
Days of yore....... when much younger,without all health issues and worries were fewer.
However still counting our blessings in being able to return and reminisce.So much to be grateful for.

Sorry to report your nightmarish road from Broad into Little Haven has not changed all that much Greyduster..........just that one corner,so of course all the narrowness and twisting bends remain to cause many more headaches.

Felt your sorrow as you spoke of a lovely little break Maw but missing that certain dear one whom accompanied you on previous trips..........bitter sweet indeed.However all too true memories are ultra precious and nothing,just nothing can take them away.
Perhaps a little more champers on your next trip eh?

Panache does that mean that they have taken the opportunity to widen Settlands Hill? Driving up and down it used to given me kerniptions! A lorry got stuck on the bend coming into the village once when we were there, and despite all gathered (who were mostly wanting to use the road he was blocking) doing all we could to help, there was nothing anyone could do. He had not noted the sign on the hill saying ‘no lorries’ and didn’t know what he was driving into! The poor man had only been in the job three weeks and was terrified he was going to lose it for damaging his lorry. We went out on the St Brides road and by the time we got back he had been rescued, but left some crumbling brickwork behind him.
Maw I’m glad you enjoyed your Brussels weekend, bitter sweet though some of it must have been. We lived near Brussels for three years when DH was serving at SHAPE, and we went to Brussels often with visitors. We were standing with friends outside the palace gates one day - only us there - when all the traffic stopped, motorcycle police blocked the road, trumpets and drums were heard in the distance and the king appeared in his limousine, accompanied by a large troop of cavalry and their band. He gave us a wave as he swept through the gates! We were thrilled. Had he been a few minutes later and we would have moved on and missed the spectacle! We spent three happy years in Belgium - DD was born there.
I am being glared at for not getting a move on! I will look in later.

May I recommend the Eurostar then Bellanona?
Particularly when fortified by a bottle of champagne at St Pancras first and a second bottle - both English champagnes too, I’m surprised they let us over the French border at all - plus deli “picnic” on the train!
The “holiday” started there

Greyduster I am easily pleased- cold pork with chips for me please, heaven.

Correction - reminiscences

Your reminisces sound lovely, Panache. How I’d love to live beside a beach as you did in your caravan for most of the summer. As I said before, I love that area. Glad you enjoyed your excursion yesterday, even though you couldn’t get to Little Haven.
Maw, you brought back happy memories too of my life in Brussels when I worked there (pre EU). I want to go back and see the Grand Place again, and the various little corners I got to know well. Glad you had a lovely break with your daughters.

I had a wonderful weekend with the DDs but had a reality check as they were buying chocolate for their husbands, Tintin books and a space rocket (Tintin’s “Objectif Lune”) for the children, realising that I had no one to bring something back to - they were all with me.
Had a few weeps that I couldn’t share it with Paw , not even tell him about it. He’d have been amused at the different “priorities” - the Musée Magritte, the upmarket restaurant on the Grand Place and the Flea Market yesterday morning!
My French came in useful though and I had an interesting chat with yesterday’s taxi driver about Trump, the EU “and everything”.
Some Belgian chocolate on the side for you including a “Mannequin Pis” to be suitably covered is MacSporran pops in or ?the meenister!

Here we go, here we go,another new week begins!!!

Good morning kitchen folk all,hope your day will be bright and cheerful......

With no further water hitches in your area soop
Only when we hit these snags do we realise the full value of our water on tap.
As for the hair rising adventures of your son and pal in Spain,it overwhelms me...........how the younger ones enjoy dicing with these danger sports.
Are you sitting at home proud as punch.............or secretly biting your nails and in silent prayer that they come through unscathed???

I do not intend saying sorry for mentioning my lovely corner of Wales Greyduster,in fact I urge you to start booking!

We actually lived in Little Haven and prior to that treat we had a caravans in Broad Haven.In fact it was soon after we got married and we bought a small tourer on a whim..........as you do!!!......with the summer turning ace, we parked it all summer there in Broad Haven and simply loved it so much, we then went ahead and bought one of the large static ones........ which we, together with our corgi Scampi, enjoyed from every easter time until the first winds in September... which would have us scuttling back to our bungalow inland, where hot water on tap,a bath and C.heating was a joy for the winter months.

We really loved our almost romany life!!

Yesterday the Broad Haven expanse of sea glistened under beautiful sunshine,there were a great few people hovering around,very many with sun tanned bodies,all stretching out the entire length of the beach.
With the tide coming in we were unable to enjoy a stroll around Settlands to Little Haven.Instead we sat on a seat,overlooking the St Bride`s Bay view, watching the swimmers as they practised for next week`s coastal triathlon,very impressive it was too.

Actually there was a great cliff slide at Settlands during one of our harsher winters, which closed the narrow connecting road,now it has all been repaired and the road moved back quite an amount.

Little Haven too has had much sea defence work carried out as sadly,it is the one of several of our beauty spots in danger of the encroaching sea.

We actually lived half way back up the hill, with a commanding view down over the Village and out over St Brides Bay.................however we knew all about the weather during our winters living there!

We “rocked” and yes,we “rolled!!”

Back home we felt “in the mood” to attack Blankword,a form of crossword, and once again ,eventually we mastered it and could sleep happy!!!

Mission painting more or less completed then JaneD3 ,well done to you,but I heartily agree, give me too jobs to carry out in the garden in preference to work indoors any day.
At Christmas we offloaded hundreds of magazines such as “Beautiful Homes,”Ideal Homes” etc in preparation for the move that never happened..........once the public knew they were for the taking we got shot of the lot in record quick time!!
However when you say Books it could be valuable ones that clad a library, so apart from offering same to a school,or a few to Surgeries etc.........surely advertising might be best??
Better still dust `em down and return them from whence they came!!

The lovely spell of summer weather continues and I think the outside beckons.............and some.
Another laurel hedge to be trimmed so that will keep the other member of our family busy!!!

Enjoy your Mondays fellow Kitcheners.I suppose I shall sneak back later!!!

Well I have finished the dining room ! ( if you ignore the bits of glossing where I had to undercoat). Now all I have to do is put back the contents of the kitchen, dining room and biggest bedroom. We took 400 books out of the dining room - offers anyone?! It is such a relief to have an end in sight - I would much rather potter in the garden!

NonnaW Enjoy your holiday. The woofters will soon settle and they'll be ecstatic when you return.

anno Personally, I would have liked a more equal match. Also, as much as I am smitten with Raffa, I so wish that he would tone down the grunts. Never the less, his opponent played well and shows great promise. You won't believe this BUT the local shop had just about every ice cream in stock with the exception of Magnum dark choc. We had to do without. Bah! Humbug!

Nanna Poor, dear, Grandpy. Tell him that I'm hoping he recovers in good time.

Greyduster Personally, I prefer the natural look. I bet you that she was thinking - how does she do it. We are all guilty of not appreciating ourselves. Such a shame.

I've been marvelling at the latest adventure of my son and his mate who are now paragliding and hiking/camping in Spain. They had to hitch hike from their base in the Pyrenees, as the conditions were truly dire. All bog and low cloud. They are having the best time ever soaring like eagles and camping in a wild flower meadow.

Take good care of yourselves. I hope that you enjoy a pleasant and peaceful Sunday evening.

A glass of G&T beckons. It would be churlish to ignore it.

Hello the kitchen!
N&G contrary to expectation, I won the argument not to go to the football. I could have done with a couple of your custard tarts this morning to get me going!
Soop glad to see that normal service is resumed with your water supply! I’m afraid tennis is not my thing, but I hope all you fans out there enjoy it.
Have a good holiday NonnaW!
We have just come back from a walk -just a short one down the valley and back. Gosh it was hot, and the flies were an awful nuisance. As soon as you start to sweat (oh forgive me! ‘Horses sweat, gentlemen perspire, but ladies only glow!’) they are all over you like, well, flies!! They kept settling on my arms until I put a smear of Germoline down each one and that seemed to keep them off! There is a hay meadow at the bottom of the valley and it’s usually alive with butterflies at this time of year, but oddly, today, we only saw a handful all the way round and they were mostly whites. I think Chris Packham was worrying about the lack of butterflies this year. Well, so am I now. They have been absent from the garden too. We stopped in at the pub for a well earned drink and I met a girl I used to work with years ago. Couldn’t believe how little she had changed. We had a good chat. Why do you always meet people when you look as if you’ve just come off the set of the African Queen, and not when you are looking clean and tidy? Yes I do sometimes!
Well, duty calls. I have to go and do something imaginative with yesterday’s left over roast pork !

Anno I KNEW I had read somewhere of the rejuvenative effects of custards tarts :-)

Grampy may not make it - not from the man flu but from the incessant whining !! I am so not cut out to be Florence Nightingale !!

Have you tried eating locally produced honey for your hay fever ? I have read that it can help desensitise you to those tricky pollens?

Enjoy your holiday *Nonna !! Purdey will have forgotten you as soon as you left and is enjoying a high old time on her hols I am sure !!

I've joined you soop in watching the tennis. I know you have a predilection for Rafa but I like the look and the style of his opponent and hope the match won't be too one-sided. I hope you have a sneaky supply of Magnums, soop. I have invested in the Aldi equivalent. Disgraceful self-indulgence!
Ann, it's good to hear that your DH has settled in the care home. You must be very reassured.
N&G, jet lag can get to you just when you think you're over it, but Custard tarts are a well-known remedy for that condition. Hope Grampy gets over the manflu soon - a toddy will do the trick.
It's a hot afternoon again but I am keeping my head down because I start wheezing and sneezing as soon as I put it out the door. The foliage on the trees is beginning to have that slightly worn look that they usually acquire in late July!

Just dropped the dogs off at kennels in readiness for our early departure tomorrow to Majorca. Most unusually, Purdey didn’t want to get out of the car (she usually jumps out as she loves the guy who runs the kennels), in fact she jumped back in! A bit unsettling as we tend to feel bad enough at leaving them both for any length of time. Still, I’m sure they will be fine.

Good wishes and for all the poorly and incapacitated folks out there - look after yourselves.

Not sure if I will even manage much lurking for a week as I don’t know what sort of internet acces we will have at the hotel. There may be much to catch up on!

I've completed an ironing session for my pal. I'm home, where I belong. The water holding tank was repaired and our supply is back on track. The sun is shining brightly. A pot of coffee is waiting and, a little later, there is the final tennis match at the French Open to look forward to. I shall be rooting for Raffa.

ann60 Having read your latest post, I'm wearing a smile. Such cheerful news deserves a celebratory . I may raise a glass to you later today.

Panache I had the record - 'Silence is Golden' - a great favourite of mine.

Morning all,

You sound relaxed Ann , its a pleasure to hear.

Its bright but overcast here Panache but it matters not as Grampy has......man flu !!! He has retired to his bed so Sam and I will share a quiet lunch in the garden room without him and then I foresee an afternoon jet lag snooze in my near future, before tackling the dreaded PiP paperwork!! Enjoy your walk !!

Good luck with the excuses grey .... you know you're going don't you??

Charlie I hope you are feeling more than peckish today. How is the pain ? Is it manageable yet? Do you have a follow up apt etc?

Hope both Harri and mcem are feeling a little better.

I had to go to Tesco's to fine the 'cure' for Grampys cold and treated myself to a custard tart whilst I was there . Still not a patch on my Mums ( which I have never managed to replicate!!) but I am happy to share !!!

Happy days all !

We spent many happy holidays at Little Haven, Panache, walking round to Broadhaven North at low tide via The Settlands, but as you say it gets very busy in the season. I also like Broadhaven South and Bosherston lily ponds. C’mon, now, don’t start me off, you naughty girl!
We are supposed to be going to watch GS’s end of season Lads and Dads match today, but I am feverishly trying to think of an excuse not to go! I want to be lazy today, apart from putting a few plants in the front border. I haven’t even managed to get out of bed yet!
I will look in later.

Top o the morning Kitcheners...............a sunshine greeting from our coast here in Wales.
The “Plume” of better weather arrived lunchtime yesterday and oh! boy........yes it was hot

One laurel hedge trimmed so the gardener is happy!!!

Ann60 it really is great news ......and surely music to your ears hearing your dear H is actually enjoying his respite care ........that then in turn, leaves you to do much the same, and if a glass or two helps ......glug!! glug!! I say

Greyduster time indeed to enjoy your establishment too when all around you is nice and still.Not often do we really have those silences that are golden................if you remember the song,it was just one of those sentences that simply tumbled out!!!

CharleyG..........come on now, play fair with your tum............and with a lot of shopping freshly brought there are no excuses, so I too shall start nagging....................and that is never a good sign!

Harri.... sincerely hoping you rested well and are making good progress, but remembering to take things nice and slowly........no dancing allowed just yet!!
Home and your own bed are a million times better than stuck there in a Hospital ward........with all those infections.

Soop... I shall leave your kitchen in the same good shape that I found it in.

I think I have elevated my parts more than enough for to allow me a nice break today,I fancy a nice walk down at the seaside.........so I favour Broad Haven on the West coast,( you will know where I am G.D)although I know it will be the battle of the crowds!

So have yourselves a restful Sunday,I shall probably return to check you all out!!

Sounds positive ann, sleep well.

I thought it was a new brand of Irish whiskey, Ann! If it is, pour one for me! Glad you are relaxing and that your DH is quite settled in his temporary surroundings. That must be a weight off your mind. ?