Love being cheesy

I like cheese. I know cheese is not entirely good for me but I cannot resist a nibble when I am offered a piece. If I have to pick my favourite it would be the Italian dolcelatte. But then again I love a good strong Cheddar and sometimes I even go for the red Leicester. Oh yes I shouldn’t forget Stilton! There’s brie and camembert, nice and gooey. How about ricotta with strawberry jam? Absolute heaven. Pizza will never be the same without mozzarella and most pasta dishes need parmigiano. Quite difficult isn’t it?
I am currently testing this new product I discovered in Waitrose. It is cheese curd from Devon and it does have a luxurious taste. It is a cross between Philadelphia cheese and cottage cheese. In fact I think it would good for cheese cake because it has a nice consistency. Cheese goes so well with fruits like apple, grapes or jams. I like it to accompany fruit cake and pickles also not together!
Maybe it’s that time of day when my mind start focussing on food. Now let me see what I have in my lunch box…a small knob of red Leicester, banana, one crisp apple and noodles.

Hope in spring

It was an interesting weekend, that is if you like hearing news about an aborted coup in the Philippines. We had a chilly cold snap complete with snow showers and gale force winds but on Saturday the sun was out in force. It was still freezing when you’re out though.
I was really surprised about the Philippine President declaring a state of emergency. Crikey, it is bad enough that the country is in such a state but to compound it with something akin to a Police state is dicing with danger. I remembered I used to be politically active in Manila but now I just wish the whole country settles down and work towards a better future.
In a couple of weeks the spring term will be over. I can’t wait for the Easter break. It’s that time of year when hubby and I start clearing the garden. I can almost see the plants wake from their deep winter slumber. There are buds everywhere. It just goes to show that no matter how hard the winter nature survives. Spring gives me hope that I too will survive whatever life dishes out to me.

House guests

My friend Lenna and her son CJ came for a visit over the weekend. I last saw Lenna about 27 years ago but when I saw her at Axminster station I instantly recognised her. She brought me a lot of Filipino goodies that she bought in Croydon. Her overnight suitcase was packed and she also had two other plastic bags filled with stuff that I can use for cooking. I was so pleased! I then proceeded to cook chicken adobo and pinakbet. They loved it--and so did I!
Yesterday we all went to Bridport and Lyme Regis. It was fun. Last night we ate at the Hare and Hounds. Lenna and I also had a bit of girlie time together. She dyed my hair (Nutrisse Macademia)just to give it a bit of colour and reshaped my eyebrows. Lenna was so good with make up I felt like a real country bumpkin! ha ha!
Anyway, they left midday today but I am sure this is the start of a lovely friendship. It is nice to know that you can restart friendships in later years.

Matters of the heart

Valentine’s Day eh? Today is meant to focus on matters of the heart. But what is love? It is a very personal thing to even attempt to describe but I’ll take a stab at it.
For me love should have a choice. One should be able to walk away from a relationship at any time but yet chooses to be in it. That for me is love.
I read the other day that people who are “in love” are actually experiencing a chemical psychosis. I tend to agree with that. Infatuation is such a sick feeling and I mean sick. I remembered that I felt awful when the object of my infatuation didn’t reciprocate my feelings. One could be in such a terrible state.
I once was infatuated with my University professor. I was 21 and he was in his mid 30s, smart and confident. He also started greying on his temples and that just made him more desirable to me. Anyway, one Christmas we had our annual kris kringle and I begged and cajoled the person who was in charge of distributing the names to give me his so I can shower him with little presents. She relented and I spent two weeks bombarding him with childish presents--a bar of soap, candies, etc. I think he didn’t take kindly to the soap. He said looking bemusedly at the bar of soap, “is she trying to say something to me?” I didn’t have any idea what men liked or didn’t like. Of course he didn’t know I was the culprit so when he made that comment I wished the ground would open up and swallow me alive! After the Kris Kringle he offered to take me out to lunch as a treat. I was excited beyond words. In fact I didn’t know what to say or do. I remembered sitting in his car very conscious of the fact that he was so sophisticated and I was simply naïve. He vigilantly made conversation while I was simply speechless. I was totally infatuated with the man and there was nothing I could possibly do about it. During that crazy time my boyfriend was relegated to the sidelines as I found him too childish--haha! He didn’t have a chance! I would always remember that part of my university life as a time of unrequited feelings and inadequacy. I am so glad my professor handled the situation with such aplomb. He didn’t encourage me nor did he insult me in any way. If ever I see him again I would thank him for not laughing at me.

Getting ready for spring

Yesterday was Hubby’s birthday. He turned 61. We celebrated his birthday with his parents on Saturday. We had dinner in the golf club and I must say it was quite delicious. Hubby always orders half a roast duck. You need to order it 24 hours before. Fortunately, the other half was still available so I had it as well. I usually have lamb chops when I eat there. One thing they do very well in the club is vegetables. They serve us stacks and stacks of freshly cooked vegetables—broad beans, peas, broccoli, cauliflower cheese, roast potatoes, boiled new potatoes, herby potatoes, roast parsnips, carrots and cabbage. All this is accompanied with delicious gravy. It is a very English meal. We all enjoyed our meals and for dessert I halved with my father in law with a lemon sponge pudding with custard. I felt I was going to burst after the dinner!
Yesterday Hubby and I did some DIY (do-it yourself). I helped him install a small gate in our back garden to prevent Sam from wandering up there unsupervised. It was a really dinky picket fence gate complete with authentic latch. After he installed it we decided to paint it as well to preserve the wood. It looks really grand. I will take a photo of it. The beauty about it is it did not cost us a lot of money—only £10-12. We installed a lot of security measures to ensure Sam’s safety and our peace of mind. When we first moved in Hubby and I nailed in several metres of chicken wire on the back fence. Being in the country, the fences aren’t ones you find in the towns. These were proper cattle fence—Sam could easily go through the gaps. Not good because we back onto open fields and farmers do not like stray dogs hassling their cows or sheep. Besides I cannot bear the thought of losing Sam! It was so funny though because yesterday he was awake the whole day gallivanting around the no-go areas while we were busy installing the gate. Then we went to my in laws because Hubby had to fix their kitchen table. Hubby does all the DIY in his parents’ house. Sam went with us. Then when we got back home Hubby took him for walkies. When they came back I gave him a bath. After his bath he was running around the house as per usual. Then around 6.00pm he sat on my lap and promptly went to sleep. You could tell he was pooped because he was sleeping in an awkward position. Hubby and I had dinner shortly and Sam stayed in my chair in the sitting room absolutely knackered. He didn’t even look up when Hubby came in the room. He is really hilarious that way, just like a child.
I also did a bit of gardening yesterday morning with Sam scurrying around while I removed dead foliage from the flowerbed. It was cold but bearable. However, I think being outside the whole day is not really a good thing because you get quite cold without knowing it. I had to take a hot shower after painting the gate just to warm me up. I didn’t want to catch cold!

Little surprises

I normally do not like surprises especially bad ones. I like routine and I like being prepared for almost any eventuality. I think it is part of my survival instinct. Take for instance my handbag. I have a pouch that contains all medical necessities—paracetamol, ibuprofen, cold and flu tablets, dental floss, toothpicks (unused of course), sinutab, a small tin of Vaseline, chewing gum, breath freshener, a small packet of tissues, antihistamine and some plasters. I also have a small first aid kit and a small sewing kit complete with mini scissors. I have a small Swiss army knife, a small measuring tape and small screwdriver. I won’t get into the other bits like make up, a comb, a small purse and my main wallet. Oh let’s not forget my mobile phone and two sets of keys for work. My handbag needs to be able to carry these things.
I don’t know why I had to write the contents of my handbag because all I wanted to say is I’ve been invited to the Vice Chancellor’s residence for dinner at the University of Exeter. The Vice Chancellor wanted to thank the Guild management for a job well done. I was really chuffed!!! This is a very important invite as far as anyone is concerned in the University and I am looking forward to it. Now I need to figure out what to wear. I guess that’s part of the fun—shopping for evening wear!
I have also finished doing the assessments on my staff and they all signed up to it. I also received a very good one myself so things are looking up!
Yesterday was a very cold day. Everyone told me how cold it was. The funny thing was I just thought it was cold but not freezing. My teeth didn’t chatter or anything like that. In fact I was wearing one of my summer skirts and knee length boots and I didn’t feel too cold. People were quite surprised. My mother in law said it’s amazing how I’ve adapted to the climate here in England. Maybe I just expected it to be cold all of the time and not wishing it to be like in the tropics. However, I hardly ever complain of the weather – unless it gets too hot!
The good news is I’ve seen lots of bulbs growing out of the frozen ground. It is exciting to know what flowering bulbs we have in our new garden. Yes pretty soon it will be sping. This morning I watched the birds outside my kitchen window. Hubby is trying to establish a bird “eat all you can” habitat in the back garden. In fact we just came from the country store to buy more seeds and nuts. We also bought a really nifty bird stand that enables us to hang more than one feeder at the same time. I just love watching the dear creatures flit in and out our garden. We’re big bird fans. We have binoculars on the kitchen ledge so we can easily observe the birds when they feed. Great help for someone like me. This is the life.