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My husband ceremoniously whipped up and presented Hugo with an an egg-white omelette yesterday. What was that all about do you think? I mean, just how bizarre is it to make an egg-white omelette for a big black labrador? As if … Continue reading →
Monumental rainfall followed by stifling heat means mosquitos. Of course here, it doesn’t just mean common or garden mosquitos, it means huge, mutant reprobates with an agenda: namely to make me look as if I’m suffering from a very nasty … Continue reading →
We had almost as much rainfall overnight as we usually have during May and June combined. Here it doesn’t rain, but it pours; the house was surrounded by an impressive moat this morning that I don’t recall being there when … Continue reading →
by Hugo, Canine Correspondent I’ve decided that I’m a dab paw at blogging, so off I go again. I’d like a chance to set the record straight; I felt the last post was rather slanderous (I found that word in … Continue reading →
Reblogged from Dr. Malcolm Kendrick: I recognise that I spent a lot of time telling people what does not cause heart disease, and what does not protect against heart disease. My sister told me… ‘well, what advice would you give … Continue reading →
It’s starting to be tricky to escape in the car alone; Motoring is Hugo’s absolute favourite. He prefers the front seat and I have, in the past, resorted to belting him in rather than take on the chore of coaxing … Continue reading →
There is an exquisite patisserie called Pariès in Bayonne, which is the capital of the Basque country in south-western France. They recently produced a book of their recipes, which I drooled over discovered the other day. Bayonne is famous for its chocolate, … Continue reading →
There will be a full moon tonight. If you have animals anything like ours and had intended sleeping through the night, let me give you a friendly warning: it ain’t gonna happen. The horses will spend all night ‘partying’ (galloping … Continue reading →
If you ever happen to be in the ‘Landes’ forest and spot someone dressed in full body armour, brandishing a big red cape, matador-style, that’ll be me. Hugo’s 30 kilos of muscular dynamisn, a by-product of daily triathlon training, plus an … Continue reading →
I’ve arrived at the conclusion that our animals need to be brought to heel. When we were first married, someone actually suggested my husband bring me to heel (yes, really ), but don’t let’s go there today. The hens, having … Continue reading →
Reblogged from press-inside: Long before the dawn of agriculture, our ancestors spent 2.5 million years fine-tuning their metabolism and collective physiology to an opportunist’s diet that included everything from found or hunted meats and seafood to plants, insects and perhaps … Continue reading →
To follow on from this post, unfortunately our black hen died. Hens seem to be so vulnerable to attack from disease, foxes, dogs and perhaps even other hens. I imagined she was suffering from depression when maybe she was just … Continue reading →
by Hugo, Canine Correspondent In the interests of transparency (have you noticed the trendy lingo I’m picking up?), I asked to write today’s blog because I don’t think that the Bossy One is always very honest with you. The way … Continue reading →
As if a deeply neurotic dog isn’t enough to cope with, I now appear to have a depressed hen on my hands. She’s been a bit down in the beak since the arrival of the young louts and has taken … Continue reading →
There are times when only cheesecake will do and yesterday was one of those times As the only ingredients I had to hand were mascarpone, lemons and ginger (four hens and not an egg in sight, but don’t let’s go … Continue reading →
by Hugo, Canine Correspondent I’m rather down in the dumps today. I don’t usually complain about Her Bossiness but I can’t help feeling she’s a bit blasé sometimes; The young hens have turned into ruffians. Shy and retiring when they first … Continue reading →
Our last skiing weekend of the season was an unmitigated success after a slightly shaky start. I tend to be a bit bossy (as I think Hugo has mentioned), meaning that I pay a lot of attention to telling other … Continue reading →
Asparagus season is here again and with it, the Great Asparagus Stand-off; my husband likes them best lightly boiled, I am partial to roasted. Léo likes them not at all, so I’m doing a recipe for chocolate cake. This cake, … Continue reading →
Last week a courier service mistakenly delivered an envelope containing 1,580 rubber bands to our house. They were in fact destined for the UK, so they hadn’t even got the right country, which is really no recommendation when you’re an international … Continue reading →
Please bear with me because this is complicated (for you) and exhausting (for me): The young red hens must be separated from the black hen to be fed; she bullies them relentlessly, preventing them from eating. It is imperative, however, … Continue reading →
I’m sorry that I’ve taken so long to respond to all your kind nominations. A big (belated) thank you to: Live Blissful for the Liebster Award Eatbreatheyogini for the Beautiful Blogger Award Live Blissful for the Shine On Award and … Continue reading →
The aim of this ‘recipe’ is not to titillate your tastebuds, but to earn you a nights sleep (or a less irritating day ) if you’re suffering from a dry, tickly cough. I discovered this mixture after having tried what … Continue reading →
Reblogged from [ Skinny Fat. ] Skye Lee: How many times have we all visited the store and bought a celebrity endorsed product without checking the ingredients label? Surely good ol' Jamie Oliver would not whack his honesty smile and … Continue reading →
Hello it’s Salt writing today. Just so you know, I’m the prettiest of the hens. It also seems that I’m the only one to be doing any work at the moment. Pepper has been nesting for the past ten days (to … Continue reading →
The past two weeks have been taken up with various trips and visitors, namely a skiing trip to the Pyrenees, five turbulent ten-year-olds, a labrador puppy and a couple of adolescent hens. Our skiing trip was wonderful, if slightly hair-raising … Continue reading →
Hello! It’s Hugo again. Today I have a bone to pick with the cook (I use that expression at every opportunity – it’s a personal favourite ). I did say I wouldn’t be unkind about the bossy one as she … Continue reading →
Hi there, it’s Louisa here from Chez Foti and I’m guest blogging a recipe today for Fiona. We recently stumbled upon each other in the wonderful world of cyberspace and interestingly both happen to live down in deepest, darkest South … Continue reading →
Things aren’t looking good: I had a conversation with a plastic bag this afternoon. Obviously not a conversation in the strictest sense of the word — more of a mad monologue if precision is called for. My neighbour covers her … Continue reading →
Hello! It’s Hugo writing today’s recipe. I have a feeling the bossy, yellow-haired one often refers to me as the ‘neurotic canine’ or some such. She’s a fine one to talk — you should have seen the state she was … Continue reading →
I had assumed that I’d become immune to embarrassment, thanks to a long haul desensitisation programme courtesy of my husband. It just wasn’t humanly possible to blush every single time someone fell victim to his uninhibited candour (‘if I had … Continue reading →
I have been anything but a Healthy Epicurean this past week If I ever give tips on flu-dodging, please feel free to ignore – I obviously don’t know what I’m talking about. My endless witterings about optimal vitamin D levels and the like, have … Continue reading →
I’ve had a very busy week accomplishing lots of useful things: I grilled two computers (one was struck by lightning, which wasn’t really my fault; the other was struck by impatience, which was.) My credit card was chewed up because … Continue reading →
Léo, my son, played in a tennis tournament yesterday. For me, this resulted in an acute attack of what I can only describe as Internal Tourettes. In my head, I morphed into a sort of raging maniac. Believe me, it … Continue reading →
I envy mothers that disingenuously exclaim ‘I have such problems with my childrens’ eating habits: they just can’t get enough caviar/oysters/organic broccoli…’. Obviously when I say envy, I mean it in a thoroughly irascible, need-to-suppress-violent-urges sort of way. My son is … Continue reading →
My poor kitchen has undergone another hostile takeover; my husband is in the midst of his biannual jamathon. I lose the use of my kitchen in September to fig jam and in January to white watermelon jam. God forbid we … Continue reading →
This will be the last pear/chocolate recipe for a while, I promise. I appear (!) to have become slightly obsessed with this heavenly combination, but that’s still no excuse for being a bore. Talking of bores, I’ve been having wild … Continue reading →
This week it snowed everywhere in France except here; we got the torrential rain option instead. Yesterday, I donned my guise as a North Sea fisherman (waders are definitely the way forward) to take Hugo for a walk. I squelched … Continue reading →
Photo: ©The Healthy Epicurean Today I welcome Rose Marie Baker, a nutritionist who believes in a responsible lifestyle through healthier eating. When she’s not in the kitchen, you can find Rose reviewing herbs and spices online. Some of her favorites … Continue reading →
Did you know that alchohol doesn’t completely evaporate when you use it for poaching? No? Nor did I; I poached some pears in calvados yesterday morning to make this and, once they were cooked, I was tempted, Alice in Wonderland-style, … Continue reading →
If the 1980s bestseller ‘Real Men don’t Eat Quiche’ is anything to go by, you might want to refer to this as egg, leek and ham pie if you feel that might go down more easily with the men at … Continue reading →
I have been working as Builder’s Assistant, though not a very successfully it would seem. Léo, my well-adjusted ten-year-old son (I feel the need to account for his emotional health in view of the calamity that is my dog’s), has … Continue reading →
Happy New Year to everyone. It hasn’t been easy to blog recently, what with being surgically attached to the oven and all that. Christmas went swimmingly and canine meltdown was forestalled. Despite my agonising, the Great Christmas Tree Standoff was … Continue reading →
It pains me to admit that the males of our menagerie are far better behaved than their female counterparts. Obviously I’m not including myself in this. The hens spend a bigger part of the day than is ladylike pecking the … Continue reading →
Despite living a kilometre from our nearest neighbour and more from the nearest tarmac road, there are nights I hardly sleep a wink due to noise pollution. First, there are the cuckoos that I find very challenging; there’s something extremely … Continue reading →
It’s exhausting being me; in the aftermath of Bonegate, I have to mediate another potentially explosive situation. Every year the delicate decision of when to put our Christmas tree up presents itself. On the one hand I have Léo, a … Continue reading →
I never thought I would see the day that one of our animals proved too yielding; I’m used to them giving me a withering ‘WTF is your problem?’ look if ever dare to raise my voice. Even making allowance for … Continue reading →
Nobody makes a French Fry quite like my husband. Despite this, I think it’s best that he stay away from the kitchen for the time-being. It started with an absolutely exhausting explanation for the benefit of his son-in-law on Optimal Methods for … Continue reading →
Thank you to Live blissful who nominated me for the Liebster Award. These are the questions she asked me: Cookies or Cake? CAKE Dogs or Cats? DOGS Latte or Frappe? NEITHER: I ONLY LIKE BLACK Beach holiday or Sight seeing … Continue reading →
Our hens are in exile; they have been forced from their homeland by an overabundance of horses. Four was fine, desirable even; it created a cosy ‘chicken sandwich’ environment. But the newly-arrived pony was the final straw – she’s a … Continue reading →
We had a ten-month old labrador bitch to stay for the weekend; a real doll. My husband, who can never resist a doll, invited her based on the assumption that such chaos would ensue, I would give him a break … Continue reading →
