2019 weekly - Week 30

22/07/2019

A dear cousin visited us on route of his business trip. He's from hubby's side. A very friendly and generous person who I've met a number of times. He invited us to his summer house in the Alps three years ago. That was magnificent. Took my breath away. Today is his second time visiting us in Cambridge. Can you believe it? Family is never a bother or a trouble for him. Thank you, M.

Here is what we planned tonight:

Apéritif

Crémant de Loire

Crudites with olive sundried tomato paste

Grilled halloumi sticks

Breadsticks

Mains

Thick-cut steak

Roasted potatoes

Garlic creamed spinach
Slow roast tomatoes

Dessert

Eton Mess

23-25/07/2019

I got two insect bites probably from last night sitting in the garden. One on the top of my right foot looks innocuous but has made my whole foot swollen! I couldn't see the bones nor the veins underneath and I couldn't put on my shoe properly without feeling pain. My right foot looked just scary on the second day (24th). So scary that I'd suspected the worst, cellulitis. But I didn't have fever. So I went to the pharmacy to ask for some advice. She gave me some anti-histamine tablets and a tube of hydrocortisone. Until the night of 24th, I had prepared for cellulitis and ready to call my GP the next day. But, there must be a god somewhere, 12 hours after I took the anti-histamines and applied the hydrocortisone, my foot started to look better. When I woke up on the 3rd day (25th), the redness is almost gone. So was the pain. As the day goes by, I started to see the bones and veins underneath. So pleased and relived.

So, I had to concede that I may be now allergic to bugs?! Or just the freak heatwave triggering the freak incident?

By the way, today we reached 37 centigrade.

2019 weekly - Week 29

14/07/2019

Well, this ginger cake is a keeper. Light, springy texture with just a right amount of heat and molasses. I didn't bother with the glaze, delicious nonetheless.

Ingredients for the cake:
150g self-raising flour
1 tbsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp mixed spice
175ml whole milk
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
85g golden syrup
40g black treacle
85g dark brown soft sugar
75g unsalted butter
1 Free Range medium egg
30g crystallised stem ginger + 15g for garnish, chopped

I changed the original method by making a bowl of wet ingredients and another with all the powdery ones. Butter is melted along with milk, syrup, treacle and brown sugar. Beat the egg into the cooled wet mixture. In another bowl, mix together flour, spices and baking soda. Stir wet into the dried.

Bake at 180C for 35-40 minutes.


16/07/2019

I decided not to bi*ch about how others decided to lead their lives. We may be related by blood but definitely different in interpreting the meaning of life.


17/07/2019

I follow several French learning FB pages because, well, I enjoy learning French. I have not let anyone know I follow any of those pages. Today I wrote something in response to a verb challenge (make use of "devoir + infinitive") and I got "liked" instantly by one of my own FB friends. I don't know how this contact found out about my comment/intent to practice. I've kept all my likes private. Apparently it's not enough!

Thank you, Mr. Zuckerberg, not everyone wants to live like a college student, ok?!?! I just want to learn my French quietly without anyone of my FB contacts stalking me!!! Please rehash FB privacy as you mean it.

NOT HAPPY!

18/07/2019

I can't believe there is a "to be continued" part of my FB contact who's stalking me. Today she (yes, you) lectured me on the joy of learning. Such a big fake. I was laughing. BIG.TIME.

Hate to waste my energy and blog space for this kind of people but arrrgghhhhhhhhh.

OK. I'm better.

2019 weekly - Week 28

07/07/2019

This Welsh drama noir took my breath away. The resilience of a woman, all in, broken but not giving up, with pure grit, is wonderfully portrayed by Eve Myles. I remembered her from an early sci-fi drama also set in Wales. She got my attention then, not to mention the cute welsh accent. But in Keeping Faith, she shone through. Love it.

2019 weekly - Week 27

30/06/2019

Nobody presents planetary science like Brian Cox who just gave us another awe-inspiring series, The Planets. I have yet to see another science program as poetic as this one. The science is hot of the press material and presents a nice summary of the space advances of last few decades. I've learned that the ring of Saturn was created by a relatively recent collision and it will disappear in time. I also discovered that a few years after I was born there was a very rare astral event when all 4 outer planets were aligned so that we could send Voyager 2 to help us explore Uranus and Neptune. Voyager 2 is still in contact with NASA today, after 41 years. Can you imagine how much faith and conviction those NASA scientists must have when they launched Voyager 2 back in 1977? It's as close to people taking hundreds of years to build cathedrals as it gets. And the images and information it's sent back are just out of this world, literally. It's formidable to see. It deserves to be marveled at how far we have gone.

And with all the human endeavors and achievements, it's thought-provoking. What is at the edge of the solar system? Is earth unique? Are we alone? The consequence of the real answer is heart stopping. Either way, it is profound.

2019 weekly - Week 26

29/06/2019

The continent has been heating up to 40C and even higher in some places. It's our turn today to be above 30C, rather gentle compared to our neighbors. We are having Temaki party tonight.

Next week is my last French class of this term. Despite I got on less with the current teacher than my very first one, I have to say I did progress and learn loads of stuff. I now need to consolidate and not to mix up all tenses.

Next September, I will go for the next level.

2019 weekly - Week 25

19/06/2019

We got another unannounced "assessment" tonight. The school now is doing something very different, a "surprise" test at the end of every term. But we are still three weeks away! Anyway, our teacher gave us test papers at a level above ours. Probably intentionally. After taking the official A2 exam, that confirmed my suspicion for the whole year: she's been teaching us as we were B1!

I have been struggling most of the time during this learning year. The first two terms were just demoralizing. Most of the time I only understood 50% of the recording. Reading was 10% better. I don't know what others felt. Certainly some of the students were very good from the start, B1 ready. But not me. I persevered because I still dream about speaking French like a local and I want to make my A1 teacher proud. I will be grateful until the end that I have A as my A1 teacher. She has motivated me so much that I still have fire in my belly to continue, despite feeling like a loser pretty much every time in a class.


20/06/2019

I don't like what I am seeing. Politics these days is about selecting the one who causes less harm. This is sad. Voters, please wake up and be a bigger version of yourself. It's not about tomorrow, end of October or next year. It's about what kind of society you want for your off-springs, for many generations to come!

21/06/2019

Summer solstice! Did you enjoy the longest day today?

It's Friday today and it's occasionally sunny. Not too cold. Not a bad British summer solstice if you ask me.

I've been binging Killing Eve S2 in a controlled manner, no more than 2 episodes each time. I don't know why the critics are whining about. It's still good, perhaps the element of surprise and intrigue is less because now we've have known the main characters so well. The writing and the acting is pretty awesome. I love all actors in the show. They are just brilliant!

2019 weekly - Week 24

09/06/2019

If someone asked me about the best thing being in 40s, I would say I really enjoy just being myself.

10/06/2019

Stop The Car. KILLING EVE Season Two is OUT!

13/06/2019

I've forgotten how much I like Muse. I like their The 2nd Law the best but the 2018 one is very close.

From their 2018 album, Simulation Theory (how evocative, especially for me!).

The Void