In our memories it does, those endless carefree days of eight week school holidays, wandering the twisty lanes of Suffolk, gathering blackberries, swimming in the sea or other such fun things.
My main hobby is photography (you will be shocked to learn); orchids, wild flowers, butterflies, insects, churches, trains. Whatever. Thing is, wildlife looks better in the sunshine. Orchids do, and butterflies sometimes like to bask in it, so when the weather isn't at its best, sometimes we have to do find other things to do, like chores.
Thursday was a day for chores.Shopping needed to be done, and the new cross trainer was being delivered. So, someone needed to go out whilst the other stayed in for the delivery. And in a shock move it is I, Sir Jelltex, the Bishop Brian Jones, who will venture to Tesco for hunter-gathering action.
After breakfast.
A few days ago, a friend, Steve, retweeted a recommendation of a butcher in Deal, and it sounded good, so before going to Tesco, I drive to Deal. Parking in the main town car park, it is only half full. Most of the shops are open, but only allowing a few people in at a time. None of this looks sustainable. The butcher is down a side alley, and you can't actually enter the shop, they serve you from the doorway. But it all looked good. I buy some spicy lamb sausages, more like chipolatas really. I buy their whole stock of 12. I also get some bacon.
I go round the corner onto the high street to buy some stinky French cheese, but No Name Shop is closed.Sadly.
I walk back to the car and out of the town, back along the Deal Road, past the turnings to St Maggies, to Whitfield, to the bear pit that is Tesco.
But its all good. Lots of space, lots of stock, though the meat and fish counters and deli are still not open. I go round, filling the trolley up with stuff. Including beer and cider. I am also going to bake one of my favourites; Limoncello and Grappa tart, so need eggs, ground almonds, and in a surprise move, I cheat and buy ready rolled pastry.
I pay for it all, load up the car, only to realise I had forgotten lemons.
Bugger.
I go back in to buy lemons. Pay cash. I am in and out in a couple of minutes.
Job done.
Back home for lunch, lunch of spicy lamb sausages in fresh seeded rolls.
Oh my word, they were good. But six sausages each in two rolls was really a meal in itself. So we spend the afternoon trying to stay awake.
In fact, I spend the afternoon baking. Baking the Limoncello and Grappa tart as friends were coming round!
Yes, actual visitors to Chez Jelltex.
The ready-rolled pastry really sped up the process, only slow part was separating 12 egg yolks from their whites, then combining them with sugar, ground almonds, lemon juice, lemon zest, limoncello and grappa, then pouring into the pasty lined tin in which were two punnets of raspberries. And 50 minutes later, it is cooked, the mix all set. just had to hope it would be cool enough to serve when Steve and Charley arrived.
In the end it was, just about. But to my surprise they had brought their neighbours dog with them, to walk along the cliffs which they had done. So, instead of being in the house, we sat at the bottom of the garden. Mulder and Scully were not expecting a Labrador in their garden, and to see the look of horror on their little faces was quite funny. Scully took the the shed roof of the house at the bottom of the garden, where Jools and I could see her, and the wide-eyed look of amazement was really quite funny.Steve and I shared a beer, a Chimay Grande Reserve, 2019. Whilst Charley tried the tart. Both were good.
But they had to leave, so we waved them goodbye, and it seemed that we were still too full from lunch, so we have the leftover focaccia bread instead. Which, once warmed through, was almost as good as when fresh.
And that was it, really. We played Uckers. Jools won, though it was close, and I drank a small glass of tripel and munched on crunchy salted corn.
I couldn't be bothered to stay up to see if Man Utd won, seems like its not that important now. Any of it.
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