We spend the mornings waging war against the gorse that has overrun the property fence line. It’s difficult physical work, especially in the heat, not to mention the constant painful pricks from the gorse’s thistles, but I quite like using my handsaw to destroy the prickly pests. Honestly, some of the gorse “bushes” are proper trees, with at least a 6-inch trunk!
The afternoons are usually spent exploring the beautiful countryside or the river inside the hidden valley, but today mine was full of culinary adventures. I first made whole wheat orange and date muffins for our morning tea break. I baked them in Ian and Lou’s fire-operated oven; Allison and I used the dead gorse tree trunks to light the fire, boy did that feel great! The recipe called for a 200 degree Celsius oven and I’m pretty sure we never got the oven much about 50 degrees, but they still cooked perfectly in about an hours time.
With the muffins out of the oven, I took a wee stroll down to the garden by the chicken coop and picked three gorgeous leeks. Then I harvested some massive broad bean pods and returned to the house to prepare dinner: Pumpkin, leek, and beans served over coconut and cinnamon rice.
I had so much fun using a fire-oven and small gas burners to prepare the food I picked fresh from the garden—what a great new challenge! However, the best part of my day was sitting down to a lovely meal, modest though it was, with my new friends. They spoke English. I spoke French. They spoke French. I spoke English. It was wonderful practicing my French and being able to understand them at full speed! Allison and Aline spoke about their families; then I told them about mine. We shared hopes, dreams, and future travel plans. We laughed and laughed and laughed. Mrs. Wagner would be so proud.
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