

In old age, life is a holiday
"Hopes, dreams, your favourite cuisine?" Siri The title and the quote are two interrelated nudges to write about something vague - I...
May 11


A day off
"doing nothing much can be surprisingly productive." Anita Chaudhuri/The Guardian Yesterday and the day before were pretty hectic,...
Oct 28, 2024


An Italian day out in the city
It's Italian Film festival time and my friend Clare proposed going to see something with a lunch beforehand. I, of course, agreed and so...
Oct 1, 2024


When I was 64 - well I thought I was
"Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm 64?" The Beatles This is Collioure - on the Mediterranean coast near the...
Apr 22, 2024


Pretty in pink
"Pink isn't just a colour. It's an attitude too" Miley Cyrus Ten years ago on our last night in Beaucaire we dined in the restaurant of...
Feb 6, 2024


An unexpected delight
"God bless the French lunch hour." Elizabeth David A lucky dip. Elizabeth David's book of essays and writings from here and there, An...
Nov 5, 2023


Why do Paris when you can do la France profonde?
"To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a...
Jun 28, 2023


Three moments in time - gnocchi
"Gnocchi is not just for rib-sticking, soul-warming meals by candlelight, but for light summer days, too." Nigel Slater Uninspired again...
Jun 1, 2023


Malaysian food
"Roti, roti and more roti!" Granddaughter Abby Yesterday we received some photographs from my daughter-in-law, of the family eating out...
Dec 6, 2022


Now what?
“Life is now. There was never a time when your life was not now, nor will there ever be.” Eckhart Tolle Is this what holidays are...
Sep 23, 2022


Holiday's end
"Summer has slowly slipped away like honey falling from a spoon." Nigel Slater How I wish I could write such a sentence. Part one For the...
Sep 21, 2022


Why do we photograph food?
"Studies show that the connection between food photography and cravings is visceral. Eating with your eyes is more than a witty saying –...
Sep 5, 2022


A quickie on baskets
"A glass pitcher, a wicker basket, a tunic of coarse cloth. Their beauty is inseparable from their function. Handicrafts belong to a...
Aug 5, 2022


Choosing somewhere to eat - a moment in time
"there comes a point when researching cool restaurants so you don’t ruin your holiday tips into, well … ruining your holiday by...
Jan 15, 2022


Dinner brings memories of yesteryear
"food memories. They aren’t just based on the facts, or our need for survival, but are shaped by the context ― the company, the situation...
Oct 9, 2021


A dream tea on the terrace
"Clocks slay time... time is dead as long as it is being clicked off by little wheels; only when the clock stops does time come to life."...
Aug 18, 2021

