We decided to take a break with our friends Doug and Carol to visit Belgium. Doug wanted to look at a car in Brussels and we were stopping off in Bruges on the way. We arrived at a very prestigious hotel near Bruges and booked into our rooms. We met up in the bar later and after a few drinks, went into the restaurant where we were shown to our seats.

We sat at a table with crisp white linen and were waited on by a very smart waiter who handed us a menu the size of a large novel. After a while the waiter returned to take our orders and asked for our room numbers. When we gave him the numbers, he asked if we were half board – yes we replied. With that, he immediately took the menus back, almost snatching them from our hands. We all looked at each other. After a couple of minutes he came back with four, very thin, pieces of paper with a menu written on it consisting of three courses. Pour les Demi pension messieurs/dames!

We started to giggle and couldn’t stop. Eventually we gave him back the paper thin menus and asked for the return of the encyclopaedia menu and that we would be happy to pay the difference as the choice was amazing. With that the waiter suddenly became Mr Smiley once more and we spent a fantastic evening (and a fantastic amount of money!)

We got progresssively more drunk and staggered out of the lift. I found a shoe polishing machine and started to clean my shoes. Unfortunately as I was wearing strappy high heels, I went to bed with black feet.

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Next day we left and drove to Brussels and booked into an old hotel just off the main square. The owner was ancient, very grumpy and not the friendliest person we’d ever met. First question she asked was if Ed and I were married (we’d been married for four years at this time). I said yes but I still had to show her my passport to prove it. She took our details and rang a bell and her ancient husband appeared. He was marginally more friendly than his wife and showed us to our rooms. One was a pleasant room overlooking the garden and the other was in the attic with a tiny window. Carol and Doug took the attic room, kindly giving us the garden view room. When I visited them later, it was like something out of the shining, with every wall covered in pine, and one tiny window set high up in the ceiling.

We found a Slovakian restaurant near the hotel and spent a wonderful evening eating food we had never tasted before and listening to the owner’s tales of his home country. At the end of the meal he brought out the Slivovitz – a very strong plum brandy. That finished us completely. I gave renditions of Irish songs and the owner sang songs from his homeland. He was our new best friend. We staggered home and on the way a few things occurred which will remain forever between the four of us.

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We arrived back at the hotel and entered the gardens. I thought it would be a great idea to pick up the hose and soak everyone. After a few minutes of shrieking around the garden the owner opened up her window and screamed at us to get to bed. We put the hose down and to add shame upon shame, we had to wait for the old girl to open the front door as she had bolted it from the inside. We fell up the stairs and decided now was a good time to get on the boys’ shoulders and look out the attic window. More shouts ensued as the old girl yelled from the floor below for us to get to bed. We decided it was probably best to obey Madame before we were thrown out of the hotel and headed to our room.

WORLD KINDNESS WEEK

Continuing our Chinese visit, we boarded the hydrofoil from the Star Ferry Port in Kowloon to Macau early one morning, having obtained our 24 hour visa for entry into China. On arrival we took a coach along the coast and after having our passports and visas scrupulously checked, we entered China.

Our first stop was to a kindergarten. The majority y of Chinese people work, which means that these schools are essential for the economy to run smoothly. The children are there for most of the day and we were given a tour of the classrooms and their canteen. After their lunch, we were treated to a concert which was enchanting to see.

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After visiting the kindergarten we walked back to the harbour and had lunch on board a huge ship. The food was delicious, noodles with chicken, spicy prawns with fried rice, sizzling beef, fried pork and many more dishes. After lunch we visited the town which was incredibly busy. We had to weave our way through the many bicycles that seemed to be the main source of transport. We walked around the markets with some interesting food on display (not a wet market fortunately). The buildings were a mixture of old Chinese style, sitting alongside the new high rise apartments for the ever-expanding population. We walked to the edge of the town and came across a duck farm. The smell was disgusting.

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We found an hotel with a beautiful water garden, where they gently ushered us inside and produced a selection of chinese pastries with heavenly scented tea. We were so full up after the lunch, we just about managed one small pastry but the tea was delicious and fragrant. The process of making tea in China is wonderful to watch with leaves spooned into delicate teapots, boiling water poured on and then left for a while to fuse, before being poured into beautifully decorated cups and served with tiny little pastries. None of that chucking a tea bag in a mug, ready in two minutes malarkey!!

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We walked back to the station and found the platform for Kowloon. As we waited on the platform, we could see that many of the passengers had visited the market and their bags were full with an array of various fruits, vegetables and other goodies. Some were carrying their dinner still flapping, very fresh for the pot. We boarded the train and enjoyed the journey back through the New Territories, soon to be incorporated back into the enormous landmass that is China. We arrived back for Joe to pick us up from the Star Ferry to enjoy another wonderful evening on the island of Hong Kong.

As winter is upon us from this weekend and the evenings are now so short, here is my recipe for a warming easy soup

RECIPE FOR GINGER CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP (serves two)

125gm noodles (equivalent to about two nests) thin or medium

1 tbsp sunflower oil

50ml sesame seed oil

1 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger

Mixture of mushrooms (shiitake if you can get them), chanterelle, and chestnut. Most supermarkets sell a box of mixed oriental mushrooms which really do give this dish an authentic taste. Chop the mushrooms into fairly small pieces.

400gm boned chicken thighs, cut into 5cm pieces

1 tbsp rice wine or sherry

400ml chicken stock (most supermarkets sell fresh stock which is quicker and easier to use)

1 tbsp soy sauce

3 spring onions, chopped into 5cm pieces

Salt and pepper

Cook noodles as per the pack – leave to one side to cool and add a little oil to stop them sticking.

Heat a wok or frying pan to a high heat and add sunflower oil. When the pan is hot, add the ginger and mushrooms and cook for a few seconds. Add the chicken pieces and stir fry til browned. Add rice wine or sherry, then stock, sesame oil, soy sauce, spring onions, salt and pepper. Bring to boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. Check the meat is cooked through. Add the cooked noodles, salt and pepper, sprinkle with a few chopped spring onions and serve immediately.

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Continuing our China visit, on Christmas Eve, Jan (my sister in law) and I, decided to pop out for some last minute shopping and left Joe and Ed at home to look after the kids. Hong Kong was a city that never slept and everywhere was always open. We bought clothes, more gifts and finally went to several food shops to pick up some last minute ingredients we needed for the next few days, including cream and ice-cream. On the way back to the apartment, we stopped at a bar, perched ourselves on a couple of stools and left the shopping at our feet. One drink led to another (served by a lovely young man). We had come out in jeans and jumpers and no make up. After another couple of drinks and a few more chats with the barman, we explained that actually we do scrub up quite well and this was just our casual look.

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By now we were starving, so we ordered some snacks and carried on drinking. I reached down to pick up my handbag and when I put it on my lap, a white creamy liquid dripped all over my jeans. I looked down and noticed a white lake under our stools. We suddenly realised that the ice cream had melted all over the floor. We leapt up, wiped the bag down and dumped the ice cream. As it was now dark, we thought it was probably time to go home. The lights of Hong Kong were beautiful as we hailed a cab and sang carols all the way home.

We were greeted with a degree of coolness when we arrived at the apartment. Joe and Ed had gone to great trouble and had made a lovely spread. Sophie (Joe’s youngest daughter) was not amused as she had been helping with the food and waiting for ages. We tried very hard to eat the meal without giggling, but it was very difficult. That’s a meal we won’t forget in a while!

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Next day was Christmas Day and all the girls opened their presents. Kerrie (Joe’s third daughter) was delighted with her Cabbage Patch doll which was all the rage at the time. She didn’t know that we had searched every toy shop in Hong Kong for the doll and ended up buying a copy in the market as all the shops had sold out. Kerrie has always had the most incredible eyes and they were like saucers when she took the doll out of the box we had made, named him Michael and asked for his papers. “What papers?” We asked. Kerrie’s eyes got even bigger. “His adoption papers of course!”. She said. We hadn’t realised that the original doll came with an adoption certificate. Ed and Joe disappeared to another room to speedily create the “Adoption Papers”. We handed them to Kerrie saying that Father Christmas had left them in the post box. Michael was given pride of place and came everywhere. We were all sick of him by the end of the holiday, to the point where Joe nearly threw him off the Peak at the top of Hong Kong Island. Sorry Kerrie! 💕

To be continued …..

Here are a few stories of memorable (for many reasons) meals we have had during our many years of travelling to places all over the world, celebrating birthdays and other occasions. This week we went to the Leaping Hare at Wyken Vineyards (wykenvineyards.co.uk) for Ed’s birthday lunch. It is a beautiful Barn with a magnificent vaulted roof, set in 1200 acres of land, including a 7 acre vineyard, producing excellent wines.

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We started the meal with venison carpaccio with shavings of parmesan, crispy pig’s head (pulled pork) and smoked trout with beetroot and cream cheese. Main courses were wild rabbit with Parma ham, steak frites with pepper sauce and a trout and salmon fish cake with spicy sauce. The staff are efficient, friendly and helpful and do a great job in these challenging times.

More memorable meals come to mind when we visited China. We were living in Jeddah and were due for our Christmas leave. We decided to go to Hong Kong as my brother Joe was stationed there in Kowloon with the army. We boarded the Cathay Pacific flight out of Doha (where we stopped off to see my parents) and settled into very comfortable seats.

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As soon as we took off and left Saudi airspace, the air stewards started to serve drinks. They were beautiful girls in stunning costumes and after several gin and tonics, Ed decided to join them up in the galley. By the end of the flight, Ed had promised them all jobs on British airways (why? – no idea!). Unfortunately he enjoyed himself so much, he fell asleep and missed the spectacular landing in Hong Kong.

Joe and Jan are wonderful hosts and the thrill of seeing Hong Kong at night all lit up and sipping Bloody Marys in the bar at the top of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, was something we will never forget. (See Ed’s recipe for Bloody Marys in CHALABRE BLOG 25th April 2020). The meal at the Mandarin was amazing with each diner having their own waiter. As soon as anyone put their glass down, it was topped up – what a night.

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One evening we decided to try a restaurant recommended by a friend. It was on Hong Kong Island, tucked away at the top of several flights of stairs in the central district. The place was run by the owner and his wife so instead of a waiter each, we had the owner looking after all the customers. When the meal arrived it was incredible. We had ordered six different dishes, not realising that each dish came with four accompanying plates – the table was covered with food. One of the dishes was called Horses Head. We awaited to see what it was. It turned out to be the biggest prawns we had ever seen. The first dish to arrive was a huge bowl of steaming soup into which we put the prawns, vegetables and meat. Amazing and so reasonable too.

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When I went to the loo at the end of the evening, I was amused to see a washing line hanging up across the sink with various items of clothing hanging out to dry. It wasn’t the Mandarin but nevertheless, the food was delicious 😋😋😋

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Over this miserable wet and cold weekend, I watched the brave marathon runners from all over the UK raising money for charity and Rick Stein on Saturday Kitchen, eating a huge plate of fruit de mer in Le Crotoy. This reminded me of the many trips we have made to the French coast – both north and south. Le Crotoy is famous for many things, the beach is unique in that it faces south on the northern French coast. Jules Verne wrote his famous 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, whilst living here and Toulouse-Lautrec and Paul Signac were frequent visitors. Jean Pierre Guerlain lived here and named one of his famous perfumes after the blue colour of the dawn rising on the water – L’Heure Bleue.

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During the summer in France we would visit Collioure on the Mediterranean coast, near to the Spanish border. Collioure is renowned for the many artists who would come to paint because of the rare blue quality of the light. Matisse and Derain were the leaders of the Fauves (translated as Wild Beasts) movement, which used strong colour over the realistic style paintings of the Impressionists. Dotted around the town are various copies of famous paintings by the Fauves. One of our favourite restaurants was the Amphitryon, situated right on the beach. Their speciality was a huge fruit de mer platter which would take us most of the evening to eat.

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One summer, we packed up our Volvo Esate with luggage, ready to go down to the coast. Abi and her friend Victoria were in the back with Bella, our basset hound. Ed started the car but the engine refused to budge. We tried the garage but that was closed and as it was a French holiday weekend, the emergency breakdown services were unable to get to us until the end of the day. We had no other choice but to take our other car – a mini estate. We transferred everything over to the mini and left for the coast, stopping at Perpignan Airport en route to collect our friend Liz. When we arrived at the hotel, I went to reception to book in and they informed us that they were overbooked and there was no room at the inn until the next day! As it was August, the whole town was full, but the hotel managed to book us into a villa a few miles up into the mountains. The hosts were amazed when we drew up and five people, a basset hound, and many pieces of luggage poured out of the car. The villa was beautiful and we were soon enjoying a cold gin and tonic and swimming in the pool.

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The next day, after a delicious breakfast, we re-packed the car and went back to the coast. We booked in to the hotel which overlooked the sea and the coastline with magnificent views. We sat on the balcony looking out to sea, having a glass of fizz and discussing where we would eat that night. We decided to book the Amphitryon Restaurant as it had been recommend by friends – we were not disappointed.

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The meal was excellent with the freshest seafood, including live oysters. Victoria, Abi’s friend explained to us how to test if the oysters are fresh by squeezing lemon on them and if they contract, they’re alive and ergo – edible! 😋

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It was one of many delicious meals we have had on the French coast – Vive La France! 🇫🇷

After a year of renovating the house, I decided that I needed something else to do, so I bought a shop and named it Abigail’s boutique. I was now a commerçant (trader). Initially we thought of opening a chocolate shop and did a tasting trial at several suppliers 😋but as most of the boulangeries in France sell wonderful chocolates as well as bread and pastries, it would be too much competition. So instead, as I have a good eye for design and colour, I decided to open an interiors shop, selling everything for the home, including curtains, cushions, lamps, and some furniture. I filled the shop with items from various French suppliers, and I designed and made many of the soft furnishings.

The shop was a mustard yellow when we bought it and we decided to change the colour. We spoke to our fellow merchants who did the usual Gallic shrug and said no, it wouldn’t be possible as only certain colours were allowed. We spoke to one commerçant who had spent a year writing to the Mairie to change the colour of her shop and was still waiting. A very good friend who worked with the Mairie came to dinner one night and after several glasses of wine, told us to paint it on a Saturday evening because no one works at the Mairie over the weekend and it would be dry by Monday. Monday morning we opened with a blue shop.

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The street where the shop was situated was a busy area. Next to my boutique was a wine shop and Paps cafe. On the other side was a health shop, the huissier (bailiffs and house rental office). Opposite was another cafe and a tabac, an architect and a pottery shop – a really good mixture. Christine’s gallery was always a great place to visit in the winter as she had her kiln upstairs where she fired her pieces of china so it was always lovely and warm.

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I opened my shop around 10am and Miriam from the Cave du Vin would appear with a huge pot of coffee. We had a table opposite the Cave and we would sit discussing many topics. As the customers arrived, we would gradually disappear into our own shops to serve.

Around 12.30, all the shops would close and the restaurants would be busy. Flambé restaurant opposite was busy and there was always an ongoing war about spaces around each cafe or restaurant. No one could put a chair or table even an inch into someone else’s space and a shouting match would begin. I think my neighbour in the health shop spent most of her time at the Mairie complaining about invasion of her space. We never had any problems as we weren’t a cafe and kept well within our allocated outdoor space and enjoyed sitting back watching the “table wars!” vive la France 🇫🇷

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During our first year in France, I arranged a trip to Paris for Ed’s birthday. We decided to travel by train and booked a night compartment for the three of us. We arrived at Carcassonne station, found our compartment on the train and settled in, with Abi on the top bunk and us underneath. Just before the train was due to leave, someone knocked on the door and when we opened it, there was a Frenchman waiting to come in. I said it was booked and he said he too was booked. He showed me his ticket and yes, he was booked into the same compartment. The stranger climbed up on the top bunk and Abi immediately got down from hers. Ed went up and I spent the night wondering if he was going to dispense with us.

After a sleepless night we arrived at Gare de Lyon at 7am and waited until our new friend left the cabin. I tidied up and straightened the beds. As I looked up to his bunk I saw something shining and when I pulled the blanket up, a knife fell to the ground. I picked it up and looked at the big blade. Just at that moment, the guy came back and took the knife – thanked me and left. To this day, I don’t know if he had the knife to protect himself from us or for something more sinister. We checked with the SNCF office and apparently, anyone can share a cabin if there’s a free bunk!!! We made sure we booked the complete compartment on our next trip.

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We met up with our friends who live in the Marais, Catherine and Patrick and their two daughters. They live on the top floor of a very elegant building near the Mariage Frères tea company. Mariage Frères was started in 1854 by Henri and Edouard Mariage. They stock incredible teas which are served in many of the top hotels throughout the world.

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By about the 5th floor we have to stop and catch our breath. Catherine and Patrick make this climb several times a day so they are used to it. We carry on up and receive a wonderful welcome from our friends. Catherine is a piano tutor and her grand piano was hoisted up the inner courtyard by a special company that specialises in moving large musical instruments around Paris.

We have supper with our friends and then return to our hotel which is the Regina, near the Louvre. The hotel is beautiful and dates from 1900. From our room we can see the Tuileries Gardens and are within walking distance of the Louvre.

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We finish the evening with a nightcap in the elegant bar of the Regina and Ed tries a couple of rare whiskies, costing about the same as the train journey, but without the company of the stranger. 😳

On our first visit to the house in Chalabre, we were struck by the height and elegance of the rooms, although the decoration was less than desirable. There was a huge rosary covering half the wall of the sitting room which was being used as Madame’s bedroom and in the front room, someone had concreted over the beautiful wooden floors. In each room we discovered another interesting and quirky surprise.

In the dining room was a huge radiator, with two decorative panels on the top section. We took some photos and Madame (who had followed us everywhere and explained everything) opened up the doors. Inside were some shelves and Madame told us this where she warmed her plates. We arranged a second visit to take some measurements and see what renovations were needed.

On that second visit, we walked around with a clip board, noting the sizes of the various rooms and taking lots of photos (this time without Madame’s assistance). We went down to the garden level to measure up and opened the doors onto the balcony to get a better view. To the right of this balcony was a door. We opened it up and there was a fully functioning loo – on the balcony.

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We then went up to the third floor to look at the bedrooms. In one bedroom there was a large window looking onto the garden and on the other wall the curtains were drawn. We pulled them back and found what seemed to be a large cupboard. When we opened the doors, there – set three steps up – was another loo. We looked out of the tiny window and realised that this too, had been built on a balcony, albeit a smaller one, above the garden loo. There were five loos in total, one for each floor!

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When we bought the house, we wanted to remove the hanging loo and turn it into a balcony again. We had several “artisans” in for quotes, which ran from the sublime to the ridiculous. One guy said he could knock it down from a ladder. Another said he would drop weights on it from the roof. The real Artisan wanted a fortune, so in the end, we removed the loo and turned it into a wardrobe. Abi and her pals had great fun hiding in it and scaring anyone sleeping in that room!

Friends of ours were looking at a house in another village and the elderly owner was extolling its virtues. When they asked if there was a loo downstairs, the lady took them down to the ground floor and proudly pointed up to the ceiling. There, suspended on a beam were several chamber pots. This is the downstairs loo, she proudly exclaimed!

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Needless to say, they installed their own loo downstairs and used the chamber pots for plant holders 😂😉🇫🇷

Vive La toilette!

As the house renovations continued in Chalabre, we enjoyed the daily coffee break with the builders. Christian the plumber was fascinated with Abi’s pet rabbit that we had brought all the way from UK. He asked me if we were fattening it up for eating. Abi was horrified and said no – it was a pet! He asked us why we would fatten up a rabbit unless we were going to eat it?! Vive la France 🇫🇷

Christian loved Bella our basset hound and said he would use her to hunt. I said we had taken her on a shoot in the UK but as soon as the guns went off, she ran home. So no, she wasn’t a gun dog but she was an extremely intelligent animal. She moved with us to France and enjoyed a leisurely cruise when we took a boat along the Canal du Midi that summer. We were concerned about lifting her on and off the boat as she was a heavy dog so Ed had the brilliant idea of a making a gangplank for her. He set it up in the garden at a sloping angle and very patiently taught her to walk the plank.

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We spent a week on the Canal Du Midi with glorious weather and lots of fun. We picked up the boat in Castelnaudery (who boast the best cassoulet in France – see my blog on Mirepoix from 24/4/20 for my cassoulet recipe) and the first test was to get the boat out of the basin and through three locks. Ed had sailed before but I hadn’t a clue, so our first test of going through three locks, was stressful to say the least. Abi and the lock keeper found it very amusing.

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We headed towards Carcassonne with Captain Ed up front and Abi and I sunbathing. Bella was content to laze up on deck and enjoy the sun, or sit below, navigating. She also loved to chase the ducks by the side of the boat every morning. We had bicycles on board so we would pick up fresh bread from the local village every day. We stopped every evening around 7.30 when all the locks were closed. The nights were very peaceful, as the boat sat in the water, nestled amongst the fields of sunflowers that lined the canal.

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When we reached Carcassonne we moored in the basin by the park at the top of the town. There was a concert that night and I walked into the town, bought some steaks and fresh bread and we sat on the boat listening to the live music from the park, with the meat sizzling on the barbecue.

We went on to Trebes and moored up for a couple of hours. We explored the little town and ordered a seafood platter from the local fish shop. We moved further up the canal for the evening and enjoyed eating our supper by the side of the boat with good wine and fresh bread.

As we progressed through the locks, we became more and more confident with our handling of the boat and by the end of the trip were looking forward to our next holiday on the water. We met some terrible sailors. One guy who was behind us in every lock, constantly bashed into our boat. He was always very apologetic and when we arrived back in Castelnaudery on the 14th of July, he invited us for a drink on board. He had a huge boat and we spent Bastille night with him and his family, watching the fireworks go off across the water. A great end to a wonderful week on the Canal du Midi.

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