I'm writing this on the way back from Brighton. Mycroft's reading, Sherlock's asleep, and both dogs are looking over Mycroft's shoulder as if they can read too, or at least as if they're learning.
I have some pictures for you, none of them taken by me. The food ones are by Greg (I was too busy eating). Deep fried battered buttermilk-soaked halloumi with chips, seaweed, peas, and the best tomatoes on Earth. They were pickled in vodka. More things should be pickled in vodka. I'm not sure what though. Maybe plums? Sherlock hated them, so we ate his.
Doughnut straws with brandy cream and chocolate to dip them in. Obviously we all loved these. It would be difficult not to.
Crisp bread with aubergine dip. I said it was surprisingly good and L and Mycroft both gave me this look. "What?" I said. "Why should it be surprising?" Mycroft said. "You're constantly surprised by aubergines, even though you always like them." That's me. Constantly surprised by aubergines.
And a couple of shots by Mycroft of the pier slowly being consumed by the sea. It seemed as if it might go at any time with the wind like it was today.
I always forget what it's like to smell the sea in the air all the time around you, this sort of pure, clean backdrop to the normal world. I wonder what it would be like if London smelled like that all the time. It would be different somehow, I'm sure.
70 comments:
Glad you enjoyed your days by the sea, and that the promised sunshine made an appearance.
I'm obviously eating in the wrong restaurants - I'll have to look out for doughnut straws and things pickled in vodka in the future! Sounds intriguing.
Did Sherlock find the Volks Railway tracks in the end? If you're ever there in the summer it's fun to sit on the beach near the tracks and feel the ground rumble underneath you as the little train goes past... :)
Hope you have a good rest of the trip back to London. It's always nice to arrive home again, isn't it...?
- Hove Actually anon
I am assuming, given Lestrade's obsessive refreshing of pages on his mobile phone, that Arsenal are playing football.
I do hope he won't wake Sherlock if they score.
I also hope he realises the page would auto-refresh, if he allowed it to.
it doesn't refresh fast enough.
I will...try not to wake him. The fact he's asleep is miraculous. Sea air is obviously good for him.
Hove Anon - The tide was too high, but we had a great walk along there anyway.
YYEEEEESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!
Well, if you didn't find the tracks this time, it just means you'll have to go back another time! :)
Yeah, it's always lovely, I'm sure we'll go back soon.
Sherlock has awoken and is now hungry...luckily we're almost home!
YEESSSSS!!!! Two-nil!
And we're through!! We did it!
(er, football, not me and John. We're not through. Although we have done it..)
Congratulations ;)
After the thumping they gave us last week...that was brilliant. Very happy.
i like the bobsleigh because they might crash.
That food looks and sounds amazing. I'm glad to hear you al had a good weekend; it's always been pretty sunny, or just rainy when I've been to Brighton, I bet it's pretty impressive when it's as windy as it's been recently.
Sometimes the speed skaters crash into each other...
Nameless - I would love to be able to cook like that. It was divine. The surprising aubergine with those little crispy flatbreads was like heaven. And we will be trying to pickle some of our tomatoes in vodka, I think! They were beautiful.
All that food looks delicious, its making me feel rather hungry ;-)
I'm glad you've had a good weekend away, I always think time is much improved by the smell of the sea :-)
Good news about the football Greg, you never know this might be the year you actually win something ;-)
Ssshh, I daren't even think it, AnonyBob!
Are you off on your holiday already? Hope you have a great time, although I'm not sure how much holiday you get, with 3 little ones!
We're away now yes :-) it was a long drive yesterday, made even longer by having to stop to feed the littlest one but now we're here I'm feeling really quite relaxed and that's without having opened the bottle of whisky I was given by the site owners to wet the baby's head ;-)
I'm glad you four are able to enjoy some fun time together this holiday :-)
That sounds good, glad you're relaxing. And...purely for scientific reasons, can I ask, if you got drunk and were breastfeeding, would it be an alcoholic cocktail for the baby? (If you know... it just struck me, I know you can't drink much during pregnancy, but I know nothing about afterwards!)
We are definitely going to Bletchley Park! Both boys are very keen on that idea, as are John and I!
This entry makes me hungry! You find such great food - or cook it!
It might take a while for the pier to entirely disappear. We've got stumps of pilings in Boston Harbor still standing that have been there since the Clipper Ships were being built.
Sherlock, have you read about flying snakes and tree climbing crocodiles yet? I'm beginning to wonder if sharks can do something unexpected too!
I'm told that in order for there to be enough alcohol in the milk to have any effect on her I'd have to drink enough to be dead but I don't know really so I don't drink more than a dram or two ;-)
Bletchley park should be an interesting day out :-)
Ha! Yes, please don't experiment on my account ;)
I think: "Constantly surprised by aubergines." should be the title of your autobiography, John.
The food looks lovely and the trip sounds relaxing. Glad everyone had a good time. ~EchoOfMe
Pandabob, I know when I was born I had a kidney infection that they didn't know about for two months. My mom was so exhausted by my crying that she called the nurse helpline, and they told her to drink a glass of wine before she nursed me. According to her, it always put me right out, so even if I wasn't drunk, it at least put my baby self to sleep!
Piplover - I must've been a very quiet baby then ;)
...wet the baby's head...?
I will gladly donate any and all aubergines to those who are able to show them adequate appreciation. They give me hives. But is there anything better than being surrounded by those who love you so much that they know you better than you do yourself?
John, thanks for the evocative words about the sea air. You have a lovely turn of phrase, sometimes. I love the ocean. Or, more accurately, what I call the beach and y'all seem to call the seaside.
Doctors seemed much more concerned about what kind of over-the-counter medications one took than alcohol when I was nursing. I've also heard that a single glass or two has little effect on the baby - but that sometimes it relaxes the mother and the baby picks up on that. Not to downplay taking proper care of oneself & one's child, but if most babies were terribly fragile, my generation would have been thin on the ground. Cigarettes, alcohol and gallons of coffee were freely consumed during pregnancy and nursing. I have photos of my mother, who went to a specialist she couldn't really afford and followed every word of the doctor's advice because she'd had several miscarriages, sitting visibly pregnant with a cigarette in one hand and a highball glass in the other.
fA
wow, the beach/seaside looks great, very dramatic.
pictures of food seem to have a Pavlovian sort of effect on me... I had to have a quick little snack before I could post. :D
I had a friend, when my child was also small, who swore by the half a pint of Guinness she drank before her baby's bed time, during teething season. I have never been that much of a drinker myself, so I did not have a hard time "giving it up" for the duration of pregnancy and nursing. And I guess I had a pretty easy baby for the most part, I don't remember needing to go to a lot of great lengths to get her to sleep.
I love the image of the big dogs reading over Mycroft's shoulder. I grew up with big dogs too, and they are so personable. :)
S
Kestrel - wet the baby's head means to have a drink to celebrate the safe arrival of a new baby.
fA - to me beach is the sandy/stony (preferrably sandy) bit and seaside is the whole thing: beach, sea, prom, deckchairs, tacky souvenir shops, ice creams. Hence the music hall song "I do like to be beside the seaside"
Our allotment is...sodden.
Glad to say hardier and more experienced allotmenteers than us are in just as bad a mess as we are though, so we don't look too pathetic and unloving of our patch!
We have optimistically put some seeds in pots under glass.
John and Mycroft are helping wean me from coffee. Am currently drinking Lady Grey tea, suggested by Mycroft... I'm not quite convinced.
SH: That's what I thought "seaside" meant. Thanks for confirmation. Here we use "beach" for both - or at least that's how I've always heard it. As in: "When we go to the beach for vacation, I love to take my coffee and walk on the beach at sunrise."
L.- You will know the tea operation is successful when you start to have strong opinions about varieties & quality of tea as you do coffee. (I drink both, but coffee is my first and deepest love.)
fA
Did you have fun with your pots and mud? :)
fA - I'm happy for Mycroft to keep the Lady Grey for his study sessions. Literally not my cup of tea. Nothing beats builder tea for me yet...
A mate of mine drinks Earl Grey. Smells like perfume *shudder*.
John - I told him husband about the vodka-pickled tomatoes. He was unconvinced. I reckon that means more for me, should I ever manage to source/make some.
Lestrade was rather rude about the Lady Grey tea. He implied it was akin to Lemsip, or weak washing up liquid.
I have found a quiz for you to enjoy, should you so wish.
How often does L drink weak washing up liquid? And why?
I like that quiz!
All that coffee has burned off his tea-tasting taste buds.
(I got Traditional labels are meaningless!--which actually works for me. :))
SH - it's like a weird lemon-y weak odd taste of...well, just a bit odd and artificial. And who hasn't drunk from a vessel not as free of soap bubbles as would be idea...right?
Ahahahah! As kids, we had builder's tea - though we didn't call it that - as our after school drink. Graduated to coffee in high school, more or less. I have a tea snob friend who occasionally insists we meet somewhere a pot of tea starts at $5.00 and goes up to $18.00. IMO, cheap Earl Grey is astringent & perfumey. Good Earl Grey is a more subtle, almost citrus flavor. I like it, but not often. I find Lady Grey pointless - weak Earl Grey with an overlay of something vaguely herbal (lavender? I'm told, I can't tell.) This weekend I had a local blend described as a "robust Earl Grey" which tasted to me like Earl Grey cut with any ordinary black tea. I liked that.
I've been trying for 30 years and can't like herbal tea. Sometimes it smells nice, but the taste never measures up.
fA
I love tea, and admit I'm rather a snob. When my mom mad a cup for me, she used to heat the water in the microwave. *Shudder* I like Earl Grey, and Lady Grey. To me they taste different from each other. I also like straight black tea with a bit of milk.
Herbal teas are OK, but I'm not as fond of them as I am of others. As for coffee, I've tried it a few times, but each time it just tastes like burnt yuck. Even the mixed drinks, which have chocolate in them or peppermint, just taste like burnt bitterness to me. I have tried, though!
I have yet to find a herbal tea which I enjoy. But I find both Earl Grey and Lady Grey suitable for studying with in the evening. Neither coffee nor 'normal' tea are quite right for me, late at night.
Pip, I think there's a bit of a tea snob in anyone who drinks a lot of tea - particularly if they take it without milk and/or sweeteners - no matter whether you are making cheap or fancy tea, how you make it does make so much difference in the taste. It's certainly not a bad thing to be.
All it takes is a little exposure to different kinds and blends and voila! the ordinary tea drinker starts to really, really CARE.
fA
It's a good thing to know what works for something that takes as much as your time as studying, Mycroft. Not surprised at all that your palate is discerning. Your interest in cooking would indicate as much.
fA
"as much of"
obviously
I used to drink jasmine tea for late night studying--it's naturally sweet enough not to need sugar or milk in it. (And it smells nice, too.)
PLEASE can we make sausages at home please??
Errr, yeah, don't see why not. You'll have to remind me or John at the butchers though.
Tomorrow though...we'll be going to Bletchley.
I don't think you should have mentioned that.
I believe every volunteer and member of staff will now have called in sick, to avoid being questioned to within an inch of their sanity by Sherlock.
Nah, only the quick thinkers. The others will have to fill in.
Danger, promise to hold me hand and protect me from looking stupid when I don't understand any of it...
What makes you think I'm going to understand it??
You don't have to... just pretend to be having an in depth discussion with me. We'll protect each other :)
Ha, that I can do.
Lucky the dogs can't come - even they'd probably understand it more than me!
RR - I don't put sugar in any drinks, I find them all naturally sweet enough.
I do occasionally suspect the dogs of being some sort of genetic experiment. But then Phobos tries to eat jam and gets his face stuck in the jar.
Well...you know, there's intelligence and intelligence. He can probably fly a jet or something. But was too busy learning that to learn to eat jam out of the jar...
Still no idea why they have to walk around in at least 3 circles before sitting down exactly where they started though... or why Deimos jumps when his own ear hits him and tries to bite it.
You have to watch those ears all the time... It's very sweet that they still try to hide behind Mycroft during thunderstorms.
to be fair, Mycroft is tall enough to be a lightning conductor, so they're just being sensible.
My battery is running low...bed?
(mine and my laptop's)
Mine as well. Bed, yes.
that was a funny quiz.
For me: tea with milk, no sugar. Sometimes decaf if it's after lunch time. A few herbal teas are ok. I like Gypsy Cold Care when I need it. In fact at the moment, since the only clean mug is my extra-large one, I'm making a combo of decaf black tea plus GCC, which is a bit experimental and I hope I can put milk in without curdling. The other herb tea I like is Bengal Spice, which has those yummy Indian spices in it, and it's good with milk too.
S
Oh. By that account I grew up drinking builder's tea, and even drinking it without milk or sugar. I don't much like the stuff now, except in a pinch or as the tea in masala chai brewed on the stove. Come to think of it, I should make a big batch of that....
Today I saw this and thought of your household, especially when I hovered my cursor over the image: http://xkcd.com/1331/
AftSO
AftSO: It is only due to these blogs that I even know what the pitch drop experiment is. I find it a bit frightening that if you aggregate all the car building on that graphic, I think it outstrips everything except possibly deaths. Surely the frequency of shoe buying in Phoenix is over stated, though?
formerlyAnon
Hope you have a fab day at Bletchley, we went last summer and loved it. Make sure you do the guided tour too, very informative and added to the whole experience, with luck they'll even keep up with Sherlock. :)
Great quiz, Mycroft and great picture, AftSO. I find it interesting that the Phoenix shoe buyers also seem to be diligent condom appliers - they obviously have a huge fetish market in all that heat. ;)
Have a wonderful day everyone.
We will be relying on any and all help available to explain everything!
Have a great day out guys :-)
We've just sat through a talk... It was so complicated I've actually forgotten things I thought I knew. I need coffee. And...a brain.
I was lost before he even got to the bit that began ‘and that was the easy part, no it gets more complicated'... So lost. So, so.......so...
Well, the brains at Bletchley would no doubt be rather poor at rounding up murderers in accordance with procedure and bureaucracy in order to achieve prosecutable cases. So greater London would prefer you as you are, if they had the choice, I'm sure.
fA
I'm sure Mycroft and Sherlock will be able to explain it too you later Greg ;-)
I've never been more proud than when Mycroft responded to one of my many questions with 'that's quite a good question, actually' :). (He responded to the rest with various levels of smiles and words on one syllable)
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