Cold in Capri

COLD IN CAPRI

We have been lucky enough to visit Capri quite a few times over the years, but never, ever, have we experienced cold weather here.  Talking about the weather feels like a broken record already!  Europe has been stricken with very cold weather for the past month and we have experienced it all - in London and France, but how crazy that it should be as far South as Capri?!

So ... what to do.... blog a little I think!  This family owned hotel has been our home away from home in Capri for many years.  We have got to know the family members really well and enjoy the warmest of greetings each time we return.  

Today, in order not to break ritual with the past we changed rooms!   I have somewhat earned myself a reputation of being called "Mrs Change" ... I just cant help myself..!  Each room in this hotel has it's own charm  with individual redeeming features.  We never really know where we are going to end up until the door is unlocked for us to enter!  As we have stopped going every year,  we have rather lost the ability of specifying our room choice.  

It was raining yesterday morning and I was in stealth mode...I couldn't resist peeping into a lovely room being cleaned!

The hotel was full last night - it seems there was a film crew staying and judging by those at breakfast,  I was in no doubt!... I suppose all film crew talk very loudly, wear hoodies and have cigarettes tucked behind their ears?!  Anyway - they all checked out this morning and how happy I was when I found out that the room I had fancied on yesterday's surreptitious tour was now available.  

After hardly a knock on the door, there she stood - a huge smile on her face - "You Change" said the housekeeper,  standing in the doorway.  She knew and remembered from before  - Signora 'Change'  was at it again.  Her arms full of clothes, she flew down the stairs, her clicking heels drumming up a pace of efficiency,  as we battled to keep up with her.  Suitcases were opened, stuff jammed into them and after 10 minutes,  we had a new home! 



As it turned out,  today has been very cold and wet and the bigger room has been very comfortable!  

We usually eat our lunch by the pool as we did yesterday.  Lunch today was inside - a delicious swordfish and salad.

I have just uploaded pics from my new camera for the first time - am very nervous of this new camera as it is far more complicated than my previous one.  I played with the zoom too

zoom play

View from the 'old room'

Lunch yesterday

Pool side

our walk on the way to dinner last night

Sitting room in the Mamela Hotel

Today's swordfish - inside the dining room

Because of this..

I love these wallpapered cupboard doors

I hope to be able to post about a warm and sunny  Capri before long.. apparently the weather is going to improve the day after next :(

Post from Paris

POST FROM PARIS - 
Celebrities and food - (mostly)

We left Boussac early on Sunday morning for Chateauroux where we caught the train to Paris - a two hour trip. I gave Mustique the stray cat, his last meal - a whole tin of tuna.  I have also asked Sarah who helps out in the garden from time to time,  to feed him when she passes through. 

Arriving at Austerlitz station in Paris is sometimes problematic as there are usually taxi issues.  Sunday was even worse, as there was a HUGE demonstration against the recently passed bill allowing same sex marriage.  The streets were packed with families - young and old - babies and children - all carrying printed pink and blue flags.  

It was quite something!  After 45 minutes of waiting, we were extremely lucky to find a taxi!  We were staying at the Hotel Pavillon de la Reine, in the Marais district,  for the first time and we weren't disappointed!



We loved this hotel - and imagine my excitement when standing next to Natalie Portman at the reception desk listening while she demurely asked the concierge whether the restaurant booking was confirmed!... he was a young guy and was all of a tither!!  The Hotel is set back from the street in the Place des Vosges and one enters through a pretty courtyard. I took some beautiful photos of the hotel but sadly,  left my camera in a taxi.  Very sad day for me...

These and all photos this post taken with my iphone

where we had breakfast

which was excellent - a buffet - including scrambled eggs and lots more!

We spent three lovely days strolling around Paris - and an addition to my celebrity spotting happened after dinner at Brasserie Lipp - Brasserie Lipp has been serving it's classy Left Bank clientele since 1880 - The 1926 art deco interior has been maintained - complete with decorated mirrors, Floral Belle Epoque ceramic tiles and a Veronese-style painted ceiling. The service was exceptional,  and the Alsatian style cuisine interesting!  

We sat in a cosy booth - you can probably just make out the yellow/green tiles and mirrors.  Anyway - back to celebrities!  We crossed St Germain after dinner and started browsing the large magazine stand just outside Deux Margot and I suddenly spotted Karl!!!

He was happily adding magazines to a growing pile and I thought how good he looked for a man aged 77!  His perfectly starched collar - and of course, the gloves!

The rest of our time was spent in a a couple of favourite haunts as well as exploring a few new ones!

Laduree of course!

La Cigalle - where they specialise in souffles









The relatively new Hermes shop in Rue de Servres where I was thrilled to buy a new scarf!

I also got these soft leather Campers which are wonderfully comfy!

The last night in Paris was a treat - A friend had recommended Le Train Bleu - a restaurant within the Gare de Lyon.  While eating there,  I could sense the grandeur of the past - could just imagine the elegant travellers with their magnificent luggage eating before or after their train journeys. The restaurant is enormous and very opulent.  The service, is excellent and very friendly.   It was fabulous and do go if you get a chance!

Notice the oak herringbone floors which creaked when the busy waiters passed us by

The Gare de Lyon

We left Paris yesterday for Capri and to the lovely Mamela Hotel.  We have stayed in this family run hotel for some years now and it is always a delight catching up with their news.  More of Capri later!

Posting from Boussac

POSTING FROM BOUSSAC -  

MARKET DAY, 7 HOUR LAMB AND AN INJURED HEDGEHOG!

Yesterday afternoon surprised us with some sunshine,  prompting a drive "off piste" .. onto small country roads for a couple of lovely photos ... which are supposed to inspire me to paint!  

These two are best friends and were so friendly!

It was decided that dinner would be a 7 hour lamb ..  Amantine Lucile Dupin, a French novelist and memoirist, was best known by her pseudonym - George Sand.  

Sand conducted affairs of varying duration with a variety of individuals, but more notably with Frederic Chopin from 1837-1847. Her home was in Nohant, very close to Boussac,  the story I have heard, is that she would invite guests from Paris for Easter and prepare the 7 hour lamb as she was unsure of the time that they would be arriving after the long and arduous journey.

The recipe is simple, easy and the end result delicious!  I trimmed the lamb of most of it's fat and put it my Le Creuset pot, together with carrots, vegetable bouillon, a dash of red wine, and finely chopped rosemary and mint (secret ingredient!).  Into  the oven at 160degC with the lid on - I generally seal the lid using baking paper. The lamb was not very big and I didn't go for the 7 hour time frame! 

 After 4 hours,  I pulled it out and saw that the meat was coming loose from the bone.  I then lifted the meat into an oval casserole dish, covered it with tin foil and put the lid on  so that a long resting process would take place.   I poured the pot juices into a jug, and placed this in the deep freeze... this is a great way of getting rid of the fat which congeals and leaves behind the most delicious pan juices.  I carved the lamb onto a platter and spooned the pot juices all over it!  The lamb was soft and succulent, and I served this with vegetables and  Tzatziki which was prepared by my house guest, Liora who writes a blog on weight loss and great food ideas to support this process.

Ok... recipe done - and now to Market Day (today)...

the market in May isn't very big but there were enough stalls to amuse us!  We bought white asparagus,  and other various delicious looking fresh produce,  and also a poulet roti - which we had for lunch with a salad.  Actually,  the poulet roti was very dry and was disappointing.  

These are difficult to resist!

My friend bought this hat!

Added these to our salad!

 

Managed to resist these

and these!

Adore these soaps from Marseiles

Espadrille for summer

Aren't these wonderful?

Haberdashery

and upholstery

Said 'no' to these artichokes as it would result in too much delicious lemon butter being consumed!

We found a dear little hedgehog late yesterday evening,  just outside the house.  He seemed to be injured, so we moved him into a garden and when we discovered this morning,  that he hadn't recovered,  Mr R-I and Liora took him to the vet who examined him and announced that his thorax was injured.  The vet decided to keep the hedgehog and attempt to feed him.  We are keeping fingers crossed..

In a shopping bag on the way to the vet - with a green leaf for company..

the vet examining him

Mustique is very happy today - scampering around and bounding with joy - Sarah, who lives near Boussac and works in the garden is here today and he loves the fact that we are outside with him!

This peony bloom is dying to unfurl but due to the cold inclement weather,  it has remained in this closed position all week.. I was SO hoping that this bud and other peonies would bloom while we are here...very irritating! :)