Leaving Boussac

Its always sad to leave Boussac.  This funny little village/town offers a very slow pace of life, allowing repetition of simple daily tasks and pleasures.  No stress... just a complete rest!   

The weather was wonderful in the first week - really hot and sunny and we spent hours by the pool and in the garden.  We ate beneath the big Tulip tree at lunch time.

I spent time with my long time friend and neighbour Deirdre who has an adorable little house right next door. She has decorated the house beautifully.  We call to each other over the fence and are always popping over for a chat, a coffee or a meal.  There is a standing arrangement that we have each other over for dinner the night we arrive or depart.  

On our second day, Liora, a friend staying with us announced that there was a huge spider web in the Long Room.  Deirdre was here having a coffee in her beautiful white linen gown.  Without hesitation,  the two of them sorted out the problem!  The web was precariously high up and as you can see it was a very efficient operation! 

Operation Spider web - this room has a double-volume ceiling!

Deirdre's house

This beautiful angel was painted by a friend of Deirdre's

Love her cushions!

Another Angel


There was also a great deal of tree surgery going on this visit.

See the man in the tree.. incredibly he never used a chainsaw but literally swung around the inside of the tree "shrinking" the tree by one metre!  Then,..
this view below...

changed to -

this view - because of 

these men who kindly cut back these trees which have grown incredibly since we moved in.

There was also a TV crisis when we arrived... it wasn't working!   This man below,  came along (on a Saturday) to move the dish which had stopped picking up the signal because the Tulip Tree had grown so much.  Doesn't the dish look fabulous there..!

Mustique arrived and hung around every day hoping for a morsel.  Deirdre and I decided against feeding him as an entire gang of wild cats had begun taking up residence in our gardens!  There is an old lady who lives near the Church square who feeds all the strays every day.  Mustique was looking well and healthy so we figured someone was feeding him.

We have heard that there are strikes at Charles de Gaul airport and we fly out on Friday....finger & toes!

BBQ'd Duck salad and a walk |

BBQ'd DUCK SALAD and a walk!

I love cooking and also love experimenting with the combination of different ingredients.  Occasionally,  there is a success!  Today was such a day and I thought I'd share the recipe.

I had never cooked duck breasts before, and when a visiting friend suggesting cooking them on the BBQ,  I was very interested in what they would taste like.  They were delicious.   The smoky taste and the fact that the fat was completely rendered made eating these delicate tender slices quite memorable.

We BBQ'd two more last night and as one was more than enough for the two of us,  I wrapped the remaining breast in tinfoil to go in the fridge overnight.  While shopping this morning I thought of making a salad incorporating the left-over duck.  I decided on delicate sweet folds of butter lettuce rather than the 'little gems' that I'm so fond of.  

Duck is quite 'gamey'  and I feel needs sweetness to offset this flavour.  I decided to re-heat the breast, still in the foil, in the oven.   I had left-over slices of roasted white beetroot and roasted red capsicum which I thought would go well with the duck.  Mango would also enhance the salad especially visually.  At the last minute,  I added walnuts too!  

A word on how to cook the beetroot which I also learnt from my friend, is to wrap each beet in foil and bake until soft.  Peel and slice into a bowl.  Last night,  I added orange juice, a little olive oil, salt and pepper.

These white beetroot are silky,sweet and delicious.

Roast Capsicum in flat oven pan using a little olive oil, salt and pepper.  I like them slightly charred.

The salad was truly delicious (well in my opinion it was) and Mr R-I agreed!

Before the recipe,  a word on the BBQ-ing technique.  As there is a great deal of fat,  I'm not sure how a gas BBQ would stand up to the intense rendering!  We have an old charcoal fired Weber BBQ here in Boussac which was perfect!  The breasts need to be scored, salted and peppered and should be at room temperature.  This is important as they don't cook for long in order to get that perfectly pink, slightly rare result.    

Once the coals are 'ready'... and this is not an exact science,  place the scored breasts fat side down and wait until the flames shoot up.  The lid then needs to go down with the air vents open to stop the flames!  Last night,  we cooked them for 5 mins on the fat-down side,  and then 3 mins on the other side. They were then rested for at least 6-8 minutes before being sliced.  

Recipe for the Salad

Butter lettuce - 

 washed, dried and arranged on a platter.

Sliced white beetroot or red

Sliced mango

Sliced roasted peppers (in a little olive oil) (no      vinegar added)

Walnuts

Dressing of orange juice, olive oil, Maile mustard, 

  and honey.

Combine everything and (hopefully) you will love this as much as we did!... let me know!

Before I sign off,  a few photos taken with my iphone on yesterday's walk..

Most locals have vegetable gardens

This garden is being watched closely by a hare in a cage?? Poor old Peter Rabbit!

Giving a whole new meaning to the word 'rickety'!

The 15thC Boussac Chateau

For the picking

A still stream

Laden with plums

Higgledy-piggledy!

Have a good week everyone! 

ALASKA - Second stop - Skagway

SKAGWAY

After leaving Vancouver we were 'out at sea' for a day and a half and then dropped in at Juneau.  Apart from the fact that Sarah Palin lived there for  the time she was Governor  (Juneau is the capital of Alaska) I was not that impressed with the little town.

I took this photo from the ship as we arrived,  of an old jetty just outside Juneau.

   

One main street in Juneau .. love the mountains as a backdrop

 

The large white house is the Governor's house in Juneau.

The following stop - Skagway,  was quite different.  The most delightful little town - Chocolate- box   pretty wooden buildings,  timber board-walk pavements and everything as neat as a pin.  We disembarked early and boarded the "White Pass & Yukon Route train that took us to the White Pass Summit.  The train climbs almost 3000 feet in just 20 miles with gradients of up to 3.9%, cliff-hanging turns of 16 degrees, two tunnels, bridges and trestles.  "The steel cantilever bridge was the tallest of it's kind when it was constructed in 1901"

It was great fun, and each coach had a little 'pot-belly' stove which provided warmth and cheer.

I spent most of the ride outside, between the swaying coaches trying to get good photos!  There was a lot of editing and I think I got some good pics.  It was very cold out there, the train was rocking and rolling and travelling at considerable speed.  The result was many blurred photos!

The 'brakeman' inspecting the train before our descent

The Flags at the summit

The landscape was exceptionally beautiful!

Back in Skagway, we did some shopping and below some of the pics of the day.

Cruise ships stop at Juneau and Skagway everyday during the season, resulting sometimes in up to 11,000 visitors a day!  I must say that I did admire their friendliness and patience

Mr R-I took this picture of Judy, Ozzie and me.  I love the combination of the huge cruiser berthed right next to the train!  Judy is sporting her new bag bought in Skagway!

My final post on Alaska will tell of our visit to Ketchikan and Glacier Bay.