Sunday, the 9th of August, was forecast to be even slightly hotter than the Saturday had been. We opted against running or hiking and went for a gentle walk around the village instead, in the morning before it became too hot.
There was a slight breeze, and it was actually a really pleasant walk, in spite of the heat making itself felt already. After about an hour, we were back at the cottage and thinking about lunch.
O.K.'s cottage is on the other side of a narrow cul-de-sac road from his parents' house, with a courtyard/driveway in front of their house and a strip of garden along the side. At that time of the day, it was still in the shade, and so we brought out the grill from the shed and had a barbeque for lunch.
Because of the wasps, we only grilled our food out there, but ate it in the kitchen, carrying our plates the few paces from the cottage's front door to the grill and back. It was much cooler inside, and no wasps! The grilled vegetables, sausage and rustic bread made for a delicious Sunday lunch.
We spent part of the afternoon resting, refreshing ourselves at the fountain a few times in between, and later had a cold evening meal on the balcony. By that time, the heat had become bearable, and we sat there long after sunset, admiring the beautiful starry sky. Even the Milky Way is visible from there - no chance of that in town, where I live.
Having decided to take the Monday morning commuter train instead of heading home on the Sunday evening made it all so much more relaxed and pleasant. All went well on the Monday morning, too, and I arrived home with 20 minutes to spare before my first conference call of the day.
That food looks delicious. Am I the last person in the western world never to have tasted barbecued food?
ReplyDeleteIt is unusual that you have never had food grilled over fire, if not at your own place, then in someone's garden. Over here, people will use the smallest outdoor space for it; we're obsessed with barbeques, and some spend thousands of euros on posh grills with all sorts of extra features.
DeleteGrilled vegetables are lovely and can be eaten straight from the grill or cold; whatever one has at home will do.
How lovely that OK lives so near to his parents. I am guessing that he was raised in that village - such a nice feeling. So many people live far from their roots. It is surely the source of much unhappiness. A lovely, simple lunch in spite of the pesky wasps.
ReplyDeleteThe wasps really are very bothersome these days, spoiling much of the fun of eating or drinking outdoors. But they have the same right to be there as we do, and are even protected in this country - one is not allowed to kill a wasp unless "for good reason", such as when an allergic person is nearby.
DeleteO.K.'s mother was born and raised in the village, and as far as I know, so was her mother. But for a few years when his parents got married, the family lived in another village. O.K. was about six when they returned, and for some people, they are still "newcomers" in spite of his mother's roots.
Delicious.
ReplyDeletewww.rsrue.blogspot.com
That it certainly was!
DeleteI am with you on cooking the food outside, but eating inside. Am one of those allergic to wasps...anaphylactic shock is not fun. Nor is trying to stab yourself with an epipen, so I try to avoid both the cause and the cure. It is just too bad that just when it would be nice to sit outdoors those little blighters show up.
ReplyDeleteYou are right to avoid the cause and the cure, Mary. Last time I was stung by a wasp, I was 17 years old, and I do not wish to repeat the experience!
DeleteThat sounds like a really happy Sunday. Grilled food, a long sit (with a glass of wine?) on the balcony in the cool of the evening, the whole started off with a modes walk in the morning.
ReplyDeletewell done.
It was a really happy Sunday, Friko. I think it was G&T, but it could have just as well been the remains of the chilled rosé we had been having with our evening meal.
DeleteA very pleasant Sunday despite the heat...Nice gentle walk, satisfying lunch and evening looking at the stars...Autumn will be here soon, I hope, with cooler days....It seems rather silly that O.K.'s mother is considered a newcomer...
ReplyDeleteYes, it was very pleasant.
DeleteIt's less O.K.'s mother than the family as a whole, and it really is only some of the elderly folks that would call them newcomers now. Overall, what with being members of the village band and doing many other things in and for the village, there is no question anymore of the family belonging there.
It looks like such a cozy village to live in and I'm guessing O.K. must have gone to school there. His parents must enjoy the fact he lives close by.
ReplyDeleteWe have a great outdoor grill, as do most Americans with an outdoor space. I eat mostly veggies and sometimes a spicy bean burger, or fish - all taste so delicious when grilled. Every weekend I try to grill a lot of red peppers for the fridge, and use them in different recipes.
I'm surprised you are not allowed to kill wasps! Of course, as you say though, if they are going to cause someone allergic to them from a sting to die, that rule is quickly forgotten!
I spy sunflowers in the fields -lovely.
Mary x
Sunflower season is almost over - the ones I see now on my walks are drying up fast, and the birds are happily harvesting the seeds already.
DeleteYes, O.K. went to school there, and he is close by when his parents need him; same with his sister who lives in another village not far away. But what with work, band practice and other things, sometimes a whole week passes without them seeing each other.
Wasps are considered both endangered (you wouldn't think so!) and important for our ecologic systems, and same as hornets, it is illegal in this country to kill or catch them, destroy their nests and so on.
That sounds like a lovely day and a nice barbeque too. We live in barbeque country here, just outside Kansas City, and that style of cooking is done quite a lot. My husband is mainly interested in smoking and grilling various types of meat but I love veggies cooked on the grill. It sure is nice for you to be able to get an early train on Monday morning and extend your visit!
ReplyDeleteSmokers have become more and more popular here, too, but we don't have one, just a simple grill.
DeleteWhenever possible, I now take that Monday morning train. One of the past few weekends that we spent at my place, I had to be at my client's office at 9:00 on the Monday morning; in that case, I would have had to travel home on the Sunday evening.
What a wonderful day and the barbeque food looks fabulous! I love grilled squash, peppers, and onions so I would have loved the vegetables! :)
ReplyDeleteWe marinate the vegetabels beforehand, with some olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper. There is also a lot of garlic in the mix :-)
DeleteRichard and I saw the Milky Way only once, on our 2 day honeymoon in mountains of North Carolina in June 1983. At least we can say that! Great photos, your light is lovely.
ReplyDeleteThe most stars I have ever seen were on one of our annual trips down to Sicily, during my first marriage. We drove all the way (2,000 km) and usually started in the middle of the night, stopping briefly on a parking lot in the Swiss Alps somewhere south of Zurich. The sky was breathtakingly beautiful! Strangely enough, I more remember the emotion than the actual view - I can't even say whether the Milky Way was visible or not.
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