Fast Number Whatever it is feels like 100s

 Decided not to eat meat today.

Ate half an apple and a half a small carrot and took R to Bercy station, having prepared him a delicious packed lunch which I did not nibble.  At least 30 minutes walking.

While I was trying to work out how to get the young persons travel card out of an electronic post R spent the emergency cash on a bottle of coke and a packet of M&Ms which he ate in front of me TORTURE.  Protested loudly.  Got out pre-prepared other half of apple and carrot and nibbled on carrot disconsolately.  All around me came the delicious smells of cafe food and the possibility to get bars out of machines.

Walked back, another 30 mins or bit more as went via the Post Office.  Ate high fibre and protein health bar 130 calories.  4.30 ate bowl of vegetable soup and 1 third of a bar (50.   Still got the rest of the apple and some carrot to 'look forward to'.   Troll is HUNGRY.  Keep concentrating on enjoying the reappearance of something resembling a waist (the original went missing in 1997 and has not been seen since).

Diet Scenes

Scene 1;  On the plane coming back from Sweden

JC is staring intently at a pen, its appearance, everything he can impose upon it, its story, right back to the beginning.

Me:   Can I have your biscuits if you don't want them?

JC:     Yes.  Do you need them?

Me:    Definitely not

JC:     Who wants them?

Me:  (Leans across and sings in his ear in Troll voice not my own) 'I'm a Troll   foldy roll'

JC   (laughs)  Do you want them?

Me;  No (did not, and did not eat them).





Scene 2;  Calling up the stairs to R

Me;  Have you got any sweets, I need sweets

R      No

Me   No?  How can that be possible?  Please please just one, I really want SWEETS

R     Do you want calories?

Me  No (stopped begging and went away)

Favourite winter salad

There's plenty of lambs lettuce (la mâche) in France during the winter, lovely dark green fresh leaves even in the cold months, much better and cheaper than forced lettuces.  I buy mine from a lovely burly Normandy farmer who sells his own produce at the market.

My favourite way to serve it is with smoked duck slices, orange segments, and a dark gloopy dressing, eg by adding Japanese teriyaki sauce, or soy sauce and brown sugar to classic salad dressing.

Second fast

What I ate


No breakfast as was not hungry for once

Lunch 
Three quarters of covered roast chicken breast (just a drop of olive oil, lemon juice and thyme) 200 cals?
Upon a bed of lambs lettuce and roast pepper slices with balsamic vinegar (no oil) 10 calories

Large tea with milk and another not so large one (not counting herbal teas obviously)

10 calories

 Snack
Fresh orange juice at a cafe in Paris, horribly about 100 calories, what?  Unfair.

Dinner
One steamed artichoke heart with vegetarian stuffing and home made tomato sauce contains onion 100?  A few slices of pepper again, negligable.
An apple 116 (expensive in calories for something so good for you I feel)

Total calories approx

516 (goal is to eat 500- 600 calories on fast days) but it's an estimate.

Mental and physical health
Really looking forward to eating tomorrow, this keeps me going, actually don't feel bad, probably slightly more energetic than usual.  Worst moment;  walking through Rue Levi where JC used to live when we first met, smelling and seeing the most wonderful array of food, passing at least 7 chocolatiers, cooking for R, watching JC eat cheese and home made by me pizza.

Eaten so far

Breakfast
Smoothie (mixed fruit including half a small banana, oat milk, 1 tsp each of goji berries, ground almonds, pumpkin seed)

Lunch
One dry fried egg and one quarter of a slice of dried ham

3pm snack (was feeling v. bad at this point)

One small satsuma
Half a small carrot
2 drops of coke (left in bottom of R's bottle)
0.5 cm of thin cut oven fried chip (left on R's plate)
3 lentils (to check if cooked)

It's 4.44pm and I'm hungry.

Last supper
Holding out for 6pm, will eat fun-free home made minestrone with loads of veg and lentils that I've just made - breathed in steam, was v. good.   Looking forward to having it with cheese tomorrow, amongst other things.

Activity
Changed 2 beds
Rearranged mattresses
Hoovered upstairs even under the bed
Hoovered stairs
Washed upstairs floors
Put in load of washing

Went to sleep after 'lunch' as desperate to avoid eating, 45 mins
Philosophy research for B
Emptied dishwasher
Cleared and cleaned kitchen
Cooked R's lunch
Cooked minestrone with lentils
Wrote blog

Health check
Pale, mad, hungry

Next fast Saturday

Olive Overload

This year we have been inundated by a rain of olives.  Although we are not in a region with the right climate for olives, the hot spring, wet summer and long mild autumn seems to have done the trick.  I'm still gathering and will have twice the amount in the picture from our very large, high tree.

How to prepare olives
Anyone who has ever tentatively tasted an olive fresh from the tree will know that something has to be done about the thousand raw rough bittnernesses which overwhelm the tongue; 

• Wash olives thoroughly
• Place in glass jars and fill with water
• Change the water and thoroughly wash olives once a day for two weeks to remove bitterness.  Daily change of water prevents bacteria building up as well as removing 'bitter' water so it doesn't get re-absorbed.
• Quality control;  empty olives out, wash and place in a large jar, fill up with water.  Remove the olives that rapidly rise to the surface and float, and compost (these are the damaged rotten ones with fermentation air causing them to float,) and pick out any that don't look good.  It doesn't matter that the olives have lost some of their colour or look mottled, ours go pink, but return to black when served in oil.
• Fill jar 1 tenth full of salt, add a few herbs and seasonings (in my case, rosemary and bayleaf from our garden one or two peppercorns, pinch mustard seeds) and fill up with water, shake thoroughly and leave for at least 3 days to let the salt absorb.    The 10 percent saline solution will kills any germs and preserve the the olives, I've had jars which lasted a year, until the next crop.
• Remove from jar when ready to serve, rince if you like to remove excess salt, serve in a covering of olive oil, which plumps them up, makes them gleam and improves the texture and taste.  The leftover oil can be used in cooking or salad dressing and is also v. tasty.

The benefits of barley flour

Nobody seems to know about this flour, it's one of my favourite kitchen ingredients, so here's a plug;

rich in minerals and B vitamins, source of fibre, nourishing, soothing and easy to digest, a thickener, adds 'elastic' texture, it does contain gluten but is a change and a rest from wheat, lots of 'medical' properties, here are some examples of how I use it;

• 30 percent in bread for a more bouncy texture (also pancakes, pastry, cakes)
• Home made gnocchi, mashed potato and egg yolk, plus enough barley flour to make it possible to roll into a sausage and cut up, holds together in water much better than with flour-based ones
• Barley porridge, one cup water, one spoon barley, heat and whisk until thickened,  add honey etc if required, helps soothe the digestion
• As a wholemeal and organic replacement for American OGM cornflour, eg thickens gravy, sauces, fruit tarts, 
• Add to soups for creamy texture thickening properties and nourishment...

What's Cooking?

Autumn

 Our family of  pumpkins (potimarrons) - make into soups with ginger and nutmeg

 Mushrooms from the market (cèpes and girolles)

Haricots cocos de Paimpol - this sounds lovely in French, like the coo-ing of turtle doves.  Unprepossessing from the outside, shelled to reveal pearls, boil vigorously for one hour and serve with strong tomato sauce, only available for three weeks in late September.

Figs and walnuts, fig and walnut bread.

August is two faced

At the beginning of August, the summer is in full swing, the sky is white with promise, we are bright and outside and the holidays will last forever, but by about the middle, already the dawn tarries and dusk hurries in, the sun's rays take on a slant, the odd crisp wind shivers the leaves, and I collect the sticks that our trees have kindly dropped, and prepare for the time when we will come inside again and light the fire...

The elderflowers have metamorphosed into ripe black berry clusters, and we had elderberry muffins for breakfast;

Recipe for Elderberry Muffins

Elderberry Muffins

8 elderberry bunches
300 g self-raising brown flour
150 g soft brown sugar
125 ml of oil
1 small pot of 'fromage blanc' (or yoghurt)
1 egg.

Mix dry ingredients, wash elderberries and tease them off the stem, add to dry mixture, beat egg, add to dry mixture along with oil and yoghurt, cook at 180C for about 20 mins until lightly golden and firm.


Also making...plum jam from garden plums...got the knack of setting now, does not slide around in the jar at all.  I wait until the 'glooping' of the bubbles becomes 'gloopier' and then watch it for 15 minutes until the jam forms a blob on a cold plate and can trace a line through it without it 'closing' and then wait until it forms a sort of stallegtite of drip off a wooden spoon...yes, the joy of employing human senses, without the crutch of a machine!

Unexpected Salad

JC midway through the Unexpected Salad

All my cooking is unexpected, because I never plan and always use what I can find;  leftover in the fridge, in season, in the garden...

Here I took leftover Quinoa with onion and grated carrot and a few courgette slices, I thought it tasted rather dull last night but perhaps I was in a bad mood.

I added a peach (in season), cucumber, snippets of jambon de Bayonne (like Parma ham, was in fridge) a selection of unexpected flavours from garden;  one or two leaves each from wild rocket, sage, mint, marjoram, lemon balm, oregano, hyssop, fennel, tarragon) squeezed over some lemon juice, a bit of salad dressing, and topped with a veggie burger and melted Comté cheese.  It was v. good.

Green Gaspacho

Summer has struck and my screensaver is filled with wild flowers.  With summer comes HEAT, even the computer is HOT;  B has rigged up a mini fan which plugs into a USB socket thingy with a swtich which is sellotaped to a reel of fishing line...(?)

Summer and my screensaver is filled with wild flowers...

Life saving computer user mini fan gadget by B

Heating food and eating hot food must be kept to a minimum during Parisian heat waves if kitchen and cook are not to suffer from irreparable heatstroke.

Today I got up early to open the windows (as I do every hot day) and let in the cool air (if you call 20 C cool) and went to the market early, before the heat, and came back with spring onions with tops, carrots with tops and radishes, with tops.

This Green Gaspacho is green for two reasons, firstly it is a green colour and secondly it is made from the parts which would otherwise be thrown away.   I do not do paid work but I do work and with this soup especially I feel I pay my way.

For this you need a good blender.    I have a Magimix blender, which is well worth the extra price as this is what you have to pay to get the right quality for the job -  of being a blender.   I have had mine for 3 years and use it at least twice a day for smoothies and soups.  I can't escape the fact that a good blender is key in my quest avoid throwing away food, and to encourage youngsters to eat enough fruit (smoothies).

Green Gaspacho Recipe (vary according to what you have)


Ingredients
Any tops - in this case carrot, radish and spring onion (radish leaves have to be cooked the same day or they turn yellow)
Any wrinkly veggies that need using up, or cheap in season vegetables
A sad lonely lettuce that nobody ate
A few stinging nettles and chard leaves if you have them (optional)
If you like garlic, put some in, or wild garlic if you have some in the garden

Fresh herbs which you would enjoy eating raw (eg: oregano, chives, mint and parsley, with a sprinkle of rosemary and sage).

Method
Wash and cut up tops and garden leaves and boil until tender in a pan of good water.  When cooked, leave to cool, and mix in blender with the herbs - the raw herbs give it some kick and retain health properties.

Taste and season, chill thoroughly, serve with a swirl of cream or creme fraiche if desired.  Actually the seasoning part may require some imagination - depending what you put in it.

VOILA!

Alright I admit it, it looks disgusting, it tastes disgusting...but my husband eats it.

Elderflower Cordial

There is a bumper crop of elder flower this year, obviously elder trees love rain, cold and absence of the Yellow Stuff (I believe it is called sun).

I cropped 12 ripe wide open flowers from the elder which planted itself  in our garden and which is now 20 feet high and has ended the career of my rotary washing line.  The tree had of plenty of flowers to spare, and will have plenty of berries for the birds in the late summer.

I dissolved 1.5 kg of sugar in 5 litres of water, put in zest and juice of 3 lemons  dunked in the flowers, and covered it and left it to infuse in a cool dark place.   Magic, 24 hours later, aromatic elderflower syrup!  If you dare leave it 2 or 3 days, it tastes even stronger.  R insisted that I filter it (ie sieve out the odd stray floret and the lemon zest), I bottled it and kept it in the fridge (it only lasted a week - because we drank it).  I've just made some more with double the sugar and lemons, and bottled in sterilised bottles, to see if it will keep out of the fridge...watch this space for news.***

Elerflower is perported to be helpful in the following conditions  rheumatism, arthritis, and gout; upper respiratory stuff (colds; the flu; sinusitis; tonsillitis, sore throat; chills; fevers) and if taken at the onset of chicken pox or measles it helps by increasing sweating and speeding up the healing process.  They also act as a diuretic which helps to rid the kidneys of toxins.  

Not sure what happens when mixed with sugar,  but as it hasn't been heated it may well retain some interesting properties.

Update:  the cordial ferments after a week or so, and tastes even better, but if left longer turns to vinegar.  So stored remaining bottles in fridge, but none left now, as very popular with family.  A friend of mine who also made elderflower cordial this year, suggests freezing ice cubes of it to add to drinks and desserts.  Otherwise you could heat it to boiling point and seal like jam, but would no longer retain same properties I guess.

*** Update  It certainly kept a few weeks out of the fridge with 3 kg sugar, but could not test any longer as we drank it all up and wished we had made more.  It is now May 2014 and the elder is flowering again, will make more batches and do more experiments.

Laperouse Birthday

We were sitting about where this photo was taken from, with window view onto the Seine

JC invited me to dine with him in Paris last night, to celebrate my 49th birthday.  He could not fail to remember to celebrate my birthday this year, after the very unfortunate scene which ensued in the face of his indifference last year...when he decided to program a reminder into his Blackberry one year in advance to ensure no repeat performance.

Anyway, moving swiftly along, the downside of this experience is:  take a chunk out of your savings and kiss it goodbye.  But the rest is all upside.

We went to Laperouse http://www.laperouse.com/ St Michel station on metro line 4, Quai des Grands Augustins, overlooking the road that goes along the Seine which is bordered on the other side by lovely golden sandstone buildings in the sunset under a marble clouded and blue sky.

JC told me that all the Michelin starred restaurants were booked at least one month in advance, and that this one was recommended by Michelin but did not have a star.  I was relieved about this as the food and service and surroundings were so excellent that I cannot imagine one, two or three stars better and I'm sure they would have been wasted on me.

I had no idea where we were going, but my personal pallette was perfectly in keeping
Darling who was I wearing?  Charity Shop Style:  Red silk scarf from brocante, viscose dress from Principles at Barnados, Cardi from M&S

Ladies at the door

The welcome was warm and comfortable, the decor matched mine (sort of greenery-yellowy faded arty aristocracy with splashes of red, both gold and silver why not,  and plenty of twinkle).  The restaurant was traditionally loved by artists and poets, the menu opened with a Beaudelaire poem about wine which was very encouraging on the subject.  We decided on a kir aperatif, with starter and main course and an option on the pud (taken up needless to say), with one glass each of good wine (me red with lamb, he white with fish).

The most excellent food imaginable was sourced, subjected to a secret and sweet alchemy of mixing and cooking, presented as art on the plate and poetry by the waiters.   The wine waiter knew the producers personally, and enjoyed sharing full-bodied descriptions.

Wine waiter on the right

La fleur  de courgette
Cuite moelleuse, mousseline de saumon et beignet croustillant au violet de roche, tomates séchées.

Le bar 
De petit chalut, rôti au citron bio, tombé d’épinard et pomme de terre croustillante à la réglisse.

La selle d’agneau 
Farci d’aubergine grillé et olive taggiasche, polenta croustillantes et caviar d’aubergine.

La fraise 
Au naturel, Gariguette et Marra des bois, coulis vanille de Bourbon, sorbet champagne Rosé.
with spun sugar wafers embedded with mint leaves
with 
Le soufflé Lapérouse depuis 100 ans 
au  praliné noisette, sauce caramel et épice, marmelade d’orange et sorbet orange sanguine.


An uplifting path to inner satiation, peace and good-will
At first bite and at every subsequent bite, the amuse bouches and the avant desserts included, the food made me close my eyes and melt into a particular kind of food-induced ecstasy which I can't quite explain, and which I can only describe as spiritual-emotional, an uplifting path to inner satiation and peace and goodwill.   And the same for each glass of character wine.   I think that taking time to appreciate the beauty and story of the food in combination with its incomparable quality induces a sort of heightened consciousness.

The portions were delicate, emphasis on satisfaction total of taste without overstuffing of the clientelle.  One really good glass of wine was the way to enjoy both food and wine to the full, without being too full or insufficiently conscious to appreciate the full benefits.

Simply perfect food, and simply perfect celebration of attaining a fruitful and generous refined age.

Even the RER engineering works plus work to rule which left us stranded at the wrong station, where by 11pm the taxis had all " gone home"  (very typical French suburbs, do not try to go out after work using public transport)  did not spoil it.    As we set off along a road devoid of street lighting and heavy on puddles,  I decided to hitch, and within minutes a very kind couple stopped and as luck would have it, were driving almost to our door.  This is Grace and I am in a state of it.

Getting Your Bacon in France

CUNNING "FRANGLAIS COOKING" BACON TIP you will find this hard to believe but tasting is believing!

After over 15 years of being largely deprived of bacon it took a French woman from Alsace to share with me acunning and simple method to achieve English style bacon on demand, without the expense, delays and difficulties of importing from England.

Take some ham, (eg jambon de Paris) and fry it gently, serve with your egg;  looks like bacon, smells like bacon, tastes like bacon - and no watery bits or bothersome rind.  Also works with 'roti de porc', and for a different taste,  'raw' ham  eg (jambon de Bayonne), a bit of a waste, but if you've got some to use up...

15 years of deprivation...for nothing!  tchshhhniya

Franglais Cooking; lemon mousse recipe

FRANGLAIS  LEMON  MOUSSE

A creamy mousse, could be called une crème au citron

I have developed a Franglais style of cooking, using ingredients that can be found here in France, yet pandering to my English taste and tendencies.

Easy lemon mousse, Franglais style

Until recently I was unable to buy pots of lemon mousse;  for some reason the French only sell chocolate, coffee or vanilla (with chestnut in season).  This has caused me a certain amount of frustration over the years.  Just recently big business has introduced it to our supermarkets, but I'm not keen on industrialised food in terms of health, taste and morality, and also you never know when things will be unintroduced.  For example Lindt introduced a lemon meringue chocolate to French supermarkets.  I was ecstatic, at last an alternative to praline, and fruit with milk chocolate (here the limited supply of fruit centred chocs limit themselves to plain chocolate which I don't like).  But this trial presumably revealed that the French preferred to stick to their bally old praline, so Lindt withdrew it.   With this sort of experience, I decided to make myself independent with my own easy recipes, satisfaction guaranteed.  

FRANGLAIS LEMON MOUSSE RECIPE
Ingredients, collect together:

Ingredients; 1 lemon, 2 eggs, creme fraiche, petits suisses, sugar

Pot of creme fraiche, good and firm (try local market, or good health food shop, not watery fluffy stuff in supermarkets)

6 petit suisses (nature)

One lemon and a good zest grater (I'm glad I invested, I use it constantly)

Sugar

2 eggs

Method
The wonderful thing about creme fraiche is that you don't have to whip it, and the petits suisses are also good and solid, so take 3 large dollopy dessert spoons of the creme fraiche and 5 petit suisses and mix them together in a bowl with 4 dessert spoons of sugar (you can add more if not sweet enough).  Juice half a juicy lemon, or a whole not so juicy lemon and add, along with the zest of the whole lemon.

Separate the eggs and whisk the whites into peaks, and fold in to mixture.  VOILA!

Ariège: Another Unexpected Restaurant

We decided to make a pilgrimage from Ercé to Montségur, not realising that with one mountain road 'closed' (late snow apparently, although the natives are outraged and say it is a nonsense), 40 minute detours are obligatory, and the mountain road via Massat must have inspired the Beates 'Long and winding road', and  passed through some of the most beautiful mountain scenery I've seen, including  360 degree circles of peaks.

About halfway we realised we wouldn't make it to Montségur village in time to eat, and there appeared an auberge/restaurant, the sort of venue that would have suited the Made in Chelsea cast had it suffered sufficient investment (which happily it hadn't).  Smoke billowed from the kitchen, the asparagus was tinned,  but the timing, service and view were splendid.

Ariege: Unexpected Restaurant

It was jeudi-saint, a bank holiday, so I rang in advance,

'Is it possible to reserve a table for this evening?"

'Houff, pfff - this evening?" said the restauranteur, audibly put out "What time?"

He must be overbooked,  I thought, but he agreed nonetheless to reserve a table for us at 8pm.

We arrived at a grey building on a grey road with a white plastic table and chairs on the pavement, and entered via the bar.  Cigarette smoke hung in the air from hastily departed smokers, the TV was full-on, an unsociable Pekingese dog regarded us from under the table with a bulging eye, the customer-in-residence regarded us with two.  He called the owners, they showed us to the dining area, which opened onto the bar.  The entire restaurant was empty, it had always been empty and always would be.  A plastic Christmas tree sat atop a pile of papers and bits and pieces littered the shelves. The tablecloths were faux Provençale in yellow and blue polyester with mud coloured paper protectors.

A small waiter moved sideways across the room towards us and said blurrily 'did you reserve?'.

We peruse the menu, not yet reassured we are in a good place...

French Country Restaurants;  appearances can be deceptive
However, I have learned that appearances can be deceptive in French country restaurants.  There was no dust on the cladding ledge, the paper table protectors were new, the floor clean to the edges, this gave me hope.

We chose the mid-range menu at 23 Euros, starter, main, cheese and pudding.  For a starter I chose duck 'ham' with melon, S and JC omellettes aux cèpes, B salad with two livers, and B the childrens' menu (steak and chips as per, thank goodness or there would have been a terrible fuss and the restaurant would have been deemed No Good).

The mum came in with 'amuse-bouches'.  Yes, exclamation mark, amuse-bouches!  Verrines filled with a Roquefort pear and cumin 'crème'.

Tucking in:  omellette aux cèpes for S and JC,   salade 2 foies  for B,  pâté en croute for R

We kept the picture of our English exchange student S deliberately  blurred to preserve his anonymity (he is laughing not screaming...)

My starter was decorated with star fruit and wafer thin slices of blood orange.  B had duck liver, half of it poêlé (seared)  half in a foie gras style, and R had pâté en croute for his childrens' menu starter (9.50 the menu) a sort of up-market pork pie slice.  The roast breast of duck was served with hand-fried potato slices and a 'gallette' of courgette and cheese, followed by a pretty wild raw-hide cows milk cheese (which we wrapped in napkins and took home for cooking)  served with home made apricot jam and isle flotante for pud, even the quarter pitcher of table wine from Corbières was good;  the meal was delicious; presentation attractive; the service attentive (we discussed the rescue of their stray cat, the wild men in the mountains and the introduction of the bear, it turned out the waiter had to cancel his night out with his hippy friends when we booked, so that was why he sounded put out) and we all had a jolly good time, who could ask for more?  (apart from turning down the telly and cutting out the fags).

R on top form, just been given novelty ice cream and plate of sweets;  JC peaking after a day's walk  in the peaks

Le Picou at Ercé, no website available....obviously

Ariege Mountain Holiday; St Girons Market

Saturday is market day, we arrive and stock up with food for the holiday, and to buy presents souvenirs and a bit of food to take home (no room in car for more, sadly).  Then on the Saturday we go home, we call in again.  A multinational gathering of ecologists, hippies, artists, musicians and generally all the people I like being with selling the food I like to eat in a town I like the look of...and so drones on about how wonderful it is...in the face of disapproving teenage son who buys pizza, sits on bench, eats pizza, declares the market, the entire region Boring and "full of Old People" and every time I approach the bench asks "When can we go?"

I usually buy one pot, this one from a profound potter with blue eyes, she is part of the souvenir

Organising the mountain flower honey

Garden produce on a plain table

East-West;  Young Lebanese musician selling his organic vegetarian Lebanese sandwiches;   sauce with special thyme from the Lebanese mountains, humous, smoked aubergine pate, salad, yoghurt sauce, goats cheese...au choix

Dutch wildman goatherder, wonderful life, wonderful cheese!

Here we bought particularly aromatic lemon verbena (verveine) for tisane...

JC even found a lovely 2nd hand bookshop run by a Northerner who stocks up in Paris, opens every day it is possible to sell, works hard but loves the work - JC bought Tin-Tin cartoons and book about Eco Houses...

Beatles music...

Bought apple juice here, gathered from hedgerows, (never shake the trees it upsets them and they won't produce next year), dry the apples a little before juicing, makes them sweet... he works as a volunteer for a charity and so has use of their juice-pressing facilities, also turns wood from his garden

R cruises with headphones, to exasperation of parents,but at least he took them off

market by the river

Bought some very good caramel sauce for pancakes, made by Ariege woman who went to Brittany to learn how to cook Brittany food, and sells it to Brittany people in Ariege who complain they can't get their food...that's business!

Orange is my kind of colour

My kind of people...

 

An American grandmother hippy chick, running a portable organic cafe with camping chairs unloaded from her van:  we had perfectly blended chick pea curry and rice and a spicy chai tea with milk, very very excellent

AM I THINKING OF MOVING HERE?   YES I AM.  AM I THINKING OF BUSKING IN RESTAURANTS FOR MY SUPPER GROWING HERBS PLUCKING FRUIT AND HANGING ROUND MARKETS SELLING THINGS FROM MY GARDEN?  YES.  AM I THINKING OF WEARING FLOWERS IN WHAT'S LEFT OF MY HAIR?   YES YES YES