Archive Article: 2000/03/24
THE wind was shaking things up again last weekend. Although it made me feel a little edgy, it seems that the cows have settled down now and accept it as normal, even though they are more open to the elements than during the Christmas gales. We have £16,000 worth of damage to the big shed, and there is still plastic sheeting on the house roof but no further damage was incurred with the recent bad weather.
Local roofers reckon they have enough work in storm damage to keep them busy for the next three years – I dont know where we are placed on the list of priorities.
Over the last year or two our landlady, Mme Dufresne, has had two men Yves Monton, and Gerard, working on our half-timbered outbuildings. They have been doing a really good job renovating them. Since the storm, while Yves is pointing, Gerard has been fixing the roofs but he doesnt feel up to tackling our big shed or our home roof (we have four storeys) so that will all have to wait a while.
A few weeks ago we bought back the meat from a barren cow that went to slaughter and our freezers are full of the most tender beef and steaks. Gerard took the tripe home to his Mum, who cooked it in the Tripe à la mode de Caen tradition, with cognac, white wine and carrots from the Chateaus kitchen garden and he brought us some back all ready prepared. Tim was very impressed. Surprisingly so, as I recall when we were first married I used to buy and cook tripe the way my Mum did, and Tim had to leave the flat, he couldnt stand the smell, never mind eat it. But since we have been in France the situation has changed, now Im not so fond of it and he relishes the dish. So much so that he invited his friends for a lads breakfast this morning (it being Sunday and his weekend off).
At 9.30 a.m. the local baker, insurance man and another friend sat down at the table to piping hot tripe and white wine followed by cheese, 50-year-old Calvados and coffee, and very tasty freshly baked bread which Tim was teasing the baker with. Weve recently bought one of those bread making machines, and he wanted to try it out on an expert, with a favourable result despite the threat to his industry!
You would think that would be enough of a gastronomic experience for one day but in fact we were then invited for lunch at some friends of ours, Deb and Joss.
She made an Indian meal hoping to sweeten Tim up enough for him to let her get her hands on Gerard for a few days to work on their buildings, as they cant get a roofer in either.
Tastes have changed at Vimer but Chrissie is not as keen as Tim to breakfast on tripe.