Yesterday evening we had our very first BBQ of the year and to us that's something really exciting as we love a good BBQ.
After a hard day of work (me garden, Bo boot room) we decided that, although it was quite chilly when the sun went down, we could pull a quick BBQ. And believe me, one can have a quick BBQ. Last year I bought a "Smokey Joe ® Gold" from Weber as it's compact and it has a handle so I can carry it around like a handbag.
I only use 250 gram of organic boneless chicken (marinated in 2 tbsp of soy sauce and 2 tbsp of ketjap), peppers, red unions, mushrooms and 3 organic sausages for Bo as he breaks the "no-four-legs-rule" when we have a BBQ. I wrap red potatoes in aluminium foil and roast them on the Smokey Joe and I serve all that with a simple salad, that's all what it takes.
I love eating outside as all table rules don't matter any more.
I find it quite bad behaviour when people leave the table, or get up, in the middle of dinner or when other people haven't finished their dinner yet. I find it rude when people don't ask to be excused. I have been places where children (almost adults) empty their plates, push their plate to the centre of the table, get up (unannounced), leave the table (while other people are still eating) and don't even have the courtesy to shove their chair back to to the table. Honestly, so many rules were broken.
When eating outside everyone is excused for their rudeness and for their bad table manners. One can get up and wander when pleased, one can have paint and dirt on their hands, cats, dogs and chicken are allowed to run freely around (not on) the table and so on. It's liberating.
Easter this year was really lovely. We started the day with a sun drenched dining room and a very first egg in the chicken house, I felt so proud and still haven't eaten it.
The tulips I planted last year are quite spectacular and I was able to pick a bunch for on the table. People on Instagram asked about the yellow peonies but they are not, those are tulips. I'll have to write a blog post on them soon as I'm quite excited to share the tulip-bed with you guys.
Bo's whole family was complete on Easter day brunch and yesterday we had chicken, chips and board games with my three nieces and nephew.
I only have two days left to clean up house before I leave for London to attend Selina Lake's Book Launch Party. I don't know if I find time to blog, so at the latest you'll hear from me on Sunday or next Monday. I bet I'll have lots of fun stuff to show you and I hope I get to meet some of you on Friday.
For most of my life that I lived in The Netherlands I've lived in the province of North Brabant. It's in the southern part of The Netherlands on the border with Belgium (hence I now live in Belgium but still do everything in The Netherlands) and Germany. I was born and raised there and each time I went back to live in The Netherlands I lived in North Brabant. I am a true "Brabander". I have a southern tongue, I speak with an extremely soft G and R and I speak the dialect of most places in Brabant as I moved around quite a lot. I love Brabant and I love the people and how people deal with each other in Brabant. All of my Dutch friends are from Brabant as we understand each other. I can't explain it but I sure know that most Brabanders who read this understand this.
All the provinces in The Netherlands have their own traditions and their own food specialties. In Brabant we have the "Brabantse Koffietafel" - Brabantse Coffee Table. It's a very large meal served with bread, coffee, tea, cheese, meat, soup etc. It's like an exploded brunch and it's always served to lots and lots of people at the same time. Traditionally families do this, or go to restaurants who serve koffietafels. I love them, I have fond memories of koffietafels with my own family.
I like to host them for friends and family and sometimes the crowd is small but the table is still packed, the essence of a proper koffietafel.
Even the egg cosies made an appearance. It was a good Sunday today.
Yesterday Bo and I went to Anki and Casper and we played in the snow, like most people in western Europe did. It always amaze me that people seem to really complain about cold and wet weather as if we live in a tropical sun swept climate the rest of the year. There should be snow in January because it's January.
Alistair Appleton wrote something so funny, and true, about the subject:
"Perhaps it also explains British people's absurd misery over the rain. As if in any other year it didn't rain in England. As if Britain was a tropical island maliciously haunted by a temperate rain God that taunted us. Why are we always surprised and cross that it's raining? It's like being cross because it gets dark at night, or because we only have two hands not eight."
On our way back to Anki and Casper's home we saw something amazing, something Bo and I are going to look at today. I'll get back to this as it's too exciting but probably a little too good to be true. Will tell you all about that an other day.
It's not all flowery white with pink rooms and daisies all day in my life. I do have other hobbies and interest. I've read all Alain de Botton's books with great interest, I watch a massive amount of films (hence my late nights), I like art, architecture and I'm a big lover of folk music.
I also like to spend time at concerts and plays. Last summer I booked tickets to see Johnny Flynn play in November 2011 but the date got pushed to January 2012. So there I sat front row in St Mary's Church in Ashford Kent a week ago Saturday listing to Johnny Flynn.
He just stood there on his own with his guitar being absolutely amazing. I'm so glad that I've experienced this very intimate concert with him. The acoustics were amazing especially when he had us all sing along to Tickle me Pink, it was just so special.
Thank you Johnny.
Remember the good old days when we bloggers had music swaps? Is anyone out there up for one of those again? I'd love to arrange a swap.
