An escape to France

In the South West of France in August the bright yellow sunflowers are in full bloom.  Scattered amongst the lush green fields, some filled with ripening corn, they grab your interest immediately and you just want to stop the car and run out to take photographs. Unfortunately the narrow windy roads negate the ability to stop at those opportune moments so you have to settle for winding down the window, driving quite slowly and snapping as you go.

Yes... one of those happy snaps from the car

We decided to drive to France.  

Unfortunately we had timed our departure with the Friday of a bank holiday weekend. Some four hours later (the usual journey one and a half hours) we arrived in Folkestone ready for our train journey.  I thought I was used to traffic until I came to Blighty. I've never seen anything like that in my life, the jam went for miles and we were stuck there stationery for ages. Thankfully we had a fully stocked car and eventually got there in the end.

Our first night in France (other than the brief stopover in a town near Calais which isn't worth mentioning) was in Chinon at a hotel called Le Plantagenet. Located in the south-west of the Touraine region, Chinon is most famous for where the future Charles VII sought refuge and where in 1429 Joan of Arc came to acknowledge him. While we only had one night there we timed it well with markets and what looked like a harvest festival.

Joan of Arc Place, just near our hotel

Joan of Arc statue

One of the many decorations for the harvest festival

Part of the harvest festival

Next we headed to the Loire valley where we decided to go see some Chateaux's. With so many options, we kept it to two...the Chateau D'Azay-le-Rideau - also known as the 'jewel of Renaissance architecture' and Chateau de Chenonceau. I can't add more to the descriptions other than just say the photo's are what really do them justice (see below). 

Chateau D'Azay-le-Rideau

Chateau D'Azay-le-Rideau

One of the grand fireplaces in the Chateau D'Azay-le-Rideau

The Indre river 

A gorgeous little cottage on the grounds of the Chateau de Chenonceau

Chateau de Chenonceau

Chateau de Chenonceau

Staying locally in the Loire valley, we found our own Chateau, the Chateau de Jallanges near Vouvray. And for those people that have asked or are going to ask... no it wasn't haunted.

Our welcome to the Chateau de Jallanges

The Chateau de Jallanges. 

Driving further South West we found ourselves in the Lot region. And for the rest of the week we stayed in a lovely country house near a town called Montcuq. In between relaxing in the clean and peaceful countryside, a long way away from traffic jams in Blighty, we found time to check out some of the local wineries such as the 500 year old Chateau Lagrezette. I would definately recommend visiting this winery, they were extremely helpful and had a great selection of wines.

Chateau Lagrezette

This beautiful Chateau sits just near the winery

I do like France and I like the fact these places in Europe are so close to. A little tip for those of you trying out France for the first time, take a phrase book because the French certainly don't like to speak english.

Now I'm off to the gym to try and work off some more of those croissants I over indulged in.
Bye!

My First Red Velvet Cake

Red Velvet cake is as it sounds, a lusciously moist deep red cake layered with a cream cheese icing. 

Are you hungry yet?

I found this recipe in one of the cake magazines I've been collecting (picture below).   The base was quite easy, it uses a lot of red colouring so make sure you have a good quality one else you'll be pouring the whole thing into your cake. The other tip... have enough cake tins so you don't have to re-use them and re-line each time. Thankfully I had three 10 inch cake tins handy.

The icing was something I've seen while perusing the local cake shops. It is time consuming but very effective .My tips... crumb coat your cake and create a smooth base before you start. Use disposable piping bags and just trim the tip off the end until you get the right size. 

To get this effect you need to pipe large dots up the cake and alternate the colours by one. Using a clean palate knife smooth out one side of the dot and make sure you clean your knife as you go.

Now what to do with the rest of the cake.... Might have to take it into work.

Happy baking!

A system called the NHS (No Hope Solutions)

The following piece of writing comes with a warning. It is my personal attempt at expressing not only my new-found experience of the NHS (National Health Service), but how my father in law is feeling as he continues his fight to good health in a poorly run system called the NHS. I make no attempt to hide the hospitals in question, these include Charing Cross and West Middlesex hospitals. And whilst I acknowledge there are some amazing doctors and nurses that work under extreme limitations in terms of the resources available, it is most evident a major shake up of the system is needed to actually deliver a base level of service one would expect. Here is the story.

How would you envisage your old age?

Healthy, happy and full of life? A bit of arthritis and aching bones but nothing to write home about. Perhaps enjoying holidays on a sunny beach somewhere? Sipping wine in your backyard or splurging and sipping on a latte in Paris. Enjoying your family, your wife or husband, your grandchildren and generally chatting and discussing how the world just isn't the same as it used to be.

But what would happen if you got ill?

Would you welcome a trip to the hospital where you knew you would get dedicated care, encouragement and support from a team of positive, passionate doctors and nurses? Where you recuperate successfully, aided in a clean and comfortable environment. Your clothes changed daily, food orders taken, showered and able to watch the odd bit of news on television. Where doctors and nurses monitor you daily and give you the right medication. Where you are treated like anyone's father, mother or alike.

In reality....the world crashes down around you.

You wake confused and disorientated in hospital but no one explains what is happening and why you are there.  

The nurses scream at you for bending an arm the wrong way, then they grab and pull you and it's then you see a drip is attached. But why didn't they explain?

The bruises show up not long after.

Your legs won't work and you don't know why. You desperately want to walk but the physio hardly comes.

Your body and mind aches with frustration.

But your family comes every day and explain it all to you because your memory isn't as good as it used to be.  You don't know why but something is wrong.

After a routine knee operation you have had a stroke.

Sometimes food comes and other times it doesn't. You have no choices.  Being vegetarian does not matter, nor the fact your illness has impacted your ability to swallow. You still get the dry old sandwich that you glance at but recall the last time you tried to eat it and nearly choked. No point eating.

Then they tell you you're moving to another hospital. You wait 12 hours with your wife and no transport comes. When it does the new hospital isn't aware of your arrival and the nurses bicker and argue in front of you.

You get a bed in the end.  New surroundings, new people around you and still you don't know why you are where you are.

After a few weeks you wonder why you still have a catheter in. When did that appear?

The nurses refuse to help. You hear your family pleading with the doctors but they shake their head and say sorry we have to refer it to another department.

They never refer.

Give me my dignity back please.

The words don't come easily anymore. Your brain knows what it wants to say but it comes out wrong. You apologise, you cry, you apologise and cry again.

Sometimes you get angry.

Every morning and evening the nurse brings your drugs. White pills, blue pills, red pills. You're not sure what they all are.

You hear your son arguing with a nurse. Apparently you've been taking an anti-psychotic without any family approval.

Perhaps that's why you've been quiet and withdrawn the last few days with no energy to even smile at your wife when she visits you.

In the middle of the night you wake confused, wondering where you are. You yell out for help but no one comes so you try and get out of bed but fall. You lie there bleeding and hurting but you did not know that you were hurt. 

Eventually someone comes.

The fall is so bad your eye closes up and they send you off for scans.

One day when it's really hot your family brings you a fan as there is no air conditioning in the hospital. 

It disappears. 

Later your family finds it being used on the nurses desk.

Gradually your strength returns to your legs and little by little you can shuffle with the aid of a walking frame.

Unfortunately the words are still jumbled and you can't make sense of what people tell you.

You wonder when this thing called delirium will end. Will you ever be back to the way you were? When can you come home? 

Sometimes you just want to die but then you see your family, their smiles, their love and care and you cry for the chance to just get home.  You cry and you wonder what do to next.