Singing on the Water

I've spent the last five Monday evenings learning seven new songs. 900+ other people have been doing the same all over the West Country. Today we gathered in Lloyd's amphitheatre to sing them once through before this afternoon's performance. The occasion was Sing for Water West and we appeared to have been singularly succesful! I woke to the sound of rain, which continued on and off pretty well all through the morning's practice. Fortunately, round about lunchtime, the clouds parted and the sun shone through. By the time we started to sing the ground had dried and the deckchairs were out.

After the concert, which appeared to have gone down well with the crowd, a number of us boarded The Matthew for a trip around the harbour. We cruised up to the Cumberland Basin where the sight of a number of pirates sparked a rendition of our sea shanty. Once we'd started we couldn't stop and the good people of Bristol strolling along the harbourside or patronising its watering holes were treated to an encore of our performance.

Standing on the prow, with a glass of Bounders in my hand, surrounded by people singing for the sheer joy of it, bringing a smile to faces on the shore, made me feel so very happy.

Roll on September and the beinning of the next Gasworks term.

Yarnbombing - 1

This one's for Diane!

Gaol Ferry Bridge, Bristol

Yarn Bombing Collage

It took me some time but I finally managed to produce a collage of the North Street Green Yarn Bombing extravaganza. I hope you like it.

Things that go Woolly in the Night!

Lunch

I'm not sure that French toast (or eggy bread as it's known in our house) is the traditional accompaniment to asparagus but, on the grounds that both bread and asparagus can be dipped in boiled eggs, I thought it would work. It did.

The asparagus was from our Riverford organic vegetable box. I've only every poached the delicate stems, but decided to roast them on this occasion (10-15 minutes at 180 C, tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper) and was very pleased with the result.

Made me Smile!

I spotted this amusing piece of graffiti on the Bristol-Pill cycle path on Sunday.

All Things Pig

Last night we ate out in our local church. Not the usual ploughman's or bring and share buffet, but a 7 course All Things Pig menu devised and cooked by Vincent Castellano and his team. Never having been to a pop up restaurant before I wasn't quite sure what to expect but was very excited by the prospect.

We turned up at 7 pm with two bottles of the recommended wine (a Medoc and a Vin de Pays d'Oc), to find the church lit by the candles usually reserved for Carols by Candlelight or Midnight Mass, and two long trestle tables running the length of the nave. Final touches were being made to the decorations, and a man dressed as an orthodox priest was wandering around muttering in a thick French accent and dusting down guests with a pink feather duster!

We took our places and were served a cocktail containing cider, drambuie, sherry, and lime! It was surprisingly palatable.

Proceedings took a while to get started but we had plenty to drink and friends to chat with. Eventually the 'real' vicar said grace and service began. Each course was introduced by the French priest who would have been very informative if we could have made out what he was saying. However it didn't matter in the least as the most important thing was what the food tasted like - and it was delicious.

We started with a Delice de St Antoine, boudin noir and caramel apple.

Followed by a platter of charcuterie - coppa, saucisson sec, pate de campagne and pate en croute, served with Bertinet sourdough bread and a dish of radishes, cornichons, pickled onions and olives.

Next came a slice of brawn with celeriac remoulade.

Followed by a glass of poached rhubarb and vodka.

The main course was a slice of slow roast pork ham loin with madeira glaze, smoked pancetta, cotechino and braised choucroute, served with a potato, leek and apple gratin with cheese.

The cheese course featured Trethowans's Gorwydd Caerphilly and Stichelton and Homewood's Old Demdike with more Bertinet sourdough bread.

And to finish we were served a Royal au Chocolat with a coffee cream sauce.

This will go down as one of the most memorable meals of my life. My only quibble was that I found the loin of pork slightly too salty for my taste, but I don't salt much at home and no one else remarked on it. The highlights were the delice, the boudin, the pate en croute and the cheese.

The ambience was excellent. We were serenaded by the Gaulois brothers on their guitars and an accordion. Guests were invited to get up and dance between courses and a few did. There was none of the pretension I feared. Everyone was there to enjoy the food and the company, and neither let us down.

I'm grateful to Mike for organising the event and Castellano's for rising to the challenge.

I hope it is the first of many such events.