A good Monday

AFTER a quiet weekend, My Good Lady and I go off to do a spot of supplementary shopping – things we can’t get at the local supermarket. Venison, for example. And damson jam and damson beer – both to be used as a glaze for some duck breasts we’re to have tomorrow. We also manage to locate some of our favourite French soft cheeses – Vignottes and Chaumes. (What is it about these French cheeses that appeals so much? Why is that they can make them so delicious? If you don’t believe me, compare a bog standard French Brie with it’s Cornish or Welsh counterparts and I think you’ll see what I mean.)

Because of road works and traffic congestion on the A6 we’re late on parade at the Geriatrics’ Corner. Nevertheless, Fran and Den have saved a couple of crossword clues for us. One is an Icelandic literary form – four letters: _D_A. “Edja,” says MGL with a bit of a prompt from me. “Never heard of that,” murmur Fran and Little B in unison… It really is an education in the Pub sometimes.

It’s one of MGL’s lamb curries for dinner this evening, and excellent it is, too. Why is it that, on the whole, curries made at home taste so much fresher and tastier than takeaways? Even when using jars of ready made sauces? There’s a mystery in it I fancy. Later, we watch University Challenge (BBC 2), and play a game or two of mah-jong against the computer, before opening a bottle of vino – an excellent Viognier from the New World.

On the whole, then, a good day, especially for a Monday.