August 20, 2016. Wind and rain, comfy indoors

LOCATION:  Housesitting near Stonehouse, Gloucestershire, England

WEATHER:  Very windy.  Much cooler. Highs in 50s

We awoke to high winds and rain, as predicted.  The homeowners are at an air show, and we hope the events won't be cancelled.  We are about a mile from the Bristol Channel, from which gale-force winds regularly blow.

We quickly fed  the rabbits and ducks, then curled up on the couch watching the Olympics.

People have kindly been sending me recipes/ideas for the abundant green beans, zucchini, and tomatoes we have picked.

I dried more beans for snacking.  For lunch, George made  zucchini soup and I baked zucchini fritters.  He found a soup-making appliance in a cupboard.  It blends/purées the food into a creamy texture, then cooks the soup.  Brilliant!    Both turned out great.  I'm already thinking about next ideas.  I'd like to have something prepared for the homeowners' return.  

By evening, the rain had mostly stopped and while the winds were calmer, we did our PM chores.  The ducks aren't laying many eggs; they must miss the homeowners!

We took Shadow the dog for a walk around the property.  More interesting sculptures...

The trees are full of fruit....apples, pears and figs.

DINNER:  Taking a break from zucchini and beans, we had salmon in creamy tagliatelle.  Side was a lettuce/tomato salad.  

August 19, 2016. Harvest time

LOCATION:  House-sitting near Stonehouse, Gloucestershire, England

WEATHER:  Light rain all day. Much cooler. Highs in 60s

After feeding the bunnies and ducks, George harvested the green beans.  He picked a ton!  

I spent the morning blanching and freezing several bags of them for the homeowners. Daughter Meredith suggested that we dehydrate some to eat as a snack......  I put a tray of salted beans in the coolest of the 5 oven compartments of the Aga and let them slow-cook all day.  Surprisingly crunchy and tasty!

Then in the afternoon, we tended the greenhouse.

By evening, the grass was quite wet, so I donned these "Wellies" to go out to feed the animals.

DINNER:  Trying to think of creative ways to use all this veg......I made an Asian stir-fry with zucchini, onions, garlic, mushrooms, and Asian noodles.  Side was Japanese sunomono......finely sliced cucumbers that I had marinated in a sauce of mirin, soy sauce and white wine (in lieu of sake).  Oishikata!  

August 18, 2016. Luxury and chores in Gloucestershire

LOCATION:  Housesitting near Stonehouse, Gloucestershire, England

WEATHER:  Beautiful, sunny day. Highs around 80

We finished our orientation with the homeowners.....animal feeding and garden, including gathering duck eggs for breakfast.  Ian, the homeowner, kindly drove us into town for some grocery shopping, then they were off.

George picked a laundry basket-ful of green beans.  Now I have to figure out how to use some of them.  We also pick about 6 zucchini, 5 cucumbers, and 20 tomatoes daily.  If anyone has recipes using these up, please let me know.  

The outdoor space here is magnificent.  Must be great for entertaining.  This is the gazebo near the front, next to a lily pond with a neat piece of sculpture that lights up at night.

This interesting artwork is in the front area....

And this..

These cute rabbit sculptures peak out of one of the flower gardens..

George mowed the huge yard.  I read a book!  😀. Then in the evening, we fed the fed the rabbits and ducks, and did the watering. Since it hasn't rained, everything needs a good drink.

DINNER:  Zucchini casserole with cheese.  Green beans steamed.  

August 17, 2016. Off to Gloucestershire

LOCATION:  Housesitting near Stonehouse, Gloucestershire, England

WEATHER:  Another fabulous day.  Sunny. Highs mid-70s

I took Bela for one last walk in the morning, and we tidied up the house.  The homeowners returned from their holidays in France about noon, and took us to the train station.

We arrived at London Victoria Station in about a half hour, then took the tube to London Paddington where we caught a train to Stonehouse, about 2 hours northwest of London. 

We are not far from Wales.   

Ian, our new homeowner, picked us up and brought us to their fabulous 17th century barn conversion in a tiny hamlet with about 12 houses.

Ian and his wife Maeve have restored and modernized the property.  They have unique art installations throughout, both inside and outside.

Our responsibilities here will be to care for Shadow, a darling black lab, 4 ducks, 3 rabbits and a greenhouse.  There is a huge vegetable garden that we will water and eat from.

Ian did a seafood BBQ.  Maeve made a Mediterranean vegetable casserole using the garden's veg. Ian and George dug up some potatoes, and Maeve quickly boiled them up on the Aga. Talk about fresh!  We ate outside in a cute picnic area.

It was a perfect evening to eat outside and enjoy each other's company.  

August 16, 2016. Best brewery in England

LOCATION:  Housesitting in Orpington, England, near London

WEATHER:  Beautiful again.  Highs in 70s

Today is our last full day in Orpington.  We did some more gardening and took Bela for a long, relaxing walk.  

For lunch, we walked about 1 1/2 miles to a nearby village to a microbrewery that we had heard of. 

We learned it won an award for the best brewery in England last year.  Here is the award and the brewer.

We sat outside and shared a pork pie, low-cal, I'm sure.

Then we did some grocery shopping and rode the bus back home.  

DINNER:  Lasagne.  I always like to prepare a meal for the homeowners to enjoy upon their return, so they don't have to rush out and go shopping.  I made lasagne for them for tomorrow, so while I was at it, made extra for us!

August 15, 2016. Long hikes in the woods

LOCATION:  House-sitting in Orpington, England, near London

WEATHER:  Another beautiful day.  Sunny. Highs mid-70s

We did some gardening for the homeowners in the morning, trimming and mowing.  It hasn't rained at all while we have been in Orpington, so I've been watering the potted flowers quite a bit.  Can't complain about the sunshine!

Our plan today was to take a bus to a pub in a village that our homeowners had recommended.  We waited about 30 minutes and the bus never came.  Some of the rural routes don't run very often.  So, plan B.......we hopped on the next bus and thought we would just get off when we saw something interesting.  

We disembarked in front of a pub.  We shared some hummus and pate, sitting at a picnic table outside.  Then, we found a footpath back.  It was about a 3-mile hike through the woods.  Pretty flowers...

We ended up in the woods near our house where we walk Bela...

We relaxed a while, then did another walk with Bela.  

For dinner, we walked to the pub next to Orpington's train station.  We had seen a sign advertising a free cheese board with an order of wine during happy hour.  We weren't expecting much, but the cheeseboard turned out to be very generous, with Stilton, cheddar, and blue cheeses.  

DINNER: Back home, George was still hungry so made himself a BLT.  

August 14, 2016. A day in London with Ana

LOCATION:  Housesitting in Orpington, England near London

WEATHER:  Beautuful. Sunny. Highs in 70s

Our highlight today was meeting up with Ana, who lived with us as a high school exchange student from Bolivia.  She lived with us about 6 months when we were in Minnesota. We became quite close.  Later, our daughter Meredith spent a year in Bolivia as a Rotary International  exchange student, too.  We visited Ana's patents in Bolivia on another trip.  Ana and daughter Alexis became good friends, and Alexis went to visit Ana in Bolivia on another trip. So, it was great to see her again after 12 years.

She was our tour guide for the city today, as she is studying in London and knows her way around.  First, she took us to a beautiful Sunday flower market.

It was wall-to-wall people.  Beautiful flowers.

Then we went to a neat section of town with food stalls.  She had a gigantic American-style hotdog; we had a sandwich from an  Argentinean  booth.

With our one-day pass on the subway and train, we went all over town.  Next up was a stop at Harrod's department store.

Everything is super expensive and elegantly displayed.  Most of the shoppers were wealthy looking Middle Easteners.  We especially liked the food section, although we passed on the $1500 jar of caviar.

By this time, George wanted a pub.  We took a bus, enabling us to see another section of town, through Kensington, to Nottinghill.  It is quite posh.  We went to a pub that Ana likes, The Churchill Arms.

The flowers on the building are exceptional.

It was a great day together with her.  

Then, tube and train back home to Orpington and Bela.  

DINNER:   Creamy pasta with bacon bits and veg.