These include:
The bottom of tree trunks( sometimes telegraph poles) are painted white.
Lots of houses have balconies, verandahs and/or wells, (and dogs). TV adverts for medication show the contents & side effects at the end of the advert and they are read out really quickly.
There is an advert showing how to perform the Heimlich manouvre.
If you want to buy a bottle of beer, you can't unless you take an empty bottle back, OR, learn how to say
'cat costa platesc sticla'; how much for the bottle/
There are storks living on chimneys and telegraph poles around Bucharest.
Schools have just broken up for 12 weeks holiday!
Will write more soon Pa pa AM
Tuesday, 21 June 2011
Monday, 20 June 2011
honeysuckle, fruit & nuts
I have been in Romania for several weeks & the garden is now perfumed with Philadelphus, roses and evergreen honeysuckle,( the same one I have from a cutting, thank you Janet and Dominic; how are you?) We also have raspberries planted all around the edges of the garden, plus blackberries, wild strawberries and 2 types of cherries on the trees in the orchard. Unfortunately, we haven't got a 20 foot ladder, so the birds are in for a treat. I ate some cherries straight from the tree from our bedroom balcony this morning, and Rich and I ate some wild strawberries after tea.
Yesterday we had a BBQ with some of Richard's work colleagues, their partners and children, so I met a lot of Romanian people, some of whom I have met before, and some not. Some of the men cooked the meat under trees (which I have reliably been informed are walnut trees) and some of the ladies helped us with getting drinks for people and generally helping out. Our guests brought gifts of flowers, savoury and sweet food and drinks including hard liquor made from grapes,plums and cherries. L's wife has studied English Literature, including Wuthering Heights, so I told her about Haworth and the Bronte Parsonage, then I made Rich play Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush, which he did after a few reminders, and a gave a short rendition of the song to entertain the guests. Most of them left soon afterwards.
I enjoyed meeting all the people and had some really interesting conversations, mostly in English. It was good to see the house and garden being used especially by the children who enjoyed the swing, the hammock and the plunge pool with the waterfall shower, ( We told them to bring swimwear.) I hope that we will meet again soon to exchange cultural comments and have lots to eat and drink.
On a cultural note, we listened to Romanian Rhapsodies by a famous Romanian composer, George Enescu recently and the website displayed some wondreful images of Romanian landscapes and skies.
Last night, after everyone had gone, after a perfect sunny day, the heavens opened and we sat outside watching the lightning , and listening to the thunder. The lightning lit up the whole of the sky and we just marvelled at the power of nature.
La revedere! AM
Yesterday we had a BBQ with some of Richard's work colleagues, their partners and children, so I met a lot of Romanian people, some of whom I have met before, and some not. Some of the men cooked the meat under trees (which I have reliably been informed are walnut trees) and some of the ladies helped us with getting drinks for people and generally helping out. Our guests brought gifts of flowers, savoury and sweet food and drinks including hard liquor made from grapes,plums and cherries. L's wife has studied English Literature, including Wuthering Heights, so I told her about Haworth and the Bronte Parsonage, then I made Rich play Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush, which he did after a few reminders, and a gave a short rendition of the song to entertain the guests. Most of them left soon afterwards.
I enjoyed meeting all the people and had some really interesting conversations, mostly in English. It was good to see the house and garden being used especially by the children who enjoyed the swing, the hammock and the plunge pool with the waterfall shower, ( We told them to bring swimwear.) I hope that we will meet again soon to exchange cultural comments and have lots to eat and drink.
On a cultural note, we listened to Romanian Rhapsodies by a famous Romanian composer, George Enescu recently and the website displayed some wondreful images of Romanian landscapes and skies.
Last night, after everyone had gone, after a perfect sunny day, the heavens opened and we sat outside watching the lightning , and listening to the thunder. The lightning lit up the whole of the sky and we just marvelled at the power of nature.
La revedere! AM
Tuesday, 14 June 2011
Pizzas without tomatoes
Rich told me that the Romanian people eat a lot of ketchup. Now I know why. The pizzas here don't have any tomatoes on them! I have never had so many pizzas as in these last few weeks, mainly because I can't understand the menus, and if I try something unknown, it can be a bit strange, so I have had pizzas in different restaurants and none of them have tomatoes on. Rich has asked someone at work who said that the pizza might get soggy with tomatoes on! So, I have been using a lot of ketchup, which is good for you, (helps to prevent prostate cancer among other things0, but must cut down because of the sugar content.
Other dishes I have tried include, pickled mushrooms; polenta with sour cream as a starter, and a ' Gondola ' filled with sliced pork fillet, potatoes and mushrooms in a sour cream and cheese sauce, with a fried egg on top! I must have been hungry when I ordered that; I don't even like eggs.
I have had prawn cocktail at the Bali Spa, and a goat's cheese starter from cheese made by Christina's sister, which were very good. Christina is the chief cook and bottle washer & sometimes takes the orders, brings the drinks, cooks the meals, serves them, brings the bill (nota) takes your money, and wishes you Goodnight (Noapte buna). She also told me I am beautiful, but her English isn't v good.
She makes a vegetable spread to die for, and confided in me that she has never made a prawn cocktail before. Imagine that! Ooh I do miss prawns, as I eat them regularly at home and have not seen them in the shops here. You can get aubergine spread and vegetable spread (made with similar veg to ratatoulle but more tomatoey) in Campina, a larger town than Breaza, a few minutes drive away.
After the polenta dish which I didn't eat much of (a bit boring) , I was looking forward to some pork steak & unkown side dish (language problem) but discovered I was eating liver, which was v good. Then I discovered that Rich was eating my pork steak instead of the pork chop he had ordered, so we shared our meat, mixed veg,( probably frozen), washed down with warm dry wine. That restaurant was one of the few that have dry white wine. Even if the bottle says Sauvignon Blanc or whatever, the wine is usually sweeter than at home, in France, in Australia. The waitress brought us a glass of ice cubes when we asked for the bottle to be chilled. We'll have to order it in advance in future!
I decided to have a Dracula pizza this w/e as it was a public holiday here and it was actually the best pizza I have had! I was avoiding it because of the name but will definitely order it again. I noticed that the moon is nearly full again, so wonder if there will be any eerie goings on this month?
Some foods I won't be eating include, Irish salad (?), shnitzel Irish style and chicken with droppings sauce!
We are having pasta for tea with peppers and some sliced sausage left over from yesterday, and I might make a Tiramisu. I made one for the first time recently and it was v good though I say so myself.
Just before I sign off, let me tell you about trying to buy cream. I could not find it in various shops and kept thinking 'they must have cream; they have cows. (Saw one being taken for a walk on a chain yesterday.) Rich said he thought cream was crema and when I asked for it I got puzzled looks or was sent to an area of the shop where there were no fridges. We eventually solved the problem thru' the medium of dance and mime (pouring cream on strawberries and eating it) and caused much hilarity in the shop, when I discovered I had been asking for face cream and dairy cream is a totally different word. We often have a laugh in the shops, usually at our expense!
See you later! AM
Other dishes I have tried include, pickled mushrooms; polenta with sour cream as a starter, and a ' Gondola ' filled with sliced pork fillet, potatoes and mushrooms in a sour cream and cheese sauce, with a fried egg on top! I must have been hungry when I ordered that; I don't even like eggs.
I have had prawn cocktail at the Bali Spa, and a goat's cheese starter from cheese made by Christina's sister, which were very good. Christina is the chief cook and bottle washer & sometimes takes the orders, brings the drinks, cooks the meals, serves them, brings the bill (nota) takes your money, and wishes you Goodnight (Noapte buna). She also told me I am beautiful, but her English isn't v good.
She makes a vegetable spread to die for, and confided in me that she has never made a prawn cocktail before. Imagine that! Ooh I do miss prawns, as I eat them regularly at home and have not seen them in the shops here. You can get aubergine spread and vegetable spread (made with similar veg to ratatoulle but more tomatoey) in Campina, a larger town than Breaza, a few minutes drive away.
After the polenta dish which I didn't eat much of (a bit boring) , I was looking forward to some pork steak & unkown side dish (language problem) but discovered I was eating liver, which was v good. Then I discovered that Rich was eating my pork steak instead of the pork chop he had ordered, so we shared our meat, mixed veg,( probably frozen), washed down with warm dry wine. That restaurant was one of the few that have dry white wine. Even if the bottle says Sauvignon Blanc or whatever, the wine is usually sweeter than at home, in France, in Australia. The waitress brought us a glass of ice cubes when we asked for the bottle to be chilled. We'll have to order it in advance in future!
I decided to have a Dracula pizza this w/e as it was a public holiday here and it was actually the best pizza I have had! I was avoiding it because of the name but will definitely order it again. I noticed that the moon is nearly full again, so wonder if there will be any eerie goings on this month?
Some foods I won't be eating include, Irish salad (?), shnitzel Irish style and chicken with droppings sauce!
We are having pasta for tea with peppers and some sliced sausage left over from yesterday, and I might make a Tiramisu. I made one for the first time recently and it was v good though I say so myself.
Just before I sign off, let me tell you about trying to buy cream. I could not find it in various shops and kept thinking 'they must have cream; they have cows. (Saw one being taken for a walk on a chain yesterday.) Rich said he thought cream was crema and when I asked for it I got puzzled looks or was sent to an area of the shop where there were no fridges. We eventually solved the problem thru' the medium of dance and mime (pouring cream on strawberries and eating it) and caused much hilarity in the shop, when I discovered I had been asking for face cream and dairy cream is a totally different word. We often have a laugh in the shops, usually at our expense!
See you later! AM
Saturday, 11 June 2011
The Dead Kennedy's
Do you remember that song by the Dead Kennedys?
Well, I'm too hot to blog.
Going for a lie down in the Hammock. Did I tell you we have a hammock? Well we have & it's great!
C U later
Well, I'm too hot to blog.
Going for a lie down in the Hammock. Did I tell you we have a hammock? Well we have & it's great!
C U later
Thursday, 9 June 2011
Day trip to Sinaia
Sinaia is about a 30 minute drive north from Breaza on the main road from Bucharest to Brasov. It is named after the monastary there, named after Mount Sinai. It is in a National park where wildlife & natural areas of interest are protected. E.g., if you find any Eidelwiess & sing the lovely song from the Sound of Music; no matter how well you sing it, you still can't pick the flowers under pain of death. (It might be a fine, but I can't speak Romanian).
It was a warm, sunny day when we went, & we had to park on the edge of town near a park . We walked all around the town which caters for tourists Summer and Winter (there is excellent skiing and a cable car) and we saw families sightseeing on a brightly coloured little train tootling around.
We went in an Irish Bar, just for the craic, but there wasn't any, so we came out again. Seriously, what started as Irish tunes turned into shmaltzy love songs, not even Irish ones which we would have turned off if they were on the radio, and, nobody came to serve us in 15 minutes so it was more or less compulsorary to leave.
We found a cafe in the shade which turned out to be a bonus later and I had a Tournados steak without the Rossini, but with chicken liver cubes on top. The steak was well done (they don't ask how you like it; medium if you are interested) and the mystery 'Mexican vegetables' turned out to be mixed veg, probably frozen by the taste of the carrots. It was OK as I was v hungry.
After our meal, we had a little adventure, finding the location of a jazz concert at 5 PM which had the name of a building on the poster, but not the street. We walked quite a way out of town & found the Arts Centre and followed the sound of music (get it!) upstairs. We had to wait in a v grand vestibule while the singer finished the Billie Holiday song. We felt like we were at the Victoria (Gt George St) on a Thursday night except for it being Romania on a Saturday afternoon, so when we were allowed in and told to sit on the front seat, we were surprized to see a young lady singing to a backing tape. However, she was a very good singer who also sang some Spanish and pop songs so we stayed 'til the end. When we left, we discovered that the audience were mainly children who probably wondered why we'd wandered in off the street.
I am sure we will visit Sinaia again as the famous Peles castle is there. We have a calendar and a jigsaw of Peles at home which are gifts from Romanian colleagues.
I am told that Sinaia is v beautiful in the snow and has great skiing, but I will probably give it a miss with these knees!
Bye bye Anne-Marie
It was a warm, sunny day when we went, & we had to park on the edge of town near a park . We walked all around the town which caters for tourists Summer and Winter (there is excellent skiing and a cable car) and we saw families sightseeing on a brightly coloured little train tootling around.
We went in an Irish Bar, just for the craic, but there wasn't any, so we came out again. Seriously, what started as Irish tunes turned into shmaltzy love songs, not even Irish ones which we would have turned off if they were on the radio, and, nobody came to serve us in 15 minutes so it was more or less compulsorary to leave.
We found a cafe in the shade which turned out to be a bonus later and I had a Tournados steak without the Rossini, but with chicken liver cubes on top. The steak was well done (they don't ask how you like it; medium if you are interested) and the mystery 'Mexican vegetables' turned out to be mixed veg, probably frozen by the taste of the carrots. It was OK as I was v hungry.
After our meal, we had a little adventure, finding the location of a jazz concert at 5 PM which had the name of a building on the poster, but not the street. We walked quite a way out of town & found the Arts Centre and followed the sound of music (get it!) upstairs. We had to wait in a v grand vestibule while the singer finished the Billie Holiday song. We felt like we were at the Victoria (Gt George St) on a Thursday night except for it being Romania on a Saturday afternoon, so when we were allowed in and told to sit on the front seat, we were surprized to see a young lady singing to a backing tape. However, she was a very good singer who also sang some Spanish and pop songs so we stayed 'til the end. When we left, we discovered that the audience were mainly children who probably wondered why we'd wandered in off the street.
I am sure we will visit Sinaia again as the famous Peles castle is there. We have a calendar and a jigsaw of Peles at home which are gifts from Romanian colleagues.
I am told that Sinaia is v beautiful in the snow and has great skiing, but I will probably give it a miss with these knees!
Bye bye Anne-Marie
Monday, 6 June 2011
David Walliams in the garden
David,
are you in Romania? I keep hearing sounds like your character, Anne, in Little Britain, & keep being reminded of you.
On the other hand, it could be a cock crowing in the neighbours garden. I guess that is the most likely explanation, but I can't help thinking of you. I probably think about you more than your wife, because that cock sure does crow a lot. Apologies to your wife!
are you in Romania? I keep hearing sounds like your character, Anne, in Little Britain, & keep being reminded of you.
On the other hand, it could be a cock crowing in the neighbours garden. I guess that is the most likely explanation, but I can't help thinking of you. I probably think about you more than your wife, because that cock sure does crow a lot. Apologies to your wife!
Thursday, 2 June 2011
Ants & snails
To my horror, I found ants on the kitchen worktop next to the window as soon as we arrived & had to overcome my repulsion at squashing insects with my bare hands, & my feelings about killing defenceless animals/insects. But, I happen to know that ants inform other ants where they are & if there is any food; & as there were opened bags of sugar & flour I had to act quickly against the invaders. I asked advice from my friendly neighbour M in the medium of dance, & she eventually showed me an aerosol of Raid which I have sprayed in all the cupboards etc after I cleaned them. I have not seen any in the house this week so I think I have eradicated them. I am becoming an expert in mime.
For anyone literary, there are interesting chapters about the social networks of ants in 'Angels & Insects' by A S Byatt. Not the easiest book to read, but persevere and your effort will be rewarded.
PS Patsy Kensit starred in the film version. I laughed (quietly,as I was in the cinema) hysterically at at least one point in the film that is suposed to be serious. Do NOT let this film put you off the book
In the garden, however, it's a different matter. There are ants of different shapes & sizes, & I like watching them. I have something to confess, but as hardly anyone is reading this, I'll tell you. One morning, while eating my Shreddies brought from home,(running out fast!), I saw an ant carrying a toenail clipping of mine that I left there the day before. ( I answered the door & forgot to sweep them up from the decking.) Don't tell anybody; I'm not proud of it. I do not know yet whether any of the ants fly like they did in Corsica. Will let you know if they do.
The snails here are so big that you could have them as pets. They have presence & personality. I have a photo of one somewhere. Rich throws them off the deck into the hedge bottom, where they'll be happier, but I must tell him to avoid throwing them towards the raspberry bushes that I found yesterday, because if I ever find some cream & custard, I will make a raspberry trifle.
Remember Brian from the Magic Roundabout? Time for bed!
For anyone literary, there are interesting chapters about the social networks of ants in 'Angels & Insects' by A S Byatt. Not the easiest book to read, but persevere and your effort will be rewarded.
PS Patsy Kensit starred in the film version. I laughed (quietly,as I was in the cinema) hysterically at at least one point in the film that is suposed to be serious. Do NOT let this film put you off the book
In the garden, however, it's a different matter. There are ants of different shapes & sizes, & I like watching them. I have something to confess, but as hardly anyone is reading this, I'll tell you. One morning, while eating my Shreddies brought from home,(running out fast!), I saw an ant carrying a toenail clipping of mine that I left there the day before. ( I answered the door & forgot to sweep them up from the decking.) Don't tell anybody; I'm not proud of it. I do not know yet whether any of the ants fly like they did in Corsica. Will let you know if they do.
The snails here are so big that you could have them as pets. They have presence & personality. I have a photo of one somewhere. Rich throws them off the deck into the hedge bottom, where they'll be happier, but I must tell him to avoid throwing them towards the raspberry bushes that I found yesterday, because if I ever find some cream & custard, I will make a raspberry trifle.
Rhubarb & custard
It's funny what you miss when you can't have it. I would love some rhubarb crumble & custard; cold Ambrosia custard mmm! I don't know whether Rhubarb grows here; it might be too hot in Summer, or too cold in Winter, but I certainly cannot find custard in any shape or form even in Carrefour, which is over an hour's drive away. If I did find some ,I could also make a trifle if I can find some cream, which I have not managed to do either. I did get some St Agur cheese which was embarrassingly expensive but I considered it necessary as cheese in the shops in this part of Romania are baffling. There are 2 main groups, white cheese which all look practically the same, or a yellowy cheese which is a bit rubbery. The white cheese is sometimes labelled goat or cow but as it all looks the same it can be quite stressful at the cheese counter or any other for that matter when the assistant is waiting, or even, speaking to you. my 4 words of Romanian have only increased by a few.(Must make mental note to learn lists of vocabulary!)
The 4 words I knew would not get me very far at the cheese counter; hello, (buna) cheers!, (noroc), yes,(da) & goodbye, (la revedere), so I can now say cheers in a different way, (sanitate),count from 1to 4,(5,6 & 7 I'm just getting the hang of), and say 'no' (nu) in case of misunderstandings after using the other words.
Anyway, I did get some cheese like feta & made a very good Greek salad.(Must make a mental note to get some pans. The 2 we have are massive stew pans with no handle, & the one oven glove we have lets the heat through so you have to dish up quickly!Also,not set fire to yourself while stirring!)
Ooh, just remembered bacon & tomato sandwiches! Rich misses real ale obviously, & gourmet food which is in short (non existant) supply as I'm cooking. More about tomatoes next time. I bet you all can't wait!
Papa Anne-Marie
The 4 words I knew would not get me very far at the cheese counter; hello, (buna) cheers!, (noroc), yes,(da) & goodbye, (la revedere), so I can now say cheers in a different way, (sanitate),count from 1to 4,(5,6 & 7 I'm just getting the hang of), and say 'no' (nu) in case of misunderstandings after using the other words.
Anyway, I did get some cheese like feta & made a very good Greek salad.(Must make a mental note to get some pans. The 2 we have are massive stew pans with no handle, & the one oven glove we have lets the heat through so you have to dish up quickly!Also,not set fire to yourself while stirring!)
Ooh, just remembered bacon & tomato sandwiches! Rich misses real ale obviously, & gourmet food which is in short (non existant) supply as I'm cooking. More about tomatoes next time. I bet you all can't wait!
Papa Anne-Marie
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