It has been two months since I wrote anything here but a fair amount of stuff has been squeezed into those two months (not including the wonderous new camera). I've been and gone to Marseille; C has changed his will so that I am no longer disinherited; I've been for two interviews for a perfect job down in Newcastle that had, alas, one person who was just that teeny bit more perfect than me and, strangely and sadly, I've had a miscarriage.
These events are all related and, in being related, distracting enough that coping with things has superseded writing. Coping with things also means that it's been over a month since I've been up to Drumbuidhe and autumn planting has gone to the dogs (hopefully the gate over the burn has held) but not yet the deer. I'm currently heading back down to Newcastle for another job interview so it'll be a few days yet before I head north to do battle with rodents and switch the heating system from C's rather extravagant option. With all the stuff I've had there's been the minor background hassle of my sister's attempt to find help for C. She's placed an advert in the job centre in Fort William for a "live-in estate manager" and has been interviewing people by phone. She's missed out the information that A) She's based 600 miles away from the job location B) It's a holiday home, not an estate and C) C has dementia; been detained by the police for violence; is resident for only half the year at most and - crucially - doesn't have the money to employ someone for more than 1/2 a day a week .... So far there's been a motley collection of people replying to the advert (bloke 1 lasted for an hour and a half before retreating declaring that "I've never been shouted at like that"; bloke 2 lasted a day in which time he cut up the roof ridge reserved for the genny shed to ineffectually repair the garden shed and bloke 3 lasted three days because he had no independent transport but, given his time spent inside and alcohol issues, is probably not the best to spend time with a fragile, volatile alcoholic C in a remote cottage ....). One month ago I was phone up by a lady asking for further details about the advert since my sister had told her: it could provide full-time employment for a couple; help was needed to take holiday bookings for "the lodge" (I have no idea what this referred to) and it would be suitable for the lady to move to with her 10 year old daughter. My strongest hope is that this call was actually from the Fort William job centre and they're going to stop running the advert.
All the stuff mentioned means that there's been precious little cooking in either Glasgow or Drumbuidhe but, with thanks to savour fare, and in honour of autumn, France (yes, yes, I know that pain quotidien is a Belgian chain) and excessive calories, here is a recipe for a praline spread.
* 2 cups hazelnuts
* 1 cup sugar (with a dash of water)
* scant teaspoon salt
* 1 to 2 tblsp rape seed oil
Toast hazelnuts and rub to remove skins; heat sugar with the water 'til it caramelises then tip in the skinned hazlenuts; put praline and salt into blender, whizz 'til broken then add oil 'til you have a spreadable paste.
