WHERE DID SPRING GO? FOOD AND STORIES,

I couldn't believe my eyes yesterday afternoon....well you wouldn't would you, after having a few lovely settled spring-like days. There was an icy nip to the wind  on Friday 10th April, with temperatures hovering around 9 deg Celsius.  Admittedly, you did feel the wind chill, which is not unusual. But, when I saw sleet hitting the last items of washing drying (or, so I thought) on the line, on Saturday, I was almost thunderstruck.  

Today, I awoke to blindingly bright sunshine and blue skies. Without a by-your-leave, the brightness disappeared; I had to switch on house lights!  Since then different kinds of showers have raced in on the back of each other.  We have had snow, sleet, hail and icy rain blobs. If I am honest, it took my psyche a while to absorb today's changed and constantly changing weather patterns.

Lambing at the farm next door is going apace, the damp and cold is not good for the new lambs.  Instead of being introduced out into the fields quickly after arriving in the world, they will have to be sheltered till weather conditions perk up.

This is not a day for a meander, not that I am quite in a position to do that yet...what with foot recuperating from trauma.  I've developed a cool style in limping. A visit to the cinema is planned for tonight,which means our evening meal will have to be one that that is " One I prepared earlier" to coin a TV cook's phrase, and which, will be good when it is re-heated.

Our meal won't be  like this one.

One of two films I hoped would arrive at our cinema has done so.  Suite Francaise is a book I read about three years ago. It is  very beautifully written by Irene Nemirovsky, who had an extraordinary ability.  She was one of the millions who were murdered in the concentration camps in Europe in World War 2. Irene was a young vibrant talent who had so much more to give and who, like so many people, was lost to us.  I am interested to see how Irene's book has been interpreted for film.