There’s a mustache in my drink.

Well well well.. I just thought I would touch base on our fabulous house warming party.  Before the grande event the roommates and myself made a big grocery shop at Lydl. Lydl is this super cheap store with low low priced and quality alcohol.. Perfect for me being always broke and all.  The theme, stashes and lashes.

 

It all started out with an old fashioned BBQ with a few friends.  We are sat around the candle lit dinner table nice prim and proper.  Started eating with forks and knives as civilized people do.   But then the French people came.  Now if you don’t know French culture I’ll explain to you it’s kind of like the Spanish culture, when you see one there are probably 10 more to follow.    Suddenly my beautiful tiny two bedroom townhouse was crammed with 70 people!!  My nice English dinner guests felt suddenly claustrophobic and made their way to the exit. People started eating steak with their hands, dancing, spilling alcohol all over the place and making loud hooting noises!  Love it!

 

Finally those darn Frenchies really know and like their quality alcohol and despite the fact that we did not retire to our respectable beds until 11am all of the cheap disgusting Lydl alcohol remained, along with many fuzzy memories.

The all organic farse

I just came back from a winter holiday in Canada.  I left with nice happy thoughts of icicles and snowmen but came back feeling jaded and cheated.  You see I discovered the fragility of our system and it's ability to misguide our beliefs that we are making the world a better place with our small actions.

It all started when I went to the Jean-Talon market.  It is supposed to be a farmers market supporting organic and all natural products etc.  My boyfriend and I had the idea to cook a shepherd's pie for our friend who was hosting us during our stay in Montreal.
We decided to use lamb and pork meat because lamb was 12 dollars for a half pound!  We found some pork meat marked organic, no hormones, steroids or antibiotics. The problem was the meat was marked from a town where my boyfriends parents are pig farmers. In fact they are the only pig farmers in that town and they give antibiotics to their pigs.
We bought it.  Afterwards we talked to my boyfriends dad who said that the meat probably came from the local butcher and it's not really sure where he gets his meat most likely it was from their farm.  What a mess.  Plus just a little side fact, pig farmers don't use growth hormones or steroids on pigs.  This was just useless information added to sell a product for a higher price.

Later on that week we had dinner with my boyfriends uncles who laughed about our little story and told us another.  They sell grain by the tons to a baker who sells organic baked goods.   The BF's uncle mentioned that his grain wasn't organic but the baker just laughed and said 'this is the best grain I have ever seen.  I sell what the people want and that's quality.'

Hmmmmm is there no control checks on these people?
Guess not.

How do we really know what we're buying.  It's sad that we can only buy things on good faith to faceless people who probably don't give a hoot about our good intentions and care more about making a buck.

It's the same with fair trade. I think it's pretty easy to figure out that fair trade really means that the wage of the bean pickers is 3 cents higher then the rest of the bean pickers.  But is that really fair?  Especially when the coffee is coming to the consumer for a dollar higher?

I want to meet my meat.  I want to know more about where my food is coming from and know what has been done to it.  Food prices seem to be getting higher and I seem to be getting farther away from understanding the real meaning of a carrot.

Any thoughts on this? I am all ears.

<3

The old man in me

I like scotch.  I like cigars.  I like to go to bed when the sun sets and wake up during the sunrise (though my young part of me doesn't always permit).  I play chess.  I play pool.  I find women beautiful. Perhaps I was an old man in a past life.  I dunno.

I have recently discovered how inexpensive Scotch in England is compared to other countries.  This has started a tasters journey inside many dark scrummy old pubs.  Here is my top five list:

1. Laphroaig - My all time favorite, it's like drinking a succulent sententious  perfume
2. Ardbeg
3. Talisker
4. Lagavulin
5. Highland Park

As for good cigars to pair with Scotch  I would suggest a nice Monte Cristo or my sweet little Al Capone Cigarillos.

Nothing beats these two things sitting on a leather couch in front of the fire place.  Or for me outside on a plastic chair under the yard light.

xx

Where there's a will there's a way

A few weeks ago there was a big festival here in Bristol.  My boyfriend and I wanted to go but didn't want to pay the expensive cover charge especially because it was going to end in only a few hours.  So we did a huge walk around the site scoping out where we could hop the fence. Unfortunately it was heavily secured.  It seemed as though we would have to pay.  But then I thought where there's a will there's a way.  As we were walking towards the gates I saw two guys getting into their cars.  I remembered how my lover boy likes to buy the wrist band off people who are leaving the mountain from snowboarding for cheap.  With that in mind I called out to the two guys getting into their car.  I said 'hey where did you guys get those wrist bands?'  One a true Rasta with long dreads down his back walked up to me and said 'I'm an artist here so I got this wristband for the festival for free, you want in free don't you?'  I was a little shocked that he knew my intension's with out me voicing them but I said 'Ya, we were trying to find a way in but it looks impossible.' Then he said 'OK I'll tell you what, you're name is Cathy (last name I forget) and he's your friend' He said pointing to Dom.  'Go to the artist's section and tell them you missed John Lennon.'  As he was explaining this all in detail he started walking us towards the gates.  As soon as we had our little story memorized it was pointless because Rasta man gave a little nod to the security and said these are my friends and they let us inside without another word.  Woot Woot!  Thanks Rasta Man!! ;)

When you want it you got it, so be careful what you wish for. 

My inner animal

My boyfriend invited me to take a day trip with him to Southhampton, England for his work, which I being jobless and free, accepted.  At 8am he went to work while I decided to explore the tiny little town that we were in.  I thought it would be a neat idea to take some pictures along the coast line.

After a long walk I came to a marine where people had their boats parked or up for sale.  The coastal pathway was blocked so I decided to cut in behind the marine through the woods.  There was an open gate that said I would be entering an open pasture of cows.

I started walking through some bushes following a thin muddy trail.  Once I hit a clearing I felt a bit scared.  I wanted to go forward but I stalled for an instant because I felt afraid of the cows.  I looked to the left of me towards the open pasture.  Suddenly someone started up a hand tool that made a loud sound like a sander or something.  Then in front of me I heard a thud.  I turned to face forward and saw a big black animal running away from the sound.

At first I thought it was a dog. The cows were black in the pasture but this animal was thin and muscular.    It was running differently too.  It's head was big like a doberman.  Ahhh it's going to attack me!! But it kept on running away from the sound.  Then I noticed it's tail.  It was long and thin. Just like a cat. A couger!!?? That's when I decided I better get out of there before it stops running and sees me!  I ran straight into a thorn bush.  While I desperately tried to untangle myself I looked back and it was already gone.

It all happened so fast.  Once I was on safe grounds I googled cougers in England.  Apparently they are completely extinct.  I felt a little embarrassed.  But to be sure I decided to ask some locals. While waiting for my boyfriend in a pub I asked the bartender.  She said there were no cougers or pumas in the area but a man was said to have seen one 30 minutes up North from Hamble about two years ago.  I told my boyfriend who asked his colleges if there were any cougers in the area.  They confirmed that there have been some big cat sightings recently as well.  So perhaps they aren't fully extinct.. or perhaps I should wear my glasses all the time because cows are starting to cause me trouble!

My friend told me that perhaps the sighting was a sign.  http://kevmartin.org/samples/catsymb.html

For me I feel like life was protecting me somehow.. like if I had continued forward and that person hadn't started their machine, I would have been a nice, tasty, little lunch.

Merci beaucoup VIE!!

Since I don't got FB

Hey all! Welcome, Bienvenue and all that stuff.

If you have been wondering where the heck I have disappeared to,  I have made this Blog especially for you to peek at to make sure I am still alive and kicking.

For those who don't worry about that, this is for some inspiration on all the Deee-lightful things life has to offer. :)

Bisoux
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Kisses