15 August 2011

It was a busy weekend in a rushed kind of way. We had a night at the cottage for the first time in two years. The story of the cottage is a magical one, one of joy and success and a feeling of completeness.  It has bought to me a feeling of happiness and contentment and in some distant part of my mind, a sense of  achievement, that I have never had.

The Cottage

I had always dreamed of a magical cottage it was inspired by my reading of an author called SARK.  She is of course from California and one of thos out there women who give you permission to rest, nap and smell the roses.  She came into my life when I was desperatly tryint to get over my break up with my second husband....more of that later....and gave me that kind of spiritial pat and the heart which we all need at times.

Anyway.  My friend had been looking for me an one day as she was driving up the Rahu valley behind Paeora she found it.  I decided to take a look and fell in love with the rickerty dewelling which you could not see for vines and undergrowth.  There were holes in the walls and the floor in the third bedroom had been removed for access to water and the room lined silver for warmth.  To add to the value we had a full scale 'pot' growing factory to dismantle.

Any way for three years we poured love, sweat and tears into this little love nest until it is shiny and perfect.  Well almost.

We have had happy times there, we have greived there when my mother died, friend have borrowed it to confront wayward children there and I have gathered strength there when my job got oh so difficult at times.

I also was able to indulge myself in learning to paint and though this made a new and very valuable group of friends. The Valley became a rich source of new if not excenteric friends who got together each Sunday night for a meal and to share their weeks trials and tribulations.

So for old times sake I cooked for the group and it was such fun,  the warmth and happiness shone through as though we had not been apart for two years.  There had been weddings, new partners, deaths and births in the valley.  There had been storms and doughts and almost pestulance and plague.  But things were just the same.

Due to the hurried naure of the meal I resorted to a 'super market meal' and it was grand. Pre cooked chicken casserole followed by pav with thickened cream and Delmains passion fruit sauce.

On returning home and there was a  visit of the grand children to see the new lambs and collect the eggs and an early Sunday dinner of fish cakes, mushy peas and tamarillo chutney followed by home-made ice cream with the last of the passion-fruit sauce.

The next day  there was the lunch for the husbands accounting group.  Lamb , barley and vegetable soup and may be some beer bread made early before going to work. Lemon cake was made even though I was tired.  I made the lemon cake that was featured in my daughters article which featured in the Sunday Star Times yesterday.  I am such a proud mum.

Lamb , barley and vegetable soup

tamarillo chutney

fish cakes

mushy peas

chicken casserole

lemon cake