Friday 11th March, 2016

Friday 11^th March, 2016

Had such a nice time yesterday with my NBF Mr Gambhir from Godrej Consumer.  In between sitting in various client waiting rooms, ignominiously excluded by clients carefully guarding the finer arts of corporate interrogation, I had a good chat with him about his blog and the importance of having a goat, I mean, goal. 

 

I’ve got a new goal.  I’m going to build a brick oven in my garden and bake my own bread. 

 

It’s been a while since I talked to you about my bucolic existence so indulge me please.  The plan began to take shape when I was in Chamonix, yes I was, the weekend before last, where I had a fascinating chat with one of the girls about her soughdough starter called Doris.   That’s the starter’s name not the girl.  She’s called Sophie inevitably.  I assume I don’t need to tell you what a sourdough starter is.  Doris has lived in my friend’s fridge for a decade.  She’s pretty special therefore but, and this is what a good friend she is, she offered me a little bit of Doris.  At the risk of seeming churlish I decided however I would try to create my own.  After an inauspicious beginning - I discovered the sell by date on the wholemeal flour I was using was February 2014 -  “Fred” is now bubbling happily away and in a week or so should be sweet beery smelling, yeasty and we’ll be good to go to make sourdough bread. 

 

But oh yes, I forgot about the brick oven.  Truth is I’m not much of a handyman.  The oven will have to wait till Easter when my parents are coming down to stay.  A job for my father I think.

 

Bit stressed today actually.  It did not start auspiciously.  In freezing dense fog the Prancing Horse roundabout on the road out of Newmarket towards Six Mile Bottom came upon me rather more quickly than I expected, even though I have approached it almost every day at the same sort of time for the last nine years.  I went straight over the top ( missing the horse thankfully ) rather than round it.  It’s a monkey I need to get off my back I feel as I sit here waiting for news of how Bob fared in his fourth attempt at his driving test which he is sitting this afternoon in Rugby……

 

 

 

PS…..after a fine lunch courtesy of one of my many Monaco based friends I have just heard from Bob….he passed!!…..blinking miracle…..the ensuing exchange on WhatsApp family group made me laugh.  Thought I’d share it with you.  It appears I once said I would buy a Landrover Defender if Bob got 3A’s at A level.  Even if he had forgotten about this and appears to be happily cruising towards his unconditional offer from Oxford Nobooks it appears Jimmy hadn’t.  “Take one for the team would ya!”  Classic:

 

 

I’ll see too.  (I think I’m safe, mind you.)