Carrot and Coriander Soup warms the heart

  

I may have been away to warmer climes for just a few days but I definitely “felt the cold” on my return  (I suspect the unscheduled return to winter weather with temperatures below freezing was responsible but I want to believe that I’d adapted readily to living in a warmer climate).  Anyway, it was so cold today, hot soup was on the lunch menu.  Using some rather tired looking carrots and celeriac from the bottom of the fridge along with a few onions and herbs, I made a pot of carrot and coriander soup and deliciously warming it was too.

Carrot and Coriander Soup

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 onion, sliced

450g/1lb carrots, sliced

(optional: 1 root peeled and chopped celeriac)

1 tsp ground coriander

1.2 litresl/2 pints vegetable stock

large bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onions and the carrots (and celeriac). Cook

for 3-4 minutes until starting to soften.

2. Stir in the ground coriander and season well. Cook for 1 minute.

3. Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Simmer until the

vegetables are tender.

4. Whizz with a hand blender or in a blender until smooth. Reheat in a

clean pan, stir in the fresh coriander and serve.

Caching in Vitoria

Of course no trip away would be complete without a spot of geocaching, so I managed to snaffle a few in Vitoria although Nerea isn’t that keen on caching (any more).  Naturally most of the caches  in the city were small, urban caches which were either too obvious to find during the busy working day or too small to deposit the travel bugs I’d brought over from the UK. Thankfully, despite the challenges, Nerea “allowed” me to find a couple in the glorious, green parks that are so prolific in the city where I could leave some of the TBs 

Public Art in Vitoria

Public art is  celebrated joyfully in Vitoria. Everywhere we visited were installations, murals and sculptures.  The city provides a stunning location to show-case local talent as many of the pieces were created by residents or had a local theme to them.  And what was surprising was that despite the political graffiti that appears on hoardings and walls, none of the art had been damaged.  The residents are rightfully proud of their city and heritage and celebrate it in a stylish way.  There is even a group, IMVG,  that promotes collaboration between professional artists and residents to produce stunning,visual interpretations

Santa Maria Cathedral

The new staircase (and lift) in the tower

At the top of the tower

Ancient graffiti

A view over the city

Restoration works

Evidence of structural damage

Vitoria has its fair share of churches, boasting the two cathedrals of Santa Maria and the newer, Santa Maria Immaculata.   Nerea and I were keen to explore them and so Iratxe organised for us an English language tour of the older cathedral which is undergoing a major restoration.  It seems that in addition to historical structural decay, during the 1960s, someone had a great idea to remove some of the significant architectural features to create a greater gothic impression. Consequently, the structural damage accelerated, leaving the cathedral in a perilous state. However the current restoration project is producing impressive results

Vitoria

My visit to Nerea, in the beautiful city of Vitoria (which, for some moderately explicable reason, always makes me think of The High Chaparral) was all too brief.  The family she lives with were, as expected, very friendly and the residential suburb where she is based felt very safe.  The Old City was a short tram ride away and was blessed with beautiful parks and wonderfully ornate buildings jostling for position in the small narrow streets.  There were large open Plazas too and a relaxed café culture that could easily seep into my being.  I must return and for longer

Technology is king for travellers

Travelling on public transport provides an opportunity to indulge in a spot of people watching. Evaluating the evidence during my travels this week, it was clear that technology is king. Fellow travellers were glued to Blackberries, iPads or mobiles, hypnotised by the images dancing across their screens as they texted or surreptitiously scanned a dating website, played a game or seat-danced to over-loud music burrowing into their brains by means of inadequate head phones. There were small pockets of resistance, myself included. I scribbled in a note-book, others read  newspapers and some just chatted.  But we were definitely the minority. 

Spring is slow in coming this year

Once I’d left the chilly, snow covered tops of Cumbria behind early last week, I really felt the holiday spirit fill me, for although the beauty of Britain is matchless during the occasional, dreamy, cloudless days of summer or on a bright, crisp winter morning, the damp greyness that fills much of our calendar makes me long to escape. On Tuesday, despite the snow, the light was dull in a bleak landscape, an uninviting pall of heavy cloud hanging over the hills.  Desolate trees stood starkly against the skyline, leafless limbs despairing at the on-going triumph of winter over spring.

London's historical past

I didn’t realise that Mozart had lived in Orange Square at the age of 8 and had composed two symphonies.  Similarly, I’d no idea that a horse hospital existed in Camden or that Charles Dickens had produced his magazine close to The strand.  And as I wandered round the British Library in search of information to enable me to find a geocache, I was overwhelmed by the vast resources available to anyone, for free.  I was able to view Magna Carta, the Lindisfarne Gospels and the printing press that early stamps were printed on. London really is full of surprises.  

Relics of the past

I’ve been “looking up” as I walk around Carlisle,  and  it’s amazing what can be discovered.  Particularly interesting are “Ghost signs”: a tell-tale reminder of the city’s past, along with decorative panels and dates relating to a bygone time when the city was growing and the mark of success was building a temple of stone. Clearly the exuberance of post war planners in the progressive decades has had a lasting impact, with many of the city’s older building and streets razed to the ground in the name of progress. But thankfully, some small pockets of history remain to be celebrated

Coanwood Quaker Meeting House

As Parish Clerk, Andy needed to drop off an envelope for the Chairman of Coanwood Parish Council so we called by on the way to Grandma’s house for tea. As the Chairman farms very close to the Old Quaker Meeting House, I paused to take some photographs from the outside. The stone and slate roofed building remains in good repair, a testament to the diligence of those who look after the chapel with love and respect. Snowdrops carpeted the tranquil graveyard, the resting place for many generations of the Wigham family, descendants of whom still farm in the area today.

So who does any darning these days?

I’m more old fashioned than I thought.  It was the looks of incredulity from my colleagues that greeted my comment about “finishing the pile of mending” that provided the clue.  Clearly the concept of darning socks, sewing on buttons and repairing rips is lost on most people, or those that I work with, at least.  But what does happen to damaged clothing? Surely it can’t all end up at the recycling centre after a minor mishap?  If the comments in the office are anything to go by, that’s exactly where it ends up. So much for reduce, reuse, repair, recycle!