68:53

Full of beans.

Fabulous bath last night in our new big tub. There was fizzy wine and music and an hour long soak. It's only temporarily plumbed for now as there is construction work and tiling yet to be done. We'll tackle shower installation first.

A blissful night's sleep ensued from the watery relaxation exercise and we were slow to rise this morning. Although we had earned the lie-in we felt guilty when our neighbour knocked at the door and we were not yet up and doing. (We were having coffee in bed and watching a video instruction on how to fit the shower.)

J had brought us some Haricots Verts from her garden. This was the second batch this week and I have yet to use up the ones in the fridge. There was nothing to do but to set to with the topping and tailing and get these beauties into the freezer.

I got to thinking that this might be the first time that I have prepared Haricots Verts for the freezer.

Dad grew a few French Beans but I don't remember there ever being more than enough for one meal at a time - unlike the Runner Beans, which he grew infeasible amounts of! I have memories of being pressed into labour, topping, tailing, stringing and slicing. There was no freezer then and Dad would preserve the beans packed in salt in big glass jars from the sweet shop, which were then arrayed on the pantry shelves, alongside similar jars of pickled onions, red cabbage, Sloe Gin, and his fabulous patent Picallili. Green tomato Chutney went into Kilner jars, though I have no idea what the distinction was.

We had the French Beans boiled in those days, with white sauce, usually for Sunday dinner, and I loved them - though cannot imagine doing anything so heavy with them nowadays. This week I made a vinaigrette salad with beans, shallots, lardons and tomatoes and added some chopped beans to a soup that I had already made. I'm planning on steaming the remainder of batch one to have with a Brandade de Morue that is lurking in the fridge. I also have a Thai Curry planned, for which the beans will be perfect.

J has also apparently left me an enormous bouquet of Rosemary. I'm uncertain what to do with it. All the articles about propagation suggest using young tender shoots and these are clearly the result of the gardener doing some heavy duty pruning. Quite sturdy and woody stems.

I could strip them and freeze the leaves, perhaps, but I already have a large bunch of much more tender Rosemary in the freezer. Perhaps I'll just stick them in a vase to scent the house.

Ooh, does Rosemary keep the flies away?

Update: I am drying some in a cool oven and have made a rosemary and garlic infusion in oil. I stripped some cuttings to see if I can strike them and then used the stripped leaves to flavour a jar of salt. It turns out that I recall correctly and rosemary does deter flies so I now have a posy of rosemary in the sitting room made up with lemon balm (stolen from the empty house next door) as that does a similar job. It's a bad year for flies. Cursed weather!