Unseasonal

A painted lady in February. A pair in fact, fluttering happily round the almond blossom on this mild and sunny day. I've been opening the window in the afternoons to let the warmth in for the last couple of days -- no other heating required. I didn't even light the fire yesterday evening, and I won't tonight either. In other news, the amount of snow on the ground in the Pyrenees is the lowest for at least 24 years for this day of the year. Doesn't bode well for the summer.

I picked this photo for my blip because of the blossom, but my extra is a better butterfly photo. I hesitantly identified it as a wall brown, but I'm not completely convinced. Identification welcome!

Lunch today was a leftovers feast. I finally reached the end of the guineafowl I roasted nearly a week ago. There were only scraps left, so I made an old favourite Elizabeth David recipe for Emincé de Volaille au Gratin that I haven't made for ages -- cooked chicken in a cheese sauce enriched with cream and chicken stock, topped with breadcrumbs and cheese, and baked till bubbly. The starter was a soup I made by liquidising the remaining cooking juices with the roasted root vegetables, and dessert was a slice of yesterday's substantial apple tart. Oh, and there's now a litre of stock in the freezer. Free-range poultry may seem expensive, but it goes a long way!

S was having a rockier time -- his mum was taken into hospital with breathing problems yesterday evening. At least the ambulance arrived reasonably promptly this time, but they spent hours waiting in A&E. He got home in the small hours once she was stabilised, but she spent all night in the corridor again :( She's on a ward now and being well looked after, with S and R taking turns to be with her. Old age: not for sissies.