Levee loop

With Mum and Dad waking up still feeling like bloaters after their excesses at the Villa Toscana last night, there is talk of exercise regimes and re-instating diets. This can only be good news for we dogs. Since Meggie's become increasingly old and doddery, walks have sometimes been a slow circuit of the Rec at Meg-speed, with Dad throwing a ball around to make sure I got plenty of exercise.

Today, then, we had the slow-Meg walk round the Rec in the morning (which was Ok as we met 2 other westies at once - Barney (as in Smudge and Barney) and always-clean-and-groomed, frequent entrant into cutest dog photo competitions, boy westie from over the road and up the hill, Jock. 5 westies running around - very busy!

But then after a few other chores and events had happened, Haggis and I were taken out again, this time to re-visit that old friend and formerly several-times-a-week route, the "levee loop". This one takes off Northwards from the house and soon reaches the creek bank levee. Here it turns eastward (bit muddy otherwise!) before circling back southwards and west to come in at the back of Dad's allotment site. It's a nice 2-3 miles which we do at Dad's route-march speed.

It's great to be out in the country again and covering some ground. We find at one stage an intact, fresh and clean but dead dog-fox lying across the footpath. No idea why. hadn't been shot as far as we could see, and appeared to be in good condition (other than being dead, of course!).

Some of the walking is hard work. This land used to be abandonned farmland, so was scrubby grassland criss-crossed by trail-bike paths adopted by walkers.

Last year though, it was re-adopted by a farmer, who grew linseed all across it. Now that crop's been cleared away and the gound has been ploughed and disc-harrowed. But it's not rained here properly for 3 months, so the soil is a hard dry crumb structure, quite difficult to walk on. The footpath routes have not been re-instated and only a few walkers have tracked across the tilth, so it's a bit like walking on a cross between snow and a pebble beach.

Good walking
Deefski

Nearly 3 , you know

Diamond has an old family friend who is famous for telling everyone how old she is, but not quite. She actually says "I'm nearly 83, you know" with great significance but famously changes the age up a year as soon as she passes that birthday. So almost the day after her 83rd birthday you will hear her proclaiming that she's "nearly 84, you know!" Bless her. On that basis, I can get away with being "Nearly 3, you know"; with my brithday on the 17th just 4 days from now.

Talking of Birthdays, Dad has a busy day yesterday having to attend the local Horticultural Society's Autumn Flower and Veg' Show (He's Treasurer) and in the evening take Mum out for her Birthday meal. A bit late maybe, but things intervened on the dates immediately round the day itself.

Mum chose new-ish Italian restaurant, Villa Toscana

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&source=hp&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=villa+toscana+Faversham&fb=1&split=1&gl=uk&view=text&latlng=2427189463523918666

which is not a million miles away - easy "staggering distance". They describe this place as reasonably priced but also known for huge portions, and they come back bloated. Mum had had a carpaccio (thinly sliced) of swordfish, a main course of seafood in a superb tomato-y sauce, and cheese-board. Dad had had a sardine paneta (3 splayed out sardines with very garlicky mayo (aioili?) and a salad) and for main course the biggest, most succulent pork-shin you have ever tasted. Cooked as it was, till the meat was falling off the bones, in a casserole-y sauce with tuscan (borlotti?) beans, mashed potato and veg's he could hardly finish it. We'd have helped you Dad if we'd have been allowed in!

He admits that what first attracted him to this on the Italian menu was the word "Stinco" (Italian for "shin") as in "stinco de maiale" (which almost competes with Crappaud for "toad" a few posts ago). But it was a good choice, and he could only manage lemon sorbet for pud. Pathetic effort. They adjourned back here to the terrace for calva and coffee, candle light in the still evening air, and Billy Joel's "Italian Restaurant", while we mooched about checking out the night sounds and smells.

Having a great weekend
Deefer.

Smelling of Rosie

Mum and Dad came back last night, very happy (!) with their Villa Toscana restaurant experience. (see....

http://www.faversham.org/pages/business_directory_item.aspx?i_PageID=131655&i_DirectoryID=1054

for more info. It's an Italian (obviously) restaurant which has taken over where our friends Mr and Mrs Chef (of earlier posts), whose business went belly-up, used to have their place. It is probably more in line with the local need (less "foodie", less expensive) - well, it must be - it's always full and it's a job to book a table.

Mum and Dad eat well, and very reasonably, and are serenaded all night by a grand-piano player who is tinkling out medleys of classis, Elton John songs, chart hits, well-known opera tunes and even a snatch or two of London sing-along stuff. All very calm and pleasant. The menu, they say, is so extensive and varied, they'll need to come back a few times to work their way through it.

Today, we are abandonned while they go off to judge Headcorn village for the Village of the Year. They return for a spot of lunch, then Dad mooches off to John's place in the 2cv, where-at the project car Mademoiselle is now having her bodywork and wiring finished off. Mum heads off to find Diamond and then to visit Denis.

That's it for the 2CV for now. We hand it over to 2CV Llew (so Dad comes back smelling of Lew's dog Rosie) for a service and an MOT. By the time we see it again, it will have a lovely new (soft-top) roof in navy blue. Llew being Llew, of course, this may take a while.....

Deefer