Now, where were we? I remember, still in the Falklands, only now Mr Cooper and I weren't staying with Ali Bonner and Sarah Cooper, but now Mr and Mrs Bonner ( or Ali Bonner and Sarah 'Coops' Bonner, to be precise.)
Here is where they live, and where we were staying. Look beyond the house, and you will see two stretches of water. That is one of the many beauties of Stanley, just being able to see the sea from just about anywhere.
Another beauty of Stanley is the sheer diversity of the gardens. Walk a little further away from the Bonner residence, and you will find a garden full of extremely happy gnomes. Some have laughed so much they have fallen over, but all of them look extremely happy to see inquisitive visitors.
Another garden not far away again seems to be more traditional in its contents, showing an abundance of potatoes and poppies.
If you look to the right a little, you have a typical 'Stanley back garden' view. Sheds, painted corrugated iron, beautiful muted colours set against the best background ever, sea and sky. When I was little, there were lots of rounded corrugated iron sheds in the countryside, perhaps that is another reason why it felt so comfortable for me, to be in Stanley.
Not all of the gardens are there to grow vegetables and nurture gnomes. Some house a few sheep or the occasional horse. In one garden we saw a dog, a cat and a sheep all sitting together, watching the world go by. This one looks as if the sheep have just wandered out of view. On the bank beyond the water are the names of all the protectorate ships that have been in service in The Falklands, such as Endurance, Beagle and Dumbarton Castle.
It is lovely to be sitting here in West Sussex, writing away, but looking at the photos I am posting has made me feel very nostalgic for The Falklands. Stanley has such a charm, and I am already looking forward to my next visit. In the mean time, when me and Mr Cooper move from The Gables, perhaps we could find a small house somewhere, with a red corrugated roof.......
Moving definitely away now from West Sussex, and returning to The Falklands.
One thing that surprised me (apart from the ginger cat Banshee, who surprised us all, several times a day) was, when you left Stanley, how isolated all the other dwellings were. There were the occasional hamlets, but mainly, houses on their own.
Below is a fairly built-up area outside Stanley, and was in fact the last evidence of civilisation before we went off-road to penguin-land (Volunteer Point)
It was in fact a very civilised place indeed, for not only were there some excellent toilet facilities there, but a very delicious 'bake safe'. This housed tins of cakes, and a tin where you put your voluntary contribution. And, just like the excellent facilities, most unexpected and very welcome.
I wonder how many regulations this bake safe would contravene in the UK. Each cake tin had a label to say what was inside, but no list of ingredients or allergens. Surely there should be a sign saying that although the cakes did not contain any nuts, they were baked in a kitchen where nuts were used. If you just took a cake and didn't pay, would it be your own fault if you began to 'bloat', or if you did pay, could you actually sue the kind baker?
It was a real treat to be able to enjoy such a kind and practical idea, without it being surrounded by a whole list of 'don'ts'. Another reason why a stay in The Falklands is so refreshing.
Refreshed and fortified by home-baking, we said goodbye to roads, and set off once more to Penguin Land.
I did warn you last time that we visited Volunteer Point twice, but don't get overly anxious. I do have lots of photos of penguins, and you are more than welcome to see them all. So, give me a call, and arrange a time to drop in for tea, cake and photos.
For my blog, I have chosen just two of my many favourites.
This one is of the smallest chick I saw, perched on its parent's feet. Soon it will be back nestling under its parent, sheltering from the summer wind.
This one I love, as it shows a group of King Penguins performing a variety of antics. It is almost as if they had decided amongst themselves to put on a show for the tourists. All it really needs to complete the scene is to have one in the background attempting a cartwheel.
Our two weeks in Stanley came to an end all too quickly. Me and Mr Cooper had had such a good time, and were not looking forward to leaving, but leave we must.
We had planned to stay for five nights in Havana on the way home, Cuba being a place we had both wished to visit for many years. (It does take me and Mr Cooper a long time to get round to doing certain things, but going down the pub is not one of them!)
So back on the plane, this time to fly to Argentina, then onto Punto Arenas, and from there to Santiago for a brief overnight stop (four hours) The next part of the journey was undertaken with mounting excitement, as we then flew to Lima, Peru, and from there, onwards for our five hour flight to Havana.
We knew we would be entering a different world, and after staying in Stanley for a fortnight, the contrast was even greater than if we had come straight from the UK.
In my next blog I will be exploring Havana in more depth, but today I will leave you with just a little taster of the things we experienced.
Of course, when you think of Havana, one of the first thoughts is of those beautiful classic cars, brightly coloured, and in constant daily use.
Then, all the other modes of transport you find in different cities outside England. Here we see a bicycle taxi, where two of you can explore the sights of Havana, or simply pay to get from A to B. Also, behind it, a local bus, which looks as if it would get from A to B with some difficulty, but they were a regular sight, rumbling by in clouds of smoke, and packed with locals.
The Streets in Havana are amazing, for many diverse reasons. Here we can focus on the colours, and catch a glimpse of children on their way to school.
And here, it is not so hot on the coloured buildings front, but we do see a resident on their way to work. We saw him in action later on too, if 'action' is the appropriate word for what he does.
Many things were amazing about Havana. We were so happily amazed at the cost of eating-out, and rum cocktails and beer that we spent a lot of time happily eating and drinking, as it was a very cost-effective way to spend the day. And after a lack of vegetables and fruit in The Falklands (although we did enjoy the low cost of drinks, especially in The Rose) it was a real joy to be able to eat salads, fruits and plantains at every meal.
One evening, as we enjoyed a drink in our hotel's bar, I spotted a couple seemingly enjoying a mixture of Fanta and beer. 'Surely it must be like a delicious orange shandy?' thought I, and Mr Cooper very reluctantly bought me one. He was right to be so reluctant, it was horrible!
There are times when I should listen to My Cooper, (but not as many as Mr Cooper thinks I should.)
In my next blog I will focus on drinks we did enjoy, such as Mojitas and Ron Collins. Of course these were drunk responsibly, and interspersed with trips to musuems and art galleries.
Although my blog has been, for a time, very much spent enjoying the delights of The Falklands and Havana, we have been back now for nearly three weeks, and things are always changing. My kitchen workplace has changed, which has made my regular job harder, but the same old crew are still there. So much harder has my job become, in fact, that my first day back was very nearly my last. If anyone out there is on the brink of designing a kitchen for a restaurant, please give the washing-up area two sinks, two draining boards and taps as well as a spray, plus a dishwasher, of course. If you think one sink, no taps and a tiny draining board is the way forward, just come to the Greyhound and try it out!
Leaving my workday moans aside, and returning to real life now.
Before I went away, I was so pleased to be able visit my Aunty Sally, who had been ill for a long time. I took Mum to see her too, and luckily she was well enough on that day to see us both.
It was very hard when we left, as I felt that was the last time I would ever see her.
Aunty Sally sadly died whilst we were away, on the eve of Sarah and Ali's wedding.
Last week we all said goodbye to her.
A very sad time. Some changes in life are inevitable, but that does not make them pain-free.
I started this blog because it was all about me writing my cookery book, 'The Green Donkey Cookery Book'. This is to be all about the cakes and puddings I enjoyed from my childhood, primarily baked by my Granny Beba and her three daughters, Joan, Janet and Sally. The blog was actually started to record all the happenings and artworks I was/am creating that were hampering the actual writing of the book, as it had not proceeded much beyond collecting and trying-out the recipes.
Aunty Sally was very instrumental with providing me with recipes from the past, especially as she had the care of Granny Beba's handwritten recipe book. Aunty Sally was the most prolific cook of the three sisters, and undoubtably also the best at pastry and cakes (sorry Mum and Aunty Joan, but you probably won't be reading this anyway.) Having tea at Aunty Sally's was indeed a joy, and we were given cakes there that we never had at home. Aunty Sally actually used to pipe decorations onto cakes.....we were lucky to get silver balls and hundreds and thousands.
The other day, Mr Cooper said to me, apropos of nothing, 'Socrates once said here are only two things you can rely on not to change, in life. One is death, and the other is change itself.'
So I think now it is time to change the focus of my year and my blog, and stop saying I will be writing a book, and start doing it (after I have completed the two commissions I have to do, and created this year's significant artwork, and my entry to the Jerwood and The National, and planned my sessions for working with Mind....)
I will just have to work at weekends too.
My blog won't change much, but it should start to include some illustrations for the book very soon, plus hopefully a sense of mounting excitement, even if it is a gradually mounting sense of excitement.
If you know you have been pushing something to the back of your mind, instead of actually sorting it out, perhaps stop pushing it away, and start doing whatever it is you know you really should be doing. My son Sam shares a house with his Dad, who has fairly recently added two kittens to the household (success all round) but also a piano accordian, something he has been meaning to learn for years (success for George)
So let's accept the changes we have to, and create the changes we need, to enrich the lives of ourselves, and those around us.
And also to remember in our hearts, those of us who are now longer with us.
Gone, but not forgotten sadly makes more sense, the older you get.
