A dash through November

November slipped by so fast it was frightening. It appeared to be a work-filled month running from one job to the next with very little time to take stock or note of what was going on around me. I do remember making some very nice chocolate biscuits and a few fish pies to keep us happy and well nourished. The dark days slipped by very quickly as we raced towards the shortest day of the year.

Today I am in Besancon with Corinne surrounded by snow and ice. The treachorous roads may keep us somewhat confined but if we get hungry we can always shoot something or other! The pears and quinces stored outside have frozen and the sweet chestnuts have dried rapidly in the chilly air.

Back home our allotment became less demanding over the last few weeks because the slugs have devoured the turnips and the beetroot are still too young. One delight however has been the growth of one of Corinne's new variety of globe artichoke plants. Despite my pleas to leave it grow for a lttle longer, she longed for the tender fresh and young leaves. So it came to pass, no sooner had I turned my back she had chopped it away from its mother plant when I had my back turned. I found the solitqry innocent inthe basket when I was loading the car. Everything tastes great with a little mayonnaise and this little specimen was no exception.

Corinne's new Globe Artichoke plant

November also means the harvest of the slug infested jerusalem artichoke plants, which lay maturing in the soil for the last few months. To my surprise they had not been too badly attacked by the useless slugs, and we had a few very pleasent meals with either roasted or steamed jerusalem artichokes (which also taste great with a little mayonnaise). The harvest of these unphotogenic critters is quite unforgettable because we wash them in the rainwater filled basins on the allotment. The water is inevitably freezing and my hands are throbbing with pain by the time I have washed the mud from them. The real reason for a lack of photgraphs at this point is because my fingers became paralysed in the cold water. A sensation which repeated itself yesterday after shovelling snow for a period.

During November I managed to get away for a few days to Holland, and spent a day in Haarlem before meeting friends in Amsterdam. There are times when you need to have some time to yourself and Haarlem I believe is the place to do it. It is much smaaler than Amsterdam but still has all the charm. The city is disected by the Spaarne river. Below are a few views of Haarlem to enjoy.

Check out the wonderful furniture of Piet Hein Eek

Traditional boats on the Spaarne with St Bavo`s cathedral in the background

Halloween was still in the air but so were the Christmas lights like so many cities

Sinterclas and Zwart Piet were making their entrance into the cities of the low countries the weekend I had arrived. There were a lot of beautiful wreaths of flowers, berries and fruit to hang on your door, or indeed decorate your beloved bicycle. I am contemplating bloging Conor`s Christmas Adventure (if I am allowed - so stay tuned in).
All errors above are due to defective and non standard French keyboards.