(Spot the ‘deliberate’ mistake.)
2014 was always going to be busy. Wonderfully so. My plans were to run the London Marathon in April (4 hours 11 minutes!), get married in July and go to America to teach a Scottish cookery course in September. All fabulous but all requiring a lot of preparation. It was do-able though. Then I got a new job. It’s also fabulous but the time and energy I’ve been devoting to it on top of the time and energy spent on the wedding etc has left me with little time or energy for my usual pastimes of experimenting in the kitchen, taking pictures and blogging. I haven’t even been reading much!
Today I decided to have a wee holiday and do nothing. By nothing, I mean I went for a long walk with Marco in the woods; I baked some bread and a lovely batch of shortbread; I read for a few hours in the sun and I took a picture of my lunch. That’s it in the picture below. It was a simple lunch but it was lovely. Perfect for a sunny lazy day.
Avocado & Goats Cheese Spread
(enough to spread on two English muffins)
1 perfectly ripe avocado (don’t even bother with a hard fruit)
2 tblspns soft goats cheese
A squeeze of lemon juice
Dried chilli flakes
Sea salt flakes
- Simply mash the avocado and goats cheese together along with the lemon juice.
- Spread on crusty bread or crackers or (my favourites) a toasted English muffin and sprinkle with chilli flakes and sea salt.
A Wee Bit of Cooking 
What a perfect summertime lunch! So very glad you took time to post! I sure have missed your regular posts. Congrats on the new job and all the exciting things going on in your life these days!
NOTHING like a day ‘off’ once in a while, Lovely lunch. Looking foreward to see what you will be teaching in Sept. Cheers for the rest, running and new job and wedding. YIPES!
Glad you’re back – I’ve missed reading your blog! Congratulations on the new job 🙂
Hello and congratulations on all your plans, marriage and venturing here to North Carolina in September. I’m hoping to reschedule the calendar so I can take your cooking class at John C. Cambell Folk School. Sounds wonderful. Beautiful kitchen for classes there. Just returned from a week there….my two chums took bread making….fantastic. Sent them your rosemary bread with sea salt recipe. looks delicious.
Hope to chat and then meet….I will be traveling to Scotland, Wales and England next year on assignment…..magazine writing. Love your blog. You bring such life to your country, the food and your adorable pooch.
So glad Ito discover all this. Good luck with the marathon!!!!!
best wishes for Asheville, North Carolina.
cappy
Hello Cappy! Look forward to hopefully meeting you in September! 🙂
love avocados and cheeese 🙂
Lovely to hear about your a lazy day off but, gosh, you did manage to pack SO much into that lovely day!! Sigh. I used to be the same when I was much younger. Congratulations on your new job, and here’s to a joyful unfolding of all your 2014 plans.
Marion
Glad to see you back.
Your lunch looks simply delicious, and the toasted muffin…mmmm! It’s a momentous year for you and I hope you enjoy every minute. All your readers miss you, but taking time out from your blog as you’ve done is important for you to achieve balance in an extra busy year! Warmest wishes for the months ahead.
Missed your blog – always a joy to read it. Congratulations on your new job, and good luck with all your lovely plans. I am sure the wedding is going to be a dream day. Can’t wait to see the photos of that. Great good fortune attend you on all your journeys.
congrats on the new job and good luck with the plans for the year – nice to feel there is some synchronicity in our lives as I have been making shortbread and reading the Luminaries lately – great book but I don’t have much time for reading and it seems I will be reading it forever and never finding out what happens 🙂
I’m really enjoying The Luminaries but, like you, I don’t know when I’ll ever finish it! It’s so complex too; I keep having to go back a few pages to remind myself what’s going on. Perhaps I should save it for the honeymoon!
Glad you were able to grab a free day ! Your head must be twirling by now .
Good luck with everything to come … and I hope you enjoy every minute .
Thank you all for the lovely messages. 🙂 x
I’m reading that book too – and if I could find a ripe avocado I’d eat that yummy meal too. Lovely.