Cocktails and China on tour

 

Well here we are in November and I have been on a bit of a tour. I took myself off to Norway to celebrate my birthday.

The weather was remarkably warm and sunny  ( apparently in Cocktails and china town it was grey, rainy and cold), the last time I was in Norway the same thing happened (unseasonably warm weather!).

Anyhoo I digress, I was staying  in Stavanger in a super modern hotel on the harbour front, 300yards from the 'Flybus' stop and also the Island boat stop (this is a great way to travel around the islands of Stavanger and surrounding area.)

I had a very precise list of things that I wanted to see and headed off to tick of the first, with a detour to the bank to change some money.

1. Banks open at 10am, no matter if you are first in the queue, the Norwegians will make sure they get in first.

2 you take a ticket and wait for your number to be called.

3 you wait............and wait...........30-35 mins, get called, ask to change money and are told that banks don't hold cash in Norway.

4 30 secs later you are directed across the street to a cabin which is the official money changing place.

5 get money and head off to your first port of call.

The Oil and Gas (Petroleum) Museum

And yes I am that geeky, but I bet not many of you have seen a bottle of the first oil to come up ( in a maple syrup bottle as they tried to grab anything to hand).

It was fascinating. I tried on a survival suit when I went into the 'helicopter' and sat through the safety procedure.

I spent nearly an hour in the 'subsea' light installation, which was mesmerising.

It was a great museum, and I am pleased that I decided to put it on my list.

I then walked through the city to the centre lake which in the sunshine was beautiful, everyone was making the most of the November sun.

I then just walked and walked taking in the differing styles of architecture ( yes geeky but I like it), Found 2 Antony Gormley figures from the 23in the city and part of what is known as 'Broken Column' I wish I had found more. 

I  marvelled at how lovely and friendly the people were (despite not using English queuing etiquette 😂),  and 20k steps later I arrived back at the hotel, completely shattered!

Shower, food, wine ( no cocktails were available) and bed.

And then it was my birthday, so I headed down to breakfast with what looked like half of the Italian army and had my granola and yogurt. I had opened all my cards and was busy reading lovely birthday messages.

I set off to go to see Sword Hill which was on my list and had to get a bus out of the city, however Lars on reception ( I was on first name terms thanks to several bars of cadburys chocolate, always good to have on hand) said that if I got the local bus and got off I may have to wait an hour for a return bus and there was nothing else there, so I scrapped that and headed off into the city to do some shopping and go to an exhibition  about hearts ( YES!!! REALLY!!!).

I'd found a Salvation Army charity shop the day before and nearly had to be resuscitated when I converted the prices!, however on my birthday I went in and bought a piece of Norwegian glass I had seen the day before ( I like a souvenir), at £28 it was a bit steep I thought and then saw them in town for £150 so it turned out to be a bargain!

By 1.30pm I was famished but found that most restaurants don't open until 3pm, so I headed into a 'pub'. Here I was told that they didn't do food, but there was an excellent bakery across the road where I could get some food and bring it back to eat in the pub with a pint ( well 0.4 L). So I headed to the bakery, got an avocado and salmon on rye bread and the biggest Danish pastry I have ever seen ( well it was my birthday) headed back to the pub and sat outside with a complimentary  blanket to keep my legs warm.

You don't get that in the UK!!! Can you imagine eating your Greggs in Wetherspoons!!!

I spent a couple of hours wandering around and ended up back at the harbour which had amazing views, and then headed back to the hotel for a quick nap.

I was very tired and as I am still getting myself pulled round from the last few months, decided to eat in the hotel.

I was tucked up in bed by 10pm.

And before I knew it, it was time to come home.

I decided to do the hop on hop off bus before heading to the  airport.

And I saw Sword Hill, 

I had the best time in Stavanger and would definitely go back again.

It had the right amount of quirkiness and geeky things to keep me interested.

Now it time to plan my next birthday jaunt.

Oh and I never got a cocktail, but I did see lots of lovely china, I just couldn't get it in my suitcase!

Gosh where have the weeks gone

 

Well its been 3 weeks since I wrote a blog and posted my cocktails, this has mainly been due to;

1. being very busy at work

2. struggling with work/life balance

3. Being quite unwell 

First lets get the cocktails out of the way.

First picture 

Big Red

Vodka

Cherry Brandy

Cranberry juice.

Served with cake sale ( which I have become very good at making)

Second picture

The Robinson 

Yes they named a cocktail after me!!!!

Brandy

Extra Dry Vermouth 

Pineapple juice.

Very nice cocktail and one that I will definitely come back to.

Last pic

The Star

Brandy 

Gin

Extra dry vermouth

Rosso Vermouth.

I had this on my camping trip, drinking a star whilst star gazing.

As for the being unwell, it sort of crept up on me, starting with overwhelming fatigue, which I could not shift, and then followed a couple of weeks feeling 'under the weather' until last week I just felt so ill that I was very worried.

Turns out that I have had a virus ( yes the virus thing comes out again, this time when they know you don't have Covid but aren't sure what's wrong).

I had planned to go camping for Bank Holiday weekend and decided to still do it. It did turn out to be the best idea, I slept a lot and felt very much better when I got home.

So hopefully this will continue.

By the time you read this there will be another cocktail hour due.

Champagne Friday

 

As cocktail hour approached on Friday, I was  busy  preparing for my afternoon tea party to raise money for 'Breast Cancer Now' the  following day. I was up to my eyes in bread, butter and fillings.

So I hurried through and then set about sorting out my cocktail.

Champagne Cocktail.

Brandy

Sugar cube

Champagne.

Put sugar cube in bottom of champagne glass, add brandy, just to cover the cube.

Top up with champagne

Voila champagne cocktail.

I love this, its quick and easy to make and tastes amazing

This was the champagne of choice on Friday

Saturday was humid and wet so it was a good thing that I had cancelled the original garden party and brought in tea 'slots'.

These were booked upand I had a steady stream of guests. In all I raised £350 ( last count) which is beyond fabulous.

I am now taking a  few weeks of very little at weekends to try to get my breath back.

Have a great week.

Last cocktail hour of July

Last weekend of July and last Cocktail hour  took place on Friday.

I opted for a Dirty Martini but decided to push the boat out and make Cake Sale ( should have an acute accent over the E but this is an English keyboard), a popular French apero, a cross between cake and bread.

I have been wanting to make this for a few weeks but never seemed to have the time. I will be making it again.

Dirty Martini

Gin

Extra Dry vermouth

Brine from olive jar

Garnish with olives

Shake over ice, strain and serve.

Its that easy!

Cake Sale 

200g self raising floor

200g butter melted

3 eggs

This makes the 'batter'

Add to this  savoury items, I used, red onion, mature cheddar ( grated), rosemary (chopped)smoked ham ( thin strips) tomatoes (chopped) and Olives sliced in 'O's

Add  to the batter and stir together.

Pour into a loaf tin.

Bake for 20-25 minutes at gas mark 4

This is a great make and very tasty.

August cocktail month is now beginning.

Sunshine and cocktails

 I am going all typically British now, oh my goodness how hot was it last week!

It was unbearable in the office and virtually impossible to get a decent nights sleep, so by the time it was Friday and cocktail hours, I was ready for a drink and a bit of relaxing in the garden.

I had been given a very 70's garden set last week, for extra seating  when I have my charity tea party in a couple of weeks, so I have been enjoying using them all over the weekend.

I also was dog sitting for the lovely Micky Bell, who is an absolute treasure ( and a very funny little fella).

However I digress, lets get to the cocktail of the week.

Georgia Mint Julep.

Cognac

Mint

Ice

Muddle some mint in a shaker and add the cognac, stir around and leave for a few minutes to infuse.

Add ice to glass and fresh mint leaves.

Strain cognac over ice.

Sit in a sunny spot and enjoy.

Have a great week 

Late cocktail review

 Super late with my cocktail hour picture and recipe, not sure where the week has gone to be honest.

Last Friday ( 9th July) I decided that after a rough week at work, I would have a quick and simple cocktail and opted for a Brandy Alexander.

Brandy 

Creme de Cacao

Single cream.

Put all ingredients into a just and stir over ice.

Strain into a glass.

I had dipped the glass in chocolate and served with some sweet treats.

It hit the spot and was well worth making.

If you try it I hope that you enjoy it.

The best hour of Friday

 

 

I really like Fridays, not just because obviously it is the start of the weekend, for me I have an early finish from work, time to mooch around the supermarket and get my weekly provisions, and then home for Cocktail hour.

I have spent the last year ( lockdowns) cooking 3-5 course French meals at weekends  and suddenly this year, due to my working week being totally chaotic, I decided on cocktail hour and all that it entails.

I love to plan the cocktails and any nibbles that will go with them.

Friday was extra special this week as it was the T20 Roses Game  ( and yes Yorkshire won)

Cocktails and cricket are a perfect combination.

So the cocktail du jour was

Midnightini

Blue Curacao

Vodka

Cranberry juice

( Sprite or 7up if desired)

Ice

This can be shaken or stirred your choice.

To the vodka add a dash of curacao and dash of cranberry, do this until you get the desired colour.

I ended up with a dark purple /blue colour, like the skies here at the moment at midnight as we are  still on longish days.

Either shake with ice or stir with ice.

If you think this is too strong add a dash of  7up or Sprite.

It really was a fabulous cocktail