Bread. Again.

Bread. Again...

Yep, I tried it again! This time, I bought some compressed yeast from my boulangerie (exceptionnellement - that is, they don't usually sell it, but will now because of the shortages in the stores).
Mine's not nearly as good as theirs, but it's still tasty!

~~~
Last time: http://slowtravelin.blogspot.com/2020/05/bread-patience.html

Not Today

I looked at my Not-Today To-Do list, and saw that I should buy a beach parking pass some time next week. My note said "next year," as I'd thought of this quite a few months ago. It now reads "Buy beach parking permit - next *next* year"... Sigh.

Also on that list, and dare I say, *doomed* to stay on it - we started out this afternoon to the shopping center one town over - shoes, shirts, shelving, maybe some grains... We got as far as the elevator! It was either blocked or not working, and we knew we didn't want to risk hauling furniture up all those stairs. So, all that is back on the list for tomorrow.

On a good note, I did finally *buy* a sewing machine! It's still in the box, so I just modified my "not today" list to say "*use* sewing machine"!!

Life is good.

A Little Later

And a little bit later...

This Evening's Sky

May is really nice in Sète !

Clouds

Nice clouds lately!

Self Isolation in Photos

One of my online groups recently had a photo competition, with the theme "Self Isolation." This was a very interesting challenge, and fun to think about. Oddly enough, it took my mind off feeling Self Isolated, while focusing on it.

Here's what the judges had to say about it:
"One definition of "art" in the Cambridge Dictionary is "the making of objects, images, music, etc. that are beautiful and/or that express feelings."
"Self Isolation" is a difficult subject - it's likely to engender strong emotions, often unpleasant, such as claustrophobia, loneliness, frustration, jealousy, impatience. But emotions don't photograph easily; the photographer must choose scenes that express either his/her own emotions or those sympathetically perceived in others."

We were allowed 5 entries - 2 of mine were rated 🙂

Judges commented:
"A claustrophobic, "shuttered in" apartment view, with a tantalising glimpse of sunshine and freedom outside…"

Judges commented:
"Desperation in the crazy framing - is this the last sight before she jumps, or is she jealous of the dad and boy making the best of it?"
My answer - 😉 this was really one of the best moments of each day - it provided so much emotional relief from the ongoing anxiety, and joy in the playtime still possible.

3 were not rated 🙂

My first day out during confinement, I improvised a mask - this was a quick, fun picture, steamed glasses and all. A little humor counteracted some of the inherent fear of going out and doing what needed to be done.

Each evening at 8pm, our community would go to windows and balconies for "Le Clapping," applauding the healthcare workers dealing with the coronavirus fallout. We forged a few bonds, adding a wave across the parking lot.
For this photo, I really wanted a distant look, and got the grainy texture I was looking for. But I really would have liked to have the lady on her balcony in sharp focus as well - I didn't have a good tool for that. :-\

I was curious how the judges would compare this picture and the other "shuttered" view. I liked the added oppressed feeling from the darker shutter here, but the "missing out" feeling is stronger with the balconies showing in the other one.

Sun and Sea!

Today was our first Sunny Day of Deconfinement!
So, although the beaches are still closed, the greenbelt that runs along it is open! We drove down (yes, together 🙂), and walked.

And watched the Sea

Plenty of room to keep our distance from others

The Voie Verte (greenbelt, nature path, place to walk or bike without worrying about cars)

~~~
Yesterday, it rained - I was out in it, standing in line to pick up 2 masks provided by the town.
Tomorrow, it's supposed to rain...

The End of Confinement

The End of Confinement - for now...
Tonight ends 2 months of official confinement in France, at least for the green zones. That's a big chunk of France, but doesn't include Paris, and doesn't include the North-East corner.
What it really means for us is that we don't need an attestation to leave the house. We can drive somewhere "different" (but within 100 km). Parks and forests are open, but not beaches (yet). More businesses will be open, but not restaurants.

Mainly, it just feels like I can breathe again.
Fly free.
But with a mask ;-)

Dinner Sunset

We enjoyed this sunset last night, during our dinner of Spicy Garlic Fish and couscous 🙂

Commemorations in Confinement

One positive to come of our confinement is that our town's commemoration of the end of World War II was streamed - and saved for later viewing.

These types of memorials usually start at 11:00 - I'm guessing that comes from the ceremony to commemorate the end of World War I, 11/11, at 11am.

Sète war memorial

~~~
I'm not sure how long this will stay available here:
https://www.sete.fr/article/suivez-la-ceremonie-du-8-mai-en-direct-a-partir-de-11-h/

Spicy Garlic Fish

Our town of Sète is sharing recipes from various local restaurants and chefs, helping all of us to get through the confinement with no open restaurants.
I tried le poulet à l'ail (Spanish Garlic Chicken) par Jean Brunelin, and we really enjoyed it! I decided to change the chicken for fish (plus a few other odds and ends) - it worked!

Spicy Garlic Fish

for 2 people:
- 2 portions of cod (~1/4 kg), cubed
- handful of nuts (optional)
- ~1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- 1 head of garlic, cloves peeled, sliced into rounds

- 1 TBS lemon juice

- 1 TBS water (to replace the lemon juice I removed)

- 3 bay leaves
- Spanish seasonings
   paprika fumé, 1 TBS
   cayenne / piment fort, 1 tsp
   thyme, 1/2 tsp
   basil, 1/2 tsp
   cumin, 1/2 tsp
   cloves, 3 taps
   salt, big pinch

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat, then add everything except the fish.
Cook and stir occasionally until the garlic and zucchini are lightly browned.
Add the fish, stir to coat, lower temperature, cover, and cook just a few minutes till done.

Serve over couscous, pasta, brown rice, or other cooked grain.

Note - if you do the original with chicken, you marinate everything for 1 hour, then fry the chicken, remove, and fry the rest. Add the chicken back in to heat and serve.

Bread Patience

Bread Patience
or is that Patients? Can making bread breed patience? Can eating the experiments make you a patient?
All I know is, I'm not usually patient, and I feel a bit like a patient here, now, waiting for the Grand Illness to pass.
But making bread from scratch, especially with homemade yeast, does at least *test* patience!

I've been keeping my grocery trips down to about once a week, which means I don't get fresh bread very often. So, like everyone else, I decided to try baking my own. And, like everyone else, I tried to buy yeast!

As there was none to be found, I tried a homemade yeast recipe. My first search for what to do yielded a wacko or two (as in "don't scrub the potato too hard" - like potato dirt is magical). Eventually, I found some reasonable instructions and explanations, but (of course) by then I'd already said what the heck, I'll try the magic 🙄. No, I didn't leave in any dirt, but I did leave the potato peel on. And I added salt as well as sugar - finding out later that the salt actually slows down the yeast growth. Not a good start for an impatient person...
All righty then. I got my potato yeast culture going.

Jar1 and Jar2

Three (THREE!) days later, I see some action

Jar1

Jar2

So now I start my baguettes - I only want 2, so I adjusted a recipe for more. I'm using what I call "yeast water" instead of dry yeast, so I modified for that too. And! Here they are! I had a choice - let the loaves rise on an oiled pan or on a floured towel. I nearly ruined my towel...

The loaves were so embedded in my towel, I had to nearly rip them apart just to get them off it! I used a *lot* of "dusting" flour during this wrestling match.

Way too much, but I finally got them baked.

It's pretty clear that at least *some* of the yeast survived and worked!

Since I was able to save my towel,  I decided to try again - this time,
- more flour
- a bit more kneading
- definitely no towel (oiled pan instead)

Dough ball

It was easier to work, but it hardly rose at all, even after 3 hours...

Is it rising at all?

Ready to bake

It was definitely flatter and denser, but still tasted good. Plus, it was prettier...

I was ready to give up. I started to throw out my yeast water, when I noticed a few bubbles! OK! I fed it some more, then waited a couple of days (yes, even more waiting!), and tried again.
Well. Three times is definitely no charm! This attempt didn't even deserve pictures. It might as well have been a doughy cracker.

1 Kilometer Tour

I hadn't been out of the house except for groceries since March 12th.

I definitely had the Confinement Blues.

So, yesterday, Rick took me on a tour around our neighborhood. We used 50 minutes of our allowed hour, walking in the sun, within our allowed 1 kilometer radius from home.

The streets were nearly empty.
The stadiums were closed.
The one train we saw had only a few cars.
Construction sites were quiet, and overrun with poppies...