Frikadellens!

There were certain chores I needed to get done this weekend, and putting a colour on my hair was one of them! I did this first thing, and Sophie came upstairs with me and watched Saturday Kitchen Live while I completed the essential job.

When I was in the shower, she made sandwiches for a picnic at Brixworth Country Park. I had suggested a walk followed by something to eat, and maybe an ice cream. We drove the short distance and parked opposite the café where Mike used to work when he was a teenager. It had been ages since we'd been there, and the expanse of grass leading down to the reservoir was busy with families enjoying the sunshine, many of them playing games or using the children's playground.

We chose the "Lapwing" walk, which was an hour and a half long. We decided to stop halfway around and enjoy our picnic on one of the many benches dotted amongst the trees. It was warm, and the clouds overhead made it feel a little humid. I was wearing black jeans (bad choice!) and felt hot when the sun shone through.

There weren't many people about, and there weren't a lot of walkers on our route. It was blissfully quiet, and we caught glimpses of the reservoir every now and again through the trees. It's amazing to think I used to do the seven-mile circular walk every Wednesday afternoon with Max the dog! Maybe in the Autumn, when it's a bit cooler, we'll do the whole reservoir walk again and have a picnic.

The walk wound up and down, through the trees and back down to the reservoir. It only took us thirty-five minutes! We sat on a wooden picnic table on the expanse of grass and munched contentedly on our chicken sandwiches. Sophie had also packed a little pot of cornichons and some crisps, with plenty of water. We really must do this more often. We're so lucky to have this on our doorstep!

More and more families were arriving to make the most of the weather and surroundings, with one family unpacking boxes and boxes of food. Barbecues were banned because of the dry weather, but it must have been great to have a large family gathering and enjoy the Country Park on a sunny day.

After we'd eaten, we walked across the causeway. Sophie reminisced about the days when she had a friend in Brixworth and used to go regularly after school to explore the land between the reservoir and the village.

We saw people surfing on the water, and several men in small boats fishing. 

We walked right to the end of the causeway and turned back, returning to the café where we enjoyed an ice cream. The café was different to how I'd remembered it when it used to be part of a shop. It was staffed by teenagers, so nothing had changed from when Mike worked there!

20 years ago:

Mike and cake

A pink-cheeked Sophie at 9!

Have they changed much?

Snowy causeway in 2005

From Brixworth, we drove to the village and popped into the pub for a drink. It was lovely to sit in the garden and chat in the sunshine. The pub garden was a lovely oasis of quiet, and I said to Sophie that it would be great to really enjoy the summer this year and visit the pub more often.

Back at home, Sophie made her potato soup for tonight's German meal. It smelt delicious! She also boiled a pan of new potatoes for a salad with shallots and cornichons. I finished putting the photos onto the computer from our holiday in 1994, and then it was time to relax, enjoy a French Martini and play Scrabble. I'm surprised we both didn't have a nap after our drink at the pub and the walk!

Beautiful old glasses

Our German night was a success! Before we ate, we danced around the kitchen to a couple of songs, which added ten more minutes of exercise to our day! Sophie added frankfurters to the soup, and it was delicious and definitely on a par with our beloved Reinhard's restaurant in Berlin (sadly, now no more).

For the main course, we enjoyed Frikadellens, a kind of porky meatball, with the potato salad. I have a habit of saying "Frikadellens!" which Sophie thought I had made up! But no, they are real things, and they were lovely with the salad.

To end the night, we watched the excellent Unknown starring Liam Neeson in a snowy Berlin. A great end to a lovely day!