My sweet honeybun took me to Coombe Abbey near Coventry for my birthday weekend. What a treat! It’s a twelfth century abbey that is now a luxury hotel and has extensive grounds to wander around in. We had a lovely relaxing break.

You can find loads of these kinds of places all over the UK and France on this site:

http://www.celticcastles.com/

I brought home two beautiful pine cones from the park. Their form is just so rigidly sensuous. I love them.

No matter how nice it is to go away it’s always nice to come home, back to the nest. I made an awsome lentil soup and we watched Down By Law (Jim Jarmusch).

Lentil soup recipe: Serves 2.
Ingredients

1 ‘take away container’ of cooked lentils
(I cook em up in a big batch and freeze them in take away containers or you can buy them canned)

1 onion diced.
2 teaspoons of whole coriander seeds (this is a must!)
1 fresh red chilli (or tons of chilli powder)
1 can of crushed tomatoes
1 zucchini (courgette) diced
1 capsicum (pepper) diced
Teaspoon each of dried herbs, salt and pepper. Tomato paste is good too.
Saute the onions and corriander seeds till the onions are soft. Then add the chilli and the other vegies and herbs. Stir over a medium heat till they are all smelling like friends. Then add the lentils and canned tomatoes (and tomatoe paste). Add some water if it’s all too dry.
Simmer till it looks good enough to eat (About 15 minutes)!