FRIENDS TO STAY

Well we are on week two, the third weekend coming up without Manu, one more to go.  We have had visitors this week from Paris.  My friend Vero who I met 12 years ago has come with her two boys - Tom and Germain.  They are 7 and 9 so have made friends with my two and we've had fun together.  Vero and I drinking wine by the fire late into the night, and the boys constructing lego and playing soccer together.

Tom in the orange T-shirt and Germain in the red, and yes Ben really eats that much broccolli -strange child.

Poor Samuel falling asleep at the dinner table.  Tom and Germain are on holiday this week and we are on holiday in two weeks time as France splits up the regions, and of course Samuel can't understand why they get to stay up late.  So it's been lots of late nights.

We've also taken them to the river, all the parks we can think of and swimming.  They've had fun I think.



Last weekend Benjamin insisted on fish for lunch.  Usually that consists of fish fingers but he wanted a whole fish head and everything so being the obliging mother that I am I bought a whole trout, actually two one for me.  Guess what he hated it.  It took me three days to eat two trout, it's the last time I oblige my kids.  Hahaha serves me right.

I don't know if you remember my disaster cake baking sessions because I was using all South African recipes and they weren't working.  Well I've been making Madeleines now from a French recipe.  They're great for the kids after school and my mid morning snack. 

TAKEN FROM WIKIPEDIA...........The madeleine or petite madeleine is a traditional small cake from Commercy and Liverdun, two communes of the Lorraine region in northeastern France.
Madeleines are very small sponge cakes with a distinctive shell-like shape acquired from being baked in pans with shell-shaped depressions. Aside from the traditional moulded pan, commonly found in stores specialising in kitchen equipment and even hardware stores, no special tools are required to make madeleines.
A génoise cake batter is used. The flavour is similar to, but somewhat lighter than, sponge cake. Traditional recipes include very finely ground nuts, usually almonds. A variation uses lemon zest, for a pronounced lemony taste.