Traffic Jam.

On our way to buy some saucepans (of our existing set, the only one that works with our new cooker is Merlin's water bowl) we were held up in a traffic jam. This road has been the victim of maintenance for the last month and it seems that there will be no immediate end to the hold ups here (the courts martial brigade will probably say that should be "holds up"). It is not often you're stuck behind a dump truck whose driver is practising for his relaxation class. I was also fascinated by the spectacles on the head of the lady in front and the way they caught the brake lights of the car in front of her.

The pots and pans problem is rather annoying, some of them date back to my bachelor days and were meant to last the proverbial life-time - an expensive feature. The Old Lady expressed her approval of my priorities at the time. Today, I was able to buy a good wok with lid (my favourite utensil) for only slightly more than I paid for the most expensive pan forty-five years ago and, from the local Swedish emporium, a set of three robust conventional pans for a mere five pounds. Now I just need to replace the sauté pan which is just about as essential as the wok. I would hate you to get the wrong idea about my cooking, it's not in the least bit exotic, it's just that I find large flat pans very convenient.

I’ve just posted yesterday’s, “A Touch of Colour.”