Tuesday 1 April 2014

Minestrone Redux...and the latest mural in Angoulême

Stewing a bony and lean cut of beef is something I do at least monthly which allows the making of borscht with beef dumplings, French onion soup, and last but not least minestrone.

The Calm One lucked out and the finest Limousine jarret avec os jumped into his market basket

Since spring heralds change, I added sorrel fresh from the garden and subbed broken-up tagliatelle for the usual mini elbow macaroni.

Lemony sorrel is on the right


We each enjoyed a couple of bowls on a nippy spring day.

I forgot to put in some peas!

Conditions are still suitable for sowing in the garden.

Mid-season tater bed followed by soon-to-be carrots/beets bed followed by pea bed

Elmo the Cat visiting is always welcomed.

A cat and his apple tree

Our Angoulême is internationally known for its murals depicting various comic strip characters along with its comic book museum and its prestigious comics festival held each January. The newest wall painting which is number twenty-eight in this series of public art was recently completed in our own quartier. The Calm One during his various grocery shopping hikes--we are happily car-free though sadly sans bike--spanning from late autumn to early spring took these photos with his smart phone.

 Fregeneuil Park where we would live if living there was legal

On the other side of the park, there are several public housing buildings with windowless sides which provide the perfect setting for a three-panel comic based on the work of Turf, the artist of La Nef des Fous.


The facades were steam-blasted spanking clean and primed white in preparation for the artwork.


First the sketching and then the painting was done by artists other than Turf who directed and oversaw the completion of the work.


Though not familiar with this particular comic, I love the elegant, seemingly effortless style of fluid outlines and merrily coloured and cleanly spaced forms.




À la prochaine!